That's 1169 days.
In that time I have written 953 blog posts.
I don't know what I think of that. I just wanted to share!
Thursday, 24 May 2012
Wednesday, 23 May 2012
A Short Screenplay Inspired by KITFR Readers!
A couple of days ago I asked for your suggestions in the following criteria:
STEVE SPATUCCI:
A character name: Maya
A location: an abandoned amusement park
A conflict: she gets in a fight with her best friend as they're exploring
An object: a custodian's key ring
A hard to pronounce word: Yreka Zzyzx
ANONYMOUS:
A character name: Chris P. Duck
A location: The long flat moving walkway that takes you between gates at an airport.
A conflict: Chris has dropped his passport on to the walkway travelling in the opposite direction.
An object: The passport (and boarding pass).
A hard to pronounce word: "Acesulfame K" (it's in the ingredients list on the drink I am currently enjoying).
HAPPY FROG:
A character name: Zed.
A location: Nature reserve as storm clouds threaten.
A conflict: Zed sees something unusual he can't quite make out in the lake.
An object: A mobile phone with low battery power.
A hard to pronounce word: Paraprosdokians
AINHOA:
A character name: Claude
A location: A photobooth at a subway station
A conflict: Claude keeps on taking pictures although there is a long queue outside the booth.
An object: A bleach bottle.
A hard to pronounce word: Paralipomena.
A character name:
A location:
A conflict:
An object:
A long, hard to pronounce word:
And then I promised to make up a short screenplay on the spot, based on whatever you give me. I did this knowing that in all likelyhood the screenplay would be terrible and convince you all I can't write for shit. But then again, who cares! It seemed like a fun idea. Here were your ideas:
STEVE SPATUCCI:
A character name: Maya
A location: an abandoned amusement park
A conflict: she gets in a fight with her best friend as they're exploring
An object: a custodian's key ring
A hard to pronounce word: Yreka Zzyzx
ANONYMOUS:
A character name: Chris P. Duck
A location: The long flat moving walkway that takes you between gates at an airport.
A conflict: Chris has dropped his passport on to the walkway travelling in the opposite direction.
An object: The passport (and boarding pass).
A hard to pronounce word: "Acesulfame K" (it's in the ingredients list on the drink I am currently enjoying).
HAPPY FROG:
A character name: Zed.
A location: Nature reserve as storm clouds threaten.
A conflict: Zed sees something unusual he can't quite make out in the lake.
An object: A mobile phone with low battery power.
A hard to pronounce word: Paraprosdokians
AINHOA:
A character name: Claude
A location: A photobooth at a subway station
A conflict: Claude keeps on taking pictures although there is a long queue outside the booth.
An object: A bleach bottle.
A hard to pronounce word: Paralipomena.
Read the script HERE!
Tuesday, 22 May 2012
JOHN MAYER "Born and Raised" Album Review
"Don’t be scared to walk alone
Don’t be scared to like it
There’s no time that you must be home
So sleep where darkness falls"
-Mayer
This isn't John Mayer's best album. Half of it is mediocrity. But that happens - nobody can be great all the time. Rembrandt produced nearly 700 paintings, Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets, they're not all genius.
But what Mayer never fails to deliver is those little, understated moments that you can't help but relate to. A little turn of phrase, a little pluck of the guitar; there's no-one like it. That's MASTERY! He toured the shit out of his early records; and those hours that new artists spend whoring themselves out on Facebook pages, he spent practicing guitar. That's why he deleted his Twitter account; it was a distraction from his art.
The highlight for me is 'Something Like Olivia' -- a wonderful track about finding the perfect woman who's exactly what you need; but she's caught up in another relationship.
"There's only one man in this world
Who gets to sleep with her by his side.
I'm thinking something like Olivia
Could keep me through the night."
And 'Speak For Me' is another great track. I don't know what it means yet, I'm still figuring it out. Same goes for 'Walt Grace's Submarine Test, January 1967', which may be great, I'm not sure; it's too early to tell.
This guy's voice is incredible. The legend is that Mayer's a complete asshole. The music suggests the exact opposite. My opinion? He's both. Just like all of us.
PS: As I was writing this, I played the album again -- and feel my 'Half of it is mediocrity' comment may be a tad harsh. This record is a grower!
The Random Screenplay
I'm going to write a short screenplay, just for you guys, based on your suggestions!
Please suggest;
A character name:
A location:
A conflict:
An object:
A long, hard to pronounce word:
And at some point tonight, or tomorrow morning, I will close comments; and write a little screenplay based on your ideas, and then share it on the blog!
Sunday, 20 May 2012
10 Tips: Rediscovering Your Creativity On Projects That Are Lying Dormant
1. Open up the project file (this is the one we resist the most).
2. Go straight to the issue that is causing you the most stress. The nagging sound issue, the second act plot hole, the bad acting from that girl you should never have cast ----- go to it! WORK ON IT! Just do it!
3. Turn your phone off. Close down your web-browser. Dedicate an hour to it. The problem is never the WORK, it's the resistance we feel BEFORE doing the work.
4. Accept that less than perfect is okay (Perfection in art is rare, and even if it did exist, it should probably be avoided).
5. Show your work to a friend and ask for three POSITIVE pieces of feedback. Often we struggle because of how fragile we are when it's going wrong. Getting that rare burst of positivity can help us rediscover what's good about the project.
6. Ignore the brain wave that rushes into your head and says "Actually, I have a great idea for that OTHER project!!". That's just avoidance, ignore it. The other project can wait.
7. Read this poem.
8. Fall in love. You'll complete your project in three days just to impress her/him.
9. Get dumped. You'll get ANGRY. You'll want to take over the WORLD! That burst of energy will ignite you to great heights!
10. Focus. Once you're 12 minutes in and focused, you're fine -- the time will fly by. But you have to do the work to get past the initial few minutes where all the distractions come racing in.
2. Go straight to the issue that is causing you the most stress. The nagging sound issue, the second act plot hole, the bad acting from that girl you should never have cast ----- go to it! WORK ON IT! Just do it!
3. Turn your phone off. Close down your web-browser. Dedicate an hour to it. The problem is never the WORK, it's the resistance we feel BEFORE doing the work.
4. Accept that less than perfect is okay (Perfection in art is rare, and even if it did exist, it should probably be avoided).
5. Show your work to a friend and ask for three POSITIVE pieces of feedback. Often we struggle because of how fragile we are when it's going wrong. Getting that rare burst of positivity can help us rediscover what's good about the project.
6. Ignore the brain wave that rushes into your head and says "Actually, I have a great idea for that OTHER project!!". That's just avoidance, ignore it. The other project can wait.
7. Read this poem.
8. Fall in love. You'll complete your project in three days just to impress her/him.
9. Get dumped. You'll get ANGRY. You'll want to take over the WORLD! That burst of energy will ignite you to great heights!
10. Focus. Once you're 12 minutes in and focused, you're fine -- the time will fly by. But you have to do the work to get past the initial few minutes where all the distractions come racing in.
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