Day 13 of Script Frenzy

Cover of "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banz...
Cover via Amazon

I am catching up on old episodes of the Creative Screenwriting Podcast. I’ve just listened to a Q+A on Black Swan, and am currently listening to an interview with John Lithgow. He’s being interviewed after a screening of a film he was in, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension. Movie Marathoners – this looks like a film to get for the next one!

I really enjoy listening to the Creative Screenwriting podcast whilst doing something else (filing, doing dishes or other cleaning). It’s wonderful to hear from the writers of recent and favourite films. There are also some exciting tidbits. My favourite podcast so far is a performance of new monologues by Neil LaBute. (I’ve been trying to find a link to it, but can’t. It was a super special podcast. Perhaps it’s only available from iTunes?)

Now, I must admit to know following the work of many screenwriters, but after hearing LaBute’s work, I’m going to start following him. I was especially taken with a monologue that actress Amanda Peet performed. It made me think about monologues in a new way. How important the reveal is, and how multiple reveals can create the humour of the piece and also the tempo.

Unfortunately Jeff Goldsmith, the guy behind the Creative Screenwriting Podcast, is leaving. I’m not sure if that means that it will no longer exist, or whether someone else will take over. Here’s hoping the latter – the podcast is a wonderful resource. I’m just going to say here, thanks Jeff, I enjoy the show.

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The Bonzai Tree cancelled

I regret to advise that The Bonzai Tree has been cancelled. Those involved with the production have been advised or are being advised.

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Day 11 of Script Frenzy

I find that I write better when I’m in a cafe, away from internet access. It’s the best way to avoid emails and Facebook and just focus. So today I trotted to Blondinis after work, and spent a couple of hours typing.

Because I’m not working on one feature script, it’s harder to keep track of how many pages I’ve written. I finished one monologue today (4 pages), and started the feature.

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Day Six of Script Frenzy

By day 6 of Script Frenzy, I’m meant to be up to 20 pages.

I had an assignment due for my Scriptwriting class. A 5-10 minute script. I did work on the short film that I had planned to write and hand in for this assignment. Whilst writing it, I realised that it’s at least a 15 minute film, so not ideal for the assignment. A few pages of new scenes were incorporated into Script Frenzy.

I had written the opening scene of a short film idea as part of Script Frenzy. I knew it could be a 5-10 minute film. So I wrote that. One 7-page script done. With the other short that I started, that puts me at about 13 pages.

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Day Two of Script Frenzy

I can foresee that finding the time to write is going to be fun. Day 1 of Script Frenzy was plagued with sleep deprivation. It included work, a meeting with my research supervisor, a production meeting for the films I’m producing, and finally catching the bus to where my car usually is rather than where it actually was. Damn sleep deprivation. It then involved a walk along the Old Hutt Road, a bus ride, dinner, and then trying to write. One page down, and I fell asleep. I started a new film idea. Really the 1 page script could be just that, or it could extend into a thriller/horror.

The second day of Script Frenzy has involved procrastination in many forms, and working on my short film script. Thankfully doing Script Frenzy counts as work for my Uni Scriptwriting course. Does working on a script that one has already started count for Script Frenzy? I hope so.

I’ve also gotten into the vibe by listening to Creative Screenwriting podcasts whilst doing dishes. And I’ve been listening to music, which has gotten me onto a story idea involving a rock band. Really I should stop starting short films, and focus on the ones I have to write.

Day 2 of Script Frenzy. Really I should be getting to 6 pages by now. I’ve written 1. Hmmmm.

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Feminism v Masculinity: Why I, as a Feminist, support Men’s Rights

Symbol of the planet/Roman god Mars, also used...
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I am a Feminist.

I’m happy to say it aloud. I’m a Feminist and proud. And, because I am a Feminist, that means that I support Male Rights.

What was that, you say?

Feminism has unfortunately been mislabelled; a Feminist works towards equality for everyone: equality regardless of gender, race, age, or sexual orientation. A Feminist isn’t a man-hater. Feminism isn’t about bringing men down, it’s raising women up. And it saddens me when people express anti-Feminist diatribes, and stating they can’t be a Feminist because they don’t hate men. Neither do I. Glad we agree.

It is with that understanding that I came across The Top 10 Issues of Men’s Rights on The Good Men Project.

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Film, study, and assorted things

There aren’t enough hours in the day. I suppose to make my blog more interesting, I should have done more regular posts on each of the things below. I simply don’t have time. So this is what I’m working on now…

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Race Unity Day 2011

Hi all,

I am performing with the Sirocco Middle Eastern Dancers at Race Unity Day this Saturday 19 March. 

Our set includes Spanish-Bellydance fusion, with a Spanish Gypsy Dance, a Spanish fusion dance called ‘Amayaguena’, and then a drum dance called ‘Tammerhenna’.

Come along to the Horticultural Hall in the Lower Hutt Civic Centre to take part in the Race Unity Festivities, 11am-3pm. We’ll be performing at 1pm. There are music and dance performances, stalls and food from all over the world.

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MacBook Pro vs. Maxtor External Hard Drive

MacBook Pro at the desktop.
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I did a post about my computer issues recently. Let’s just say that I went a little mad without a computer and with a back-log of work to do, and my credit card took a beating. Seeing as I’ll be moving overseas at the end of the year, I’ve decided that, whilst it sucks that my hand was forced, a laptop would be easier to transport than a 21” desktop.

That does not mean that I have given up on the desktop. I’m picking it up tomorrow. From what it sounds, I haven’t done anything to it to make it give up the ghost, so I don’t see why I should pay over $1000 to get it fixed when it hasn’t lasted a minimum 5 years (a reasonable length of time under the Consumers Guarantees Act). But I digress.

The new MacBook Pro arrived today. I have my Maxtor 1TB external hard drive at work ready to plug in, load up my previous computer’s data onto the new computer, ready to get to work.

The MacBook Pro will not recognise the external hard drive. At all. Even Disk Utility won’t see it.

Panic.

So, as with most issues, I put a post on facebook to see if my friends can shed any light on the situation. Believe me, that works most times.

Then I searched the internet for answers. I’ve linked what I found here; so I can refer to it later, can make sense of it, and so others with the same issue can use what I found.

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I know a published poet!

My friend Chris Tse has been published in a book of poetry by the Auckland University Press (AUP). Very exciting! You can read his blog, The Asiatic League, here.

AUP New Poets 4, featuring Chris Tse

 

VicBooks and The Victoria University Library presents The AUP New Poets Launch  – Thursday 17 March at Te Taratara a Kae, Victoria University Library, Rankine Brown Building, Kelburn Campus – 5-7pm.

I can’t go, so you all should.

The popular AUP New Poets series, which brings fresh new poetry to a wider audience, began in 1999 and has launched the careers of well-known poets such as Anna Jackson, Sonja Yelich and Stu Bagby. This fourth volume showcases the work of three distinct new voices: Chris Tse, Erin Scudder and Harry Jones. Chris Tse is a Wellington writer whose work draws on his family history and Chinese heritage. Canadian born Erin Scudder writes sophisticated, dark, and flavoursome poetry with close attention to the sound and shape of words. Tauranga based Harry Jones writes poems in which appearances deceive. On the surface plain, even easy, his poems open on depths of insight and feeling.
– http://web.auckland.ac.nz/uoa/aup/forthcoming/forthcoming_home.cfm

You can also hear one of Chris’ poems, The Family Village, on SoundCloud.