History Maker

As a writer, this has become home to me:

It is my "happy place" where worlds exists in language and imagination. In writing, there is a sense of justice—that someone's story will be told. Sometimes it's mine. Sometimes it's yours. Sometimes the story belongs to a stranger.

When I was in high school, my least favorite subjects were Math and Science. My two favorite were English and History. So it seems rather fitting that one of the scripts I've been working on lately is a piece I call THE SHADOWS OF CHERNOBYL. It should also come as no surprise to you that it centers around the actual event—Chernobyl is not some figurative code in this case.

As I work on projects, I spend time researching before I even think of storyboarding and typing out long scenes. I watch videos, read books, read articles, study pictures, and so on. I find that the video research of this particular project comes in small waves, because every time I watch them or see pictures, I am consumed with their stories and in large chunks it's completely overwhelming. I watch and hear all the things that the victims of that tragedy never knew. The time they sacrificed, the price they paid with their lives all because of a sad string of events driven by pride, miscommunication, and fear.

I see pictures like this:

And I cry. I feel their pain. I try my best to grab onto just a small fraction of what they may have experienced. And then the uncertainty, confusion and panic that I imagine they experienced finds its way onto a typed scene in a screenwriting program. Whether it will see the light of day or not, who
knows . . . but it helps me. It challenges me to think outside of the frantic rom-coms and cheap scares that flood the box-offices and it pushes me to fight to write their story. Write their hearts. Honor their lives.

And I hope that one day when this story is read, the hopeful happy ending will convey my heart for those who lived in another time, under more dire circumstances, and that others will take notice.

American Daydreams

As I look back through the recent offerings that Hollywood has released in theaters, I find myself wondering, "Can't they come up with something more original?" I am aware that due to the economy and other fears and facets of the movie-making industry that the safe bet is to ride the 3-D wave while it's here and to put out as many secure sequels as possible. I get it. But that doesn't mean I have to like it. In fact, with the exception of Toy Story 3 (which I saw in 2D first), the 3D movies I've seen advertised just haven't seemed to be worthwhile endeavors for me. But all in all, I was in search of something new, something original, something creative that was able to stand on its own without so many extra gimmicks and bells and whistles—and I think INCEPTION did that.

Last night I decided to go to the midnight showing of Inception. Mostly because I was entirely anxious to see it, having read plot lines and script reviews online. Also for the sheer fun of going to a midnight showing! So I drank some coffee to stay awake before I headed out, stuffed my Twizzlers into my bag and headed out the door to experience Inception on the IMAX screen.

I must admit that part of the fun of going to the movies is the things you overhear in line and in the theater. Last night, as I was waiting in line, there were 3 guys on my right hand side talking about their girlfriends and how they don't really like them. One of the guys even said his girlfriend's name was "Anna 'Bail on James' Murphy," which made me turn my head and chuckle quietly. The two guys on my left side were MUCH funner anyway. One of the guys had missed a call earlier that day and was trying to guess who it was. "It's a 406 area code. I wonder if it's ______. Or maybe it's _____. Actually I bet it's ______ cause he said he'd be in _____" So I put my eavesdroppery to good use and looked up the area code on my phone.

"What's the area code?"

"Oh, it's 406."

"Ah. Okay. That's Montana."

"Montana! I knew it!"

After that, the guys both turned to me and began asking me what I was looking forward to in the movie. We all shared our relief that it wasn't in 3D and laughed so hard at different movie jokes from other failed 3D flicks.

We eventually were let into the theater and got to experience the summer blockbuster hit of ingenious proportions. It was so action packed and I fell completely in sync with the characters. I was so engulfed in what was happening to the team on the screen, holding my breath and freaking out at tense scenes. At one point, I turned my head and (no lie) every single person in my row was on the edge of their seats looking up, wondering what was going to happen next. With every twist and turn of the movie, I found myself trying to guess what would happen next, how things were all intertwined, who was good, who was bad, who was going to live, and who was going to die. There were so many things I loved about the movie. The imagination that went into each scene and the score that backed it up kept my hopes up that the movie-making industry might actually be returning to a state of originality and pure character driven masterpieces. I'm still holding out hope.

The actors in the movie did such an amazing job portraying each of their characters and had so much great chemistry that the dialogue and expressions conveyed totally added to the entire package as well. It was refreshing to me that others could see Ellen Page in her true versatile acting form, as opposed to the stereotypical role of JUNO that most identify her with. Joseph Gordon-Levitt completely blew me away in his role and the entire supporting cast was just perfect! And it doesn't really need to be said, but I'll say it anyway—Leonardo DiCaprio DID not disappoint! The intensity he brings to each character is wonderful and after seeing him in this movie, it's just a reassurance that he hasn't lost his touch.

The action scenes were intense but not overdone. I think my favorite part about it was that Christopher Nolan didn't feel that he NEEDED the movie to be made in 3D. It was complex, intriguing, and just a fun film to watch without extra bells and whistles. If I were to describe it, I would say it was a combination of The Dark Knight and The Prestige. Others have also mentioned that it exceeds the greatness of Memento—which is saying a lot.

I read this review earlier and it resonated with me:

He did not raise the bar. He took the bar and put it somewhere no one would ever, in their wildest dreams, think of finding it. . . .

Nolan’s exploration of the mysteries of the dream world is entrenched in truthful scientific research while offering a humanistic and philosophical take on how the dream is moved and how it can confuse or rearrange our individual realities. He also juggled multiple story lines, all supposedly progressing at different rates through time, without being the least bit confusing. . . .

But I think this Tumblr user pretty much hit the nail on the head when he said:

I will be INCREDIBLY surprised if the cast and crew of Inception doesn't sweep every upcoming award show they're nominated for! I highly recommend you go see this movie. It was worth every dollar I spent on it.

Even after the movie was over, the movie was not over. I got home, went straight to bed and (no lie) had an "Inception-style" dream. Leo DiCaprio was even in it and it was like I was still IN the movie. I felt like I woke up at least 20 times through the night, even though it was probably only 3—when my 1st alarm went off, when my 2nd alarm went off, and when my body finally woke up. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to fall right back asleep to see what would happen next.

Movie Trailer for Inception:

Love Is A Fast Song

No matter what has ever come to me
I got my own brand of company
I got da da da inside my head
And i play songs back to back until i go to bed

Wake up by myself inside an empty room
There's no body next to mine to oooh
But my skin is warm and my heart is full
It's the do do do do do do

Walking waking on a crowded street
With my headphones loud
So my hips can swing, so my head can nod
To the rock and roll to the boom boom beat

& i find that i'm never alone
& i find that my heart is my home
& the music within makes me whole
A world that i built on my own

& i know that i'm never alone
& i know that my heart is my home
Every missing piece of me
I can find in a melody

(Melody by Kate Earl)

For as long as I can remember, I've been a super huge fan of music. Everything about music makes my life richer. From the shower, to choir practices and shows, to talent shows, to family reunions, to karaoke. I love music. I love going to rock shows and discovering new bands and new music. And I love how different songs inspire me in different ways.

I'm finding out more and more that as a screenwriter, music speaks so loudly in every word. Every piece of dialogue, every transition scene, every movement of each character that I envision in my head while I'm writing, is inspired by creative thought, personal observation, and the soundtrack in the background.

For instance, having only seen gang life from a distance, when I'm writing out traits and mannerisms for Preston Collins' character in BALLARD BOYS (about 3 brothers torn apart by the foster care system) I listen to T.I.'s Ready For Whatever, and I can see Preston's swagger as he walks up to a girl. And I can picture in my mind the years of hurt he's translated into his life rollin' with his boys, and I can put words to it as he looks into his older brother's eyes with hatred and disappointment. And it's crazy to think that someone like me could ever begin to TRY to write out what that looks like and how it translates into something an audience could grab a hold of. But the music helps.

And when I'm writing the crucial scene in LANE AND ALLEY when Alley is attacked and I need to know how to write the attack out in a way that channels the abrupt violence from the attacker while still being able to convey the facial reactions and sounds and movements of Alley as she's enduring it all, I put on Placebo's Post Blue.

Or when I'm working on BRAVERY and Evie and Micah are hanging out together and watching the sun set together and I need to be able to convey in writing that moment when Micah looks at Evie, sitting there on a grassy hill next to him with her head on his shoulder, wrapped up in his arms and he realizes that he could stay in that moment forever and goes to kiss her on the forehead right as grabs the polaroid camera and snaps a sneak shot of him. And we get to see their love develop. . . I put on Ashley Chambliss' A Little More of You.

And in THE ACADEMY when Mykalena and Cameron FINALLY do their final dance sequence, having endured the crappiest, roughest rollercoaster of a relationship, I listen to You Found Me by The Fray and see their choreography come to life. And being able to imagine in my head the way she looks at him during certain verses and how she wants him to know that she is his and he is hers. The music speaks. Because to everyone else watching, it's just a dance. But to them, it's a story that encompasses all the drama they've had to endure to be together. I love it.

And I know that IF they were ever actually made into actual movies, there would be other studio execs who would choose the soundtrack. But in writing, and really in every aspect of life, music definitely speaks to me.

You should try watching one of your favorite scenes from a movie on silent while you listen to a particular song and see how the music afftects that scene for you. Try watching a really sad scene with a really sappy song and then watch that same scene with a more uptempo song like Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch or something.
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By the way, you know who is a champ at soundtracking? Lindsay Wolf. She's the music supervisor for One Tree Hill and Ghost Whisperer and that girl is seriously a champ at picking out songs to bring out the perfect emotion in a scene. I follow her on twitter and she is always tweeting about new songs to check out and I LOVE it.

The Verdict

Once upon a time in blasé film infested Hollywood . . .

Quentin Tarantino helped bring back the art of major motion pictures. That's right, I said it. He's a cinematic wonder. I went to see Inglourious Basterds today and at the end, I clapped so loud. Lucky for me, the ENTIRE auditorium clapped along with me. It is truly a genius film. It brought in refreshed techniques and a strong script with it. It's been a while since I've been so engrossed in a film like this.

I went into it knowing kind of what to expect. I mean, when it comes to Tarantino, you can always count on tons of violence—very vivid violence at that, random dark scenes that spew from his creative mind, and lots of language. And I was so surprised! I mean, don't get me wrong, there were definitely elements of all of that, but for once I felt like the main star of his film was NOT the guns, was NOT the language, but was his characters that were so strongly defined and so keenly portrayed. I mean, there were SO many little details that went into the web he wove and in the end, you just find yourself expecting one thing and being completely surprised at the outcome. I won't go into too much detail because I want you to go see it with an open mind, ready to be caught off guard like I was. Yes, I thought it was THAT good. As a beginning screenwriter, I've read through a lot of scripts and I've written and re-written and RE-re-written some of my own stuff. And it's always so tough cause you don't want to write what's already been done, and I feel like a lot of the movies I've seen recently have just done that. I mean, I know that especially in this economy, the movie studios are looking for what they know works, such as predictable rom-coms and bloodlusty horror flicks that rely on bloodflow to counteract the lifeless acting and storylines. I get it. But Tarantino bent all those rules and in Inglourious Basterds, teaches us to connect with a character so strongly that just the mention of a name of an antagonist in the flick makes your stomach turn upside down and you feel as if it's your OWN NEMESIS that you've had to come face to face with.

I love that in each of the chapters of the movie, I was given a strong piece of the puzzle that left me wondering how it all tied in and when that chapter was over, I was like, "Wait, no, WHAT HAPPENS NEXT??" In so many movies, they give it to you cause, sadly, if they don't, you'll probably never get it. But just as my mind was trying to wrap around what could possibly happen next, a new development came into the picture and it played into just a corner of what I'd just seen, totally blowing my perception of what might be coming up next out of the water.

It definitely inspired me to rethink some of my own screenplays and to challenge myself to explore plot twists I'd never considered.

Don't get me wrong, if you don't prepare yourself for a Tarantino flick, you're gonna hate it. That's just how it is. He is definitely a cinematically acquired taste. And after Grindhouse came out, many people lost faith in him as an artist . . . and I can't really blame them either—the trailer alone made me not want to even bother, but he totally redeemed himself with Inglourious Basterds. I think that any movie that can intrigue me, especially when I

A) am not really a fan of Brad Pitt
B) am not a fan of subtitles
C) am not a super huge fan of gore/violence
D) am usually turned off by the lame portrayals of just how morose Hitler is
E) am ruined from screenwriting and thus i pick apart every element of the movie

has become something of amazing art form. I really encourage you to watch it. I mean, go in knowing what you can expect from Tarantino, but be ready to be impressed in the cinematic quality it offers. From the soundtrack to the lighting, to the camera angles, and even to the wonderful supporting role portrayed by THE OFFICE's BJ Novak, I hope you get to clap at the end too. :D

Plenty of Paper

So I'm sitting here at Caffe Ladro, working on the screenplays and I'm so refreshed because last night, I finally got all my screenplay binders organized and ready to add more content to.  I also put together THE STORYBOOK ANTHOLOGY which is like, my basic binder I carry with me that holds the "skeleton" and "reference materials" for each screenplay all compiled in one handy dandy carry around binder for those moments when things just come to mind and I need a place to jot things down.  Or if I have downtime, I can just open up The Storybook Anthology and get some things written down.  Here is a brief intro into the binders I've worked so meticulously to put together.  





These are the individual binders, which have the various stages of each piece of formatting documentation and will also hold notes and ideas and be the main bulk of the content for each spec script.  They will also eventually hold the latest drafts of each spec script.



Each individual binder contains a CAST LIST, which is a visual of what I think each character should look like, along with a basic description of who they are; A 3 ACT CHART to help keep the sections somewhat structured; A PLOT/SUBPLOT CHART to help keep those organized and clarified; A MULTI-PLOTTING GRID for the ones that need it; A BEAT SHEET to help keep things streamlined; A CHARACTER MOTIVATION GRID that lists each "type" of character and their inner/outer motivations and goals; A CHARACTER MOTIVATION FLOWCHART for each main character that again just keeps things on track; A CAUSE AND EFFECT CHART to keep the structure solid. There is also extra pages for notes and doodles and such.


This is what I call THE STORYBOOK ANTHOLOGY:



It contains tabbed sections for each spec script's basic data, along with a tab for BACKBURNER ideas and a tab for the Story Log, which is just a thin notebook that I use to jot down ideas along the way.  And the binder itself is a full-flip binder so it folds out like a spiral notebook to conserve space for when I'm at a small coffee shop table...like right now. ;)



And each binder has it's own place.  The individual binders have a sleeve in my hanging storage "shelf" next to the screenplay boards in my room... that way they are right there when I need them.  They are organized by focus importance from bottom to top.  



I know this may all seem silly, but it's definitely a big part of my life right now and I'm so super stoked to be organized!  :D

Dues To Pay

I'm so excited today!! I got my tax return back! Woot!

When I was making the big trip up to Seattle, I got a credit card to help with the move and any incidentals along the way. But thanks to my tax return, that debt is GONE!! woot!!

It feels so great to be free of my credit card...especially with this economy!

Don't get me wrong, I was so glad to have been able to use it to get here, but now that my credit debt is paid off, I feel so much more at peace! :D

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In other news, things are going great for me here! I'm continuing to work on the screenplays so now I have one I'm focused on, one I'm tooling with and one on the back-burner. :D I think one of the hardest things is focusing on the solid one while being tempted at times to cross over into one of the others. It's a great balancing act! :D

Work is going great and my first Present Time publication should be coming in today to start the mailout! I'm so anxious to see how it looks in all it's printed glory! :D I seriously feel like I should be like, running home with a copy for my family and being like, "QUICK! HERE! PUT THIS UP ON YOUR FRIDGE!" But they'll get to see it soon enough... I'm working really hard to figure out a way to head back to Austin for a quick visit at the end of June/beginning of July for MCA Grad! :D

Hmm... other than that... not much to report. But I'm so excited for the weekend! I hope YOUR day is going great!

Your Sort Of Human Being [VIDEO BLOG]

Here's a video blog for you to enjoy!

Song: EVERY DAY IS A WINDING ROAD by Sheryl Crowe

I chose to go with a different song than "Your Sort of Human Being"

for the post because it just didn't fit the footage... great song though

and some random photo shots for you to enjoy!

Laughing Out Loud

Time for a quick blog while I have my morning coffee :D

As I delve more and more into screenwriting, I am discovering that even though I happen to be a funny girl, there are still so many doubts as to how to write that into an actual script. Because I can think of the perfect retort to something in the script, but then you have to think, "Would he really come back with something that quickly in that situation? Or would it take him a moment to get his brain in gear to just whip right back like that."

I think that the two genres that scare me the most as a novice screenwriter is HORROR and COMEDY. Which is funny because some of my favorite movies fall into those categories... but the thought of writing one of my own- freaks me out! Because like I said, I consider myself funny, and I DEFINITELY have funny experiences to glean from, but when you're talking a larger audience that you have to "win over" with your story and jokes or scary imagery and such...there's a TON of pressure. Take for instance a movie you've gone to and you're like, "man, they're just trying way too hard to be funny." That's what I fear the most. That I'm gonna write something that only I get.

Learning screenwriting and what it takes to really make the audience fall in love with your script on screen, I've really come to appreciate the antics that go on at SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE. I never really used to watch the show, but lately I've been like... constantly waiting for Hulu to upload new episodes and trying to remind myself to watch on Saturday nights (this rarely happens, sadly). But man, these writers...are phenomenal. Granted, not all of them are funny all the time, but man, they still do a GREAT job. I've read a lot of comments from people who are like, "SNL is just not funny anymore..." and I'm like...WHAT ROCK ARE YOU LIVING UNDER? The competition is MadTV and ... well... just MadTV... and let's get real, SNL dominates! It's such a fun unique show...and there's hardly any really quality comedy coming on TV that's not in a movie. So, SNL writers, I salute you! (not sure they'll get the message, but what the hey)

And in honor of that, here are some of my recent favorites! Enjoy!











PS: This morning I was getting on the bus and totally slipped on the step and face planted into the doorway. It was classic! I laughed so hard. I am "THAT GIRL." hahahahahaha!

Between Rupture and Rapture

I went to the movies today because I had a free ticket from Regal Cinema due to my frequent moviegoing skillz!  ;) hahahahahahahhaahah

So out of the movies available to see, I decided to go see a scary movie.  I went to see THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT.  It was true to form as far as scary elements, and the storyline had an interesting injection of faith and hope to it, which took me by surprise.  The actor who played the main character was really really really good.  I mean, in one second, I felt ultimate pity for him, and the next scene I felt afraid of him, and in the next I felt extreme respect for him and man, he could just switch from portraying one facet to another- great array of depth for the character.  The story-line was really interesting as well.  

I think the more and more I study screenwriting and practice it, the more I see the movie on paper as opposed to just going to see another movie.  I'm not saying that this movie will definitely win Oscars, but the mood and the cinematography definitely left an impression on me.  Though I'm not sure I'd ever be able to write a horror/thriller script without feeling like a complete knob, it definitely inspired me to keep writing.  

This new "dedicated hobby" of mine has challenged my creativity and I love exploring new mirrors and doors and being able to express the things, the characters, the locations, the scenarios that play out in my imagination all throughout the day.  And I love the discipline it's teaching me as well.  

I recently got to sit down with one of my mentors- Brian Brooks, who taught me a vast amount of exploring creativity in life, graphic design, web design and video production... and it was so refreshing to run my ideas through him and explain to him some of the things I've been learning.  I got to share with him the synopsis of both screenplays I'm working on and one of them is definitely more tragic than the other, but one of them actually hit home with him.  And for me, though it is a tragic situation, to know that what I'm writing is relatable and not just "poopy-shash" as it were, gives me a new level of confidence that I can write something and get something out of my mind that's not just unique to myself.   

I love writing. so much. truly.  And I think that this "dedicated hobby" I've ventured into is bringing out a lot of honesty and a lot of depth to my own mind and heart.  I love it!

One thing that I've been wrestling with as a writer lately is the "line" of involving faith in the scripts that I am working on.  I mean, you have to think so deeply about the characters and what they like and what they would say in any moment... how would they stand if asked a serious question? how would they respond to a cat call?  would they laugh at an unfunny comment?  And for me, I've wrestled with... language.   Would I be less of a Christian if my character said "Hell" flippantly?  Would I be looked down upon for one of the characters saying "Damn"?  If I'm true to the character in my head, she would say that.  If she was being attacked, she's not going to say "Oh crap!"  She's not necessarily a Christian.  And in the moment, I wonder, if she were a Christian, and she was being attacked, would she really "turn the other cheek?" Honestly? I think not.  I think that when you explore the lives of other people (real or fictional) that you begin to realize that their situations where faith meets life, are not 100% perfectly holy.  There will be anger.  There will be retaliation.  People are people.  

So I was thinking the other day, does it make me less of a Christian if I don't promote bible verses and people getting "saved"?  And I'd like to think that if what I write is in line with what I believe in my heart that God wants me to write and if I do it with excellence, He will shine through more and more.  Because this ability to write the things in my head, the characters, the lives, the stories... it's all because of HIM. Seriously.  

While I'm still wrestling with a lot of elements involved in these scripts, I love knowing that it's meaningful.  If not to others, at least to me.