Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Imagination

"I've always believed that the imagination is a spiritual quality that, like memory, can be trained and developed."  -- Luis Bunuel



Yes. Agree with passion. The imagination can be developed.

So prior to writing a script, or during, or while in production, train and develop your imagination. How? Keep a journal. An intimate, reflective, honest journal. This will train you to think, observe, and yes, use your imagination.

Think of the imagination as a muscle. It needs to be used. Keeping a journal will help.

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Get in late, get out early

Get in late, get out early!

A golden rule of writing. Was in class yesterday at USC, watching films, when I brought this up. Why? Because there were several scenes in some films which went on for way too long. Less is always more. Always.

We have two chances of making the scene work, in terms of it's length, and really, it's impact - in the writing and in the editing. 

When we are writing the scene, you want to ask yourself how late can I start this scene? Why is this so important? Well, think about it. What's the opposite? Starting the scene too early. 

Does that sound like a good idea? No. Not at all. We start the scene too early, it's going to be boring, long, overwritten and it will certainly not start with a bang. It will start with fluff, or filler. You want your scenes to have a purpose. Start them with a purpose.

"If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter."  -- Mark Twain

My favorite writing quote of all time! It's simply the best, and certainly applies to start late, get out early. This is why we write and rewrite and write some more. Many drafts. Because we edit. We carve. We polish. We hopefully get to the point sooner than later.

Yes? Make sense? Always, always, always, start your scenes as late as possible.

In the next post I'll discuss why we want to get out as early as possible.

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

"Kisses From Paris"

Here's another good short film. Yes, another love story, and yes, simple on the outside. Clear intentions of the characters. Simple production - did not need a lot of money to make. Less is more.


It's visual - it shows, not tells. The city of Paris serves as a third character. It's warm and inviting.

It is my strongest recommendation to all young filmmakers, to all filmmakers who want to make a feature - make a good short film first! And this film is yet again another good example that you do not need to break the bank to make a good film. Get a camera and a couple of actors and explore!

http://www.shortoftheweek.com/2009/11/13/kisses-from-paris/