The Codec Crises

Sweetness, if I hear the word codec again this week I may have to stop my very own hand from throttling my very own neck.

I have been locked in a padded cupboard at TechGeeks UnLtd since my last post and only just managed to escape this morning. I came home via the gym as a good workout was required to both keep on top of my training and release a little angst, but, for all my escape plotting, I needn't have worried. It has been a fairly quiet day - mainly thanks to the 'c' word - so I treated myself to a day of writing. Yeah, fancy that! Time to write, eh? Jeez. I'll have time to cook next. There was something really special about focusing back on a script again - it was very exciting and bucked me up out of my post-shoot/edit dip. I hate those dips. You feel all alone after feeling all over the shop. It's a weird place.

So, I did a little re-write of a (very) short I wrote a couple of months ago. It is terribly dark and oppressive and the Production Designer is going to have a field day, but I love it for all it's manky skankiness. The fact I love it is probably just as well, as I fully intend to shoot it very soon, it being one of three possibilities for my Virgin Media Shorts entry.

Everything is pootling along nicely with general work and most aspects of "Project Mute". Lots of chats and meetings are lined up over the next couple of weeks which will all be very fun, but there is also a hell of a lot of paperwork to wade through in relation to both the project and Company things. I was hoping to hold out on going Ltd for a while, as it really isn't something I have much time to deal with at the moment, but it looks as though it'll be unavoidable for much longer. More accounts, VAT, accountancy bills etc. Boring. Yawn. Snooze.

So suffocation by paperwork aside, all in all, it's good. Someday soon, I may even upload the promo/teaser trailer I have been working on. Codec allowing.

On, on and onwards.

Madness

Hi all

As I suspected, last week was a furious furore.  I don't have much time to dither over posts this week either, but in a nutshell:

Short re-write.

Feature Outline magically writes itself overnight.

Read magic Feature Outline, decipher writing, type up.

Short re-write.

Put magically written Feature Outline in drawer. Adios amigo, for a while. Dust - do your worst.

Travel to Darlington to attend The Story Engine, brilliantly organised by Ian Fenton.

Work in hotel bar, socialise with blog buds, Le Arnopp et Le Turner.

Attend first brilliant day of aforementioned festival.

Sh*t hits fan via email.

Tear apart Short film idea.

Huff. 

Drive Producer up wall.

Return to Festival seminars.

Lose all form of concentration.

Drive Producer up wall.

Return to hotel, take long shower.

Stomp around a lot like a child.

Tear apart Short film idea again.

Drive Producer up wall. Again. He's now on ceiling.

Network on a microcosmic basis with aforementioned blogbuds, joined by Chris Parr, Le Moran & Le Lemon and their prettier halves.  

Return to hotel room and work solidly until about 4am.

Breakfast before 8.15am telecon to Script Editor. Couldn't eat. Wasn't hungry anyway.

Absorb Script Editor notes.

Get ready to return to Festival & seminar I'm late for.

Decide to watch TV instead.

Kick self up arse.

Check out of room & carry on working on new beat sheet in bar (it was closed, I may add)

Make decision to quit festival whilst I'm on a roll - Simon Beaufoy will have to wait to meet me another time.

Return to festival for lunch, have quick chats & say goodbye before heading to the station home.

As leaving, start conversation with Really Interesting Bloke who agrees to be the subject matter of a long term Feature Documentary me & WorkGalBud are pulling together. F'cking A.

Leave for home with a spring in my step.

Work like a possessed demon on the train home.

Batter commuters out of way in haste to get home and charge MacBook.

Work like an even bigger demon, flat out all weekend.

New beat sheet, new character breakdowns. New, new, new everything.

Realise my rib is very sore after just being a bit sore last week, and trapped nerve in leg is getting worse.

Find out I have two ribs out of place - have them realigned. Trapped nerve eased with painkillers.

Weigh myself - have lost 7lbs in a week.  Joy.

Carry on with new new new everything.

Wait with bated breath.

Realise it's all good.

Onwards and upwards.

Laters, sweeties.

Working 9 til 5...I wish

And breathe.

A whirlwind of occurrences, that's the life I lead.  Well, only sometimes these days, anyway.

The week went something like this:

Monday - The Kid was still not very well having just parted company with a sicky, coldy bug but still managed to soldier on through his 8 month check up with The Health Visitor.  He smiled at all the right things, burped loudly followed by a bellow of giggles, frowned when The Health Visitor tickled him under the chin, bobbed up and down to imaginary music and clapped on demand, and then when he got bored he chewed his shoe and farted. I then dropped him off at nursery whilst I headed home to try and get some work done.  It's amazing when you are writing how quickly nursery/school pick up time comes round...6 pages written; 9 calls made; 7 emails responded to.

Tuesday - The Kid took a backwards step in his recovery.  All plans - blown out.  Spent day with ass hovering over sofa, wishing I could just sit down for two seconds without mopping up snot, puke or rocking back and forth...0 pages written; 0 calls made; 0 emails read let alone responded to.

Wednesday - The Kid made a fantastically remarkable recovery and had so much energy all day I bit the bullet and decided to take him to his swimming class.  After a hard hour in the gym I dashed home to make a few calls whilst my Mum was still enthralled with her Grandson.  Perfick...0 pages written; 4 calls made; all emails read; 1 child knackered after a hard swim.

Thursday - first of all, thanks must go to the most courteous Mark for organising another little Blogette/Facebook get-together.  Yet again, a  very enjoyable afternoon which - horror of horrors - turned into an early evening minus child for me.  My system was so shocked by the lack of The Kid's bathtime "splash-splash", the fight to get him into his sleep suit afterwards and then the gentle prodding to keep him awake for his bottle, that I felt the need to consume more than my original 'just the one'...3 new chapters outlined; 5 calls made; 2 meetings attended; 1 social gathering attended; email read & responded to; 1 very odd journey home having laughed out [very] loud at my book on many occasions and then realising I wasn't the only person in the carriage. :0)

Friday - The Kid's music class and this week he emerged as star pupil due to his innate ability to 'bop' like a home boy whilst clapping furiously and, for the most part, totally in time to the music.  He was so immersed in the class that he only twice realised I was sitting beside him on the floor.  If I'd only thought to take MacBook with me I could have done a bit of writing. The only foot stomping occurred when the bubbles stopped and apparently the teacher felt so awful looking at his big, sad eyes, she carried on with the bubbles for a while longer, just for him.  I fear a future actor and/or muso in the making.  Either that or a Dictator...3 pages written (somehow); 0 calls made; all email read; 1 very proud mum.

Saturday - Amidst all the very tedious household stuff that has to be undertaken every weekend, I noted that Zone Horror have "Cut! The 2008 Horror Short Film Competition" running.  This is sponsored by C4's Fright Fest  and is worth up to £5k in winnings for a 2 minute film.  Closing date for entries is Friday 13th (!) June 2008 - so all you genre-istas out there - get going!  0 pages written; 2 chapters outlined; 0 calls made; 0 emails answered; 1 very domesticated-out mum.

Sunday - hasn't passed yet.  Anything could happen...may check emails.

And breathe.

Oh, where to go, what to do...

"I love deadlines. I especially love the swooshing sound they make as they go flying by" Douglas Adams.

For those of you London-tied and not able to make "The Long Distance Screen Writer" course (Edinburgh, 9th June) run by the brilliant Adrian Mead, or are not attending Christopher Vogler's "The Writer's Journey" (9th & 10th June, run by Raindance), those nice folks at Living Spirit (Ealing Studios) are running a one day masterclass entitled "Making it in Hollywood" (10th June) aimed at directors, producers and writers. They are also chucking in a FREE copy of "The Guerilla Film Makers Hollywood Handbook" (worth £30) if you book and pay by this Sunday (20th).

If you aren't sure about this course or if you are just curious, Living Spirit are sending a free pdf interview with British Producer Jeremy Bolt to those who email a request to office*at*livingspirit*dot*com

If, like me you can't make any of these courses because...
a) they are all taking place on the same weekend, and
b) one of those days just happens to be the day on which your baby is due

...then just sulk.

Me and Red Pen are off to do some serious damage in shortscriptland. Have a great weekend all.