Over at Cinephile Paradiso I was ruminating on my own writing and I thought I might share with you a quote from Evelyn Waugh regarding his own writing:
"I regard writing not as an investigation of character but as an exercise in the use of language, and with this I am obsessed. I have no technical psychological interest. It is drama, speech and events that interest me."
And it got me thinking about the way this little project is going to get itself writ. I tend to be someone who starts writing the plot or script first and begins thinking about the characters who will inhabit the world next - it's not that I don't care about character; it's that I'm often preoccupied with exploring ideas and themes using film language first and thinking about the characters in the way they can represent those themes and ideas.
I've discovered mainly through my time in Manchester and witnessing the way my classmates approached writing and filmmaking and I definitely agree that characters in themselves need to be grounded in something real - they need to feel like fully realised people in order for the audience to engage with the themes, ideas and film as a whole. But I've also learned, thanks to fellers like Tarantino, Hitchcock and Waugh, that it's ok to think about structure first, and even vice versa. This is a free country after all!
So my question to the wider world is, how do you write? How do you want to write? Do you work to a formula to think through your ideas or do you just purge onto the computer? Do you like that imagery of vomiting up words?
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
The Pursuit of Happiness Just Seems a Bore
1. INT. OFFICE. MORNING
A small yet industrious office is bustling. People are arriving and sitting down to their work. Others are chatting in the tea room. We pass by the cubicles, noting interesting items on desks. On one desk sits a plaque that reads: 'One of these days I gotta get myself organizized'
We stop at an occupied desk. There sits a girl in her early 20s, very well-dressed - and we're talking high street brands all the way here, appears to be on the phone. A flooded in-tray threatens to flood her desk, which would take out a framed photograph sitting on her computer's monitor.
We close in on the girl in order to catch her conversation.
We hear a beep on the phone, followed by an automated voice.
Rebecca hears this and her eyes widen. She quickly tries to re-record the greeting.
A small yet industrious office is bustling. People are arriving and sitting down to their work. Others are chatting in the tea room. We pass by the cubicles, noting interesting items on desks. On one desk sits a plaque that reads: 'One of these days I gotta get myself organizized'
We stop at an occupied desk. There sits a girl in her early 20s, very well-dressed - and we're talking high street brands all the way here, appears to be on the phone. A flooded in-tray threatens to flood her desk, which would take out a framed photograph sitting on her computer's monitor.
We close in on the girl in order to catch her conversation.
REBECCA
Hello, you've reached Rebecca Gibbons, Marketing Officer for -
She looks up at her computer, and sees an appointment on her work calendar.
REBECCA
- oh, for fuck's sakes. This sucks.
- oh, for fuck's sakes. This sucks.
We hear a beep on the phone, followed by an automated voice.
VOICEMAIL MESSAGE
Greeting saved.
Rebecca hears this and her eyes widen. She quickly tries to re-record the greeting.
***
This is something I had in mind for an episode that I'm tentatively calling The Dare. I've blogged about this idea in an earlier post; about the housemates acting like children for a week. I've also been thinking a lot about Rebecca and some of the themes she represents. I think that she can be quite a reserved person and something extreme would have to occur for her to let loose in this way.
I was at a staff retreat last week and I think that I would like to recreate (and exaggerate) moments from it. Not least because it totally reminded me of the training day episode of The Office. Sadly no one quit. Perhaps luckily, no one asked any of us out on a date, mistakenly thinking we'd split with our partner. This is just a rough draft and I wrote it several minutes before this. And I'm writing it under the influence of many cold and flu tablets, an annoying phlegmy cough and a crap runny nose, so it's possibly a big pile of crap, but hey - that's where you come in, dear readers (ok, Jessica)!
A couple of notes: I wanted to give Rebecca a name that referenced a famous character who has lived through office politics for comic effect. I felt Canterbury would be too obvious and looked toward Office Space. The protagonist of that absolute gem of a film is named Peter Gibbons.
The plaque that reads 'one of these days I gotta get myself organizized' is a reference to Taxi Driver. Do I need to elaborate on that?
Also, as always, the script formatting in this post is no reflection of my ignorance of, well, script formatting. It's the best I can do after copying and pasting from CeltX. K? Alright.
Not sure where to go next. I would like to do an episode more or less centred on Rebecca. I do like the idea of using one particular character to introduce a theme that will affect everyone. I think The Dare will be Rebecca's introduction of a theme, just as I see Francis doing the same in The Great Goldstein and both Dan and Sam in our pilot. But this is merely a jumping off point to start negotiations, if I may quote Cher Horowitz. And I may.
Watch this and marvel at how at just 15, Dakota Fanning wins at life more than you.
- S
Thursday, July 15, 2010
I Was Looking For a Job and Then I Found a Job...
...and Heaven knows I'm miserable now. Corporate nonsense has been one of the themes I want to explore in The Innocents. It's a double-edged sword because there are some humorous moments at work, but sadly they are few and far between. The incidents of tears in the office are much closer together. But my job has inspired me, so maybe I should be happy, right? Erm...
It pays my way but corodes my soul
As I've mentioned before, Rebecca is very much based on my feelings about my studies and my current job. But I have a friend who works as a marketing coordinator and it got me thinking that perhaps Rebecca works in a similar area - but her position is completely bereft of any real authority. Perhaps she applied for a job thinking she would be The Marketing officer, only to be told that she's merely A Marketing officer.
I like the idea that Rebecca is working in a field similar to her undergraduate degree but completely uncreative compared to her studies. While I feel frustrated because my job has little to no relevance to my study and chosen career path, I think that for many people, this is what happens when we leave university - we head into jobs based on our study but soon realise it's nothing like what we thought. And usually we continue to hear stories about classmates who have gone straight from study to an amazing job and it makes us feel even more inadequate.
Rebecca's job is most likely mostly admin - emails, phone calls, listening to people whinge at her instead of talking to her bosses and having her bosses on her back about ridiculous things.
Rebecca's friends from uni will mostly likely be girls and guys she studied with, and even though they all get along really well, they still feel a competitive streak and approach their friendships they way they approach their work. They're much happier selling the image that they're succeeding in life. They're friends you'd go to brunch or cocktails with once a month, not the kind of friends to confide in. And because Rebecca internalises stress and has no one to offload to, her stress manifests itself in different ways.
She resorts to things like online shopping and self-help, and buys chocolate she never eats. I imagine her yelling at Samantha one day and calling her selfish because she isn't home to sign for one of Rebecca's parcels. I'm also toying with the idea of her becoming obssessed with a 24 hour gym and not going before 3am to work out.
While she is ambitious on one hand, she avoids thinking about investment in her future. She won't apply for a credit card or phone plan or even think about a personal loan for a car or similar because she can't stand the idea having to stay in her current job for a long period of time. She hates the thought of being trapped there for the rest of her life.
Any opportunity, however remotely creative, to use her former skills is something Rebecca throws herself into. She will engineer the housewarming party and put in a ridiculous amount of work, treating it as a PR exercise.
Making Christmas Cards with the Mentally Ill
I get along particularly well with two of my colleagues and they have inspired some fun times in the office. One of my workmates plays indoor soccer and his grand final was a couple of weeks ago. On the Monday, someone asked him if his team won and he said, "Well, no. But the last time we played that team they beat us 7-0 and this time they only beat us 4-0. So I feel it was a moral victory for us." I would love one of our characters to participate in some kind of competitive sport to use that gem.
We now have to email our leave dates to everyone in the office, so we all know when people are off and what we need to do (if anything) to compensate. One of my workmates, upon hearing me say I was going to use the bathroom (I say I'm going wee wees - very professional), made me email it to her for her approval.
...and now for something completely different
In a series of ridiculous paternal humour (or in layman's terms - dad jokes), I came up with a few I hadn't shared already (but if I have already it only adds to the comedic power of the dad joke, as they are always repeated).
I went to the cinema with a friend a few weeks ago and our seats were T-19 and T-20. I mentioned that it would be pretty bad if we got seat T-1000 and she looked at me blankly. I explained the T-1000 is what the Terminator model is called in The Terminator. That joke doesn't really even make sense. So I feel it stands alongside the Google is my Homepage joke of the previous post.
About a month ago I was conversing on MSN (yes, I'm in my late 20s and I still use MSN. Moreover, I still call it MSN) with a friend who said she'd bought a pair of vegetarian shoes. Me, in full dad joke mode - sends a message that says: so, I guess they don't eat the tongue. Yes. I am that awesome.
I feel I should have more to share but I think this is a vast improvement. This time last week I felt more like washing a bottle of nurofen down with a bottle of vodka than updating this blog with ideas, so baby steps, friends. Baby steps.
Watch this - it's good for you.
P.S. - the decision to use lyrics from two different songs by the Smiths is a conscious artistic decision. A conscious decision to be a wanker.
It pays my way but corodes my soul
As I've mentioned before, Rebecca is very much based on my feelings about my studies and my current job. But I have a friend who works as a marketing coordinator and it got me thinking that perhaps Rebecca works in a similar area - but her position is completely bereft of any real authority. Perhaps she applied for a job thinking she would be The Marketing officer, only to be told that she's merely A Marketing officer.
I like the idea that Rebecca is working in a field similar to her undergraduate degree but completely uncreative compared to her studies. While I feel frustrated because my job has little to no relevance to my study and chosen career path, I think that for many people, this is what happens when we leave university - we head into jobs based on our study but soon realise it's nothing like what we thought. And usually we continue to hear stories about classmates who have gone straight from study to an amazing job and it makes us feel even more inadequate.
Rebecca's job is most likely mostly admin - emails, phone calls, listening to people whinge at her instead of talking to her bosses and having her bosses on her back about ridiculous things.
Rebecca's friends from uni will mostly likely be girls and guys she studied with, and even though they all get along really well, they still feel a competitive streak and approach their friendships they way they approach their work. They're much happier selling the image that they're succeeding in life. They're friends you'd go to brunch or cocktails with once a month, not the kind of friends to confide in. And because Rebecca internalises stress and has no one to offload to, her stress manifests itself in different ways.
She resorts to things like online shopping and self-help, and buys chocolate she never eats. I imagine her yelling at Samantha one day and calling her selfish because she isn't home to sign for one of Rebecca's parcels. I'm also toying with the idea of her becoming obssessed with a 24 hour gym and not going before 3am to work out.
While she is ambitious on one hand, she avoids thinking about investment in her future. She won't apply for a credit card or phone plan or even think about a personal loan for a car or similar because she can't stand the idea having to stay in her current job for a long period of time. She hates the thought of being trapped there for the rest of her life.
Any opportunity, however remotely creative, to use her former skills is something Rebecca throws herself into. She will engineer the housewarming party and put in a ridiculous amount of work, treating it as a PR exercise.
Making Christmas Cards with the Mentally Ill
I get along particularly well with two of my colleagues and they have inspired some fun times in the office. One of my workmates plays indoor soccer and his grand final was a couple of weeks ago. On the Monday, someone asked him if his team won and he said, "Well, no. But the last time we played that team they beat us 7-0 and this time they only beat us 4-0. So I feel it was a moral victory for us." I would love one of our characters to participate in some kind of competitive sport to use that gem.
We now have to email our leave dates to everyone in the office, so we all know when people are off and what we need to do (if anything) to compensate. One of my workmates, upon hearing me say I was going to use the bathroom (I say I'm going wee wees - very professional), made me email it to her for her approval.
...and now for something completely different
In a series of ridiculous paternal humour (or in layman's terms - dad jokes), I came up with a few I hadn't shared already (but if I have already it only adds to the comedic power of the dad joke, as they are always repeated).
I went to the cinema with a friend a few weeks ago and our seats were T-19 and T-20. I mentioned that it would be pretty bad if we got seat T-1000 and she looked at me blankly. I explained the T-1000 is what the Terminator model is called in The Terminator. That joke doesn't really even make sense. So I feel it stands alongside the Google is my Homepage joke of the previous post.
About a month ago I was conversing on MSN (yes, I'm in my late 20s and I still use MSN. Moreover, I still call it MSN) with a friend who said she'd bought a pair of vegetarian shoes. Me, in full dad joke mode - sends a message that says: so, I guess they don't eat the tongue. Yes. I am that awesome.
I feel I should have more to share but I think this is a vast improvement. This time last week I felt more like washing a bottle of nurofen down with a bottle of vodka than updating this blog with ideas, so baby steps, friends. Baby steps.
Watch this - it's good for you.
P.S. - the decision to use lyrics from two different songs by the Smiths is a conscious artistic decision. A conscious decision to be a wanker.
Friday, July 2, 2010
But my faith in love is still devout
Yes, much like Backstreet, I am back. And I daresay the time between posts was much longer than the time between pop releases from the aforementioned Backstreet Boys.
And in the same way we all questioned their whereabouts while they were gone, I'm sure you've been wondering where we've been during our hiatus. You're also probably wondering how far I'll take this whole Backstreet Boys thing.
I'll just say that sometimes online shopping is easier after 35 hours of stress a week than trying to stay creatively motivated and I apologise, dear Readers (Reader). I can't afford to be as creatively uninspired as I have been. Topshop has a new collection...back.
I'm still sort of working on the basic structure of our Great Gatsby homage, so that episode I feel is getting closer to being ready for first draft status. But more character work is required, I feel.
In the meantime, here's some random scribblings and vague, half-formed musings.
I came up with a really lame joke and I thought a character could think it's hilarious, even though it's completely dated.
Remember those 'Jesus is my Homeboy' and 'Mary is my Homegirl' t-shirts? Wouldn't it be hilarious to have a shirt that says, 'Google is my Homepage'? Ha? Geddit? See? Ha - humph.
I get a kick out of awkward situations I'm not really part of, and awkward jokes are quite hilarious. It's why I tell so many of them.
A Short History of the World
Eventually I suppose we'll have to write a pilot and introduce the shit out of our main characters. I've been thinking more about the Gatsby episode and to me that feels like it's episode three or four. Yes, I think about the order of episodes. You gotta, am I right? Am I right?
So, I'm thinking:
We start with Samantha's weird dream (see post with section marked Zonkeys on the Gaza Strip), and we see her room filled with boxes marked 'clothes and shit', 'books and shit,' etc. Then she sees her sister sneaking out of the house to go to school.
Stuff happens, she moves in, blanks to be filled in with the assistance of my colleague.
But I thought: could Sam's stuff end up in another state? Say she splashes out on removalists and they take it to a city interstate with the same name?
the last scenes over the end credits could be of the removal van driving along a country road, stopping at a farm and leaving Sam's boxes on the front verandah?
I had an idea for the structure of the episode. Surely you mean the Three Act Structure, you all cry out. Well, yes, I suppose so, if you want to be boring and...conventional...sigh. No. I mean, how we construct the narrative and by that I mean, which film are we going to steal from to base our episode on.
Could we start with a housewarming party as the frame for the story of how our protagonists moved in, by recounting how each of them got to the party? Yes, a reference to the film Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang. Incidentally, that is what my American friend and I would both like to do to Robert Downey, Jr. The magic of a student exchange really is finding people from all over the world with the same interests.
United States of S
The two characters I feel are different versions of myself are most definitely Samantha and Rebecca. Samantha is the frustrated writer in me, who wants to write but struggles to feel creatively motivated and lives in constant fear that her desire to write is completely unequal to her actual talent. While Rebecca is the unwitting career girl in me, who enjoys the security of a steady income but is frustrated by the monotony of working in a job she's not passionate about, and being drawn into the politics of a workplace she doesn't see herself being part of in the long-term.
I wanted to combine some of my coping strategies - online shopping and Facebook - with the ones I imagine Rebecca would use - like sitting in the toilets and crying on her lunch break. And working in admin, I've come to realise that meetings and forums and office gossip are great material for writers. Just ask Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. I thought that maybe Rebecca's obssessions outside of work would change as each coping mechanism becomes unsatisfying. We were talking about 24 hour gyms and I thought this could be a new thing for her to try. Maybe laughing therapy or Tai Chi as well.
So...I really thought I had more to offer after all these weeks than that, but here we are. End of inspiration. Or is it? I hope not.
Have you always wanted Kraftwerk to cover Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen? Of course you have! Watch this and your dreams will come true.
And in the same way we all questioned their whereabouts while they were gone, I'm sure you've been wondering where we've been during our hiatus. You're also probably wondering how far I'll take this whole Backstreet Boys thing.
I'll just say that sometimes online shopping is easier after 35 hours of stress a week than trying to stay creatively motivated and I apologise, dear Readers (Reader). I can't afford to be as creatively uninspired as I have been. Topshop has a new collection...back.
I'm still sort of working on the basic structure of our Great Gatsby homage, so that episode I feel is getting closer to being ready for first draft status. But more character work is required, I feel.
In the meantime, here's some random scribblings and vague, half-formed musings.
I came up with a really lame joke and I thought a character could think it's hilarious, even though it's completely dated.
Remember those 'Jesus is my Homeboy' and 'Mary is my Homegirl' t-shirts? Wouldn't it be hilarious to have a shirt that says, 'Google is my Homepage'? Ha? Geddit? See? Ha - humph.
I get a kick out of awkward situations I'm not really part of, and awkward jokes are quite hilarious. It's why I tell so many of them.
A Short History of the World
Eventually I suppose we'll have to write a pilot and introduce the shit out of our main characters. I've been thinking more about the Gatsby episode and to me that feels like it's episode three or four. Yes, I think about the order of episodes. You gotta, am I right? Am I right?
So, I'm thinking:
We start with Samantha's weird dream (see post with section marked Zonkeys on the Gaza Strip), and we see her room filled with boxes marked 'clothes and shit', 'books and shit,' etc. Then she sees her sister sneaking out of the house to go to school.
Stuff happens, she moves in, blanks to be filled in with the assistance of my colleague.
But I thought: could Sam's stuff end up in another state? Say she splashes out on removalists and they take it to a city interstate with the same name?
the last scenes over the end credits could be of the removal van driving along a country road, stopping at a farm and leaving Sam's boxes on the front verandah?
I had an idea for the structure of the episode. Surely you mean the Three Act Structure, you all cry out. Well, yes, I suppose so, if you want to be boring and...conventional...sigh. No. I mean, how we construct the narrative and by that I mean, which film are we going to steal from to base our episode on.
Could we start with a housewarming party as the frame for the story of how our protagonists moved in, by recounting how each of them got to the party? Yes, a reference to the film Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang. Incidentally, that is what my American friend and I would both like to do to Robert Downey, Jr. The magic of a student exchange really is finding people from all over the world with the same interests.
United States of S
The two characters I feel are different versions of myself are most definitely Samantha and Rebecca. Samantha is the frustrated writer in me, who wants to write but struggles to feel creatively motivated and lives in constant fear that her desire to write is completely unequal to her actual talent. While Rebecca is the unwitting career girl in me, who enjoys the security of a steady income but is frustrated by the monotony of working in a job she's not passionate about, and being drawn into the politics of a workplace she doesn't see herself being part of in the long-term.
I wanted to combine some of my coping strategies - online shopping and Facebook - with the ones I imagine Rebecca would use - like sitting in the toilets and crying on her lunch break. And working in admin, I've come to realise that meetings and forums and office gossip are great material for writers. Just ask Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. I thought that maybe Rebecca's obssessions outside of work would change as each coping mechanism becomes unsatisfying. We were talking about 24 hour gyms and I thought this could be a new thing for her to try. Maybe laughing therapy or Tai Chi as well.
So...I really thought I had more to offer after all these weeks than that, but here we are. End of inspiration. Or is it? I hope not.
Have you always wanted Kraftwerk to cover Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen? Of course you have! Watch this and your dreams will come true.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Feels so unnatural, Peter Gabriel too.
Ok, so I was feeling a little precious about my writing, but I realised I'd forgotten what the intention of the blog was. I'm sorry, blog. I'll never hide anything from you again. I know, I know, that's what Serena always says in Gossip Girl and is forgiven by her current boyfriend only to do it again season after season, but you can trust me, blog. I'm not a fictional blonde socialite belonging to Manhattan's elite...is Gossip Girl on tonight?
I digress. As previously mentioned, The Great Gatsby episode for me seems to be writing itself. The other night some inspiration struck and I wrote a scene for this episode, kind of commenting on that thin line between reality and critique, crap versus crap-on-purpose, in other, smaller words. My colleague, Laurie to my Fry, if you will (unless you'd prefer to be Fry. I'm not picky) and his concept of Cheap was just such a perfect location to explore this idea. Not only that, but the kind of people that have been making their way about our town seemed to fall under this idea as well. I call them scenesters. Do NOT get Hey Scenesters by the Cribs get into your head, by the way. It might never get out. Very dangerous.
If you want to get really pretentious about it I suppose it's an exporation of Baudrillard's Simulacra - the idea of objective reality being essentially a nonexistent thing, that we exist only in the realm of the image. I think modern culture could be seen as an example of this, but anyway. I'll stop lest I cross the line from being pretentious to misinformed. Warhol references entirely welcome. But I'll let Laurie go into more detail about that particular tidbit.
So I've written a couple of scenes for this episode and in the spirit of throwing my creative output into the void, I thought I would share them with you, John Q Public. Oh, and other people can read it, too. See what I did there?
Please to enjoy, copied and pasted almost directly from Celtx itself, or in other words - this is why the format is shite and I gave up trying to format it and everything is aligned to the left even though that's not standard...oh, just read it and shut me up.
INT. CHEAP. NIGHT
Samantha is stuck between three male scenesters drinking red wine. They are all wearing the same black glasses. Samantha is staring at one of them. SCENESTER 1 is making some sort of statement.
I mean, there really is this idea that this underground arts scene is merely a group of children with no deeper understanding of popular culture than what is operating purely on the level of image. Which is just...so...disingenuous?
My thoughts?
DANIEL
I digress. As previously mentioned, The Great Gatsby episode for me seems to be writing itself. The other night some inspiration struck and I wrote a scene for this episode, kind of commenting on that thin line between reality and critique, crap versus crap-on-purpose, in other, smaller words. My colleague, Laurie to my Fry, if you will (unless you'd prefer to be Fry. I'm not picky) and his concept of Cheap was just such a perfect location to explore this idea. Not only that, but the kind of people that have been making their way about our town seemed to fall under this idea as well. I call them scenesters. Do NOT get Hey Scenesters by the Cribs get into your head, by the way. It might never get out. Very dangerous.
If you want to get really pretentious about it I suppose it's an exporation of Baudrillard's Simulacra - the idea of objective reality being essentially a nonexistent thing, that we exist only in the realm of the image. I think modern culture could be seen as an example of this, but anyway. I'll stop lest I cross the line from being pretentious to misinformed. Warhol references entirely welcome. But I'll let Laurie go into more detail about that particular tidbit.
So I've written a couple of scenes for this episode and in the spirit of throwing my creative output into the void, I thought I would share them with you, John Q Public. Oh, and other people can read it, too. See what I did there?
Please to enjoy, copied and pasted almost directly from Celtx itself, or in other words - this is why the format is shite and I gave up trying to format it and everything is aligned to the left even though that's not standard...oh, just read it and shut me up.
INT. CHEAP. NIGHT
Samantha is stuck between three male scenesters drinking red wine. They are all wearing the same black glasses. Samantha is staring at one of them. SCENESTER 1 is making some sort of statement.
SCENESTER 1
I mean, there really is this idea that this underground arts scene is merely a group of children with no deeper understanding of popular culture than what is operating purely on the level of image. Which is just...so...disingenuous?
He turns to Samantha.
SCENESTER 1
What are your thoughts.
Sam stops staring at his glasses.
SAMANTHA
My thoughts?
She says nothing for a while, appearing to struggle with the topic.
SAMANTHA
I think that...I have to go to the bathroom. For a while.
She walks away.
EXT. CHEAP - BATHROOM. NIGHT
Samantha sees Daniel fowllowing her into the bathroom.
SAMANTHA
What are you doing?
DANIEL
Oh, apparently gender is arbitrary, so the bathrooms don't have signs on the door. You choose which one you feel comfortable using.
SAMANTHA
Oh, Jesus.
They walk in.
INT. CHEAP - BATHROOM. NIGHT.
Samantha and Daniel continue their conversation within their respective cubicles, while we wait outside.
DANIEL
So I've heard five times now that this place is a 'venue with a sense of humour, and it's a biting comment on society's concept of worth.'
SAMANTHA
Oh, I thought it was a biting comment on the concept of wanker.
DANIEL
How has your experience been tonight, Samantha?
SAMANTHA
Well, I've heard several regulars in the Sydney social pages talking about throwing up their ridiculously overpriced meal. And I just had to listen to scenesters talking about how they've been wrongly labelled as a group believing they are the self-appointed cultural elite obssessed when in reality they appear to have no deeper understanding of popular culture than the image, or some bullshit like that. God, I swear none of the people wearing glasses out there have lenses in them.
Toilets flush and Samantha leaves the cubicle, only to be confronted by Scenester 1. He doesn't look impressed.
SAMANTHA
Bathroom's free.
She moves around him, going to wash her hands in the trough. Daniel walks out.
SAMANTHA
I'd call them pretentious hipsters, but surely to be pretentious you have to know what you're talking about. You can't pretend to know, then google it later on your iPhone when the smarter person you've been talking to walks away. Or liking Jack Kerouac's On The Road on Facebook and never cracking the cover.
DANIEL
But you've never read On The Road.
SAMANTHA
Yes, but it's on my Visual Bookshelf as 'Want to read.' There's a difference, Dan.
DANIEL
Hmm.
Oliver walks in and looks confused.
OLIVER
What are you doing in here?
SAMANTHA
Oh, gender is a construct, Ol. It's arbitrary. You can use whatever bathroom you like.
OLIVER
Uh, no, the sign's just fallen off.
He points to where Samantha and Daniel are standing.
OLIVER
That's not a washbasin.
They stare at it, and realise it's a urinal, much like the boy's bathroom in a public school.
SAMANTHA
Oh.
So I know this is a very rough draft and I'm using character names that aren't set in stone yet and etc. VERY FIRST DRAFT. Blanket approval to be slightly crap.
The only thing I'm not certain about is - I have a scenester voicing perhaps a criticique of his own scene in quite an intelligent way and Samantha, in relating the conversation back to Daniel essentially just echoes his argument to ridicule him, but it seems like an interesting point for him to make. I guess that could possibly be explained by him quoting an online news article word for word, checking it every now and then on his iPhone, or Blackberry or similar?
Also, it's undeniably modern, which is something I think we'll be playing with in the future and again I must defer to my colleague on this point. So I guess the direction I'm heading has the potential to date our series and the writing quite severely. Then again, if done well it can be film as archive rather than something dated and irrelevant and still speak to the modern age even if it is a pronounced snapshot of a particular era in time...much like The Great Gatsby itself...oh, Mylanta I'm so clever!
So anyway, speaking of undiscovered genius, I think Australians have been sorely underexposed to a pop phenomenon the United Kingdom has been enjoying and keeping to itself for far too long. But all that's about to change. May I present to you...
JEDWARD
I know what you're thinking. But they're not just a treat for your eyes, they're also a treat for your ears. Fully endorsed by the intellectual elite among my friends. Start gettin' acquainted, Australia.
- S
Friday, March 19, 2010
There was an underwater guy who controlled the sea...
It's been a little quiet of late on the ole Hell front. When you're collaborating on a project, obviously there are moments that look, smell and feel like a brick wall.
But no, messieurs-dames, they are not brick walls. Maybe foam. While my good colleague is touring Europa and the Americas, I thought that in the interim I could share my half-formed ideas and perhaps see how they might fit into our little puzzle of awesome.
The Zonkeys
When I spent time in London...Ok, that is just the wankiest way to start a sentence ever. When I was in London and bored inside my tiny little hotel room in Victoria (which I loved, by the way), I saw a news report on Zoos on the Gaza Strip that had been affected by the conflict. Because it's getting harder to get animals, some of them have had to resort to alternatives. Besides the usual black market and smuggling ideas, they decided that if they couldn't get zebras then maybe they could get some Wella hair dye and some donkeys...
This in itself is an awesome idea. Then I thought about a traumatic experience I had at a zoo involving donkeys (let me just say this: when a donkey licks your shoulder, run.) and felt it could form the basis for an exploration of Samantha's relationship with her mother. In a a series of strange dreams, Sam could experience her childhood memories of her mother in an abstract way and after perhaps consulting Cleo, understand her and her mother's strained relationship. Sam wants to be closer to her parents and have the childhood she sees in film and television, but everytime she tries, she remembers that her parents are indifferent and it hurts all over again, forcing her to seek new familial arrangements. Like her new flatmates.
I had the idea that in one of these dream, Sam's mum Diane would take her to a zoo. It's a darkened room with cages. The lighting gives it a film noir feel. They wander over to cages and Sam finds that all the animals are actually just people in animal suits. They look bored. Diane leads her over to someone dressed as a zebra and makes her pose near it. Sam is afraid, but her mother forces her. The camera clicks and Sam wakes up. On her night-stand is a photo of a little girl posing with a zebra.
WWCPD (What Would Camille Paglia Do)?
I am very publicly in favour of Lady Gaga. I never used to be. I thought she was a dickhead and her fame would be about as long as one of her hemlines. Then she wore that Kermit the Frog jacket and matching hat and it hit me: she is a genius.
She has many detractors. Among them people I respect and admire. But one of my work colleagues keeps saying that she's a bad role model for young women. And it's really starting to grind my gears. Yes, the thought that little girls are receiving a message that it's ok to dress like a skank and talk about sex is a little alarming. That part of Gaga's persona could be what's worrying him. But to that I say - parental control.
While he never really elaborates on exactly what about Gaga makes her a bad role model, he fails to mention the fact that she's a strong woman who is successful in her own right (she's classically trained - she went to Julliard or Tisch or somewhere like that and she's been working as a songwriter), seems in control of her own image and is supportive of the gay community. An open-minded, strong, independent, and talented woman is a bad role model for young women? Ok, sure, have it your way.
I know the ole Gag seems a little allergic to pants or even clothes at times, but isn't it another form of repression to tell women who they can and can't be empowered by? And why isn't it ever mentioned in discussions like this that all of these male R'n'B singers can feature scantily clad women in their videos and treat them like objects and even write songs about women, degrading them, and not be singled out as being bad role models for young men?
Camille Paglia, a writer on gender studies, would probably like Lady Gaga a lot. She's a woman who's all for women being allowed to express their sexuality. I think some of these narrow-minded pseudo-feminist gentlemen (and some women - like the idiot who wrote the incredibly editorial piece on Lady Gaga's video for 'Telephone' for the Australian) should read a little more Paglia and get some perspective on the ways in which sexuality is expressed through popular culture (and don't just watch that episode of American Dad when Hayley becomes a stripper. By all means watch it, but if you read Paglia first then watch it you can giggle, smug in the knowledge that you understand a pop culture reference).
I had an idea that Cleo could be fuming about a classmate or lecturer in one of her psychology courses dealing with gender while getting ready to go out. Depending on when we finally nail this sucker down and put it on the ole cathode ray tube, we could discuss Gaga or some other pop star flaunting her bits in music videos. She could be talking about how men shouldn't be allowed to tell women who they can and can't be empowered by. She goes to go out only half-dressed. The guys could tell her she's not wearing any pants and she will laugh, expressing how embarrassing that would be before proceeding to put on hot pants that are only marginally longer than her underwear and heading out the door.
I know this seems like an ambivalent attitude toward women who dress in this way, because I think all women feel ambivalent about it. We respect and admire celebrities brave enough to dress the way they want and take risks, but when we see someone doing it in society we tend to criticise them. I think there's also the idea that you dress for your age and young women can get away with stuff and older women can't. Also, we all think that only thin girls should wear whatever they like. It's our ambivalent attitude toward ourselves and fashion that allows for this kind of debate over whether Gaga is a fashion icon or just a whorily-dressed moron. And I think that art should be the form through which we express our internal struggles as well as our external ones in society. And also be funny. And I like that Cleo has all of these wonderful insights into society but still sometimes behaves like the sort of young girl that a lot of people would dismiss as being an airhead.
It's all mental masturbation.
I was watching Annie Hall for the Nth time not long ago and I realised; here is an opportunity to steal from a man who's already been stolen from numerous times. It's the awkward first date between Woody Allen's Alvy Singer and Diane Keaton's Annie Hall. They're at her apartment and they discuss her attempts at photography. Both desperate to impress one another, they begin having this incredibly pretentious discussion about photography. In subtitles, we see what they're thinking as they talk - Alvy wonders why the hell he's saying all of this stuff to her, while Annie thinks she has no idea what she's talking about and is afraid he'll realise it. The point is, they're both trying to show the other how knowledgeable about art they are and both think they have no idea what they're talking about - a common occurrence whenever I begin to talk about art.
I think this discussion fits in with our characters and our thematic concerns, and also our reflexive attitude toward our chosen medium. Which is just a fancy way of saying that we want to reveal our favourite artists within our own art. Which is still a fancy way of saying we want to steal from other films and television shows.
The Blueprint
Yes, I finally realise that Jay-Z is some kind of genius. He really must stop producing crazy, great tunes about New York when I'm obssessed with the Big Apple right now. I have an idea for a feature film that's sort of an exploration of the idle rich and the costs associated with being involved and being cast out. Yeah, because no one has ever done that and isn't right now on television...ahem. In my research I've discovered that almost all of the stories I'm reading and watching take place in New York or at the very least a city like New York. Like Paris. I feel like Sydney might be a prime location for an examination of these people and again, the Great Gatsby is figuring pretty large in my influences. Which brings me back to the episode I'm still getting more ideas for than any other: The Great Goldstein (strictly a working title, promise.)
So, I'm thinking the episode starts with the flatmates getting ready for an exhibition of an up-and-coming avant garde artist's collection at a hip new cafe called Cheap. Francis gets to talking about the weird day he's had involving an elderly woman essentially revealing her life story to him at a bus stop. It isn't an uncommon occurrence, either. Cue montage of moments in which people have confided in Francis whether he wanted them to or not. (could we use Hitler Youth outfit here?).
The exhibition is full of wankers and posers and our heroes make fun of the assortment of idiots present. Francis gets separated, having an awkward run-in with the frontman of a scenester band enjoying some inexplicable fame and bumps into an awkward young woman. He begins talking about the artist whose exhibiting her work, D'Arcy.
From their viewpoint Sam and Dan see that he is talking to D'Arcy, the artist.
Meanwhile, Francis and D'Arcy seem to hit it off and have a brief attachment. Not sure whether it would be a romantic dalliance. Perhaps simply a mutual admiration of the other's ability to make them feel comfortable, a la Gatsby and Carraway.
Anyway, that's all I have for the moment. Speaking of things that should be on television right now, why hasn't this enjoyed a return to our lives via Foxtel?
- S
But no, messieurs-dames, they are not brick walls. Maybe foam. While my good colleague is touring Europa and the Americas, I thought that in the interim I could share my half-formed ideas and perhaps see how they might fit into our little puzzle of awesome.
The Zonkeys
When I spent time in London...Ok, that is just the wankiest way to start a sentence ever. When I was in London and bored inside my tiny little hotel room in Victoria (which I loved, by the way), I saw a news report on Zoos on the Gaza Strip that had been affected by the conflict. Because it's getting harder to get animals, some of them have had to resort to alternatives. Besides the usual black market and smuggling ideas, they decided that if they couldn't get zebras then maybe they could get some Wella hair dye and some donkeys...
This in itself is an awesome idea. Then I thought about a traumatic experience I had at a zoo involving donkeys (let me just say this: when a donkey licks your shoulder, run.) and felt it could form the basis for an exploration of Samantha's relationship with her mother. In a a series of strange dreams, Sam could experience her childhood memories of her mother in an abstract way and after perhaps consulting Cleo, understand her and her mother's strained relationship. Sam wants to be closer to her parents and have the childhood she sees in film and television, but everytime she tries, she remembers that her parents are indifferent and it hurts all over again, forcing her to seek new familial arrangements. Like her new flatmates.
I had the idea that in one of these dream, Sam's mum Diane would take her to a zoo. It's a darkened room with cages. The lighting gives it a film noir feel. They wander over to cages and Sam finds that all the animals are actually just people in animal suits. They look bored. Diane leads her over to someone dressed as a zebra and makes her pose near it. Sam is afraid, but her mother forces her. The camera clicks and Sam wakes up. On her night-stand is a photo of a little girl posing with a zebra.
WWCPD (What Would Camille Paglia Do)?
I am very publicly in favour of Lady Gaga. I never used to be. I thought she was a dickhead and her fame would be about as long as one of her hemlines. Then she wore that Kermit the Frog jacket and matching hat and it hit me: she is a genius.
She has many detractors. Among them people I respect and admire. But one of my work colleagues keeps saying that she's a bad role model for young women. And it's really starting to grind my gears. Yes, the thought that little girls are receiving a message that it's ok to dress like a skank and talk about sex is a little alarming. That part of Gaga's persona could be what's worrying him. But to that I say - parental control.
While he never really elaborates on exactly what about Gaga makes her a bad role model, he fails to mention the fact that she's a strong woman who is successful in her own right (she's classically trained - she went to Julliard or Tisch or somewhere like that and she's been working as a songwriter), seems in control of her own image and is supportive of the gay community. An open-minded, strong, independent, and talented woman is a bad role model for young women? Ok, sure, have it your way.
I know the ole Gag seems a little allergic to pants or even clothes at times, but isn't it another form of repression to tell women who they can and can't be empowered by? And why isn't it ever mentioned in discussions like this that all of these male R'n'B singers can feature scantily clad women in their videos and treat them like objects and even write songs about women, degrading them, and not be singled out as being bad role models for young men?
Camille Paglia, a writer on gender studies, would probably like Lady Gaga a lot. She's a woman who's all for women being allowed to express their sexuality. I think some of these narrow-minded pseudo-feminist gentlemen (and some women - like the idiot who wrote the incredibly editorial piece on Lady Gaga's video for 'Telephone' for the Australian) should read a little more Paglia and get some perspective on the ways in which sexuality is expressed through popular culture (and don't just watch that episode of American Dad when Hayley becomes a stripper. By all means watch it, but if you read Paglia first then watch it you can giggle, smug in the knowledge that you understand a pop culture reference).
I had an idea that Cleo could be fuming about a classmate or lecturer in one of her psychology courses dealing with gender while getting ready to go out. Depending on when we finally nail this sucker down and put it on the ole cathode ray tube, we could discuss Gaga or some other pop star flaunting her bits in music videos. She could be talking about how men shouldn't be allowed to tell women who they can and can't be empowered by. She goes to go out only half-dressed. The guys could tell her she's not wearing any pants and she will laugh, expressing how embarrassing that would be before proceeding to put on hot pants that are only marginally longer than her underwear and heading out the door.
I know this seems like an ambivalent attitude toward women who dress in this way, because I think all women feel ambivalent about it. We respect and admire celebrities brave enough to dress the way they want and take risks, but when we see someone doing it in society we tend to criticise them. I think there's also the idea that you dress for your age and young women can get away with stuff and older women can't. Also, we all think that only thin girls should wear whatever they like. It's our ambivalent attitude toward ourselves and fashion that allows for this kind of debate over whether Gaga is a fashion icon or just a whorily-dressed moron. And I think that art should be the form through which we express our internal struggles as well as our external ones in society. And also be funny. And I like that Cleo has all of these wonderful insights into society but still sometimes behaves like the sort of young girl that a lot of people would dismiss as being an airhead.
It's all mental masturbation.
I was watching Annie Hall for the Nth time not long ago and I realised; here is an opportunity to steal from a man who's already been stolen from numerous times. It's the awkward first date between Woody Allen's Alvy Singer and Diane Keaton's Annie Hall. They're at her apartment and they discuss her attempts at photography. Both desperate to impress one another, they begin having this incredibly pretentious discussion about photography. In subtitles, we see what they're thinking as they talk - Alvy wonders why the hell he's saying all of this stuff to her, while Annie thinks she has no idea what she's talking about and is afraid he'll realise it. The point is, they're both trying to show the other how knowledgeable about art they are and both think they have no idea what they're talking about - a common occurrence whenever I begin to talk about art.
I think this discussion fits in with our characters and our thematic concerns, and also our reflexive attitude toward our chosen medium. Which is just a fancy way of saying that we want to reveal our favourite artists within our own art. Which is still a fancy way of saying we want to steal from other films and television shows.
The Blueprint
Yes, I finally realise that Jay-Z is some kind of genius. He really must stop producing crazy, great tunes about New York when I'm obssessed with the Big Apple right now. I have an idea for a feature film that's sort of an exploration of the idle rich and the costs associated with being involved and being cast out. Yeah, because no one has ever done that and isn't right now on television...ahem. In my research I've discovered that almost all of the stories I'm reading and watching take place in New York or at the very least a city like New York. Like Paris. I feel like Sydney might be a prime location for an examination of these people and again, the Great Gatsby is figuring pretty large in my influences. Which brings me back to the episode I'm still getting more ideas for than any other: The Great Goldstein (strictly a working title, promise.)
So, I'm thinking the episode starts with the flatmates getting ready for an exhibition of an up-and-coming avant garde artist's collection at a hip new cafe called Cheap. Francis gets to talking about the weird day he's had involving an elderly woman essentially revealing her life story to him at a bus stop. It isn't an uncommon occurrence, either. Cue montage of moments in which people have confided in Francis whether he wanted them to or not. (could we use Hitler Youth outfit here?).
The exhibition is full of wankers and posers and our heroes make fun of the assortment of idiots present. Francis gets separated, having an awkward run-in with the frontman of a scenester band enjoying some inexplicable fame and bumps into an awkward young woman. He begins talking about the artist whose exhibiting her work, D'Arcy.
From their viewpoint Sam and Dan see that he is talking to D'Arcy, the artist.
Meanwhile, Francis and D'Arcy seem to hit it off and have a brief attachment. Not sure whether it would be a romantic dalliance. Perhaps simply a mutual admiration of the other's ability to make them feel comfortable, a la Gatsby and Carraway.
Anyway, that's all I have for the moment. Speaking of things that should be on television right now, why hasn't this enjoyed a return to our lives via Foxtel?
- S
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
CDs and T-shirts, promos, God knows.
I feel as though we're at a stage I like to call 'early years Charles Foster Kane and Jedediah Leland.' We're idealistic newspapermen, not drunkenly finishing each other's work because one is alcoholic and the other has achieved fame and wealth at the cost of his own morals.
So, the title's looking pretty good - I like The Innocents. A LOT. The characters are starting to become more realised - I think Daniel and Samantha can become our Tim and Daisy quite easily - I can see similarities between their situation in life and their attitude toward it already (more on that later, I feel). And I feel our characters and ideas are informing each other.
With the aid of further character development/brilliance I feel like the Great Gatsby homage is emerging as one story idea that seems to be, well, not writing itself, that would be weird since it's already been written by F. Scott Fitzgerald...erm.
I think Francis, our musician, is our Nick Carraway. I think Dan's willingness to embrace new things (or his need to be willing to embrace new things) makes him an interesting candidate for our Nick, but I felt that Francis would be that person before I knew more about Dan, and I also think that as a struggling musician he'll be drawn to fame and the sort of events that go with it, but he'll secretly hate it and feel apart from it - as an outsider wanting to be on the inside and as someone who can see that it's a shallow, superficial world. I also think his presence as a performer and his non-judgemental air will draw others to him - a lot of people he feels indifferent toward will think the world of him - like Tom Buchanan.
I think D'Arcy, the underground artist, is such an interesting peripheral character and would be perfect as our Gatsby (or Goldstein? Maybe that's her absent surname?) - we don't really learn much about her, as people are perhaps too afraid to talk to her, worried they'll mention her father, or will take such pains as to be unfazed by her that they won't talk to her. And perhaps Francis's nature will lead her to open more than she has before.
This homage definitely has to be a few episodes in, because it's definitely Francis's episode and I feel like, as with any sitcom about young people or single female lawyers or birdlike medical interns, you have to establish your protagonists first. It could be the first time we move our focus from Sam and Dan and their relationship.
Anyways, those are my thoughts on these characters and my love of Fitzgerald. In the meantime, I feel like this will be useful in thinking about D'Arcy and her character.
So, the title's looking pretty good - I like The Innocents. A LOT. The characters are starting to become more realised - I think Daniel and Samantha can become our Tim and Daisy quite easily - I can see similarities between their situation in life and their attitude toward it already (more on that later, I feel). And I feel our characters and ideas are informing each other.
With the aid of further character development/brilliance I feel like the Great Gatsby homage is emerging as one story idea that seems to be, well, not writing itself, that would be weird since it's already been written by F. Scott Fitzgerald...erm.
I think Francis, our musician, is our Nick Carraway. I think Dan's willingness to embrace new things (or his need to be willing to embrace new things) makes him an interesting candidate for our Nick, but I felt that Francis would be that person before I knew more about Dan, and I also think that as a struggling musician he'll be drawn to fame and the sort of events that go with it, but he'll secretly hate it and feel apart from it - as an outsider wanting to be on the inside and as someone who can see that it's a shallow, superficial world. I also think his presence as a performer and his non-judgemental air will draw others to him - a lot of people he feels indifferent toward will think the world of him - like Tom Buchanan.
I think D'Arcy, the underground artist, is such an interesting peripheral character and would be perfect as our Gatsby (or Goldstein? Maybe that's her absent surname?) - we don't really learn much about her, as people are perhaps too afraid to talk to her, worried they'll mention her father, or will take such pains as to be unfazed by her that they won't talk to her. And perhaps Francis's nature will lead her to open more than she has before.
This homage definitely has to be a few episodes in, because it's definitely Francis's episode and I feel like, as with any sitcom about young people or single female lawyers or birdlike medical interns, you have to establish your protagonists first. It could be the first time we move our focus from Sam and Dan and their relationship.
Anyways, those are my thoughts on these characters and my love of Fitzgerald. In the meantime, I feel like this will be useful in thinking about D'Arcy and her character.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Inventing Situations, Putting Then On T.V...
Hello dear friend.
Yes, that post title is from a Talking Heads song. Thank me later.
I was just thinking about names. Names of people. Names of places. Names of shows.
I had a few little ideas I'm going to rattle off before my date with Tony Soprano. (Yes, I've watched it all, but I'm watching the last Ep of Season 6 again. Amazing.)
So here we go...
Names of People
So far, I like all the names we have for our peoples. However, I had a random though to give the character currently known as "Joel" the new moniker, "Oliver". Why? Because it's a kickass, strong name. It sounds blokey. And it's a little reference to Oli Olsen - a kickass Aussie Post-Punk pioneer from the 1970's Melbourne scene.
I had another little thought for a minor character, appearing in 1, maybe 2 Eps. She is an artist. She goes only by her first name - D'Arcy. (Yes, named for D'Arcy Wretzky from the Pumpkins). She seems very "cool" and aloof at first. Everybody seems to know/be in awe of her. I want it to be hinted that she is the only daughter of a dead rockstar (ie: Francis Bean, Tigerlily).
That's all I got so far...
Names of Places
OK. I had a little idea that could be taken from Nathan Barley - and is sessentially just an excuse for us to mock all those gimmicky/trendy/uber-cool little cafe/art spaces that are popping up everywhere.
It's a "concept cafe" that doubles as an art space and Poetry Reading jam (but the sign states: STRICTLY Avante-Garde Poetry). So, it's wanky, right?
The place is called "CHEAP". And the concept is essentially that you are dining in a back alley somewhere. The walls are brick, cardboard and rotten wood. You sit on milk crates. If you order 2 cups of tea: they bring out 1 teabag and squeeze it into 2 cups. If you order chocolate for dessert, they bring out a block of choc and snap off the appropriate amount of squares ($2 p/square).
The irony is that people find it to be ironic. When in fact, it is just cheap and dirty.
Names of Shows
Or more specifically, "Name of Show".
I'm putting forward the name "The Innocents" as a temporary name.
Why? Cause. Cause it sounds appropriate. Cause every character - whilst not innocent to sin/vice/whatever - is still at a wide-eyed, uncorrupted, naive stage of their lives where they believe anything could happen and the world is theirs to take.
It's also the name of a killer poem by Manchurian Punk Poet, John Cooper Clarke.
Say no more!
Anyway, it's all just thoughts...
-C
Yes, that post title is from a Talking Heads song. Thank me later.
I was just thinking about names. Names of people. Names of places. Names of shows.
I had a few little ideas I'm going to rattle off before my date with Tony Soprano. (Yes, I've watched it all, but I'm watching the last Ep of Season 6 again. Amazing.)
So here we go...
Names of People
So far, I like all the names we have for our peoples. However, I had a random though to give the character currently known as "Joel" the new moniker, "Oliver". Why? Because it's a kickass, strong name. It sounds blokey. And it's a little reference to Oli Olsen - a kickass Aussie Post-Punk pioneer from the 1970's Melbourne scene.
I had another little thought for a minor character, appearing in 1, maybe 2 Eps. She is an artist. She goes only by her first name - D'Arcy. (Yes, named for D'Arcy Wretzky from the Pumpkins). She seems very "cool" and aloof at first. Everybody seems to know/be in awe of her. I want it to be hinted that she is the only daughter of a dead rockstar (ie: Francis Bean, Tigerlily).
That's all I got so far...
Names of Places
OK. I had a little idea that could be taken from Nathan Barley - and is sessentially just an excuse for us to mock all those gimmicky/trendy/uber-cool little cafe/art spaces that are popping up everywhere.
It's a "concept cafe" that doubles as an art space and Poetry Reading jam (but the sign states: STRICTLY Avante-Garde Poetry). So, it's wanky, right?
The place is called "CHEAP". And the concept is essentially that you are dining in a back alley somewhere. The walls are brick, cardboard and rotten wood. You sit on milk crates. If you order 2 cups of tea: they bring out 1 teabag and squeeze it into 2 cups. If you order chocolate for dessert, they bring out a block of choc and snap off the appropriate amount of squares ($2 p/square).
The irony is that people find it to be ironic. When in fact, it is just cheap and dirty.
Names of Shows
Or more specifically, "Name of Show".
I'm putting forward the name "The Innocents" as a temporary name.
Why? Cause. Cause it sounds appropriate. Cause every character - whilst not innocent to sin/vice/whatever - is still at a wide-eyed, uncorrupted, naive stage of their lives where they believe anything could happen and the world is theirs to take.
It's also the name of a killer poem by Manchurian Punk Poet, John Cooper Clarke.
Say no more!
Anyway, it's all just thoughts...
-C
Paint a Vulgar Picture
David Byrne thinks that "we are vain and we are blind." He goes on to say "I hate people when they're not polite." I, on the other hand, just hate people. For various reasons. On a lunch hour recently I felt it necessary to put into prose the kind of people and things I hate and feel that it is our duty to take the piss out of in this series.
Here is the list, transcribed directly from my notebook (and written in pink, because pink is for GIRLS!):
Office politics and people who subscribe to them.
The 'Bro'*.
POSERS.
Homophobes.
Hippies.
People who go to poorer countries to drink cheap alcohol and eat cheap food and haggle over things that cost around $1AUD.
People who go to poorer countries and come back describing how awful it is to be white and middle-class.
People who are racist.
I'm sure we'll add to this list.
*For those unfamiliar with the Bro in the wild, he will be recognisable for his mane of fake mohawk/rat's tail combination, singlet or fitted, white v-neck tee, brightly-coloured board shorts, and mandatory Southern Cross tattoo somewhere on his body. He will also replace almost all English words with 'fuck', 'shit', 'cunt', and 'shit cunt'. He is seen predominantly in clubs specialising in terrible music, or music festivals. He recognises his kin, referring to them as 'bro', or 'bra'.
Here is the list, transcribed directly from my notebook (and written in pink, because pink is for GIRLS!):
Office politics and people who subscribe to them.
The 'Bro'*.
POSERS.
Homophobes.
Hippies.
People who go to poorer countries to drink cheap alcohol and eat cheap food and haggle over things that cost around $1AUD.
People who go to poorer countries and come back describing how awful it is to be white and middle-class.
People who are racist.
I'm sure we'll add to this list.
*For those unfamiliar with the Bro in the wild, he will be recognisable for his mane of fake mohawk/rat's tail combination, singlet or fitted, white v-neck tee, brightly-coloured board shorts, and mandatory Southern Cross tattoo somewhere on his body. He will also replace almost all English words with 'fuck', 'shit', 'cunt', and 'shit cunt'. He is seen predominantly in clubs specialising in terrible music, or music festivals. He recognises his kin, referring to them as 'bro', or 'bra'.
Friday, February 26, 2010
People are Strange when you're a Stranger...
Hello pilgrim.
Wow! I just realised I haven't got my character ideas up! What's wrong with me? Wha' happen'? WTF? And various other strange exclamations...
I must precede these descriptions with the statement that these are all some form of extension of myself. (I know, right? What a self obsessed wanker. A twat. A right cock. And various other expletives...).
Also, they must all be flawed in some way. I hate perfect characters. Hence my love for Tony Soprano, the Bluths and Wes Anderson's characters.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Daniel March
What's in a name?
At this early stage, all these names are working titles. And are likely to change. As the male protagonist, I wanted this character to have a strong and memorable name like so many great literary characters (eg Holden Caulfield, Raoul Duke, Nick Carraway [whom I have on pretty good authority looks exactly like Scott Baio]). I may end up coming up with something better, but it has a certain poetry about it.
Character:
OK. As I mentioned, Daniel is my male protagonist. He follows in the tradition of the Holden Caulfield character, or Anthony from Bottle Rocket - that being, a tragic rebel. He is lost. He realises that his whole identity is based on other peoples opinions and expectations of him. He doesn't know who he is. So he throws everything about himself out the window and starts again.
Daniel was 6 months from completing a teaching degree. He was going to be a High School Science teacher. Why did he choose this? Probably because someone told him he'd be good at it. He's never really thought for himself.
One day at University, whilst lining up at the cafe he suffers some sort of existential crisis: the girl at the counter asks him "What do you want?". Daniel takes this as a philosophical question and breaks down then and there. The same day, he drops out of Uni, and tells his family he's moving out.
Once in the share-house (a place for him to shed his past and discover who he really is), Daniel is open to any new experience that will push him from his comfort zone. In many ways, his "blank slate" persona serves as a surrogate for audience members to live through him.
As a final note, I'm a tad obsessed with the idea of a character who is possibly somewhat mentally unstable (once again, like Anthony in Bottle Rocket). He always has the potential to explode again. I have an idea for a running joke in which people constantly refer to his breakdown, and he appears in denial:
Character #1: Hey Dan, I heard you had some kind of breakdown?
Daniel: It's fatigue.
Variations on this exchange could appear throughout the show. Possibly concluding with one like this:
Character #1: How's your fatigue?
Daniel: It was a breakdown. OK? I had a breakdown.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Francis
This character is less well-formed, however I'm coming up with a few ideas for him.
I see Francis as a local musician. He's part of a band who have achieved minor success on radio. They were off to a good start. However, the past year has been slow, and he feels that his bandmates have lost interest. They seem more interested in making money than being creative.
Aside from this, he feels like the butt of the joke to many people. It seems as though everyone feels he is wasting his time. Anytime he is asked how his music career is going, it is laced with condescension. They imply that he should be looking for a "real job". He is always compared to other successful Australian bands. Eg:
Character #1: How's your band going?
Francis: Good man, good. We're getting there.
Character #1: Not famous yet?
Francis: I suppose not.
Character #1: How about Powderfingers last record? It kicked ass. You hear it?
That sort of thing. He is starting to think that maybe he should give it all up and start to grow up. He's understanding that maybe just having good songs isn't enough.
I also like the idea of him being tied to the arty/cool scene, which his housemates are infatuated with, however he hates the whole thing and dreads going to each Gallery opening/Play/Gig.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joel
This guy could be fun. He is Francis's best friend. He is a business student. He is incredibly dry, and has a surreal sense of humour. He is blokey. He has no fashion sense to speak of, however, his quirky style along with his looks and personality makes his extremely attractive to women.
He is also homosexual. He is more masculine than the other two guys. I like the idea of a gay character who doesn't conform to the "camp queen" that we're so used to seeing on TV. It could even be fun if we didn't reveal that he was homosexual till a few episodes in - however, there would be no "coming out", as all the main characters already know he's gay, however, the audience was unaware.
He has a few other homosexual friends who call him "faux-mo" due to his masculine behaviour. He's not closeted, he's just comfortable with who he is.
This guy is based on several people I know, and respect. He'll also be styled somewhat on Simon Amstell as he is further developed.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anyway, that's enough for now. I have more brainstorming to do.
Be good to yourselves and each other.
-C
Wow! I just realised I haven't got my character ideas up! What's wrong with me? Wha' happen'? WTF? And various other strange exclamations...
I must precede these descriptions with the statement that these are all some form of extension of myself. (I know, right? What a self obsessed wanker. A twat. A right cock. And various other expletives...).
Also, they must all be flawed in some way. I hate perfect characters. Hence my love for Tony Soprano, the Bluths and Wes Anderson's characters.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Daniel March
What's in a name?
At this early stage, all these names are working titles. And are likely to change. As the male protagonist, I wanted this character to have a strong and memorable name like so many great literary characters (eg Holden Caulfield, Raoul Duke, Nick Carraway [whom I have on pretty good authority looks exactly like Scott Baio]). I may end up coming up with something better, but it has a certain poetry about it.
Character:
OK. As I mentioned, Daniel is my male protagonist. He follows in the tradition of the Holden Caulfield character, or Anthony from Bottle Rocket - that being, a tragic rebel. He is lost. He realises that his whole identity is based on other peoples opinions and expectations of him. He doesn't know who he is. So he throws everything about himself out the window and starts again.
Daniel was 6 months from completing a teaching degree. He was going to be a High School Science teacher. Why did he choose this? Probably because someone told him he'd be good at it. He's never really thought for himself.
One day at University, whilst lining up at the cafe he suffers some sort of existential crisis: the girl at the counter asks him "What do you want?". Daniel takes this as a philosophical question and breaks down then and there. The same day, he drops out of Uni, and tells his family he's moving out.
Once in the share-house (a place for him to shed his past and discover who he really is), Daniel is open to any new experience that will push him from his comfort zone. In many ways, his "blank slate" persona serves as a surrogate for audience members to live through him.
As a final note, I'm a tad obsessed with the idea of a character who is possibly somewhat mentally unstable (once again, like Anthony in Bottle Rocket). He always has the potential to explode again. I have an idea for a running joke in which people constantly refer to his breakdown, and he appears in denial:
Character #1: Hey Dan, I heard you had some kind of breakdown?
Daniel: It's fatigue.
Variations on this exchange could appear throughout the show. Possibly concluding with one like this:
Character #1: How's your fatigue?
Daniel: It was a breakdown. OK? I had a breakdown.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Francis
This character is less well-formed, however I'm coming up with a few ideas for him.
I see Francis as a local musician. He's part of a band who have achieved minor success on radio. They were off to a good start. However, the past year has been slow, and he feels that his bandmates have lost interest. They seem more interested in making money than being creative.
Aside from this, he feels like the butt of the joke to many people. It seems as though everyone feels he is wasting his time. Anytime he is asked how his music career is going, it is laced with condescension. They imply that he should be looking for a "real job". He is always compared to other successful Australian bands. Eg:
Character #1: How's your band going?
Francis: Good man, good. We're getting there.
Character #1: Not famous yet?
Francis: I suppose not.
Character #1: How about Powderfingers last record? It kicked ass. You hear it?
That sort of thing. He is starting to think that maybe he should give it all up and start to grow up. He's understanding that maybe just having good songs isn't enough.
I also like the idea of him being tied to the arty/cool scene, which his housemates are infatuated with, however he hates the whole thing and dreads going to each Gallery opening/Play/Gig.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joel
This guy could be fun. He is Francis's best friend. He is a business student. He is incredibly dry, and has a surreal sense of humour. He is blokey. He has no fashion sense to speak of, however, his quirky style along with his looks and personality makes his extremely attractive to women.
He is also homosexual. He is more masculine than the other two guys. I like the idea of a gay character who doesn't conform to the "camp queen" that we're so used to seeing on TV. It could even be fun if we didn't reveal that he was homosexual till a few episodes in - however, there would be no "coming out", as all the main characters already know he's gay, however, the audience was unaware.
He has a few other homosexual friends who call him "faux-mo" due to his masculine behaviour. He's not closeted, he's just comfortable with who he is.
This guy is based on several people I know, and respect. He'll also be styled somewhat on Simon Amstell as he is further developed.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anyway, that's enough for now. I have more brainstorming to do.
Be good to yourselves and each other.
-C
Thursday, February 25, 2010
What's the Story (Morning Glory)?
I know, I know, not the best name for our posts thus far. But it's been a crazy week, and I'm too tired to care that I'm openly quoting one or both of the Gallagher brothers. Though Noel rises in my estimation whenever he praises Johnny Marr. Ahem.
We have our manifesto, if you will. We have some vaguely drawn characters and we have a quite frankly utterly compelling justification for the chosen setting and basically the entire series. In the spirit of random thoughts and (in my case) colour-coded handwritten notes in small notebooks, I have endeavoured to share my thoughts on some story ideas.
Flying High
The ideas I have for the pilot are being heavily influenced by shows like Spaced and Freaks and Geeks (I like to think I introduced Spaced to the world down here - shhhh, people who told me about it my first year of uni in 2001), but also the Wes Anderson film Bottle Rocket.
In particular, it's the opening of Bottle Rocket that I'm most enamoured of. It begins with Anthony (Luke Wilson) leaving a mental health facility with his friend Dignan (Owen Wilson), who has coordinated the escape. Unbeknownst to him, the facility is one you can choose to leave and Anthony doesn't have the heart to tell him that leaving was his decision and plays along, doing the whole 'bedsheets tied together and thrown down the window' trick. Dignan craves adventure and as his friend, Anthony doesn't want to spoil it.
I feel as though Samantha's decision to leave home will ultimately stem from what she feels is a sense of crippling ennui. Her parents and their indifference, and their realistic attitude toward life makes it difficult to be creative, or to freely explore the ideas given to us by the arts.
In Bottle Rocket escape from reality feels like an anticlimax and rebellion seems like it needs to be done in an extreme or outlandish fashion, with the risk that it leads to a person feeling even more confined than they were before. With this in mind, I feel that Sam will forever be trying to escape reality by entertaining her more artistic ideals of what life should be like, which will make her defeats and her crashes back to Earth all the more crushing. I don't want this to be a constant thing, and I don't want it to be too depressing, either. This isn't Party of Five. Think of it more like The Mighty Boosh or the IT Crowd - the characters never get anywhere but you enjoy watching them try. And try to remember that things like this aren't really a reflection on real life, but more a reflection of a particular time in a person's life, when everything is stunted and everyone else seems to move forward except you.
Sam and initially her sister Lauren as well are struggling these issues - their recognition of their place in the real world and their desire to escape it using their knowledge of pop culture as their tools. You need to escape reality, but then you also have to go to work or school.
I think this could be more of a running theme than just a way to kickstart the series and I think it works for all of our characters, not just Samantha.
On a more structural level, I think the premise of the pilot will be Samantha and our male protaongist's entrance into the house. I think we should start by researching a lot of pilot episodes of sitcoms and try to work within a set of rigid conventions - like Spaced before us. I also like the idea that everyone is watching the pilot episodes of tv shows throughout our pilot - super reflexive, man!
And back to the opening of Bottle Rocket. Atfer watching it, I got the idea of perhaps opening with Samantha leaving home. While she silently takes in the house she has called home for the better part of 25 years, she sees bedsheets thrown down the window. Then her sister begins climbing down them, landing gracefully at the bottom. Her sister walks casually over.
Sam: Mum and dad aren't home, you know.
Lauren: yeah, I know.
Sam: well, I'm going.
Lauren: alright. Facebook me when you get there.
Sam: sure. Where are you going?
Lauren walks over to a tree by the house, picks something up and walks back over. It's a backpack.
Lauren: School. Where else?
She checks her watch.
Lauren: I better go or I'll miss the bus.
She walks away. Sam waves halfheartedly.
So it's not in proper script form - I'm lazy. But you get the idea.
I feel that Sam and her younger sister Lauren are both trying to have the experience of life that they feel was promised to them by film and television, but unfortunately they seem to be just like their parents. So one moves out in an attempt to have the sharehouse experience seen in film but exists almost exactly as they did before, and the other sneaks out of the house, but still goes to school. Anyway, I feel like I'm repeating myself.
The Kids Are Alright
Another theme I feel our series will cover a lot is the internal struggle between the anxiety about growing up and the desire to feel grown up. There's this feeling that we're not real people until we get a career as opposed to a job, we move out of home, and we meet someone and get married and/or have children and everything else is merely an apprenticeship, or a simulated environment.
In an episode of my favourite music quiz show (sorry Spicks and Specks, you're second, but only to episodes Simon Amstell presented) Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Simon Amstell, my favourite music quiz show host (again, really sorry Adam Hills), fluffed some lines on the autocue, to which his former cohost on Popworld Maquita Oliver said, 'Come on Simon, you can read.' He said something like, "I can read, I'm a real boy!" And this line has stuck with me ever since, because sometimes you feel like that - that you aren't real until you can do grown up things. I feel like this could be a recurring line for the characters whenever they struggle with small tasks, or attempt to grow up.
In the vein of this anxiety about/desire to grow up, I like the idea of some or all of the housemates participating in a challenge - to act like children for a week. After lamenting the freedom of childhood and the pressures of adulthood, perhaps Samantha (remembering that she will resemble Daisy Steiner in her creative avoidance of work) suggests that they all start acting like children again and the challenge begins. I really just want an excuse to have an adult dressing like Spider-Man to go to the shops, and dropping to the floor and having tantrums in McDonalds, and asking the elderly insanely inappropriate questions and getting away with it.
Ultimately, however, it fails. As Where the Wild Things Are reminds us, childhood can really be awful - lonely and even more restrictive than adulthood.
The Great Goldstein
So Goldstein is a working title type name, but I needed a name starting with a G and sounding almost as great as, well, erm, Gatsby. Because if the title didn't already give it away, I want to steal the plot of F. Scott Fitzgerald's masterpiece for an episode.
Again, this may already be obvious, but we're fascinated by the character Nick Carraway (note: he doesn't look like Scott Baio in Charles in Charge). In the novel's opening paragraphs he reveals himself to be a man who has had the darkest secrets of other powerful men revealed to him. He supposes it's because of his nature as a man who is not outwardly judgemental. He's someone who seems to attract confidantes without trying - there seems to be something so appealing about a person who gives nothing away. Sometimes, people are attractive to others for reasons unknown to themselves.
For those unfamiliar with the novel, The Great Gatsby is the story of a man who recounts one summer when he moved to the city and with his strange gift of attracting dark characters, gets involved with a group of selfish, amoral rich kids, with it ending in tragedy. More than simply wanting to write down the details of this summer, he wants to tell the story of a man who attracted him as much as he was attractive to him. Gatsby is a man that everybody knows about but doesn't actually know - they come to his house, attend his lavish parties and speculate on his character. Indeed, most people don't even know what he looks like - Nick talks to him at one of his own parties without knowing who he is. And yet this man's nature is appealing to Nick and he spends the rest of the novel trying to decipher the meaning of Gatsby's actions.
I like the idea of one of our protagonists sharing the qualities of Nick Carraway and I feel he should meet his very own Gatsby. We've discussed a character who would make the perfect Gatsby, or Goldstein, but I would prefer to leave the description of this character to my good colleague. I think it also provides the perfect opportunity to do something that is also integral to our series; poking fun at pretentious wankers. Art Gallery opening, fashion show previews, obscure bands playing at the new flavour of the month venue, cafes aimed squarely at posers seem like the perfect world in which to set this homage to Fitzgerald and his Gatsby. Nick reveals that he secretly hates most of the people who feel compelled to befriend him, and so will our Nick Carraway.
Watch this to tide you over until we unleash hell on your preconceived notions of Australian drama.
- S
We have our manifesto, if you will. We have some vaguely drawn characters and we have a quite frankly utterly compelling justification for the chosen setting and basically the entire series. In the spirit of random thoughts and (in my case) colour-coded handwritten notes in small notebooks, I have endeavoured to share my thoughts on some story ideas.
Flying High
The ideas I have for the pilot are being heavily influenced by shows like Spaced and Freaks and Geeks (I like to think I introduced Spaced to the world down here - shhhh, people who told me about it my first year of uni in 2001), but also the Wes Anderson film Bottle Rocket.
In particular, it's the opening of Bottle Rocket that I'm most enamoured of. It begins with Anthony (Luke Wilson) leaving a mental health facility with his friend Dignan (Owen Wilson), who has coordinated the escape. Unbeknownst to him, the facility is one you can choose to leave and Anthony doesn't have the heart to tell him that leaving was his decision and plays along, doing the whole 'bedsheets tied together and thrown down the window' trick. Dignan craves adventure and as his friend, Anthony doesn't want to spoil it.
I feel as though Samantha's decision to leave home will ultimately stem from what she feels is a sense of crippling ennui. Her parents and their indifference, and their realistic attitude toward life makes it difficult to be creative, or to freely explore the ideas given to us by the arts.
In Bottle Rocket escape from reality feels like an anticlimax and rebellion seems like it needs to be done in an extreme or outlandish fashion, with the risk that it leads to a person feeling even more confined than they were before. With this in mind, I feel that Sam will forever be trying to escape reality by entertaining her more artistic ideals of what life should be like, which will make her defeats and her crashes back to Earth all the more crushing. I don't want this to be a constant thing, and I don't want it to be too depressing, either. This isn't Party of Five. Think of it more like The Mighty Boosh or the IT Crowd - the characters never get anywhere but you enjoy watching them try. And try to remember that things like this aren't really a reflection on real life, but more a reflection of a particular time in a person's life, when everything is stunted and everyone else seems to move forward except you.
Sam and initially her sister Lauren as well are struggling these issues - their recognition of their place in the real world and their desire to escape it using their knowledge of pop culture as their tools. You need to escape reality, but then you also have to go to work or school.
I think this could be more of a running theme than just a way to kickstart the series and I think it works for all of our characters, not just Samantha.
On a more structural level, I think the premise of the pilot will be Samantha and our male protaongist's entrance into the house. I think we should start by researching a lot of pilot episodes of sitcoms and try to work within a set of rigid conventions - like Spaced before us. I also like the idea that everyone is watching the pilot episodes of tv shows throughout our pilot - super reflexive, man!
And back to the opening of Bottle Rocket. Atfer watching it, I got the idea of perhaps opening with Samantha leaving home. While she silently takes in the house she has called home for the better part of 25 years, she sees bedsheets thrown down the window. Then her sister begins climbing down them, landing gracefully at the bottom. Her sister walks casually over.
Sam: Mum and dad aren't home, you know.
Lauren: yeah, I know.
Sam: well, I'm going.
Lauren: alright. Facebook me when you get there.
Sam: sure. Where are you going?
Lauren walks over to a tree by the house, picks something up and walks back over. It's a backpack.
Lauren: School. Where else?
She checks her watch.
Lauren: I better go or I'll miss the bus.
She walks away. Sam waves halfheartedly.
So it's not in proper script form - I'm lazy. But you get the idea.
I feel that Sam and her younger sister Lauren are both trying to have the experience of life that they feel was promised to them by film and television, but unfortunately they seem to be just like their parents. So one moves out in an attempt to have the sharehouse experience seen in film but exists almost exactly as they did before, and the other sneaks out of the house, but still goes to school. Anyway, I feel like I'm repeating myself.
The Kids Are Alright
Another theme I feel our series will cover a lot is the internal struggle between the anxiety about growing up and the desire to feel grown up. There's this feeling that we're not real people until we get a career as opposed to a job, we move out of home, and we meet someone and get married and/or have children and everything else is merely an apprenticeship, or a simulated environment.
In an episode of my favourite music quiz show (sorry Spicks and Specks, you're second, but only to episodes Simon Amstell presented) Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Simon Amstell, my favourite music quiz show host (again, really sorry Adam Hills), fluffed some lines on the autocue, to which his former cohost on Popworld Maquita Oliver said, 'Come on Simon, you can read.' He said something like, "I can read, I'm a real boy!" And this line has stuck with me ever since, because sometimes you feel like that - that you aren't real until you can do grown up things. I feel like this could be a recurring line for the characters whenever they struggle with small tasks, or attempt to grow up.
In the vein of this anxiety about/desire to grow up, I like the idea of some or all of the housemates participating in a challenge - to act like children for a week. After lamenting the freedom of childhood and the pressures of adulthood, perhaps Samantha (remembering that she will resemble Daisy Steiner in her creative avoidance of work) suggests that they all start acting like children again and the challenge begins. I really just want an excuse to have an adult dressing like Spider-Man to go to the shops, and dropping to the floor and having tantrums in McDonalds, and asking the elderly insanely inappropriate questions and getting away with it.
Ultimately, however, it fails. As Where the Wild Things Are reminds us, childhood can really be awful - lonely and even more restrictive than adulthood.
The Great Goldstein
So Goldstein is a working title type name, but I needed a name starting with a G and sounding almost as great as, well, erm, Gatsby. Because if the title didn't already give it away, I want to steal the plot of F. Scott Fitzgerald's masterpiece for an episode.
Again, this may already be obvious, but we're fascinated by the character Nick Carraway (note: he doesn't look like Scott Baio in Charles in Charge). In the novel's opening paragraphs he reveals himself to be a man who has had the darkest secrets of other powerful men revealed to him. He supposes it's because of his nature as a man who is not outwardly judgemental. He's someone who seems to attract confidantes without trying - there seems to be something so appealing about a person who gives nothing away. Sometimes, people are attractive to others for reasons unknown to themselves.
For those unfamiliar with the novel, The Great Gatsby is the story of a man who recounts one summer when he moved to the city and with his strange gift of attracting dark characters, gets involved with a group of selfish, amoral rich kids, with it ending in tragedy. More than simply wanting to write down the details of this summer, he wants to tell the story of a man who attracted him as much as he was attractive to him. Gatsby is a man that everybody knows about but doesn't actually know - they come to his house, attend his lavish parties and speculate on his character. Indeed, most people don't even know what he looks like - Nick talks to him at one of his own parties without knowing who he is. And yet this man's nature is appealing to Nick and he spends the rest of the novel trying to decipher the meaning of Gatsby's actions.
I like the idea of one of our protagonists sharing the qualities of Nick Carraway and I feel he should meet his very own Gatsby. We've discussed a character who would make the perfect Gatsby, or Goldstein, but I would prefer to leave the description of this character to my good colleague. I think it also provides the perfect opportunity to do something that is also integral to our series; poking fun at pretentious wankers. Art Gallery opening, fashion show previews, obscure bands playing at the new flavour of the month venue, cafes aimed squarely at posers seem like the perfect world in which to set this homage to Fitzgerald and his Gatsby. Nick reveals that he secretly hates most of the people who feel compelled to befriend him, and so will our Nick Carraway.
Watch this to tide you over until we unleash hell on your preconceived notions of Australian drama.
- S
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
A House doesn't make a Home...(?)
Hello traveller.
I have been fascinated with the concept of a "share-house" since I was a hyper-imaginative 9 year old kid. The idea of creating a new family... Not being bound by any parental authority... And especially the dynamics between housemates as they eventually fall into the roles of a sterotypical "family".
I guess it's somewhat a vicarious fantasy - I have never lived in a share-house. And as a result, I am compelled to write about one. To create a life that I would want for myself. That, selfish as it may seem, was the catalyst for this Pilot concept.
The house itself was born from several sources, which I will now demonstate:
1)Heartbreak High
Anybody who grew up in the 90's will testify: the house in this show made you want to leave home. It was part wharehouse, part art space - all cool.
This was probably the genesis for my obsession. The house had a revolving door of renters - but the awkwardness was always soon replaced by a familiarity and jocular atmosphere that was comforting and exciting. To this day, I want to live with Drazic!
2)Richard Lowenstein
This guy is the brains behind two of the greatest share-house films in Australian history: Dogs in Space and He Died With A Felafel In His Hand.
In different ways, these films fill out the emotional longing and distance that can result from being away from your biological family, and stranded with these new people. You aren't always going to get along. You may fall in love. You may have your heart broken. Sometimes there's nobody to talk to.
Dogs uses the barrier of constant noise, mess and clinger-ons to establish this house as anything but a haven. Felafel, contrastly, uses more silence than anything - as most feelings are bottled up, and words left unsaid, can ultimately do more damage than good.
3)Spaced
Finally, a Brit-Com! And not just any Brit-Com - arguably the best written, produced and acted British Comedy in recent history. (At least on par with The Office and Nathan Barley).
This show relied heavily on the chemistry and dynamic between two relative strangers (Tim and Daisy) who over time developed a strong bond that one could only equate to that of a soulmate. They have ridiculous personal jokes. They are indelibly tied up in each others lives. It's quite beautiful, really.
And it is in this series that the whole mantra for the series can be found:
Tim: Marsha, they say the family of the twenty-first century is made up of friends, not relatives. If that's true, then you're the best auntie I've ever had.
Aww.
I do not want to create a show that is insular or clique-ish. I do not want to create a show that is centred around the house itself. But rather, the show must be inviting, fun, energetic and honest.
The house isn't just a setting, it's a character.
-C
I have been fascinated with the concept of a "share-house" since I was a hyper-imaginative 9 year old kid. The idea of creating a new family... Not being bound by any parental authority... And especially the dynamics between housemates as they eventually fall into the roles of a sterotypical "family".
I guess it's somewhat a vicarious fantasy - I have never lived in a share-house. And as a result, I am compelled to write about one. To create a life that I would want for myself. That, selfish as it may seem, was the catalyst for this Pilot concept.
The house itself was born from several sources, which I will now demonstate:
1)Heartbreak High
Anybody who grew up in the 90's will testify: the house in this show made you want to leave home. It was part wharehouse, part art space - all cool.
This was probably the genesis for my obsession. The house had a revolving door of renters - but the awkwardness was always soon replaced by a familiarity and jocular atmosphere that was comforting and exciting. To this day, I want to live with Drazic!
2)Richard Lowenstein
This guy is the brains behind two of the greatest share-house films in Australian history: Dogs in Space and He Died With A Felafel In His Hand.
In different ways, these films fill out the emotional longing and distance that can result from being away from your biological family, and stranded with these new people. You aren't always going to get along. You may fall in love. You may have your heart broken. Sometimes there's nobody to talk to.
Dogs uses the barrier of constant noise, mess and clinger-ons to establish this house as anything but a haven. Felafel, contrastly, uses more silence than anything - as most feelings are bottled up, and words left unsaid, can ultimately do more damage than good.
3)Spaced
Finally, a Brit-Com! And not just any Brit-Com - arguably the best written, produced and acted British Comedy in recent history. (At least on par with The Office and Nathan Barley).
This show relied heavily on the chemistry and dynamic between two relative strangers (Tim and Daisy) who over time developed a strong bond that one could only equate to that of a soulmate. They have ridiculous personal jokes. They are indelibly tied up in each others lives. It's quite beautiful, really.
And it is in this series that the whole mantra for the series can be found:
Tim: Marsha, they say the family of the twenty-first century is made up of friends, not relatives. If that's true, then you're the best auntie I've ever had.
Aww.
I do not want to create a show that is insular or clique-ish. I do not want to create a show that is centred around the house itself. But rather, the show must be inviting, fun, energetic and honest.
The house isn't just a setting, it's a character.
-C
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
What's My Motivation?
David Bordwell is a cool dude. When people say that some such person wrote the book on some such thing, it's figurative. But Bordwell is different. That sucker literally wrote the book on the classical Hollywood cinema. Seriously. It's called The Classical Hollywood Cinema: Style and Mode of Production to 1960. And he observes that the primary function of the classical Hollywood style is to support the narrative. And the thing that drives the narrative is the motivation of the characters. So in order to keep that going and make it believable for the audience, you have to develop characters in order to make them more, real. And so their choices within the film, television series, whatever, have to support the narrative and keep it going and keep the audience engaged.
As mentioned in the previous post, the series will centre around six principal characters; 3 guys and 3 gals. Being a gal myself, I gravitated toward writing the gals. And being a frustrated writer, I gravitated toward writing a gal who's a frustrated writer. I've got some ideas for 3 gals, but one is much more developed than the others. And yes, I know their names are sort of standard, but everything's subject to change, yeah?
Ok, so the strongest character I've developed so far is Samantha, the frustrated writer. Can't explain why, but she's always been Sam to me. I suppose she'll need a surname eventually...
Samantha
Samantha, so far, is 25. I haven't decided yet if she's employed or not. I'm thinking that if she is, then it's something casual. She has a Bachelor of Arts with a major in English, but she never stood out as being a particularly remarkable writer.
Sam is the eldest in her family, with a younger sister named Lauren. Sam has a complicated relationship to her family. She's ten years older than Lauren, meaning they're almost a generation apart, so they've never had much in common. It's not that they don't get along, it's more that they don't have much in common, apart from a yearning for a typical upbringing. Their parents are not so much strict or bad as they are indifferent and practical. They were so realistic that they subtly crush your dreams without making you feel like you want to rebel.
Her biggest act of rebellion so far has been her dream to become a science-fiction writer. However, because of her upbringing and her own nature, she seems to lack the capacity to imagine alternate worlds or futures. She's quite good at writing realist fiction, obviously, and yet she has no interest in it - she's sick of her life and her upbringing and her own nature, but she feels like she can't. She's working on a novel about time-travel, but she can't write anything takes place in the future, and she keeps wanting it to be like an M. Night Shyamalan film with the twist being that it's not the future at all, which she knows is stupid.
I see her as the female protagonist, because she's the clearest character in my mind, and probably because she's an extension of myself, I guess.
She has her source in a few television characters, but the two main characters that have influenced or inspired Samantha are the following:
Lindsay Weir - Freaks and Geeks
We were talking about how the show should have a centre, but characters we could move away from and follow other storylines without feeling like the show's strongest characters were missing. Freaks and Geeks was mentioned immediately, because the show does exactly that. You can see that Lindsay is the show's protagonist, because her desire to rebel at school is what starts the series and prompts her discovery of the 'cool' kids, and her decision affects several different groups within the show; her brother and his friends, Daniel, Kim and the others and her old friends. And she's such an interesting character because while it's her actions that make her the show's protagonist, she's also the kind of person that things happen to, around her - she attracts people for odd reasons, and it is just as unclear to her as to why this happens.
Daisy Steiner - Spaced
Spaced is such a profound influence on my life, and this show (we basically want to make a modern, Australian version of it.
As the female protagonist and Tim's soulmate, Daisy is the female version of Tim in a lot of ways and in others, she's his opposite. They're essentially two sides of the same coin. Like Tim, she's a frustrated artist who feels like they're not where they should be in their career or their life. They've both experienced a break-up and don't know how to form a more healthy relationship. They're torn between their youth and the feeling that they have to start growing up.
Unlike Tim, though, Daisy is much more willing to experiment and try new things. She's more creative when she's trying to avoid work, whereas he likes his job and is constantly working on his graphic novels, but suffers from a crippling fear of rejection.
I think Sam will be a perfect complementary character for our male protagonist, too. Just like Daisy, her avoidance of issues will be more creative at times than her actual artistic pursuits, and that feeling that she's meandering through her 20s without doing anything important. She needs to distract herself from actually taking the time to question her choices and to keep those awful questions of inadequacy and talent at bay. I just saw the first two episodes of Bored To Death and thought it was brilliant - yet another inspiration, and I feel that Sam is a lot like Jonathan Ames as well. Writers can be the perfect expression of frustration and anxiety for a writer, but some advice I got from my screenwriting tutor George Merryman was that writing about writing can be really boring. But hello, Wonder Boys? Adaptation? And he didn't like Ned and Stacey...but possibly wrote on it? Thomas Haden-Church should be a national fucking treasure by now, thanks muchly, MERRYMAN.
My other characters aren't really that developed. We're writing about people roughly our own age, or people in our position in life, and whether you're working or unemployed, or you're still doing your 'I'm just doing this to earn cash while I go to Uni' job a year after you graduate, you're probably experiencing post-Uni blues - that time when you feel like you're standing still while everyone else is moving along and growing up. And chances are a lot of the people working in their chosen career so suddenly after Uni are so overwhelmed at being thrown into the real world before they feel ready that they are probably feeling exactly the same anxiety. So I'm thinking we should have someone who has what Samantha thinks she wants.
Rebecca
I sort of conceived Rebecca as the opposite side of my character, along with Samantha. The frustrated artist who feels like they're floundering, versus the grown-up, full time worker feeling overwhelmed by the fact that my undergraduate career is well and truly over. I feel that now she should be even more like the ideal that Samantha thinks she's striving for, the thing that all of us think we want.
The phrase 'the job's not what I thought it was' sort of rings in your head, and this is certainly true for Rebecca. Where Uni was stimulating because you were learning practical things and also more interesting theories and concepts, and got to participate in debates over the new direction your industry was heading in, you just do admin, get the manager a coffee and get excluded from anything interesting.
She consoles herself with online shopping and pretends she's happy with her uni friends, but she tends to take things out on her housemates in strange ways. I suppose her office is the perfect place to poke fun at office politics, Ricky Gervais/Stephen Merchant style, too.
The main influence for her character is definitely more Tim Canterbury than the chick in The Devil Wears Prada.
The Freudian textbook fight inspired me to write about someone who was still a student - sort of like Marsha's daughter Amber in Spaced in the Housewarming party episode. She's still the idealistic uni student they used to be, only slightly smarter, cooler, prettier, and more social. And has the perfect name to be a psychologist quoted in fashion magazines.
Cleo
All I have so far is that Cleo is a Psychology student, and at the moment she was a vehicle for the argument between students about Freud, and this idea reminded me of a writer that one of my favourite lecturers, Kelli Fuery, mentioned in one of her classes, about the transitional object which allows children to develop and discover that they're not attached to the mother and that they won't have instant gratification anymore. I feel like if there's any basis for that theory, then we spend our whole lives trying to go back to that state and enjoy instant gratification and that things like iPhones and iPods and laptops and wireless internet is our new transitional object. Could this perhaps begin the argument? Because whenever technology moves forward it's blamed for some crisis in society that's happened before the technology was invented. It's always funny listening to other uni students arguing stuff and just regurgitating what they've heard in a lecture without a hint of irony, because you inevitably do exactly the same thing. No one actually reads the books put out by the theorists they study - we all just read someone else's analysis or the lecturer's notes.
I would like Cleo to be something of a cliche, someone representative of some of the things we want to poke fun at, but I want her to have an endearing quality as well. Otherwise, why would the others like her?
If you're going to write something character-driven, you have to know exactly who they are, what they want, what they think about, their entire life up until the events of the show, even if none of it is ever explored in the series or film. So we still need to figure out stuff like this:
Samantha:
Does she work?
Is she from a small town or is she from a city?
Is she just writing novels?
Rebecca:
What is her job?
If she hates her job, what does she really want to do?
And if she doesn't know, how will this affect her character?
Cleo
Is she a housemate?
If not, what's her relationship to the housemates?
If she is, how did she come to live in the house?
I'm sure I'll have more than that. I hope I'll have more than that.
Until then, watch this
As mentioned in the previous post, the series will centre around six principal characters; 3 guys and 3 gals. Being a gal myself, I gravitated toward writing the gals. And being a frustrated writer, I gravitated toward writing a gal who's a frustrated writer. I've got some ideas for 3 gals, but one is much more developed than the others. And yes, I know their names are sort of standard, but everything's subject to change, yeah?
Ok, so the strongest character I've developed so far is Samantha, the frustrated writer. Can't explain why, but she's always been Sam to me. I suppose she'll need a surname eventually...
Samantha
Samantha, so far, is 25. I haven't decided yet if she's employed or not. I'm thinking that if she is, then it's something casual. She has a Bachelor of Arts with a major in English, but she never stood out as being a particularly remarkable writer.
Sam is the eldest in her family, with a younger sister named Lauren. Sam has a complicated relationship to her family. She's ten years older than Lauren, meaning they're almost a generation apart, so they've never had much in common. It's not that they don't get along, it's more that they don't have much in common, apart from a yearning for a typical upbringing. Their parents are not so much strict or bad as they are indifferent and practical. They were so realistic that they subtly crush your dreams without making you feel like you want to rebel.
Her biggest act of rebellion so far has been her dream to become a science-fiction writer. However, because of her upbringing and her own nature, she seems to lack the capacity to imagine alternate worlds or futures. She's quite good at writing realist fiction, obviously, and yet she has no interest in it - she's sick of her life and her upbringing and her own nature, but she feels like she can't. She's working on a novel about time-travel, but she can't write anything takes place in the future, and she keeps wanting it to be like an M. Night Shyamalan film with the twist being that it's not the future at all, which she knows is stupid.
I see her as the female protagonist, because she's the clearest character in my mind, and probably because she's an extension of myself, I guess.
She has her source in a few television characters, but the two main characters that have influenced or inspired Samantha are the following:
Lindsay Weir - Freaks and Geeks
We were talking about how the show should have a centre, but characters we could move away from and follow other storylines without feeling like the show's strongest characters were missing. Freaks and Geeks was mentioned immediately, because the show does exactly that. You can see that Lindsay is the show's protagonist, because her desire to rebel at school is what starts the series and prompts her discovery of the 'cool' kids, and her decision affects several different groups within the show; her brother and his friends, Daniel, Kim and the others and her old friends. And she's such an interesting character because while it's her actions that make her the show's protagonist, she's also the kind of person that things happen to, around her - she attracts people for odd reasons, and it is just as unclear to her as to why this happens.
Daisy Steiner - Spaced
Spaced is such a profound influence on my life, and this show (we basically want to make a modern, Australian version of it.
As the female protagonist and Tim's soulmate, Daisy is the female version of Tim in a lot of ways and in others, she's his opposite. They're essentially two sides of the same coin. Like Tim, she's a frustrated artist who feels like they're not where they should be in their career or their life. They've both experienced a break-up and don't know how to form a more healthy relationship. They're torn between their youth and the feeling that they have to start growing up.
Unlike Tim, though, Daisy is much more willing to experiment and try new things. She's more creative when she's trying to avoid work, whereas he likes his job and is constantly working on his graphic novels, but suffers from a crippling fear of rejection.
I think Sam will be a perfect complementary character for our male protagonist, too. Just like Daisy, her avoidance of issues will be more creative at times than her actual artistic pursuits, and that feeling that she's meandering through her 20s without doing anything important. She needs to distract herself from actually taking the time to question her choices and to keep those awful questions of inadequacy and talent at bay. I just saw the first two episodes of Bored To Death and thought it was brilliant - yet another inspiration, and I feel that Sam is a lot like Jonathan Ames as well. Writers can be the perfect expression of frustration and anxiety for a writer, but some advice I got from my screenwriting tutor George Merryman was that writing about writing can be really boring. But hello, Wonder Boys? Adaptation? And he didn't like Ned and Stacey...but possibly wrote on it? Thomas Haden-Church should be a national fucking treasure by now, thanks muchly, MERRYMAN.
My other characters aren't really that developed. We're writing about people roughly our own age, or people in our position in life, and whether you're working or unemployed, or you're still doing your 'I'm just doing this to earn cash while I go to Uni' job a year after you graduate, you're probably experiencing post-Uni blues - that time when you feel like you're standing still while everyone else is moving along and growing up. And chances are a lot of the people working in their chosen career so suddenly after Uni are so overwhelmed at being thrown into the real world before they feel ready that they are probably feeling exactly the same anxiety. So I'm thinking we should have someone who has what Samantha thinks she wants.
Rebecca
I sort of conceived Rebecca as the opposite side of my character, along with Samantha. The frustrated artist who feels like they're floundering, versus the grown-up, full time worker feeling overwhelmed by the fact that my undergraduate career is well and truly over. I feel that now she should be even more like the ideal that Samantha thinks she's striving for, the thing that all of us think we want.
The phrase 'the job's not what I thought it was' sort of rings in your head, and this is certainly true for Rebecca. Where Uni was stimulating because you were learning practical things and also more interesting theories and concepts, and got to participate in debates over the new direction your industry was heading in, you just do admin, get the manager a coffee and get excluded from anything interesting.
She consoles herself with online shopping and pretends she's happy with her uni friends, but she tends to take things out on her housemates in strange ways. I suppose her office is the perfect place to poke fun at office politics, Ricky Gervais/Stephen Merchant style, too.
The main influence for her character is definitely more Tim Canterbury than the chick in The Devil Wears Prada.
The Freudian textbook fight inspired me to write about someone who was still a student - sort of like Marsha's daughter Amber in Spaced in the Housewarming party episode. She's still the idealistic uni student they used to be, only slightly smarter, cooler, prettier, and more social. And has the perfect name to be a psychologist quoted in fashion magazines.
Cleo
All I have so far is that Cleo is a Psychology student, and at the moment she was a vehicle for the argument between students about Freud, and this idea reminded me of a writer that one of my favourite lecturers, Kelli Fuery, mentioned in one of her classes, about the transitional object which allows children to develop and discover that they're not attached to the mother and that they won't have instant gratification anymore. I feel like if there's any basis for that theory, then we spend our whole lives trying to go back to that state and enjoy instant gratification and that things like iPhones and iPods and laptops and wireless internet is our new transitional object. Could this perhaps begin the argument? Because whenever technology moves forward it's blamed for some crisis in society that's happened before the technology was invented. It's always funny listening to other uni students arguing stuff and just regurgitating what they've heard in a lecture without a hint of irony, because you inevitably do exactly the same thing. No one actually reads the books put out by the theorists they study - we all just read someone else's analysis or the lecturer's notes.
I would like Cleo to be something of a cliche, someone representative of some of the things we want to poke fun at, but I want her to have an endearing quality as well. Otherwise, why would the others like her?
If you're going to write something character-driven, you have to know exactly who they are, what they want, what they think about, their entire life up until the events of the show, even if none of it is ever explored in the series or film. So we still need to figure out stuff like this:
Samantha:
Does she work?
Is she from a small town or is she from a city?
Is she just writing novels?
Rebecca:
What is her job?
If she hates her job, what does she really want to do?
And if she doesn't know, how will this affect her character?
Cleo
Is she a housemate?
If not, what's her relationship to the housemates?
If she is, how did she come to live in the house?
I'm sure I'll have more than that. I hope I'll have more than that.
Until then, watch this
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Exposition, in which the characters, the dramatic premise, and the dramatic situation are introduced.
Alright - stop, collaborate and listen. Not just the opening line of that extraordinary urban artist Vanilla Ice's 1990 masterpiece Ice Ice Baby, it's also perhaps the mantra of the average filmmaker. Art filmmakers maybe not, but they're weird and slightly infuriating.
At some point, writers will have to conform to this line. And at the moment, that's where we're at. The original idea for this televisions series was thus:
Basically an ensemble peice that follows the different storylines of the housemates of a sharehouse. I think it would be cool to have 6 primary characters, 3 boys, 3 girls. With 1 male and 1 female as the leads.
Not that we've set ourselves a difficult task or anything - 'This series needs to sum up our collective sense of humour and views on creativity, growing up, sex, family, fuckwits, and identity.' This perfectly sums up what the goal of the project is. I don't use the term revolutionary lightly, but you know, labels are something other people use and if that's how they want to label us, I'm cool with that, you know. Whatever.
I'd like to share the influences that are currently inspiring us, if I may, and this is a mishmash, a hodgepodge, a hearty creative stew of inspirations for characters, moments, storylines, and structure. Please to enjoy!
Oh, and The Smiths, who know your pain, especially with songs like this.
At some point, writers will have to conform to this line. And at the moment, that's where we're at. The original idea for this televisions series was thus:
Basically an ensemble peice that follows the different storylines of the housemates of a sharehouse. I think it would be cool to have 6 primary characters, 3 boys, 3 girls. With 1 male and 1 female as the leads.
Not that we've set ourselves a difficult task or anything - 'This series needs to sum up our collective sense of humour and views on creativity, growing up, sex, family, fuckwits, and identity.' This perfectly sums up what the goal of the project is. I don't use the term revolutionary lightly, but you know, labels are something other people use and if that's how they want to label us, I'm cool with that, you know. Whatever.
I'd like to share the influences that are currently inspiring us, if I may, and this is a mishmash, a hodgepodge, a hearty creative stew of inspirations for characters, moments, storylines, and structure. Please to enjoy!
Oh, and The Smiths, who know your pain, especially with songs like this.
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