Author: Greg

Greg writes, teaches and sleeps. Sometimes he plays D&D.
No comments

Progress Report 45 – Master of None

  By , ,

What a busy week. So many things going on, I’m sure you are familiar with that. You have a thousand things to handle, so many different tasks to balance and then on top of that something totally unexpected happened and you just have to ask yourself where to find time for that. Two weeks earlier or later, no problem but why now? Why now?

Guess what, turns out you can find time. Sure you’re extremely busy and your nights get shorter but I actually like being busy. Don’t get me wrong, I love doing nothing but being busy, doing something I like or even love is not bad either. You probably wonder what Im talking about, well, a gentlemen never tells…no it’s not about a women, I said doing something not someone you love…but at this point I wouldn’t be surprised if… no, not going there. Focus. Quick, let’s do the numbers before I get sidetracked again.

One book/screenplay: Do term papers count? I ha to read and correct some term papers, some of them good, some not so much but it’s work and it has to be done. I also reread Skyscraper but more on that a bit later.
Two movies: I didn’t watch too many movies but I binged Master of None, Season two on Netflix and wow, what aigret show. Season 1 was good but the second season is a sight to behold. Ansari and his team truly deliver on something great and unique. I don’t want to spoil anything, just go and watch it.
Seven pages and seven hours: I’m combining these two this week. A couple of month ago we wanted to rework Skyscraper to enter some competitions, well we reworked it a bit but we decided against the competition. This week I found myself going back to the script and I started to look for stuff to cut, shorten and polish. 103 pages is a bit long for an animation movie. Making it shorter seems like a good way to improve the scripts commercial appeal. In a way it’s similar to what we did with Saber Rider. It worked great for Saber Rider, it actually made the script better so hopefully we can repeat that with Skyscraper and who knows, maybe we soon have good news to share…c’mon, we’re allowed to dream. 🙂

Let me end with just a few quick thoughts on Master of None, I’m really busy remember. I liked the first season but compared to the seond one it was a bit unfocused. Maybe that was deliberate to some extent, Dev had to find himself at the end of the season and I think like Dev, the show really found itself in season two. It feels more mature and clearly wants to say something about human nature that goes far beyond the experiences of an Indian Muslim in America. All his problems, even the religious ones, especially those, are totally relatable and feel universal. I think that’s high praise and the show deserves it. I’m looking forward to season three.

NewImage

Jack of all Trades…

No comments

Angel – … and being a grown-up

  By ,
Angel LOTD

Great cast.

If Buffy the Vampire Slayer is about growing up, Angel is about being a grown-up. The two shows fit together nicely and these two similar yet different mission statements make both shows unique in their own way. Sure, sometimes the stories feel similar or incorporate similar elements but they feel different and they are usually told with a different focus or with slightly different conclusion.

Angel is not about what figuring out who you are, Angel is about defining who you are, becoming the Version of yourself you want to be, or sometimes the version you have to be. Angel is about your coworkers, the feelings you have about your coworkers, becoming a dad, trying to be a good dad, disappointments, well-meant betrayal, working for Evil Inc., loss, sacrifices and what it means to keep fighting because let’s face it, once you’re an adult there’s no exit strategy anymore, there’s no real finale with a happy ending, the journey keeps going on whether you’re prepared or not.

I’m not sure whether I prefer Buffy or Angel, I think as a show I prefer Buffy but I like Angel’s chapters more. The first season of Angel was a bit rough, at least until Wesley showed up and I think the show really came together when Fred1 became an integral part of the show. Season 3 is definitely the strongest season. The Fred and Wesley arc is probably one of my favourite romantic arcs ever, the end is obviously heart-breaking and I will always hate Joss for that but damn, it was great television and it brings me to tears every time.

Sometimes the big story arc felt a bit soapy and too plotty2 but it lead to some great character moments and solved some bog storytelling issues that would have dragged the show down, let’s be honest, no-one wants to see a Vampire raising a baby, that might have gotten old real fast.

It’s a shame that Angel got cancelled after only 5 Seasons, I think they had at least one really good season left in them, maybe two but in these 5 seasons the show delivered some great episodes and some truly inspiring moments. I’m not going to list all of them but most of them have to do with Wesley and Fred but don’t forget Smile Time or the birth of Connor and don’t get me started about that Waiting in the Wings.

One of my absolute favourites though is the moment in Season 5 when Spike turns corporeal again. Episode after episode you wonder when and how they are going to do that and then they turn it into a hilarious slapstick moment, you just have to love that. It’s the little things that keep us entertained.

Angel screen shot 2015 07 20 at 60524 pm

The perfect shot.

  1. ..and not just because Amy Acker is really cute. ↩
  2. That’s whedonspeech, with the “y” at the end there. ↩
No comments

Progress Report 44 – 47:11

  By , , ,

It’s that time of the week again but let’s start with some personal news. I did my first 10k yesterday and I totally crushed it. I wanted to run under 55 minutes, a decent pace for me, but I was able to finish in 47 minutes and 11 seconds. I’m really proud. I obviously didn’t win anything (I placed in the middle, 68th to be precise) but I ran for me and it’s safe to say that I successfully completed the challenge. Hooray!

You probably wonder if I had time to write with all my racing, of course I did, well not actual writing but I did some outlining. Here are the details:

One book/screenplay: I started with the Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, I’m thinking of reading it with a class next year, too early to tell though.
Two movies: Finished Buffy today, great finale. Angel’s 4th season is really strong as well, even though the plot feels a bit too constructed sometimes, still great shows. Maybe I’ll go see Get Out today.
Seven pages: Still waiting for stuff to write.
Seven hours: I’m fairly certain that I cracked the idea. I have a decent outline for act one and two (two is a bit sketchy but makes sense) and I’m reworking them right now in order to get a good grip of the third act. I’m not sure how to introduce the Supernatural elements, actually I don’t know if they are necessary.

I decided to set the story on a space station, picture 2001 meets Gravity with a bit of Alien to keep everyone on their feet. I actually think that a psychological version of Alien is actually a good way to describe my idea. It’s not about a Ripley who fights an alien, it’s about a character who fights another kind of evil, inner demons, either real or supernatural. It’s more about an internal struggle than an external one, sure it’s a movie and you need some action but I mentioned I see the monster of the story as a metaphor, a manifestation of inner turmoil that the protagonist needs to resolve. I hope I’ll be able to externalise this internal conflict in an appropriate and entertaining way. That’s why I’m going to stop now, I need to get some work done.

2001 Space Odyssey

No HAL in my movie.

No comments

Buffy the Vampire Slayer – Growing up…

  By , ,
41GNxsP3G0L AC UL320 SR226 320

Slayer of Vampires

I’m a huge Joss Whedon fan, who isn’t, but I consider myself among the lucky people who knew his work before The Avengers. Not that there’s anything wrong with loving his Marvel Masterpiece but it feels good to appreciate someone before everyone else did. Since it has been 20 years since Buffy premiered, I don’t have to worry about spoiling anything but if you haven’t seen Buffy and Angel stop reading now and go watch it.

I don’t remember when and how exactly I started watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer but it must have been around 19981 and I immediately fell in love with the show2. I was exactly the right age to relate to the characters and their problems and the fact that the characters and their problems grew (up) with me made the show all the more exciting. Buffy was/is genre TV at its best, I love the story-arcs and even the standalone episodes have monsters that stand as a metaphor for a familiar problem growing up. I don’t and didn’t mind that the main character is a girl, hell I like girls and the show probably had a big influence on the type of girls I like.

One could say that I grew up with Buffy and the Scoobies and they heavily influenced me and how I see problems and how I deal with them. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a Rogue Demon Hunter3 but I learned many lessons from Buffy. Not all demons are bad, sometimes people change from bad to good or the other way round and generally, as long as you work together, even the Apocalypse is avertable. Not bad lessons for a TV show about a girl who kills vampires.

I’m currently rewatching the whole Buffyverse and I’m surprised how well the shows hold up. Sure, the effects are not to current standards but that doesn’t matter, Buffy was never about dusting vampires or slaying demons, it was always about the emotions that led up to the confrontation with the monster. Some episodes are a bit on the nose but the show was never condescending4 and had a positive message. Even the really heart-breaking stuff like Angel turning evil or Buffy dying is used to perfection to create great emotional television moments. There are so many great moments but I’m not going to make a Top 10 List but I want to mention a few that are still with me, either because of their emotional impact or because they were just really good storytelling.

Angel turning evil after a moment of pure bliss is one of my favourite moments in TV history. Sure, the metaphor is on the nose but who cares. The whole season 2 Storyline with Angel is just great.

Another of my favourite moments is near the end of season 4 when her classmates name her “Class Protector”, I think I cried a little bit, it was just a powerful moment and yeah, killing the mayor was fun as well.

The season 5 finale The Gift and especially the final moment is probably one of the best season finales ever and it’s fitting that another of of my great moments happened in the season opener, at the end of a mediocre Dracula episode Buffy’s sister Dawn show up for the first time. What the $#!&, did I miss something? A great moment because it made you wonder what the deal with her was.

Last but not least, Buffy’s speech and Willow’s magic in in the series finale Chosen. Sure it‘s basically feminism but I have no problem with that, none whatsoever, it’s great television and a powerful message to girls (and boys), the power is yours for the taking, what a great way to end a great show.

It’s no coincidence that most of these moments occur in episodes written and directed by Joss Whedon and I strongly recommend to check out all his episode not just Hush and Once More with Feeling. I also recommend listening to his audio-commentaries, especially “Becoming” where he reveals the secret to good storytelling, “emotional resonance and rocket-launchers”. You gotta love this guy.

There have been other great shows that stuck with me but no other show influenced me that much. The only other non Joss Whedon show (there will be a separate post about Angel and I will definitely write something about Firefly as well) that influenced me like Buffy did is Aaron Sorkin’s The West Wing, Buffy made me a feminist, Josh Lyman a liberal5.

So yeah, If you haven’t seen Buffy the Vampire Slayer or if it has been a while, revisit it. It’s definitely worth your time and it might make you a better person in the process. That’s pretty good for a 20 year old TV show. I doubt you can say that about Keeping Up with the Kardashians.

Stay tuned for the second part of the Joss Whedon appreciation month, my post about Angel will follow soon.

000252735 217862398647

Still looking good.

  1. The show premiered in 1997 in the States so it probably aired here a year or so later. ↩
  2. …and Buffy and Willow. ↩
  3. Wesley is my favourite Buffyverse character though. ↩
  4. Except that beer episode. ↩
  5. Looks like I have to write about The West Wing as well. Damn. ↩
No comments

Progress Report – Vol. 43

  By ,

I’m a few days short but I did some work, so shut up, just kidding…about the shutting up, not about the work.

Guardians Galaxy 2 Baby Groot Trailer

WE ARE BABY GROOT!

I spent my second week off from work working in my office. School stuff and writing stuff. I’m working on the outline for my next movie and I’m making progress, slow but steady. I had some ideas on how to make the story more dramatic, most of them not very original but I decided to write them down anyway. I’m a strong believer in writing and rewriting so I rather have a page with stupid things on it than nothing at all.

Let’s do the numbers.
One book/screenplay: I’m currently reading To Kill a Mockingbird for school. Good read.
Two movies: My Buffy the Vampire Slayer Marathon Turned into a Buffy and Angel marathon. These two shows are just awesome. Season one of Angel takes some time to get its footing (the Arrival of Wesley1 mark the spot) and The 6th season of Buffy has some issues2 I’ll probably do a dedicated Buffy and Angel post at some point about my love for these two shows and some lessons about storytelling. I also saw the second Guardians of the Galaxy movie and I’m happy to report that James Gunn delivers. A fun ride with an adorable Baby Groot.
Seven pages: Who am I kidding.
Seven hours: As I mentioned before, I’m hard at work on my new idea and so far it looks promising. There’s a lot of work to do but I think I figured out what story I want to tell. I Hope to be able to blend my love for genre-movies with the emotional depth the story needs. It’s a very personal story and I hope that the genre elements help me too get to the core of the emotions.

It’s interesting, the more I think about this story and all the other things I wrote the more I see that everything I every wrote is deeply personal on at least one level. Sure there’s comedy and action or whatever in pretty much everything I wrote and there’s plenty of silliness as well but to some extent there’s always something in there that is straight from my heart, or at least that part where my emotions wreak havoc from.

I have a lot of doubts about my writing and I’m not sure that my stuff is good but I’m fairly certain that it is at least honest and I’m fairly certain that my writing made me a better person and helped me working through some stuff. I don’t know what I’d do without this outlet. I guess as a writer you have to be a bit crazy but for me it’s probably the other way round. I’m a bit crazy and that’s why I write.

Which is why I must get to writing right now, there’s a lot of work to do.

  1. A quick aside: In Buffy Wesley was a joke and in Angel he’s introduced as a klutz but by Season 3 he’s probably my favourite character and that’s not just because we have a similar taste in women. 🙂 ↩
  2. Once more with Feeling not being one of them. ↩
No comments

Featured Screenplay: Die Klientin – German Edition

  By , , ,

$ 32Dann halt ausnahmsweise mal auf Deutsch.

Im Herbst 2016 schrieb ich im Zuge von #ProjectMomentum ein deutsches Drehbuch. Ausgehend von einer sehr alten Idee, die seit Jahren unberĂŒhrt auf meiner Festplatte vor sich hin vegetierte, wagte ich mich nach mehreren englischen DrehbĂŒchern an ein Deutsches. Neben der Verarbeitung von einigen weniger tollen Erlebnissen war das Ziel ein Drehbuch fĂŒr den deutschen TV Markt zu schreiben, preiswert ohne viele Effekte, einfach eine gute Story mit interessanten Charakteren.

Herausgekommen ist ein Gerichts-Thriller mit Ecken und Kanten. Der Staranwalt Benjamin verteidigt Katharina, eine alte Flamme und/oder die Liebe seines Lebens, gegen ihren ehemaligen Arbeitgeber, einen skrupellosen Energiekonzern der fĂŒr Profit ĂŒber Leichen geht. Mit der Hilfe eines Reporterkollegen versucht er die Verschwörung aufzudecken. Wer hat Katharinas Mann ermordet? Wer hat Katharinas Sohn entfĂŒhrt? Wer will sie hinter Gittern sehen? Die Antworte auf diese und weitere Fragen liefert „Die Klientin“.

ErklÀrtes Ziel war ein preiswert zu produzierendes Drehbuch, im Gegensatz zu den High-Concept Action-Adventures die es hier normalerweise gibt. Keine teuren Sets, nicht zu viele Charaktere aber eine spannende Story mit einem cooler Twist, der die Zuschauer en wenig aus der Reserve lockt.

Das Drehbuch steckt noch im Feinschliff und Feedback ist sehr erwĂŒnscht. Ich bin gespannt ob ihr denkt ich hĂ€tte meine Ziele erreicht.

In der folgenden Sequenz treffen sich Benjamin und Katharina an einem Klassentreffen. Er war frĂŒher hoffnungslos in sie verliebt, ist nicht gut ausgegangen aber lest selbst.

INT. GANG BEI DER TOILETTE

Benjamin ist auf dem Weg zur Toilette. Er wird von der Seite angerempelt.

Eine leicht beschwipste Katharina stolpert in seine Arme und schĂŒttet ihren drink auf sein Hemd.

BENJAMIN

Ernsthaft! So ne Scheisse!

Katharina schaut ihn mit grossen lÀchelnden Augen an.

KATHARINA

Hoppla, ich Schussel.

Benjamin schĂŒttelt den Kopf und ist dabei in Rage zu geraten.

BENJAMIN

Schussel??? Da fallen mir auf anhieb mindestens siebzehn treffendere Namen ein, du..

Katharina lÀchelt ihn immer noch unschuldig an, sie hat eines dieser LÀcheln.

BENJAMIN

...Trampeltier.

Katharina will was antworten doch er ignoriert sie und geht genervt in die Toilette.

INT. MÄNNERTOILETTE

Benjamin geht Richtung Pissoir und packt aus.

Die TĂŒr geht auf: Katharina.

Benjamin schaut sie ĂŒberrascht an.

BENJAMIN

Falsches Klo!

KATHARINA

Echt jetzt!?!

Sie dreht sich weg,

KATHARINA

Wegen vorhin...

Benjamin schĂŒttelt den Kopf, er ist leicht irritiert.

BENJAMIN

FĂŒhl mich ja geschmeichelt aber ich bin hier grad ein wenig beschĂ€ftigt.

Katharina dreht sich erneut um nur um sich gleich wieder wegzudrehen.

KATHARINA

Schon klar. Ich wollt nur sagen. Die doppelte Rempelei vorhin...war echt keine Absicht.

BENJAMIN

Aha... also wenn das ne Entschuldigung werden soll, dann beeil dich. ES ZIEHT!

Katharina macht einen Schritt hin zur TĂŒr.

Sie traut ihren Ohren nicht, sie verlĂ€sst die Toilette und schlĂ€gt genervt die TĂŒr zu.

Benjamin ist fertig und packt ein und geht zum Waschbecken und begutachtet sein dreckiges Hemd.

Er schĂŒttelt den Kopf.

BENJAMIN

Dumme Kuh.

CUT TO:

INT. KLASSENTREFFEN BAR

Benjamin, sein Hemd alles andere als sauber, und Thomas stehen an der Bar.

Katharina bahnt sich einen Weg durch die Menschenmenge.

THOMAS

Achtung!

Katharina steht vor Benjamin.

BENJAMIN

Ja? Was denn jetzt? Ist mein Hemd immer noch zu weiss?

Sie zögert.

KATHARINA

Ihr MĂ€nner wisst einfach nicht wann...

Sie holt tief Luft

KATHARINA

Tut mir leid!

Benjamin traut seinen Ohren kaum und grinst.

BENJAMIN

Na geht doch. Jetzt noch ein Bier und die Sache ist vergessen.

INT. LOUNGE

Benjamin und Katharina sitzen an einem Tischchen im Lounge Bereich. Benjamin mit einem Bier und Katharina mit einem Cocktail.

Katharina schaut auf sein Namensschild.

KATHARINA

Hmm, Benjamin? Du kommst mir irgendwie bekannt vor aber ich kann dich einfach nicht zuordnen. Du bist nicht einer dieser Party Crasher, oder?

Benjamin schĂŒttelt den Kopf.

BENJAMIN

Leider nein, hatte das VergnĂŒgen an diese Schule zu gehen.

KATHARINA

Kannst du mir einen Tipp geben?

Benjamin schĂŒttelt den Kopf grinst.

BENJAMIN

Und wo ist da der Spass fĂŒr mich?

KATHARINA

Gemein. Ich hab so echt MĂŒhe mit den Gesichtern und Namen von damals.

Benjamin geniesst den Moment.

BENJAMIN

Ich finde es grad ein wenig gemein, dass du dich nicht an mich erinnerst.

Er zeigt auf sein dreckiges Hemd.

BENJAMIN

Ist schliesslich nicht das erste Mal, dass du mich wie einen begossenen Pudel aussehen lÀsst.

Katharina denkt nach.

KATHARINA

Bin ich mal in der Cafeteria mit dir zusammengestossen?

Benjamin wedelt mit seinen HĂ€nden.

BENJAMIN

Es wird wÀrmer.

KATHARINA

Aber wir hatten keine Stunden zusammen?

BENJAMIN

Doch, eine Menge sogar.

KATHARINA

Mathe?

Benjamin nickt und nimmt einen Schluck Bier.

KATHARINA

Cafeteria...Stunden...?

Katharina denkt nach.

KATHARINA

Hatten wir mal was miteinander?

Ben verschluckt ich und prustet das Bier fast aus Mund und Nase.

BENJAMIN

Sorry. Der war zu gut.

KATHARINA

So abwegig ist das jetzt doch nicht.

Benjamins Gesicht wird etwas ernster.

BENJAMIN

Scheinbar wĂŒrdest du dich heute nicht verarscht fĂŒhlen wenn ich mit dir flirte.

Katarina schaut ihn entgeistert an.

Der Groschen fÀllt.

KATHARINA

Oh....

Unangenehmes Schweigen.

Benjamin nippt genĂŒsslich an seinem Bier. Man sieht Katharina an das sie sich unwohl fĂŒhlt und er geniesst es.

Katharina bricht das Schweigen.

KATHARINA

Du... schaust gut aus.

BENJAMIN

Danke.

KATHARINA

Damals warst du doch eher ein wenig....

Benjamin fÀllt ihr ins Wort.

BENJAMIN

En wenig ... was?

Katharina ist etwas verlegen, nickt und lÀchelt.

KATHARINA

Ich wollte nicht...

BENJAMIN

Schon gut, ich hab abgenommen. Du warst nicht ganz unschuldig daran.

KATHARINA

Ich war jung und eingebildet. Ich war einfach gemein.

Benjamin nickt.

KATHARINA

Ein wenig zu beschÀftigen scheint es dich aber immer noch.

Benjamin grinst verlegen.

BENJAMIN

Bei einem Klassentreffen kommen alte Erinnerungen hoch und manche waren eben prÀgender als andere

KATHARINA

Klingt so als mĂŒsste ich mich nochmals entschuldigen... Zu meiner Verteidigung, heute wĂŒrde ich es anders machen.

BENJAMIN

Mir anders eine Abfuhr erteilen? Oder Typen wie mir eine Chance geben?

Katharina nickt und statt zu antworten lÀchelt sie einfach.

KATHARINA

Dann sind wir ja quitt.

Benjamin grinst schelmisch.

BENJAMIN

Naja, ich weiss jetzt nicht ob man eine schlechte Anmache mit Lebenslangen emotionalem Trauma gleichsetzen kann.

KATHARINA

Ein Bier hab ich dir auch spendiert.

Benjamin nimmt einen Schluck.

BENJAMIN

Ich ĂŒberlege es mir nach dem zweiten.

Katharina grinst.

KATHARINA

Und wie gehts sonst so? Ich seh keinen Ring an deinem Finger.

Benjamin schaut auf seine ringlose Hand.

BENJAMIN

Liess sich bislang vermeiden. Du scheinst nicht so viel GlĂŒck gehabt zu haben

Katharina zeigt verlegen ihren Ehering.

KATHARINA

Ich haben einen Kleinen Sohn, Martin, also wir, Bernhard, mein Mann und ich, wir sind seit 4 Jahren verheiratet.

Katharina kramt ihr Handy hervor doch Benjamin winkt ab.

BENJAMIN

Ich bin nicht so der Babyfoto Typ.

Katharina lÀchelt.

KATHARINA

Dein Pech. Ich bin nÀmlich eine Babyfoto-Mutti, also ertrag den Schmerz.

Sie zeigt ihm mehrere Fotos des sĂŒssen, kleinen MARTINS, ein sĂŒĂŸer kleiner 2 JĂ€hriger.

Martin lachend.

Martin wie er einen Ball kickt.

Martin wie er sich Brei um den Mund schmiert.

Benjamin muss grinsen, die Bilder sind echt sĂŒss.

BENJAMIN

Ok, der Kleine ist tatsĂ€chlich relativ sĂŒĂŸ. FĂŒr ein Kind

Katharina grinst.

KATHARINA

Sind halt nicht alle alle so sĂŒss wie mein Martin.

Katharina verstaut ihr handy in ihrer Tasche.

BENJAMIN

Und wie ernÀhrst du den kleinen Martin?

KATHARINA

Ich arbeite bei IEP in der GeschĂ€ftsleitung, bin fĂŒr Übernahmen zustĂ€ndig.

Benjamin grinst ĂŒber beide Ohren.

KATHARINA

Was? Was ist so lustig fĂŒr einen Energiekonzern zu arbeiten?

BENJAMIN

Energiekonzern? Komm schon, alle wissen wie der Hase bei IEP lĂ€uft. Die lassen Mafiabosse wie Engelchen ausschauen. Die Russen habt ihr ja so richtig ĂŒbers Ohr gehauen und was “ihr” mit dem Solarunternehmen gemacht habt, echt nicht OK.

Katharina schaut ĂŒberrascht.

KATHARINA

Du bist ja echt informiert.

BENJAMIN

Ich lese oft die Zeitung und ĂŒber euch steht recht viel drin.

KATHARINA

Wo gehobelt wird da fallen SpÀne.

Benjamin grinst.

BENJAMIN

Das klingt ja sehr ĂŒberzeugend. Ich hoffe einfach, dass der Kerl mit den Solarzellen euch verklagt und zwar so richtig.

KATHARINA

Tut er. Ich muss nÀchste Woche aussagen. Ich mach mir aber keine Sorgen, er hat so gut wie keine Chance. Unsere AnwÀlte werden ihn auseinander nehmen.

BENJAMIN

Ganz schön selbstsicher, jeder der die Zeitung aufgeschlagen hat weiss dass ihr ihn ĂŒbers Ohr gehauen habt. Sein Produkt war toll, hat euch einfach nicht ins Konzept gepasst und deswegen habt ihr es gekillt.

KATHARINA

Man sollte nicht alles was in der Zeitung steht, und selbst wenn, wir haben Gutachten und das Gesetz ist erst recht auf unserer Seite. Es zÀhlen nur Beweise und bis jetzt konnte er noch keine liefern.

Benjamin schĂŒttelt den Kopf und lĂ€chelt.

BENJAMIN

Du bist ja knallhart und ich dachte zu mir warst du damals gemein.

KATHARINA

Naja, um sich als Frau in meinem Job zu etablieren darf man nicht zimperlich sein. Die MÀnner sind es auch nicht der unterschied ist einfach, bei den MÀnnern ist es guter GeschÀftssinn, Frauen sind gemeine Zicken.

BENJAMIN

Als Zicke hab ich dich auch schon verflicht aber tut dir der Kerl nicht leid? Ihr habt ihm seine Firma quasi geklaut und ihn dann vor die TĂŒr gestellt.

KATHARINA

Geklaut klingt so böse, annektiert klingt soviel besser.

Auf der anderen Seite der Lounge versucht ein leicht betrunkener Thomas eine der Bedienungen anzumachen.

Sehr erfolglos.

Benjamin sieht ihn.

BENJAMIN

Ich wĂŒrde ja gerne noch mehr Firmengeheimnisse erfahren aber mein Freund Thomas braucht mich glaub bevor er zu aufdringlich wird.

KATHARINA

War nett, vielleicht sehen wir uns ja beim nÀchsten Klassentreffen.

Benjamin steht auf, Sie geben sich die HĂ€nde und Benjamin geht Richtung Thomas doch er dreht sich noch kurz um.

BENJAMIN

Oder etwas frĂŒher.

Noch nicht perfekt aber auf gutem weg. Auf www.whiteworms.com gibt es das ganze Drehbuch. WĂŒrde mich wirklich ĂŒber Kommentare freuen.

No comments

Progress Report 42 – the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything

  By , , ,

Six by nine?

I’ve been looking forward to this one. We all know that 42 is the answer the to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything, so maybe Progress Report #42 is the thing Douglas Adams was aiming for. Who knows, maybe this blogpost starts a new movement or religion or something1.

I’m still not feeling quite myself but I’ve been quite creative so I’m not complaining too much. So let’s start with the numbers and then we’ll see where #42 takes us:

One book/screenplay: I’ve read Off to be the Wizard by Scott Meyer. Quite a fun read, nothing too deep but highly enjoyable.
Two movies: Still in the middle of my Buffy marathon. There are some great arcs and episodes. Season 2 and 3 are even stronger than one, Angelus is a great villain and the Mayor is just hilarious. I even cried a lot wehen Buffy’s classmates thanked her for saving their lives in the Prom episode. I also watched some horror movies, The Babadook and Drag me to Hell to prepare for my new project.
Seven pages: I’m not there yet. I have to light some fire under Orlindo’s arse though, I need to rewrite Die Klientin.
Seven hours: I’ve been working on my new idea and so far it looks promising. I’m still figuring out what exactly I want to say but I had some good ideas on how to structure the whole thing. At the moment I’m toying with some alternative setting ideas. The Nerdwriter hat this interesting Video this week about Passengers, that movie with Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence2. In the video he talked about ways to improve the movie and he (and others) has a point. A structural change would improve that movie and it got me thinking, not only about the structure, maybe the movie and the supernatural aspects would flourish in a different setting as well. I’m not just considering space, maybe a different time period or just a really peculiar setting, basically anything more interesting than just a boring office.

That’s what I’ve been up to this week. It feels good to work creatively again and it helps me through all the other crap. Alfred Hitchcock once said: “Drama is life with the dull bits cut out.” I’m just hoping I get to the happy end before I get canceled.

In other news: James Gunn released the Tracklist for the Guardians Vol. 2 Soundtrack, guess who’s on it…David Hasselhoff. I would never have thought of that but it makes perfect sense. Proof? Let’s end this post with an awesome song/music video.

  1. Or maybe it’s “Six by nine. Forty two. That’s it. That’s all there is. I always thought something was fundamentally wrong with the universe ↩
  2. Love of my life…please call me. 🙂 ↩
No comments

Progress Report 41 – A Monster Calls

  By , , ,

Ok, bare with me, this is the last time I promise1 but at least this one is a bit writing related.

There’s a saying among screenwriters, I’m paraphrasing but basically its about the idea, that every villain is the hero of his story. He probably doesn’t know that he’s the bad guy, he has his mission, his goals and his motivation and he just want’s to succeed. If that is true, what about the opposite? Is every hero a villain of someone else’s story? To complicate matters even more, how do I know which one I am? How can I be sure that I’m the hero if it feels exactly the same as being a villain in someone else’s story?

In my ongoing quest to make sure that my life is one god-awful movie, I inadvertently (or maybe through mind-boggling stupidity is more accurate) turned into the villain of someone’s story. I was blind to the effects my actions had on that person and through all my efforts to fix my mistakes (apparently heroes and villains both make mistakes), I made it worse and  I turned from villain to monster. I’m not comparing myself to a moustache-twirling Bond villain and I’m no Xenomorph either but my actions deeply hurt someone. It doesn’t matter that my intentions were good, apparently all villains have (some) good intentions, the only thing that really matter how my actions affect others. It might be a while until I fully realise the damage I caused and the full extent of my misguided actions, I don’t even know if I can ever forgive myself, the only thing that I’m sure about is that I’ll do everything in my power to never repeat my mistakes. Out of respect to others, I’m not going into too much detail but trust me, I learned a valuable lesson I don’t intend to ever forget. It doesn’t feel good2 to realise that you’re the monster and that you (inadvertently) hurt someone you care for. If you should ever read this, I’m sorry.

NewImage

What I see in the mirror.

Moving on, I promised you screenwriting and screenwriting you shall get. It was Carrie Fisher who said,

“Take your broken heart, make it into art.”

and that’s exactly what I intend to do. The last couple of month were really difficult for me and recent revelations reshaped my perception of them and I think in these events and my newfound insight into them lies my next movie. I know I say that all the time that I finally found my next project but I think I really need to write this one now. It might not surprise you that I’ll think of it as part writing, part therapy but who cares, I truly believe that it will turn out good and I’m saying that before I even have the slightest idea what the plot is going to be. I have a lot of ideas about the characters and I know that the story will get a supernatural-horror edge, I’ll mix in a bit of romance and round it up with a pinch of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (not the slaying part but the one with all the metaphors).

I have no title yet but I hope to finish my outline over the easter break. I’ll keep you posted.

And now for something completely different…the numbers:
One book/screenplay: To Kill a Mockingbird is a really good read.
Two movies: I rewatched a few things, among themThe Neverending Story (someone needs to remake this, there is so much potential) and I started with a Buffy marathon, its just a great show, the first season is really tight.
Seven pages: Not even one page.
Seven hours: Does my new Idea count?

That’s it, I’ll promise to regain momentum, but who knows I might be a villain and maybe I’m just lying.

  1. Who am I kidding, there will be more posts like this but let’s be honest, you’re just here for these anyway. ↩
  2. Honestly, it totally sucks. ↩