tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69577310690761090272024-02-07T23:37:31.782-05:00The Revealing of the SoulA place where anything can happen. Anyone can be President. Anytime can be Miller Time and any city can be NY.Christian H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16847810167041864292noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6957731069076109027.post-86597587067341863432016-01-24T11:38:00.000-05:002016-01-24T11:38:21.072-05:00Modern Cinema and The Hangover EffectYes, good people, we're back with another episode of...Modern Cinema (fanfare and trumpets commence).<br />
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As the title says we're goign to dissect the smash HITS, THE HANGOVER 1 & 2. They are both very cinematic in their presentation, though they do present R-Rated Adult humor. But then let's look at that. </div>
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CONTENT:</div>
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Well, to view the film from beginning to end there was very little R-Rated about the first. There were ZERO sex scenes, ZERO drug use, but they did say fuck a lot. This is perhaps why it did so well as we can imagine the debauchery but the problem with the best "cinema" party is always the aftermath and that provides more anticipation, mystery and closeness to the characters as you discover things as they do.</div>
Christian H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16847810167041864292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6957731069076109027.post-18917243662234645062016-01-24T11:37:00.003-05:002016-01-24T11:38:04.215-05:00Revealing of the BlogHowdy folks,<br />
It's been three years since I've made a post here. My day job got real busy and actually got fun after seeing what writers go through. Especially if they're black.<br />
I've written some good movies, but too many excuses for making crap from someone who "paid their dues."<br />
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I'm working on turning this blog into a screenwriting book. More news later...Christian H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16847810167041864292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6957731069076109027.post-54056091860323477582012-02-27T15:30:00.002-05:002012-02-27T15:31:26.276-05:00Time flies when you don't give a fuckHollywood has to be the most depressing industry ever. After this Oscars, who wants to work with them? Not me.Christian H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16847810167041864292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6957731069076109027.post-3262151873096801432011-03-02T21:26:00.002-05:002011-03-02T22:43:00.221-05:00We're coming back quickly...I haven't theorized in months on here. I really miss it. It's unfortunate that I'm so dry (code words added) and technical and some people would burn all of their money before using my theories, but I know my narrative structure is without match.<div><br /></div><div>If only I still didn't love SW Development too much... But then six figures sitting in a chair is close so I can take my time and find the person who wants to print my shit - I mean it's all shit right...?</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, I need to expound upon my Story theory but I've been real busy with scripts and work and trying to start a business so I guess the three people who read this blog can forgive me a bit.</div><div><br /></div><div>But then I have a story right now that I think would sell from the title and log line so there's that.</div><div><br /></div><div>More to come...I hope...</div>Christian H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16847810167041864292noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6957731069076109027.post-31700943554284959372010-11-02T20:20:00.000-04:002010-11-02T20:21:11.118-04:00New Rant for todayEverything sucks.Christian H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16847810167041864292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6957731069076109027.post-73247921141329189362010-10-26T01:07:00.002-04:002010-10-26T01:37:47.810-04:00Well,, we're almost back.Howdy wrongers, writers and others. Just a little post to update the blog. Many things have been percolating since my "Revealing of the soul" posts. Mainly visual stuff, but that doesn't really gel well with the current blogging phenomenon.<div><br /></div><div>The discourse is all but dead, replaced by the not-so-self-help blogs of flash. Unfortunately the discourse is the root of cinema as you can't copyright an expression or a gesture or a flickering of light.</div><div><br /></div><div>I've still been creating new stories and working on existing ones but having just moved and still settling into a day job (spent most of my money) I'm not in find, send and sweat mode right now. </div><div><br /></div><div>Wait the sound of that sucks. No wonder I'm a writer.</div>Christian H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16847810167041864292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6957731069076109027.post-74375020456235148582010-06-05T13:54:00.003-04:002010-06-05T14:01:58.537-04:00A Moment of Silence for The Mystery ManYes, the unthinkable has happened. One of my mentors and I hope friends has passed away. I never knew his real name but I feel that I knew him. He was one of the first "non-gurus" I ever came across when I began the path to being a screenwriter.<div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><br /></span></div><div>We discussed everything from sex in cinema, doing away with character arcs to four act structure and visual storytelling.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre">T</span>his is a really sad day for me as I was missing him ever since he changed from Blogspot to Twitter. </div><div><br /></div><div>Go here for some of the best analyses of film you can get for any price:</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://mysterymanonfilm.blogspot.com">Mystery Man</a></div><div><br /></div><div>In his memory I'll be reposting some of his articles for the next few weeks.</div>Christian H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16847810167041864292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6957731069076109027.post-5481554616178924822010-05-19T18:15:00.002-04:002010-05-19T18:16:19.965-04:00Hiatus ahoy!I just realized it's been two months since I posted a new post. I'm in a funk right now and don't really give a shit.Christian H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16847810167041864292noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6957731069076109027.post-3315665868999852542010-03-17T02:39:00.002-04:002010-03-17T11:52:23.233-04:00Indie GoldHowdy folks,<div>We've got something a little different today. Rather than boring everyone with dry theory we're gonna do a spoiler free review of a cute little film called One Too Many Mornings (onetoomanymornings.com).</div><div><br /></div><div>It's the story of two old friends. One - Fischer - lives in a church for free and has a party every night. The other - Peter - runs away from a five year relationship and comes to stay at the church. They drink, party and laugh for days. Fischer tries to convince Peter that his girlfriend is no good and goes as far as to even curse her out on the phone.</div><div><br /></div><div>Things come to a head as Fischer's drinking gets way out of control, causing him to nearly lose his cushy job and home at the church. He tells Peter to do something to him if he ever drinks again. Peter does...something rather funny and effective.</div><div><br /></div><div>Finally, Peter's girlfriend comes to see him and after a few near misses they reunite and we find why he really left. After things have gone South with his Pastor and landlord, he finally gets a date, though most of his encounters are filled with drunken slurs and casual sex.</div><div><br /></div><div>To avoid spoilers we just glossed over minor points so if you want a few good laughs check it out today. The film maker you help maybe your own.</div>Christian H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16847810167041864292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6957731069076109027.post-81338087742686347682010-02-20T22:27:00.003-05:002010-02-20T22:47:03.489-05:00Mysterious ways...Not out like I thoughtHowdy folks,<div>The time has for all good men... damn it Off topic already. I really need to get my banalities in order. Ehhh, fuck it. It's all served me well thus far. There is a lot to be said for a person who doesn't actually have a personality, only a function. Right now the function is cinematic excellence.</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><br /></span></div><div>The funny thing is that I was inspired by a hero who failed me and it is the most liberating experience I've ever had. I've long tried to be accommodating through ultimate hardship and be the better man in BAD situations.</div><div>My path though has forced the return of the Poet that will NOT be denied and I'm glad that I chose to take a huge chance, relying only on faith in the power of study and hard work.</div><div><br /></div><div>I had to make really difficult decisions recently and hope that I can handle them gracefully without obscuring my real motivation, that cinematic excellence thing.</div><div><br /></div><div>I have found that - to wax biblical - a prophet is never respected in his own country. I'm nobody but hey this is a spontaneous post to help me relax for my next moves. My short has been getting some good people attached and I think it will be a great film for it's target demographic.</div><div><br /></div><div>I've still not finished my Master's thesis script but I have had the opportunity to compile three years of work into a forward thinking hypothesis that should allow me to quickly and efficiently produce popular narratives.</div><div><br /></div><div>I mean I could soup up some of my club exploits or some of experiences as a houseless person with a job in an office - well I did live in a movie theater though. It was a funny thought while worked at Microsoft after flipping a few birds for my Bachelor's program where my head exploded cause I was trying to prove my Big Bang Theory (I found Einstein did agree after I sewed my brain back up). Or hell I could dig into my basic training or AIT or even Airborne duty assignment. </div><div><br /></div><div>The problem is that I plan on shutting out the entire world and sitting on the beach for a week or two. I love NY but I LOVE LA.</div>Christian H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16847810167041864292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6957731069076109027.post-67852605885474164522010-02-13T19:41:00.003-05:002010-02-13T21:04:13.237-05:00Coming soon - Genre Abstraction for Action LinesYeah, we're getting geekier and more dry by the day but I also punch peopel so I can.... Ooops I romised i wouldn't let my lack of "life" to creep its way into this blog.<div><br /></div><div>OK I have done very freaky things in clubs all around the country not to mention various "Spring Break" type events - god I could write a movie about it. Get back on track... ehhh shut up. Listen this post is about serious stuff. ....yeah, yeah, yeah.</div><div><br /></div><div>Excuse my prsonality - excuse me - banality issues.</div><div><br /></div><div>At any rate a new frontier has emerged after months of "dialog-action-personality" study we have found that the diverse types of genre require an abstract pattern to accurately represent the desired "scene-emotions." Much of this can be gleaned from the study of the active\reactive patterns of the involved personality but that more so influences description of character action rather than scene - "mise en scene" - description. </div><div><br /></div><div>The key therefore lies in the use of abrupt, curt descriptive language. Scenes of motion will then become quick cuts</div><div><br /></div><div><i>The cars smash together...smashing side to side....pedestrians scream</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Because these are not descriptions such as character movement</div><div><br /></div><div><i>He drops down amongst them a whirling dervish of blinding speed.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>the shortness of the lines denote the pace. This works even when the pace of generated action is horror film limping slow like</div><div><br /></div><div><i>The creature growls menacingly.....its flashing eyes reflect in the low light...it approaches on all fours....deformed.....nearly human...Jennifer stops...breathless.....eyes wide....legs immobile</i></div><div><br /></div><div>When these lines are analyzed they contain the minimal information, doled out in visual chunks, some rooted in imagination, some rooted in emotional state, others vividly descriptive.</div><div><br /></div><div>Because the script is merely a visual guide for a film maker it's a tightrope to grab the reader but also give the film maker a map that is direct and FILMABLE AS IS. (Some readers need Godard like thugs need Jesus.)</div><div><br /></div><div>Some people believe in the multiple draft theory, but that's not the science in the craft. The science in the craft requires due diligence of thought before the draft is accomplished. As a software developer who has daily business in their hands I have learned the discipline of careful architecture. Film making is even more complex than any web site as the only linearity is time. The dialog-action narrative will bump and assuage, turn and rotate, characters adapt, change and are emotionally forwarded by a change in situation and intensity.</div><div><br /></div><div>That's where creative abstraction can enable a more in-depth picture as it doesn't complicate but isolates traits, reactive emotion, dynamic interaction and overarching thematic construction. There have been millions of visual narratives presented all over the world and this allows for enough diverse comparison that modern film makers need just review their "list of catalogued cinematic examples," some of which may be found in the review of old movies, some may be be found in the various analyses of "the original film makers." Be they right or wrong they started the ball rolling and a true embrace of the tenets of cinema and not the trappings of fame can lead to a freeing of words to emotion.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Welcome to the Revolution.</div>Christian H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16847810167041864292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6957731069076109027.post-13608249226054839792010-02-07T11:28:00.004-05:002010-02-07T12:03:28.470-05:00Just when I thought I was out...We've extended our thesis a little more to cover elements of story. We're not going to expound greatly at this juncture but in essence the extension follows the same hierarchical pattern as before where:<div><br /></div><div>The Subtext of the Story is the Characters, </div><div>the Subtext of the Characters is the Situation, </div><div>the Subtext of the Situation is the Dialog, </div><div>the Subtext of the Dialog is the Emotion, </div><div>the Subtext of the Emotion is the Personality </div><div>and the Subtext of the Personality is the Soul.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>As always this fits with my earlier Circular Argument - that everything in cinema is defined as circular, where no matter where you are on the circumference of the cinematic experience, whether it be character, story, structure, they all intersect along the path.</div><div><br /></div><div>For instance Story will determine what type of Characters you need, but the Characters can influence the Story based on their Personality - or the Subtext of their Emotion (one personality responds differently to the ambush than another). At the same time the Character will determine the Story as different Characters will end up "on the run" for different reasons.</div><div>For example, the Accountant will probably not be in a seedy bar when they overhear "McGuffin plans" or pick up the wrong "bag."<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>From the opposite perspective the Soul you wish to reveal will affect each of the things on the pyramid. From Dictionary.com "Soul" means:</div><div><br /></div><div><i>the principle of life, feeling, thought and action in humans, regarded as a distinct entity separate from the body..... </i></div><div><br /></div><div>and </div><div><br /></div><div><i>the emotional part of human nature, the seat of the feelings or sentiments</i></div><div><br /></div><div>The definition of Story is:</div><div><br /></div><div><i>a report or account of a matter or a statement of allegation</i></div><div><br /></div><div>and </div><div><br /></div><div><i>a narrative, either true or fictitious, in prose or verse, designed to interest, amuse or instruct the hearer or reader; tale </i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Looking at the definition one gets a sense of similarity in that we are in effect writing "a report or account of the emotional part of human nature."</div><div><br /></div><div>Or Revealing the Soul.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Circular argument extends to the relationships of the definitions applied to all of the "Steps" of the hierarchy and I think we'll get to those later. I've got some software code to write.</div>Christian H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16847810167041864292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6957731069076109027.post-91796316772143327072010-02-06T12:49:00.002-05:002010-02-06T12:51:58.127-05:00The Soul Has Been RevealedA heavy sigh of relief emanates from deep within. I can slow down a little now and finish the six or so half done scripts in my pile.Christian H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16847810167041864292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6957731069076109027.post-80014137996499624722010-01-24T23:01:00.005-05:002010-02-06T12:39:50.355-05:00Active vs. Reactive: The Art of Interaction<p class="MsoNormal">Howdy those who care,</p> <p class="MsoNormal">We're back and though we've never used tags we seem to be coming back to this Active vs. Reactive thing. In my travels I've found that every conversation, meeting, presentation is based in this theorem. Cinema, as a reflection of life's studies and crises exemplifies this best as it transcends time making what happens today a reawakening memory after 20 years.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The one thing that is consistent in every form of cinematic expression is the necessity for personality interaction\conflict with the banality of the participants affecting the shape of the narrative where a mid level drug dealer and a scared rookie cop would make a different narrative than a cold blooded collector though the abstract view is that of cop chases or evades drug dealer and her minions. The dialog between disparate banality types - I'm an ENTJ who thought several questions sucked too bad to answer can cause characters to veer left or right which doesn't perhaps effect an increase or decrease in tension but does allow that 50 couples will react differently to a small kitchen fire.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Film makers need not worry why but use the abstract narrative to influence interaction. In those 50 couples there are an unlimited number of combinations of the active\reactive dialog types. A mixture of a Demanding Wife and Abrupt Husband creates a different character-dialog than even a Demanding Husband and Abrupt Wife where the Demanding Husband may use a humbling approach to retrieve admission of the source of the fire and the Demanding Wife may use a guilt-inducing approach to achieve the same result. The state of prominence of the character need not change with the difference in their active interaction though transposing character-dialog between them allows for a more rounded banality (used in place of personality for the purposes of international copyright) - wow hopefully the humor in my scripts is better. Wait who said that was a joke? OMG and he has multiple banalities - :-)</p> <p class="MsoNormal">At any rate, the preceding is just designed to show that interaction is the key to good cinema which is why you don't want one-sided conversations, but everyone expressing themselves equally and subjectivity of the viewer (cinema of the seer) determines the leanings while the screenwriter merely determines who gets the last word - something Eula seemed to continually do to Rooster as they fought outlaws and carefully handled nitro.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">In this sense we can say that underneath emotion is personality as different personalities will interact differently with other disparate personalities. On the one end of the spectrum you have the passive personality and the other end is of course the aggressive one. The most drama in these interactions can truly be garnered as personality types converge rather than diverge. If a character is too passive all interaction will be one-sided which can become tedious. But when there is an active verbal sparring that comes from "equally matched banality."(read:people who stand their ground)</p> <p class="MsoNormal">This also enables a better path to "character parallels" as interaction with disparate personalities and types (dialog types - Demanding Sarcastic, Supportive Probing, Prohibitive Abrupt, etc). Active\reactive dialog is more so a way to look at personality by defining a person's purpose which then can guide you to the most "impressive" lines by determining both the active style of dialog and the reactive style for the character. Some characters may do better with more supportive active dialog but more Inhibiting reactive dialog whereas a different feel can be created by having the active dialog be usually Inhibitive while the reactive dialog can tend towards supportive. (Augie and Ronnie: Role Models)</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Combining these types can paint a "dialog-picture" of the character more succinctly than a bio or history as the "dialog-picture" represents the moment where back-story can often cloud the scene - meaning a person should react in the moment as no one really has "flashbacks to childhood" before reacting. This is very important in cinema as everything needs to be more spontaneous and impactful as to elicit the most emotion in the viewer. When interaction is the key to your scene construction you have less opportunity to "talk to the audience" which is indeed a no-no. This violates the concept of the "cinema of the seer" where the viewer is a participant and therefore doesn't need "explanations" they need to be involved.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">That's all for this post, but we will revisit the subject.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCFFFF;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCFFFF;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCFFFF;">As an update, we actually did more fleshing out over at Go Into the Story:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCFFFF;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; font-family:'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCFFFF;">I basically feel the same way. I think the writer can make implications about back story using props; I used a picture to imply the death of a parent, certainly actions; a character says, "Hey I've got a sister" when asked why he did something. The former being before the start and the former being after.<br /><br />I always think about parents, siblings, birth place etc. as a part of the process and then I try to abstract the type of personality by showing their emotional reaction to situations.<br /><br />I do this in the outline and then I will give that character a "dialog-interaction" frame - where they generally state things in a demanding way or supportive way or inhibiting way and respond to positive or negative interaction prohibitively or angrily or abruptly or sarcastically.<br /><br />I've been working on a theorem that says using these emotional states leads better to personality which is in fact what people go to see.<br /><br /><br />So I guess backstory is good for the writer but not for the reader.<br /><br /><br /><br />The full theorem is basically:<br />SITUATION sits above<br />ACTIVE DIALOG\REACTIVE DIALOG and<br />EMOTION sits above<br />PERSONALITY<br /><br />OR<br /><br />The subtext of the situation is the dialog, the subtext of the dialog is the emotion and the subtext of the emotion is the personality and the subtext of the personality is The Soul.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; font-family:'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCFFFF;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; font-family:'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCFFFF;">So after three years we have finally fulfilled the purpose of this blog. THough we will continue to refine the Active vs Reactive paradigm, we'll be doing more thought work for directing. As I've been studying it, I understand why you don't find a lot of Director blogs. It's nearly impossible to translate what you think in terms of blocking, framing etc. and how you work with actors could be considered trade secrets.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; font-family:'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCFFFF;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; font-family:'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCFFFF;">Onward and upward.<br /><br /></span><br /></span></p>Christian H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16847810167041864292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6957731069076109027.post-39289915453182628142010-01-03T18:47:00.002-05:002010-01-03T18:49:18.192-05:00Happy New YearRinging in 2010. Obviously I'm too busy to post this on New Year's but hell I'm only 2 days late. Here's to a lot of Revealing of Souls in the new Decade.Christian H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16847810167041864292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6957731069076109027.post-35948034015974317162009-12-15T01:43:00.004-05:002009-12-15T01:55:18.504-05:00Soon to be an AngelenoYep, FINALLY. I've been working, saving, writing, networking, blogging and partying but now, finances have finally fallen right to allow me to quit my job and move - NO unemployment in such a case.<div>Still, the stars - no pun intended perhaps - have aligned and I won't be spending 1000s of dollars to attend pitch fests and push for meetings. I plan on getting another software job but these means a lot.</div><div>The short I have in pre should be done by then and hopefully it's as good as the director and I think. Festivals here I come. Plus, I can think more about shorts and find more people who are hungry to see themselves in quality celluloid.</div><div><br /></div><div>As an aside we're working on several new posts, including follow-ups to the Sex in Cinema and Active vs. Reactive posts. Pus, a bunch of framing, blocking and movement stuff. Unfortunately, the day job requires most of my "working-day hours" so it works how it works.</div><div><br /></div><div>Stay tuned.</div>Christian H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16847810167041864292noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6957731069076109027.post-7662685046215397162009-12-08T15:27:00.002-05:002009-12-08T15:31:56.709-05:00Now Using Movie Outline SoftwareYes, that's right. After getting a special sale price, I decided to go for it now. For the 5 of you who may be interested, the code for the special discount is <div><br /></div><div>XMASSALE</div><div><br /></div><div>You save 50% off the regular price and $20 off the upgrade from FD price.</div><div><br /></div><div>That's right, the most full-featured program for creating everything from Character bios to Step outlines to Scripts for only </div><div>$99</div><div><br /></div><div>Click the title for the site. You can even get the download and start sequencing right away.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></div>Christian H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16847810167041864292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6957731069076109027.post-90189096035888048972009-12-02T02:51:00.002-05:002009-12-02T03:02:31.560-05:00More RED SpecsYes, that's right, the next info about Scarlet and Epic have been released over at Red - and it is looking too good. They're basically improving every facet of the Red One for very little more money with the modularity of Scarlet. Epic will be in another league with Monstro-X "Super-Incredible-Sensor" referenced a few posts ago. I guess we can expect some more info on Epic a month or so but the big news was RedRay. They hadn't talked about it for a awhile but the pics are creamy. <div>The specs are drool-worthy and it's due before Scarlet. Exciting.</div>Christian H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16847810167041864292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6957731069076109027.post-15139467069569410052009-11-04T10:49:00.002-05:002009-11-04T10:59:08.623-05:00Movie Outline SoftwareHowdy writers,<div>As the title says this post is about software. Screenwriting software to be exact. In my travels, I came across this new package called Movie Outline. It's actually recommended by UNK.</div><div><br /></div><div>I grabbed a demo of it and I really think I'm going to switch. I can get an upgrade version for a few bucks more than FD8. I'm only upgrading because I use Vista X64 and the FD7 PDF printer doesn't work.</div><div><br /></div><div>I definitely suggest that anyone give it a try. It has a lot more features than FD and Movie Magic. It lets you add character bios, outlines, story notes and lots more. It exports and imports from FD.</div><div><br /></div><div>I like it because I have stacks of 5x8s that are flowing all over my desk and shelves. This would let me put all of my notes and stuff in the file for the screenplay. I just need to find out if they have a working 64-bit PDF driver. They do, I'll be getting it in a few weeks.</div>Christian H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16847810167041864292noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6957731069076109027.post-50718648550950815492009-11-03T20:13:00.003-05:002009-11-03T20:55:20.114-05:00Here comes EPIC<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Yes, that's right. THose of you who drool over the thought of an EVF sitting next to a Red ONE or better. THe pics of EPIC are comign out over at RED.com and they've begun the process of getting beta testers and trade-in programs.<div><br /></div><div>No shots taken by it yet but it's great to see it ready for field testing. For those who don't know, the new versions of the Mysterium-X sensor go from still image 2/3" all the way up to the SuperWide Monstro at a massive 6.6" x 2.1". These cameras should change the game and put all other digital cameras on notice.</div><div><br /></div><div>RED is reporting even surpassing their expectations for improved picture and processing. They say there will be an announcement at the end of the month and I hope it'll have some actuals screen shots from the new "brains."</div><div><br /></div><div>Until then here's some images to whet the appetite.</div><div><br /></div><div>UPDATE:</div><div> Blogger hates the width of these shots. Does that mean the web isn't ready for EPIC?</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://red.cachefly.net/A/MonsterGUNNER.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 1224px; height: 792px;" src="http://red.cachefly.net/A/MonsterGUNNER.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://red.cachefly.net/A/Chart.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 562px; height: 1280px;" src="http://red.cachefly.net/A/Chart.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://red.cachefly.net/A/BULLDOG.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 1080px; height: 866px;" src="http://red.cachefly.net/A/BULLDOG.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Christian H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16847810167041864292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6957731069076109027.post-13742927755253278582009-10-24T13:55:00.003-04:002009-10-24T14:21:10.100-04:00Modern Cinema and the Paranormal Activity EffectHowdy folks,<div>It's time again for a look at modern cinema and the breakout successes that frame the zeitgeist. As the title says we're looking at the sensation that is Paranormal Activity. It's the third breakout hit this year that was indie made and released smaller than wide.</div><div><br /></div><div>It has managed a $25K per theater average, much higher than even Gran Torino of last year. It has yet to reach 1,000 theaters but should end this weekend with $60M gross. It's said that Paramount only spent $11M for the pic and is providing their greatest return in HISTORY. (Paramount's pretty old)</div><div><br /></div><div>So the question is why are people flocking in droves for this movie? It's I guess because of the quality of it. Rather than going for the gore (which people have seen enough of for it to be old) they went for the tension and knowledge of danger. The handheld self-documenting feel of it definitely helped with the claustrophobic environment.</div><div><br /></div><div>Looking at the Active\Reactive paradigm, we see that it is established as inhibiting vs prohibitive. Katie plays the Inhibiting role in her attempts to convince Micah's Prohibitive archetype of her psychic perception. This serves to build the greatest amount of tension between the characters which transfers to the audience.</div><div><br /></div><div>I may go and see the movie if I can find it even though scary movies are usually for me an experiment in determining how everything was done - OK that's every movie - but it kind of kills the "scary." Or maybe my years as a Paratrooper thickened my skin too much.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, I'll definitely update this post to fully examine the way it builds tension and how it's complimented by the dialog and interaction where interaction is defined as the reason for existing dialog patterns.</div>Christian H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16847810167041864292noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6957731069076109027.post-83319721957423935622009-10-10T22:39:00.004-04:002009-10-26T00:17:25.876-04:00Big Changes Coming SoonYes, folks, we're going to refine our focus here at The Revealing. Instead of concentrating on screenwriting were going to expand to more directorial\cinematographic info.<div><br /></div><div>Things are still to incredibly hectic as I'm learning a new Web Programming paradigm right now, plus finishing our last requirements for our Master's thesis script.</div><div><br /></div><div>We're well on our way to that truthfully psychotic PhD. That'll require decomposing and recomposing our Master's into an even more complex yet tenable weave of events and emotions.</div><div><br /></div><div>Stay Tuned.</div>Christian H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16847810167041864292noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6957731069076109027.post-52849469041540196922009-10-07T18:22:00.003-04:002009-10-07T22:49:56.026-04:00Dedicated to Blake Snyder<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYRLx58OdcOGr5UmCZkIPIkZbHK8renA6YOO8KWg62-Ooi1ayrS2PgsuKQ29yAXTHYC2KD9ARAh5YXmVhxlyCBXADwag4onOiuHzw9L8uGbbsXKXinFny9nvnjF4bO9F-0OWdZFu0SjuM/s1600-h/Flexible+Structure.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYRLx58OdcOGr5UmCZkIPIkZbHK8renA6YOO8KWg62-Ooi1ayrS2PgsuKQ29yAXTHYC2KD9ARAh5YXmVhxlyCBXADwag4onOiuHzw9L8uGbbsXKXinFny9nvnjF4bO9F-0OWdZFu0SjuM/s320/Flexible+Structure.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390055916760041106" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#551A8B;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></span></div><br /><span xmlns=""><p>Howdy writing fiends, all three of you :-)<br /></p><p>We're back with a new installment of blogging for edification. Today we're going to be talking about Blake Snyder. He passed away on Aug 6, 2009 and we need to talk about his works and perhaps his effect on writing and writers. I have only read his TOCs - bless you Amazon - but his theories seem to "not be what they are portrayed as." Reading through the TOC and beginning of the insightful <strong><em>Save the Cat Goes to the Movies </em></strong>I can see that the meat is definitely there and it's more like Trottier than any "gurus."<br />I tend to shy away from those types of books because screenwriters are competing as BFA and MFAs - Shane Black wasn't sitting in his garage - so it's a REQUIREMENT that I only read material that would be in the Tisch or USC curriculum - hey you can find the books they use, I recommend David Bordwell. Though that's not to say that the Trubys and Snyders, etc don't have something to offer any level screenwriter - it always helps to look at things through the eyes of others. We will also take the movies we have written or are in the process of writing and add them to the list - hey we need to make sure that we actually wrote a movie.<br /></p><p>But at any rate in his theory he espouses the concept of abstracting - that should be familiar - stories into ten distinct categories. We will list and analyze them and hopefully convince people to buy it. The theory and the book. Note that I won't be reproducing the book or any parts but will look at each type theoretically from our point of view.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>Monster in the House</strong></span> - movies where the behavior or actions of the heroes "allow the evil" in. He gives <strong><em>Alien</em></strong> and <strong><em>Fatal Attraction</em></strong> as examples - two totally disparate but amazingly similar movies. They do emphasize the life-threatening nature of "the Monster." You can even use the same cinematic progression (structure) to locate "plot points."<br /></p><p>Inciting incident<br /></p><p><strong>Alien</strong> - the beacon hits the Nostromo, they land on the planet<br /></p><p><strong>Fatal Attraction</strong> - Alex spots Dan, they flirt and have sex<br /></p><p>ACT2<br /></p><p><strong>Alien </strong>- Cain explodes at dinner<br /></p><p><strong>Fatal Attraction </strong>- Alex begins stalking<br /></p><p>And so forth. The key is that these movie require graphic violence and even death. Threats to the supporting characters is a prerequisite (Alien had the whole crew except Ripley - you also have to establish the "thinker" who usually survives). In the case of Fatal Attraction, Beth is actually representing the thinker as Ash and Dan are paralleled as the "conduit of the monster." The separation then becomes the ferocity of the monster and the accidental nature of Dan's indiscretion. They are also paralleled by the small confines of home and work and the communication with "the higher power." For Alien it was Mother\The Company and Fatal Attraction touted the "hands tied" police. Fatal Attraction can even call itself a thriller while Alien is pure horror but the "Monster still gets in." Next up is:<br /></p><p><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline">Golden Fleece</span><br /> </strong>- These involve perilous journeys to receive important artifacts. Movies such <strong>Jason and the Argonauts</strong>, <strong>Saving</strong><br /> <strong>Private Ryan</strong> and many others fit this mold. This is the clearest path to the true "Hero's Journey" as it is usually forced on an anti-hero. War films are well-suited to this as are police actions. Even movies like <strong>Witness</strong> are ultimately Golden Fleece films though it's a "soul-finding" exercise more so than a quest for the physical. We refer you to our Flexible four act structure.<br /></p><br /><br /><br /><p>Though this structure works for all films, it's most prevalent in Golden Fleece stories as they always involve "life-threats" to the protag and his allies. As you can see this abstraction doesn't mold to exact points of time but instead uses the linearity of progression to allow for fluctuations in "page numbers." This allows for more spontaneous sequence placement while maintaining structural consistency.<br /></p><p><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>Out of the Bottle </strong></span>- Snyder describes this as the movie with magical\fantastic occurrences. Ones such as <strong>Cocoon </strong>which even mixed the alien interaction vein with the magical healing vein. This type leaves no stone unturned in possibilities for cinematic drama. Referring back to the chart we can see that it actually changes the "names" of the sections:<br /></p><p>I. At home or work becomes "Introduce the magic or mysterious visitor"<br /></p><p>II. Start of decision becomes "Sucked in by necessity"<br /></p><p>III. Meeting with allies becomes "Searching for mentor"<br /></p><p>IV. In the thick of things actually stays the same as it is the beginning of the third act (in four act structure) and is always where the protagonist should be in the start of the last half of the film.<br /></p><p>Semantically, the rest of the sections do remain the same though dramatic license is nearly required. My take: <em>Future Glory</em>.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>Dude With a Problem </strong></span> - The "Cat Design" here revolves around the "innocent in trouble." Since we're talking movies here the innocent usually knows how to use a gun - and may have three or four on his person at any given time. Movies like <strong>Die Hard</strong> fit this mold. James Bond may be a stretch but how long will it take for the workings of Dr. No to actually trickle up to MI5 agents? My particular cinematic homage to this type would have to be <em>Ties that Bind</em>. I'm already a contradiction so conventional wisdom be damned. These movies are best done with 80% physical conflict as they are the "urban action movie," usually replete with exploding buildings and flipped police cars.<br /></p><p>Off-duty law enforcement officials are fodder for this type, mainly because they, ummm, probably have more than one gun... though a resourceful UPS guy may be a match for a bad guy with flaws - wait the bad guy can have flaws? This self-edification stuff is enlightening. No wonder people sell this kind of stuff. I do accept beer and cigarettes. :-)<br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>Rites of Passage </strong></span> - Halfway there in the TOC and already a wealth of good information. Oops, maybe I shouldn't say that. :-) Anyway, next up is the transition movie that may also be called the negative character arc - for most of the movie. You know the person whose life is in danger due to drugs and stuff. Sandra Bullock did a great job at being a pathetic user in <strong>28 Days. </strong>These movies are usually "Oscar-fodder" (wow we finally found a phrase where even the word fodder can't make it sound bad) like <strong>Rachel Getting Married</strong> or worst case <strong>Leaving Las Vegas. </strong> These are usually character or perhaps even case studies about the fragility of the human condition and echoes the theory "most people are a bad day away from ruin." Maybe I just came up with it but it's rooted in the paycheck thing.<strong><br /> </strong>It enables fare as varied as <strong>Falling Down</strong> and <strong>The Bucket List </strong>or my modicum of effort (read:fricking humility) <em>Spiral</em>. People do fall down and have a strong reaction to their own mortality. It makes for great cinema but not so great a life. I guess it's a case of "art shouldn't imitate life shouldn't imitate art."<br /></p><p>This definitely requires a "massage" of the hero's journey but the triumph of the human spirit is always a hero's journey, whether it's the story of a recovering addict, manic, bulimic, workaholic. Hmm, why do all of those end in "ICK?" A consequence of the language perhaps.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Well, that's it. I'd suggest you get the book and<br /></p><p>Keep Writing as Writing is the Revealing of the Soul<br /></p></span>Christian H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16847810167041864292noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6957731069076109027.post-63782830424493895232009-08-26T15:23:00.003-04:002009-08-26T15:23:58.545-04:00New Blake Snyder post comingBe patient, the four of you. Or go out and get Snyder's book Save the Cat goes to the Movies.Christian H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16847810167041864292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6957731069076109027.post-21659995187572644772009-07-24T12:06:00.006-04:002009-07-26T15:12:28.068-04:00The Art Of Dialog: Active vs. ReactiveDialog. The final frontier...wait that's not right. Dialog; the bane of many writers, the reason for script supervisors, the basis of every story, every character and every moment. Even silent films included subtextual dialog. It had to be to fit on the intertitle.<br />But what is dialog? Is it the expression of feelings, the suppression of feelings? Or perhaps it's both and neither. Well-written dialog works in any movie whether the dialog is funny and the story is serious or vice-versa. The key abstraction to be gained from dialog in general is that it's all either ACTIVE or REACTIVE, meaning that it comes from the initiation of a idea or the reaction to it.<br />These two ideas can then be abstracted to include all types of dialog as noted:<br /><br><br />1. Probing - an attempt to gain information<br />2. Sarcastic - an attempt to reverse the momentum<br />3. Abrupt - an attempt to end an interaction bluntly<br />4. Angry - an attempt to release tension<br />5. Despondent - an attempt to express negative emotions<br />6. Inhibiting - an attempt to disallow undermine <br />7. Supportive - an attempt to relate acceptance<br />8. Uncaring - an attempt to relate lack of concern<br />9. Demanding - an attempt to overwhelm opinion<br />10. Prohibitive - an attempt to change direction<br /><br><br />As you can see, all of these types are defined here as an attempt as that what all dialog is: an attempt to emote to the viewer through the receiver of the active dialog and responder to the active dialog using a reactive statement.<br />One thing that should be noted is that this dialog can increase in intensity without changing it's "form."<br />There are countless permutation of the preceding but in effect all dialog CAN BE abstracted in this way. If you carefully study each of these types you will notice that they are all based in emotion. This is because cinema is emotion. We are attracted to it because it enables us to experience emotional states we normally don't.<br />These types of dialog are not limited to the protag or the antag, but everyone in the narrative will use these as they do elicit emotion and thereby drama. As time permits we will update this post to show successful movies that have these and unsuccessful movies that don't.<br />When you look at dialog using these ten types you can go back and forth with the juxtaposed types.<br><br />For every PROBING line there should be a REVEALING line.<br />For every SARCASTIC line there should be a SERIOUS line.<br />For every ABRUPT line there should be a CALM line.<br />For every ANGRY line there should be a NICE line.<br />For every DESPONDENT line there should be a HAPPY line.<br />For every INHIBITING line there should be an ENCOURAGING line.<br />For every SUPPORTIVE line there should be an UNCOOPERATIVE line.<br />For every UNCARING line there should be a CARING one.<br />For every DEMANDING line there should be a TRIVIAL line.<br />For every PROHIBITIVE line there should be an UNRESTRICTIVE line. <br /><br />You may wonder how this works but it's the same as everything in cinema. There has to be a juxtaposed position for everything. Two people who agree make no conflict. Two people who have the same opinion make no drama.<br />Of course this is an abstract concept but what isn't?<br />The key is that dialog is the most important thing in the movie. You can have a great story but if the "personalities" don't come through the story will fall flat. I feel that this is the level beneath "SUBTEXT."<br />All subtext has a basis in one of these 10 types as these are a good basis for underlying meaning.<br /><br />As examples we can use nearly any movie ever made to show this form.<br /><br />The Dark Knight:<br />Begins with a PROBING question: Who is the Joker; the response: Some nut in a purple suit.<br /><br />Later we get a somewhat SARCASTIC line: No I'm supposed to kill the bus driver.<br /><br />This could also be considered ABRUPT in that the receiver is then hit by a bus.<br /><br />Next up is the ANGRY dialog spouted by the mob banker when he runs out of bullets.<br /><br />The DESPONDENT dialog starts with the MOB members who are becoming overwhelmed by the BAT on one side and the Joker on the other.<br /><br />The INHIBITING dialog is indicative of the relationship between Harvey and Rachel and Bruce where Bruce states that Harvey is the better to support than Batman.<br /><br />Rachel is the definition of SUPPORTIVE dialog throughout the movie where she desires Harvey's strength and helps him to maintain it.<br /><br />The UNCARING dialog is the province of the Joker who speaks only in terms of hate. It would seem that the Joker would be ANGER but he's not angry, just uncaring about others.<br /><br />The DEMANDING dialog definitely goes to Batman as is evidenced by all of his interactions with criminals.<br /><br />The PROHIBITIVE dialog is probably most realized by HARVEY who tries to convince Gordon of the corruption in his department.<br /><br />We won't map the opposite dialog responses but we live it to the THREE readers we have to do the same with other films. It will work with any film and though there will be times when characters seem to use more than one type, that is not consistent with the fact that very few people change, even in cinema. You can usually determine these types by the first lines uttered by the character and will be matched with their Personality and actions.<br /><br />Well, that's all for now, but there will be more to come. In the meantime, <br /><br />KEEP WRITING AS WRITING IS THE REVEALING OF THE SOUL.Christian H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16847810167041864292noreply@blogger.com5