The Mind of a Madman

Something From Nothing

09:20, 9.10.2006 .. 0 comments .. Link .. Site Feed .. Send To Friend!

I've got a question for you. What do you do when you audition someone for your film and they tell you they will be willing to participate in your project...IF, you make major changes to the script? Do you sit there like I did recently and humor the person into pretending their version of your story is remotely interesting?

I have to say, I'm proud of myself. So very proud of the fact that I maintained my composure and allowed the actor to go on about the fact he has never done a role that asked for what it is my script asks for. Nor would he consider it now. Let me say that I respect the fact he would not waver from his moral high ground to portray a character so seemingly evil as the one I have written. That I can completely understand. What I don't understand is the audacity to suggest that the script be changed and the spin he put on it, insinuating that it would not work the way it is written.

So I sat there, listening to him ramble on with suggestions for changes until it became painfully clear to me: This man had not digested the entire script. Once he was confronted with a topic that he so vehemently abhors, he tuned out. Forget about the humanity that the character portrays when confronted with his sin, or the regret over his past mistakes. This actor decided this was an area he did not want to touch, which I would assume, as an actor, this would deny him everything that acting should be about.

Discovery...understanding...within ourselves and the outside world. Immediately, I was validated in my desire to make this short film. Only confrontation can lead to understanding. I knew then that I had written a "powerful piece". (as can be witnessed by the actors who are eager to participate, one of whom has labeled it as such)

So I listened to the man and what he had to say, hoping that somewhere in the maze of scarmbled words I might find a jewel of wisdom to further me on my path of filmmaking. What I found instead was resistance and denial, hidden behind a false aura of arrogance. A beautiful character reference for a later work. But that's another story...

You see, the universe does truly give if you are willing to shut up and listen.

- J.

No Inspiration Without Perspiration

09:40, 22.9.2006 .. 1 comments .. Link .. Site Feed .. Send To Friend!

Ever have one of those magical moments where your scenes seem to write themselves? I had one of those last night. I didn't exactly know where it was going when I wrote it. I simply took it line by line and let the words lead me into whatever direction they saw fit. What I ended up with is a new opening for a screenplay that is only now starting to take form. Very juicy dialogue, intriguing set up, foreshadowing... I love it when inspiration comes together.

Which leads me into the title of this latest blog. How can we expect to be inspired if we don't write? I used to think I couldn't control those inspirational flows of creativity. As if they were gifts sent from an evasive muse to sprinkle the page before disappearing as quickly as they came. Feeling as if some sort of ritualistic seance (sorry, e without the accent) had taken place, I would be too exhausted to write for the rest of the week. I would pray to be "visited" again so that I could write some more.

What I've learned is that inspiration comes only when we condition it to do so. As strange as it seems, the more consistent I became with a writing schedule, the more inspired I would become while wrestling with the infamous writer's block. At this point in my early writing career, I find that I am constantly inspired. Everything around me has a story in it, and it's no coincidence that I manage to squeeze out a good 2 hours per night working at my craft. My goal at this point is to get to 4 hours a day. I've read this is the least you should commit if you're thinking about a serious career in writing. Having noticed a significant change in my productivity, I believe it wholeheartedly.

So remember, we'll never be inspired if we don't spend the time writing through any uninspired moments. It's nature's way of rewarding us for our efforts. The more you write, the more you will find that your creativity never left. And you'll find yourself like me; dying for the hours to tick by so you can sit again in solitude and create something from nothing. What could be better than that?

- J.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

03:11, 21.9.2006 .. 0 comments .. Link .. Site Feed .. Send To Friend!

This has to be, hands down, my all time favorite screenplay. When I first saw the movie, I wasn't sure if I liked it or not. Then I started to analyze it. Then I began to like it. I analyzed it some more. I began to love it. And so on, and so on...

Is it just me, or when a movie deviates from the everyday Hollywood formula, is it difficult to digest at first? This story broke timeframe, reality, and imagination and shattered them into pieces of a puzzle, that when looked at from afar, form a beautiful kaleidoscope of a love story. What resonated with me most is that Joel (Jim Carrey) musters the courage to try again at his previously failed relationship, knowing that there is a good chance it will crash and burn. He does so because Clementine (Kate Winslet) has awakened in him, a spirit that has been dormant for what we can assume has been his whole life.

Throughout the story, Clementine shares so freely and openly all of her feelings and memories with Joel, while pleading with him to do the same. But for whatever reasons, Joel has a problem unlocking the padlock on his past, prohibiting him from sharing himself with Clementine, and ultimately, leading to a doomed relationship. Without delving too deeply into the crux of the plot, Joel is faced with the fact that he will forever lose his darling Clementine, having decided to erase her from his memory permanently. ( A procedure she already had done.)

But what happens in the final moment of his procedure is what true romance is all about. Joel refuses to lose her. He fights to retain what little memories he has left, by holding onto Clementine in his mind as she urges him to hide her somewhere that they'll never think to look. Somewhere deep...

And he takes her, racing against time, into the most embarassing memories of his childhood. Those that affected him most, and it would seem were largely responsible for molding him into who he is now. Anal, paranoid, introverted...all the things that one would never associate with a hero. But he is a hero...because in the face of lost love, Joel chooses to fight. To stand up and take a chance. To feel free again, if only for a final moment. To hold on to the woman he loves. Even though it is only in his mind. But isn't that where our biggest battles lie?

And at the end, he makes the conscious decision to try again, having learned from his past. Leaving us to believe there is hope for the future.

Damn! What a movie. If you haven't seen it you're missing out. Charlie Kaufmann's screenplay takes conventional timeframe and turns it upside down. And it all works beautifully. Everytime I see the movie, I get inspired. Hopefully someday, one of my screenplays will affect someone in the same way.

Until then, keep writing.

- J.

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