2009: The Third Post

So in the last year I've managed to update this thing twice (before now). That's pretty crap, even by my procrastinating standards! Still, with the exception of the brief blip on the rom/com front (which, unsurprisingly, has died down again) there's not been much progress in my attempts to 'break out'.
One project which has been exciting me no end, however, has been my boys brand project. A few months ago I finally gave the go ahead for a very talented friend - Mr Anthony Lamb - to render one of the characters in CG. Since then it's been a whirlwind of incredible graphics that have left my jaw gaping. Work continues towards a potential May/April pitch with the 'big boys'.
Aside from that, a new job (out of London, at last) begins later this month which promises to be quite creative. And a new collaboration with a somewhat prolific writer could create an opportunity in the kids TV market... so far we're one network down with several to go...
With any luck, there'll be more to talk about next year (and hopefully less personal issues). Whether 2010 manages to be 'that year' where things start to happen, I don't know. But I certainly intend to work my arse off to try and make it so.

Writing in a Block (or in a Caravan)

So during the first week of June I packed my bags and laptop and headed off to Norfolk to work on the rewrite of the rom/com project. I say rewrite. In actual fact it was pretty much a page 1 restart (and was written as such). The goal was to literally write an entire script in a week, which was really just from Monday night to early Friday morning. Now, I'm aware that this is a pretty insane thing to do, but given the usual limitations of time etc, it was just about the best shot I would have at really having another crack at this thing, and doing it well.
Last year I spent four weeks writing with a fully qualified screenwriter, and I learned a lot. This new draft of the rom/com was pretty much the first time I'd written since (the aborted Highlander script aside) and it was truly a revelation.
I'd spent the previous two or so weeks preparing. By the end of that, I had pages of notes, the whole thing was carded and I had watched enough romantic comedies to make even the most hardened guy a gibbering sentimental wreck.
And so it began. I arrived Monday afternoon, unloaded at the caravan and hit Tesco in search of nourishment. By the early evening I was ready to begin. And things were going pretty well...

And then, on Tuesday afternoon, disaster struck. Only 10 pages in, I returned from a midday break to find the power cord on the Mac had given up the ghost. Panic set in, but soon (after a desperate call to my brother-in-law) I'd found the local (I say local, 15-miles away) PC World. Turns out you can't get the old Mac power cord any more. I only had one choice left - buy a laptop and write in Word.
Actually, it wasn't as hideous as I thought it would be, and by Wednesday I was thundering ahead. To be honest, I didn't think I'd hit my personal deadline. I hit the midpoint Wednesday night, with only one full day left to go.
Long story short, I managed it. 105 pages by 10.30am on the Friday.
A few weeks on and I'm still refining it thanks to some great feedback from some trusted eyes... I'm really happy with the outcome of this draft. It's by far the best so far, and the best thing I've written to date. I just hope my producer, and his US producer contact, agree.
As ever... watch this space.

Socialite in the City

It's been almost a year since I had my last proper lead on the rom/com. And as I've said before, it seems that you can think a project is dead in the water and then BANG, up it jumps!
The latest revelation concerns my producer's latest trip to LA, during which time he spoke to a well-conected producer (who, among others, was on-board The Dark Knight) about our romantic comedy project. And the great news is that he liked it... with one reservation: the locale. So, it would seem that the project will be trading the dusty streets of London for New York (or maybe LA).
And yes... that means another draft (a proper 'from scratch' job).
With a good 12 months between drafts, I'm pretty sure the mojo is there to get this thing ship-shape in the next month or so. In fact I'm looking forward to it!
In other news: I'm seriously considering making a short film - in fact was about to write the script when this came up. So it's on the back-burner... but not forgotten. Watch this space...

Are you ready to go Dino?

A couple of months ago I had an idea for a kids TV show which, as these things do, grew and grew inside my head until I had no choice but to put pen to paper and start sketching. Yesterday I had my first pitch meeting, with a rather well known UK kids channel.
It actually went better than expected. They seem to like it, were very attentive and asked lots of questions (and appeared to like what they heard). The main problem, however, is that they are unable to entirely fund their own animation projects and, as yet, haven't found a partner with which to do so.
I'd created a 20 page bible - mainly thanks to my good friend (and illustration supremo) John Kelly's suggestions - which I left with them, so we'll see what they say. If nothing else, the lady I saw said she would try and help me find some contacts to take it further if they couldn't, which was really sweet of her.
So we'll see...
In other news, I'm told that the 'romantic comedy' project should be being optioned any week now...

30% of Something is Better Than 100% of Nothing...

The other day I found myself playing the good news, bad news game as I spoke on the phone with my producer regarding 'The Romantic Comedy' (as I am now describing it - and how you'll find it is now referred to throughout this blog). So what do you want first? Yeah, like everyone... you want the bad.
Another writer is coming on board to do a re-write. Not to write 'with' me, but to write over me. And as a result of this, my cut of the writing wages has been cut to just 30% of what I would have made before.
Sucks right? Well, not exactly.
So here comes the good news. With the input from this new guy (who is currently writing something for two high-profile American comedians) it looks like we're going to finally get that funding, and we're talking telephone numbers. All of which means that the movie may just get made after all.
It's a bitter pill to swallow, the thought that despite two years hard graft someone can swan in at the last moment, spend a month or two writing and run off with more than half the money. But, at the end of the day, I'm a rookie and am lucky to even get the opportunity to have my name gracing the silver screen so early on in my career. And, like this heading says, 30% of something is better than 100% of nothing!
If this all goes ahead as planned, we could be looking at bagging that 'established British thesp' we always wanted, along with one of our first choices for the lead male (as my producer is currently acting with him in what promises to be next year's sleeper horror comedy hit, Doghouse).
Anyone's who's followed this blog from the outset will understand that this could well just be another 'up' blip on the treacherous road to getting a movie made, with another 'down' blip just around the corner. But who knows...

Chillin'

For the last three weeks I've been working on a re-write of a script I cobbled together some five years ago(a horror movie, originally entitled Chiller). This time I'm working with a good friend who has some not inconsiderable standing in the industry and - as such - is really helping to turn this thing into a solid and pretty viable screenplay. Today we hit the midpoint and with any luck, in a few more weeks, we should have it done and dusted. What happens then is anyone's guess. It's been a really interesting time and, although we often have to battle with external forces beyond our control, when we're hammering on the keyboard, it really feels like the mojo is flowing.
As for the romantic comedy? Well, it looks like we may get a little help in the comedy stakes thanks to a writer considerably more experienced in that genre possibly lending a helping hand in the next few months. And in addition to that, there's a sniff of a well-known actor who's interested in reading the script when it's complete (who, funnily enough, is someone who we've always considered for the lead from the beginning).
As for Highlander? I've had a change of heart and will, at some point, continue to work on it. If there's one thing I've learned thus far it's that nothing is certain in this game, and just because the writer's of Iron Man have the ball right now, it doesn't mean it won't be back in play at some point in the future.

There Can Be Only One... and it won't be mine

It was bound to happen. Having spent the best part of two months writing my version of a Highlander redux (yes, that's what I've been going on about in my last few posts) it looks like I've been beaten to the punch.
News broke yesterday of Summit Entertainment's latest project, a reworking of Highlander which will be written by Iron Man scribes Art Marcum and Matt Holloway. It's actually a bit of a coup for Highlander producer Peter Davis as Iron Man's currently running something like $500 million worldwide. With credentials like that it could really push Highlander back up from the Z list franchise its become.
Still, I am utterly gutted. I knew, going into a spec script, that something like this could happen. But what upsets me more is that the ideas (some of which I thing are pretty clever) that I came up with for a Highlander remake will never see the light of day.
One can only presume that the movie will emerge around the original film's 25th anniversary (2011). It'll be a long wait, but I'm looking forward to seeing what they do with it.