Saturday, 10 August 2013
Saturday, 4 May 2013
Those Who Tell The Truth Shall Live Forever
They... They being the BBC. Crazy. Cool. Fingers are crossed. I'm not expecting the world. I not expecting anything that is going to change anything. But some words back would be great. Good, bad or ugly, something. If it's good, then fuck yeah, if it's bad then at least I will know what to do next.
Russia is zipping along nicely. Have just rewritten the outline for the first part of this five parter comic.
Sun is out.
I am meditating. Not right now obviously, but I am and it is great. Really good and really useful and really helpful.
NO LIFE!
Music... Pineapple Thief, Explosions in the Sky, Haim, The 1975, Hans Zimmer's Man of Steel music makes me fucking wanna fly.
TV... Game of Thrones, Banshee, Mad Men, HANNIBAL!!! Hannibal is fucking awesome, inspiring brilliance.
Film... Iron Man 3, The Place Beyond The Pines, Double Indemnity on Blu...
Comics... The Massive, Rachel Rising, All New X Men, Storm Dogs, Punk Rock Jesus, East of West... I love comics.
Books... Jeff Noon!
Sunday, 7 April 2013
RUSSIA ON ICE
Powerless is out there now. I have to say I am more excited by the prospect than scared. Rejection has never really been something that has concerned me when sending stuff out like this. The reason for that is, it the most likely of outcomes. Now, many will probably say that is extremely negative and dumb way to look at things, trust me, I have been hearing that a lot. I have always justified those thoughts by saying that I am prepared for the worst, so if the bad happens I am not surprised and ready for it, anything good that happens is a nice surprise. But in doing this and thinking in such a way, you begin to lose sight of what is important. Now.
Think about all those films or books where a character gets a vision of something that may happen in the far future and spends the rest of the narrative trying to warn, prevent and stop crazy bad event from happening... yeah, that's me. And what happens is that life passes you by.
What I am getting at in a rather crappy way is that I have decided to leave fear behind on such matters. Whatever happens with regards to Powerless, acceptance or rejection it can only be good. If accepted, then boom, all kinds of goodness, if rejected, then move on, leave it alone or try and fix.
So while its out there currently I have moved on. I still have a few more places in mind to send it and hopefully will get my arse in gear and to such a thing, but currently I am trying to get my head into Russia.
Russia will be, hopefully, a five part comic book story. I have a couple of places that I think will be interested so I am writing up the bits I already have committed to paper along with the bits that are floating around my head. If by some small chance an awesome illustrator who digs crazy scifi concepts an as a bit of the Brian Bolland or Mobius or David Mack about them fancies finding out what this crazy little idea I have is, then please get in touch.
So... currently writing a five page outline, then gonna try and write it as a five page 'Future Shocks' 'pilot' of sorts and then get the first chapter/issue written and then start chucking it out there.
Just need to sort out the day job now...
NO LIFE!
Currently reading what is possibly Brubaker's best thing ever Criminal Deluxe Volume 2. Awesome.
Obsessed by The 1975 and Haim.
Diving back into Halo 4 after forgetting about it...
Game of Thrones season 3 kicks arse after episode 1.
Loving Revolution... want it to be Lost but it probably won't be.
RIP Damien Wayne, you shall be missed.
Namaste.
Think about all those films or books where a character gets a vision of something that may happen in the far future and spends the rest of the narrative trying to warn, prevent and stop crazy bad event from happening... yeah, that's me. And what happens is that life passes you by.
What I am getting at in a rather crappy way is that I have decided to leave fear behind on such matters. Whatever happens with regards to Powerless, acceptance or rejection it can only be good. If accepted, then boom, all kinds of goodness, if rejected, then move on, leave it alone or try and fix.
So while its out there currently I have moved on. I still have a few more places in mind to send it and hopefully will get my arse in gear and to such a thing, but currently I am trying to get my head into Russia.
Russia will be, hopefully, a five part comic book story. I have a couple of places that I think will be interested so I am writing up the bits I already have committed to paper along with the bits that are floating around my head. If by some small chance an awesome illustrator who digs crazy scifi concepts an as a bit of the Brian Bolland or Mobius or David Mack about them fancies finding out what this crazy little idea I have is, then please get in touch.
So... currently writing a five page outline, then gonna try and write it as a five page 'Future Shocks' 'pilot' of sorts and then get the first chapter/issue written and then start chucking it out there.
Just need to sort out the day job now...
NO LIFE!
Currently reading what is possibly Brubaker's best thing ever Criminal Deluxe Volume 2. Awesome.
Obsessed by The 1975 and Haim.
Diving back into Halo 4 after forgetting about it...
Game of Thrones season 3 kicks arse after episode 1.
Loving Revolution... want it to be Lost but it probably won't be.
RIP Damien Wayne, you shall be missed.
Namaste.
Tuesday, 26 March 2013
2013
Happy New Year!
A little late, I know, but hey, it's already been that kind of year. Plus it's only ever really worth writing something when you have something to say.
It has been pretty busy this year already. Mainly with real life rubbish like work and illness. But I have been writing.
3 things that currently occupy my brain.
POWERLESS. Yep, it's still there, it hasn't gone away and it is now on it's way the BBC's Writer's Room. It has taken many years to get it to the point where I feel it was ready to be viewed by a proper critical eye. Fingers are indeed crossed.
ANTHROPOPHAGY. Currently a short film script, but I have brain stormed it and I really think this could work as a feature. So... I am gonna break down treatment and see what I can do about getting some funding to write this mental, sick and romantic film. It's about consumption, meat, love and illness and death.
RUSSIA. I am writing a 5 part comic book. I might be illustrating it. I might have an illustrator lined up. I think I really love this idea and would buy it myself. This is currently what I am working on now Powerless is out there.
So that's the plan.
NO LIFE!
Locke and Key is almost finished and it is flipping awesome. Really gonna miss it. Hope Mr. Hill has something comicy lined up once this is done.
Powers Bureau is awesome. But of course. Superpowered murderous sperm. What's not to like.
The Master is a stunning piece of work. Sometimes I think to myself, because of things like this, why do I even bother, I will never be as good as PTA.
The Walking Dead Season 3 is really, really good.
Fringe: September's Notebook is flipping AWESOME!
Angry Video Game Nerd has become an obsession. Check it out on Youtube. Glorious retro gaming swearing brilliance.
Tomb Raider rocks hard.
Toodles.
A little late, I know, but hey, it's already been that kind of year. Plus it's only ever really worth writing something when you have something to say.
It has been pretty busy this year already. Mainly with real life rubbish like work and illness. But I have been writing.
3 things that currently occupy my brain.
POWERLESS. Yep, it's still there, it hasn't gone away and it is now on it's way the BBC's Writer's Room. It has taken many years to get it to the point where I feel it was ready to be viewed by a proper critical eye. Fingers are indeed crossed.
ANTHROPOPHAGY. Currently a short film script, but I have brain stormed it and I really think this could work as a feature. So... I am gonna break down treatment and see what I can do about getting some funding to write this mental, sick and romantic film. It's about consumption, meat, love and illness and death.
RUSSIA. I am writing a 5 part comic book. I might be illustrating it. I might have an illustrator lined up. I think I really love this idea and would buy it myself. This is currently what I am working on now Powerless is out there.
So that's the plan.
NO LIFE!
Locke and Key is almost finished and it is flipping awesome. Really gonna miss it. Hope Mr. Hill has something comicy lined up once this is done.
Powers Bureau is awesome. But of course. Superpowered murderous sperm. What's not to like.
The Master is a stunning piece of work. Sometimes I think to myself, because of things like this, why do I even bother, I will never be as good as PTA.
The Walking Dead Season 3 is really, really good.
Fringe: September's Notebook is flipping AWESOME!
Angry Video Game Nerd has become an obsession. Check it out on Youtube. Glorious retro gaming swearing brilliance.
Tomb Raider rocks hard.
Toodles.
Sunday, 23 September 2012
The World is my Oyster... or something along those lines...
Anyway and blimey. Lot of stuff has occured recently, mainly writing, but a lot on the work front too.
I now have a new job within the company I work for that sells books and it is very exciting to be moving on to something like this. So, yeah, cool.
Powerless.
A lot of people have read it, and I have had some really great feedback. Now I know that they always say that feedback from anyone other than an industry professional is worthless... and they may be right in some instances, but I have a lot of literary friends and lot of friends who are doing what I want to do, or are in exactly the same place as me and their opinion is awesome and completely important and valid. One of the main reasons why this is the case is because I don't get a 'yeah, man, its good, i like it...' I get some very thoughtful feedback, constructive, destructive and mind changing remarks. So since I last posted, saying I was done with Powerless... well I was, then I sent it to a bunch of good folks who read it and those thoughts and opinions made me go back and reasses and rewrite. It has been really helpful and has improved a lot of what I already liked into something better. Of course, some of the feedback I got was bollocks, but you ignore the bollocks.
Next.
Well, I have just finished writing an outline (just in case a five page outline is requested rather than script) and a series outline that kinda sets in place ideas for a potential six episode arc that would make a series (i'm thinking it would only need the one). This series outline is something the BBC wants went submitting material for a series. They have some awesome guidelines set in place for the newly structure submissions department they have recently put together. So Powerless will making a trip to the BBC. I'm not expecting much to be honest. What I hope is that they see potential in the writing. I'm not convinced its a BBC show, but in light of awesomeness like The Fades, there is totally an audience out there. Fuck knows why they cancelled such a great show. Then I shall be gunning for The Red Planet Prize again... fingers crossed, third time lucky...
Work will become a dominating force over the next few months as Christmas takes over the world. My new job is gonna be awesome and intense as I shall be in charge of ordering stock for five stores. I'm really excited to see how I can help and affect my cluster of shops and use the skills I have developed in store to help others.
Writing however will not fade completely away. I should be having weekends all to myself in terms of being away from work so I can focus on writing. Creating a body of work is important so I have a portfolio to showcase. So far I have a tv pilot spec, an award winning short film script I cowrote, a treatment for a feature and a whole bunch of ideas. So my plan is to get those ideas more solid. I wanna write another short that has been titled Pangs for quite sometime and I really wanna write a feature I have had in my head for fucking years. But I also have some other TV ideas that are desperate to get out of my head.
Titles of ideas (in a possible order of being tackled)
The World is my Oyster... based on a series of mental little adlib shorts i made with Dan at uni. I love it as an idea and think it could really work in a sitcom format.
Pangs... short
The Girl at the Centre of Creation... writing Powerless has helped me see this idea in a better light, and identify a better way of structuring it
Pulp Horror... feature
Darkness Rising/Violent Crimes... still in there, still thinking up new ways of go at this thing
So yeah. Busy.
NO LIFE!
Comics that rock my world... DANCER, Snyder's New52 stuff, Debris, The Creep, Rachel Rising, Fatale, Avengers Versus X-Men
Film... Dredd 3D is awesome, Avengers is awesome, Jaws on Blu is awesome, The Master will be awesome, Looper will be awesome...
Tellybox... Newsroom is the best thing on TV, dug Revolution, rocking season 4 of LOST again, The Prisoner being revisited and fuck me ace cartoons TRON Legacy, Thundercats, Regular Show (Ooooooohhhhhhhh!), Young Justice, Avengers...
Books... A Possible Life (New Faulks) is wonderful, The Lighthouse should win the Booker, Scarlet Thomas' book on writing should be THE book on writing, The Yellow Birds should be read by your face now, and I can't wait to read the new Warren Ellis, the new James Smythe
RESIDENT EVIL 6 is out next week! Whoop!
Namaste
Sunday, 29 July 2012
Chaos and Riots
Powerless is written. The first draft is complete. I have to say I feel weird about it. It's taken a long time to get to this point on this idea, from it's humble beginnings about a guy who gets abducted by aliens and bestowed superpowers, to a depressed, suicidal twenty something who can't kill himself to what it is now. It's been about six years in development and although there were times when I completed drafts of some of these ideas I was never truely happy with them. Always felt that something was missing, that something wasn't right.
This new draft, which has taken just over a year to complete, feels different.
I started writing it after I completed the short film script Ella with Dan Gitsham, which was in 2010. I wrote the first two pages, which was essentially a wishfullfillment piece... I have always wanted to take a run and jump off a building and fly. It was this idea that allowed me to move away from the despressing nature of what Powerless was always about... what if Superman was a coward. But rather than take it down that dark path of depression and woe is me, I wanted to flip it. What if I had superpowers, wanted to use them, but didn't know how or what the repocussions would be. If I had powers, I would probably be doing exactly what I am doing now, writing a blog about a script I have finished about a guy who has powers. I don't think I would use them. Fear. I think I would be scared shitless to use them, because, as is the case with me... I wouldn't know what the outcome of me using them would be. Unless I can see the whole story planned ahead, I tend to not make a move, I tend to over think and procrastinate until the moment passes. Not a coward, just a realist, a pessimist and a procrastinator.
So yeah, wrote those pages. Sometimes when I complete a project/script, especially if its an intense experience like Ella was, I wanna just drown myself in tv or film or books or computer games, but after Ella I was kinda buzzed, so got to work. But the filming of Ella happened and I got swallowed up with feature film ideas for Ella.
I didn't want to rush the script of Powerless. I wanted it to be a showcase for what I can do as a writer. I wanted to show what my interests were, what I knew and what I love. I wanted to have fun with it and allow it to flow at the right speed. Admittedly I should have finished it a few months back, but Max Payne 3 came out and work got pretty heavy. So I let it play out. Spent a lot of time rewriting the first few pages, stripping it back, over writing it, under writing, trying to get the mood and feel just right so you could feel the emotion, so you could essentially feel the insides of the shoes my main character is wearing. I also wanted to write a lot of personal shit into it. Not personal feelings exactly, although they do figure into it (of course they do), but some actual moments from history. I wanted to give it texture, make it feel real to me without it feeling dull and a bore to write. Because if I find it boring to write, then you are gonna find it boring to read. But then I seemed to get it right. It seemed to flow. At least until I stumbled over the villian. I wanted a villian.
As I have said before somewhere on this blog, that I wanted to write a comic book show. i wanted to do what Heroes failed at doing. I love comics. I read shit loads every month. I sell them everyday. Not an hour goes by that I am not in some sort of comic book conversation with someone. So, yeah, its my passion. And they say write what you know. So, yeah comics.
But every comic hero needs a villian. So I stumbled a little. Ran through cliche and stereotype,until I came to what I've got now. Hopefully not cliche or stereotypical, but recognisable.
The beautiful thing that came out of this was not knowing what to do with him as a villian. I wanted it real and I wanted it to compliment the hero. A hero who doesn't want to be one. What if you are a villian and there are no heroes? How can you be a villian? Can you be a villian?
So, this fed back into my main character and really helped give the script some meat. But it didn't have a canvas. And then I saw Aaron Sorkin's Newsroom. It's awesome. Pretty much anything he writes is awesome. And what he is doing is pretty obvious and has been done before, but something hit me. Give it some historic background, give it a canvas that fits, that matters and that had some affect on me.
The London Riots.
The script runs takes place in august of 2011. It's fucking crazy. It's fucking scary. It's fucking terrifying and feeds into the mentality of my main character perfectly.
So yeah. It's done. I feel weird about it. Mainly because I have an ending. An ending that had been mutating in my head for the last two months. I had about six of them and then one morning they all got stuck together and fucked and had a mutant baby ending that I wrote yesterday. I like it. It has something to say (at least I hope). It's grim and its real and its hopeful and it's wacky and it's definitive but wide open.
I feel weird cos its done and cos i like it. And worried because I like it and its done. I think its done. I feel its done. Its out of my head but always there, playing out. But its playing out completely now. It has a theme that runs through and I think and hope that it ends and plays out with satisfaction. I feel satisfied.
The end.
I wanna write something else now...
NO LIFE....
The Dark Knight Rises... It's been over a week since I saw this. Still not sure about it. I liked it. But didn;t love it. It's good, but not great. It's the weakest of the Nolan bat films. It's the weakest of Nolan's films. It doesn't live up to it's own promise, let alone the promise at the end of The Dark Knight. The promise at the end of Batman Begins was delivered and then some in TDK, but TDKR drops the ball. The script is a great read, the film is great fun. But... ahh shit I don't know. Gonna see it again next week and in IMAX at the end of August.
Newsroom... It's great. I love it.
The Twelve... the epic sequel to The Passage is brilliant. Bigger, darker, weirder. It's very cool.
The Age of Miracles... one of the best books you'll read this year.
Hans Zimmer... his work on TDKR is amazing. Helped the end of Powerless.
Lynch on bluray... AWESOME!
The Grey... Loved this film an awful lot.
ELLA WATCH
This new draft, which has taken just over a year to complete, feels different.
I started writing it after I completed the short film script Ella with Dan Gitsham, which was in 2010. I wrote the first two pages, which was essentially a wishfullfillment piece... I have always wanted to take a run and jump off a building and fly. It was this idea that allowed me to move away from the despressing nature of what Powerless was always about... what if Superman was a coward. But rather than take it down that dark path of depression and woe is me, I wanted to flip it. What if I had superpowers, wanted to use them, but didn't know how or what the repocussions would be. If I had powers, I would probably be doing exactly what I am doing now, writing a blog about a script I have finished about a guy who has powers. I don't think I would use them. Fear. I think I would be scared shitless to use them, because, as is the case with me... I wouldn't know what the outcome of me using them would be. Unless I can see the whole story planned ahead, I tend to not make a move, I tend to over think and procrastinate until the moment passes. Not a coward, just a realist, a pessimist and a procrastinator.
So yeah, wrote those pages. Sometimes when I complete a project/script, especially if its an intense experience like Ella was, I wanna just drown myself in tv or film or books or computer games, but after Ella I was kinda buzzed, so got to work. But the filming of Ella happened and I got swallowed up with feature film ideas for Ella.
I didn't want to rush the script of Powerless. I wanted it to be a showcase for what I can do as a writer. I wanted to show what my interests were, what I knew and what I love. I wanted to have fun with it and allow it to flow at the right speed. Admittedly I should have finished it a few months back, but Max Payne 3 came out and work got pretty heavy. So I let it play out. Spent a lot of time rewriting the first few pages, stripping it back, over writing it, under writing, trying to get the mood and feel just right so you could feel the emotion, so you could essentially feel the insides of the shoes my main character is wearing. I also wanted to write a lot of personal shit into it. Not personal feelings exactly, although they do figure into it (of course they do), but some actual moments from history. I wanted to give it texture, make it feel real to me without it feeling dull and a bore to write. Because if I find it boring to write, then you are gonna find it boring to read. But then I seemed to get it right. It seemed to flow. At least until I stumbled over the villian. I wanted a villian.
As I have said before somewhere on this blog, that I wanted to write a comic book show. i wanted to do what Heroes failed at doing. I love comics. I read shit loads every month. I sell them everyday. Not an hour goes by that I am not in some sort of comic book conversation with someone. So, yeah, its my passion. And they say write what you know. So, yeah comics.
But every comic hero needs a villian. So I stumbled a little. Ran through cliche and stereotype,until I came to what I've got now. Hopefully not cliche or stereotypical, but recognisable.
The beautiful thing that came out of this was not knowing what to do with him as a villian. I wanted it real and I wanted it to compliment the hero. A hero who doesn't want to be one. What if you are a villian and there are no heroes? How can you be a villian? Can you be a villian?
So, this fed back into my main character and really helped give the script some meat. But it didn't have a canvas. And then I saw Aaron Sorkin's Newsroom. It's awesome. Pretty much anything he writes is awesome. And what he is doing is pretty obvious and has been done before, but something hit me. Give it some historic background, give it a canvas that fits, that matters and that had some affect on me.
The London Riots.
The script runs takes place in august of 2011. It's fucking crazy. It's fucking scary. It's fucking terrifying and feeds into the mentality of my main character perfectly.
So yeah. It's done. I feel weird about it. Mainly because I have an ending. An ending that had been mutating in my head for the last two months. I had about six of them and then one morning they all got stuck together and fucked and had a mutant baby ending that I wrote yesterday. I like it. It has something to say (at least I hope). It's grim and its real and its hopeful and it's wacky and it's definitive but wide open.
I feel weird cos its done and cos i like it. And worried because I like it and its done. I think its done. I feel its done. Its out of my head but always there, playing out. But its playing out completely now. It has a theme that runs through and I think and hope that it ends and plays out with satisfaction. I feel satisfied.
The end.
I wanna write something else now...
NO LIFE....
The Dark Knight Rises... It's been over a week since I saw this. Still not sure about it. I liked it. But didn;t love it. It's good, but not great. It's the weakest of the Nolan bat films. It's the weakest of Nolan's films. It doesn't live up to it's own promise, let alone the promise at the end of The Dark Knight. The promise at the end of Batman Begins was delivered and then some in TDK, but TDKR drops the ball. The script is a great read, the film is great fun. But... ahh shit I don't know. Gonna see it again next week and in IMAX at the end of August.
Newsroom... It's great. I love it.
The Twelve... the epic sequel to The Passage is brilliant. Bigger, darker, weirder. It's very cool.
The Age of Miracles... one of the best books you'll read this year.
Hans Zimmer... his work on TDKR is amazing. Helped the end of Powerless.
Lynch on bluray... AWESOME!
The Grey... Loved this film an awful lot.
ELLA WATCH
Upcoming Screenings
MINNEAPOLIS UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL 2012
17-19 AUGUST, Minneapolis, USA
Screening on the 18th August in 'Freaky Times'
TIFF presents FULL MOON HORROR & FANTASY FESTIVAL 2012
16-19 AUGUST, Biertan, Romania
17-19 AUGUST, Minneapolis, USA
Screening on the 18th August in 'Freaky Times'
TIFF presents FULL MOON HORROR & FANTASY FESTIVAL 2012
16-19 AUGUST, Biertan, Romania
Namaste...
Thursday, 19 July 2012
@jgp_driver
I'm on that twitter thing now.
Reading The Twelve by Justin Cronin. Awesome.
Listening to Tool, 10,000 Days. Forgot how awesome.
Writing Powerless. Near the end. Awesome. Riots. London. Superpowers. Cosplay.Cowards. Argos. Love. Music. Sick.
Namaste.
Reading The Twelve by Justin Cronin. Awesome.
Listening to Tool, 10,000 Days. Forgot how awesome.
Writing Powerless. Near the end. Awesome. Riots. London. Superpowers. Cosplay.Cowards. Argos. Love. Music. Sick.
Namaste.
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