had an idea today...

Blue

2012-02-03T15:49:00.002-05:00

A day doesn’t go by where I don’t write something. Usually it’s part of some bigger plan (a web series, a graphic novel, a feature film) and usually it ends up being discarded or forgotten about. Most of the things I’ve written are now collected cyber dust on my hard drive.

But every once in a while, I get to be part of something special. Enter Tanya Musgrave. She came to me a little over a year ago with a short story that she wanted to adapt into a short film. We went back and forth and I wrote three or four drafts of the script before she put the final touches on it and put it into production. I feel a little strange saying that it’s a gorgeous, wonderful film in every way possible — but it is. I'm not saying that because I helped write it, I'm not saying that because I know the original story it came from and I'm not saying that because I dearly love every one on the crew. I'm saying that somehow that crew and those actors were able to take my rough words and inappropriate jokes and turn it into this:

Check it out and make note of all those cast and crew members at the end. They’re names everyone’s going to be talking about in a few years.

Writing Novels Graphically

2012-01-11T23:02:00.005-05:00

I remember the first time I told my mom I had bought a graphic novel. She didn't hear the term "graphic novel" as a singular noun. She instead heard the adjective graphic being applied to the noun novel. She got real pale and asked what the content of the book was and, "do you . . . you know . . . have any questions?"

After assuring her that the novel was not actually graphic, it was just filled with graphics, she calmed down a bit and then muttered, "they need to call it something else."

I love the graphic novel. I love comic books in general, but the graphic novel specifically speaks to me. As I get older, I find myself slowly growing away from the tights and the fights of superheroes and find myself gravitating towards the quiet introspection of graphic novels. I didn't understand the appeal of cozying up to a book until I discovered books like Craig Thompson's Blankets (or his Habibi, for that matter).

I can read a graphic novel as quickly or as slowly as I want. I can speed through the sparsely-worded pages and claim (too proudly) that "I read an entire book in an afternoon," or I can take my time and let the words and art work in tandem to take me places I've never been before and give me ideas I've never pondered before.

I have received so much from the time I've spent with my comic books and graphic novels that I have decided that it's time I give something back. It's time for me to write my comic book -- or my graphic novel.

There is, however, a problem. Two problems, actually.

I cannot draw.
I do not know how to write a comic book script.

Problem 1 is more insurmountable than 2. Problem 2 can be fixed by applying what I know about writing a film script with what I will learn from reading a few books. Problem 1, though, requires finding someone that (A) I like (B) I get along with (C) I trust (D) trusts me (E) is willing to take this leap of faith with me.

So I'm going to get to reading and writing and . . . seeing to Problem 1.

Trying Not To Write

2011-12-30T22:20:00.006-05:00

Beware. Abrupt subject changes lie ahead.

I'm trying not to write tonight. It's Sabbath. But when my mind's a whirl (as it is now), it's hard for me to do anything but. There can be no rest. There can be no relaxation. There can be no idle hands. Because try as I might to push the fear far from mind, I can't help but fret that an idea that's not written down is an idea that's bound to be forgotten -- and I don't subscribe to my wife's notion that "if I forget it, then it wasn't worth remembering." I am convinced I have lost entire Dickensian novels for lack of a piece of paper.

It's the holidays. Tomorrow is the last holiday of 2011 (and the last day of the entire year, for that matter). It's been a bittersweet holiday season (much like most of 2011, for that matter). My grandmother moved into assisted living last month and we went and visited her in San Antonio the week before Christmas. As surreal as it was to see her so small and frail, I really hope to have what she has. She has lived a long and rich life and has created for herself a large, warm, and caring family. I don't know how she views her life, but I do know that she thanks God for it every night. The Fogg family has had its share of bumps and rattles in its travel down the road of life, but I believe we are richer for the journey and I hope she does too.

2012 can't get here fast enough. I believe in 2012. I believe it's going to be a big year. As I said on Facebook recently, I expect big things from 2012, so expect big things from me.

Loren's and my podcast is going strong. Spinning out of that podcast is a new podcast which Dean Trippe and I are currently planning and trying to iron the logistics out on. Season 1 of The Ruffians went well and I'm trying to figure out what a season 2 might hold . . . You Being You also hasn't gone away, despite there not being a new video in some time. I'm still looking for subjects and if you know someone (or are someone) who you think has something to share, drop me a line! I'm also in production on a children's book, which we will be shopping around (I'm guessing) in early 2012. I'd love to see that in book stores.

I've grown weary of the world's negativity and cynicism. I'm currently outlining a story that I would like to use to combat some of that negativity. Only problem with this story is I need a comic book artist to help me see it into fruition. Expect to see me on the lookout for one of those in the near future.

Sigh. I should probably go to bed. But Michael Giacchino's exquisite score for Up is only half-finished and I haven't the heart to turn it off. I'll see it through to the end and see how I feel then.

Great McKay Finds

2011-12-14T13:36:00.003-05:00

New promo video I put together for McKay. It's pretty self-explanatory. I had a different idea at first, but when the information I needed for that didn't come through, I turned to Twitter!

And Twitter saved the day.

The Trouble With Sleep Is

2011-12-12T18:03:00.002-05:00

It eludes me.

Why The Ruffians

2011-12-06T15:19:00.009-05:00

Three days before we shoot episode 3, I thought I'd sit down and explain why I'm telling The Ruffians' story. But I'm not interested in releasing this information right away, so I'm post-dating this blog entry to be released on my 31st birthday.

Most people know me as a giant dork. That's the aura that surrounds me. It doesn't take long, though, to cut through the layers of Doctor Who and Superman to discover what makes me tick. The people who know me best know me as a left-leaning Christian who belongs to the Seventh-Day Adventist Church who has found his calling as a writer. Any time I sit down and write something, it comes from a place of deep moral responsibility to our fellow man and our Creator. Which is why, on the surface, The Ruffians has some people scratching their heads.

Very simply put, The Ruffians comes from the same place Remnants, Nighthawks, Berashet, and Martyrs came from. But while each of those had elements of hope and beauty intertwined with them, The Ruffians is my view of the world, my view of society, as it tries to distance itself from God.

Before we even get to the characters themselves, it's a show about hitmen -- people who are paid to kill other people. The hitman has been glamorized in a multitude of television shows and movies, but I couldn't think of a more perfect metaphor for the toxicity and selfishness of man.

My characterization starts with SOFIA TOWNSEND, as played by Rachel Komorowski. Sofia doesn't want any responsibility. She wants to show up, do her work, and go home. The less she knows, the less she can be held accountable for. In trying to compartmentalize her life, she seeks ways to excuse herself from the bigger picture.

ALEXANDER GREENE, as played by Corey Newmyer, is the post-modern man. He, like Sofia, doesn't want to be held accountable for his actions. He is beholden unto no-one but himself. But he has this nagging voice in the back of his head telling him that he's wrong, or that something in his life is wrong (personified by Tenika Dye). And he doesn't like that. He wants to silence that voice, so he labels it and mocks it, which allows him to distance himself. Doing this, however, creates a void in his life that he has to fill. He refuses to feel guilty for his actions, and so he places a higher premium on his friendships and his relationships. If he's going to feel guilt, it needs to be over something tangible and important to him, not something moral, metaphysical, and intangible. This will continue to haunt him for some time.

It's easy to call CHARLIE HAMMOND an idiot. That's very nearly how I play him. But he represents society's desire to live in (and only for) this moment. He quickly forgets yesterday (and the lessons learned) and he doesn't think or worry about tomorrow. He doesn't stop to wonder if what he's doing is going to harm him or his friends later. He's exceptionally short-sighted, which often makes him look uncaring. He's deeply emotional and has a fairly sanguine temperament. Every single minute of every single day is either the very best thing or the very worst thing that could possibly be happening. He lives as if there is no tomorrow, as if there are no consequences and when tomorrow rolls around and those consequences show up, he doesn't understand why these things are happening to him.

Rick Hardaway plays JACOB WALLACE. At one point I toyed with making him the personification of Atheism, a cruel and unforgiving creation that boasts freedom and free will, but as the story unfolded, I found him a far more compelling devil than anything else. He lets our "heroes" believe what they want, for it suits his purpose.

The other characters and the victims live in this same world. But less time was put into their being. They are intended to reflect, magnify, or contrast the mindsets and philosophies of Charlie, Alexander, and Sofia.

MARLENA, specifically, was created to illustrate the continuity of time and the consequence of actions. While Charlie lives his existential life, Marlena exists slightly above that. She's first introduced as an idea. We simply hear she exists. She exists before the show began. Then we see Charlie calling her. Then finally, he's reunited with her. Marlena unifies Charlie's existence and makes yesterday as important as today and tomorrow. His belief in her is the closest thing to a spiritual life Charlie has. Her existence makes "the sherpa" moot and vapid. It is (and will be) Marlena that is most directly effected by Charlie's short-sightedness. She's making the most of her life, but deep down, she knows that it's all for naught. Their victory over Jacob Wallace will be short-lived and temporary at best.

And that's all I have to say about that.

Except not really. I love conversations on these topics, so drop me a line or pull me aside. I'd love to hear what you think.

On Turning 31

2011-12-05T23:12:00.005-05:00

Here's to the listeners.

Here's to the silencers.

Here's to the rebels.

Here's to the followers.

Here's to you that supported me, encouraged me, and pushed me forward.

Here's to the people who reminded me of my limits.

Here's to the wild ones.

Here's to the tame ones.

Here's to the people who didn't laugh at me.

Here's to the people who laughed with me.

Here's to the church.

Here's to the world.

Here's to you who helped me spot a good idea (and a bad one too).

Here's to the Whovians.

Here's to the Batman fans.

Here's to the majority.

Here's to the ones without faces.

Here's to the children of the world.

Here's to the ones who haven't been born yet.

Here's to the lost.

Here's to the found.

Here's to the seekers, the searchers, and the explorers.

Here's to the builders, the fortifiers, and the protectors.

Here's to me.

Here's to you.

Here's to my friends.

And here's to the ones I haven't met yet.

Thank-you for being you, whoever you are. You helped define me. You showed me what I wanted to be and what I didn't. You made me laugh, you made me cry. You made me want to be a better person.

And with perseverance, God's grace and a smile on my face, some day I will be.

Thank-you.

Behold the Lamb of God

2011-12-01T14:03:00.003-05:00

Just cut this together for Tenika, who's adaptation of Andrew Peterson's "Behold the Lamb of God" opens this weekend.

BORING DVD ART: Sparky Edition

2011-11-26T13:06:00.010-05:00

Coming soon to a theater/DVD player/Blu-Ray player/digital file format player near you: SPARKS! They seem to have become the poster creator's favorite new element. Sometimes it makes sense, but most of the time it looks like they're trying to make us think we're about to step into the sequel for Backdraft that never was.

Drive Angry? Okay. Nicolas Cage is try to escape Hell, so one should expect a certain firey element there. Transformers? Um . . . sure. There's a lot of metal grinding on metal in that movie, so I'm sure there's going to be some sparking. But The Dark Knight? "Maybe it's symbolic of the impending doom and chaos that's about to engulf Gotham?" "Yes! Use it for Harry Potter, too! Just switch 'Gotham' for 'Hogwarts!'"

But one can only assume that there's a scene in the new Conan movie where Conan the Barbarian literally tries to put out a fire with his sword.

Sparks: The art department's cowbell.

Never mind. I take it all back. That's friggin' bad ass.

Movies You Should Love

2011-11-21T23:09:00.003-05:00

Considering my extensive relationship with the iTunes Store and after reading the Steve Jobs biography, it's very surreal to be able to find me in the iTunes Store. Yet, there I am. For all the world to hear.

It's Movies You Should Love, a podcast that frequent partner-in-crime Loren Small and I cooked up and have been recording for the past couple of months. Loren built a gorgeous site for it, with me contributing the title aesthetic and the faces by John J Salomone (who you can commission to pixelate your face).

Basically Loren and I sit down and examine classic films (specifically AFI's Top 100 list) and try to figure out what makes them so special. It's something we do anyway, often staying up into the wee hours -- we thought we might as well record it and share it with the world. We're definitely enjoying ourselves and we really hope others do, too.

If you enjoy my ramblings here, you might enjoy my ramblings there.

The Ruffians: Episode 5

2011-11-16T00:35:00.001-05:00

Gratuitous Narcissism

2011-11-14T23:01:00.001-05:00

at the mercy of technology

2011-11-11T11:11:00.001-05:00

Last Friday we filmed the final scene of episode 5 (not the final scene to be filmed, but the final one the audience will see). I was not in a good place when filming began and I hope I didn't take it out on anybody.

The computer started acting up on Thursday. Thankfully, not the editing computer. But my desktop plays a very vital role in all of this (including, but not limited to storing my 200 GB of music). I had just enough time to transfer the pictures and the scripts off the computer before it completely crashed.

There's few things that will sour my day so instantly as the resolute feeling of powerlessness. There was nothing I could do. The computer was gone. I called Dell, told them the error code I was receiving, and the guy on the other end said, "oh yeah, that's a hard drive that's dying. And it looks like your warranty ran out back in 2010, so we won't be able to replace it for you, but you can buy one from us!"

This was the second hard drive Dell had sent me in the four years that I've been paying off my computer. I'm still paying it off and the thing's already failing. "No thanks, Dell. I'll shop around." It's so wildly frustrating -- actually, there's a word for "wildly frustrating" and it's INFURIATING. I tried to not bring that energy to the set, but I'm sure everyone could feel it.

I sent out a text to all my computer-savvy friends and Loren swung in to the rescue and recommended a good hard drive and hard drive dock, that I might save some of my files. I ordered it that night and come Monday, I was back up and running. In the grand scheme of the things, was it a big deal? No.

But I am powerless without electricity. I am at the mercy of technology. If anything refuses to work, or decides to crap out on me, what can I do? My computer has become an extension of me. Everything I'm doing and everything I'm trying to relies completely on it. As grateful as I am for its existence, I kind of resent it.

The Ruffians: Episode 4

2011-11-07T08:06:00.004-05:00

It's finally here! Part 1 of our two-part season finale!

Humble Brag

2011-11-02T00:06:00.006-04:00

Is it bragging to notice how much you've grown? I hope it isn't, but if it is, I don't care. Because as I sit here editing together episodes 4 and 5 of The Ruffians, I can't help but feel immense pride. Seeing these scenes come together is absolutely thrilling and I really, really can't wait to share them with everybody.

As happy as I was with episodes 1-3, they really don't compare to 4 and 5. Ten months have passed since we began shooting and editing these. I've experimented, I've learned, I've committed to memory. And in those ten months, there have been other projects. Five episodes of You Being You, the live concert video of Derek Webb and Sandra McCracken, and two McKay commercials. It's quite possible that I've done more and grown more in these past 10 months than I did during all four years of film school. I definitely feel more pride over these past 10 months than most anything I did while in film school.

If I had a single piece of advice to any artist, it would be this: Stay busy.

You will not believe how much inspiration comes to you while you're working on something else. You will not believe how much you accomplish in such little time. For reasons unknown to me, the busier you, the more time multiplies. The more you relax and do nothing, the more time slips by you.

Shooting Schedules Are Fluid

2011-10-29T16:14:00.006-04:00

Found out last night that one of our actors wasn't able to get off work for the shoot tomorrow. Since said actor is in every scene we were planning on shooting tomorrow, this puts us in something of a bind.

There are only two scenes, in fact, that remain to be shot that doesn't feature said actor. So we are going to push for shooting those scenes, as well as one scene with the actor early in the morning so they can still get to work.

I'm not complaining, but this -- more than genetics -- is why I'm bald.

UPDATE:

While we had secured the location for the scenes we still need to shoot, we had secured them for a different day. We weren't sure if we would have access to them tomorrow. But we just word "that'd be fine." So tomorrow will be quite productive.

The Restlessness Before the Storm

2011-10-28T18:09:00.005-04:00

In the musical Nine there is a song called "My Husband Makes Movies." It has been playing on a loop in my head all week long. Weeks like this make me love my wife all the more. Weeks like these make me appreciate her so much more. Weeks like these make me feel sorry for her.

My husband makes movies.

To make them he lives a kind of dream.

I don't sleep well during production. My brain, which is often a constant playground for thoughts, ideas, scenes, characters, and dialog, absolutely refuses to shut off. I lay in bed, wanting to sleep, but story boarding next weekend's scenes instead.

Some men catch fish, some men tie flies,

Some earn their living baking bread.

My husband, he goes a little crazy

Making movies instead.

The lack of sleep makes me cynical -- which, for the project is okay. The Ruffians is a very cynical and judgmental look at the world around me. It's less okay in my day-to-day life. People annoy me. Society frustrates me. I snap at people. And the lack of sleep makes me a little less guarded and I show me true emotions a little too often, a little too raw. I find myself wanting to lock myself in my car and scream at the top of my lungs, just to see what emotions come out and see what the root of my frustration is.

My husband makes movies.

To make them, he makes himself obsessed.

He goes for weeks on end without a bit of rest,

No other way can he achieve his level best.

I often find myself envious of people who can just go home and do nothing. I wonder what it must be like to get off work, eat dinner, and then relax. Because I don't. I can't. My brain won't let me. I look to the day with equal portions of excitement and fear when my brain relaxes and allows life to happen without trying to make sense of it in a bigger context, or reap interesting nuggets out of it for the current or next script.

Some men read books, some shine their shoes.

Some retire early when they've seen the evening news.

My husband only rarely comes to bed,

My husband makes movies instead.

It's torture, to be sure. But I wouldn't trade it for anything.

McKay: More

2011-10-26T22:22:00.001-04:00

A great way to make the money you need to afford all those wonderful toys is to take on side projects. Observe: The second video in a series that I wrote, directed, and edited for McKay Used Books.

Chasing Charlie

2011-10-23T23:56:00.004-04:00

the bride of episode 5

2011-10-19T13:58:00.009-04:00

Two teaser images from episode 5. They are not colour corrected, so expect them to look ever-so-slightly different in the final episode. ;)

Scheduling Episodes 4 & 5

2011-10-13T10:35:00.006-04:00

Scheduling might be my least favorite part of the filming process. It might get better, I suppose, when I have money to throw at actors and crew members as incentive for them to leave their jobs, but since I cannot do that, I have to schedule the shoots around everyone's school and work schedule.

One nice thing about episodes 4 and 5 of The Ruffians is that not only are they a two-part singular story, but they use all the same locations. So instead of trying to shoot this in chronological order (by which I mean focusing entirely on episode 4, completing it, and then moving on to episode 5), I am dividing the schedule up by location. We'll be shooting both episodes simultaneously. It's going to be a bit of a challenge come the edit, but it'll ultimately be worth it -- I think.

Breaking Bad & 50/50

2011-10-11T19:21:00.005-04:00

Just when I was starting to feel good about myself as writer, I watched Breaking Bad's fourth season finale.

Big mistake.

It is a perfect episode. It is absolutely flawless. There's nothing anybody could do to make it a better hour of programming. The characters, the script, the acting, the special effects, the story, the plot, the twists, the conclusion and the set-up for next season . . .

It humbled me. I know that artists are all different -- because we, as people, are all different. Present a group a problem and each person in that group will try to solve it in a different way. Give a group of writers a story idea, each writer is going to come up with their own way to tell that story. Sure, some structures will be the same, some content might be similar, there may even be identical dialog. But the pacing will be different. The tone will be different. The perspective, the reason, the conclusion, the moral, will all be different.

That is the only solace one can have in the shadow of an episode like "Face Off." It humbled me -- humbled me and challenged me.

I can be that good.

I know it.

UPDATE:

I followed this episode up with a trip to the local cinema, where I took in the equally superb 50/50. Tonight just a cavalcade of good writing and excellent entertainment.

The gauntlet has been thrown down.

Challenge accepted.

A Profound Sense of Accomplishment

2011-10-05T23:31:00.006-04:00

I like it when a day ends with a profound sense of accomplishment. I don't have enough of them. I have so many days that, at the end of, feel like not enough was accomplished -- or worse yet, were a complete waste.

Working backwards, tonight we had a costume fitting. Bri will be playing Marlena in the next two episodes of The Ruffians and she will be in a wedding dress for most of her screen time (spoilers!). We found a wedding dress for her (thanks to my wonderful co-worker Heather), but Bri somehow always seems to be a little bit smaller every time we see her. She says she's not shrinking, and we are inclined to not believe her, as size can be a relative thing and if she's not getting smaller every time we see her, we're getting bigger. So Kelly had to resize the dress. Bri came over, tried it on, Kelly pinned it where it needed pinning and not an hour later, we had a perfect dress for Marlena.

An hour before Bri came over, I made dinner. It wasn't a huge deal, just black beans and rice with chicken, but the sense of victory over the kitchen cannot be denied.

Leading up to dinner, I was working on a new script -- well, not a new-new script. But a new-ish script. A new script based on an old outline. I wrote an outline for a story that I'm still quite fond of, but I abandoned it upon the release of Inception. There are some very clear similarities between the two and I shook my fist at Christopher Nolan, a little angry that he beat me to it and a little in awe that we had such similar ideas. But with some time having passed, I'm ready to give the story a shot. It is quite different from Inception -- if in nothing else the tone and overall story -- and by the time it gets made, nobody will be comparing it to Inception (ha, as if anyone would have ever).

Fast-forwarding in time to the point after Bri left, I watched the magnificent German film Downfall. I haven't set so still, so enraptured by a movie since . . . well, Inception. It's a fantastic film that everyone should see.

Which brings me to now. I'm taking a moment out from storyboarding the next episodes of Ruffians to share all this with you. I don't do this to gloat or boast, but to share what a good day for me looks like.

McKay: Books

2011-09-28T19:26:00.003-04:00

Behold! McKay Books' first Internet promo!

Mean Man & The Ruffians

2011-09-10T01:23:00.003-04:00

How long has it been since the last Ruffians? Three months? . . . Nope. Just checked Vimeo. It's been four months. For a project that I said I wanted to shoot one a month, why's it taken me so long to follow up the third episode?

Two words: Mean. Man.

We filmed the short in the summer of 2007 and due to a long and convoluted story, it was never properly finished. That's been nagging at me for the past four years. Knowing that there was a project out there that I had begun, that I had invested time and money into and it was just sitting there, not being finished, it drove me a little crazy. So I decided that I was going to include snippets of Mean Man in episode 4 of The Ruffians. I was going to reveal that Charlie was something of a writer, working on a spec script in-between kills. It was going to be a somewhat lighthearted episode that would have ended in someone's homicide.

But I couldn't make it work. For the past four months, I have wrestled with this thing. I have tried to make it work and . . . it just couldn't. Mean Man kept trying to take over the episode and this episode of The Ruffians was suddenly no longer about Charlie, Alexander, or their hit list, but about this strange story that Charlie was trying to tell. It didn't make any sense, it didn't fit into the story, but I was relentless.

Until I relented. I finally admitted that it was just a bad idea that needed to go away. I slapped together a montage of the short film and posted it on Vimeo. That way, people could see what we worked on. I could get out from under its shadow. I could move on with my life. And, no kidding, within 24 hours of me making that decision, episode 4 of Ruffians opened up and revealed itself to me.

It's still going to be something of a strange episode, but I love it. It makes much more sense. It's internally consistent with the rest of the show. It's a little metaphysical (something I wasn't counting on), it's a little out-of-the-box, but I like it. I'm moving into pre-production now.

So stay tuned. There's at least two more episodes of The Ruffians headed your way.

Logan's Mean Music Montage

2011-09-07T07:28:00.004-04:00

So here's a little something I worked on one sweltering weekend in 2007.

Due to a great many production problems, this is probably all you'll ever see of it -- which is probably for the best.

The Vampire Metaphor

2011-08-25T11:49:00.002-04:00

I went and saw Fright Night last night and thoroughly enjoyed myself. It was funny, it was scary, it had David Tennant in it and most importantly of all . . . it embraced the vampire metaphor that I find so fascinating.

Anyone who knows me (or follows me anywhere online where I may rant about such things) knows that I've been obsessing over vampires and various other creatures for some time now. I've asked the question, "how much can you change something before it stops being the thing it originally was?" And we've had some good conversations and debates and hopefully very few hurt feelings. Last night, watching Fright Night, I was able to solidify in my mind what it is I like about vampires and why the "vampires" of Twilight don't cut it for me.

The vampire, in my opinion, is a metaphor for evil -- more specifically, a metaphor for the devil. It can be stretched and explored in various ways, with there being an original vampire (Dracula or whoever) and then there also being willing/unwilling subjects of his, but the parallels of the traditional vampire are quite striking:

It is common Christian tradition that the devil cannot create life. That is what is at the root of his beef with God and that is why he is so jealous of us. We can create life, he cannot. In order for him to have "offspring," he has to convert people. He has to infect them. As to with the vampire. It has been explained in various ways, from the vampire not having a soul to the vampire technically being undead, but in order for the vampire to have offspring, it has to infect someone. It has to turn someone. It can't reproduce.
In order for the vampire to "turn" people (or just drain them of their blood), he has to get close. He is often seductive or hypnotic (or tempting?).
The vampire can often hide his true form. Sometimes it's just a matter of hiding his fangs, sometimes there's a complete transformation. Either way, you often don't see his/its true nature until it's too late.
A vampire cannot enter your home without you inviting him in. The same can be said for the devil. If you want to avoid evil, if you want to cast the devil out of your life, don't invite him in. Don't give him a place to stay.
The vampire is immortal (until killed). This goes hand-in-hand with Number 6.
The vampire burns to ash in the light of the sun. Or is that the Son? It's hard to say. This is a metaphor/theme that can run very deep, from living your life in darkness and coming out into the light, to the very simple "the Son will always triumph over the dark one."
Crosses and holy water. Not being Catholic, I'm not sure about the strength/power/whatever of holy water, but I find it very interesting that the cross, or the sign of the cross, has the power to repel vampires. In Fright Night, the hero tries to repel the vampire with a cross, but the vampire just laughs at him, saying that he doesn't have the faith it requires to cast him away -- which is really, really, astounding. The hero understands the power of the cross but doesn't have the faith it takes to firmly stand on it -- and is weaker for it.

Of course this is just my opinion and observations. This is how I like my vampire. This is why I find the vampire such a fascinating character, one ripe for storytelling. When you water it down, you weaken the metaphor and weaken the character.

Every storyteller focuses on different aspects of the character and I don't think all of these have to be present in order for a good vampire story to be told, but I would prefer for writers to either embrace the metaphor or make a new one. If you don't like the vampire metaphor, create a new one. Don't call it a vampire. Call it "like a vampire but . . ."

That's just me, though.

Sandra McCracken's "Chattanooga"

2011-08-14T20:57:00.003-04:00

The best week I've had in a long time.

i successfully did not embarrass myself today

2011-08-11T01:06:00.003-04:00

Derek Webb & Sandra McCracken

2011-08-10T00:45:00.007-04:00

It looks like I'm going to be spending a good portion of my day tomorrow with Derek Webb and Sandra McCracken, two heroes of mine. I've been wanting to meet Derek for some time now. I've just wanted to shake his hand and say, "thank-you and keep it up."

I discovered his music at a very important point in my life and it has influenced me in truly immeasurable ways. Its his music that gets me through the week. I listen to him in the car and on my iPod. When I'm writing or brainstorming or reading.

For some people it's The Beatles or Bob Dylan or Johnny Cash. Even if I outgrow him or he goes down a musical path I don't care to venture down, for me it'll always be Derek Webb. His style and content was clearly born out of a love for 60's protest music and it has spoken to me, challenged me, brought me to tears, and comforted me in my darkest of days.

In a big, heady sense it was through his music that I was able to define my artistic identity. On a smaller level, it was comforting to know someone was successfully doing in music what I was hoping to do in film.

I just hope I don't make myself look like an idiot.

You Being You

2011-07-28T23:10:00.000-04:00

My next project is you!

Alfonso & Beatrice

2011-07-19T23:28:00.002-04:00

Just posted an update about that little children's book I mentioned in my last blog. Swing on over to Kelly's and my The Next Chapter to see how that's going. I'll post more here (you need not worry), but due to the content of the children's book (and the inspiration behind it), I wanted to debut it over there.

Check out that gorgeous Beth Maurer art.

Children's Book Needs Illustrator!

2011-07-09T00:54:00.001-04:00

I'm using every social networking tool at my disposal (and this blog) to let you know that I've written a children's book and I'm now looking for an illustrator to team up with to make something truly special. Please contact me if you're interested.

Editing episode 4

2011-06-10T20:40:00.003-04:00

I'm putting it together and keep shaking my head.

What were we thinking?

Something Personal

2011-06-06T19:03:00.004-04:00

Not to say that The Ruffians and Remnants didn't come from the heart, but the next project I work on is going to be something personal. I've been aching to tell the kind of story that first appealed to me when I got into film. Something small, intimate, raw and deeply personal.

I've begun my first draft.

Crafting Episode 4

2011-06-02T10:33:00.004-04:00

Episode 4 of The Ruffians is going to be very Charlie-centric. The original idea for the show was that we would alternate every other episode as an Alexander-centric episode or as a Charlie-centric episode. But once the story began to evolve and the characters became better defined, I realized that every-other-episode wasn't going to be the case. Which really doesn't disappoint me at all. I like the direction the story has gone and the next two episodes are really going to be quite fun.

Episode 5 is basically already written (a first draft at any rate) and it concludes this story. There may be more Ruffian stories down the line, but after episode 5, we'll be done for now. I always knew how I wanted to end the story, so I wrote it before I wrote episode 3 or 4. And there were things that came in episode 5 that are now informing episode 4.

I haven't written episode 4 yet, but I've been feverishly working on it. I actually already have hours of footage that I'm working through and editing that will play a big part of episode 4. Once I see how all that edits together, I'll sit down and write the episode and then we'll shoot it. Quite looking forward to seeing the finishing product on this one. We're going to see Charlie's home life in these next two -- which should prove very interesting.

Exporting Episode 3

2011-05-19T11:20:00.005-04:00

In the other room, the laptop is exporting episode 3 of The Ruffians and I really couldn't be happier. I was worried about the light, but it looks great. I was worried how it would edit together, but it all came together. I was worried about the sound, but it sounds great.

This episode has some of my favorite moments so far:

Alexander switching from tortured soul to man-in-charge
The moment Ben softens
Sadie's unintelligible retort to her boyfriend
Tenika's final scene

This episode might also have my favorite soundtrack so far. I really had to resist using music from Battlestar Galactica (specifically Richard Gibbs' "Goodbye, Baby" from the miniseries' score). It would have been too recognizable to we nerds and would have been too on-the-nose.

It should be up in the next hour or so. Check here and if it's not up yet, check again later!

Rendering Episode 3

2011-05-11T15:21:00.002-04:00

There's an on-going joke in the Fogg house that if one wants to know how long a shoot will take, take my estimate and multiply it by three. I don't like to admit it, mainly because I still think my estimates are achievable, but more times than not, this "joke" is really quite close to the truth.

We filmed most of episode 3 on the Monday and Tuesday before the Wednesday the tornadoes hit. That definitely set us back. Tonight we're going to complete the rest of the "car" scene and figure out our plan for filming the opening sequence. I was hoping to edit today, but I didn't count on the 7 hours of render time Final Cut would need to make my video files viewable. So maybe editing will begin tonight. Or tomorrow.

what's in a name?

2011-04-24T02:10:00.001-04:00

I often have a hard time with character names. Names are wildly important to me. Not only does the name have to fit the character I'm creating, it has to be a name that I want to hang out with for the next year of my life. I have unfinished screenplays and manuscripts wasting away on my computer because I just couldn't stand to type J-E-S-S-E again. And sometimes the only thing holding me back from starting a story is knowing the character's name.

I read a book once. I don't remember the name or the author. It was, I can tell you, one of those books where a writer tries to tell you how "you too can become a famous write like me!" In that book he said that names are unimportant. They are so unimportant, that you should be able to assign each character a number. Instead of Frank and Sue, call them 1 and 2. Once you finish your manuscript, do a "find & replace" search and change all the 1's to Franks. His philosophy was that not only can names bog you down, but how can you really know your character until you've gone on a complete journey with them? I understand what that writer was saying, but I just can't do that.

I need to know Charlie before I can write for him. Knowing that this guy grew up being called "Charlie" tells me a lot. Speaking of Charlie, that's the other thing I like to do. I like to pay homages to other characters, friends, and heroes of mine with the names I choose (even if I'm the only one who gets it). Taking the characters from The Ruffians, for example:

CHARLIE HAMMOND. I named him after two of my favorite Charlies ever: Charlie Brown and Charlie from LOST. Hammond, however, came from Russell Hammond, the character Billy Crudup played in Almost Famous. I have this theory that Russell Hammond is actually Charlie's father, but we'll have to wait to see if that's true.
ALEXANDER GREENE. Originally his name was going to be Xan (though short for Alexander). I work with a guy named Xan who is supremely cool and I liked the name. But Corey, who plays Alexander, preferred going by Alexander. So we went with that. His surname, Greene, came from one of my favorite people from American history, Nathanael Greene.
SOFIA TOWNSEND . . . I wish I could speak to this name, but it was the creation of Rachel Komorowski. You'd have to ask her. I imagine it's because she's a fan of short shorts and Stuart Townsend.

I'll stop here because I could go on and on about all the different characters I've named. And honestly, it's just not that interesting (except to me).

Time Capsule

2011-04-23T16:26:00.004-04:00

Just created a time capsule. Come back to this blog on December 6th, 2011 to open it.

Second Drafts and Sound Tests

2011-04-22T13:43:00.005-04:00

Stayed up until the wee hours of the morning (4am?) finishing the second draft of episode 5 of The Ruffians. I'll probably do at least another draft of the script, to smooth out and/or intensify one particular monologue, but I like the flow of the episode and don't think anything else will change all that much.

Had to get the oil changed in my car. I was miles and miles overdue for an oil change. So I watched the mechanics work on my car while I chomped on some Krispy Kremes, sipped my coffee, and listened to Never Not Funny.

Came home and did some sound tests. Sound has often been my Achilles's heel and I want to turn that around with Personification. I don't want to ever talk about sound again. I don't want it to be something people talk about any more. I don't want complaints and comments about loud sound, muddled sound, or no sound. I want them complaining about the episodes being too short and too much time passing between seasons. I came to the conclusion that the sound has been so low in past episodes due to distance between the microphone and the actor. Whether we use the H4N's onboard mic or the boom mic, we get great sound -- if we're close enough. So that'll probably be my #1 direction to the sound guy on Monday.

Think I should go mow the lawn now. I'd like to put it off till Sunday, but on Sunday I want to be re-watching Doctor Who (season 6 begins tomorrow night! AAUUGGHH!!) and picking the El Camino for Monday's shoot. So . . . yeah . . . let's go mow that lawn.

Not Writer's Block

2011-04-21T11:19:00.004-04:00

It's Not Writer's Block.

I'm not stymied. I'm not facing a wall. I know exactly where my script is going. I know all three of its parts and have already written the first. I'm about to start the second but first I must wait.

Not Writer's Block is what I call the calm before the writing storm. I see the story laid out in front of me, but I cannot progress until I find the perfect combination of words. I need the first sentence. I've written the first visual, but now I need the second. I need the thing that is going to launch the second act -- I believe the thing that will launch the story is a sentence. A phrase. A thing that a previously unseen character will say. He will set the tone for the rest of the episode and I need it to be perfect.

That's where I am. The start of act 2 of episode 5 of The Ruffians. I'm playing the scene out in my head and examining it from different angles. I just need to find the right approach. I need to find the thing. I need to crack the code.

It's Not Writer's Block. It's not frustrating. It's thrilling. It's the writing process. I'd say "it's why I do this," but I do this because I have to. I can't do anything else. I wouldn't know how. Yet, this is the part I love the most. The sometimes slow, often methodical, exploration of character and story.

And it must be done before I can continue. So on the surface, it resembles writer's block. But it's not. It's Not Writer's Block.

Independent Film Scripts

2011-04-17T10:11:00.002-04:00

Just finished watching Atlas Shrugged, Part 1. The movie had a smattering a problems -- and while, yes, many of them could be traced back to the book -- they could all be traced back to the script. There is absolutely no excuse for that.

The wonderful gift of being an independent filmmaker is that you don't have producers and studio execs asking questions like, "but what if she had a ditzy best friend? Ditzy best friends are hilarious. You know what's also testing really well right now? Chimpanzees. Can we have a scene with a chimpanzee in it?" These producers and execs mean well, but their interest is attracting more people to see the movie (and thus make more money), not tell a better story.

Being an independent filmmaker means you are in charge of the story. Nothing has to be put on the screen that you don't want there.

There are a lot of corners that have to be cut when you don't have studio backing. Not having the budget of Spider-Man 3 means you're probably not going to have a lot of CG action sequences. You're going to have to be thrifty with your time and money. You might not be able to afford sets, lighting, or film. And so you plan your shoot accordingly.

But you know the one thing that's not affected by the budget? The script. The script is free. The CG antics might need to be reduced and the number of locations might need to be reconsidered, but the story, as it's written, doesn't cost a dime. The dialog can be polished ad nauseum. As the screenwriter, you may have a deadline, and you may be working with people who have a very specific film in mind, but you really have no excuse for churning out a lackluster script.

The script should shine above all other things. The lighting and the acting and the locations should fail the script. The script shouldn't fail the actors. Walking into an independent film, the audience expects not-the-best acting and not-the-best lighting. So impress them with your script. Show the audience why this movie got made. Because if your movie has not-the-best lighting and not-the-best acting and not-the-best sound and not-the-best camera work and not-the-best script . . . then what is there to enjoy?

Nerd Royalty

2011-04-13T14:41:00.000-04:00

We were going out to dinner, the wife and I. As we were driving down the road, we passed The Law Offices of Richard D. Malek.

I smirked and said, "Richard Malek? Richard D. Malek? Now there's a Dalek who's not even trying to hide his secret identity!"

I expected a groan. Instead Kelly looked over at me with a grin. "I was thinking exactly the same thing."

I am her Nerd King and she is my Nerd Queen. Oh, how I love her.

episode 3: the cast

2011-04-12T08:11:00.004-04:00

Storyboarding!

2011-03-31T00:08:00.003-04:00

Hello, Writer's Blog. I feel like it's been a while. Maybe it hasn't. Maybe it's just because of how frequently I used to update this blog, my maybe-once-a-week updates seem sparse.

I'm taking a break from my verbal storyboards of episode 3 ("Personification") to share my dirty little storyboarding secrets:

I don't always storyboard. Episodes 1 and 2 of The Ruffians weren't storyboarded. For episode 1, we picked four or five angles from which to shoot the conversation and just went from there. And for episode 2, I let the flow of the confrontation, the actions the actors picked, and the actual location dictate the camera angles and movements.
I can't draw. The best I can muster are stick figures so vague and without form they only serve to confuse everyone involved, including myself. Thus . . .
My storyboards are completely verbal. I take whatever script I'm working on, copy and paste it into a new document, and then start adding BOLD camera directions to the script (sometimes I use colour!).

Episode 3 is a far more visually demanding story than any of the previous episodes have been. There are very specific things that need to be revealed at very specific times in order for the story to unfold in the correct manner. There are certain gags and visual cues that have worked their way into the script. And, for the first time ever, there are going to be special effects. And those special effects have to be shot from certain angles for them to work.

In other words, episode 3 was a beast to write and it's going to be a beast to shoot.

reflections on 2 as we head into 3

2011-03-23T00:24:00.004-04:00

Episode 2 is done and up (if you haven't seen it yet, you can see it here) and I'm quite happy with the way it turned out. As I watched it, I realized that in many ways, episode 2 is the fleshed-out version of the Ruffians teaser we shot. I didn't plan that, yet I really couldn't be happier with that connection. When we shot the teaser, we only had the first script written, but I knew what the tone of the show was going to be and tried to reflect that in the teaser. Little did I know it was going to serve as such a literal blueprint.

There are two parts of "Small Mercies" that I am especially happy with. While I'm happy with the overall product, there are two parts that stand out as special to me -- and these two moments in no way diminish all the other wonderful parts of the episode.

The first is the conversation in the car my character has on the phone with his girlfriend, Marlena. That was a moment I came up with on Monday. We shot everything with Tenika on Saturday night, I started editing on Sunday, and we shot Corey's and my introduction on Tuesday night (along with my moment in the car). Originally, in the script, we cut from Kendra and Alexander heading to Kendra's bedroom to Charlie out in the car, looking at photos of Marlena. He goes to call her, but accidentally calls Sofia (Rachel's character) and hilarity ensues. As I cut together the conversations that take place inside the apartment, I realized that the tone wasn't right for a joke. I still liked cutting out to the car, but having a joke there seemed wrong. So I came up with this little moment instead, where Charlie calls Marlena and leaves her a message. It was in post that I cut the scene up and made it one unchronological moment, instead of an elongated scene that played out in chronological order. I was really, really pleased with the way it turned out.

The second moment was the ending. I cut that together first. From the look(s) on Corey's face, to the sigh of resignation from Lucas, to Rachel's swooping camera work, I really could not be happier with the ending to that episode. It makes me laugh every time I watch it. That might make me a little dark and twisted, but I chuckle.

I write all this as I wait for a part of episode 3 to render. True, I haven't shot anything for episode 3 yet (that comes April 18th and 19th, mark your calendar!), but that doesn't mean I don't have already have something! I'm going to be a little hush-hush with this sequence, because I'm really excited about it and can't believe it's coming together the way it is. When you finally get to see the episode, check out the opening sequence. That sucker is (spoiler alert) four years in the making. That's all I'm going to say about that.

The MARTYRS Story

2011-03-18T11:00:00.006-04:00

In the spring of 2009, Theo Brown approached me about producing a short film. He was a film student and I was a graduate of the film program he was now working his way through. We had worked on a few other smaller projects before and had bonded through our love of comic books and Back to the Future. For class credit, he needed to serve as producer on a short film. He asked me if I had anything I would like to direct. I immediately thought of Martyrs.

At the time, though, the script wasn't called Martyrs and it wasn't set in Nazi Germany. I had written it a year or two earlier for Ben Mitzelfelt, who pitched me the idea of a short film that could be shot in a single camera take. I wrote him a love story and we went through several drafts of the script together before abandoning it and going with 20Q instead. So when Theo asked me if I had anything, I immediately thought of this script. I took one more pass at the script, sent it to him, and he loved it. We started work on it immediately.

Casting Brianne Johnson and Joshua Michalski (who, in real life, went on to get married a year later) was a no-brainer. I had been wanting to work with Bri again for a long time, after years of performing with her on stage. She was the first girl to audition for the part and was cast almost instantly. When Josh came in and read opposite her, there was no way I wasn't going to cast him. The two of them were so in love it was inspiring. Which meant that the two of them wouldn't have to fake being in love and we could all focus on the meatier subjects of the script.

Filming took place on two separate days at the Heritage House here in Chattanooga. Theo found an antiques dealer who was kind enough to let us borrow some antique furniture. We set the scene and the cameras started rolling. We filmed using a RED, and that thing was a beast of a camera.

It was, ultimately, the most gratifying film set I had ever been on. The crew was amazing. The cast brought my love letter to my wife alive. I loved it. It was perfect.

Then post-production began. For Theo's class we had to have at least a rough edit of the film done by a certain date so that he could get class credit for it. I made a rough assembly of the film and we turned it in. We planned on coming back to the project soon, and giving it the full attention it deserved . . . but the film student life conspired against us.

I was able to create the edit of the film that I wanted, but I was never able to finish the sound effects, nor was able to crop the film down to the proper aspect ratio. Theo wasn't happy with my choice to leave a three minute, single-take shot in the middle of the film. I felt like cutting it would degrade the actors' performance and I just wanted to show them off. We locked horns on the subject and were never able to come to an accord on it. He moved on to other projects and I, not having editing equipment of my own, was powerless to do anything about it.

For those of you interested in constructing a timeline, this was filmed after Berashet and before Remnants.

It is now March of 2011 and I finally have my own editing computer. Martyrs is finally seeing the light of day. The sound in the film's final moments isn't perfect, but I was able to fix the aspect ratio. Finally, you can see it. I hope you like it. The film means a lot to me and the cast and crew put a lot of hard work into it.

The Ruffians: Episode 2

2011-03-17T02:10:00.004-04:00

and when you're finished with that, the blooper reel:

the music of episode 2

2011-03-17T00:53:00.003-04:00

While I wait for Vimeo to convert the movie file, I thought I'd take this time to call extra special attention to all the music that appears in episode 2 of The Ruffians.

The episode begins with Linkin Park's "When They Come For Me," from their A Thousand Suns album. Linkin Park provides great driving music. Nothing's better on the way home from work. I've listened to a lot of Linkin Park while conceptualizing and writing The Ruffians, and have plans for at least one more of their songs in a future episode.

The main reoccurring "theme" of the episode is Christopher Drake's "A Death in the Family," from his score to Batman: Under the Hood. Drake is someone I've only recently discovered, from his excellent work on the DC animated movies. I would especially recommend his Superman/Batman: Public Enemies score, as it was the first score of his I heard, purchased, and then listened to over and over again. His themes for for the titular heroes are top-notch and give hope to a post-Williams theme for Superman.

The music that accompanies Charlie as he wistfully looks at pictures of his girlfriend is Florence + The Machine's "Addicted to Love." I heard this song for the first time on So You Think You Can Dance and haven't stopped listening to it ever since. It is not to be confused with the Robert Palmer song of the same name.

Thomas Newman's "Dead Already" plays under the scene in the kitchen. It's a selection from his score to Jarhead. I listen to a lot of Thomas Newman when I write. He's one composer that deserves to be a household name, but somehow isn't. Everyone knows his music: Road to Perdition, Wall-E, Finding Nemo, and of course, American Beauty. If you haven't taken the time to sit down and listen to some of his work, rectify that now.

Playing over the closing credits is Gangstagrass' "I'm Gonna Lay You Down." This duo may be the single most unique band/group/ensemble/duo I have ever heard. Their bluegrass rap is something to behold. When started watching Justified, I had to find out who was responsible for its opening credits song. It's these guys. Check 'em out. You won't regret it.

the ol' workstation

2011-03-15T07:40:00.001-04:00

The Joy of Rendering

2011-03-13T21:25:00.005-04:00

Episode 2 culminates in a 30 second sequence that I cannot wait to edit. I'm so excited about how it's going to cut together and how it's going to look and sound, I'm actually going to start there. However, before I can begin editing together those 30 seconds, I have to wait 16 minutes for the video files to render. And that's 14% of the way into the render process. I think it started at something closer to 20 minutes.

I'm actually beginning to enjoy editing. I'm no pro like my pal Loren Small, but I've come to realize that it's in the edit bay that I get to have one last crack at the script. This episode, for example, had 5 drafts to the script. As I sit down to edit it, I'm beginning to suspect there will be a sixth draft to the script. I won't add any lines (though with some crafty ADR, I could), but I might drop a line. I'm actually eyeing a montage right now that get dropped (sorry, Tenika!). But we'll see.

The part of editing that drives me up the proverbial wall is the rendering. I wish rendering existed somewhere else in the process. Maybe at the end. The very end. After I completed the edit and liked the way it looked and sounded. Once I had finished everything, then I would render it and save it as a .MOV or what-have-you. Because here at the beginning it's such a drag. I'm excited to edit, I'm excited to sit down and start the next step in the filmmaking process . . . and I have to wait. Right now I'm only rendering the last five or six shots, so it's only a 20 minute wait. If I wanted to render the whole thing, I'd be looking at a 2 hour wait.

Oy.

I guess I shouldn't complain. This render time is letting me blog and the rest-of-the-episode render will met get caught up on Glee. So at least there's that.

UPDATE:

First part of this blog was posted at 9:25. It is now 10:53. I just finished editing the final sequence, as well as putting together a rough closing credits. It's pretty sweet. Watching it brings a smile to my face every time. I hope everyone responds to it the way I do (with a cruel chuckle). It is now 10:54 and the rendering for the rest of the episode begins. Status bar says it'll take 5 hours.

I say again: Oy.

episode 2, part 1

2011-03-13T03:03:00.004-04:00

Part 1 of episode 2 of The Ruffians has been filmed. It was a fun night made a little more stressful when I accidentally formatted the camera card after an hour of filming. Yeeeeeah . . .

Balancing

2011-03-11T08:10:00.002-05:00

Episode 2 of The Ruffians is not going to be pleasant. It's going to be intriguing, but it's not going to be pleasant. It has a couple glimmers of comedy, but overall, it's kind of an icky thing -- which is exactly what I was going for when I wrote it. I wanted to confront the reality of a bad day at work for two hitmen. I wanted to challenge the audience's fondness for Alexander and Charlie. Just because they're the focus of the show doesn't mean you should be rooting for them -- or does it?

I came home from rehearsal on Wednesday night in a bit of a funk. Rehearsal went really well, so well, in fact, I actually found myself affected by what we were doing. I left feeling like Alexander and Charlie were awful, awful people.

And to get out of that funk I sat down and put a final (for now) polish on the first chapter of my young adult book. It doesn't have a title yet, but it comes from a short story that I've been on-again off-again with for the past year. It's about young Arlyn Walsh, a traveller and general adventurer of the Multiverse. I'm quite fond of this little guy already, and I'm only a chapter into his story. I hope this book allows me to write a series of books detailing his adventures, but I can only take it one chapter at a time. And his pluck, wit, and lightheartedness contrasted perfectly with the grey-to-dark matter that Ruffians was. Thanks to him, I slept well Wednesday night.

We film the meat of episode 2 tomorrow night and, quite frankly, I'll be glad to have it behind me. It's a fascinating story to watch, but . . . as I've said . . . not a pleasant one.

oh yes

2011-03-10T10:25:00.002-05:00

can't wait.

can't wait..

can't wait...

CAN'T WAIT!!

Ruffians: The Cast of Episode 2

2011-02-24T21:15:00.005-05:00

BUM BUM BUUUUMM!!

BORING DVD ART: Mr and Mrs Smith

2011-02-21T07:06:00.000-05:00

It's not so much as boring DVD art as bad DVD art design. Every time I see it, I chuckle. They're so proud that this is the unrated version of Mr and Mrs Smith, they inadvertently created Unrated, starring Mr and Mrs Smith (as played by Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie).

BORING DVD ART: The Matrix Revolutions

2011-02-20T14:57:00.002-05:00

All the Matrix movies had amazing art campaigns. I was especially fond of The Matrix Reloaded poster series that displayed all the new and returning characters predominately on a white background while cutting off the character's head. There was something really eye-catching about those. It made you want to see more. The Matrix Revolutions poster art wasn't as daring as Reloaded's, but they definitely foreshadowed the epic nature of the trilogy's conclusion.

But then it came time for the DVD art and . . . it was as if they just stopped caring. While the two original movies displayed the three heroes predominately, the third DVD just slapped four of the posters together. And while this does reflect the splintered hodge-podge mess that is the third movie, is this the laziness you want representing your movie? I'd like to call it artistic schizophrenia, but it's really just lazy.

BORING DVD ART: Jersey Girl

2011-02-18T19:37:00.001-05:00

This might have been the movie that made me first ask, "why would you trade this for that?"

The adorable poster art:

The freshman-art-student-who-just-learned-PhotoShop DVD cover:

Bleh.

what's in a name?

2011-02-17T23:45:00.003-05:00

If there's one thing that will stop me cold, it's a name. I need a character's name before I can give them things to do or say. Even if I know what they're going to say and/or do in that scene, I can't write it until I know that character's name. It's the closest thing to writer's block I really struggle with. Names are important to me -- especially if it's a name of a main character. If, what I'm writing becomes something people talk about, who do I want them discussing? Clark and Lois? Han and Leia? Christian and Satine? Also, while I'm writing this, these characters are going to be taking up a lot of time and space in my brain. Do I really want to be spending the next month, months, or year with Craig?

Once a name clicks, I understand the character a little bit better. It's my experience that people not only define their names, but are also defined by them. For example, I have found every Scott I've ever met to be a little weird and I've never gotten along with a Scott*.

But if I was writing a slightly odd character, a sincere fellow with quirky asides, I might consider the name Scott. In lieu of that, as to not appear vain, I'll name him Sean, as it is as close to Scott as I can get without actually using "Scott." The name "Sean" conjures up in my mind, someone who could just as easily be a "Scott." And once I name him Sean, I know how he's going to talk and what's going to offend him. Or, to get away from all this Scott Talk, Rose would deliver a line very differently than Donna would.

So it's all about finding a name. A name that fits my story and the character I have in my head. Once I find that name, then I can move forward. But until then, everything comes to a grinding halt.

Which, maybe, explains why I'm blogging instead of writing.

* I am Scott. You are not Scott. Sod off, Fake Scott.

cracking the code

2011-02-16T21:38:00.002-05:00

I think I just figured out my children's book. It's not a children's book at all. It's a children's book series. I have this twenty-page first draft (outline?) sitting on my computer. I love it to death but have had no idea what to do with it. Then . . . I don't know how to describe it . . . something clicked. I realized what the book was: An introduction. It's an introduction to a character, to a world, and to a growing list of story possibilities.

As soon as it clicked, I knew who the narrator was. I knew what voice the books needed to have. And I like it. And I can't wait to share it with you.

BORING DVD ART: Never Let Me Go

2011-02-16T19:28:00.004-05:00

I'm very curious as to how studios view DVD cover art and how that view is different from how they view poster art. I've often seen absolutely spectacular movie posters and then very boring DVD cover art follow it up. Why the change?

Why would you choose to go from something moving and evocative . . .

. . . to something boring and utterly forgettable?

BOOK REPORT: Decision Points

2011-02-11T13:54:00.002-05:00

Just finished reading President Bush's memoir, Decision Points. I've read Bob Woodward's four books on Bush's time in office (Bush at War, Plan of Attack, State of Denial, and The War Within) and it is those books that form the foundation of my opinion on our 43rd president. But we must recognize that even the best book -- no matter how well-researched or even-handed -- is one man's interpretation of the facts. It was with that in mind that I picked up Decision Points. I wanted to know what President Bush really thought on certain subjects. I knew what the pundits had said, I remember how I felt on certain topics, but what actually led the president to make the decisions he made?

This memoir is (refreshingly) not written chronologically. Instead, each chapter is dedicated to a particular topic or "decision point." He then explores the subject, what led to it, what decision he made, and what the ramifications of that decision was.

The book is incredibly well-written and is at times thrilling. The chapter in which the president recounts September 11th reads better than any fiction you might pick up. I sped through that chapter, unable to put it down. There were always (and will always) be certain gaps in the timeline of events from that day, but to read where he was, what he did, and what thoughts were flying through his head, all while the fog of war crept in, was -- as I said -- absolutely thrilling.

His chapter on stem cell research was especially poignant. Bush became such a whipping boy by the media that it was refreshing and touching to see how incredibly sensitive he was on the topic. As I read it, I couldn't help but think of The Skin Gun and the man recently cured of AIDS. Stem cell research is clearly effecting and changing medical science and I appreciated the steps the president took in furthering research. While I would be okay with an even more open door policy on the subject, I appreciated that he didn't put the kibosh on it as some would have had him do.

If you've ever listened to him speak, it should come as no surprise that he bases many of his decisions on, as he puts it, "his gut." Throughout the book, we see that his initial gut instinct ends up being the final decision he makes. It was because of his gut we invaded Iraq without first completing our mission in Afghanistan. Sometimes, as he discusses this, he comes off a little defensive, but ultimately, he stands by every decision he made.

What I found most interesting about this book is that it meshes completely with Bob Woodward's account. There is no dissonance. This book works wonderfully as an unofficial epilogue to those books. And I would recommend anyone who's even slightly interested on the topic to make it a point to read these five books. They are good, easy reads that will challenge your view on American politics.

The Audition Rehearsal

2011-02-09T20:38:00.005-05:00

Just tried something new tonight.

I've never liked auditions. While they are initially exciting, they quickly devolve into boring, unhelpful tedium. I've tried various approaches to auditions, but I've never felt like any of them are terribly helpful. The attributes and talents that make for a good audition aren't necessarily the ones that will make for a good working environment. So I had an idea. I call it The Audition Rehearsal.

The Audition Rehearsal is an audition that is treated like a rehearsal. The actor comes in, is given their script (if they don't have it already), and then, with the other actors, we dive into the scene. We run lines, we collaborate, we explore the characters and their motivations. We flesh everything out. You spend as much time with it as you want.

You don't just "get a sense" for what it would be like to work with the person, you actually work with the person. If the experience is good, and the actor is the right one for the job, you've just had your first rehearsal and are ahead of the game. If the experience is less than good, you dismiss the actor and move on -- and even in that less-than-favorable situation, you still got to hear your script out loud -- you still got to explore the characters. Far less time is wasted.

Granted, it's a process that doesn't lend itself well to a tight schedule. It's something you might want to reserve for the final two actors, or your top pick or . . . whatever works for you. ;)

The audition tonight turned out to be a rehearsal. Episode 2 of The Ruffians is officially underway!

rockin' episode 3

2011-02-05T00:24:00.003-05:00

awesome episode 3.

chilling, creepy, awesome, hilarious episode 3.

oh, episode 3 how I love thee.

stupid episode 3

2011-02-04T23:11:00.003-05:00

stupid episode 3.

stupid, stupid, stupid episode 3.

episode 3, draft 2

2011-02-02T23:08:00.003-05:00

Finished draft 1 of Episode 3 last night and realized today that it has maybe one of the worst endings I've ever written. The whole episode is build-up . . . to nothing, apparently. I didn't realize this until tonight as I was re-playing Mass Effect 2. I'm not sure where the realization came from. I was just sitting there and suddenly realized, "that script desperately needs a new ending -- and here it is!"

So I'm off to do that now. Ta.

wrestling episode 3 into submission

2011-02-01T00:08:00.004-05:00

Episode 3 has a name. It is Personification.

Discovering the episode's title made everything about the episode finally come together in my brain. I've always known what was (more or less) going to happen, but cracking that little bit of the code revealed to me how it was going to happen.

Episode 3 is the hinge on which the entire first season pivots. It is my response to every killer-with-a-conscience movies I've had to sit through. It is the heart and soul of the show -- okay, that might be a bit of hyperbole, especially as I consider my plans for Episode 6.

This might be the most work I've ever put into the first draft of any episode -- but I think it'll show. This episode, more than any other we've done, has the potential to be the most memorable and most impressive.

writing episode 3

2011-01-27T01:50:00.004-05:00

It hasn't even been a week and I'm already putting into practice that which I learned from the last episode. Episode 3, which does not have a name yet, begins with an opening sequence that is a bit unattached from the main story -- not unlike episode 1.

I was ready to move on from the opening sequence, type in "TITLE CARD," and move on to the meat of the episode, when I realized I could milk sequence just a little bit more. I could spend just a little bit more time with Alexander and really drive home the point I'm trying to make. One more scene and the audience will truly understand what's going on.

So I did. I spent a little extra time, caressed the sequence, and made it something special. I am now really excited to shoot it and fully understand the beginning, the middle, and the end. It'll be a great sequence and I can't wait to share it with you.

Just . . . not . . . yet.

New Fogg Blogg

2011-01-26T07:49:00.006-05:00

And for my 100th blog post . . .

Kelly and I have decided to start a blog that is dedicated to our pursuit of parenthood. It is called The Next Chapter and I would like to invite all of you who follow me here to follow us there as well.

After much thought, contemplation, and prayer, we've decided to pursue adoption. We'll chronicle all the ins and outs of the process there. If you have any questions about the process, you can ask us there. If you think you can help us, The Next Chapter is the place for you to go to find out what we need. At some point, I'm sure the blog will transform from an adoption blog to a parenting blog, so why not join here at the beginning?

Anyway. It's there and I'd love for you to join us on this next scary, exciting chapter of our lives.

Reflections on Episode 1

2011-01-23T11:05:00.002-05:00

Of The Ruffians. I don't have time or patience to reflect on episode 1 of Star Wars.

I'm waiting for episode 1 to upload to Vimeo, so I'll take this moment to reflect on some of the lessons I learned on the set (and in post production) on this, our first Ruffian outing.

Sound continues to be my Achilles' heel. We filmed on a cold and windy day and so I turned the sound sensitivity down on our recorder (the amazing H4n) and while it cut down on sound, it also gave me a recording that I could do very little with in post. So while this episode represents the best I've ever done with sound, it also shows that we have a long way to go in sound design.
I need to learn to listen to my crew. When the DP says "this is hard," or "it's too cold," I need to respect those opinions and not brush them aside. When I get on a set, I become the production's cheerleader. My intent is to keep everyone pumped up and jazzed to be there, but sometimes I just come off as a bullish jerk.
I need to have a full and better understanding of what each scene and sequence is about before filming it. To understand this, re-watch the pre-title sequence. The idea behind that is, that girl offended Charlie in the pool. He's going to tell her off. But I want to fool the audience and make them think he's either going to stalk her or kill her. But just when you think he's going to make his move, he trips and she "gets away." The way we filmed it, however, skips the story. We have our set-up and then move straight to the punchline without any development. That sequence could have been much stronger and it's my fault. I didn't see the story in my head well enough to understand how it needed to be shot.

Those are the big three. I could make an unofficial fourth out of the danger of handheld camea work, but I still like it. That walk and talk is a little more shaky than I would like, but it still works.

I insist that every production be educational. I don't think that will ever go away, but I think it's even more important on this level, where I'm making these shows out of nothing but my dime, my time, and my friends' patience.

Here's to episode 2!

Ruff Bloopers: Episode 1

2011-01-21T16:36:00.003-05:00

RUFF BLOOPERS: Episode 1 from Scott Fogg on Vimeo.

oh, the wackiness.

Episode 1: First Impressions

2011-01-21T12:32:00.001-05:00

The Ruffians, episode 1: First Impressions from Scott Fogg on Vimeo.

Charlie and Alexander are just two hitmen trying to make an honest living.

Starring Scott Fogg, Corey Newmyer, Rachel Komorowski, and with a special appearance by Jordyn Henderson.

Like us? Find us on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Ruffians/123349124395718 or visit scottfogg.blogspot.com

the music of episode 1

2011-01-21T12:02:00.003-05:00

We used the following songs in episode 1 of The Ruffians. I want to provide links so that if you like them, you can find them and purchase them.

James Horner has been one of my favorite composers since high school. His score to Braveheart just about changed my life. Episode 1 begins with his haunting "Main Title" from Patriot Games. I've had this album in my collection for probably fifteen years. The whole thing's great and very Horner-esque. You can find the album on Amazon.

During the discussion, "The Drop" by Harry Gregson-Williams plays. It's from his score to Man on Fire. If you haven't sat down and listened to any of Gregson-Williams' music, you're really missing out. He composed the scores to Spy Games, the first two Narnia movies, Man on Fire, and contributed to The Rock (along with Hans Zimmer and Nick Glennie-Smith, if memory serves). I don't remember where I bought this album (I think I found it at a second-hand music shop), but you can find it on Amazon.

The "slow-motion, bad-ass walking" music that closes the episode is "Young Men Dead," by The Black Angels. This is their official website. I purchased the song off iTunes (after, yes, admittedly, hearing it in the Fable III commercial).

I highly recommend them. Add them to your playlists today.

Spitting Teeth

2011-01-11T00:50:00.003-05:00

So I was down in South America, in some little town in some little country. A dentist there was doing something he called "binding," in which an apparatus is secured onto someone's head and two hammer-like devices crush the back part of the jaw. The end result is a jawline that starts very small and then gets wider as it approaches the chin.

I was shocked. It looked horrific. But the dentist explain that not only was the tradition of binding connected to several regional religious practices, it was actually a sign of great prosperity and was considered wildly attractive. One little boy disagreed. He did not want to go through the binding process.

So, to show him that there was nothing to be afraid of, I strapped the apparatus on and had my own jaw bound. I immediately didn't care about the local custom or that people in that area were going to think I was good-looking. I was spitting teeth -- literally. The dentist who oversaw the procedure said I would get over it and laughed it off.

I ran up and down the halls, looking for another dentist. My teeth kept falling out. Every time I spoke, I spit another tooth out. I was collecting them. I could feel them continually getting looser and falling out of my head. If I tried to whistle, I'd spit three teeth out.

Finally I woke up and could put the whole nightmare behind me.

Random Frames of Ruffians, Episode 1

2011-01-09T19:37:00.005-05:00

Drafts & Breaks

2011-01-07T00:05:00.005-05:00

Taking a break from writing 3 scripts.

Since rehearsals began on episode 1, First Impressions, I've been tweaking the dialog. There's a joke that wasn't working in the final scene. There was some exposition that needed to be added in the second scene. The entire opening sequence didn't work and was confusing.

In between drafts of episode 1, I've been working on subsequent drafts of episode 2, Small Mercies. The struggle with that script is all about finding the right tone. It helped once I identified what tone I wanted, because then I was able to sit back and figure out what events and bits of dialogue would help me arrive at said tone. And it was at work tonight that I finally figured out how to end the episode. And I'm sure it'll all change once rehearsals begin.

The final episode, episode 6, is still a very distant thing. But I'm slowly drafting the opening sequence of it as well. It's a lighter, sweeter opening than any of the other episodes, so I escape to it when the darkness and/or cynicism of the other episodes get me down.

It's coming together nicely and I'm excited to see how it all turns out but I'm most curious to see/hear people's reactions to it. It's rather unlike anything else I've ever done before.

A Young Tippi Hedren

2011-01-05T13:22:00.003-05:00

I was taking some video games out to the floor this morning and walked past a little girl. She was sitting backwards on one of our benches, staring out the window. She jabbed a finger at the window and without taking her eyes off whatever it was on the other side of the window, she began to whine.

"Evil biiiiiiiirrrrrddies!"

The Other Mister Fogg

2011-01-04T20:37:00.004-05:00

Before the holidays hit us, I had been swimming. Now that we're in the free and clear and I'm not attending parties, gatherings, and gift-giving festivities every other night (all of which conspire to throw me off my groove), I've resumed swimming.

I swim at the Hulsey Wellness Center at Southern Adventist University. To enter, you have to "buzz in" using a finger print scanner. I went in, knowing the receptionist was going to tell me that my membership had expired and I was going to need to pay. Instead she looked at her computer, a little confused, and said, "try again."

I did.

Her eyebrows furrowed, she clicked, and said, "try again."

I did.

She shook her head, her dark ponytail whipping this way and that. "So weird," she said. "The computer keeps saying you're someone you're not. Hold on. Let me go get my boss."

She gets up, bounds down from her pedastel, and disappears into her boss' office. Disappear might be a strong word, as the wall that divided her boss' office from the atrium was entirely glass. He dropped what he was doing and followed his young employee back to the desk.

"It keeps saying he's Mister Fogg -- but he's not Mister Fogg."

Her boss smiled. I didn't know his name, but I recognized him. We had seen each other in here before. "There's a simple way to fix this," he said to her and then turned to me. "Are you Mister Fogg?"

"I am." I nodded with a smile.

"No you're not!" the worker accused.

"Well I'm a Mister Fogg."

"Oh," she said, blushing and sinking down into her chair. "You're Thomas Fogg?"

"Thomas Scott Fogg," I replied. "Yes I am. Mister Fogg is my father."

"So sorry," she said, refusing to make eye contact. "Go right in."

updated Ruffian logo

2011-01-03T20:00:00.004-05:00

Updated the logo with the font I used in the teaser trailer as well as generally distressing the background, to reflect the darker tone the scripts are taking.

Educated Gangstas

2010-12-31T11:06:00.001-05:00

I'm at work Wednesday. I'm shelving DS games. A young man walks up beside me. He's talking on his phone.

"No, I'm not retarded. That's the worst metaphor I've ever heard. You said 'like.' If you use the word 'like,' it's a simile, motherf#ck@h!"

I laughed out loud. I apologized for interrupting his phone call, but I couldn't help it. It's still making me giggle.

Episode 1 Cast

2010-12-31T01:47:00.003-05:00

Freudian Slip?

2010-12-30T10:50:00.004-05:00

Might have just hit a new low. Discovered a "gift" from the dog on the floor and used a page from one of my recent scripts to pick it up.

It felt like something from a Colin Firth movie or Nick Hornby novel.

How The Church Failed Me

2010-12-13T00:30:00.003-05:00

I was recently asked "How did the church fail you?"

It was in response to someone discovering a lifestyle decision I had made. This decision, which I won't get into here (as I don't want to distract from the conversation that needs to be happening), was something that not only went against the things they believed, but went against the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, a denomination that not only was I brought up in, but one I still belong to.

My response to this person was, "it hasn't." I was responding to the notion that the church had somehow failed to communicate what it thought on the subject. I was well aware of what the church's official stance was. I knew the dangers -- as exaggerated as they may be -- that the church preached.

"Then why are you doing this?"

That's when I realized how the church failed me. That's when I realized how the church is continuing to fail its children and its older members. That's when I realized what we need to fix if we are going to stay relevant in the twenty-first century.

Before I continue, let me absolutely clear: This is not an attack on the Seventh-Day Adventist Church or any other organized religion. I still count myself as a Seventh-Day Adventist and I whole-heartedly approve the concept of organized religion. This is the recognition of a weakness. This is a confession. To the offended, this is a request for forgiveness. To those of us in the church, it is a challenge to do better in the future.

In the war between Heaven and Hell, the church is a front line triage unit. The hurt, the crippled, the maimed and the dying hobble in, seeking solace and sanctuary. We do our best to patch them up, to the heal wounds, and prepare them for tomorrow's attack. Historically, that's what we've done. But as time marches on, as the war continues to rage, we're getting tired. Our friends are dying. Our loved ones are giving up. The hope that the war would be over by Christmas is fading. And as all of these things take their toll, our work suffers. We get sloppy. It's not that we don't care, it's that we've lost focus. What ends up happening is a man comes in with a gaping wound in his chest, we pop a couple Ibuprofen in his mouth, call it a day, and then wonder why he doesn't come back when his wound begins to fester.

We seem to believe that since there are two sides to this war that every decision and every moral dilemma we face is a simple one: It's either black or white. Good or bad. Heaven or Hell. Everything is to be praised or condemned. Every action is to be endorsed or shunned. Nothing is neither. When we do this, we create for ourselves battlefields where there need not be any.

Let's talk about sex.

Having sex will get you kicked out of private school. The appearance or the unprovable theory that you had sex will get you fired from a Christian summer camp. As a youth pastor, speaking approvingly of sex will get you reprimanded and possibly removed from your position. As a principal of a boarding school, if you take your teenage child to a movie that has sex in it, your ability to lead will be called into question. These are all experiences I have witnessed firsthand.

The truth about sex, as I have come to learn, is that it is a multifaceted thing that doesn't ruin or save a relationship. It multiplies that which you already have. If a couple that was already on shaky ground introduces sex to the relationship, fighting increases, resentment rises, unhappiness ensues and a break-up is just around the corner. When a couple that is in love and has a caring and balanced relationship, sex is a celebration of love, lust, and life.

The reason for this is sex is a thing of raw intimacy. No matter how carnally or how casually one might treat it, there's a great amount of naked trust in the act and that trust must be upheld in all other aspects of the relationship.

I've often wondered why someone might think their failing relationship could be saved by sex. It's not medicine for what ails you. It's desert. Desert after a great meal is perfect. Desert after eating too much just makes you feel sick.

That's what I would tell someone about sex. But those are grey, weighty concepts that can be hard to explain. It's just easier to say, "you can get pregnant, you can get STD's, and it'll change the relationship and he'll break up with you." This course of action doesn't give us what we need to know about sex. It doesn't arm us with knowledge that there are ways to prevent STD's and pregnancy. It doesn't even prepare us for sex after marriage, the thing the church wants the most. All it does is lamely try to scare and/or guilt kids out of having sex. And when that tactic fails, and a person has sex, and they don't get pregnant or get an STD . . . a great undermining of church authority takes place.

It's not the "sexual deviant" that undermines the church, it's the church itself. As children, we are told that life is black and white. But when we step out into the world, we discover it is actually every shade of grey one could imagine -- ranging from the whitest white to the blackest black. Upon that discovery, the church is made a liar. It lies with good intention, but it lies nonetheless.

This is how the church has failed me. It has concerned itself with inward and trivial matters, while ignoring the bigger issues that surround it. When it does address those bigger issues, it addresses it in demeaning and trivial ways. It's almost as if the church sees its entire congregation as children, not adults.

We are taught abstinence, not responsibility. We are taught avoidance, not temperance.

It's a matter of great frustration for me. We get so caught up in "being in the world but not of the world," that we don't actually prepare anyone for the world. It is something I've vowed to not pass on to the next generation.

I live in this world. I don't count it as my home. I'm a pilgrim passing through. The only trouble with that is there's nothing I can do to make that passing any faster. I can't reach my destination until my Heavenly Father says so. So in the meantime, I'm setting up camp here. This is my temporary home and as such, I'm going to try to make it as warm, as comfortable, as welcoming and as loving as I can. I'm going to fight for Truth and Justice. I'm going to battle the darkness by shedding as much light as I can. I'm going to be responsible and conduct myself in a way that brings glory to my Heavenly Father.

Even if that means I fail my church.

it begins

2010-12-09T01:15:00.004-05:00

On December 17th, 2010, we'll shoot the (possibly first) teaser. We'll release said teaser online shortly thereafter. Stay tuned.

on turning 30

2010-12-05T22:41:00.003-05:00

I was born on December 6th, 1980 at 6:33pm -- which means, if I'm doing my math correctly, on December 6th, 2010, at 6:33pm, I will be 30 years old.

That's supposed to mean something. I'm 30. The trouble is, I don't put a lot of stock in numbers. If I'm counting dollars, or measuring ingredients, numbers are important. If I want to be on time for the 3:15 showing of Hamlet, numbers are important. But if I'm measuring maturity or trying to put some kind of value on a life, numbers are irrelevant. Because time is subjective.

I could make sit here and make a list of all the numbers in my life (5 years married, 3 countries lived in, 3 blah's and/or 3 yadda's) but they wouldn't mean anything. I see those kinds of numbers as interesting bits of trivia, not as mile markers (because the point of mile markers is to give context to the journey or to designate progress made towards a destination).

In these thirty years I've had seasons of arrested development* and times of incredible, unprecedented growth. I've experienced more joy, elation, and downright glee** in a single day than some people have their entire life. I've also experienced dark days of loneliness and aimless nights staring at the ceiling wondering "why?" I've had fulfillment and I've had unfulfillment. I've seen justice and injustice. I've been incredibly spoiled and I've had to make tough decisions. I've been loved and I've been mocked.

Everything that I've experienced these past thirty years don't make me 30. They make me me. The fact that it's taken me thirty years to become me makes me thirty, but I'm not even sure what that means. I just know that I've generally enjoyed these thirty and would like a second (or even third) thirty to see what other things I could get up to.

* Not to be confused with the three seasons of Arrested Development, though I did enjoy those too.

** Not to be confused with musical television show Glee, though I've experienced a lot more of that than some people have.

first, episode six

2010-12-03T01:02:00.004-05:00

Doing something I've never done before. I'm writing the last episode of a series before I flesh out 3-5. The Ruffians will be a six episode arc (with the potential and possibility for a second series). I wrote the first two episodes because they were the initial ideas and they needed to be put down on paper so I could focus on the rest of the series.

Then something strange happened. It's never happened like this before. I usually struggle with the ending of whatever I'm writing. But after episode 2, boom, I knew how it had to end. So I'm writing that now. Once I finish it, I'll go back and connect the dots. It's thrilling and freeing in a very new and interesting way. I like it and wouldn't mind it if all future projects worked out this way.

Trouble is, I can't control inspiration. It dictates the road I walk on.

thoughts & things

2010-11-28T20:29:00.005-05:00

Attended Josh and Bri's wedding on Friday. It was gorgeous and so much fun. They were a darling couple and are so in love it's infectious. I sat there, watching them laugh, cry, and promise their lives to each other -- and I was taken back to five years ago when Kelly and I were doing the same thing. It absolutely astonishes me that I've been married five years (well, on December 18th I will be). It's such a grand thing. I wouldn't be half the man or half the artist that I am if it wasn't for her. I have so much farther to go, but I wouldn't be even a fraction of what I am if it wasn't for her. I know that. I only hope I'm giving back to her an equal share.

There is no easy transition to the next paragraph so I'll just shout ALBUQUERQUE and move on.

When I'm not reflecting on the marvelousness of love (oh, that's the transition I was looking for. Dang. If only I could find a way to edit out that last sentence -- and this one), I've recently found myself contemplating human nature.

We are so toxic. I don't even think we can help it. We spew our thoughts and beliefs on people and then quickly add, "in my humble opinion" and think that gives us some kind of free pass. We really don't take into consideration other people's feelings, we just want to make sure everyone knows how we feel. We think things like, "if I just mind my own business and people mind theirs, then we'll all get along fine." But that's not the earth we live on.

Was it John Donne or Jon Bon Jovi who said "no man is an island?"* We cannot live in a bubble. Even hermits effect the world they live in. There is no life free of consequence. In fact, the world reacts to everything you say and do. People remember the things you said, the look on your face, or how you reacted to situations. They'll treat you differently because of those things. And those same things challenge people even on a microscopic level to reexamine their life and their beliefs -- sometimes it reinforces what they believe and sometimes it challenges it.

And it's from these thoughts that The Ruffians will be born. It'll be dark. It'll be funny. It'll be something completely different than anything I've ever done before. But it'll clearly be me.

*It was Jon Bon Jovi in the opening lyrics to his song "Sante Fe" on the Young Guns II soundtrack.

coming soon!

2010-11-19T16:18:00.003-05:00

David Hume

2010-11-17T00:08:00.003-05:00

Began reading David Hume's A Treatise of Human Nature tonight and came to the conclusion that I have never had an idea. Not truly and not ever.

It's humbling to the be in the presence of giants, to be sure. But the strangest thing about the humility that comes from recognizing a giant's shadow is how terribly exciting it is.

gout has its advantages

2010-11-05T01:18:00.004-04:00

Gout is an awful, horrible, terrible thing that I would only wish on the worst human being. Actually, that's not true. I wouldn't wish it on anyone. I might like to contact the worst human beings and let them know that as terrible as they are, I would never wish gout on them. That would have to mess with their heads a little bit.

But it has its advantages. It makes you stop absolutely everything you're doing and sit down. I'm on allopurinal, which largely stops the gout from flaring up, but every once in a while, the uric acid sneaks by it, builds up and I'll have a random flare up. It's exciting and unpredictable like that.

Exciting, unpredictable, and mind-cleavingly painful.

I wrote a lot today, though. I wonder how many writers have (or had) gout? I got a lot of writing done today. I've been working on this little love story over at Happy Valley and I'm really excited to see where it's going. I have the next three chapters of their story written and I really can't wait to unleash them. Not the next chapter, but the one after that, I wrote and re-wrote four times today. Every draft was better than the last, but it just wasn't getting there. It took time. I would break between the drafts, listen to some music, watch some Community, and then go back to it.

The next chapter comes out tomorrow. Actually, now that I see the time, it comes out today. In about ten hours. It's a short, quiet chapter called A Quiet Drive. But I quite like it. Here's hoping other people like it, too.

Who am I kidding? Here's hoping other people read it.

a good night writing

2010-11-03T00:01:00.003-04:00

Had a productive night writing tonight. Felt good. Real good. The night started with Derek Webb's lovely new album Feedback (which will probably become my writing soundtrack on many nights to come) and finished with the soundtrack to seasons 3 and 4 of Battlestar Galactica. It's so thrilling to write something that matches the music you're writing to.

I've got a book idea that combines several ideas/stories that I've been working on for the past couple of years. It's something strange and exciting and unlike anything I've ever seen or read before -- and that makes it worthwhile in my book.

I'm a bit paranoid, so I don't want to give away too much (online, at any rate), but I am willing to say that the main protagonist in the book is a guardian angel. It's not Touched By An Angel and it's not Highway to Heaven. If anything, it's a season of Doctor Who infused with all that I believe. There. I think I can say that without giving too much away. I don't know why I'm paranoid. I don't even know if anyone's out there reading this (even you faithful five followers). And of those of you who are probably not reading this, how many of you would try to steal this idea of mine?

Probably not one.

And I think I read somewhere that if I commit an idea to a blog, I can use that blog entry to support my claim that I'm the author of my idea, should you try to steal it. I need to go find that and make sure I'm reading that right . . .

I should also try to get some sleep at some point.

Meh. At some point. I think I'm going to go save Albion now. Ta!

when the cup is half full

2010-11-01T20:56:00.002-04:00

Writing a Samson story.

Writing a Delilah story.

Writing a teacher's story.

Writing the tale of two young lovers.

Writing a story about the angel Death.

Life is full when the brain is!

Role Reversal

2010-10-17T01:45:00.000-04:00

I should be in bed. It's eeeeearly Sunday morning but after my little diatribe Friday, I thought I should follow it up with this:

The day after I wrote that (a Saturday, if I recall), I was suddenly flooded with dialogue. I had no idea where it came from. I was finishing lunch and suddenly a scenario started playing out in my head. Quickly polishing off my slice of apple pie, I whipped out my iTouch and began tapping away. The conversation just flowed from my fingertips. I never knew these characters before today, but suddenly I knew their whole story. This is what became of that. It feels like the first chapter in these two characters' stories. I'm not entirely sure where it's going, but I like it.

I'll be posting their subsequent stories over at Happy Valley, if you'd like to see them. Take your time getting over there, though. I don't know when the next one's going up (have to write it first).

Writer's Blank

2010-10-15T15:23:00.004-04:00

Perhaps the scariest place for me to be is the time and/or place where my mind is completely blank. My mind is usually so cluttered with thoughts and ideas (all pertaining to various story ideas I could pursue) that I sometimes have difficulty focusing on the real world.

I know I must come off as disconnected or aloof, but my brain is so damn active that certain sensory perceptors have to shut off to compensate -- that's the conclusion I've come to anyway. Usually I don't mind. It brings a certain level of excitement and challenge to my life. More than that, though, really, it brings definition. I am a writer. That definition, that label, makes my existence make sense.

Then there are weeks like this one -- weeks where literally nothing is on my mind. It's a blank slate. At any one time, I am thinking about absolutely nothing. I soak up my surroundings. I record the goings-on around me and . . . nothing. On a normal week I might process it, store little bits here and there for future use. But this week, everything that happens, just happens. There's no rhyme or reason or anything. I can't work on anything because nothing interests me. On days like this, I can't even enjoy other entertainment. It just slides off me because it has nothing to cling onto.

I have days like this sometimes. Days where I can't claim to be a writer. And when I can't claim to be a writer, a deep, dark terrifying inkblot surges through my soul. If I'm not a writer, what am I?

had an idea 5 years ago . . .

2010-10-13T21:42:00.005-04:00

It has been announced that a Scarlet Pimpernel movie is in the works. In typical fanboy fashion, I'm as excited as I am disappointed. I have loved the Scarlet Pimpernel since the summer of 1999, when my senior class trip took me to New York City -- there I got to see Frank Wildhorn and Nan Knighton's fantastic Scarlet Pimpernel musical. I came home from New York singing to the show tunes and having an insatiable desire to consume as much Scarlet Pimpernel as I could.

I found Baroness Orczy's book. I read it and was surprised to discover it was written as a mystery. The book's original conceit was, "who is The Scarlet Pimpernel?" I had always known who he was. The Pimpernel was as attached to Percy as Superman is to Clark Kent. But it's a fantastic book and I'd recommend it to anyone. It's still one of my favorites.

I sought out the movies. There's an old Jane Seymour/Ian McKellan version, but I wasn't overly impressed with it. The musical and the book are filled with such verve and sweeping romance, that this adaptation just didn't do it justice. It felt like a stodgy period piece. I wanted something with more swash, buckle, and humor -- something more akin to Pirates of the Caribbean. I also found a couple episodes of a BBC produced Scarlet Pimpernel miniseries, but was never able to watch the full series. I wasn't overly impressed with what I saw. Their take on the story was much grittier than I thought it should be.

So for Screenwriting 102 I wrote my adaptation. It's more of an re-imagining than a straight adaptation. My version was less of a mystery and more of a superhero origin story because, after all, the Scarlet Pimpernel was the original dual-identity story. In my version, we got to see the thought process of Percy. We got to see why he chose this dual-life.

It has been my dream to, someday, make that movie. And since it seems someone is beating me to it, I thought I'd post my treatment for the script. As I re-read it, I notice I made some changes to the script after this stage, but this (overall) represents my vision for (what I hoped would be) the first in a franchise of adventures.

The Scarlet Pimpernel

Treatment

9/21/05

Blakeney Manor, England, September 1792. Young, handsome, blond-haired, blue-eyed PERCIVAL BLAKENEY (“Percy” to his friends) crosses swords with SIR ANTHONY DEWHURST. The sounds of their laughter and their swords clanging echo through the large, grandiose manor as they make their way up and down halls, up and over sofas, across tables and always interrupting servants’ work. Percy has no regard or respect for anything and many, many, fine things are destroyed in the friends’ duel. The only thing quicker than Percy and Anthony’s swords is their wit as they trade friendly barbs.

The light-hearted duel takes them through all the halls of the manor, out the back door, and into an orchard in the back yard. There, sitting in the shade of a particularly large and blossoming tree sit MARGUERITE, Percy’s fiery, beautiful French wife, and LLEWELLYN, Anthony’s young English fiancée. The women are talking and laughing about their men. Percy, ever aware of the situation, sees a glimmer of excitement in Llewellyn’s eye and lets Anthony win. Marguerite knows this but lets Llewellyn believe her man bested Percy. Truth be told, this very selfless and humbling act endeared Percy to Marguerite all the more.

Later that night, the lord of the manor, LORD BLAKENEY, surveys the damage his young and reckless son caused that afternoon. He’s ashamed of his son, the fact that he’s as old as he is and hasn’t any respect for him or his possessions. Lord Blakeney finds Percy and tells his son, in so many words, he’s living a vain and useless life. This isn’t a new conversation for Percy and his father to be having, but there’s a gravity to Lord Blakeney’s words that Percy has never heard before. Lord Blakeney says “good night” after telling Percy that he is shaming himself, his name, and his God.

Percy retreats to his quarters where he finds his young wife, Marguerite, waiting for him. She holds him and assuages the wounds his father’s tongue-lashing caused. They kiss and are about to make love when a servant rushes into the room, claiming that Percy’s father has collapsed. Percy pushes past the servant and runs down the corridor to his father’s room, where he arrives just in time to see his father gasp his last breath.

It’s raining at the funeral. The many people who looked up to Lord Blakeney, whether they be friends, family, or complete strangers, stand in the rain to pay respect to the greatest man they ever knew or heard of. Percy stands outside the crowd, watching from the same distance he felt his father always kept him at. As he turns to leave, he notices a small red flower sprouting up at the tip of his boot. He picks it and then notices an artistic variation of the same kind of flower etched on every tombstone in his family’s cemetery. The scarlet flower is a pimpernel. He drops it and walks away.

That night, in Paris, in an office above the Comédie Française, ARMAND ST JUST, a pudgy Frenchman, is running in circles. Soldiers are on their way to shut down the theatre and arrest him for being a conspirator against the revolution. He’s tearing up his own office, in search of something. Finally, just as the soldiers burst in the front door of the theatre, he finds a large black ledger and escapes out the back door. CHAUVELIN, a meticulous man and the chief inspector, curses under his breath and orders the men to find what they can.

Back in Blakeney manor, Percy’s countenance has completely clouded over. He’s moody, angry and sullen. His father’s words are still echoing through his mind. His wife, desperate to please her man, decides to throw him a party. Percy can’t believe his wife but goes along with it. But the party, if it can be called that, is abysmal. Only the Blakeneys’ closest friends are invited: Anthony and Llewellyn (who we met in the first scene), ANDREW and JOANNA, and FARLEIGH and JOANNA. The men sit in Percy’s study in a palpable, awkward silence.

The silence is shattered by the arrival of Armand, the Frenchman we met fleeing the authorities in Paris. He’s Marguerite’s brother and Percy’s brother-in-law. Percy and him are closer than brothers and it shows. He comes in, begging for help, pleading that Percy help him. He tells them that he’s a wanted man, that he’s wanted because he’s counter-revolutionist. He details for them what is actually going on in France, what the Reign of Terror actually is, and tells them why he must fight it. Everyone but Percy is shocked into silence. He leaps at this chance. They’ve always prided themselves on their hunting skills, but what game is left for them to hunt? This is something that could excite him, something to get the blood pumping back through his veins. They’ll make a game of it, whoever can save the most aristocrats from the guillotine and smuggle them out of Paris, wins. Some of the men are appalled at first but it doesn’t take Percy much work to convince everyone of it.

Percy’s cover-up story to Marguerite is that he is going away for a week, to visit his old friends the St Cyrs, who live in northern France. He has Armand come to his room later and draw him a map of Paris, detailing where the prisons are and the easiest way to get to and from them. He has so much to tell Percy, he gets excited and starts speaking French and before he can explain himself, Marguerite enters and ushers him out. She takes Percy to bed and apologizes for the way she behaved, forcing him into a party he didn’t want. It’s just that they haven’t known each other long enough, quite simply, and this is the first tragedy they’ve gone through together. They’re still learning about each other. Percy would forgive her if he felt she needed to be forgiven.

Crossing the Channel on The Day Dream, Percy’s schooner, Percy is talking to Farleigh, his oldest friend. He doesn’t like the guilt he’s feeling over having lied to Marguerite about why he’s going to France. He doesn’t ever want to do that.

Chauvelin and his men sift through the remains of Armand’s office, searching for anything that might lead to the capture of Armand and his band of counter-revolutionists. They find nothing. They’re about to leave when Chauvelin spies an old, torn poster from a play the theatre put on years ago. At the forefront of the poster is Marguerite, who had the starring role. Chauvelin looks at the poster and wonders aloud whatever happened to Marguerite, and someone, one of his subordinates, says she married “some Englishman.”

A little German woman rambles through the streets of Paris in rickety wooden cart. She has stringy, greasy grey hair, a lumpy nose and a wart high on her right cheek from which two black hairs sprout out of. As she passes a prison, French soldiers commandeer her wagon. They don’t kick her out, so she sits in the passenger seat and watches as the Frenchmen dump her cargo out onto the street and then fill her wagon with aristocrats from the prison. The French soldiers then drive the cart to the city centre, to the Plaza of Execution. The aristocratic family (an old man, and old woman, and their young children) are led to the guillotine and beheaded, much to the delight of the crowd. The German woman is sickened. She pushes her way to the crowd, falls into the gutter, and vomits. After which, she wipes her mouth, which bumps her nose loose, which falls into the gutter – revealing that the German woman is, in fact, Percy. He spots a paddy wagon filled with more condemned people and steals it while no-one’s looking. He takes it out into the countryside and frees the people. He leaves a note, signed with a sketch of a pimpernel, saying that these few are but the first.

The Committee of Surveillance, overseen by FOUCQUIER-TINVILLE, BIBOT, DANTON, TALLIEN, and COLLOT D’HERBOIS, was set up to be the new (if not temporary) government to replace the royal regime. They give Chauvelin the charge of going to England and rooting out this man who freed the condemned. Chauvelin asks how they know it was an Englishman who did this. They tell him that at a particular prison, this Englishman simply walked in and demanded the prisoners, and he was given them. Chauvelin understands, and swears that as he won’t have any authority to arrest “the Pimpernel” in England, he will kill him.

Back in England, Marguerite sneaks into Armand’s room, finds his ledger, flips through it, and copies an address out of it. Armand comes in just as she’s finished and wonders what she was doing. He suspects the worst. The St Cyrs’ address is at the top of the open page.

Percy and his men meet at The Fisherman’s Rest to find out who won their wager. Tony is absolutely ecstatic about how he just walked into a prison and requested the prisoners and the soldiers handed them over. Percy wins, but takes no pride in his victory. Instead, he declares it was for this he was born and that his life now has a purpose. He will use what he has to save as many innocents as he can. Maybe then he can escape the memory of his disapproving father and prove to himself that he is someone he can be proud of.

Armand, praying that he’s wrong but ultimately suspecting his sister to be a spy, goes to Marguerite and tries to ascertain her political allegiance but leaves the meeting unsatisfied.

Chauvelin goes down to the port on the coast of France and discovers there’s only one ship heading to England in the time frame he needs: The Day Dream. He finds the owner of the ship, Percy, and requests passage. Percy, thinking Chauvelin looks familiar but not knowing who he is or what his purpose in England is, agrees. On the trip over to England, Percy and Chauvelin talk and Percy finds out that Chauvelin is looking for “this pimpernel fellow.” When Chauvelin asks what Percy and his friends were doing in France, Tony panics and blurts out “Frou-frou!”

Marguerite meets the men at the dock. Armand confides in Percy his doubts and fears about Marguerite. Percy blows off Armand and his fears just in time to hear Marguerite invite Chauvelin to stay with them. Armand looks at Percy, silently saying, “See?”

The head of the French revolution, the Committee of Surveillance, have a letter that discloses the whereabouts of the St Cyrs, a family that is not only aristocratic, but is involved with counter-revolutionary groups. They have this letter thanks to a spy in England.

Percy is bubbling over with excitement like a kid at Christmas. He tells Armand he’s going to do this. He’s going to commit his every resource to this cause for as long as he can, for as long as he has breath in his lungs.

Over breakfast the following morning, Percy and Marguerite get into an argument over the French Revolution. Marguerite supports it, though she admits that it has gotten a little out of hand. Percy, having seen the horrors (but not being able to reveal that), has to rely on his having grown up a noble as to why he’s completely against it. Needless to say, he leaves breakfast fearing that Armand might be right. Marguerite might be a spy for the fledgling, forming French government.

Anthony and Llewellyn hold a pre-marital party. Percy convinces Chauvelin to come, who is openly reluctant, as the Prince of Wales will be there, and he knows his political views will not be appreciated – though he secretly wants and needs to go, so that he might catch a lead on the Pimpernel.

Before the party begins, Percy catches word that the St Cyrs were found, arrested, and executed. All evidence suggests that Marguerite is working as a spy for the new French government, which breaks Percy’s heart. He sends word forward to his friends that there is a spy amongst them and they must continue playing the game, they can admit nothing. They must play the role of fashion-conscious fops. He confronts Marguerite and wants to believe her when she swears she had no idea that the black book of Armand’s was a list of addresses for families in hiding, but he can’t.

At the party, Percy and his men form the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel, swearing to use their goods and abilities to help the innocent people of France. They also commit to doing whatever it takes to create dual identities for themselves, to throw Chauvelin and any spies far off their trail.

Percy kicks the party off loudly, making himself the center of attention. He quickly introduces Chauvelin to the PRINCE OF WALES, putting “Chauvy” on the spot and not leaving until he makes it as awkward for Chauvelin as possible. Percy is the life of the party, cracking jokes and laughing constantly. But it’s all an act. An act that is very hard for Percy to play. When no-one is looking, he’s just about in tears.

The Scarlet Pimpernel is a wave that crashes across all of Europe. Everyone’s talking about him. Everyone’s asking questions, who is he? What is he? Why is he? Rescue after rescue, the talk of him grows. The rescues are becoming more and more daring. The more daring the rescues become, the more foppish Percy and his men become – which truly begins to confuse Marguerite. This is not the man she married. She confronts him, but he blows her off.

Percy and his men unite to rescue the Marceaus, large family that was recently condemned by the Committee of Surveillance. It’s a rescue that ends with Percy leading the family through the sewers of Paris by torchlight and doubting that he can continue doing this.

Fearing that the English royalty, in wanting to sever any ties with the French Revolution, will close down the English ports and cease all travel to France, Percy and his men recruit the Prince of Wales – not to be a part of the League, but to be part of their foppish circle. They need him encouraging their trips to France for “frou-frou.”

At a party Percy throws at his estate, he is reveling and having an absolutely wonderful time. But Marguerite is not amused. She pulls Percy aside and confronts him. He blows up at her, saying she has to accept the fact that they hardly knew each other when they married. The fact of the matter is, he’s feeling betrayed by her and doesn’t trust her, he just can’t tell her that. And when she looks at him, she sees a man who is 180 degrees away from the man she married. They part ways, both on the brink of tears. The prince, at dinner, asks “who is this blasted Pimpernel?” Percy, with a laugh and a flourish recites his little Pimpernel poem (“they seek him here, they seek him there, those Frenchies seek him everywhere. Is he in Heaven? Or is he in Hell? That demned elusive Pimpernel.”).

Llewellyn finds Marguerite crying in a pantry and comforts her. But Marguerite cannot stand the life that she has found herself in. So, in so many words, if Percy is going to “play this game,” she will too. She finds Chauvelin, who details to Marguerite why he’s in England. Marguerite decides to help Chauvelin discover who the Pimpernel is, as it will fill the need of purpose and excitement that is now missing in her life.

Percy notes to Marguerite that he noticed her and Chauvelin spending time together during the party. Marguerite hopes Percy’s jealous, but he’s not. At least, that’s how he’s acting.

Chauvelin reveals to his superiors that he knows who the Pimpernel is, but has to wait until the Pimpernel is back on French soil before he can arrest him. That, and he wants the Pimpernel to be absolutely devastated when he’s led to the guillotine, to believe that he was betrayed by his beloved.

Marguerite begins asking questions, trying to piece together who the Pimpernel is, but to little avail. Meanwhile, her marriage is just about in shambles. Percy and her are no longer sharing a bed.

Chauvelin makes it known to Percy and Armand that they’ve arrested every leader of every counter-revolutionist group in Paris. He revels in it.

Percy dashes out of the manor, not telling anyone where he’s going. Armand notices his absence and wonders what’s going on. He asks around, no-one knows. He finds Chauvelin drunk in the kitchen, who’s celebrating “the capture of the Scarlet Pimpernel.” He laughs at how Percy tried to fool everyone with his fop act, but he saw through it. Armand races out of the kitchen, in a blind panic . . . which is exactly what Chauvelin predicted.

Marguerite bumps into Percy in the hall, who has returned from Anthony’s, having calmed “Tony’s pre-wedding cold feet.”

Chauvelin announces that he’s leaving for France, as he has a date with the Scarlet Pimpernel. He expresses disappointment that he discovered who the Pimpernel was before Marguerite, being as obvious as it was. Marguerite is confounded. Chauvelin laughs, telling her it was her brother. “Of course it’s Armand!” he says. “It makes perfect sense!” This is what Chauvelin actually believes. He baited Armand with the lie that he believed Percy was the Pimpernel and that he was racing off to a trap.

Marguerite begs Percy for help in finding who the Pimpernel is. Percy laughs at her, asking why she would think he would know who he is. Marguerite insists it’s a matter of life or death. Percy reluctantly agrees to help. He’ll poke around at the engagement party tonight.

At the party, the Pimpernel meets Marguerite on the bridge in the back. He stays behind her the entire time, speaking with a thick Irish accent and pressing a knife to her throat. She tells him everything he wants to know. He asks about Armand, Chauvelin, and why he should trust her. He’s rough with her until she reveals the misunderstanding with the letter to the St Cyrs. Marguerite startles Percy as he’s leaving and he accidentally drops his knife and leaves it as he flees into the night. Percy finds his men in the party and tells them they must leave at dawn for France. Marguerite picks up the knife the Pimpernel dropped. It’s a letter opener and it has a large scarlet pimpernel on the hilt. Her jaw drops. She races into the party, screaming for Percy. But he’s gone.

She gets back to Blakeney Manor, but he’s not there either. She goes into his study and finds everything. Maps, notes, routes, and the very large picture of Percy’s father looking down on her, with the family crest at each corner – the scarlet pimpernel.

Percy and his men break into the Bastille to rescue Armand, but his cell is empty. It’s a trap that Percy, Farleigh, and Andrew find themselves caught in. Farleigh is shot dead, despite Percy trying to keep him from fighting.

In Versailles, Percy, Anthony, and Armand are tied to chairs. They sit before what remains of the Committee of Surveillance. Chauvelin is there. They get in a fight over who’s the Pimpernel, and Chauvelin says it doesn’t really matter, they have him, whoever he is. Just pick one. Then Marguerite appears, having taken a secret passage into the room and announces that she is the Scarlet Pimpernel. But then she shoots Tinville, and things get very, very serious.

Percy, Marguerite, Anthony, and Armand try to escape Versailles. They are separated when Chauvelin and Percy begin dueling. Marguerite, Anthony, and Armand run into a group of guards and a brawl breaks out. They fight their way out of Versailles but Percy isn’t so lucky. He’s stabbed in the back by Marat and finds himself captured all over again.

Percy finds himself in a stinking jail. He has resigned himself to the death that faces him the next day. Inasmuch he doesn’t want to die, he would much rather die for something than of something. Chauvelin comes in and the two share a moment of mutual respect and disdain.

The next morning, Percy is led to the guillotine. A large crowd has gathered to see the execution of this criminal. He is laid on the bed of the guillotine’s bed, only he’s laid on his back, that he might see the blade coming. Time seems to stop. The blade is released and begins to fall, but the blade never completes its fall. An explosion rocks the city centre and the guillotine blade is shattered by a cannonball that lodges itself into a townhouse, much to the embarrassment of the Prince of Wales, who is still holding the punk and standing over the cannon. Percy sits up as splinters from the guillotine rain down around him. The crowd disperses in a blind panic. Marguerite pushes her way through the crowd and climbs the scaffolding. She hugs Percy tight, they laugh, kiss passionately, and leap into the carriage Anthony’s driving and narrowly escape the French soldiers. The whole lot of them ride off into the horizon, catching The Day Dream back to England and no doubt for further adventures.

Shame On Me (or is it Shame On You?)

2010-10-01T22:21:00.007-04:00

Dear Hollywood,

I am done with your "true story behind the legend" movies. The moment I see those words on your poster or hear those words in your trailer is the last moment I'll give any thought or consideration to whatever movie you're advertising.

At first it seemed like an interesting idea: We all know the legend of ____. But what's the true story behind that legend? Let's tell that story! I'll admit it, even typing those words, I'm filled with a little bit of excitement and curiosity. After all, it worked for Batman Begins, didn't it? We had never actually seen the story of how Bruce Wayne became Batman. Up until BB, we had never actually seen a Bruce Wayne movie. What a novel idea (and what a great movie)!

"What other stories/legends can we give this treatment to?" I'm sure you asked yourself. "King Arthur," someone must have said. It's amazing how quickly you can go from "brilliant" to "just awful" on the idea scale.

King Arthur without Excalibur? Arthur without Merlin? No Green Knight, no Holy Grail, no Camelot? Strip all the magic away and all you have is a king who doesn't like sharp furniture. It just doesn't work. King Arthur had a wonderful cast, but there was just nothing special about it. In my perfect world, that cast would reunite and tell the Arthur story properly.

This idea, of re-imagining a story, actually worked with Troy. It might not be the best movie, it might falter for other reasons, but that story actually can be told without the gods. You want to know a story that can't be told without the gods? Hercules. But perhaps the most epic failure, and the reason for this open letter, is Ridley Scott's perplexing Robin Hood.

If there's a character from folklore that deserves to have his own franchise, it's Robin Hood. If there's a hero people could rally behind right now, it's Robin Hood. If there's a hero that is nearly impossible to get wrong, it's Robin Hood.

Robin Hood has been told a thousand different ways. My personal favorite remains Disney's 1973 animated Robin Hood. But there are general plot points that remain the same:

King Richard is off fighting the Crusades.
Prince John is trying to usurp the throne.
He is raising the taxes on everybody and really making life miserable.
The Sheriff of Nottingham is John's right-hand man.
Robin Hood steals from the rich and gives to the poor. And he's a damn fine archer.
Maid Marion loves Robin. Robin loves Marion. But she is royalty. It is a forbidden love.

There are other details (Sherwood Forest, the Merry Men), but they are more negotiable. How simple and beautiful is that? Can you imagine how that story would play in today's economy? People would go absolutely nuts for it! A vigilante who steals the taxes back from the government and returns to those who need it?

It doesn't need reinterpreting. It doesn't need re-imagining. It's a rollicking adventure. It doesn't have things that are so outrageous that they couldn't happen in real life (unlike the Arthur legend). Bill him as the original caped crusader and you'll make back your budget opening weekend. Which brings us to the movie Ridley Scott brought us.

I love Ridley Scott. I love Russell Crowe. I love Cate Blanchett. I was very excited when I heard that awesome triumvirate was bringing us a Robin Hood movie. I mean no offense to any of them, because it's obvious they're trying really hard to make a good movie. There's so much good stuff on screen, in fact, that the only people I can blame are the people who were behind the scenes. Someone, or a group of someones, decided they didn't want to make a Robin Hood movie. Because this was not Robin Hood.

Robin Hood stands up for the oppressed. He fights evil. This Robin desserts the army as soon as his king's dead and then wanders through the next two hours of movie with no motivation to do anything ever again. Why does he stay with the Loxlies? Why does he pretend to be the man's son? Does no-one know what the son actually looks like? The only time he does something for the good of England is when he gives his Magna Carta speech. It's all very Libertarian of him, but what is Robin Hood doing giving rousing political speeches?

Yes, the supporting characters are here. There's Tuck, Alan, Will Scarlet, Little John, the Sheriff, and Prince John. But they could be anybody. They have so little to do in the movie that it's actually kind of awkward and weird knowing that these people are supposed to be important.

Who's idea was it to end the movie with a recreation of Saving Private Ryan? Who didn't do their research to know those kinds of boats didn't exist for another 800 years? Who puts Robin Hood in armor, gives him an axe, and sends him into battle? Robin should be holding a bow and maybe a sword. The battle should be small and personal, not big and sprawling.

There are so many built-in parallels and themes that are relevant today that you don't need to add more. Yet you do. You add a very heavy-handed war with France that the country of England is not behind, but the king wants it, so what can we do?

It was just so disappointing. I really wish this had been Kingdom of Heaven 2. I wish this had been about Balian returning home from the Crusades and finding his home ravaged with infighting and injustice. And instead of retiring to his castle, like he could, he gets involved and fights for the oppressed. It could have been nearly the same script. And it would have given you the freedom to do whatever you want with the character, instead of feeling like you had to pay homage to the legend every other scene. Because with this Robin Hood, nothing works.

The historical accuracy holds the legend back and the legend holds the history lesson back. They cripple each other to such a degree that all we're left with is a very neutered movie that isn't even entertaining unto itself, let alone as a prequel to one of the greatest folklore tales of all time.

It isn't fun. It isn't clever. It really . . . isn't anything.

It would be like telling the story of Bruce Wayne before his parents died. It would just be about him at prep school, hanging out with his friends. He's eight years old, a little moody, but a pretty decent kid. Stuff happens, but nothing too terrible. I mean, his parents don't die or anything.

Sure, you could tell that story, but why should you? Who would be interested in that?

Or maybe this Robin Hood is more like making the movie Dead Poets Society and calling it Bruce Wayne. The story has nothing to do with Batman but you're using the Bruce Wayne name because it's familiar enough to attract people to the theater.

So, I end this letter a little less angry but a little more confused. Should I be angry with myself, for falling for another marketing ploy, or should I be angry with you, for giving me something different than what you sold me?

Grr,

Scott

The Dream Job

2010-09-29T20:27:00.001-04:00

I just realized what my dream job is: Working at the BBC. Doing anything, really. I'd love to write for a show, preferably one involving time travelling in-name-only medical staff. But I'll take anything.

Tone

2010-09-27T00:05:00.002-04:00

Tone is killing me.

I can't find the bloody tone of Season 2. I pendulum between light, snappy, and snarky and dark, morose, and reflective. I feel like the truest tone for the events depicted would be darker and more reflective. But the more fun, the more entertaining would be lighter and snappier.

Is there a tone somewhere in the middle of these that would allow for a little fun in these dark times?

If there is, I can't find it. I'm re-writing episodes on a nearly daily basis and the tone of the episode changes drastically depending on how I feel that day. I need to settle on something and just go with it.

Freddie, Please

2010-09-26T21:38:00.003-04:00

So I had this idea today.

I was driving home from work and listening to Derek Webb's Stockholm Syndrome album and was struck with a very clear vision of what would make a fantastic music video. Sadly, I'm in no place to be making music videos for other people's music, but I thought I'd post the lyrics to the song, a link to the song, and then describe for you what I would do, should I ever be trusted with the responsibility of bringing the song to life in the form of music video.

The song is "Freddie, Please." An acoustic rendition of it, along with a full description of what inspired the song, can be found on YouTube. The short version is that Derek wrote a song that imagines what Jesus might say to Pastor Fred Phelps, should the two ever come face-to-face.

So here's my take on the song. It's a very slow song, almost dream-like. Derek describes it as a 50's doo-wop ballad.

It would begin with a montage of news coverage of the Westboro Baptist Church. We see them picketing soldiers' funerals, we see them picketing gay rights rallies, we see them picketing Comic Con -- it's a strange mixed bag of venom, hate, and bile. Through this montage, we have an actor who would be playing Fred Phelps. He begins spewing hatred from the pulpit, trying to rally people to his side. When his congregation takes up his cause, he stands back and watches with a pleased smile.

This is where the song would begin. As the music fades in and the chaos fades out, Fred would find himself suddenly alone, in a dream-like place filled with smoke and fog. He's confused, disorientated. Suddenly a voice sings out:

Freddie, please . . . how could you do this to me?

How could you tell me you love me when you hate me?

Freddie, please!

The voice has no body. Freddie spins around, searching for he who is singing at him. But no-one can be seen. He closes his eyes, hoping and praying that this dream ends. With his eyes closed, he doesn't see the fog lift. But then he hears a voice. It's his own. He opens his eyes and finds himself at a soldier's funeral.

You know I love you honey,

But I'll bleed you dry with money . . .

Freddie sees the flag-draped coffin pass by him. He sees the soldier's comrades trying not to cry. He sees the soldier's family, a devastated mess of tears. Then, across the street . . .

I'll talk where I know you can hear . . .

Freddie sees himself, with a bullhorn, blasting the congregation as it passes by. His angry army surrounds him, with every vile sign you can imagine being brandished over their heads.

'Cause Freddie can't you see?

Brother, you're the one who's queer!

Freddie hears the words and he's repulsed. He's about to turn away when the entire congregation stops what it's doing. Everyone stares at him in hurt, angry, stony silence. The words of the song have become their own personal anthem.

Freddie, please . . . how could you do this to me?

How could you tell me you love me when you hate me?

Freddie, please!

It's completely black. Early morning sunlight streams through a rectangular doorway as a massive round stone is rolled away. Through the doorway we see the silhouette of a man walking out into the light. It's Jesus. He basks in the new morning's sun for a moment, but only for a moment, as he's greeted by picketers. They yell and scream at him. They throw rocks at him, and Jesus does his best to defend himself with his nail-scarred hands.

The stone's been rolled away . . .

And you're picketing my grave for loving the things you hate . . .

But why do you see the living among the dead?

Freddie, in a very Scrooge-like manner, stumbles back into the fog and smoke. He denies this is true. He tries to deny everything, but then he stumbles into someone. He turns to see who he's run into. It's Jesus. And it's Jesus who has been singing to Freddie all along. Freddie reaches for Jesus, but he's just out of reach.

Freddie, please . . . how could you do this to me?

How could you tell me you love me when you hate me?

Freddie, please!

A stage appears and Jesus, in white and blue, takes the lead microphone. He finishes the song in a very doo-wop sort of fashion, backed by every type of person Freddie has ever protested, hurt, or maligned. It's a strange sight, to be sure. But it somehow fits the dream-like quality of everything else he's seen and the fact that these words are coming from Jesus' lips is the most disturbing part of it all.

Freddie, please . . .

How could you do this to me?

Behind Freddie is the entire world and Freddie finds himself stripped to his essence. Everyone, including himself, sees him for the sham he is. Everyone sees how he's misrepresented everything he says he stands for. Everyone sees how he's not been speaking the words of God, but the hate-filled words of the devil. In fact, Freddie sees the devil to his right, applauding him magnificently.

How can you tell them you love me when you hate me?

Freddie, please!

When you hate me, Freddie, please!

The fog begins to swirl and the world goes away. The devil is covered up. The stage and Jesus disappear. Freddie, shaken to his core, is left alone. The fog lifts and Freddie is in his church, in the middle of the aisle, completely alone.

When you hate me, Freddie, please!

The songs ends and we're left in an eerie silence as we're also left to hope that this experience will have some sort of lasting effect on the angry old man.