Vancouver Film School - I Survived TERM 2

Six weeks ago, I said I had been in "heaven" this last six weeks felt more like hell! No, not really but school certainly ramped up... which meant more deadlines and less sleep which resulted in more stress. Hence the moment I stopped this pace, my body decided to crash. C'est la vie.

In Script Genre - Crime we explored Film Noir every week, reading, analyzing and watching such films as:

• Double Indemnity which has the snappiest dialogue, second to His Girl Friday. Recently I had the pleasure of reading Conversations with Wilder by Cameron Crowe, a worthy read if you are a fan like myself.

• Butch Cassidy & The Sun Dance Kid This film's commentary about the fact that nothing stays the same, everything must evolve is expertly written by William Goldman. The fact that our two anti-heros have to die because they refuse to adapt to the new world is a powerful statement. On a personal note, I remember seeing this film with my parents - I was 4 in 1969 and my favorite song that year was most definitely Rain Drops Keep Fallin' On My Head. Funny watching that film now, the romantic sequence where this song was played was the one element that I found could have been edited out of the film because of how it dates it.

• Chinatown - Holy Crap... I haven't seen this film in years and I don't think I actually ever saw the WHOLE thing. It was a great read and even a better view. Every actor was at their peak as far as I can tell. Last thing I'll say is the reveal really "slaps" you in the face ;{

• Goodfellas a Martin Scorsese classic! I loved reading this script it was like reading a novel. His character detail and action description was masterful. Plus the use of double character voice over is so rare the exposition gives us such a great insight into the gangster underworld - loved it.

• Seven which I found brutally disturbing back in 1995 when my then husband dragged me to it because the opening score was done by his then favorite: Nine Inch Nails - which I found at the time just as disturbing (but oddly not so much anymore). That said, the script was an awesome read, a true thriller thru and thru. It was said by my 'in the know' gal pal Laura that this film was ahead of it's time, not getting it's true recognition due to it's violent content. Which when compared to the "Torture Porn" out there today is surprising.

• Pulp Fiction was great to revisit during the popularity rise of Quentin Tarantino due to the current success of Inglorious Bastards. Follow this link (thanks to Miss Barbara) to view a great and insightful and informative interview with QT and Charlie Rose, see quote below...

In Dialogue I really got that my experience in Hospitality & Tourism has afforded me communication skills that I take for granted. In my day job (presently weekend gig) I talk and or listen to people talk - all day, so I did not find this task challenging. Though in the past my fear of writing dialogue was an issue - so it was nice to leap that hurdle.

In TV Spec Script we chose an existing television show that we were familiar with and wrote an episode of our own. The purpose of this is to not chose a show you wish to become a staff writer for, but show that in theory is of the same style of shows you would like to write for. I chose Entourage because it is on HBO and so are the shows I love (in addition to Showtime & AMC and Bravo & Showcase in Canada). TV Spec Scripts are used to demonstrate your writing ability and are an important component of a screenwriters portfolio. The thing I learned about myself here was that I could channel Ari Gold at 2am! It appears that I am just too polite to be that vulgar in the daylight but in the wee hours of the morning it pours out of me - not sure if that is good or bad.

In Basic Tools we developed 3 feature script pitches (1 page ea.), then narrowed those down to 2 outlines (5 pages ea.) and then chose one idea to draft into a treatment (25 pages). A treatment is a mini script without dialogue or directional queues. This was our hardest course to date due to having our treatments workshopped in class. This is an amazing process and at times could be creatively fertile, but it also was an exercise in patience. That said, I think I learned more about myself here than in any other course this term, which was very valuable.

Lastly in Writing for Animation I pitched an Episodic Children's (6-11) Cartoon named Grateful about a Kauaiian Chicken (who else) who was raised by people (giants) in house - as a pet. He looks like a chicken, sounds like a chicken, but doesn't know he's a chicken. He gets accidently left behind when his family moves and quickly learns he does not fit into his new reality - outdoors. He sees thru different eyes and with the coaching of a wise old Pueo (Hawaiian Owl), ends up being a conduit between his two worlds sharing a different perspective that contributes to all. Though it's not easy, he is not always appreciated or accepted by the other chickens who have only ever done things the way things have always been done, hence conflict. They don't trust him because of his fair coloured feathers but in the end when he stops trying to "blend" and is true to himself he gains their respect and becomes a leader within his community and a mentor to younger chickens.