When a Part of You Goes Missing, Where Do You Look?

Over the last few days I have been grappling with a rather disturbing problem. The scariest part of it is that the problem only exists within the confines of my own head. At the end of last week just after I shot a scene from the script I am writing to experiment with editing, I felt very yucky. After a lie down I felt a lot better but there was something wrong. I was unable to visualize anything in the way of shots or camera moves. Nothing. It was like some force just reached down and took my entire movie making section from my brain.

I have been thinking about the problem for days and it came to a serious head last night when I watched Independence Day, one of my favourite films. I wanted to watch the film and then take in the Special Material including discussions with the director, Roland Emmerich. Usually when I watch movies I am thinking about loads of things, the directing, acting, production design, scripting and most of all the editing. Last night while watching ID4 I couldn’t do it. I wasn’t thinking about camera positions or “I wonder how many takes it took to get that…” When I watched interviews that showed the director directing material that would usually excite me and make me want to direct, I felt nothing.

Becoming quite worried about what seemed to be a serious mental blockage to all creativity regarding film I started considering my options. I started to wonder if directing / producing / editing films was what I wanted to do. How can I do it if the skill has disappeared? I finally got myself together enough to discuss the problem with my brother and according to him, the solution is simple.

It seems that I have been over working my brain. The constant bombardment of studying film and production has left me weary and “running on empty.” My brother told me that what I need, and need badly is to take a break from my indulgence in the study of film and try and recoup some of my energy. He said this problem happens to him and is normal. I have never felt as useless as I have done in the last few days. Thank god my writing skills have not been totally disabled.

Following my brother’s advice I have made the following decision. I am not going to read about, engage in or view any films for study until next Monday. I am attempting a full restart of my brain and its creative properties and hopefully this time next week I will be able to look back on this situation and laugh.

So where am I looking for the part inside that has gone missing? The answer is that I am not looking for it but I believe it will come back to me on its own after I have recharged my batteries a little. I am most interested to hear what my readers think of this and if anyone else has experienced this phenomenon. How did you deal with it?

Help! I Need Some Staff for a Film I Am Producing!

The Project: “Sever” (Working Title)                         
Genre: Thriller / Horror
Director / Producer: Sebastian Prooth
Production Status: In Pre-Production

As many of you know I am very interested in being a Director of films. I have tried my hand at stories and scripts and have not been bad at the writing of them but had a huge problem with actually finishing the stories. I decided to give myself a leg up and get a complete script to adapt and then produce as a film. 

About 8 months ago I was interviewing Neil Dixon, now head Talent Management for Podshow, UK, I knew him as the head of Britcaster.  Neil told me he was writing a film script for a competition and had to have it done about 72 hours later. I can’t remember the exact circumstances the whys and hows but Neil and I ended up going over the script together that evening on Skype. I described how I would, as a director, show the scenes he was writing about. It was fun and I was digging the story.

I called Neil the other day to talk to him a little about the script a horror picture called “Sever.” I asked him what he thought of me producing the film. He was all for it and gave me the script with his blessing to do with it what I please. He is also interested to see the final result, as I am I am not too big to admit.

The purpose of this whole dreary tale is to say that I would like to start pre-production on this film as soon as possible and I would like to take on some support staff. This film is a first time director, with most likely little to no financing. The work by cast and crew will go unpaid, except the credit of creating the picture.  I need some willing, responsible and committed people to help me re-write, plan, and execute the production of this picture.

If you are interested please send me an email telling me why you think you would be right for the following positions:

Writer, Story Consultant, Researcher, Artist (Storyboard and Conceptual), Production Designer, Technical Consultant and other positions / roles you think you can offer to a small budget production.

I will make the script as it is now available to anyone who shows genuine interest in helping.  This is a great opportunity for younger writers, artists, designers to pitch in and if all goes as planned get noticed for their great work.

If you’re interested email me with those details and we will get the ball running. Again I am looking for both experienced and non-experienced personnel. It could be you.  Feel free to comment here or email me about the production.

First Contact with a Star Trek TNG Script

TEASER

INT. ALIEN MEDICAL FACILITY – CORRIDOR – DAY

CLOSE ON a wide sliding door opening… TWO MALCORIAN medical technicians rush someone on a gurney through the doors and into a small room crowed with medical equipment for emergency trauma care. The level of the technology is approximately mid 21^st century Earth with just enough differences that this is an alien world. There are two treatment beds/tables, Cabinets, and trays with medical instruments, and a display for reading scans. The Malcorians are humanoid with a slight difference in facial features…their hands are shaped like mittens without fingers (If this is a difficult makeup job they can all wear gloves)

There is a sense of urgency as the technicians rush the gurney into the Emergency Room…two young Malcorian physicians NILREM (male) and TAVA (female) quickly move equipment and get a table ready for the incoming patient. Throughout the following scene, we should NOT SEE the face of the man lying on the gurney, but he is in a Malcorian civilian garb, and has a large bandage on his head. We may notice that he does wear gloves (mittens) on his hands. They have the gurney in position and the technicians help move the victim off the gurney and onto the table.

NILREM

Ready…Lift!

They all lift and move the victim on the table. The medical technicians now move away and EXIT.

(Continued)

 

This is not the beginning of the latest episode of a hospital trauma TV series, although it certainly has the feel of an emergency room/casualty situation! This is the first few words from a Star Trek the Next Generation script that arrived in my mail box the other day. The episode is in Star Trek TNG’s fourth season and is entitled “First Contact” not to be confused with Star Trek – First Contact the feature film involving the TNG cast fighting the Borg from 1996. The script in my hand is rough and used, with the date NOVEMBER 28^th 1990 stamped at the bottom, the name of the person who the script is to be issued to labeled on the upper right. A couple of other unusual things you will find on the front cover of this script that you won’t on the actors’ copies are – stunt replacements for the actors who will need to be doubled, their rates for the day. That’s right, stunts; this is the script for the stunt-coordinator of the episode, my friend, Dennis Madalone.

I knew I would be receiving a shooting script from Star Trek TNG as Dennis and I had discussed it in our many conversations over the last month. I had no idea which one I would be receiving and was very excited when the other day the package arrived; I tore it open with the anticipation of a seven year old on Christmas Day and to my pleasure discovered this script. Complete with the dog-eared feel of a manuscript that has been used for the sole purpose of producing a TV show, with no thought of it ever falling into the hands of a fan. In fact, Paramount make allowances for such an eventuality with the following statement inside the front cover:

“THE WRITING CREDITS MAY NOT BE FINAL AND SHOULD NOT BE USED FOR PULICITY OR ADVERTISING PURIPOSED WITHOUT FIRST CHECKING WITH THE TELEVISION LEGAL DEPARTMENT.

Copyright 1990 Paramount Picture Corporation. All Rights Reserved. This script is not for publication or reproduction. No one is authorized to dispose of same. If lost or destroyed, please notify the Script Department.”

As it is near to sixteen years since the date this script was issued, and I know the person to whom it was issued, I see no harm in discussing and quoting from the original piece. It should be said at this point I have checked eBay for other scripts being sold and they appear to be mostly copies and spares, I did not see any from the production crew, labeled as with one is.

I started to read the script as soon as I opened it. I noticed immediately, as my memory for these things is generally very reliable, that it was very different from the version that ended up on the television screen. I hunted through my personal libraries and drew my own copy of the episode to compare to the script. I opened the script and began to watch and read.

The scenes played out with the same feeling that the script gave, I know from my other Star Trek books and my years of interest that script writers put words like “med-tech” in where the technical consultants would come up with an alien of the week medical gadget name or medicine. The appearance of “med-tech” in this script tells me this was not the version taken to the set for the actors, but a version prior to the consultants culling.

I was excited to see use of writer’s lingo such as “Columbo moment” and “oh shit look” when referring to Commander Riker’s expression when the aliens we come to know as Malcorians discover that he is not of their world. As I said the general feel and dialogue that appears in the episode is in the script, but it is not identical, nor can one expect it to be.

I continued to watch the episode with the aid of the script and couldn’t stop marveling on how the script really does tell the STORY of the episode I couldn’t help but notice how short the episode really is. I had finished in forty-four minutes. The story came together. Captain Picard managed to convince the Chancellor of the Malcorians that he could be trusted and should release Commander Riker. A portion of the story that talks about the fear of the new “threat” from the Starfleet ship, plays out with Krola, the Minister of Security going as far as to force the Chancellor to dis-regard progress in favor of the more traditional ways of life.

The episode drives home the Star Trek ethic of always telling the truth and the Enterprise leaves orbit at the end with Riker safe. Krola, the Minister of Security has recovered. Mirasta, the Malcorian Space Administrator fulfils her childhood dream of voyaging into space and remains onboard the Enterprise when they leave orbit. If you are interested in knowing something specific about this episode of Star Trek you are quite welcome to email me and ask.