9/12/12

So I know i'm being a pain because I keep switching my blog plans, but this time I am positive with what i'm doing. My goal this month is to finish writing my screenplay, and will hopefully be able to submit it to a contest and get it ready for production as an extra credit project.

I know this should not be a main focus as of now, however, I am debating whether the title of my play will be Blade or Scars. They both fit a major point in my screenplay, so I will have that decided sooner or later.

Today, I re-wrote a huge part of my screenplay. Not huge as in length, but a very important part of the story.

This seen is a flashback between Austin and Dani. Austin feels that Dani has a serious problem that needs to be taken care of. In the process of trying to explain this, he lets something slip out that puts Dani over the edge, and a major strain on their friendship

Austin’s flashback begins. His is sitting on a spinny chair in front of Dani’s bed, while Danny is lying on her bed. Her IPod is playing from a speaker on her dresser which is close to the bed. The song “Fix a Heart” by Demi Lovato just started playing. They are in the middle of a 

disagreement.

Austin: 

Are you sure they might not be something mentally wrong with you Dani? Lately you have just seemed really off.

Dani: 

What are you talking about? This is the first time we have hung out in weeks.

Austin: 

I mean in school.

Dani:

 You barely even talk to me in school.

Austin: 

Well I’ve been paying extra attention. And I talked to Adriana and she said that her brother started out doing the same..                 

Dani: 

Wait (Pause) You told Adriana?

Austin: 

Well  I..

Dani: 

These past couple of weeks when you have been completely ignoring me to be with her, you were telling her things about me?

Austin:

 Dani you scared me when you told me you started cutting.

Dani:

 So rather than talking to me about it, you ignore me for weeks  and talk to a girl who you know I don’t like and doesn’t even know me about my problems?

Austin stays completely silent

Dani:

 I knew it! I knew our whole friendship was a fucking lie! I knew that as soon as we finish talking or hanging out you go talk to Adriana and laugh about how much of a loser I am

Austin: 

Dani, you know that is not true

Dani: 

Oh really? Than what would you call it?

There is a long pause

Austin:

 I never meant to hurt you. You know how much I care about you.

Dani:

 Yeah yeah yeah. I’ve heard it all before. Just go home Austin. Go home, call Adriana, and tell her about how I flipped out on you and how you tried containing your laughter! She’s your best friend right? Go tell her everything!

Austin: 

Dani you know your my best friend don’t even talk like that.

Dani:

 You know you say a lot of things and then you go do the exact opposite. Everyday. You say how I’m your best friend and one of your top priorities and then I’m lucky if I get 2 words from you in school.

Austin: 

Austin: (Takes a deep breath) Dani, you need to just relax.

Dani: 

Oh don’t you dare tell me to fucking relax right now. You betrayed me. You are the one who is always telling me “Don’t tell people your weaknesses,  they will use it against you.” Well I guess you were right. I guess you were talking about yourself the all along.

Austin: 

Okay now you are just being ridiculous!

Dani:

 Am I? Am I really? I confide in this person who is supposedly my “best friend”. I tell him everything. Things that I don’t even want to admit to myself sometimes. And he goes and he tells the one person that hated our friendship from the beginning everything about my problems. So they can use it against me. Together

Austin: 

You know that’s a lie! You know I would never do that to you!

Dani: 

I thought I did, but I guess I don’t really know you. (Pause) I always knew you were two faced, but I never thought you would be that way toward me.

Austin:

 I’ve never been that way toward you.

Dani:

 Right, cause I’m just supposed to believe everything you say?

Austin: 

Yes! I am your best friend!

Dani:

 I’m not so sure anymore.

Austin: 

How can you even say that? After everything we have been through? Aren’t you the one who is always saying that no matter how much someone screws up, if you love them, you can get through anything?

Dani:

 Get out.

Austin: 

(In disbelief) W.. what?

Dani: 

Call your mom to come pick you up. I don't care just leave.

Austin: 

I thought I was sleeping over?

Dani:

 Yeah well things change. (Pause) Goodbye Austin.

Austin: 

I’m not leaving until we…

Dani:

 Just get out! (She throws a pillow at him) Now!

I think that I deserve a 100 for the work I put into my screenplay today. I was very frustrated with a situation, and I put everything I had inside into this scene. Very Cliche, I know. However, it really made me put more depth into the scene and the whole screenplay in general., and I think that the quality of it proves that I spent plenty of time perfecting the scene. I'm not saying I am done with this scene and onto the next one, however I am happy with where it is as of now. I'm not so sure if writing different parts of the screenplay and not going in order is "the right way" to be doing this, but it seems to be working for me.

9/11/12

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvGJDICPDjo&feature=youtu.be
So for my blogs, I have decided to create a vlog for everyday. I will be working on my 2 Shakespeare monologues that are due at the end of the marking level. Ignore the quality of the video for now. It was my first time ever doing that and right now my only option was to use my iPod camera. Not to mention my really bad editing skills.

I feel that the vlog will not only help me with my monologue, but will help me progress with my editing skills. As you can see, right now I probably have the editing skills of a chair.


Grade:100

I feel that I deserve a 100. For starters, I probably spent more time on the editing process than the actual filming of the vlog. My computer is really slow and I have been staring at the screen for about 2 hours now. It took me about a half hour just do film this. I actually had to edit a lot out because half of it was me saying "ummmmm" and drawing a blank.

9/10/12

So i'm not exactly sure which format we agreed on as a class, so until we go over the official rules for blogging THIS year, I guess I will use the formatting from last year.

Anyway, over the past couple of weeks, I have been working on my very first screenplay. After doing Crystal's workshop over the summer, I was inspired. I had (Still have) A writer's block when it comes to my play, and the screenplay ideas have been flowing out so I have been putting my focus onto that.

It is unnamed as of now, but it's about Austin Kratner, a teenage boy, who copes with the suicide of his best friend, Danielle "Dani" Gold.

I have about 13 pages done already, but today, I worked on one of the monologues. I don't know if that is good or bad, but when an idea pops into my head I have to write it, even if it is at the complete end of the story.

In this scene, Austin is finally opening up about what went down minutes before Dani killed herself.

Austin: I stayed in the hallway for a little while to let her cool off. A half hour passed and I thought I would check up on her cause I hadn’t heard her moving around in a while, but when I went to go open the door, it was locked (his eyes tear up) I yelled her name a few times, but there wasn’t an answer. Her mom must have heard me because she came up as soon as I started yelling. She tried getting Dani to open the door, but, nothing. So her dad tried, and after a while we knew something was wrong. He went and got the key to her room and there she was, lying on the bed with blood trickling down her arms, completely unconscious, blade in hand.(Austin begins to cry; Kelly reaches out and grabs his hand) By the time we got to the hospital it was too late. She had lost way too much blood to have a transfusion; her brain was already swelling too much. She died within minutes.

6/14/12

I finished up the storyboard for "Imani Redman's Master Class" today.  However, I am having trouble uploading the pictures. I also spent some time planning out the schedule for our shoot, because the actors need it ASAP. This is what I came up with

1:30- 1:45: Set-up (Everyone)
1:45-1:55- Teacher Scene (Teacher, Imani, Students)
1:55-2:15- Interviews/ Imani's Monologues (Imani, Bri, Vinny, Becca, Colleen
2:15-2:40- Acting Scene (Imani, Bri, Vinny)
2:40- 2:55- Dance Scene (Imani, Becca, Vinny)
2:55- 3:10- Playwriting (Imani, Brett, Colleen)

6/13/12

Today we finally got the final script for "Imani Redman's Master Class" done. Because of that, I was able to begin the storyboard. After seeing Scarlett's storyboards today, I looked at some of the things I was missing such at the dialogue that begins the scene. I also decided that I really need to start attempting to draw complete faces and bodies and not just outlines. So I attempted it and I worked on the first part of the film

I also contacted all of the actors and sent them the script.

6/12/12

For the rest of the year, I have decided to focus on a project in collaboration with Imani and Brett. We have been talking about it for weeks now, and we finally have a script made and I am in the process of creating a storyboard for it. It is a short film called "Imani Redman's Master Class." We decided to create this because of the recent topic of people our age being scammed by agencies who are only interested in our money. Brett is writing the script, I will be filming/directing, and Imani is starring in it as the creator and teacher in the master class. Our cast will also include Vinny Begina, a film student who Imani randomly says will "be a star", Rebecca Bazychek, who will be one of Imani's Dance Students, and Colleen Lezark, who has no background with the arts at all, and is thrown into a playwriting class. We know that they aren't actors, but we purposely did that to get across  the point that we are trying to make. I read Bretts script today, and just gave my notes. I know these are not usually notes that someone should give a writer, but since we were doing this and giving idea's as collaborators, I just added some things I want to change:

-During Me and Vinny's interview, I'd rather do the "Your paying for this too." thing (That was something Brett and I discussed this afternoon)

-The end was pretty much good, but I just wanna change a few of the lines if you don't mind.

Ex:

(Imani is in the middle of screaming at everyone in the class, Mr. Wu opens the door)

Teacher: Imani, what are you doing?

Imani: I was just... ugh...

Teacher: Out.

Imani: What?

Teacher: OUT!

Imani: But this is (Looks into camera) IMANI REDMAN'S MAST..

Teacher: NOW!

6/11/12

Instead of writing one monologue. I have decided to turn it into a web series depending on where it goes.  I am still going to follow the idea of the support group. I want to have at least 4 characters with an eating disorder, and the person who runs the support group. Here are the ideas I have for characters so far:

Girl 1- Has Bulimia Nervosa . Knows that she has to be at the support group and makes the most of her time there
Girl 2-  Over Exercises and  under-eats.  Is convinced she doesn't have a problem and doesn't know why she is being forced to attend the support group.
Girl 3- Has Anorexia Nervosa , and is against the idea of the support group
Girl 4- Has Binge Eating Disorder. Feels she is wasting her time at the group.
Women In Charge of The Group: Is very supportive of the girls and tries to help as best as she can, but secretly suffers from Bulimia.