Write alone

Recently, I've been doing a lot of collaborative work. It started with MICHAEL'S RESIGNATION - writing with about 10 others to get a script. In the past few months, I've been writing with Michelle. We found each other through a group on facebook and I think the collaborative work started when we had a teen, supernatural drama idea. I couldn't get along with it, so it became Michelle's project. Then I thought about doing a web show. Michelle and I did that (which developed into a full-blown TV show) then we attacked our current web idea LOL.

A few weeks ago, Gabe Cooper got in touch and asked us to work on a script with him. Complete chance that he happened to think we were the shiniest folks from the MR crew. Don't think he knew we were already writing together.

Anyway, through all this I've noticed how fun it is to work with someone on an idea. Things develop far faster and you're constantly receiving feedback in the form of encouragement and criticism. Also, if both of you think something is a good idea, chances are it is (and vice versa). Two people thinking something is good is twice as good as one right?

If you'd have asked me a year ago (when this screenwriting nonsense started for me) if I'd enjoy working with someone else on a project, I'd probably have said no. I like my ideas to stay my ideas. I don't want them messed up by anyone else. But since they're going to get messed up by directors and producers anyway, why not eh?

Ok, that's a joke, but I now really enjoy working with someone else. On my own, LOL would never have been created. A lot of ideas start and keep going in a certain direction - in your direction. But with someone else on board, there are twice as many ideas. Some stick and some get hurled out of the window and plummet to the ground, smashing into concrete and shattering into a million pieces never to be seen again. I use this overly dramatic metaphor because the ideas that are worth anything hit the ground and don't shatter. They bounce back up, you catch them, then you use them somewhere else. Not every idea suits every project.

But if you're working alone on a project, you don't get this. Instead, you use that idea in the project, write it for hours on end, then realise that it doesn't work. In a collaborative project, I believe that if you really feel strongly about something (like you really, really want that guy to punch Bob in the face rather than kick him) then you should roll with it.

But collaborative writing is a compromising situation. If one person is for and another against and neither of you will budge, then you're at a stand-still. You can't progress until you've sorted it out. I haven't experienced this yet but I expect I will at some point. I like to think that I won't get too attached to any one idea that I'll become all stubborn and such. We shall see...

Having gone through the fun perks of collaborative work, I still enjoy writing on my own. To conceive an idea, develop it, write it and keep writing it is something amazing. I have a few films that I wouldn't let anyone in on. I wouldn't want someone to help me with the project because it's mine. Suppose that can sound really defensive, but sometimes you just want to keep things to yourself.

But never forget to get everyone you know to read through something and give you their feedback. You don't have to take any notice of any of it; just smile and nod. But there's a chance that you're missing something invaluable. Something might not seem right about the idea. And because you're so close to it all, you can't step back and look at it objectively. That's where other writers come in. As I've said before, it's much easier to critique someone else's work than your own. Miles easier!

Anyway, this was supposed to be a short post that basically asked this question -

Do you prefer to write alone or with a writing partner?

I'll put this question at the side. I'm really interested in what people think, so do vote!

Later fellow writers and people with real jobs,
Neil.

MR DVD poster

Here's the mock-up poster of MICHAEL'S RESIGNATION for the DVD. Take a look and let me know what you think. Done by a woman called Remy who kicks ass!

Getting things moving

Yesterday, I blogged about all the writing I had to do. That put me in a very good mood for writing, so we can now confirm - lists are good.

I mentioned I was currently editing webisode one of LOL - the web show I'm creating with Michelle. I sat down last night and charged through it (with some beer - just to conform to the cliche of a writer). I'd already made my notes on the script so it was just a case of re-writing it. I changed some dialogue around, cut bits out and changed the ending to add more of a cliffhanger.

I then got an idea for webisode two. I stuck that in a section of the LOL Celtx file then looked at my watch......10pm. Why not? I figured why not write it? I'm one of those people who has two speeds - shit slow and shit off a shovel. I was in the mood so decided the seize the opportunity and have at it.

I started the script and wrote - while shamelessly giggling at my own lines that weren't really that funny. I didn't get that far but I know what will happen in the webisode so the rest should come quite easily.

The file is now in Michelle's hands. She'll read through my edit and notes on webisode one and chances are with one or two more edits, it'll be pretty great (for 13 minutes of screen time). Then we really need to think about the show as a whole - where will it lead? How many webisodes will there be? What will happen in every webisode? What's the series arc? Where will we be at the end of series one?

These are just a few of the questions we need to think about. Only when we're certain of this can we move forward safe in the knowledge that what we're doing is going to work.

Some writers say that they don't plan their work. They just write. It comes naturally and falls out on the page without any planning, as they write. This is all well and good and I understand it - I often have a free-writing exercise and the (limited) material that comes out is pretty good.

But that doesn't work in TV and web shows. If you don't plan, it won't work. Simple as that. In writing a TV episode, you have to know what is going to happen in each act - where are the act-outs going to be? What are they going to be? How will everything be resolved. It really is impossible to free-write an episode of TV.

This doesn't seem to apply as much with web shows. This is because the rules that apply to TV have no place on the internet. It's a new medium. There are no rules; they're still being made. There is no ordered length of a webisode. They say people won't stay tuned in on the internet for more than a few minutes, but as Joss Whedon said; if people are interested, they'll stay watching for as long as it takes for you to tell your story. DR HORRIBLE was about 50 minutes long (in three acts) and it's amazing. So basically, there are no rules. It can be as long as you like and any subject is fair game.

LOL has a very simple premise - two people (one a semi-successful actor, the other a shy, innocent novice) meet on the internet and talk about their art. That's it. Would that work on TV? No. So why would it work on the internet? Well, it's actually about the internet. The viewers will be the sort of person who spends hours browsing youtube (like every hard worker does). They're like our characters - instant relationship and an understanding.

I believe that if we write a good enough show and publicise it effectively, we can get it quite well known on the internet.

It's always good to attack the five W's when doing anything.

WHO is our target audience? - internet users (as discussed above)

WHAT is it about? - people on the internet.

WHERE is it set? - in peoples' bedrooms, in front of their computers.

WHEN will people see it? - weekly / fortnightly

WHY will people watch? - because it's funny and about them - internet users.

HOW will people see it? - it will appear free on youtube. Why wouldn't people watch it?

If you look at the answers above, they all relate to the target audience - which is always a good thing. If you have difficulty answering any of the above questions, something is wrong. Tackle it now! You have a huge problem if you can't answer the 'Why will people watch?' question. It's the most important. No viewers, no show. If you can't come up with a good enough reason for people to tune in, you're fucked basically.

So, this was supposed to be a quick post about LOL....but seemed to turn into some sort of shiny writing article. Hopefully doesn't sound too bad. Anyway, I look forward to getting Michelle's notes back on LOL and carrying on. And I will get notes - the woman is a sure thing for that! Over 5000 words? Maybe not for this one, but I know she'll present another 50 directions LOL can go in and everything will be made ten times better.

Happy writing, people.

First thing's first.

Howdy probable readers. Been a bit quiet and lazy on the blogging front recently. There's a good reason for this - I've been pretty gorram busy! Thought I'd list the things I've got going at the moment for three reasons:

1) It lets me moan. Show the sympathy people.
2) It'll help me organise and prioritise.
3) It'll become a blog post. Ha!

So here we go. Besides the normal things like uni and work, these are the writing projects I've got going:

• LOL - the web show that Michelle and I are creating. The pilot that Michelle wrote is in my hands and I really need to get it back to her ASAP so we can plan the rest of the series.
• SLAYERS - the TV show pilot I am writing for uni. Have to conform to the course guidelines, even though they're wrong! Annoying.
• DEATH OF A PUPPET - Gabriel's screenplay that could get sent off to a US producer. Michelle and I are giving Gabe a hand on it. I can't work on the story much (because of all this work) but we're planning on splitting the screenwriting between the three of us. Gabe is a realist. He's a good writer and excellent storyteller but he wants to make sure he gets the film just right. Hence asking for our help. I'm amazed at how open he is to our ideas. He has a shiny ability to detach himself from his work and stay focused on the goal.
  
• MICHAEL'S RESIGNATION - we're storming ahead with MR now. There are currently a few....issues that need resolving but worry not - everything is fine. Keeps me busy though with managing the fan group (keeping everyone up to date). Alex has asked me to help direct the action scenes (since I wrote them) so if I can be there for filming, I should be.
• GHOULIES - the original web show Michelle and I created that evolved into a full-blown TV idea.
• FRAMED - the half-hour script I'm trying to write for the Coming Up competition. Need to get it finished and sent off ASAP but not got a first draft yet. It might have to be forgotten with everything else I'm doing. We'll see.
• CHAOS LOST - this is my epic (and gorram complicated film) that Michelle is going to help me plan and write. Taken a bit of a back seat because we're both extremely busy. But as soon as we have one of those 'light bulb' moments, we'll get moving. It's not a project I want to rush.
• EXILE - I've put this off for long enough. This is the first screenplay I wrote nearly a year ago and it hasn't been touched since. It's a terrible first draft and needs to be tackled. Time to bite the bullet.
• VISION - the TV show I'm writing the pilot for. It's not easy and I can see some flaws already. As much as I hate to say it, it might need a lot of work.
• DEAD ALLIANCE - of all the semi-formed ideas and half-written scripts in my 'Writing' folder, I'm confident this is the one to concentrate on. It's unique (I hope) and the first few pages I've written are quite good. Just need to plan the full film and get on with it.

So, not a lot to work with there! As crazy as it seems, I'm loving it. It's driving me mad but I can't work slowly. I can't be happy just doing one thing. I have to be rushed off my feet (and have no time for a social life) to get things done.

If it weren't for the fellow writers out there that are in the same boat and constantly give me support and reassurance, I'd feel all alone and probably end up giving up. Here, I'm talking about Michelle, Gabe, Alex and the rest of the MR crew. I'm lucky to have met them all and grateful they're as crazy and shiny as I am.

Happy writing, people.

Shiny short

I just had to post it once I'd watched it. It's a shiny short film (subtitled) about an ordinary guy who wishes he had superpowers. It makes for great, original, funny and thought-provoking viewing so I strongly suggest you take a look. You won't be disappointed. Enjoy.

Podcasts

I found this shiny blog a while ago - Creative Screenwriting. It's an amazing resource and you can basically listen to hours upon hours of screenwriting podcasts - interviews with the world's top writers.

The latest one is from WATCHMEN, interviewing David Hayter and Alex Tse. If you want to learn about screenwriting, this is a great resource. Or if you just care about a particular film, check it out. You can't go wrong.

Check it out here.

Say hello to your fatal flaw

The Unknown Screenwriter posted a blog recently about Hamartia - or a character's fatal flaw - and it makes interesting reading.

If you don't know what hamartia is (and I wouldn't if I hadn't studied Ancient Greek literature at school), it's basically a term coined by Aristotle meaning a character's fatal or tragic flaw. Good examples can be seen in Shakespeare's 'Othello' - Othello's fatal flaw is that he is far too rash and impulsive. He doesn't step back and think about things. As a result, he believes Iago's lies and kills Desdemona. It's important to note that these often appear in tragedies, what with the fatal flaw often resulting in the character's death.

A good example in film is DEATH OF A SALESMAN (ok, so that was a play first). In DEATH OF A SALESMAN, Willy Loman's fatal flaw is that he is too proud. He won't let himself accept that he's crap at his job. As a result, he kills himself.

The Unknown Screenwriter does a good job of explaining all about it and how it can help with character development. I suggest you check it out here.

Editing a script

Taking a leaf out of Michelle's post about starting a script, I've decided to talk about the process of editing a script. It's not something I've ever done before. I've read plenty of scripts but never have I felt in a position to edit them; how could I ever make them better? The people writing these scripts know a hell of a lot more about writing than I do. I've also read some friends' scripts and given feedback on them. But I've never had any investment in the project, so it's not something I've attempted.

This week, Michelle wrote and sent me the first webisode of our drama. It's the first draft, it's not amazing. But it is bloody good. It is what I thought it would be; it's exactly what we conceived, so that's all good. But alas it's not perfect - nothing ever is.

I sat down for 2 hours to read and edit Michelle's 13 page script this afternoon. That's right - 2 hours!!! A lot of that is because we have this very complicated formatting system. We have to know what the cameras are doing and it has to be clear to the actors how we want it edited (because that is something they would be doing - assuming everything goes to plan).

Aside from formatting, there are a few story points I'd looked at (mostly to do with the shift in transitions etc). But the biggest edit - as with any script - is the excess. When you write a script and read it back (entering that second draft stage), it's practically impossible to cut things. But when you have something that you haven't written, you're coming to it with a fresh set of eyes - and a special pen with four different colours!

I've scribbled all over the print-out - it looks like a complete mess to everyone but me. But once I stick that in the script, it should all become clear. Hopefully Michelle will agree with most of the edits, but we shall see. It's a collaborative project and not an easy one at all.

Fingers crossed to this shiny web show, people!

Stand ye not alone...

For uni, I recently had to read a bunch of shiny extracts from some poets. This is one of the good things that come studying English - sometimes you happen across some gold. I couldn't not write these quotes down. They're referring to the French Revolution and are pretty impressive. So here we go:

RICHARD PRICE

[...] the dominion of kings changed for the dominion of laws, and the dominion of priests giving way to the dominion of reason and conscience.

Be encouraged, all ye friends of freedom, and writers in its defence! The times are auspicious. Your labours have not been in vain. Behold kingdoms admonished by you, starting from sleep, breaking their fetters, and claiming justice from their oppressors!

Tremble all ye oppressors of the world! Take warning all ye supporters of slavish governments and slavish hierarchies [...] You cannot now hold the world in darkness. Struggle no longer against increasing light and liberality. Restore to mankind their rights, and consent to the correction of abuses, before they and you are destroyed together.

EDMUND BURKE

[...] this persecuted woman had but just time to fly almost naked and, through ways unknown to the murderers, had escaped to seek refuge at the feet of a King and husband not secure of his own life for a moment.

[...] were then forced to abandon the sanctuary of the most splendid palace in the world, which they left swimming in blood, polluted by massacre and strewed with scattered limbs and mutilated carcasses.

I will write

I was thinking the other day about the films I'd like to make. I often watch a movie and think "shit, wish I'd have written that". Now there is such a thing as stealing an idea. If you've been up to date on my blogging of late you'll have noticed my fascination with the shiny WATCHMEN, so if I were to write a film about a time when superheros are outlawed, then one is killed and there's a blue naked guy and Jeffrey Dean Morgan in a funny mask and a BLOODY TIGER.....erm.....where was I? Ah yes - so if I were to write a film like that, a few people may notice something wrong.

So rule 1 - never blog about the film you're going to rip off. "What, you mean there's already a film about a time travelling cybernetic organism (not robot) who is trying to kill the future saviour of mankind before he's even born? THERE'S THREE?! No, I swear to god I've never heard of that Arnold Sch...what's his name again?"

That's a joke by the way. No laughs? Getting bored? Ok, on with the bloginess.

So here's a list of films - or types of films - I would one day like to make:

• A Western - I have a small idea but nothing original. One day my friends, one day.
• A space adventure - in the works, but hasn't been touched in months.
• A zombie film - got a TV show in the early stages and I did have a film idea, but it's died.
• A superhero movie - now as much as I'd like to write a full-on geek fest, I won't. It's going to be a film that will (hopefully) make THE PUNISHER and WATCHMEN look like Saturday morning cartoons.
• A "I'm an ex-military guy, don't fuck with me" movie - there are lots around, one of the best being TAKEN. Fuck with a guy's family, bring the thunder!
• A whodunit mystery - Gruff cop, witty sidekick.
• A martial arts action epic - pull no punches (pun intended), all-out, unrealistic taekwondo, kung fu, ninjitsu, tai chi action.
• A high adventure - stick me in a mythical, magical world with orcs, wizards, unicorns and possibly a Conan-esque character - film writes itself.
• A great kids' animation - something fun but with unpatronising action. For the kids, but a guilty pleasure for the tall folk.
• A tragedy - I have a very private idea in mind. Basically, I'll take aspects of my life and turn them into a full blown tragedy.
• A classical piece - I know a lot about the ancient world (Greeks and Romans) as well as the Vikings. Might as well put it to good use.
• Ancient gods, modern world - need I say more?
  

So.....not much there then. Delusions of grandeur I hear you say? Nonsense. If you don't try, you'll never know. If any of those are still not ticked off when I die, consider me an "unfinished business" ghost.

Shiny writing.

Poll results - Oscar winners

A while ago I asked people to vote on a few polls, saying what their shiniest Oscar-winning films were. I also asked what people's favourite comic book movie was (pre-WATCHMEN). So here are the results...

Favourite Oscar winning film of the 1990s:
The winner was FORREST GUMP with 37% of the votes, followed by SCHINDLER'S LIST and TITANIC, both with 25%. Next was AMERICAN BEAUTY with 12%. No other film received any votes.

Favourite Oscar winning film of the 2000s (so far):
Joint winners were LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING and A BEAUTIFUL MIND with 33% each, then CRASH and NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN each with 11%. Nothing else got a vote, not even GLADIATOR!

Favourite comic book movie / saga:
Top of the list was the X-MEN saga with a massive 60%, followed by BATMAN/THE DARK KNIGHT and THE PUNISHER with 20% each. I was shocked that SPIDER-MAN received no votes, but the way comic book movies are mutating, it seems no-one wants that sort of geek fest anymore. I've no doubt that if WATCHMEN had been on the poll, it would have grabbed most of the votes.

Thanks to all those who voted but there is now another poll up for grabs. It's a simple question: will you go and see a TERMINATOR SALVATION, even though there's no Arnie?

WATCHMEN review

DIRECTED BY: Zack Snyder.

SCREENPLAY BY: David Hayter and Alex Tse.

STARRING: Jackie Earle Haley, Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Patrick Wilson.

PLOT: Based on Alan Moore's graphic novel, WATCHMEN is set in an alternate 1980s, where Nixon is still in power and America won the Vietnam war. The Watchmen - a band of masked vigilantes are outlawed, but when team member The Comedian (Morgan) is assassinated, the Watchmen reband to seek revenge before they are all killed.


They said it couldn't be done - turning Alan Moore's graphic novel into a film. I can see why. The source material is rich and visually overwhelming. But they were wrong. The film produces on more than one level.

We open with the ageing Comedian (Morgan) in his place. Suddenly the door is smashed down and the style is set. Instantly we see Zack Snyder's stamp on the film, with trademark slow down then speed up action and brutality. In a short but powerful confrontation, The Comedian is killed. Obviously we sympathise with the brutally murdered hero, but in a series of flashbacks we begin to realise he is all not all he appeared. The effect of this is that you don't know what to think. Should I feel sad about this? Should I be glad that bastard's dead? It's a great trick that echoes throughout the film - are the Watchmen good guys or bad guys? The answer - they're human.....well.....apart from the big naked blue guy.

Speaking of - in this alternate decade, the world's first superhero has been discovered - Dr. Manhattan (Crudup) and he is essentially a god. With the world under threat of nuclear attack from Soviet Russia, Dr. Manhattan is America's best defence (and weapon). Crudup doesn't have much chance to display great acting talent, but what he does is fine.

The real great acting comes from Haley - anti-hero Rorschach and Patrick Wilson - Nite Owl II. To say Haley is covered in a mask for 90% of the film, an incredible amount of emotion is revealed, even when smashing a butcher's knife into someone's skull. And when he is de-masked about half way through, you instantly believe that the weak-looking man is the hard-as-nails vigilante. Wilson provides a fair bit of light comedic relief but also delivers great emotional moments. He's really a character we can relate to.

But for me the Oscar goes to Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Maybe I'm biased because I loved him in SUPERNATURAL, but he's on top form. He does a great job of portraying the Comedian as a bad ass, gun totting warrior with no care for human life. And just when you think you've got him figured out, he starts crying! An excellent performance and I have no doubt that Morgan's phone will be ringing non stop over the next few years.

The script is ambitious to say the least. I'm unsure as to how much is from the original comic (I suspect most of it), but nevertheless, it's a grand story. I was never bored. Probably because I had no idea what was going to happen next. This was done mainly by the fact that we're in an alternate timeline. Anything can happen (including President Nixon's nose growing larger!)

Direction-wise, Snyder has done what's expected - created a visual masterpiece. Tense action, grand landscapes, CGI camera work - it's all there. In 300 (Snyder's other big film, if you've been asleep), this got a little repetitive, but here I was thrilled throughout. None of the sheer brutal action (and believe me - there's some majorly brutal violence) is unjustified. Knees shatter, bones crunch, elbows burst through flesh - you name it, it's there. All justified, all amazingly realistic.
Dialogue-wise, it's smart, witty and insightful. With talk of saving humanity from themselves by killing them and corruption of the system, it's very political. The best line of the movie however, comes from Rorschach (straight from the comic) - "All the whores and politicians will look up and shout 'save us'. And I'll whisper...'no'"

All in all, WATCHMEN is the most ambitious comic book adaptation to date and it delivers on all levels. If I had one problem with the film, it's that bloody tiger! I'm assuming it's from the novel and you'll see what I mean when you watch the movie (which you have to do). There's no reason for that tiger to be there. Fortunately, it's only on screen for about a minute.

It's a must-see for comic book fans and 'normal' folk alike. If you thought THE DARK KNIGHT was a good, powerful movie, you ain't seen nothing yet! Also see if you enjoy looking at a giant blue penis.

VERDICT: X X X X X X X X X X

Check out the trailer here.

WATCHMEN and projects

I'm going to see WATCHMEN on Saturday. There's been a lot of hype about it and I couldn't decide if it was for me. I've never read the comic but I know a bit about it. No doubt the film will be visually stunning and the source material is very political, so should make for shiny viewing. Hopefully it won't disappoint. I'll be posting a review (on the right hand side) after I've seen it.

In other news, MICHAEL'S RESIGNATION has had some more publicity, most notably on the Sky News website. You can read about it here. More and more ideas have been shooting around for publicity and production. We're looking for anyone who has any contacts who could get us cheap equipment (cameras etc) and such. If you have any way of helping us poor Indie film makers, fire me a message at neil.baker@michaelsresignation.com.

I've also been sending a fair few messages to Michelle. A while back, we decided to create a web show. We came up with a great idea, but it got too big for its boots and mutated into a full blown TV show. So this morning I sent a message to Michelle with another idea. It's staying under wraps for the time being, but let's just say it has a better chance of being made than anything we've done before. It's also very, very basic in terms of production and premise. It's in the writing when we see if it will work.

I was surfing TED.com the other day and came across this little gem. It's a talk from J.J. Abrams. He talks about LOST, STAR WARS, JAWS, DIE HARD, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE III, special effects, what comes next in media, anyone can make a movie, creative democracy, the creative process - mystery, it's not what you see, it's what you don't see (been said many times before) and characters. Check it out here.

Also on TED, I was linked to another talk by Stephen Petranek. It's rather funny and very informative. Basically, it's the top 10 ways the world could end. While you may think it's nonsense, it's really, really not. Did you know you have as much chance of dying in a plane crash as you do dying in a meteor crash? I didn't! I love this so much because it provides a great source for screenwriting. Bashing out an apocalyptic film? This is for you! It's all here.

Anyway, there's some interesting stuff for you to get through.

Happy writing!

TERMINATOR SALVATION

So Christian Bale may have been (reported as) a royal tit on the set of TERMINATOR SALVATION, but that doesn't stop him being one hell of an actor. And here we have the latest trailer for the new TERMINATOR film about the future war against the machines. It looks awesome and my only hope is that the special effects don't ruin it. There seems to be a lot in there, but hopefully not too much.

Enjoy the shiny trailer:

Good procrastination

So what do you do when you've got a killer migraine and no energy for university work? Well this is what I seem to do:

• Lie on the bed and not be able to get to sleep.
• Watch the last episode of season 1 of BEING HUMAN on iplayer. It rocks and has the green light for season 2.
• Pull up random writing documents - might as well do something.
• Decide to work on that treatment and scene breakdown for my zombie TV show for uni. Yes, my creative writing piece this semester is a TV pilot about zombies.
• Attack the always enjoyable TV DRAMA document I have flying back and forth with Michelle. Read lots of ideas, send lots back - the usual stuff.
• Attack the secret document from Michelle and send ideas back....
• Wait for the latest episode of WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN to appear on iplayer so I can watch that. Yes, I watch cartoons. Deal with it. If you're thinking what most people are thinking, stop being a writer. Just because something's a cartoon, doesn't mean it can't be shiny and it is!
• Eat, drink, sigh.
• Blog about what to do when you have a migraine.
• Consider writing something about some poor soul with a migraine that develops into insanely cool powers.
• Wander away to see if WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN is up yet.