Thank you Mr Sandman

For centuries, writers have been saying that stories have come to them in their dreams. A lot of Renaissance poets and authors claimed that they dreamt shit up and just wrote it down. This served two purposes:

1. It seemed like their word was stronger - as if the story/poetry came from a higher power and is therefore worth more.
2. If it was crap, boring or disturbing, it wasn't their fault. They only dreamt it. It's not their fault it's a story about rape and suicide!

Anyway, I always thought that was a load of rubbish. I've dreamt up ideas before. For example, last week I found myself walking through uni as usual, when a werewolf attacked. I jumped into action....literally! I leapt over a railing, fell 3 floors and landed all cat-like on the ground. Turns out I was a vampire!

Anyway, this werewolf seemed not to like me (a rip-off of UNDERWORLD, I know). But I was the hero! I charged at the thing, intent on putting this great beast down for good. Then it hit me, slashed my face to ribbons and sent me crashing out of the window. Then I woke up.

So that's an idea right? At the most a scene of sorts. Had the idea of vamps vs werewolves not been done, I'd probably be writing it down right now. I thought that was the limit of dreaming - ideas. After all, it's only the subconscious and no matter what anyone says, you need the conscious to tell a story.

I had a dream last night night that was pretty damn close to being a full film. It was chronological and made sense, as well as being realistic and violent (as always).

Initially, I found myself in SAVING PRIVATE RYAN. There I was, storming Omaha Beach in Normandy with a bunch of Americans. I was running around, not shooting anyone - I was just trying to stay alive.

Note: Little fact for you all - studies show that 85% of WWII soldiers deliberately shot away from the enemy. That's probably why it took so long to win the war. Anyway...

So I'm running for my life in Normandy (following Tom Hanks as he makes his wasyup the beach) when all of a sudden, I'm shot. Right in the stomach. I like to think it was an expert sniper.

Needless to say, I went down and was lying on that beach, screaming like mad along with hundreds of other men. Then the rest of the film unfolded. I'm pretty sure the idea hasn't been done before. I'm not going to retell it all here (I'm paranoid like that). Let's just say there will no doubt be some history buffs who would kill me if they heard what I was going to write.....

Childhood inspiration

I didn't decide to become a screenwriter until just over a year ago but my love of films started in my early years. THE LION KING was always my favourite Disney movies and it still is.

It's undoubtedly a subverted retelling of Shakespeare's Hamlet for children. I remember crying like mad at Mufasa's death. At that moment, Scar was established as the ultimate villain - never had I come across someone so evil that they would do such a thing. The amazing scene where Mufasa desperately battles to save Simba is mind-blowing. And set to Hans Zimmer's monumental score, the scene is one of the best in cinema.

The dark tone of the film is lightened by humour that comes with all Disney films (of the 80s and 90s anyway). Great things like a sarcastic bird voiced by Rowan Atkinson, a hyena voiced by Whoopi Goldberg and two buddy cop-type characters who are in fact a warthog and mere cat. Pure genius.

The brilliance of THE LION KING is the coming of age story. Like all great films, it's about characters. We see Simba run out of his home after the death of Mufasa (note: voiced by James Earl Jones) and become a new person. Scar has Simba believe that Mufasa's death is his own fault. Simba gradually makes friends but ultimately, he's running from his past - he's hiding from it and until he faces what happened, he can't find any sort of resolution.

Meanwhile of course, Scar is acting as pimp to all the lionesses. Despite their declarations that Pride Rock can no longer sustain them, Scar is reluctant to move on. He has his brother's kingdom and he intends to hold onto it.

My favourite part of the film is Simba's return to Pride Rock. He marches back, intent on taking back his kingdom. But once again, his weakness is Scar, who has him believing he is responsible for Mufasa's death. Only when Scar thinks he's won does he utter the words "I killed Mufasa". This gives Simba the determination to fight back.

The climax shows lions and hyenas clashing, as Simba squares off against Scar. It's a monumental battle with slow motion that highlights the power of these two titans.

This film stays in my mind as the ultimate finale. The epic battle and resolution is what makes THE LION KING one of the best films ever! And who doesn't love those songs and kung fu monkey?!

Another Disney film that remains one of my favourite films is BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. It's pure genius to have singing candlesticks et al, but as if that's not enough, the terrifying Beast is what makes the film. I love the scene where the Beast fights off the pack of wolves to save Belle. And the finale is action-packed magic (pun intended). The dark battle between the Beast and Gaston is perfectly balanced with the comical fight within the castle between idiotic villagers and household furniture. Again, the songs are just awesome right?

ALADDIN is the third Disney film that's a huge inspiration to me. It's the ultimate underdog story. Comedy from the great Robin Williams is what balances out the dark finale. What's better than the evil Jafar shape-shifting from Snake, to sorcerer, to genie as he battles our hero?! I always wanted to be Aladdin as a kid and to be honest, I still do; let's face it, Jasmine is hot! How old was she again....?

The first film I saw at the cinema was JURASSIC PARK. I remember a lot of things - not having a clue how the dinosaurs were there (and not caring), constantly reminding myself how to survive a T-Rex attack (stay still) and those bloody raptors!

I both loved and hated the velociraptors. Being a young boy of 5, I loved what they could do but I was also terrified. To this day, if I saw a raptor staring at me down the hall, I would be utterly terrified! Who the hell wouldn't?!

The great thing about JURASSIC PARK is that it's not just filled with dinosaurs that appeal to kids; it's also littered with clever adult material. The ethical considerations of bringing back an extinct species are always voiced by Ian Malcolm: "The lack of humility before nature that's being displayed here, uh... staggers me." "What you call discovery, I call the rape of the natural world."

JURASSIC PARK will always be one of my favourite movies. I loved it so much at the cinema that I spent the next decade dead set on the idea of becoming an archaeologist. I was fascinated by dinosaurs and still am.

Since I can't find any decent footage of the raptors, I leave you with the beautiful work from Hans Zimmer in THE LION KING. Enjoy:

Rules of action

Here's a very interesting article about the rules of an action movie by Shane Black, writer of classic films such as LETHAL WEAPON, LAST ACTION HERO and THE LAST BOY SCOUT. Needless to say, the guy knows his action and every single point he makes it valid.

The action should always go hand in hand with the story so it's all invisibly interconnected.

Basically, the action needs to be justified. You can't just have violence for the sake of violence. The best sort of action has an impact on the character (and as a result; the audience). If it directly affects the life of the characters, it's more powerful.

That's how moments of drama unfold in real life. Quickly, spontaneously and with no warning. That's how they should be in action films, too. Violence and action should suddenly punctuate perfectly normal circumstances.

Great moments like having a guy walk down the street, then get hit by a car out of nowhere. But as Black says, too much of that can be a bad thing - it gets boring.

I always have humour in my action movies. I think characters that make jokes under fire are more real. It somehow helps put you in their shoes.

I don't think he's talking about Arnie one-liners here, but more about using humour to show how the characters react. In tense situation, a lot of people use humour to break the ice and such. So it makes sense they'll do the same in a tense situation like a gun fight.

Action sequences need this constant reversal of fortune. Like where the hero kills a snake but in the process opens a cupboard that's filled with a hundred more snakes.

Deus ex machina (Latin for "god from the machine") is a famous screenwriting term. It's where the hero is saved by an unfair source. Back in Ancient Greek comedies, the gods would appear at the end and fix everyones' problems. If that happens in a film, the audience feels cheated - the hero hasn't earned their happy ending. Do the opposite - have luck (or that higher power) mess with the hero. If luck, chance and the gods themselves are against him, there's more tension.

If someone fires a gun in a movie, it should always be a big deal [...] You need shock and impact and a genuine sense of peril whenever violence takes place. It can't just be a crazy circus with no jeopardy.

If you show the impact a gunshot has on a character early on, when your hero is shot, the audience knows it's serious. It's always fun to see a few shots being fired right next to someone's face too. So close that the heat from the bullet scares the shit out of them! They crap themselves, panic and....huzzah! You have tension!

Read the article in full here - it's a must for anyone even considering writing an action film.

TERMINATOR SALVATION results

Last month, I asked people if they would go and see TERMINATOR SALVATION, despite the fact that there is no Arnold Schwarzenegger. At the beginning of the poll, I got a little worried, with everyone saying they wouldn't see it. But soon film lovers overtook Arnie lovers (I admit I am both).

64% of people said they would go and see SALVATION and 36% said they wouldn't. I understand the love of Arnie in a TERMINATOR movie and initially I was dead set against the idea. But then I thought about how different this movie could be - it's set in the future. So the battles, the tone, the flow of the movie will be different. That's why it has the potential to work without Arnie. I say potential...

That's because I recently came across an article all about why TERMINATOR SALVATION is a crap movie. Most people probably know that the original script was centered around Marcus Wright, who - looking at the trailers - appear to be an Infiltrator of sorts. He seems to think he is human when in actual fact, he's a machine. In this original version of the film, John Connor took a back seat and only had a few minutes' screen time.

Then director McG approached Christian Bale, who had his heart set on the role of Connor. And from that moment, the film was changed. Connor was drastically thrown into the movie with no real consequence and Sam Worthington took up the role of Marcus. Here's a segment from the article in question, entitled "What went wrong with Terminator Salvation?" Obviously, there are major spoilers:

Bale's desire to star as John Connor was probably the most fatal blow to the film; it completely distorted the shape of the story as it existed. But the other fatal blow came from the internet. When the original ending of the script leaked [...] people went crazy. On the surface it seemed like a major slap in the face of the franchise, and doubly so on paper.

Read in full

So if you add this to the general poor reception of the film, it looks like it's going to be a complete flop. Hope that hasn't deterred anyone from spending obscene amounts of money on tickets, popcorn and coke. I'm still going to go for one reason - I love THE TERMINATOR and always will. While RISE OF THE MACHINES was an embarrassing mess, JUDGEMENT DAY is one of the best action films ever made.

TERMINATOR SALVATION comes out on 3rd June over here. Until then, take a look at the extended trailer:

Character Intros

One of the most important parts of a film is the introduction of your main character(s). These are the people we'll be following throughout the entire movie so it's important that they make a good impression. Actually, not always a good one, but an impression nevertheless. I thought I'd take a look at what I consider to be good introductions to characters.

Character intros should do two things:

1. Show something about your character
2. Show where they fit in the world (or where they don't fit.)
   

I'll start with BLADE. The intro to our third favourite vampire slayer (after Buffy and Faith!) ticks both of the above 'requirements'. See for yourself:



We learn a lot about Blade from this segment. We learn that he's a vampire hunter and that he fights like a machine - he's a hero. At the same time, we learn where he fits in the world - the vampires hate him! Clearly, they're vampires and he's a vampire hunter. But do we learn exactly what Blade is? Do we know at this point that he is in fact a dhampir (half vamp, half human)? The vamps refer to him as "Daywalker" which is one hint, but is there anything else? Clearly he's strong but it's possible he's still human.

That's the key - we learn something about our lead character but not everything. Obviously, if we did, there would be no point in the rest of the movie.

X-MEN holds another good example of a character intro. I can't find a clip but we meet Wolverine in a cage fight. One guy is dragged out, beaten and possibly dead. The announcer talks about the sheer wonder that is this unknown fighter. Then someone stands up to face him. After taking a few hits, Logan has had enough. He smashes fists with the other fighter, breaking the guy's hand. This shows something about our character - who he is - he's not quite right.

Wolverine then promptly KOs the guy with a tiny headbutt. Again, we learn something - Logan's skeleton is something we haven't seen before. Then the announcer reveals who this guy is - Wolverine. Next, we cut to Logan at the bar. After hearing a news report on mutants, we have a strong suspicion that he's one himself. Now we're learning where he fits in the world - he's a mutant and therefore hated. He doesn't belong. To drive this message home, the humiliated fighter from earlier picks another fight, whispering the worlds "I know what you are."

In a flash of action, Wolverine's claws appear and he nearly kills the guy. Again, more info about the character. We now know - he's a mutant, he's strong, he doesn't die easily and he has a short temper. Not bad for an intro.

The intro to DONNIE DARKO is also interesting. We join our lead character asleep in the middle of the road as the sun comes up. This both says something about the character (he sleepwalks) and shows where he fits - he's literally an outcast - he is on the outskirts of town, asleep to the world. It also shows a clever bit of foreshadowing for later on in the movie. The film is a textbook on foreshadowing as it is.

A few others I could mention - PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN, END OF DAYS, INDIANA JONES, A BEAUTIFUL MIND, FIGHT CLUB. If you can think of any other great character intros, let me know.

Happy writing.

Update - MR, music, action directing

If you're a regular reader of my blog, you'll know it's odd for me to leave it this long between posts. The plan was to post part 2 of my planning of SURVIVAL film idea. But I haven't got any further with it since the last blog. It's on the to-do list.

I've been spending most of my time watching every action scene I can get my hands on to see how they're shot. This should help me next month when I assist Kris McManus in directing the MR massacre scenes. I came across some very well directed work and also some that was horrible.

In one fan film (that will remain nameless), there was a rather good piece of action. The choreography, acting, stunts and tension were all great. But the direction was horrible. In the space of 5 seconds, there were 8 cuts (I'm not exaggerating). This seemed like an attempt to show the chaos of the action but it didn't work. Instead, it threw me completely. I couldn't grasp what was going on and instantly detached me from the action. I became very aware that this wasn't real.

The best way to learn this sort of thing is to watch and do. So on the MR set, I'll be watching Kris like a hawk, learning everything I can. Kris has done action before so he knows what he's doing. A year ago I wasn't interested in directing at all but now I really want to. I know my limits - I know I'm nowhere near ready to direct a feature film. But hopefully MR will give me some experience. And hopefully I'll have a more solid directing role in the later films.

I've said time and time again that AIDAN'S DARKEST SERMON is my favourite of the Multivalence projects - the story is incredibly powerful and I just connected. I found it incredibly easy to write the scenes I wrote. I would love to direct that film, even though it would probably give me nightmares!

I sent out a message to the fan group this week detailing the future projects we have planned. Here are the details:

SALVATION FOR APRIL
The second film in the Multivalence series, this tells the story of a self-obsessed fashionista who finally loses the styling boutique she has been using to fund her lavish lifestyle. In desperation, she tries to kill herself but is unexpectedly rescued by the tramp she abuses every day. After waking up in hospital and learning he is gravely ill, she embarks on a desperate race across London to find him and save his life in return, and in doing so, sets off a chain reaction of events that forever changes the lives of everyone around her.

AIDAN'S DARKEST SERMON
A self-righteous judgemental middle class pastor loses control after being told his church-owned home is to be sold. Falling off the wagon, he drunkenly rapes a local prostitute whom he despises in a fit of rage. After she tries to blackmail him, his true murderous nature emerges as he finds a new chaotic way to preach his beliefs. A deadly game of cat and mouse begins as he tries to cover his tracks before the most consequential Sunday sermon of his life.

FORSAKING GRACE
The fourth film in the series tells the story of a forensic biologist whose department is likely to be closed down. She is forced to confront her past when the love of her love who abandoned her turns up out of the blue on her doorstep the very same day as her boyfriend proposes to her, forcing her to re-think everything she knows as her ordered life is turned upside down.

EMPIRE OF ASH
Distraught with grief and desperate for vengeance, the workaholic owner of a chain of debt collection agencies (booming from the surge in repayment problems due to the credit crunch) orchestrates a mass execution of a local gang after his grandmother is killed As he struggles to control the uncontrollable ripple effects of his campaign of violence, he is unwittingly thrust into a dark and twisted game of human chess played by wealthy evil men.

Films 6 and 7 are yet to be confirmed and all of the above is subject to change.

I've also been checking out some of the music we have in store for MR. Chris Gorman is an unsigned master of music. You can listen to some of his material on Myspace and I strongly suggest you do - the vocals, lyrics and instrumentals are all mind blowing. The track we're planning on using for MR is "Snow". You can listen to 9 of his tracks here. They're a perfect blend of acoustic, piano and rock. My personal favourites are "Snow" and "Battlefield". Let me know what you think.