Flasher than flash fiction - I never thought it was possible to write a story in the limited number of characters that one Twitter post allows you; that is until I finally decided to try Twitter and then stumbled across Sean Hill’s Twitter Profile Very Short Stories aka http://www.very-short-story.com/. (more…)
Indiewire and Bartlett’s Screenwriting Tips (via John Horn) had the scoop - that Paramount, inspired by their success with PARANORMAL ACTIVITY, the film “with a production budget of $15,000… one of the most profitable films in Hollywood history“, will not only pick up the filmmaker’s next film AREA 51; they are apparently keen on setting up a new arm for movies budgeted at less than $100,000.
“The as-yet-unnamed division’s initial plan is to finance as many as 20 “micro-budget” movies annually starting in 2010, Adam Goodman, president of Paramount’s film group, said Thursday.”
The best ones will most likely be given a theatrical exhibition in theaters equipped to show digital movies, enabling a lower cost distribution model than the expense of producing multiple film prints; and marketed without costly television commercials, print ads etc, instead relying on word-of-mouth. At the moment one will assume that the new initiative will be aimed at established talent, but there’s no reason why more breakthrough talent can’t make it. So dust off those Micro budget ideas folks!
I hope you all have a very special holiday!
Dan O’Bannon - ALIEN scribe is dead. The World should definitely mourn the loss of one artist. 
Until I started teaching myself about screenwriting, he was just a name on a poster. I mean I didn’t even really realise that people wrote screenplays; before I was first told that in order to make a film I needed a screenplay. I mean you just went to the cinema and the films just magically happen. Right? They all just show up on set and make it up as they go along. Right? At least that is what Hollywood often wants us to believe, with the cult of the Director and the purported talent of certain actors. God forbid, the stories are crafted by artisans…
I knew he had something to do with ALIEN and RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD, DARK STAR and LIFEFORCE but I had no clue as to what contribution he made, or how much of a difference he made; how significant was he?
And then one day I read the screenplay to ALIEN. For me it was a life changing experience. I can’t really describe it, but the economic, unflowery and effective prose really spoke to me. Again, I wasn’t sure who (of all of the people involved in that screenplay) really was responsible, but I took notice and I read a few more screenplays that he had a hand in. Each one, was its own piece of work, but each had a unique power and economy that really spoke to me, even if the end film didn’t really have the same effect. Inspired by that, by the power of his prose, I tore the hell out of two feature screenplays trying to cut each one down to its purest and most economic form. But they were pale imitations at best, when compared to this man’s work. It is something I find myself continually revisiting and constantly chasing - an elusive muse.
It will be a crime if others do not mourn his passing. I know I have lost an unofficial mentor. I will still revisit his scripts and chase a fraction of their power.
Alma from Rodrigo Blaas.
Thanks to the amazing THIS MAKES MY DAY blog for spotting this.
The new trailer on Yahoo Movies of the remake of George Romero’s THE CRAZIES. 
Normally when faced with such a remake I would simply ask “Why?” This time I don’t need to. I already know why. Hollywood has run out of ideas and needs to find a new corpse to flog.
At least this time they have picked a film that is in need of a remake.
The original is good. I even have it in my collection. But it is not great. There was always something lacking as part of the film experience. It has a brilliant core concept. As a piece of propaganda is has a powerful message. And yet it lacks that thing that makes me want to watch it again any time soon.
The trailer for the new version clearly has the missing horror watch-me-again element; the scares, the atmosphere etc. The question is, have they managed to retain the other elements and not f it up??? We’ll just have to wait and see…
DEXTER SERIES 4 - the plot twist in the finale - is an epic FAIL! It does’t work and is so flawed with logic holes. It just feels shoehorned onto the end and totally ruins the otherwise perfect denouement. I won’t debate it here, in case people haven’t yet seen it. But right now I am livid! Grrrr!
It is such a shame, as the rest of the series was actually quite strong…. and it appears that I am not alone - although no one has obviously stated the central flaw in the fairytale ending.
Okay.. if you want to read it…. then READ MORE below… (more…)
No reason… just because… ;0)
Have you signed up for Script Frenzy?
Yes that’s right, I’ve barely finished Nanowrimo and now I have signed up for Script Frenzy and I am considering attempting writing 100 pages in 30 days. I already have three scripts competing for my loving attention during that month; jostling for first place.
I must be mad! I know I’m not drunk… not yet anyway, but I am working on it. ;0)
