Eibon Films - News

I just bought a couple of sets of these 100 Record cards.

When I revise for things I tend to try and condense everything into tiny bite-sized chunks of information and cram as many notes as I can onto these cards; as I believe the act of writing something down helps me remember things. Repetition is key. Not losing them is also key. Getting them cheap is recommended. To me, these ones that already come with a ring binder are a brilliant and simple yet effective idea!

When I am writing in an ‘old school’ fashion, needing to hide away from my machine and the evil lure of the unfiltered Web, I often break my scenes or plot points down on Index Cards. then, in trying to follow Syd Field, or Blake Snyder, I attach them to my corkboard in order to visualise all of the elements of my story and then see if I need to reorder them in order to shake things up and keep the structure fresh.

Obviously using software tools like Final Draft, Celtx or Scrivener I can do this virtually without a need to kill a tree or needing to be wary of battery power or being near a plug socket. But sometimes that tactile element is incredibly important - to move something and be able to still see the entire structure in one go, and not have to keep scrolling. Currently no software package can do that for you. It’s old school brainstorming or mind mapping.

With these great cards you can carry them around, make oodles of notes and do some healthy planning and then later if you need to take the binder away and start arranging them on your carpet floor or stick them to your corkboard. Pin them to the 4 corners of your mind and then write!

That reminds me. I have a feature to get back to work on! Soon my board will be full of ideas and not a distracting picture. ;0)

I’ve just stumbled across a very promising innovative finance website which is already being utilised by grass-roots filmmakers - KICKSTARTER (http://www.kickstarter.com/) -  where people post ‘projects’ which contain weblinks and info in order to convince prospective supporters that the venture has worth, and then tracks the amount of money pledged in support, to help realise those projects. It’s basically just like raising sponsorship for running a race for charity - only you, the filmmaker, are the charity.

From the FAQ - “Kickstarter is powered by a unique all-or-nothing funding method where projects must be fully-funded or no money changes hands. … If people want to see a project come to life, they’re going to spread the word…. Project creators keep 100% ownership…. If the project you’re backing is successfully funded, your card will be charged when the project reaches its funding deadline. If the project does not reach its funding goal, your card is never charged. … it’s up to the project creator to create, price, and fulfill their rewards.” The only downside appears to be having to do it through Amazon.

It obviously requires more research. But the possibilities are quite attractive for serious ventures. Check out the blog for more info on the kind of projects they feature: http://blog.kickstarter.com/

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Yes, I have been quiet for a while. Apologies, working too many hours and not sleeping enough. Disappointing really as I have watched some blinding films recently, that I’d like to mention to you, short mentions / reviews below.

- But hey! The real news is that we have been listed in the TOTAL FILM ‘Movie blogs you might have missed’ listing on page 5! in the horror section. Nice. A little recognition always helps. Thanks very much!

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 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!

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 for IRON MAN 2 looks brilliant. Want!

Check out the official website.

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…

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)

I’ve just been reading about the new offering from Adobe - ‘Story’ - designed to enable Adobe to encroach on the world of writing applications.

You can create Screenplays, Novels, TV Commercials etc, complete with Character Bios, Loglines and genre info etc as very starched and sterile looking ‘projects’. You can import from packages such as MS Word, as well as the usual offenders such as Final Draft and other screenwriting apps.

So far it looks like a very primitive version of something like Celtx and Scrivener, merely dressed in the Adobe CS look-and-feel. However, it’s real strength may be the ability to work online and offline, work collaboratively and benefit from the tight integration with other future Adobe apps - especially any production / breakdown software they might be planning, or OnLocation etc. The ability to share XML and meta data within the rest of the eventual new release of the video production suites, to build the end product, may be the real string in its bow.

It will be interesting to see how much this early version will eventually retail for. Right now you can obviously try it out for free.

Watch the video presentation (19 mins) HERE.

Find out more and download a trial version HERE.