Video: SPLATTER

Let's get dirty with a little video!

Working methods: PUSH AND PULL

Here's another little tool for your writer's toolbox; a friend of mine had read my novel and we met at a cafe to discuss it. After some constructive overall feedback, we started to talk about the characters, their wants and needs and what pulls them toward and away from their goal. My friend grabbed a free postcard off a rack and did a little doodle on the back. It looked like this:

We made a postcard for each character (I made a very ambitious mistake of having no less than five main characters for my first novel) noting their goal in life (upper right), and what - or who - pushes them towards that goal (top) or pulls them away from it (bottom). The postcards work great as a visual reminder, and it helps to focus the conflicts in the story. And build conflict!

And that, my friends, is what storytelling is all about.

Thanks to Richard Georg Engström for this visual aide.

Work in progress: EATING AN ELEPHANT - PART III

Eating an Elephant, part III

This is the last part of my elephant series. Be sure to check out part I and part II.

After my art is "inked", I go back to the computer, scanning my pages and adjusting the contrast, so the lines are clear. I then put photos in for backgrounds wherever I need them. As a rule, I use a maximum of 3 photos per page, so it doesn’t get out of hand. I tone down these backgrounds as well, 20-30 percent opacity is enough. And then I print it out again.

The final page is colored in Ecoline watercolors, almost only using grey with a little bit of yellow in it. After scanning the pages (again!), I bring out elements or tweak the colors in Photoshop.

And that’s what the final art looks like. 120 pages to do that way.

It’s like eating an elephant. One bite at a time…

On the move: MOVIE BUSINESS MEET AND GREET

I attended the annual(?) Fiction Day at the Danish Film Institute (DFI) yesterday. A long, exhausting day of panels, discussions and talks from some of the people who call the shots in Danish film. As you may know, the arts are heavily subsidized in Denmark, making it almost impossible to get funding for a movie unless you can persuade DFI that it's a good idea. So hoping gain some insight in how all this works I went, with an open mind and not many expectations.

The theme of the day was "audience", what they want, how to meet them, the value of screenings etc. I saw clips from upcoming movies, learnt a bit about the different funding systems and chatted with old friends and new contacts. There were some interesting discussions about movies for the Young Adult audience and a meet & greet with a panel of average moviegoers.

The highlight of the day for me was definetely the debate with Drive director Nicholas Winding Refn, where he talked about his working methods and his experiences in the movie business - both in Denmark and abroad. I even got to ask him about his crime fascination (of which he claimed he had none) at the Q&A afterwards. I was excited to learn about his next movie Only God Forgives, that he just finished filming in Thailand and that he is set to direct a remake of the 70's scifi Logan's Run - both with Ryan Gosling on board.

The day ended with a screening of Thomas Vinterberg's latest movie Jagten/The Hunt, a return to familiar territory for the director who broke in with Festen/The Celebration in 1998. The Hunt was a moody, claustrophic and deeply depressing movie, about a Kindergarten teacher who is accused of sexually abusing a young girl. While the story certainly had relevance, it failed to convince me entirely. The reactions of the characters seemed contrived, the protagonist too inactive, and the opportunity to create suspense (did he do it?) was sadly missed. Excellent acting aside, I will not be recommending The Hunt, unless you like to see innocent people being harrased while all their friends turn against them for no good reason.

Film School Confidential: THE 8 SEQUENCE APPROACH

Well, I wasn't physically assaulted on the last day of the semester at Film School. But I sure felt like a punching bag, pitching my story to a teacher who was shaking his head and saying "No. No. No".

At the National Film School of Denmark they teach the three act structure, as a rule. There are many examples of films that break the rule, even good ones. But the three acts are like a conversation. You always start with "Hello", never "Goodbye". People would think you were crazy.

The three acts (beginning, middle, end) can be split into 8 sequences, each 12-15 minutes in length. Acts 1 and 3 are two sequences long, act 2 is four. The sequences are labeled and described as follows:

Sequence 1: Presentation
Who, what, where, why. We are introduced to the genre, the world and our protagonist, the mood is set. There is a scene that creates sympathy for the protagonist. We see them act in a competent way or be subjected to injustice. We should start the sequence with something interesting, something that makes the audience look up from their popcorn. And the sequence ends with the point of attack, where we first learn of the conflict the movie is going to be all about.

Sequence 2: Big Opportunity or Big Problem
Something comes crashing into our protagonist's life, changing whatever plans he had for himself. What looks like a gift is really a disaster, and vice versa. In Jaws, the shark is a disaster turned gift, because it turns the protagonist into a hero in the end, and helps him deal with his fears. The opportunity/problem comes in the shape of plot point 1, also referred to as the first turning point. The sequence ends, like most scenes and scenes, with a plan. The protagonist knows what to do, and is either afraid or looking forward. We understand the consequences of the turning point. The we break into act 2, beginning with:

Sequence 3: The Easy Way
Entering a new world in act 2, our protagonist still falls back on what usually works. He stays within the law, he tries to get help from the police or his friends. He fails, and by the end of this sequence, we know that the problem is bigger than first anticipated. And most likely, the problem got bigger from our hero trying to solve it!

Sequence 4: The Hard Way
OK, that didn't work. Guess I'll have to deal with this s##t myself. Will it work? No, then the movie would be over. We've only just reached the middle or the point of no return (PoNR). Now there is no going home. Where the first half of the movie dealt with the conflict in a professional manner, now it must become personal.

Sequence 5: Sequence of Love or The Cat's Out of the Bag
If our hero was hurt in the PoNR, now would be a good time for nursing and recouperating before the final battle. Either that or at least now you know what you're up against, what is going on. In Alien, they are searching the spaceship for the small creature that erupted from John Hurt's chest - in the 5th sequence, they know it has turned into this huge monster.

Sequence 6: All Is Lost or Top of the World
This is where you set up the ending. If it's a happy ending, at this point it looks like all is lost. If it's a tragedy, everything looks to be going just great. Plot point 2 or the second turning point occurs here.
Oftentimes the quest now looks impossible, it's over, we're dead. But in the complete disaster lies also the key to the resoultion. The second turning point should be like an explosion, catapulting the story in to act 3.

Sequence 7: False Resolution
It could end here. It doesn't. In Seven, the killer walks in to the police station, turning himself in (the second turning point). It could end with them all driving into the desert to find the last two bodies. But the show is by no means over.

Sequence 8: Resolution
The resolution should be a reversal of the false resolution. The protagonist must use what he has learned during the story arch in order to succeed. And when he's done that, he must say whatever it is he has been unable to say before the point of attack. It doesn't have to be an "I love you", it can be symbolic or more subtle. In Heat, McCauley reaches out his hand to Vincent Hanna in the end. Had he been able to do that in the beginning, no movie!

I tried applying the 8 sequences to my story, and I thought I had it nailed. Not quite. I didn't agree with every bit of input I got from our teacher, but my presentation sequence was definetely clunky. Specifically I was told never to introduce a protagonist in a static scene, and never in a crowd. "Suppose someone else in that crowd is more interesting than your hero?"

Ouch.

Today I rearranged my beginning, setting up my story and presentation in a much stronger fashion. I'm sure it will be changed many times over, but right now, I'm feeling pretty good about it.

Thanks to Lars Detlefsen for shaking his head and for sharing his insights on storytelling. It is much appreciated.

Film School Confidential: HOW THE DIRECTOR WORKS

Another intense week at film school almost over. Hopefully I won't get punched in the nuts today!

For the past three days we have been in sessions with director Kaspar Munk, who is educated at the alternative Danish film school Super16. We watched two of his shorter works, both coming-of-age films with more sensory images and silence than I'm used to. We also read the script for Munk's first feature film Hold om mig/ Embrace Me, and later met the writer after seeing the finished film. It was very educational for understanding the differences between what needs to be on the page, and what needs to be on the screen. The writer, Jannik Tai Mosholt, told us of the origins for the script (a true event involving a bullying incident turned simulated gang rape in a classroom, where the victim commited suicide), how the project got greenlit, and what it was like working with the director. Having read the script it was really interesting to see just how much had ended up on the cutting room floor - and understanding why.

Munk talked in great detail about moviemaking as a collaborative effort and the difference between scripts and films, and about feeling almost claustrophobic in the tight schedule (and budget) neccesary when filming a feature film in Denmark. He has tried experimenting with a more improvised approach, creating scenes out of the moment occuring between young actors in a certain location, mood before plot. And interesting enough, some of these scenes reach a higher level of poetry than it is possible to conjure up in a script.

We also managed to get some writing done this week. First, a little 1-hour exercise where we had to come up with a scene based on an event in our own life - an almost group therapy like session. The next day, we had to write an alternative ending for the movie we just watched (Embrace Me). A courageous move on both Munk and Mosholt's part, as they had to sit through a reading and discuss the vastly different takes on what was their movie. I think for the first time ever, I wrote a happy ending! It was sappy, sure, but it wasn't half bad. These writing exercises often leave me with a feeling like I'm in a race, watching the other cars zoom by, and I don't know when I've crossed the finish line. Maybe the rest of the gang feels the same way, who knows.

Yesterday's fun began with watching the pilot for Munk's next feature, followed by the actual finished film; a low budget teen drama, done in the same multiplot fashion as Embrace Me, but with a much lighter tone. You & Me Forever was both funny and touching, moody and poetic, gritty and realistic, very much in eye level with the teenagers it portrayed. Those of us who have daughters were somewhat shaken by the subject matter, but for me it was highly inspirational, as I just pitched and sold a teen novel with a female protagonist. When the movie hits theatres in August, you can decide for yourself. If you live in Denmark, that is.

Our final exercise with Kaspar Munk was playing out scenes from our script, directing each others as actors and looking at the conflict and turning points within the scene. It was amazing how much better things got in just 20 minutes, with a little direction and improv, keeping the soul of the scene but making it come alive. There was yelling and screaming, punching and hugging - just another day at the office.

For me this week was very helpful in learning how the director works - Not just as some jerk with a giant ego who's going to ruin a brilliant script and take all the credit, but as someone who can help deliver the story and make it something more than just an idea. Who can make it real, with characters, imagery and tone. And hopefully make the story grow in to something even better.

Working methods: STUDIO vs HOME OFFICE

I have always been in favor of a studio space or office - away from home. And yet here I am, settled with my coffee at my new office set up. At home.

There are a lot of reasons why I felt now was the time to try to work from home. One reason is that it's easier to concentrate on writing when no one is on the phone or chatting right next to you. Another reason is the fact that I'm at film school a week out of every month, and it seemed a bit much to pay for a desk in town if I wasn't there that much.

Whether the decision to work from home is permanent or just a phase, time will tell. For the rest of you, here is a little list of pros and cons:

Home office pros:

• Less disturbances. No chatting to take up your time. Unless you pick up the phone of course. My advice; Let it ring.
• No rent, maybe even tax benefits, depending where you live.
• Everything you're working on is always available. So you can go back to work after the kids are asleep.

Home office cons:

• Loneliness can creep in and you start talking to yourself. 
• Harder to divide your time between work and off. You etheir lie on the couch all day or end up doing domestic tasks. Dicipline can be harder to muster, if you're basically just hanging out at home.
• No one cleans your coffee mug or gets you lunch. Can be a pro as well, since you don't have to clean for anyone else either!

Let's hear your thoughts; Office in town or at home? What's best?