Feeling Lucky?

Haven’t done much since I shipped out my Scriptapalooza TV entry on Monday, except relax. Feels good to finally have that monkey off my back. At this point, I think it’s a wrap. Seriously. I mean, what’s left? Yet another draft for another contest? Extend it into a feature? I could try the Rosario Dawson route: turn it into a comic, then pray some big studio will swoop down and snatch up the movie rights -- which is exactly what happened with her “Occult Crimes Taskforce”, but I’m content with the fact that I was able to take a solid idea and turn it into a decent -- not spectacular -- script. I’d be more content if it placed in a contest but decent usually isn’t good enough to get you a win or a sale. Time to cut my losses. Now about stuff I hope to sell someday...
I don’t have a snowball’s chance of finishing the werewolf script for that Slamdance Horror contest, even if they extend it, which they probably will. Been reading screenplays from the “Blade” trilogy -- yeah, even “Trinity”. My Achilles heel has always been my “See Jack Run” style of writing action. Gonna dig through some James Cameron stuff like “Aliens” and “T2” as well. Was sort of stuck with the Zombie script because I couldn’t figure out how to keep the locations to a minimum. Turns out that I had it in the script all along. Originally, what was supposed to be a 5-10 minute scene in Act Three, I should be able to make last 30-40 minutes. Theoretically...

Police Boxed In

Great episode of “Dr. Who” last night, “The Girl In The Fireplace”. Turns out that it was written by “Coupling” creator Steven Moffat. Man, is he talented or what? Haven’t posted a heck of a lot lately because of that looming October 23rd deadline for Scriptapalooza TV. The teleplay itself is in pretty good shape, no drastic revisions. I’m just trying to clear up something in my B-story that might be confusing to some, and working on a bit of rah-rah dialogue for my protagonist.

Story Starters

Couldn’t let Friday the 13th go by without a few story starters:

13 Bone Chilling Tales of the Paranormal


Body Discovered in Bed 5 Years After Death

Carnivorous Plant Eats Mouse At French Garden

Death-Row Prisoner Gets Pregnant in Solitary


More Oxygen Could Create Giant Insects

Ghost Rider

The poster in the middle was released first. At the time, I remember thinking, ‘Oh, Gawd! They’re trying to sell it as a sappy romance with a tiny helping of supernatural on the side!’ Nothing wrong with a love story in a comic book movie -- it did wonders for “Spider-Man” but “Ghost Rider” is a different animal entirely. There’s just not a lot of time to whisper sweet nothings in the midst of all the demonic destruction and biker badness. The subsequent posters suggest that ole Zarathos will still have his edge... as much as PG-13 will allow anyway. Since I’m talking comics and movies, that Eva Mendes be would be my pick for Joss Whedon’s “Wonder Woman”.

One Page 2006

Red Right Hand has issued the call once again... This feels a bit like cheating because I posted a page from this discarded version of my werewolf script last time, but I’m going through some stuff right now with its current incarnation -- better known as procrastination -- so a trip down memory lane might put me in a better frame of mind.
I abandoned this version for a few reasons. First, the protagonist was too much of a Lara Croft clone. Wealthy. Beautiful. Adventurer. *Yawn* I went back to the drawing board and tried to create a more interesting character who didn’t have everything. The other issue for me was tone. I always start with the darkest of intentions but the jokes start flying as soon as my characters open their mouths. These days, horror comedy is the equivalent of putting a bio-hazard sign on the movie marquee. Have I been 100% successful? Meh. I’ve made the world that these characters inhabit, less fantastical. Yeah, there are werewolves but no special guest appearances by the invisible man, zombie queens or the mutant frogman nation.

Story Starters

Giant catfish scares tourists.

Human hands emit light.

Murder suspect claims goat turned into human corpse.

Scientist turn dead cells into living tissue


Shark that walks on fins discovered

Study finds off-on switch for fear in brain