Translate

Saturday 21 March 2015

'Very Strange Things' - The Interim Years between 'M.I.4' and 'V.S.T' (21/3/15)

So, I´ve talked about how this whole shebang started as a Deviantart serial called M.I.4 Adventures, and then how it fizzled out and was resurrected in 2014 as what would become Very Strange Things. However, something I hadn't addressed before is what happened during the downtime between the two versions of Dan and Risa.

The truth is, really, not much: I was busy with college getting my BTEC in media, as well as preparing for University and considering a career in regular filmmaking as opposed to writing (at that point, my career path was leaning more towards director and editor). However, the show would pop back in my mind every now and then, usually in a rota of about three, four months give or take, often focusing on perhaps reviving it on DA. I would have a few thoughts on maybe finishing the Splinters arc and give the series closure, and then it would fade away.

I did try to re-enter serial writing with a new series in 2012 called War's Toybox, but this only lasted a prologue and the first chapter before pressures from University and a lack of faith in the material (little more than a tacky hybrid of V for Vendetta and Mad Max in a steampunk world), and would not enjoy the surprising longevity that M.I.4 had wrought. Frankly, all these years later, I´m still amazed my younger, less attentive self had so much patience to be able to write a good two and half seasons of material without much of a break. Who says all teens are lazy?

Saturday 14 March 2015

'Very Strange Things' - My Writing history (14/3/15)

So while more details are being sorted with regards to the April recording, I figured I'd use this opportunity to showcase more about myself. Naturally, some may look at this blog and say 'Well, this is all well and good, but do you have any other script writing experience, and in what?'

Well, you're in luck as I do in fact have several examples available for online consumption, and in different styles and genres. TV, shorts, animation and even a feature script, all cooked up within the last two years, and one of which is actually ongoing. They can all be found on my Deviantart profile, which is where the original version of the V.S.T pilot, along with the old MI4 stories that inspired it, can be found too. So, what do I offer?

DA Link:  http://savagescribe.deviantart.com/

First up are my short scripts:

- Eye in the Shadows: My first written screenplay, this was for an unproduced comedy short film that was an homage to 1940s films and filmmaking, combing film noir and big slapstick in the story of a movie buff who goes private detective to figure out if his girlfriend is cheating on him.

- Our Son (First draft): a cancelled project, Our Son was going to be a drama short dealing with parents who had a terminally ill child, and chronicling how their lives take a harsh downward spiral.

Next up is teleplays:

- MI4 Adventures (Pilot): the old version of V.S.T. Nothing more to add here as I´ve discussed it in past entries.

- Carnacki: Soul Hunter (Pilot, Unfinished): A modern update of the W.H. Hodgson supernatural mystery stories, the series was to center on paranormal investigator Thomas Carnacki and his efforts to battle the supernatural around England. Think, essentially, Sherlock meets a more serious Ghostbusters. The project was reconfigured into a new (still developing) show called Conjurers, which is a period piece dealing with a society of magicians.

- Black Butler II: Trancy´s Tale: My big ongoing project as of this entry, this 13 episode fan series is a re-imagining of the period mystery-horror anime Black Butler/Kuroshitsuji II, which was seen by many fans as a missed opportunity to expand the universe, and a retread of the first season. The main characters are Alois Trancy, a young psychotic earl and his demon butler Claude, who seemed to be the protagonists of BBII, only for the first episode to use this as a red herring and they then became the show's antagonists. So, my version aims to instead speculate as to what the series could've been like had they held onto to them as leads.

And now, for the feature script:

- The Lone Ranger 2, A Fan Screenplay: a 91 page collaborative effort, this was a amusing little experiment in cinematic 'what ifs'. I found Disney's oddball mega western to be an enjoyable and certainly interesting blend of elements: a Princess Bride style deconstruction of Western myths and hero origin stories. So, I and a good friend, also an aspiring writer, decided to fool around at first and just bounced the idea of a sequel between us.

We decided to get serious and began with a brief outline before diving into the writing process, which had a back and forth dynamic. I would write maybe five or so pages, ship it to him over email, and then he would write another chunk, and rinse and repeat. Between these, we would review and discuss the other's contribution, and it was an often fun collaboration that gave us a chance to stretch our writing metal, especially with the action set pieces.

--------------------

And well, that´s about it for what is available. I have more scripts, both already written and being written as a part of new projects, but that will be discussed in a future entry. For now, you will hopefully have a greater idea of my skills and tastes in writing and what I can offer.

Saturday 7 March 2015

'Very Strange Things' - Recording update and Stage 32 Contest (7/3/15)

So, two pieces of rather good news: first, one of our main actors from the audio version of Town of Miracles has said that he is available during April, and he has access to additional audio recording equipment should the Camden Radio deal fall through. Now, Keith is working to get the other actors lined up for a date and we can soon set to work. God I´m excited!

And the second bit of good news is that Town of Miracles made it into the quarter finals of the Stage32 TV script contest, where it was submitted back in October, long before any sort of dealings with Keith or other plans.

No prize alas, but a well timed confidence booster after some of the unfortunate delays as of late, as well as a sign, if you´ll forgive my melodrama, that I may be onto something with this show and that there is strength in my novice writing skills to stand alone without other aids...

Of course, more changes will come, but after a good few stagnant weeks, having a double dose of positive portence is greatly welcomed.