This past weekend was the first weekend in a while which was all play and no work. Much much needed. Catching up with friends, cleaning up the house and hanging out in Little Italy for some fantastic food shopping. If you’ve called me or e-mailed me in the last couple of weeks and still haven’t heard from me, please don’t give up on me. I’m slowly resurfacing after a writing blitz. And it’s not over.
Oh no, I’m not complaining. 2005 will be a better year than 2004 for me, freelancing wise. Less waiting and more writing. Which is how I want things to be. Along with more frequent paychecks, of course.
I just finished a new screenplay, an adaptation of a British novel, chick lit style, and even though the genre was new for me, I had a great time writing a romantic comedy. I brought the script to the producer on Friday morning and by Friday afternoon I already had some very enthusiastic feedback! The producer read the script again over the weekend and still loved it. She even spent the time to send me an e-mail about it on Sunday night, just to say how pleased she was with the result. This made me very happy since the adaptation of this book is the « pet project » of this producer and I was really hoping for a positive reaction.
A few quick fixes and the script will be shipped to the book author in London. I think it might be a bit harder for her to be as enthusiastic about it as the producer. The essence of the book is still there, I believe, but a lot of secondary characters have been cut, of course, as well as some side plots that were not absolutely necessary for the movie. Still, even though she’s prepared for this, I’m sure the actual script will be a bit of a shock to her. This is the first time her work is adapted for cinema.
Last week I met with a famous qu�b�cois comedian and actor who has a great idea for a movie but who needs someone to put it in words for him. He spent 4 hours telling me every single detail of the plot, the characters back story, the mood, some camera movements, etc. 4 hours without a single bathroom break. Quite the performance! Nothing is signed yet but it looks like writing a screenplay with this man will be my next job. The movie is once again a totally different genre from my previous work – this time part drama, part fantastic. I’m very much looking forward to working on what will most likely be a challenging writing puzzle. Oh, and the script will be in French, which is a nice change for me.
And of course, there’s still the Mafiaboy screenplay. The producer has chosen a different director, which meant another waiting period (which made us miss a deadline at Telefilm Canada) and a new set of comments. Every time we talk to a director, the feedback on the script is quite different and they all get attached to different parts of the story. The new director likes the childhood part of the main character, the part that we had cut off for the previous director, so now it’s back to the writing table. I’ll spend the day tomorrow looking at two different drafts of the script with the new director, building a new piece with the elements he considered to be the strongest from the two drafts.
We hear it all the time: movie making is a long and sloooooow process. Every reader has a different take on the script and I’ve come to realize that it’s important for directors to feel like they’ve actually participated in the writing process in some way. It needs to become their movie and working on the script, hands on, seems to be a way for them to develop that connection with the screenplay. I’m wondering if this is particular to Quebec directors, since movies here tend to be more in the « cin�ma d’auteur » style? It doesn’t really matter. I’m willing to do the exercise if it means that the final result will be better.
Writing is a solitary process but movie making is very much a collaborative art. I can spend hours alone working on creating the tightest structure ever (and I strongly believe in structure), but my work is not a movie until it’s been shot and edited. Will some of my writing actually get shot in 2005? I’m dying to know but right now, I’m just grateful for the work and the vote of confidence from the producer.
