My co-writer is finally back from holiday which means we have made a teeny weeny bit more progress. I can’t really include meeting 5 because we met in the evening and then drank too much and got confused and frankly very little was done in the way of constructive development….we were practicing the quote by Alfred Hitchcock that “the length of the film should be directly related to the endurance of the human bladder”.
So moving swiftly on to meeting 6 which consisted of a brief two hours last week. I proudly arrived with a new shiny bag full of reading material and immediately my friend was rude about my new shiny bag – “is that Marks & Spencer’s shiny?” she asked me dismissively as if there are levels of importance in shininess. Disappointing.
We had a constructive meeting once I’d got over my hurt. Got lots done. Worked out a structure. We were wondering about changing the genre in order to ensure that my brother (now a successful blood and guts man) can do the make-up, but in the end we decided to stick to the planned ROMCOM but just add an extra bit on the end – “Marriage and Motherhood – A Horror Story”. I think it works.
I had a quick coffee with my famous friend today who knows all about screen plays – she was hugely impressed with the speed that it appears to be coming together – “normally it takes four to five years to write a successful screen play” she told me “and you have put it together in just a couple of months – that is SO impressive” but then I had to point out that she hadn’t read it yet, so frankly it could all go very badly wrong quite soon. “Is she a screenplay writer, the friend you’re working with?” she asked me and when I told her that neither of us had even seen a script before (until I purchased a second hand copy of “Four Weddings and A Funeral” script from Amazon for 1p plus £25 postage and packaging just so that we could actually see what a script looked like) let alone attempt to write one – she looked suitably horrified. She had only just suggested that we send it directly to Working Title – which is the top of the top of the top and then was desperately trying to backtrack.
She thought our two title options were rubbish. So thats a start. That is before she has read anything else.
OH DEAR. So what now? Meeting 7 is yet to be scheduled, so this may become a long and painful process – especially if we are going to clock up 4 to 5 years before we come up with a half decent script.
Expat Mum
March 29, 2011You could always find a proper script writer, pitch your idea and offer him/her 2% of the fortune you’ll make when it’s released.
Family Affairs
March 30, 2011TOO LATE!! Lx
kelloggsville
March 29, 2011‘Marks & Spencer’s shiny’ I’m sorry to say it but that is dimissable for gross misconduct talk and frankly you should be looking for another partner. The whole bladder timing thing worries me because it must be dependent on the target audience and with ROMCOM you are going to be attracting a fair number of mums with a whole range of pelvic floor issues. If you plan to run for longer than 30 minutes, don’t make the end too funny or they’ll all be sat in damp patches. Just saying.
Family Affairs
March 30, 2011Thinking about adding several intervals Lx
Shiny
March 30, 2011Oh, I think it’s thrilling. When you’re famous, I’ll be able to say I kinda-sorta know a famous screenplay writer and a kinda-sorta Oscar-winning prosthetist. Yippee! x
Family Affairs
March 30, 2011Thrilling? God. The pressure to finish it now! Lx
Screenplay friend
April 8, 2011I didn’t know we’d spent £25 and 1p on the Four Weddings and A Funeral script!! I haven’t even seen it – should I have??? PS Off on holiday again but think it’s an essential part of writing a best selling screenplay! xx
Family Affairs
April 8, 2011I must add that to the expense account – immediately – the script that is, not your holiday x