Today is Homecoming so there were cupcakes this morning for all the teachers so we could be like Goooooooo team! and shit, and then there was a pep rally and now my class is watching Vertigo as part of our noir series and I'm coming down from my sugar rush and I was out late last night so now I'm like ugh.
Vertigo is pretty awesome.
Yesterday I made it to the Expo and spent all day hanging out with Bill Martell. Even though I've heard almost all his classes before, I still like listening to Bill talk. I get new ideas from him all the time.
One of the things I was told was weak in my zombie script is that I kill all the zombies the same way. I have this scene where my female lead kills a bunch of zombies in a pharmacy, so while Bill was talking I got an idea to write down all the ways one can kill a zombie in a pharmacy. And immediately I thought of a much more interesting and tension filled scene.
Before my lead grabbed a broom and swung it around, taking out zombies left and right. This time my lead throws bottles and other objects and kicks and stumbles, and the scene is in general a lot more intense.
That's really why I go to the Expo. I sit in a room with my script in the back of my mind, and every time I hear some advice I think about how I can use it in whatever project I'm working on.
That and the networking. I made three new friends yesterday. Hi new friends!
I like giving my business cards to people because they're pretty.
I don't think I'll be at the Expo today. It's the day we take the senior class picture and if I'm not there it all goes to hell, plus I'm very sleepy.
But I'll definitely be there Saturday and Sunday, hopefully rocking the Open, and then cheering on old Sullivan, who's up for an award for his Mad Men spec. And then when he wins I will hit him on the head and steal his award and run. That is, assuming I have the energy.
there you go! Glad to hear that you're getting fresh new ideas for your script :-)
ReplyDeleteI'n hoping to go to the Expo next year. Next week, I'm going to Saudi Arabia... ugh
It was rad.
ReplyDeleteI got an 89 in the Open round 1. I met Ellen Sandler and said something smart and funny that made everybody look sideways. I saw Truby, who ACTUALLY MADE ME rethink the structure of my present feature. I met some nice folks from New Jersey and Ireland. I smoked a cigar with an agent, who ended our conversation with the words, well, you know how to find me.
Well, you know how to find me.
Hell, yes, I do.
No Bill Donovan sighting. Maybe tomorrow; we'll gang up on him and do the whole charm offensive thing.
Honest question: how does the fact that you have a blog go over with parents? I teach and write, too and would never feel comfortable blogging about going to the expo on a school day-- does your school call it professional development since you teach English/Film?
ReplyDeleteNobody at school knows about the blog. I've taken steps to prevent that from happening. It's possible for them to find it, but unlikely. And to tell you how I did that would be to reveal too much.
ReplyDelete