Mariner Software’s Contour

Contour is a piece of software purporting to be nothing less that “story development system that streamlines the process of turning your movie ideas from first glimmer to full outline“. What? Well, as far as I can see it asks you to provide the answer to a bunch of questions that fit in with Jeffrey Alan Schechter’s movie structure theories. A fill in the blanks exercise. No ground broken either in terms of story structure or software development here – unless I’m missing something.

And I probably am, but there you go.

Oh, and it “seamlessly integrates” with Montage, Mariner’s screenwriting program. Only on the Mac, though. Windows users don’t have that luxury, although what “seamlessly integrates” translates to in the Real World one can only guess. It could mean everything or nothing.

I have nothing against screenwriting ’systems’. They are none of them perfect: if you chuck a non-writer in a room with a bunch of screenwriting books and shake ‘em like a cocktail, you won’t get a Harvey Wallbanger. But I think it’s sometimes useful to be able to pick bits and pieces out of these systems to pervert to your own ends.

Uh, what am I on about here? Two questions:
1. Anyone here use something like Contour?

2. If so, are there any alternatives?

The Savage Life of the Script

Once there was a little script. It had a cosy drawer all of its own and it lived a happy, if unfulfilled, life dozing amongst the paperclips and pencil shavings.

Every now and then the Writer would take it out, dust it off and let it bask in the sunlight. He would read it (a peculiar sensation, a little like being on the verge of waking up) and then, after too short a while, tuck it back into the drawer.

And that was that.

Then there was another little script. This little script never saw the inside of a drawer. In fact, before it was barely three days old it bore more coffee stains, staple tears and pen marks than a desk jotter.

Then a very strange thing happened. It felt itself being ripped up. At first this was a frightening sensation and the little script thought it was going to blink out of existence, but somehow it persisted and in that strange life-between-lives it changed. Evolved. Grew.

Then it was dropped onto some fresh, clean paper. However, the script felt restricted and tied down and quickly became frustrated. It cried out for freedom, and sure enough its prayers were answered. Whipped away from the only home it had known, it found itself being passed from hand to hand; read, probed, criticised, scribbled on.

The script became stronger. Whereever it went, a new world sprung up around it, a world full of the people, events, dreams, passions and disasters that it contained within its pages.

Then suddenly everything stopped. The script was cast into a drawer by the Writer, and that was that.

Not long afterwards a third script was born. And that’s a whole different story.

Struggling with those arthouse film storylines?

Quirky comedy becomes first independent film in history to feature a coherent plot. Oh yes.

Meanwhile, back in an alternate reality, film consultant Peter Broderick is making a declaration of independence on behalf of indie filmmakers everywhere. Independence from what? The traditional ‘we own you’ distribution system.

Good luck with that, Pete.

Something else really interesting popped up in that same GITS post. A word: transmedia.

One of the buzzy ideas in D.I.Y. is transmedia…this isn’t just about slapping a movie logo on a lunchbox or a screensaver: it’s about creating an entertainment gestalt. In other words, you can sell one ticket to a moviegoer or enlist fans into media feedback loops that they in turn help create and sustain.

Yep, I’ll take that one home. It’s not about putting the show in the can and hawking it around to anyone who’ll bite. Not any more. For the audience it’s about living the experience.

Creating that experience is becoming less and less expensive for indies; YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Vimeo, blogs, promo websites, email campaigns, discussion forums, fan community websites and a zillion other social platforms. Zero cost of entry for you and for your fans and the only expenditure you’ll have to make is your broadband connection and a shedload of your time.

Here’s an example. Check out Noel Clarke’s campaign for his new film 4.3.2.1. He knows his audience, so he’s got a presence for the film on Twitter, Hi5, Facebook, Windows Live, and Bebo. Bebo? For sure. He understands the demographics are going to be skewed towards younger age groups. And he’s still putting in the hours on KiDULTHOOD, the Menhaj Huda-produced and directed film he wrote back in 2005, penning real-time commentaries on Twitter to his 18k plus followers.

Now that’s putting the hours in.

Producers, are you listening?

A Great Little Script

I got namechecked on Sharon Cannings’ Ermine Street Project blog:

we’re hoping to shoot a great little script by Laurence Timms called “Witchcat”

So you’ve got it in writing. They’re hoping to shoot it, and it’s a great little script. You can’t argue with that.

iFeatures, they say no!

iFeatures, they say no!

First thought: that’s fifteen hours of prep work down the swanee.

Second thought: that prep work will be damn useful if I ever get to pitch that script to someone else.

Third thought: all ifeatures rejectees should pool resources; we’ll get our films made one at a time.

Third and a half thought: that third thought was utterly impractical.

Perfect Snow

I took a brief stroll in the snow at lunchtime, leaving the mark of my trods through the virgin surface. I could tell from the way it squeaked underfoot that the snow had a perfect quality about it.

I went up the hill and looked out across the fields, just for the sheer joy of everything being so different. Then I scooped up some snow, made a snowball and chucked it off the hill into the void. It hit a tree and shook some of the white stuff onto the ground below.

This morning’s snow had been kind of granular, like tiny balls of hail. It was okay as snow goes, but it didn’t feel right underfoot. Just a bit too crunchy.

But the snow that fell from mid-morning onwards was like the contents of an enormous duvet being shaken out, softening out all the hard edges as it settled. And it just sucked up sound, this new stuff. It was like walking around with the volume turned down. Perfect snow.

That’s all. This isn’t a metaphor about writing or some kind of life-affirming story. I just wanted to tell you about the snow.

What have we learned?

I’m not a massive fan of ‘review of the year’ blog posts. One year ends, another one begins, yeah, fine. It’s all just a continuum. Or something. I won’t be taking a holiday as far as writing is concerned; after all, my brain will carry on working. By and large.

But I’m willing to spend five minutes wrapping up stuff I’ve learned this year. Any or all of these may apply to you. Take your pick.

1. There are no shortcuts. Writing is hard work. Screenwriting doubly so. I need to work harder.

2. There is no “in” or “out” in the screenwriting industry. I’m only as good as the work I produce.

3. My first drafts are seldom as good as I think they are.

4. I must drop the dull characters. Or make them interesting.

5. I must add more emotional depth.

6. I mustn’t be afraid of quirky. Quirky can be good. My stories should be surprising.

7. I should assume nothing. That producer who I thought would never give me the time of day is reading my script. All it took was a bit of preparation, some research and a few polite phone calls.

8. I must always get in touch with people on the phone. If that fails, write a letter. If that fails, use email. It’s tough to pick up the phone and tout for work, but that’s what’s got to be done.

9. Directors in need of writers can be found by a quick search of Twitter and a speculative “Hi, I’m a writer” email.

10. There are no absolutes as points 8 and 9 demonstrate.

11. There is no script that can’t be improved by my re-reading and re-writing it. Or binning it.

12. Putting a script on the shelf and forgetting about it for a few days works wonders when trying to solve knotty story problems.

13. Look for the angles. Make contacts. Do favours. Help people out. Don’t be an arsehole. I’ve tried to stick to these rules all year because they work.

14. I must never sit back. There’s always another script, another opportunity, another director, another producer, another competition.

That’ll do. All the other stuff I’ve learned I’m keeping for myself. If you want to know the good stuff, send £100 in used notes and I’ll email you a PDF.

Still Good Busy

I have been terribly lax blogwise. But I’m not sorry. I’ve been busy.

My first iFeatures application is done and dusted. The director and I established a good, productive working relationship within a few emails and he has also asked an excellently experienced producer to join the team who has happily accepted. This all sounds terribly gushing, but frankly it’s gone brilliantly so far and if the iFeatures judges give it the thumbs down then there won’t be anything we’ll be kicking ourselves over. It’s as good as it can get.

If the application makes the shortlist (and that’s a big if) then I’ll tell you more.

My second iFeatures application went as far as an initial outline pitch to another director who turned it down. He was being polite – he didn’t think he was ready to take on a big comedy/horror/scifi feature. To be fair, his track record is in raw drama, so it wasn’t an ideal match. Personally I think the main reason for his rejection was that my outline was too damned hurried and had more holes than a Emmental golf course built over a collection of abandoned mine shafts .

There’s a lesson here. You never know when you might need to pitch, so have your pitches and outlines ready to deliver at all times. I’ve got one-pagers for my radio material, spec tv scripts and one of my features, but not for everything. That’s something I need to rectify.

Other work going on at the moment: some juicy 0110 writing, early notes on another feature which is shaping up very nicely thankyouverymuch, some excellent progress on my collaboration with Paul McIntyre and several scripts waiting to be read.

Yes, I know I’m due to post the next script review from my 14 movie scripts. I haven’t forgotten. It just slipped down the priority stack.

Good Busy

Stumbled across iFeatures 15:00 yesterday, completely by accident. By 16:00 had made contact with two separate directors (previously unknown to me) who were both considering an iFeatures entry and were looking for writers.

Got a synopsis of one of my spec features into the hands of one of the directors by 01:30 this morning. Aiming to get an outline of another feature to the other director by close of play today.

That’s a good kind of busy.

Rumbled!

Oh noes! I have been rumbled! Look at this comment that appeared on my A Bout with About page:

YAWN!
Funny how people think that anyone is actually interested in their life stories, they seem to think that peopel will awe at their written life stories or opinions. Bloggers also tend to consider themselves “intellectuals” who have these brilliant ideas and an ability to contribute something.
Sorry to break this to you, but no one cares. Your not making a difference, your just wasting time.
Do you honeslty think that your serving some higher cause… or any cause for that matter?

Get that? No one cares! Oh woe is me.

Er, except maybe…well, check out the title of my blog. Yep. There you go. Bingo.

Actually, chief, I’m serving the exact same cause that I suspect you are. Self-promotion. I don’t labour under the false illusion that anyone gives more than a dancing cow turd about my blog. Hence the non-ironic name.

As for me tending to consider myself an intellectual…well, that’s not really on the cards. I mean, I can spell and add up numbers and stuff but I don’t have any letters after my name, and you got to have letters if you want to be one of them intellectuals.

Anyway, it’s been fab but I really must go and waste more time not making a difference to anything.

Pip-pip!