Greetings interneters and welcome to Tomorrow The World's own Point-Counterpoint forum, The Director's Corner. Here, Byrce and I (and Jon if he ever gets around to directing anything) will present a frank and open discussion of topics relevant to the small budget short film producer/maker. To kick things off we will be talking about developing an idea.
Matt:
Ideas are what this business is all about, but where do they come from? This is a question I've asked myself time and time again. Well, pull up a chair mon frere it's time for me to drop some learning on you; ideas are everywhere. That's right, there is no magic about it at all as some (read:writers) would have you believe. Walking in to work today I was hit with a hundred ideas for short films. A real director is a person who can take this banal life experiences and add what I like to call The Pazzazz in order to punch things up. Picture this: a guy get's up, goes to work, and when he get's there he has to use a shakey old elevator. Pretty standard, right? What if when the elevator doors open he's not at work at all, but in the seventh circle of hell!? He obviously got off on the wrong floor, right? Well he's going to have to fight his way out, maybe save some one…oh his mom…make it his mom, for dramas sake, you know. Suddenly that really basic idea is looking like a run away internet sensation. So now that you have your idea you are going to need someone to get it all on paper, a secretary, or note taker that can take this awesome idea and flush it out, anyone will do because if the idea is good enough an ape could write the dialoge. If you look at your idea and that isn't true, well then it looks like you still have some work to do.
Bryce:
Oh Matthew, Matthew, Matthew. Pazzazz is crap and you know it. If you have an idea you need to develop it from the ground up like a house, because as we all know a house without a good, sound structure and foundation will crumble in a heap and pretty soon you realize you left your wife and kids inside and you're screwed. Which could be good or bad depending on how you're feeling at the time. But in the world of movies it's a sure fire recipe for disastrous crap. If you don't spend time developing or even collaborating on interesting characters, conflict, dialogue, no matter how much you dress it up with "Pazzazz" you'll have a horrible movie. I will allow that people sometimes like big pieces of shit on screen to sit and stuff food in their faces, I.E. Transformers, Spiderman 3, basically the whole summer 07 season, but most everyone will tell you the story sucked. They may even go so far as to say who cares about the story. Well I do Sancho, I do! If you have an idea, you should write it, nurture it, develop it, make it your own. Only then after the grueling process that is writing and developing can you truly start to feel you possibly have a great film on your hands. By the way, apes have no business writing dialogue, unless of course they're writing for the CW. Well then it all makes sense.
Matt:
Ideas are what this business is all about, but where do they come from? This is a question I've asked myself time and time again. Well, pull up a chair mon frere it's time for me to drop some learning on you; ideas are everywhere. That's right, there is no magic about it at all as some (read:writers) would have you believe. Walking in to work today I was hit with a hundred ideas for short films. A real director is a person who can take this banal life experiences and add what I like to call The Pazzazz in order to punch things up. Picture this: a guy get's up, goes to work, and when he get's there he has to use a shakey old elevator. Pretty standard, right? What if when the elevator doors open he's not at work at all, but in the seventh circle of hell!? He obviously got off on the wrong floor, right? Well he's going to have to fight his way out, maybe save some one…oh his mom…make it his mom, for dramas sake, you know. Suddenly that really basic idea is looking like a run away internet sensation. So now that you have your idea you are going to need someone to get it all on paper, a secretary, or note taker that can take this awesome idea and flush it out, anyone will do because if the idea is good enough an ape could write the dialoge. If you look at your idea and that isn't true, well then it looks like you still have some work to do.Bryce:
Oh Matthew, Matthew, Matthew. Pazzazz is crap and you know it. If you have an idea you need to develop it from the ground up like a house, because as we all know a house without a good, sound structure and foundation will crumble in a heap and pretty soon you realize you left your wife and kids inside and you're screwed. Which could be good or bad depending on how you're feeling at the time. But in the world of movies it's a sure fire recipe for disastrous crap. If you don't spend time developing or even collaborating on interesting characters, conflict, dialogue, no matter how much you dress it up with "Pazzazz" you'll have a horrible movie. I will allow that people sometimes like big pieces of shit on screen to sit and stuff food in their faces, I.E. Transformers, Spiderman 3, basically the whole summer 07 season, but most everyone will tell you the story sucked. They may even go so far as to say who cares about the story. Well I do Sancho, I do! If you have an idea, you should write it, nurture it, develop it, make it your own. Only then after the grueling process that is writing and developing can you truly start to feel you possibly have a great film on your hands. By the way, apes have no business writing dialogue, unless of course they're writing for the CW. Well then it all makes sense. 
2 comments:
"Pazazz is crap?" Check your facts before you ruing your reputation next time Bryce. Pazazz has been turning lead into gold since the birth of film! In Jaws, do you think the script called for the shark to crawl aboard the ship! Of course it didn't! But it looked awesome, I would wager it made that film even, and you know who set that up? The director, that's who. Pazzaz.
Count it.
Spellcheck must have been turned off eh Mr. Bolish? In response to your Jaws situation the script called for Jaws to breach the water and slam onto the stern of the boat. That was the writer if I'm not mistaken. Ol' Gottlieb came up with that gem. Read it and weep.
ZING!
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