Feb. 3 Quote: I found this
quote while reading the Globe and Mail life section. There was an
essay by James Drummond and he mentions it.
“Read beyond what you want to write. So if
you want to write romance…read science fiction, read classics. If you
aspire to be a literary writer… to be the next John Updike, read Harlequins.”
–Yann Martel, Life of Pi author
Romantic comedies:
I was at City Centre mall, and I was sitting in the food court reading
the newspaper. I was biding my time before I had to work at Call Centre
#6. I looked up and see the last 20 min. of the movie Chasing Liberty. It stars Mandy Moore as the daughter of the President, and it's hard for her to date people because of who she is.
I did like the ending. Most romantic comedies are the same. I remember watching this Saturday Night Live sketch with Meghan Fox talking to a mom.
Mom:
I like those movies where a guy and girl fall in love. Then the guy
does something bad, but not so bad that he can't redeem himself
afterwards.
Fox: Yeah, that's called a romantic comedy.
I did like the ending to Chasing Liberty because it reminded me of the other romantic comedy called The Prince and Me. If you guys don't want to be spoiled by both movies, skip to the next paragraph.
In
both movies, the couples toward the end have to end things. A few
months have then passed, and they spend time apart. They then get back
together. I like the reunited feeling.
The Duff: I was reading Seventeen magazine while I was at City Centre. I read an article about the author Kody Keplinger. She wrote the book The Duff: Designated Ugly Fat Friend.
She got
published at 19 yrs old. Now she's 21 yrs old and she's making a living off writing.
She got the inspiration when she heard of that name. Then the story came to her.
Conflict:
I was reading some old notes from the Writer in Residence at the
Edmonton Public Library, Marty Chan. It was in 2011 when he read The Vertex Fighter. He then read Parts 3 and 4 (30-50 pages) and his notes mentioned that my script tended to shy away from conflict.
A
character says something in this scene, but they don't go and extend it
to a bigger conflict. I thought I did, but I was looking at the big
picture. I set up a conflict in one scene at the beginning of the
script where the lead
character hides something from a character close to him. In the middle
of the movie, the character finds out and there's a big blow out.
There's
another character that hides something from the bad guys, and when the
bad guys find out, there's a huge conflict at the end of the movie.
Love's Everlasting Courage: In Oct. 2012, I saw the TV movie Love Begins.
I only watched it because Wes Brown was in it. I didn't really like it
because it was boring without much conflict. Here's the review:
One
week later, I went
on Youtube, and saw the sequel. The only reason again was Wes Brown.
This time, the TV movie improved a
bit
because there was more conflict and things happening in it. This story
is set in the 18th century. I guess I will use the quote from above as
a way to use this TV movie so I could learn about writing.
Clark
(Wes Brown) rides a carriage with two horses. It stops because the
wheel is broke. A snake appears and scares the horses, so they run.
Clark chases after it, and stops the horses. They go back home.
Clark
and Ellen are now married with a 6 yr old daughter named Missy. The
Banker comes and says: "You have to pay back loans to the bank. You
missed more than one payment, we'll seize your land." Good, some
conflict is set up.
Ellen
becomes a seamstress
even though Clark disagrees because men should be working. His parents
are coming to help out. The grandparents disapprove that Ellen is
working. Ellen thinks of setting up two widowers Sarah and Ben
together.
There's
a drought and it affects farming and their livelihood. Clark and his
dad Lloyd go and find some land to start digging for water.
Ellen
coughs to foreshadow she's sick. They have dinner with Ben and Sarah
to get them to know each other. Ellen later collapses. The doctor is
away so Sarah is a mid-wife and checks on Ellen. She diagnoses her as
having scarlet fever. Clark tells daughter Missy that her mom is sick.
It could be contagious so has to stay away from mom.
There was a good scene where Missy takes a picture of her mom and sleeps with it.
Another
good scene shows that Wes Brown is a really good actor. He is crying
with his wife. He comes out with tears in his eyes that shows that
Ellen has died. This should be used for his acting reel. There is no
words as he looks at the grandparents and Missy. You know she just
died.
The
grandparents decide to stay longer. The Banker shows up again to ask
for money. Clark is about to punch Banker in the face when he asks for
money, when his wife just died. Reminder of money conflict.
The grandparents don't have money. They think of taking care of Missy
while
Clark stays.
Clark is frustrated that he can't get water.
Throw
in Missy cooking chicken, and a fire starts. There's smoke and
excitement. They put out fire with a wet blanket and hits the fire with
it. The house is still standing and they sleep in the barn.
The subplot of Ben and Sarah are that they're dating.
The
conflict of the house being burnt is solved pretty fast. Ben says:
"I'll give you some leftover wood from building my barn. A whole crew
of people volunteer to help. The house is rebuilt.
Grandpa: Instead of looking
at the
burden of your home, think of it as a blessing.
He continues to give a pep talk to Clark about faith, God, and family to support you.
Clark pumps water and water comes. He's all happy.
Throw
in some conflict again when Missy eavesdrop on the adults talking.
Clark says it's easy to live with you and I hit water. Missy runs away
thinking she's going to be sent to live with grandparents, when if she
stuck around Clark was going to have them stay with him.
The Banker shows up and the Grandparents say: "I put up my land as collateral so you can have an extension.
They
can't find Missy and they
start
looking for her. Ben joins them. It will be dark soon, so add some
tension here. Missy is lost and Clark finds the doll she was holding.
He finds her.
Ben then proposes to Sarah after what happened with Missy: "Life is short. Will you marry me?" She says yes.
It starts raining so you know the crops are going to grow.
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