tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10831518.post7179324808653990246..comments2023-08-17T11:47:11.821+01:00Comments on James and the Blue Cat: Outlines, and sample script pages.James Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16604261370633794445noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10831518.post-20945286883993945712009-02-19T06:41:00.000+00:002009-02-19T06:41:00.000+00:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10831518.post-38530970831647129702008-08-06T15:27:00.000+01:002008-08-06T15:27:00.000+01:00Story generally depresses me. i thought maybe I s...Story generally depresses me. i thought maybe I simply wasn't any good at it until we were talking to Adam Chase about Friends and he said that sometimes they'd break a story in an afternoon, more likely in a few days, but sometimes in months. <BR/>Stories are hard.<BR/><BR/>Also: I know the "mind is constantly aglow with whirling, transient nodes of thought [...]" quote is from Blazing Saddles but does anyone know if it's original to the film?Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15643949860617835771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10831518.post-34919066425125229412008-08-03T11:58:00.000+01:002008-08-03T11:58:00.000+01:00I'll have to take a class in how to sound bouncy, ...I'll have to take a class in how to sound bouncy, then.<BR/><BR/>Cheers.Mike Boothhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01614823619400248086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10831518.post-42628757026264450842008-08-02T19:43:00.000+01:002008-08-02T19:43:00.000+01:00Spacemonkey: yes, especially on floor six of the E...Spacemonkey: yes, especially on floor six of the East Tower. They are the wisest of all.<BR/><BR/>Mike: hmm, let me leaf idly through my back catalogue and I'll get back to you. The bad news: a certain amount of breathlesness and excitability does help.James Henryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16604261370633794445noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10831518.post-74061383099102291352008-08-02T18:18:00.000+01:002008-08-02T18:18:00.000+01:00Hi JamesI'm enjoying your blog, and this post is g...Hi James<BR/><BR/>I'm enjoying your blog, and this post is great because I'm trying to write a treatment at the moment. <BR/><BR/>Thing is, I'm really bad at them. Scripts, I can do, but the selling part flummoxes me completely.<BR/><BR/>Don't suppose you fancy posting an example of what a good treatment should look like (obviously for a fake project you have no intention of really doing)?<BR/><BR/>All the examples I can find online are American and therefore a bit breathless and excited, which as an Englishman I find off-putting.Mike Boothhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01614823619400248086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10831518.post-88749731010241664482008-08-01T19:36:00.000+01:002008-08-01T19:36:00.000+01:00It took me years - YEARS - of endless genius 40-pa...It took me years - YEARS - of endless genius 40-page pitches for things, covering every single aspect of the show, to realise that a deft one-or-two pager does the business far better.<BR/><BR/>Because Producers and Executives are Not Like Us. <BR/><BR/>A) they are stupid and read with their mouths open and lips moving, crayon pointer moving slowly across the page. <BR/><BR/>B) they like to feel involved, so you give them something they can imagine themselves into, rather than something fixed and perfect and done. <BR/><BR/>C) actually, an idea that's really working and has earned its simplicity can probably be boiled down to that magic one-page anyway<BR/><BR/>D) they really are stupid. Unless they work in Children's, in which case they are often very bright.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10831518.post-15976908577113259412008-08-01T12:56:00.000+01:002008-08-01T12:56:00.000+01:00Yeah, different strokes for different folks, certa...Yeah, different strokes for different folks, certainly.<BR/><BR/>Of course there's an argument that the more stages there are between initial concept and script, the more opportunities there are for producers and script editors to get in there and muck about with it. Not doing outlines is certainly a way for Moffat to make sure what gets on screen is as close as possible to the initial idea in his head.James Henryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16604261370633794445noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10831518.post-84926081171127429682008-08-01T12:42:00.000+01:002008-08-01T12:42:00.000+01:00Ah, I see. Well, whatever works for you, I guess! ...Ah, I see. Well, whatever works for you, I guess! :) Nice to know a "proper" writer doesn't use outlines, though. There so much talk about outlines, beat sheets and colour-coded index cards being pinned to walls, that I sometimes think I'm unusual for preferring to "mentally boil" ideas before launching into exploratory drafts. Too much prep kills the spark for me.Danhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05821524840819117719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10831518.post-79473587332161457822008-08-01T11:30:00.000+01:002008-08-01T11:30:00.000+01:00Yeah, I know it sounds odd, but I tend to already ...Yeah, I know it sounds odd, but I tend to already have a vague structure in mind with a film script, and writing down too plot beforehand can really deaden the final result.<BR/><BR/>With telly on the other hand, you've still got lots of story to tell (as in further episodes), so you can really structure the first ep, but still leave yourself lots of room for further episodes. Joss Whedon recently said that 'a television series is a question, but a film is an answer', which neatly explains the difference, I think.James Henryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16604261370633794445noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10831518.post-65423765219850999772008-08-01T09:21:00.000+01:002008-08-01T09:21:00.000+01:00Oli, yes I think length is a key issue. A one-page...Oli, yes I think length is a key issue. A one-page outline would work best. I know some people do these step-by-steps that last a page per act -- the whole script minus the dialogue pretty much. Maybe it's just me, but that would kill me stone dead.<BR/><BR/>James, funny you say films are less in need of an outline. Surely the opposite is true! If you get stuck on page 25 of a TV script, it's not the end of the world. But a block on page 75 of a film script? GOD! Surely an outline is more necessary the longer the script will be?Danhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05821524840819117719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10831518.post-52781373071861366842008-07-31T22:26:00.000+01:002008-07-31T22:26:00.000+01:00Mmmmmmm... yarg. Not enough cheese gets wrapped in...Mmmmmmm... yarg. Not enough cheese gets wrapped in nettles these days.<BR/><BR/>Generally, if I can get an outline into a page - not artificially, but it just if it can be told in a page, I'll write something I'm happy with. Over-outlining and under-outlining both kill me proper dead.Olihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03302441388002744047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10831518.post-72950825456149090892008-07-31T21:29:00.001+01:002008-07-31T21:29:00.001+01:00'Constraints' even.'Constraints' even.James Henryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16604261370633794445noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10831518.post-69447612781639225202008-07-31T21:19:00.000+01:002008-07-31T21:19:00.000+01:00I'm leaning towards using outlines for television ...I'm leaning towards using outlines for television scripts, but not for film scripts, mainly because you have tighter time contraints with television. Film seems a bit more flexible somehow.James Henryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16604261370633794445noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10831518.post-76471451260901824102008-07-31T18:00:00.000+01:002008-07-31T18:00:00.000+01:00My issue with outlines... WITHOUT them: I often fi...My issue with outlines... WITHOUT them: I often find a script hits a brick wall and you'll curse yourself for believing (again) that you have the whole story fleshed-out in your mind, ready to roll. But, WITH them: I find they drain the "spark" of the idea swimming around in your head, so that when you get to the script it all seems "old" and passionless.<BR/><BR/>There's no real answer, is there! You either need to be a non-outlining genius like Moffat, or a personality type who relishes the mechanics of outlining. Maybe more writing blogs should tackle outlining/treatments for guidance in this matter...Danhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05821524840819117719noreply@blogger.com