Getting there...
Script Analytics
This is a pretty interesting way to look at a script by the numbers: http://blog.celtx.com/script-insights-7-famous-screenplays-numbers/
The action vs. dialogue percentage is too subjective, per each writer's style, to really mean much in my opinion.
But the dialogue allotments are great. Like seeing that Mr. White holds the largest portion of any character's dialogue in Reservoir Dogs - at 18.8%. Or that the majority of scenes in Bladerunner are interiors.
This might be the first time I've ever enjoyed looking at pie charts!
NatGeo's Photo of the Year
Caption ideas?
Working on a new project
KALEIDOSCOPE
Would you risk your life to save a brother? Would you risk your sanity to discover the truth?
"Mood reel" . .. ... ....
The Current of Doubt
"I still feel like a fraud most days. But you press on, day by day, against the current of doubt." - Toby Finlay (Peaky Blinders, Ripper Street)
A Followup on Bullfighting
I just read an all around fascinating article, relevant to Trump, cycles of war, and much else. But I thought it'd be a nice add-on to my previous post about bullfighting.
You can read the article here.
Particularly, "sports is not just some gladiatorial spectacle of violence. It is violence honed into skill and masterful expertise, what psychoanalysts would call "sublimation." It is violence refined and elevated. And sporting drama is only made possible through an elaborate set of rules, which have to be observed,"
And perhaps bombastically, "sport is a place where bodies break. If you don't agree with it, then don't watch it."
Got a new gig!
Starting next week I'll be the showrunner's assistant to Jonathan Collier, on his new pilot Zoobiquity - at Fox.
:)
A Fantastic Science Article
That has helped me understand Interstellar slightly more :)
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/12/science/ligo-gravitational-waves-black-holes-einstein.html
Horace & Pete
Horace and Pete is a startling creation, and a worthwhile discovery for anyone interested in good story telling, effective containment, and genre reinvention.
I think it molds the "TV format" to fit a very different type of story. Hour long episodes. An odd, recurring intermission. Not to mention a very specific mode of distribution, you can purchase it through C.K.'s website (that then branches out elsewhere).
Beyond that, it changes the usual formula employed by dramedies. Specifically, it ditches the indie tones of almost any similar story you've heard about at Sundance, or on Showtime, etc. Instead, H&P plunges you in a strange sort of earthy depression. Real, unaware sadness that seems to self-perpetuate among its characters. There's nothing starry, winking, or stylized about it.
The "comedy" that comes out of this environment is hard earned, desperate enough that it you laugh hard because you feel - just like these characters - that it may be the only chance you have to laugh and it'd be a shame to wait for a well-crafted zinger in its stead.
I don't want to summarize or generalize or spoil any further. Louis C.K. worked really hard to release the show in such a way that maximizes accessibility while minimizing hype, or marketed expectations. He says as much on his website. I recommend you go there and check it out!
If you don't want the heavy experience, you can still enjoy Paul Simon's beautiful theme song for Horace & Pete.