Story E: The Unbearable Lightness Of Youth!

 

INT. HELSINKI – MUSICAL RESTAURANT – CHRISTMAS – NIGHT

 

JOHNNY and JULIE, his girlfriend, have gone on a Christmas excursion at the snowy and elaborately decorated Helsinki. They’re having dinner at a musical restaurant that plays ballads. During the beginning of their affair, they’re enjoying deeper conversations regarding Johnny’s character and memories.

 

JULIE

I’d be delighted if you would open up about your early youth, Johnny! You seem profound enough for me to know there’s mystery behind a beautiful man…

 

JOHNNY

The years defined by our previous childhood, my my! They were definitely unforgettable.

 

JULIE (wondering)

So?

 

JOHNNY (enthusiastic)

I was a hell of a great student in math and natural sciences. But I would not lose the chance to enjoy family life as well.

 

JULIE

What was the driving force behind such a performance? Can you identify your influences?

 

JOHNNY

Science was definitely not an end in itself! I used to find excitement in reading about hidden symmetries in cosmos, knowing the notion of expelling fear, seeking dreams and nightmares, seeking the truth, searching the real power of symbols, be a fan of ballads and music and last but not least my persistence in excelling at science.

 

While Julie drinks a sip of white wine, the soft music coming back from the piano intensifies. They’re having a mouthful of food so to continue their discussion.

 

JULIE

Only a few words for a lifetime of inquiries! I would be delightful to get to such discussions continuously…

 

JOHNNY

My honor, Julie.

 

JULIE

So, what was it exactly that you were searching at math being so young? A math wizard or an explorer of perfection?

 

JOHNNY

It was only in my later years that I read in a book about The Platonic dream stating our world is nothing else but the materialistic incarnation of a mathematical idea! Subconsciously back then, such equations had been my motivation…

 

JULIE

Meaning above the scope of mere science. Was it music as well, for you, a case of mathematical beauty? You mentioned ballads indeed.

 

JOHNNY

It’s definitely true and we all know it that music has a mathematical structure.

 

JULIE

We’re gonna have plenty of time Johnny here in Helsinki to talk about art and science. Right now, I’m just enjoying the piano over there.

 

While Johnny gets a mouthful of food, he wipes his mouth and takes the floor.

 

JOHNNY

He’s a wonderful player. He’s driving me back to the years of innocence!

 

The couple continues eating with the font of a Christmas decorated restaurant.

 

INT. HELSINKI – HOTEL LOUNGE – CHRISTMAS – NIGHT

 

The couple stares at the fireplace sitting next to it at the lounge of the hotel. There are two or three other couples and individuals present and passing by inside the hotel, including the hotelier who finds chances to talk with her clients.

 

JULIE

I suppose there were voices by movies Johnny that made you emerge these concepts we were discussing back at the restaurant. You remind me of Contact and Sliders.

 

JOHNNY

That’s the truth, Julie!

 

JULIE

Only the truth of emerging pictures or the one you’ve been seeking?

 

JOHNNY

Well, inspired by our Creator as well, in the beginning there is word… We, humans may miss the medium between how words can shape universal matter.

 

JULIE

To the point, Johnny, was it mere science that inspired you as a teenager?

 

JOHNNY

I guess all great students exhibit hidden parts of some form of epic fantasy…

 

While sparks fly out from the fireplace, Johnny manages to get out a sweet potato.

 

JOHNNY (CONT’D)

Hey, wanna taste some?

 

JULIE

Definitely yes!

 

As Johnny and Julie enjoy the food, Julie takes the chance later on to pinpoint her arguments.

 

JULIE (CONT’D)

Importance, progress, knowledge, power, recognition, are notions equally important that emerge out of the effective dealing with scientific problem solving.

 

JOHNNY

You mean that hermeneutics might be the counterpart of rational thinking and science, right?

 

Julie drinks a sip of coffee.

 

JULIE

It’s the journey that we make to get back to our country being our childhood years.

 

EXT. HELSINKI – SNOWY PUBLIC SQUARE CAFÉ – DAY

 

Johnny and Julie are drinking tea and having morning breakfast at a café in the snowy public square at a district of Helsinki. They’re wearing their coats and skull caps.

 

JOHNNY

Let us not try to rationalize our fears, Julie…

 

JULIE

I’m all ears to hear the analysis of it!

 

JOHNNY

When your instincts tell you something’s not good but you lack later evidence of proving that, don’t ignore them. They’re usually right!

 

As the couple enjoys having breakfast, there’s silence and a few moments afterwards Johnny continues.

 

JOHNNY (CONT’D)

The risk is real but fear is a choice.

 

Julie looks mystified by the fact that everything can be put under pen and paper.

 

JULIE

They all carry a story, right? So, Johnny, tell me, what did it take you to be able to explain all that so simply?

 

JOHNNY

Falling flat on my face and being inspired by a few good men who happened to come on my path…

 

JULIE (in awe)

It takes a lot more than just a good company, right?

 

JOHNNY

Remember, Julie, with fear and the power of symbols, like with the shot of Quinn’s counterpart in Sliders, if we only seek success but we fear the measurement of it including rejection, we’ll come up with inner conflict. It means we focus more on failure and that dominates us.

 

JULIE

Grown-ups love numbers, Johnny. It’s high time we embraced measure.

 

JOHNNY

Independent from the rules!

 

JULIE

Independent.

 

Julie kisses Johnny’s cheek as they continue with their day at the square.

Story D: "Not In This World, Sebastian...!"

INT. LA CALIFORNIA – WRITING ROOM – WINTER DAY

SEBASTIAN has a break in his writing office. He looks absorbed by the tools, whiteboards, pinboards, templates, verbal acknowledgement of structural components, his library, software, notes and printed screenplays around him, in terms of his recent screenwriting venture. MIA, who’s having a break drinking coffee next to Sebastian, accompanies him with her thoughts.

MIA
The great writer at work! How’s it going, my dear? A penny for your thoughts…

SEBASTIAN
Have you read this book Mia?

Sebastian grabs Joseph Campbell’s book, The Hero With A Thousand Faces and holds it next to his face to show it to Mia.

MIA
It’s definitely a great book, of course! It portrays the hero’s journey.

SEBASTIAN
That exists as an expression of the writer but not as a creation. That’s my greatest conflict right now in my mindset.

Sebastian, who is a Physicist and a Writer and Mia, who is a Musical Programmer take advantage of the environment to reach their arguments. Mia sits next to Sebastian’s piano pretending she is a singer – sings a little – and Sebastian mimes with his hands writing fastly on the keyboard.

MIA
I guess your Einstein studies didn’t quite predict such an evolution, right?

SEBASTIAN
This is a war and not a fairytale, Mia.

MIA
Go on then. Express yourself. What’s holding you back?

SEBASTIAN
Beyond the script assumptions of a narrative economy. It’s a match made in hell right now of how I will manage to reach the other side, complete the script and sell it…

MIA
We should all feel grateful of who we are including the respect of our ego.

As Mia keeps playing the piano and Sebastian gets up to play with his telescope based next to his window in this quite big and comfortable room, Mia draws back from her experiences in music. She looks at the piano with a joyful and enigmatic look.

SEBASTIAN
It looks you’re so confident and serious when it comes to creativity, right?

MIA
Not in this world, Sebastian…! At least not when it seems you bit the apple.

SEBASTIAN
Meaning?

MIA
Do you truly believe artists are the sole persons who can have the life they desire? You? An internationally renowned Physicist? Oh boy, it’s a multifaceted world!

As Sebastian stays silent and looking serious, he grabs a book and browses its first pages only to pronounce the quote he had written inside of it. He shows the quote to Mia with his one hand.

SEBASTIAN
“In the journey of discovering ourselves, the subject is more important than the label”.

INT. LA CALIFORNIA – WORKPLACE BREAK ROOM – LOUNGE – DAY

Sebastian also works as a data scientist in a multinational. They’re having a break from work and he has called Mia, his girlfriend, at the company to have a good time during their break. Whiteboards with equations also exist in the lounge.

MIA
You must be giving a tough battle right now, right?

SEBASTIAN
It’s just this whirlwind of attributes doesn’t always function…

MIA
Says who?

SEBASTIAN (ironic)
The data scientist!

MIA
Science is independent from the scope it’s being used for… Just remember how many physicists from your class became data scientists, how many of them became researchers at e.g. the LHC at CERN and how many of them ended up primary secondary education professors at public schools…

While Sebastian looks somewhat annoyed and serious, he gets up to approach the whiteboard next to him to play with a few equations…

MIA (angry, CONT’D)
Never ever confuse the science with the career Sebastian…

SEBASTIAN
I guess we may not all deserve a wonderful world…

MIA
Is this your conclusion from your writing hurdles?

SEBASTIAN
I guess so!

MIA
Well, it’s not true, not even for your future colleagues in the entertainment industry.

SEBASTIAN
Where are you heading at, Mia?

MIA
Even producers and directors nowadays are technology heavyweights from what you already know from their resumes and being a writer, a sci-fi writer concerning your script means that accuracy is not guaranteed. You have to find your inner voice…

SEBASTIAN
I guess I will have to invest more time, maturity and a decent amount of money…

Mia with a faint smile now that Sebastian tries to find an edge, get’s up from the table and hits him at the shoulder while he gets back from the whiteboard to sit.

MIA (enthusiastic)
That’s right!

INT. LA CALIFORNIA – COFFEEHOUSE – SATURDAY AFTERNOON

Mia and Sebastian are having a coffee while they discuss their experiences and Sebastian’s journey. They look partly happy and partly disappointed by their realizations.

MIA
You were always looking to find certain standards at people, Seb. Now it seems that affected you as well…!

SEBASTIAN
I’ve been at theater workshops, volunteerism, writing associations, book clubs, dance schools…

Sebastian looks disappointed that his past enquiries didn’t seem to work or be fruitful.

MIA
So?

SEBASTIAN
We can’t predict how others think. Plus, it was an alchemy in my mind to believe such institutions could possibly solve someone else’s problems.

MIA
They’re doing their work, Sebastian… What’s yours?

SEBASTIAN
Being affected I suppose… Political fanatism, underdeveloped individuals, left wing partly rebels, Facebook attacks and indifference is what I ended up mingling with.

MIA
Has that led you to illumination?

Sebastian looks Mia with wonder.

SEBASTIAN
That I should focus on serving myself and not serving the world I suppose…

While Mia and Sebastian are drinking a few sips of coffee, they’re preparing to pay the bill.

Story C: The Student Surpasses His Masters!

                                    

INT. LA SILICON VALLEY – UNIVERSITY AUDITORIUM – DAY

AI graduate students have submitted their ideas at the entrepreneurial center of the university for consideration. There’s a pile of papers next to DR. RICHARD’S desk while he reviews the profile of his best student, JACK.

DR. RICHARD
(excited)
 

AI and math with honors, Google Academy, Johns Hopkins, Creative Writing, a thought leader with a record of repetitive innovations in the internet, screenwriter, developer, Jack… I’m impressed!

JACK
 

Thanks a lot professor, it’s an honor hearing you say it.
 

DR. RICHARD
 

So, Jack… what brings you by?
 

JACK
 

A chance to get recognized and ranked for my pioneering work!

Two other students, BRANDON and MARK gossip Jack close to one another.
 

BRANDON
(tilting his head towards Mark)
 

Moves with guts, pal…!
 

MARK
(whispering)
 

You bet they are!
 

DR. RICHARD
 

I believe you will have ample time and opportunities to prove that! That’s it, people, for today. Remember the final day for filing papers is one week from now. Mind the homework, the exams and get ready to write history. It’s your turn, now!
 

Dr. Richard stands up, packs his notes inside his suitcase and leaves the auditorium. It’s time for a break.
 

CUT.
 

INT. LA – UNIVERSITY HALLS – DAY – A FEW MOMENTS LATER
 

Students are having a break from class. The place is crowded, there’s noise, while Jack chit chats with his fellow classmate, GEORGE.

GEORGE
 

You have an extraordinary history of accomplishments Jack! Interested to explain your past and your pitfalls behind this experience?
 

JACK
 

Got fed up with going back and forth with high school math logic and reading poetry gobbledygook by inglorious professors. You know… the web!
 

GEORGE
(happily smiling)
 

Hey, hey, that’s competitive intelligence or better say… your own shadows?!
 

JACK
It’s the price of science into the applied world. There are ups and downs everywhere…
 

The two students head towards the coffee machine next to the canteen. As soon as Jack grabs a cup of coffee he replies back.
 

JACK (CONT’D)
 

You know, science and math are superficial while in high school. Being bombarded with dozens of equations, vague theories for years, bemusing your head vainly, without knowing how to use anything at all… Just for the showoff of saying I know…!
 

GEORGE
 

So, what’s the difference between good and bad science?
 

JACK
 

Time? It’s only a game of physicists, chemists and mathematicians that believe they will have to learn piles of complicated equations by-heart…
 

GEORGE
(enthusiasted)
 

So that weeee, can have a chance to change the world now, right?
 

JACK
(shaking his finger)
 

Not with your ego…! Also a contradiction to some university professors who believe the world, students, are their marionettes…

 

GEORGE

 

Marionettes of their own ideas.
 

CUT.

INT. LA – JACK’S FAMILY DETACHED HOUSE – AFTERNOON
 

Jack has called NICOLE & BRENDA - his classmmates – at his home to study together. They looked puzzled and absorbed over the table with open books and notes on entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation. They have a discussion.
 

BRENDA
 

It’s big ideas and not big money that can make positive difference. Pure and simple!
 

JACK
 

Are you thinking the one without the other, Brenda?
 

BRENDA
 

No, just thinking of my sequence of steps.
 

NICOLE
 

Bigger than what you were used to in some initial schools, Jack.
 

BRENDA
 

You can’t have traction without money or money without traction, folks. Just like the chicken or the egg dilemma.
 

JACK
 

But we can focus for those, who seek to find a way to leave their world behind…! Do you remember this is a Jumanji quote?
 

NICOLE
 

You’re so Robin Williams as an artist, Jack, at many aspects of him!
 

Being baffled inside the books and the coursework, Brenda decides to throw the books on the table and take a break.
 

BRENDA
 

Anyone out in the garden for a cigarette?
 

JACK
After a few of our noble interests, but it’s actually words that change lives, right?
 

Nicole and Brenda cheerfully nibble Jack and they all go out together.
 

FADE OUT.

Story A: The Transfigurations Of A Poetically Inspired Scientist!

This is a story about the things that change, a story of transfigurations that depicts how from the old occur the new...! 

 

Biblically inspired, writer and physicist Noah discusses with his son Robert inside the abyss of his leather-bound books into the library of his study office.

 

Visions and rebirths take place and suddenly Noah and Robert are witnesses of the re-animation of Noah's past. The entire set of characters he once interacted with are there, into a unique space to interact with him and lead to enlightenment...

 

Will he manage to accept the power of his past and his ideas?

 

INT. NY – STUDY ROOM – DAY

NOAH sits on his leather chair at his study office in his apartment. As a background, including the two side walls, there is a library with leather-bound books on the shelves of which there are numerous wooden constructions and sentimental cultural items including scientific equipment.

VOICE OVER

This will be a story about the things that change, a story on transfigurations, to portray how from the old occur the new, a poetic testament of NOAH revealing how one man’s vision can be shifted into the universe of words and change lives! A physicist and a writer, that is Noah, is found at the in-between of his past life with the future exploiting the precious love of his family to change perceptions. Who is to say about destiny in front of God’s eyes?

NOAH is discussing with his son, ROBERT, at his office. They read John’s Revelation. ROBERT closes his eyes to start envisioning the city of God. There’s an otherworldly electricity in the atmosphere at the shades of dark brown and creamy light pink, equivalent with the interior decoration of the office.

ROBERT

And out of precious stones, gold and several other artifacts there will be created a Heaven in which there will be no anathema and people there will reign as kings forever!

Robert soliloquizes. Noah stares at his son with an approbative look. Immediately afterwards Robert slightly opens his eyes and uses his imagination to start transforming the environment around him.

ROBERT

At the beginning, there is only word. And word will become the poetic tool of God to create a universe that is not made up by atoms but by tiny stories…

NOAH (passionate and inspired with his son)

You know it, Robert! The power of God is inside of you! What is it that’s keeping you from accepting God into your deeds and actions and transform your life?

ROBERT

Our life, father, is a far cry from what once it could be. The question is, are we willing to fight and adapt and struggle to get back to our own Belle Epoque of creativity?

NOAH 

(disappointed)

Naaah… We got disappointed once but life is for those who keep trying!

VOICE-OVER

There was always a vision inside Noah’s head, the windswept sperms of which were being reflected into the environment and were being got back through the prism of words inside his online diary. As if this was a canon that perhaps, what he once thought it could be his own identity was not what it seemed and there were always paradigms and humans from the outside, with the same common basic needs with him that were guiding his thoughts and actions. Even though not the perfect decision maker, he was a great listener. But now, there was something in both of them and their thoughts that was being rebirthed around them, as an invisible miracle or an act of Renaissance.

INT. NY – LIVING ROOM - DAY

Paintings and figures were being reanimated, leather-bound books onto the tables were being opened to emit stardust, men from the past were being brought back in his memory and even this fatal period of being an entrepreneur would remind him the bittersweet days of his glory but also the other side of doom.

ROBERT

As a writer and a scientist haunted by the excitement but also the ghosts of the past, I believe dad you possess the perfect raw material to refine your future. The question that remains to be answered is…, are you willing to?

NOAH

It’s still… it, Robert! Notions and words and ideas isolated and personified can be the best argument when we read literature for example but I still can’t explain it in real life.

ROBERT

Then perhaps it’s the interpretation that you give. A selfish approach with which you complete the entire work as a team, on your own thoughts and then cancel the other side…

NOAH

A team… Or an imagined dream team… I guess it’s just a matter of time and mind…

A sudden shift into Noah’s and Robert’s study office and John’s Revelation that was being left onto the desk was being opened to create apparitions in the room. As if all the people that Noah interacted with at the past, were being brought back as avatars from parallel universes, his beloved ghosts, and they would interact with him, emerged from the spacetime of Revelation, only to lead to catharsis.

FIGURE 1

You’re being lost inside the flow Noah…! Management should be all about spirituality!

FIGURE 2

These should be moments of great decisions…!

FIGURE 3

Congratulations! I wish only distinctions for you Noah!

FIGURE 4

I can’t found a theory if I don’t accept a hypothesis externally defined! For Einstein, this was the speed of light…

As a stream of consciousness and memories, a light beam risen from the book and travelled up to the living room, these apparitions into the air had come back, so now Noah’s mind was being bombarded by a mixed reality of emotions and thoughts.

ROBERT

I believe mocking is a repetitive motif when it comes to your history dad… Dirtying the sacred maybe?

NOAH 

(shocked and reactive)

I don’t know! I just don’t know!

ROBERT

Any idea of how to honor your past and the memory of all those you left behind?

NOAH 

(shocked)

Words and patterns… Scientists are makers of patterns…

Noah immediately afterwards started to touch and play with the wooden constructions and the scientific equipment that was found in their living room. A wooden globe standing in the middle of it, a small telescope onto a shelf, a ship resembling the boat of Columbus, a kaleidoscope, Noah would turn around the medium size space and would fight with his ideas and emotions.

NOAH (CONT’D)

I guess we shouldn’t put the blame to men that did everything they could and they just had no more to give, right? Or it’s just that they couldn’t give…

ROBERT

The future holds secrets only the past can reveal… And in this journey, nothing is what it seems and nothing lasts forever!

VOICE-OVER

Noah has been a scientist and a writer who would lack the motivation to acknowledge the good that was being done to him and only accuse others based on their weaknesses and personal attacks! Not until the revelatory experience had he realized destiny was only known to God and unless he could find a way to reconcile with him and his own stories, he couldn’t be expecting of more to come… And even though perfection belongs to Him and only, force majeure is a reality of humans, right?

The Entire Education Is Theater "For Writers"...!

Hello all creatives and social networkers around the world. Today’s title implies a very important discussion, hence I will take care of presenting it so, as well! Today I will try to pose the educational, experiential as well as artistic sides of getting into the minds of characters, walking in our characters’ shoes and find out what makes them believable for writers, as well as general tips of … what actually works (you have a first taste by the title 😉)

I have been taking very analytical lessons by ScreenCraft, an organization located in Beverly Hills, California, on developing dramatic movie ideas. So, this is where the origin of the wonder “getting into the minds of characters” actually began. Did they bite the forbidden fruit? No. Did they say something they shouldn’t have said, heard something they shouldn’t have heard, did something they shouldn’t have done? It depends on the viewing angle…!

 

Those of us who have seen La La Land, would probably give everything to feel and live like its main protagonists, Sebastian & Mia, even if it deals about the joy and pain of pursuing your dreams. Today’s discussion is about the analytics all around it, not just the film but the experience of any of it. You may have seen High School Musical, or Step Up 2 The Streets, or Good Will Hunting, or Dead Poets Society or many more films independent from the genre and now many of us are writers. When we create an experience with scenes and narrative action, we ideally need first-hand experience about those scenes and actions. Ideally, we should reveal as much information as possible in our scene headings that play an organic part in the entire screenplay, it’s how we set up a story dealing basically with personal, indirect (relevant) or in our best of options, educational experiences, this actually means first-hand knowledge. Let’s find out where this leads before we draw our first conclusion. Many of us when we eventually have to explain the conflicts of character development and actually develop characters with scenes and structures, we come up with topics, ideas and analyses that we have to experience them to make them believable, how could we possibly know how the character acts and behaves? 

 

For example, in the first draft of my 3rd book that needs plenty of work, I talk about a ballerine. A ballerine by whom I feel attracted, so if I’d like to describe how she communicates, behaves and acts with her dancing students I would have to come up with relevant descriptions… Perhaps someone else would like to describe the acrobatics of Cirque Du Soleil, or if it's a musical or a film with dancers, it’s the setting of a “screenwriting story” that determines what’s necessary and what’s not. For example, the screenwriter in La La Land is not expected to come up with lyrics, he talks about music numbers but someone else will come up with writing music. Eventually though, the writer has to deal with the method, the research, the atmosphere, the imagination and the acting of the script. As well as beginners say, we have to be familiar with the material…

1.) What would my character do in this situation?

2.) What would hurt my character most?

3.) How would my character react to this conflict?

4.) How would my character shine in this situation?

 

That’s The Magical If  😉

 

Conclusions rise from the fact that to develop characters effectively we must deepen in their psychology, we must deepen in their worlds and their routines, we must deepen in their dreams and nightmares and wonders, we must deepen in their habits and tastes and we do not have such an expertise. All the above define the limits of where writing what we don’t know of stops, and we have to come up with writing on what we feel familiar with. This will give us a sense of our repertorie, but again, to make quantum leaps we need to work with concrete paradigms. 

 

In the competitive world of USA actors in America, the big names that are professionals are not mere professional actors but professional celebrities. Projects and writers have bombarded us with Hollywood’s next flair of the week relevant with an artist’s journey, musicals, melodramas, etc but like writers, both actors and writers have to get along with agents, have to market themselves, have to do public relations, have to give interviews, have to work with publishers and the internet and these movies describe the overall feeling and excitement of growing up as an artist… If we’d like to portray hunting fame in a screenplay and put an actor socialize, are we aware of public relations? Do we get the overall atmospheres of festivals and journalists surrounding them? Eventually we will come up with scenes and subtractive logic in a screenplay, but “can we”, though? If we possess the experience, it’s fine. If we don’t possess the experience, we should seek something relevant (indirect) that we possess. We should definitely count on reading books, watching movies, talking with people and the ideal is that we could be educated on these things. If La La Land deals with Mia becoming an actress, what’s the dimensionality of being an actor?

 

In ancient Greece the paths of knowledge had been parallelized with drama. The entire education was a theater according to ancient Greece. This took place for no matter what happens with our educational lives, our professional identities and our expertise, when we have to portray characters doing all the previous we eventually have to come up with our most fundamental conclusion for today that “right education” means “right theatre”…! For example, those of you that will take a look at my profile:

 

A.) Communication

B.) Conflict Management

C.) Emotional Intelligence

D.) Public Relations

E.) Marketing

F.) Writing – Screenwriting

G.) Psychology Elements

H.) Logic

I.) Career & Strategy

J.) Scaling Up

K.) Fantasy

L.) Being an entrepreneur of one’s self

 

All the previous dimensions have been part of my educational profile and are also part of an actor’s life as well…! In The Words of Emily Logan, Joel & Emily begin as student actors in high-shool and later on Joel will deal with professional drama and Emily with English literature. Developing a screenplay requires a packet of things. Do my characters portray that packet? If I’d like them to deal with personal development, it’s very easy to theorize but eventually, how can our previous dimensions help us in terms of building up their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in their profiles? Better visualization at the end of the day for the actors, means better visualization of my profile, direct or indirect.

 

Of course, if someone writes action, or thriller or sci-fi, it’s both an actor’s educational dimensions (he will have to sell it to actors eventually) as well as education relevant with helping the genre of the script deal with the important things of its subject matter and make the script shine. Can we? Personally speaking, attending not just introductory classes on screenwriting, but the analytical art presented by ScreenCraft, made me realize my education is the other side (the real one) of an actor’s life, as a writer and by being both me and the actor who we truly are! Actors need a very strong inner life to counterbalance their fantasy life and quite often, this means being well-searched on the above fields…

 

Realizing that right education means right theater, we realize that the building blocks of a writer’s art and creative profile are the building blocks of his/her artistic materials. Someone who is keen on history will develop historical novels. Someone who likes science will engage in science fiction 😉 Someone else will produce courtroom drama because he has experience with law and justice, like in A Few Good Men, or A Time To Kill or Erin Brockovich. To come up with material we have to put ourselves in our characters shoes and find out ourselves, how the heck are we going to put them in believable situations that seem real. If someone wants to get to know a character really well, it’s the writer’s subjects and expertise that need becoming aware of it, building it as well as refining it… Have you felt that in your interactions and feedback? Quite often, it’s about people we assume to know, but we do not quite know really well after all… Have a great time folks!

On 'When Magic Truly Happens' Short Story To Film Adaptation!

Dear friends, I feel delightful to say my fairytale fantasy 'When Magic Truly Happens' is now included into a complete and signed contract of producing a 25 minutes long animated film, based on the adaptation of the short story. Collaborating with an experienced Indian writer that will create the screenplay, this means we will discuss the potentials of the story (in terms of genre, narrator's voice, plot, writing format, characters, setting) so that short story to film portrayal will be as effective as possible. Before Hollywood-nature evaluations and transformations of considering the product for the big screen it all begins with storytelling. Sooner or later I will present to you analytical details of this collaboration of mine. Stay tuned!

On Complex Characters & Their Dialogue

Hello folks, we’ve been discussing art and writing from a more existential point of view so far. Meaning, essential and elemental organic concepts about the world of scripts and writers’. One such has been character creation. So far, I’ve stated the necessity that all characters are being portrayed and displayed through their profiles and these being demographics, psychographics, education, economic background, relationships, strengths and weaknesses, goals, etc. Nevertheless, discussions being made so far relevant with many topics should include the writer’s ambition to reach closer to execution and not just an intellectual discussion. After all, it all ends up to characters in screenwriting. In pure literature for example, the majority of sheet space is devoted to advanced descriptions outside the characters’ arena so what is left for a well-developed cast is much smaller. Or maybe we should judge the script as literature and not a final draft for the movies to seek different target audiences.

But what about flat versus complex characters and their dialogue, in general? Flat is the opposite of complex. Complex characters are real and multi-layered 3D characters whereas flat characters are one-dimensional characters. Many writers as we write, we expose our knowledge and experiences and ideas as a whole and right afterwards we distribute this model to everyone, in later stages this might be wrong especially if the majority of this displaying occurs at the dialogistic level. Better examples may be understood by you in terms of earlier discussions on the unification of literature with screenwriting. When it comes to characters information delivered is not valid unless it is delivered in a physical fashion. It doesn’t matter how characters talk but the necessity of them being absorbed in specific building blocks of writing, into specific scenic spacetime with scene headings and themed activities better elaborated by analytical discussions and advanced vocabulary dependent on these specific structures…!

All I am trying to venture today is to discuss closer to execution… Still, do the above guarantee the writer’s memory on everyone? You would say there should be characters’ development not in our minds but on arguments by design. Multiple characters’ development where if so far, this meant the single distribution of the writer’s idea and the sharing of his ego multiply, now we have to come up with independent character analyses and independent creative development, where such descriptions should be bound by mentioning exact scenes where characters’ attributes are visible. With this and that, discussions judge the necessity of development not in the script but surrounding to its nature and dependent on the writers’ notes and notebooks, online or offline. Wouldn’t it be wise after all to spend more time on development and feeling successful than thinking overnight and still feel stuck eternally? Have a great time folks!

Interested to find out about the projects that started it all? Get to know my work through Amazon Author Page and my website at Independent Authors Network (IAN):
Amazon Author Page: https://amazon.com/author/makersdust
The Independent Authors Network: https://bit.ly/39chSSQ showcasing Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo & Walmart as well as the diversity of some of my professional pages!

On The Real-World Implications Of Creativity!

Hello folks, creatives and social networkers! Deep character questions arise for all writers so today I would like to expand this topic from the writing arena to the real-world arena. It’s all about the real-world implications of creating by first of all looking at ourselves… Additionally, looking at ourselves suggests that characters should mime a few patterns based on how the writer sees the world, their physical profiles, their social background leading to educational background, working background, economic background, demographics, psychographics, relationships, goals, etc. Easier said than done… From the one side of things, a creator should focus on the parallel development of analysis, multiple index cards and notes after the end of the first or second draft of his script being brought for consultancy.

Nevertheless, I promised to discuss the real-world implications of the above that brings us to the terrain of a guided principle mined from the book of Stephen Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. For this reason, I will shift the excerpt of the book from the company perspective to the individuals’ perspective. Here it goes;

“What makes an individual tick, why do some become built to last (while others fall), and why do some thrive in chaos?” One of our key findings is the idea of “Preserve the Core / Stimulate Progress”; no one can become or remain truly great without a core set of principles to preserve, to build upon, to serve as an anchor, to provide guidance in the face of an ever-changing world. … Covey found a similar pattern in personal effectiveness; first build upon a strong core of principles that are not open for continuous change; at the same time, be relentless in the quest for improvement and continuous self-renewal. …

Battling the super-productive model, Covey later in his book writes;

“But is there a chance that efficiency is not the answer? Is getting more things done in less time going to make a difference – or will it just increase the pace at which I react to people and circumstances that seem to control my life?”

The daily clock, the counter, I suggest it should hit zero. Notions of developmental psychology including the rationale of this book, are very heavy to be grasped by mere reading… Individuals wonder, should I step out of it? And later come back to face the facts stronger and rejuvenated? Here, the answer for those that do not seek temporary results is no. Writers should first of all be able to distinguish the ego from the shadow, the way these things are described in the area of several mentioned archetypes that form the techniques of our model of thought. Cumulatively, there are archetypes for the ego and archetypes for the shadow presented as interdependent opposites being described below;

Ego; great mother, old wise man, animus, meaning, centrality, order, opposition, time, sacred, light, transformation

Shadow; Tyrannical father, trickster, anima, absurdity, diffusion, chaos, conjunction, eternity, profane, darkness, fixity

Every archetype of the ego is interdependent with an archetype of the shadow that could be described with two columns, the ego and the shadow. Writers now want to search and figure out the essence of bringing our work to the light of day successfully by defeating the ever-changing shadow. This could possibly mean, based on the two columns that time is not infinite and those who believe that the entire infinity and the entire eternity should be quested at this point of our lives are not welcome.

In the book I write, a fairytale fantasy novella, words couldn’t be clearer: “…where nothing is what it seems and nothing lasts forever…” But how can such a concept be visualized? By thinking collectively! That’s right folks, the ego and the shadow exist as a collectivity of things and dimensions brought to surface through a spectrum of different prime emotional needs for all individuals. These ideas including the set core which cannot be subject to continuous change constitute the notions as well, of how the fixed and the fluid, the variable parts of literature will become one fixed body of reached greatness! Meaning, that up until standards and accomplishments have been maximized, performance scores of pieces of art indicate the binary value of scripts, meaning that scores are based on what other screenplays got. Meaning, again, that judgement comes always by comparison and that we have to mime patterns and a few all-star masterpieces to reach standards. For me and my book that has been brought for evaluation at WeScreenplay, Hollywood’s #1 Script Coverage Service, this standard is La La Land with Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. Of course, that’s the creative standard and not the dimension of distinctions 😉

Can the above mean more when it comes to how mindsets should focus their writing on getting real world reflections? Meaning, are there more than talking about the dimensionality of characters and scripts in real life? Time concerns, is one such. Creativity should not flow mechanically and it should take time. Conclusively I would like to close this script with how we, writers, should stick to our creative personas, master our alter egos and get past the hunting of other dreams. Which means self-awareness, self-confidence and disillusioned thinking! Have a great time folks!

Below you can find my work published in the world wide web:

My Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/makersdust
The Words of Emily Logan in Apple Books: https://apple.co/2mr75hO
When Magic Truly Happens in Apple Books: https://apple.co/3KbVbyK

Multimedia Publishing OR Cinematic Storytelling

Dear friends I’ve been entangled to a dialogistic synergy with WeScreenplay, Hollywood’s #1 Script Coverage services and I can definitely say outputs and conclusions fascinate me. Before I delve deeply into it, I would like to explain the rationale of this dialogue influenced from other experience. We get notes. We get notes on concept, plot, characters, structure, dialogue, overall impression. So suddenly we realize interpretations are ambiguous, multifaceted and those of us who definitely like to express ourselves in many ways can definitely go wrong. But in order to flex your intellectual muscles it’s all about interaction. Sometimes this risks reliability. For example, a Greek journalist has invited an astrobiologist at his broadcast to talk about life in the universe and extra-terrestrials... No matter how much scientists we are, we or somebody else, can we correlate and identify? No. What on earth does “this” journalist know in terms of asking the right questions, in terms of asking the critical meanings and hidden wisdom so to produce an interesting scientific outcome on the discussion of whether we are alone or not in the universe? Nothing. To communicate and discuss on somebody’s expertise requires going deep as well as putting pressure on the right points. These were the comments of WeScreenplay as well. Being indicated that I ask outstanding questions, meaning questions that penetrate to the essence of writing and crisis recovery, I have also come up with conclusions of how to think of my self-publishing ventures. But let’s just view at the facts analytically. Many times, but not the case for the entire of scripts, literaturistic characters prove not more than 35% sufficiency than cinematic characters...! Many of us think as litterateurs, not entertainers or actors...

Literature is the arena of sophisticated descriptions and we have seen already that if canons of literature unify with the canons of screenwriting, then movie scripts can be considered audio-visual literature as well. Many times, mere literature but not cinematic storytelling, rotates around completely different natures of narrative elements and dimensions. There may be thought, fantasy travelling, narrator’s voice, etc. This means that what is left from the script to be devoted on how to super-develop a cast is not enough. Accurately, it is much less than enough. Screenplay characters, it’s theory for every script, have 5 prime emotional needs: love, comfort, validation, respect, justice. Love should not be confused with comfort nor validation with respect. Based on this as well as the fact that the popular structure of screenplays is The 3 Acts Structure, meaning to divide the script in 3 Acts, where every act is being developed appropriately, means that argumentation on literature is very different than argumentation on screenplays. Behind the reality of greenlights, movie theaters and a big audience hides a cultural gap that is based on favoring object-oriented writing if compared with intellectualism. So, these objectives focus entirely on character development that affect the entire architecture of the script. A lot of people who read books including us, the writers who write these books, can only think in terms of literature but not in terms of analyzing casting through the eyes of a Hollywood reader and later on, actors and directors. As it is not necessarily right to juggle between three different jobs of the entertainment industry, it’s only the writer’s mind that can do the job right...

This means “structured” argumentation and real-world experiences. Nevertheless, bridging gaps matters more than ever. In any case, multimedia publishing perspectives in terms of content guidelines from big data markets such as Amazon and Apple iTunes, Ingram, etc, is as perfect as our first thoughts towards it, as perfect as we initially dreamed of it all along! For it is true in the majority of the cases that cinematic storytelling has 70% more characters’ development sufficiency than literature! Have a great time folks!

The Unification Of Literature & Screenwriting!

Dear folks, including Jacob Krueger Studio alumni, there’s been a lot of discussion and comparatives related with literature vs cinema. Having understood essentials of more complex scenic action, today I would like to express my points and proposals of what I consider the unification of literature and screenwriting…! Many of us for example have used indirect speech in screenplays but I believe there is a thorough analysis and discussions behind the unification consideration.

We’ve been taught about the necessity or not of juggling information, explanation, description and action in our screenplays. We’ve been taught that too much behavior vs action may be considered passive, about sneaking details in on action and that in screenplays we write only what we hear or see.

But how can we transplant glory in screenwriting? How can we make screenplays be bathed with stardust?

I would like to point out a few key elements I’ve been taught as a litterateur student in Book Laboratory IANOS!

We know for example that narration is being distinguished on the aspects of time and order in terms of linear, circular and non-linear narration. Non-linear is especially true when parallel plots inside the initial one and diving into dreams take place, flashbacks, etc.

There’s the suggestion of applying these in properly formatted structure of screenplays, still audio-visual but more complex storytelling in movie scripts. Can it happen? It’s about craft!

We also know in literature that narration based on time is being distinctive in terms of whether we begin from start or the middle. The first case is being baptized with the name ab ovo narration, the second one with the name in medias res.

Can they happen in screenplays? Properly formatted structure and action, can make this dream come true as well. Again, it’s about craft!

Litterateurs use inclusion of stories in their stories, what we Greeks know as “εγκιβωτισμός ιστοριών”, meaning sub-stories inside the main one…

If there’s communication in action, a lot of things can happen in screenplays, meaning that we can apply this notion as well in the movie script as a result and a byproduct of creativity and craft!

Direct and Indirect Speech as well is being found in Google search and described as a visionary technique in movie writers as a study to be applied in scriptwriting. Again, craft has the upper hand in terms of not embedding unnecessary description in indirect speech.

We move on in literature with structure, meaning the architectural conception, what exists in the story and what not. Here there’s not the tiniest innuendo that this is not an element of screenplays as well. Moving beyond the previous status quo of scripts boosts fantasy!

In literature there are distinctions in terms of time and space. Different time frames and different spaces enrich storytelling. This is being shown in terms of how we set up scenes and how we do scenes in screenwriting. Again, the possible unification outcomes depend on craft!

To understand the big picture, Pen Densham in his book Riding the Alligator discusses through an interview of John Watson that every story in literature as well is being defined by a few critical events known as “Islands of Sanity”!

Here we care about a few bullets not in terms of being static, but that through the continuous shaping of the story inside and out of these key points, we understand their logic, their emotion or even better their rationale and level. Are they mesmerizing for an audience?

That’s the processing and the analyzing part of literature whereas the screenwriter has the option to use the “show don’t tell” technique and land himself as well on what is known in literature as islands of sanity. Again, that’s not mere craft but it’s art and craft simultaneously!

To say the truth, unification of literature and cinema matters for the complexity and dimensionality of the characters and the script. What the audience sees in movie theaters is still explicitly audio-visual but it’s the writer’s technique that makes the story compelling.

Conclusively, having talked about the intellectuality of screenwriting and the visualization of literature, we are now asked as writers to determine where we stand in the above framework and what’s our power with these concepts.

At the end of the day and as a result of an ongoing communication process, what’s the dynamic of a movie idea?

Writing "Art" Vs Writing "Craft"!

Now folks that we’ve had a few experiences of the rotten elements of the environments surrounding us including authority schemes, etc, lets focus on the more creative concerns of what it means to reach, to go beyond and to surpass limits… I’ve mentioned in my creative writing forum that when it comes to art concepts and mere art independent of the diligent processing of words and meanings, there, we could be intellectuals, we could be Gods, inventors, visionaries, etc. Our art can be 100 years old even though our craft may still be a little baby! Since literature is already more complex than screenwriting, lets focus on screenplays to understand that better.

Screenwriting is exclusively audio-visual, allowing us to write only about scenic directions and dialogue. I have realized though that plain projection and linear positioning of scenic directions and dialogue make the script empty. Coverage of the page is not the same as literature and if we add to this fact that dialogues leave a lot of blank space, you realize you lose content, extra dimensions of characters and descriptions and important artistic elements that if not figured out by you, your consultants will…! So, let’s get deep with indirect speech in cinema and more complex scenic action! In the majority of cases this is how you welcome your analyst to discuss what you and the script need and what not.

Indirect speech and complex scenic action constitute the parallel universe where we get away from a flat script and we get dimensions. On the contrary, what could 3 lines of scenic action do to the characters if nothing at all? When we know for example that we get independent advice for concept, plot, structure, characters, can the previous be completed on the mere dialogue level? So, this means that a discussion becomes the elixir of the 100% that happens to characters? Of course not! It is not dependent from a mere discussion to how far characters go including humans in real life. Some people believe they possess the best experience in terms of power and creative power… Stalkerazzi is one way to achieve that…

Creative realities show that ingenuity in flexible systems, resilience and analyzing various means of expressing ourselves make the machine work. It’s not what you say it’s how you say it. It’s also show don’t tell. Conclusively, craft in the first years of a writer’s life is dependent not only on the creative effort but advice and guidance as well. Have a great time folks!

Writing, Acting, Directing: The Regression!

Feeling enthusiastic now that I have started acting lessons, I realize folks that when it comes to screenwriting it is of paramount importance in later stages to get to know the other side, the actor in other words. Especially me that I am fond of writing scripts about “the entertainment industry”, every tiny or bigger detail matters…!

 

Currently I have completed my rewrite and I am thoughtful on the structure of my work that is known to screenwriters as “The 3 Acts Structure”. With this and that I am thinking of its potential progress. Later on, as soon as a script gets greenlit from a studio, it seems that the writer is no longer the lonely king in the entertainment industry, directors and actors have a say on the outcome…!

Me as a writer gets initial credits, even though the final draft may be a product of many writers, where the percentage of credits of each writer depends on many factors but is surely dependent on the relationships with the director and the actors as well.

This is why speaking the same language and reaching big lengths in art matters. But what matters more as the title of this post suggests is the continuous regression between 3 different arts, writing, acting, directing. In the beginning, the nature of this regression looks like a mosaic. We’re looking for tiny arguments and small axioms that shine a light to our life. 

Then we go deeper and deeper until we realize that writers and artists independent of their education, must have a crystal-clear perception of the richness of their vocabulary, if they truly want to achieve goals and this is under no circumstances revelatory of previous comments on ambiguous school experiences.

In any case, the above do not indicate for writers a one-off process and it depends on the persistence and the hard work and the responsibility of the creator or the actor to complete his vision and reach personal fulfillment through his work. Isn’t this the dream after all? Have a great time folks!