End of the Line

It's funny. A couple of things routinely happen around week ten of the term. I could set my watch by them, that's how regular these events are.

First, blog entries trickle down to zero. Just because I and your individual instructors aren't entering comments every week does not mean we aren't reading. For some of you, it seems to have slipped your mind that the blog counts for part of your grade in this class. Please re-read the syllabus, then get back to entertaining us all with your entries. Remember, the blog does not have to be 100% about the script. That's not the point. The point is to keep you writing and you can use that space for anything in addition to keeping us posted about your script.

Second, attention drifts away from your script to other projects. As the term ends and other deadlines approach, you ease the hammer back on your script as you scramble to finish your other classes. You can't afford to let your attention wander, you're on the clock and every page you put off writing now is a page you're behind in writing for that first draft which is due sooner than you think.

Third, you stop communicating with your professors, because you think the ostriches might just have something and if you put your head far enough in the sand, we'll forget you're there. That's wishful thinking on your part, and totally wrong. Keeping open lines of communication is critical, and it's one of the first steps to becoming a professional. If you're having some kind of problem, the sooner we know about it, the quicker we can - perhaps - help you with it.

Finally, you panic. You're supposed to have half a script completed by Friday. No one writes well when they're freaking out, so just relax, sit down, and write.

You may be surprised at how accurate some of these things are, but remember, I've seen this go down many times, and I know what to look out for. Remember to keep your eye on the first draft: that's your primary goal. Once you have that in the bag, we can fix anything. But without that draft, you're sunk.

In that line, do not consider making revisions, yet. I know I said this previously, but I know everyone ignores that advice. The thing about the comments we send you is that they apply only to what we've read so far. Some of the comments may prove to be worthless once the complete draft is done. I throw questions into the script that very well may be answered in the very next section you hand in, so don't get hung up on comments at this point, just keep writing forward.

ADMINISTRATIVE STUFF:

You need to register for the second half of your class, either Workshop II or Senior Project II. You will need to fill out an over-ride in the Cinema & TV offices. If you're gone on Co-op, e-mail Sharon Walker and request an over-ride.

We will have a group meeting during the first week of the fall term, so we can discuss progress, hear pitches from the new people coming in, and generally go over marching orders for the fall. You can be prepared to meet as a group at least once a month when we're back in session. I'll try to work out a time that's convenient for everyone.

For The Tinkerers

For those of you who endlessly revise, or even those of you who are fascinated with DVD extras, I found this interesting article on director's cuts of movies.

Moving Forward

Theoretically, everyone working on this term's workshop scripts has now reached the end of their first acts. At this point, you will be tempted to backtrack to the opening of your script to fix those little problem areas that were so helpfully pinpointed by your faculty mentors. However, like sailors of old, who heard the siren songs that lead them to their watery deaths, you must ignore the call to go back and revise.

The temptation is a natural one. It's always easier to tinker with stuff that's already written than to create something out of nothing. All of us understand that, but there are a couple of compelling reasons to keep writing forward and not get pulled into the revision trap. Basically, you're on a schedule. If you get off the schedule, you won't complete a script. If you go back and revise your opening, you will get off schedule. If you end two terms with a great opening, but no complete draft, you will fail.

Keep writing forward, because your next chunk of script, to the midpoint at least, is due by week 10. If you don't get within shouting distance, you will not move on to the second half of the class. It's easy to get caught in endlessly revising the opening of your script, but believe me when I tell you, the time for those revisions is when the first draft is done.

Summer Sprints

I hope you're all enjoying your summer and I hate to intrude a bit of reality into the hazy lazy last month of the season, but that's just who I am, so here's a few things to keep in mind:

Everyone should be nearing completion on their first act.

After that, it's a sprint to the midpoint before the end of the term.

You must stay on schedule: if you have not completed the work, you will not continue on to the second half of workshop. As a long range deadline, you should be looking ahead to the second week of fall term (I'm not sure what the exact date is) when your first draft is due. There is no such thing as downtime in this class, you must keep up the writing pace.

As I was scanning though the blogs this morning, I see some of you have not provided links so that comments can be added to the blog. If I, or any of the other instructors (or your fellow workshoppers), have helpful stuff, it would be great to be able to give you feedback as we're reading the blog, not have to take it offline. So, add commenting links if you don't already have them. The blogs are what pass for community discussions for this class, so you should be reading them, and offering helpful insights. It's always easier to see the problems in someone else's scripts than it is in your own.

Finally, Professor Abrams has sent out a couple of e-mail recently about contests, etc. If you haven't gotten those, e-mail him to make sure he has your best e-mail address included.

Enjoy the rest of the summer.