I remember the first time I was watching a Soap Opera, and the camera cut between 3 different storylines. I suddenly realized that one story took place over the course of one 20 minute conversation; while the second over the course of a day; and the third over 2 days. Being a fan of "24," I noticed this discrepancy and pointed it out to my wife, who really hated it when I point out how badly written, acted and directed her "Stories" are.
It occurred to me that my show needs to be consistent in its timeline. I don't want weeks to go by for Joe and Kim, while only a day goes by for Tiffany and Rob. So I moved some scenes around to keep it consistent. One of the minor, yet major tweaks I'm applying to the structure of the show.
The first scenes now occur on the Friday after "Good to See You." Emily and Christine make a date for "Friday Night." It also gives Joe time to get to Long Island, and Brian time to get back from the Conference. It also makes sense that he would be fired on a Friday, as any fan of Office Space knows. The following Monday, Brian starts his job search, and Joe starts getting on Kim's nerves. Later that week, they get a job at the coffee shop, and Dan finally tells Tiffany about his concern about Rob. Act 2 takes place on the following Friday, where everything else comes to fruition, and resolves the next day.
I think before I go on and write the scenes, I should run the outline by some friends, and get ideas from them. There are two people whom I would very much like to weigh in on the story: Christine and Sean Fitzgerald. After all, it is the characters we created together that are now growing and maturing. I also took some time to watch the original film again. It's very strange. When it was made, the character plots were open ended, and the viewer could imagine any continuation of the plots that they wished. But now, knowing where the stories are GOING to go, it's a VERY different piece. It's kind of like watching The Sixth Sense a second time when you know the twist at the end.
Last major tweak that needs to happen, the characters NEED new names. Tiffany, Dan and Rob are the only fictional names I have. Everyone else is being referred to by the name of the actor that played them in the film. I want to fictionalize them and solidify the structure.
Please comment with feedback about the progress. Particularly, suggestions of methods to make up character names.
Thursday, August 14, 2014
Sunday, August 3, 2014
Starting the Hat
So, I brought my daughter to rehearsal this morning. While driving to the store, after I dropped her off, I started thinking about the show, and started improvising some dialogue for the scenes. I had that impulse to write, but was nowhere near a computer; in fact, I'm in the middle of a hard target search for the jump drive that has what I already wrote. So while at the store, I picked up a small notebook. After the store, I stopped at Infuse, my favorite tea shop in Sayville; got myself an Earl Grey de la Creme, and sat and wrote. Freehand. In a notebook.
First, I wrote out the five story lines, and the 3 or 4 scenes that make up each independent story. I noticed that each had a scene that overlaps in my mind. I then started writing out the second scene for the Brian/Lena story. My original plan was to write out each story line first, and then combine them. Scene "BL2," as I have come to call it, starts with Lena writing in her blog about Brian's firing, and explaining that he's been on a job search. That leads into a song called "Do What You're Good At (And Do It For Money)." (That song has already been written.)
With BL2 written, I went to move on to BL3... except that is really part of another scene. Brian appears in Tiffany and Dan's scene, having gotten a job at the coffee shop. So... I'd really need to write their scene, which is TD3, and I haven't yet written TD1 or TD2. I also realized that this would happen a lot. So, my solution was to plan out the entire show, and where the scenes would appear. I began with BL1, JK1, etc; and then rewrote it as Scene 1, 2, 3, etc with character names and plot descriptions, and indications of where the songs will be. I can now build on this, and write the show in this order.
First, I wrote out the five story lines, and the 3 or 4 scenes that make up each independent story. I noticed that each had a scene that overlaps in my mind. I then started writing out the second scene for the Brian/Lena story. My original plan was to write out each story line first, and then combine them. Scene "BL2," as I have come to call it, starts with Lena writing in her blog about Brian's firing, and explaining that he's been on a job search. That leads into a song called "Do What You're Good At (And Do It For Money)." (That song has already been written.)
With BL2 written, I went to move on to BL3... except that is really part of another scene. Brian appears in Tiffany and Dan's scene, having gotten a job at the coffee shop. So... I'd really need to write their scene, which is TD3, and I haven't yet written TD1 or TD2. I also realized that this would happen a lot. So, my solution was to plan out the entire show, and where the scenes would appear. I began with BL1, JK1, etc; and then rewrote it as Scene 1, 2, 3, etc with character names and plot descriptions, and indications of where the songs will be. I can now build on this, and write the show in this order.
Saturday, August 2, 2014
Technology and the Month-long hiatus
Wow... it's been a month, and I'll be honest. I haven't written crap.
Why did I stop writing? I've been busy. I'm working at a camp full time in Oceanside, NY; and also doing a show in Oakdale, NY. It would be very easy for me to just let go and give up, but I won't. Inspiration smacked me around a bit. My friend just put up her show at the Long Island Children's Museum. My daughter was in it, but I was not - except for just that one time I stood in. At their dress rehearsal, I touched base with Christine Fitzgerald, and we talked about the show, and we delved into the questions a bit.
So, conceptually, I've worked the plot a bit. Christine and I came to a conclusion. Joe and Kim are not going to end well. As previously mentioned, I had left Joe and Kim's plot open ended. Well, when they meet in real life, their struggle will mimic that of a dating couple who first move in together. They are used to being able to shut off the computer when things get tense. Now he's here, and he can't leave, we need to deal with this. There will be a song called "Avatar" that will address this.
The Musical Theatre guy in me was hoping for a happy ending, but the realist in me, and my desire to make this show not so predictable, say no. The three other couples will have happy endings, Joe and Kim will not. HOWEVER, Joe will decide to stay on Long Island, get out of his parent's house, and be independent for the first time; and Kim will... (Plot point to be filled in later.) BOTH will end up meeting the person of their dreams at the end of the show. (Joe may meet Tiffany, and Kim will meet Dan. What, you ask? I thought Tiffany and Dan? No. they will remain friends, but after the altercation over Rob, they could never be together.)
Also, every plot line will feature technology, which was our vision from the start. Web chat was used in the original film. Lena will write a blog throughout the show, that blog gets her noticed by a publisher, and that's how she gets her career at the end. Joe and Kim; dating site. Emily has her father's Youtube videos. And Tiffany and Dan may show the darker side of the net, as Rob tries to film himself with Tiffany for an amateur porn site.
That's where I am right now. By the way, THIS blog is for the record, but also for the purposes of crowd-sourcing ideas. Post a comment to let me know what you think, positive or negative. My next post will be a call for actual advice which would help me write this thing. My goal is to have a first draft by December, so that we can do something with it at the New Musicals Project next year.
Why did I stop writing? I've been busy. I'm working at a camp full time in Oceanside, NY; and also doing a show in Oakdale, NY. It would be very easy for me to just let go and give up, but I won't. Inspiration smacked me around a bit. My friend just put up her show at the Long Island Children's Museum. My daughter was in it, but I was not - except for just that one time I stood in. At their dress rehearsal, I touched base with Christine Fitzgerald, and we talked about the show, and we delved into the questions a bit.
So, conceptually, I've worked the plot a bit. Christine and I came to a conclusion. Joe and Kim are not going to end well. As previously mentioned, I had left Joe and Kim's plot open ended. Well, when they meet in real life, their struggle will mimic that of a dating couple who first move in together. They are used to being able to shut off the computer when things get tense. Now he's here, and he can't leave, we need to deal with this. There will be a song called "Avatar" that will address this.
The Musical Theatre guy in me was hoping for a happy ending, but the realist in me, and my desire to make this show not so predictable, say no. The three other couples will have happy endings, Joe and Kim will not. HOWEVER, Joe will decide to stay on Long Island, get out of his parent's house, and be independent for the first time; and Kim will... (Plot point to be filled in later.) BOTH will end up meeting the person of their dreams at the end of the show. (Joe may meet Tiffany, and Kim will meet Dan. What, you ask? I thought Tiffany and Dan? No. they will remain friends, but after the altercation over Rob, they could never be together.)
Also, every plot line will feature technology, which was our vision from the start. Web chat was used in the original film. Lena will write a blog throughout the show, that blog gets her noticed by a publisher, and that's how she gets her career at the end. Joe and Kim; dating site. Emily has her father's Youtube videos. And Tiffany and Dan may show the darker side of the net, as Rob tries to film himself with Tiffany for an amateur porn site.
That's where I am right now. By the way, THIS blog is for the record, but also for the purposes of crowd-sourcing ideas. Post a comment to let me know what you think, positive or negative. My next post will be a call for actual advice which would help me write this thing. My goal is to have a first draft by December, so that we can do something with it at the New Musicals Project next year.
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