Lots of updates today. First week of school, what can I say?

During the first week of school I asked myself if I had bitten off more than I can chew with 4 classes, each involving their own special amount of attention from me. I probably did and I will likely learn this by the end of the semester. Right now I am just going to take things as they come to me.

New draft of the script here. After hearing some of the lines out loud of the previous draft, a lot of things didn't gel with me, so I included some more character development in places that I thought should need it, while also deleting or shortening scenes, and trying to keep some of the funny in it too.

One thing that a lot of people have been commenting on the script is that Dr. Shakespeare's name is too distracting. Perhaps if you read it off the page, seeing "Shakespeare" every two or three lines would be distracting. Though characters only say it once or twice throughout the whole script. When we reach the end product it won't as distracting as people currently think it is. That's a promise.

And as for why he's named Shakespeare.. Well, that's a good question. Many things go unexplained in the film, kind of like when someone gets shot in a cartoon and nobody gets hurt. In one scene, for example, Junior brings up the question of where they get all the donor bodies from - the film nor any character ever offers an explanation. The film is intentionally full of questions without answers. His name is one of those questions.

Pitch is next week. I'm making a powerpoint including some storyboards that Beth and I drew up, plus it one or two that I've animated. I'll post those after the pitch along with how the pitch went next post. I will have one of my producers join me for it as well.

What's that? I have producers? After searching high and low for a producer, I now have two:
Welcome Christina Hebert and Lindsay Garvin to the project! They will offer logistic and scheduling advice as well as recruiting a talented crew for me.

Chris Tharp has graciously signed on to DP. He'll be recruiting his own camera crew and I'm very excited to be working with them as well.

Matt Deicke has also been working hard for me as well as my casting director. He's been immensely helpful and we even have a casting session set up at Full Sail on September 5th. We hope to have a big turnout. I have even posted ads on various local casting websites.

Some bad news with my Production Designer, Sara. Her school schedule doesn't allow her as much free time as she'd hoped so she had to resign. Completely understandable. But luckily, her boyfriend, Mike Santini, is prepared and available to take over the position. Sara will be taking an advisory role from now on, but I appreciate all the effort she has already put into the project.

That's all for now folks. I will let you know what happens after the pitch!

The crew so far.

The newest, more final version of the script can be downloaded here. Fixed typos and a new ending!

What? New ending? What's wrong with the old one? I'll talk about that when I have a slower week.

There were a few snags in recruiting crew. Kind of feeling like I'm running behind, but I hope to have my key players set by the first Capstone class: Producer, Production Designer, DP, and 1st Assistant Director.

So far let's list everyone who's signed on 100%:
Production Designer: Sara Englehardt
Set Builder/Key Grip: Jayson Caissie
Storyboard Artist: Beth Stuebben

Not a bad start, I don't think. Sara was the Production Designer on A Beautiful Belly, a local UCF-affiliated feature that I had the distinct pleasure of working on over the summer. We met to talk about the script earlier this week and she had some amazing ideas. Jason and Beth are both good friends of mine with their own special skills, and I've done a lot with them this week as well.

I had a producer, but now I don't. I've sent out emails to prospective people interested, based on a list received from Lisa Cook, and some friends for possible referrals. So far I've gotten about 3 bites and I'm waiting to hear back from them. I'm talking to someone about Cinematography, though I have not had a chance to meet with them. Same goes for the 1st A.D. position.

I've completed the storyboards with Beth, so hopefully I will have those available to post soon!

The Characters!

For those interested, you can now download a current version of the script here.

So here they are, the players in this strange entertainment:

DR. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
Dr. Shakespeare is an old man past his prime, and he's putting his brain into a new body using his expertise as a.. brain doctor. And he's the only person to have successfully done so. Though despite his genius, he's a little misguided - he's a total horn dog. Maybe he's using the brain transplants for some ulterior motive?

Think of..


meets




DR. GILES
Giles is a long time colleague of Dr. Shakespeare, just as old, give or take a few years, but not quite to the level of genius. Giles assists him in the initial and subsequent brain transplants that he undergoes. He comes off a bit authoritarian, but he's dedicated to science and understands the greater importance of the brain transplant. He's a little strange in how he gets his point across. Say what you will about him though, he runs a tight ship.

Think of..



meets




DR. GILES JR. (AKA "JUNIOR")
Fresh out of med school and the son of Dr. Giles, he's here to assist his father in transplanting Dr. Shakespeare's brain. He has more in common with Dr. Shakespeare than his father, it seems. But he's a little more open about it, and perhaps a little more cunning than he makes himself out to be. He's quite the little imp.

Think of:


meets

(but funny)


LISA
Lisa is the object of everyone's affection. Shakespeare loves her because she's not really high maintenance, but still has class and self-respect. She's got that bit of sass but also a bit of sweetness to her too. She's also just as horny as he is. But lately, she's become very frustrated with how their relationship has turned out.

Think of...


meets

(minus so much psycho)

These descriptions should provide SOME idea of what these characters are like!

Next post: crew recruitment!

More responses, and what the film is really about.

So I have more responses from people who read the script. Here are some of them, paraphrased:

"The film builds up to the montage scene, which if pulled off successfully, will be quite memorable."
"What? It was all a dream? I don't think I get it."
"I normally don't like the 'It was just a dream' ending, but I think it works pretty well in this story."

There are some minor things that I think I will change for the next draft. For example, the Junior character seems a bit out of place with a lot of his mannerisms and lines. But I think what raises a lot of people's eyebrows is the ending. This leads me to discuss what I believe this film is really about:

-brain transplants
-the mind, and the games it plays on us
-youth and fun

I don't intend to make a point or criticize anything. I just want to explore, and have fun along the way.

The ending reinforces that idea, forcing the audience to question what they saw, by having a cute girl say "it was just a dream" and wish the audience a good night. Though breaking the 4th wall raises another question: will this really work without pissing my audience off?

It's a fine line I'm walking here.

Next post will include character breakdowns.

Storytelling and Response.

I've been reading a lot of John Kricfalusi's blog (http://johnkstuff.blogspot.com/) and he's been updating about the difficulty of pitching when his ideas of storytelling are different from the executives. Essentially how they use technical jargon and formulas to avoid genuinely good ideas.

In THE SHAKESPEARE PROCEDURE, the intention behind how it was written is to use cartoon structures in a live action short. I'm using the brain transplants as a vehicle for gags. Plain and simple. No complicated formulas, no real "arcs" just fun (or my definition of it).

So I've been shopping the script around, trying to get people behind the project. I really need a strong Producer to help organize things a bit, and get more people behind it. Someone who isn't going to flake on me. Someone who is going to really get behind the project as much as I am.

And I do feel really strongly about the project.

Some of the responses so far to those who have read the script, which have gotten me really optimistic:
"WHAT THE EFF?"
"I thought it was funny and cute. Should get some laughs"
"I get the comedy, but I think it also lends itself to creepy, eerie atmosphere."

I'm talking with someone about creating storyboards to use for pitching. Stay tuned.