Now I’ve brainstormed options for all the problems that were raised … man, that was kinda exhausting and fun.
Maybe I *should* re-read it next but I feel like continuing to work with the ideal, abstracted script in my head rather than the real thing. So I might do something different.
Take a couple of big bits of paper – maybe one to draw a mind-map on & two or three for notes about each Act. Work my way from the start of the movie towards the finish, taking notes for the restructure – and as I run into a problem for the first time, look at my brainstormed options and choose the one that feels best right at that moment.
(And if I’m not satisfied, then it’s time for more brainstorming …)
Also, I should cross-reference this Scribbled Chart of Restructuring with my brainstorming notes – to refer to them during the slog of the rewrite …
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Monday, August 29, 2005
Saturday, August 27, 2005
[The Limit] Procasticulous
Okay, this is getting ridiculous. In between checking in on the (now-wrapped-up) Forge thread about the Star Wars game and grooving on my new Sage extension for reading blogs in Firefox, I have been getting less than an hour of work done on The Limit every day.
So multi-dimensional's on hiatus until I finish solving the last of the readers' problems and make a decent start on the restructure. I may even just not use the internet at all - after all it is the timesuck of doom for me.
In the meantime, consider this an open thread. Comment on whatever you and I'll see you in a while ...
So multi-dimensional's on hiatus until I finish solving the last of the readers' problems and make a decent start on the restructure. I may even just not use the internet at all - after all it is the timesuck of doom for me.
In the meantime, consider this an open thread. Comment on whatever you and I'll see you in a while ...
[RPG] Cthulu stumbles
Call of Cthulu is the grand-daddy of horror RPGs. Based on the writings of HP Lovecraft, players take the role of trying to defend the world against an invasion of ancient slimy gods while maintaining a grip on their sanity. It is often impossible to achieve both goals.
Some of my scariest scares have come from playing it, but in this series of essays Bryan Bankhead explains his issues with the game.
Drifting to R’lyeh Introduces his problems
Cthulu’s Clues talks about the need to give players the solutions to the mystery even if they’ve failed to find the clues.
Hot Lead and Hypocrisy discusses why solving problems with violence usually turns out to be the best option in a game of psychological horror.
Friday, August 26, 2005
[Film] Advance Screenings of Serenity in Wellington!
I just found out tickets will be on sale September 1st!!!!!!!!
Any Browncoats out there who can give me more information from the official site?
Update: It's at Reading on the 19th of September. You can buy your tickets from the main counter on the 1st. I - Am - There.
Any Browncoats out there who can give me more information from the official site?
Update: It's at Reading on the 19th of September. You can buy your tickets from the main counter on the 1st. I - Am - There.
[RPG] Why I play
The conversation over at the Forge had me wondering whether I was over-thinking the issue of my frustrating night. It's just a freakin' game, right? Why make a big deal out of it?
Well, here are some of the reasons I think it's important to make a big deal out of having fun while roleplaying:
1. It's a great social activity - at its heart, it's about having a conversation with people you like.
2. It's emotional - the best games are ones where I have felt, deeply - as deeply as when I've watched a good movie or read a good book.
3. It's creative - not only do you add things into the mix, but you experience in realtime everyone else's contribution.
4. It's unpredictable - you never know what someone will do.
5. It's funny - riffing of imaginary ideas is what I laugh at and can be funny with the most.
6. It's educational - I've learned a heck of a lot about storytelling from hanging out at the Forge, designing my own games & adventures and by trying to entertain other people.
7. It's liberating - I can pretend to be someone else, trying and figure out how they would react to situations.
8. It provides many different forms of fun - from just hanging out with friends, through method acting through to literally winning a competition against another smarter player.
9. Dollar for dollar, I think it's one of the best value-for-money forms of entertainment out there.
10. It's accessible - gone are the days of four year campaigns with unwieldy 700 page rule books. My Tuesday night group has a smorgasboard approach: one-shots and mini-series, dabbling in the best and newest that roleplaying has to offer.
So, yeah, gaming's something I'm passionate about. And I guess my things are a) I want to play with my friends and b) I want it to be fun. Given that I'm only playing for about 3 hours every fortnight, I think it seems reasonable that if I spent 1.5 hours not having fun, I should work out why and try and stop it from happening again.
Well, here are some of the reasons I think it's important to make a big deal out of having fun while roleplaying:
1. It's a great social activity - at its heart, it's about having a conversation with people you like.
2. It's emotional - the best games are ones where I have felt, deeply - as deeply as when I've watched a good movie or read a good book.
3. It's creative - not only do you add things into the mix, but you experience in realtime everyone else's contribution.
4. It's unpredictable - you never know what someone will do.
5. It's funny - riffing of imaginary ideas is what I laugh at and can be funny with the most.
6. It's educational - I've learned a heck of a lot about storytelling from hanging out at the Forge, designing my own games & adventures and by trying to entertain other people.
7. It's liberating - I can pretend to be someone else, trying and figure out how they would react to situations.
8. It provides many different forms of fun - from just hanging out with friends, through method acting through to literally winning a competition against another smarter player.
9. Dollar for dollar, I think it's one of the best value-for-money forms of entertainment out there.
10. It's accessible - gone are the days of four year campaigns with unwieldy 700 page rule books. My Tuesday night group has a smorgasboard approach: one-shots and mini-series, dabbling in the best and newest that roleplaying has to offer.
So, yeah, gaming's something I'm passionate about. And I guess my things are a) I want to play with my friends and b) I want it to be fun. Given that I'm only playing for about 3 hours every fortnight, I think it seems reasonable that if I spent 1.5 hours not having fun, I should work out why and try and stop it from happening again.
Thursday, August 25, 2005
[Comics] Serenity #1
In other words, two thirds cool and one third filler.
[RPG] Legends of Alyria
Another free RPG (and the thing that got me into this whole indie scene in the first place) is Legends of Alyria. The whole rules-set is available here.
It's a dark world (think of it as the Silent Hill version of Dragonriders of Pern), with a lot of player collaboration and an easy-to-use character creation / conflict resolution system. Legends also has the best game fiction I've come across; readable and entertaining.
It's a dark world (think of it as the Silent Hill version of Dragonriders of Pern), with a lot of player collaboration and an easy-to-use character creation / conflict resolution system. Legends also has the best game fiction I've come across; readable and entertaining.
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Open House
Maybe you have questions about TV show design or film-making? I'm also heavily into the theories behind both script-writing & role-playing (and how they can intersect). Ask about any of this stuff in the Comments* and I'll try to answer. I'll also hotlink this post into the 'About' section at top-right, so it's always easy to access.
* Feel free to make suggestions in the Comments here, too.
* Feel free to make suggestions in the Comments here, too.
[RPG] Star Wars - A Frustrating Puzzle
I've started an AP thread about our group's latest game at the Forge. It's all about why I lost my temper (something I've never done during a game before) at a puzzle that had to be solved. What I've found interesting, talking with other players afterwards, is that no-one seemed to notice.
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
CBIP
... indecision.
I've started The Pool of Fire, Book 3 in The Tripod trilogy by John Christopher. But I'm not into it; it's a little too familiar.
Last night I had a dream where Chris shoved Character and Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card in my face and insisted I read it. A little later on, Dracula took over my pirate ship and then our bio-lab was infected by a deadly plague. In between, I played tennis.
Plus Legends of Indian Buddhism which is short and looks good also appeals.
I've started The Pool of Fire, Book 3 in The Tripod trilogy by John Christopher. But I'm not into it; it's a little too familiar.
Last night I had a dream where Chris shoved Character and Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card in my face and insisted I read it. A little later on, Dracula took over my pirate ship and then our bio-lab was infected by a deadly plague. In between, I played tennis.
Plus Legends of Indian Buddhism which is short and looks good also appeals.
[How to: TV] How character change
Okay, the obvious: characters change as a result of things happening to them.
The not-obvious (and bear with me, I'm still working this out ...)
I've talked before about my new approach of not pre-planning plot twists or cool things that could happen in a story. The idea is to just start with an opening situation (a What-If), introduce characters as needed and then see what they do.
"Seeing what they do," involves brainstorming possibility after possibility until I come up with something surprising, satisfying and that forces other characters to react. After getting the answer to "What would this character do?" I propose you ask "Why did they do that?" either straight away or in an extensive post-draft analysis.
The point: deepen your understanding of the character at every point.
Now here's where the character change kicks in (and this especially applies to a TV series):
... When you've gotten to the point where you know what your characters will do (their actions are consistent, even predictable), when you understand the limits they're bound within, when they're no longer surprising you with their decisions, then it's time to consider changing a character's Situation.
To take an example and reverse-engineer it, let's look at Buffy:
** Massive Spoilers **
Start of Season 1: Buffy's job is to slay vampires. She doesn't enjoy it.
S1, Ep 7: Her boyfriend is a vampire.
S1, Finale: She dies, kills the Master and saves the world.
Start of S2: Buffy is emotionally disconnected from the world and cynical, as a result of killing the Master.
S2, Ep 13: Her boyfriend becomes an evil vampire.
S2, Finale: Buffy kills her boyfriend, quits & runs away.
I could go on (Faith, graduating from high school, what happens to Joyce) but hopefully you begin to see my point - whenever we're just getting a handle on Buffy and the show, Whedon and his team change something fundamental, something that strikes at Buffy's core.
Whedon likes to think of it as being cruel to his characters. My approach is to think of something that puts your characters off-balance, because when their lives are out of control then they start making interesting (and possibly bad) decisions.
The not-obvious (and bear with me, I'm still working this out ...)
I've talked before about my new approach of not pre-planning plot twists or cool things that could happen in a story. The idea is to just start with an opening situation (a What-If), introduce characters as needed and then see what they do.
"Seeing what they do," involves brainstorming possibility after possibility until I come up with something surprising, satisfying and that forces other characters to react. After getting the answer to "What would this character do?" I propose you ask "Why did they do that?" either straight away or in an extensive post-draft analysis.
The point: deepen your understanding of the character at every point.
Now here's where the character change kicks in (and this especially applies to a TV series):
... When you've gotten to the point where you know what your characters will do (their actions are consistent, even predictable), when you understand the limits they're bound within, when they're no longer surprising you with their decisions, then it's time to consider changing a character's Situation.
To take an example and reverse-engineer it, let's look at Buffy:
** Massive Spoilers **
Start of Season 1: Buffy's job is to slay vampires. She doesn't enjoy it.
S1, Ep 7: Her boyfriend is a vampire.
S1, Finale: She dies, kills the Master and saves the world.
Start of S2: Buffy is emotionally disconnected from the world and cynical, as a result of killing the Master.
S2, Ep 13: Her boyfriend becomes an evil vampire.
S2, Finale: Buffy kills her boyfriend, quits & runs away.
I could go on (Faith, graduating from high school, what happens to Joyce) but hopefully you begin to see my point - whenever we're just getting a handle on Buffy and the show, Whedon and his team change something fundamental, something that strikes at Buffy's core.
Whedon likes to think of it as being cruel to his characters. My approach is to think of something that puts your characters off-balance, because when their lives are out of control then they start making interesting (and possibly bad) decisions.
Monday, August 22, 2005
[RPG] 4 Free RPGs
The Pool is about 3 pages long, lots of fun. Damn simple. Quite a bit of player empowerment in the rules, which is really neat.
Fate is 90 pages long. It's comprehensive, well presented rules system has won a heck of a lot of awards. Fate is a FUDGE variant (so you need special FUDGE dice)
Pace - a 19 page diceless RPG created for the 24 Hour RPG contest and since revised. Character creation in under a minute. The rules have a nice writing style and good graphic design. Pretty well reviewed.
The Shadow of Yesterday is my pick of the bunch. TSoY is great; a neat conflict system and a really crowd-pleasing concept called the Gift of Dice which effortlessly creates teamwork. It’s a fantasy game, but our group adapted it to modern times with no trouble.
Fate is 90 pages long. It's comprehensive, well presented rules system has won a heck of a lot of awards. Fate is a FUDGE variant (so you need special FUDGE dice)
Pace - a 19 page diceless RPG created for the 24 Hour RPG contest and since revised. Character creation in under a minute. The rules have a nice writing style and good graphic design. Pretty well reviewed.
The Shadow of Yesterday is my pick of the bunch. TSoY is great; a neat conflict system and a really crowd-pleasing concept called the Gift of Dice which effortlessly creates teamwork. It’s a fantasy game, but our group adapted it to modern times with no trouble.
[The Limit] Next
I think I've finished with The Plan and its ramifications. Now to write the one-page summary for Andrew, so he can bounce ideas off it.
And then it's time to sort out the rest of the problems. First I should see how dealing with this fundamental one has altered the script - and whether dealing with it has eliminated any other outstanding issues. After that, I should choose the next most fundamental issue and analyse it.
And then it's time to sort out the rest of the problems. First I should see how dealing with this fundamental one has altered the script - and whether dealing with it has eliminated any other outstanding issues. After that, I should choose the next most fundamental issue and analyse it.
[How to: TV] Stop-start
In my head, the ideal process for analysing a story seems simple: start watching (or reading), take a note of any problem I see & keep watching. In practice it's one of the hardest skills to master.
For me (and, it seems, most groups) it's easy to forget about keeping my eye on the big picture, and instead get bogged down in details.* Instead of discriminating between big problems and little ones, I treat everything equally and try to solve them as soon as they come into view. The upshot is that I spend lots of energy on fixing inconsequential issues - and then my brain isn't fresh at the point I need it most; when I run into the big problems that always seem to lurk towards the end of a piece.
The solution: nominate someone to be the Note-taker. Your team starts analysing the script, working their way from A to Z. If you find yourself getting bogged down in detailed problem-solving, it's the Note-taker's responsibility to identify that. They should force you to move on (while making a clear note of the issue that needs to be resolved).**
*This problem has hit me in script assessments, readthroughs and (especially) in the editing room.
** In other words, it's a pretty clear application of the Blue Hat phase of de Bono's 6 Hat process.
For me (and, it seems, most groups) it's easy to forget about keeping my eye on the big picture, and instead get bogged down in details.* Instead of discriminating between big problems and little ones, I treat everything equally and try to solve them as soon as they come into view. The upshot is that I spend lots of energy on fixing inconsequential issues - and then my brain isn't fresh at the point I need it most; when I run into the big problems that always seem to lurk towards the end of a piece.
The solution: nominate someone to be the Note-taker. Your team starts analysing the script, working their way from A to Z. If you find yourself getting bogged down in detailed problem-solving, it's the Note-taker's responsibility to identify that. They should force you to move on (while making a clear note of the issue that needs to be resolved).**
*This problem has hit me in script assessments, readthroughs and (especially) in the editing room.
** In other words, it's a pretty clear application of the Blue Hat phase of de Bono's 6 Hat process.
Sunday, August 21, 2005
[How to: TV] The Character's Top 3
After all the issues about a character have been brainstormed, debated and locked in ... you do up a page for them in the show's bible. At the top of the page I suggest you put the Top 3 points that give your writers the key to writing that character consistently. This is similar to what I wrote about in Principles.
[Script] Agents
Allow me to parasitise off Kung Fu Monkey and direct your attention to this post by John Rodgers wherein he illustrates the advantages of having both an agent AND a manager. As he says (in a long and extremely informative article):
My definition, when sober: "An agent helps your CAREER. A manager helps YOUR career."
My definition, when drunk: "You call your agent when you need work. You call your manager when you have a dead hooker in the bathtub of your Kentucky motel room."
CBIP
In the Night Room, by Peter Straub. Another short (under 350 pages) Tim Underhill novel.
lost boy lost girl was really frickin' scary and has a neat flashback structure that creates suspense simply by existing.
lost boy lost girl was really frickin' scary and has a neat flashback structure that creates suspense simply by existing.
[Script] Ending The Drive In 2
Hopped up on chocolate and Coke, I couldn't get to sleep last night. So I dealt with my frustrations by outlining a new (non-anti-climactic) ending for The Drive In 2.
Murder, multiple simultaneous mutant pregnancies, violent telekinesis, a 12 year old movie inspired serial killer, tornados, dinosaurs, a confrontation with every film villain and Big Bad we can afford the rights to and finally a ride INTO the sunset to confront the aliens behind it all.
After doing all that, I really want to make this movie.
Murder, multiple simultaneous mutant pregnancies, violent telekinesis, a 12 year old movie inspired serial killer, tornados, dinosaurs, a confrontation with every film villain and Big Bad we can afford the rights to and finally a ride INTO the sunset to confront the aliens behind it all.
After doing all that, I really want to make this movie.
Saturday, August 20, 2005
[The Limit] All emotional
2 things ...
I mentioned a 'breakthrough' a couple of days ago? Yesterday I realised the ramifications of it meant a HUGE rewrite of the script. First I was angry, then panicky ... then, slowly, I calmed down and am now gunna look through it methodically, seeing exactly what would need to be changed.
Also, my progress on problem-solving is slower than I'd hoped. Going slow & devising solutions that convince me is a good goal, but I think I'm starting to feel the lack of that obsessive quality, the need to get it finished by a certain goal. Maybe before I go house-sitting at Viv & Gino's in a month'd be an appropriate new goal.
I mentioned a 'breakthrough' a couple of days ago? Yesterday I realised the ramifications of it meant a HUGE rewrite of the script. First I was angry, then panicky ... then, slowly, I calmed down and am now gunna look through it methodically, seeing exactly what would need to be changed.
Also, my progress on problem-solving is slower than I'd hoped. Going slow & devising solutions that convince me is a good goal, but I think I'm starting to feel the lack of that obsessive quality, the need to get it finished by a certain goal. Maybe before I go house-sitting at Viv & Gino's in a month'd be an appropriate new goal.
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