A rant from a non-writer on writing (mat42dr)
A picture of the Jeff & Mike Episode 3 script
I've been writing TV screen plays for almost a year now. Mind you, the caliber in which I write follows no real pattern or standard as most TV should, but I write nonetheless.
In my experience, comedy is much easier to write than drama. I've had my hand in both at this point (Jeff & Mike/Randomish--comedy--and mat42dr--drama) and it could be my inability to really develop plot and characters and kind of just hope things come together in a story, but drama is tough.
Lately, writing mat42dr has gotten tough. I've been trying to immerse myself in drama from TV lately (namely the British show, Skins) and I'd like to think it's helping, but who knows.
I feel like the thing I've been struggling against recently is making the story realistic, and this may be my issue. TV isn't supposed to be realistic. But then again, the plot I'm currently working on has some themes in it that are tough for me to write for some reason--it could be my attachments to the characters in the story. And on top of that, I feel like I'm not consistent with the way I present some of the characters.
There is a lot of worry in my creative process.
You see, when the idea for this series popped into my head, I had a simple idea: 12 episodes (8-10 pages/minutes each), 1 main story, 5 characters, a few laughs, and a happy ending. Now... well, now I'm not sure. We still have 5 characters, but a lot has changed. More laughs, more twists, more drama, more episodes (probably), more complexity, but all under that 8-10 minute veil. Believe me when I say, writing plot that fits in 10 minutes can be tough, especially when it comes to me and my mentality of "I need to make sure every detail lies correctly in the story and seems plausible."
But the issue I'm having here is the kind of challenge I wanted with this show. I knew this would get tough. I'm currently on episode 9 of the show and things are tough, as should be expected because as stories progress, things get more complex. And I guess this is an issue all writers probably face at one point. I feel like I'm balancing two or three story lines at one time here and it's overwhelming sometimes. Or maybe I'm just seeing the hundreds of ways this story could go because, unlike Jeff & Mike, the characters in mat42dr are human beings with feelings and overactive minds and emotions who live in the real world. What it comes down to in that sense, though, is that writing real life is seriously hard. It's just plain complicated--both life and writing it.
Strangely though, I think that may be my favorite part about writing this show. For the first time, I'm writing about human beings. I'm trying to describe five different people: their emotions, their beliefs, and their actions all at once. In all honesty, I don't think I've ever really felt like this about characters before while writing. I've never been so stuck on how a character would react or think or feel about something before like I have been for this show.
I don't know if I have a whole point to this rant or whatever, but I can surely say that I am trying my damn hardest with this new show, and don't even get me started on directing. Worrying about where things will be filmed, how they'll be shot, how to light the scene, how to shoot the dialog and the intro... the list goes on with worry. Like I said, there is a lot of worry in my creative process. Nevertheless, I'm sure that this new show will be the best of anything I've done. We have a kick ass cast, an editor I trust wholeheartedly, and manning the helms is my lovely girlfriend, Katherine, at producer and art director.
We'll see how this all goes next Fall when we start shooting. I plan on having at least 12 episodes written by then, with 100% finalizations done on episodes 1-6.
Here's to summer being super inspiring! </sarcasm>
Oh, did I mention I'm a computer science major at Grand Valley? Right...
Some kind of random update
So... a breakdown of where I'm at:
1. I found out that I'm going to be at GVSU until 2012... two years later than expected. Oh well. I can only blame myself. Frankly, it's not that bad. I can spread things out and just get everything done nice and easy. Let's just hope I finish this semester with B's...
2. mat42dr -- the new TV show I'm directing/writing for GVTV -- has it's casting call on the 14th of this month and man I'm nervous/excited. My nervousness is basically fueled by my worry that a) people aren't going to show up to the casting call and b) if people do show, I'm going to be too picky on who plays who in this show. I mean, I know I have until next Fall semester to figure everything out but because I'm me, I'm worrying now. Nonetheless, I am still super excited for this show. I'm really proud of the 6 and a half episodes (I'm in the middle of writing episode 7) I have done and since my goal is to write 18 episodes (3 seasons of 6 episodes), this is going to be a lot of fun.
3. As always, I'm looking for more work. I have some side projects that, as of yesterday, will be taking up my time this summer, but more work = more money = my life easier. Of course, not having a car sucks... My hopes for this summer are to find a second job in Allendale and maybe make enough money to buy a cheap used car to get me by for the next 2-3 years. Here's hoping!
4. C2E2 in Chicago is next week. I'm heading out to that with the GVSU Comic Book Club. Flipping Alex Ross, Daniel Way, Greg Pak and numerous other writers and artists are going to be there which basically means I'm going to be peeing my pants with excitement for three days straight. That's going to be fun.
5. And the final big thing is in May. Russ Terbeek's wedding. My best friend is getting married and I'm going out to Arizona to be his best man for the occasion. It's going to be expensive, but damn it all it's going to be fun. May 26, 2010. Hell yes.
And yeah. I don't think there's that much more going on. Comics are always on my mind and watching a good TV show or two is fun... I finished Buffy, need to watch Angel, I'm on season 4 of Supernatural... anyone have any good suggestions? (I've seen Firefly, Reaper, Spaced... and a bunch others)
mat42dr – My new project
So, Jeff & Mike Write A Comic Book is done after this semester. Jeff's graduating and doesn't know where he'll be in the fall and so, I got the idea way back in November/December to start writing a new project--more specifically, a new TV show. That show is called mat42dr.
The story is about a college student named Matt. He decides to start a video blog and with this wants to break out of the shell he's put himself in over the last three years in college.
The show has five main characters: Matt, Jude, Natalie, Ryan and Simon. I have a breakdown of the characters over on the Facebook page. Really, these characters are like... five parts of my psyche. It's not 100% accurate or anything about me, but I click with each of these characters on some level.
The coolest part about this show, I'd have to say, is the "video-blog" format it's written in. I kind of ripped off the idea from, well, Dr. Horrible and The Guild, but! the story here is 100% original.
Also, the lovely Ms. Katherine Currie (the co-creator of the show) is helping me along the way editing/arguing with me about the scripts and basically making the show better and better. And lucky us, GVTV picked this show up a few weeks back and it is going into production as of next Fall--unless by some miracle we manage to shoot it this summer... we'll see.
Getting involved
I've been at GVSU for three and a half years now. It's really crazy to think about for me. Three and a half years of knowledge, partying, friends, enemies, good times, and bad times. So much stuff.
Although the main goal of going to college is to ultimately get a degree in something and use that degree to get some high paying job and blah blah blah, I have to say that, when it comes down to it, getting involved outside of academics was the best choice I could have ever made at GVSU.
Three fantastic things have come out of me getting involved:
- I've met and kept many great friends
- I've created something I am overly proud of despite it's many flaws
- That would be my TV show, 'Jeff & Mike Write A Comic Book'
- I've discovered how much I like to talk to groups of people, especially those I'm comfortable with
Things have been going down
Since my last update (almost a month ago) things have been going down.
A student at GVSU was shot on accident or something--no one really knows--I've gone unprotected on Twitter, I asked for more hours at my new job, debt is slowly consuming me, I've started to drink more water, I've been on a Kanye West binge, I've switched Twitter clients on my Mac (from Twitterrific to Lounge), I've started trimming my comic solicitations (that happened today!), and the biggest of them all: Jeff & Mike Write A Comic Book has begun shooting.
Let's talk about that last one a bit more. So! After GVSU's spring break I went to the GVTV meeting that Wednesday and after finding out my producer and (former) director were unavailable to shoot that weekend and was feeling kind of crappy about the show. It didn't seem to be going anywhere. So many delays with people and I figured it was never going to get aired. Anyways, at the GVTV meeting I mentioned that we were delayed due to people's availablity John Tremblay jumped on top of things. We had our location, we had our actors--well, two of four--and all was ready to shoot so a crew was assembled on the spot. It was then that I managed to the courage to ask one of the members of the GVTV club to be "Frenemy" on the show. I had been wimping out for the last two weeks to do so and as soon as I asked him he immediately said yes. So we were set. All we needed was the girl character: "Andrea."
After the GVTV meeting I was so excited for the show I decided to treat Dallas and Jeff to some 'late nite' food at the Main St. Pub just off campus. We sat down and hung out for a bit and Jeff and I explained our show to a bunch of Jeff's friends who we ended up sitting with and for some reason this girl, her name is Ashley, was like, "If you guys ever need any help, let me know," to which I asked if she wanted to play "Andrea" on the show. She agreed and I almost jumped ten feet in the air because, hey!, we managed to get our whole cast set in one effing day!
So our first day of shooting was planned for that Saturday (March 14 for reference) with the new crew (John Tremblay, Adam Burl, Ryan Smith, Jon Sessions, and Randy Strobl) and the whole cast (Jeff, Randy, Ashley, and myself). Ashley ended up not even being needed, so I sent her home, but after about four hours of shooting, Randy was taking control of the directing and I just threw it out there that we really didn't have a director and if he wanted the position, it was his to take. Again, he immediately said yes. All of the awesomeness goes to John Sessions for the mastery on his part that day. After six hours of shooting we packed things up and it was an incredible day.
This past weekend (the 21st) we found out we had to re-shoot almost all of what we shot the previous weekend due to some lighting issues and some mis-matching with a camera that no one could predict--which was no problem at all. We started shooting at about 1:30pm and kept on going until about 7. We were only a three piece crew after Greg Farmer--our producer--showed up then after her left, Leah Vukovich showed up to save the day. All in all, we filmed a few different scenes and, according to the crew, everything looked a lot better and Jeff and I were pretty good as well. All in all I was satisfied with everything we got done. I'm so pumped for filming the rest of the show.. which will be taking place at Nick & Rob's. ha!
From how things are going, the show will be airing next semester (September '09). I'm excited to see how ridiculous it all looks on screen.
Writing more and more (and more)
So, since I had my TV show accepted to be made on GVtv, I've been working on and off on the script(s) for the show.
I think today I finally finished a full 24-minute script done and ready for production though. For a while, I was stuck writing 10 or so minute scripts and I was trying to add filler that wasn't too funny. Luckily my friends Jeff and Nick were there to help me get through those not-so-funny times (I mean, I'm trying to write a clever and funny comedy here!) and I think the pilot episode I have is pretty good.
Sadly, this has been pulling away from my comic book reviews on DestroyTheCyb.org! and that's never good! (It seriously isn't good how much I have been lacking lately) so I'm making it a goal for the next 3 weeks while I'm on winter break to write at least .75-1 review a day. That should be too hard, right?
On top of that I recently lost one of my two jobs. Yeah, big deal, but not really a big deal. The facts are/were these:
- This job (aka CTS) was like... 4th on my list of priorities and they pretty much knew this by the end of this semester
- With School coming in at number 1, my job as a Web Developer at number 2, and comics/freelance work coming in at number 3 in a straight tie
- On my last shift, some bull shit that I has suspected about co-workers and supervisors talking shit behind my back about me was TRUE which makes me wonder why they didn't just fire me back in October when all of my ideas of "I'm probably getting fired" came into my mind and as I assume came to theirs as well
- Then again, I was being a super fuck-face via Twitter talking bad about one of my former-not-really-my-boss-bosses, which pretty much put them over the threshold to fire me--which my real boss came to tell me
- But in all seriousness, I wish I would have been "let go" or whatever back in October because I really fucking hated working at 6:30am and getting bitched at for oversleeping when all of my bosses and supervisors knew that morning shifts and I have never gotten along at all (given the problems I had last winter semester).
- Half of me votes conspiracy... but that's the impractical, cynical and outrageous half of me.
- When it all came down to it, I told them right-out I knew it was coming and left as a gentlemen and shook all of their hands. They told me if need be I could use them as a reference because overall, they really are all nice guys. And really, they told me I wasn't being "fired" but more of "not being invited back" which when I think about it means "we don't need any liabilities for this" which is understandable... I guess.
So I'm out one job, but it's really not so bad. Now I have more time to work for the web team and more time to do the things that were already higher on my list of priorities for next semester.
My only real gripes right now are that my show is funny. Man I don't want to have a sucky TV show... Hopefully once we get things recorded I'll find a way to get it online and you, the internet community, can judge me...
So that's what's up with me. What's up with you lately?
I just pitched a TV show
Yea. That's right. I pitched a TV show to GVTV, the on-campus TV network. I don't know what came over me to do this, but I just did it.
The show is called "Jeff & Mike Write a Comic Book" and guess what it's about? My friend Jeff and I writing a comic book. But it's mainly about our really wacky ideas for characters and such with a plot that influences our thoughts and all sorts of awesomeness.
So I pitched it, explained some basic plot, got some questions asked of me about the show and yeah. What was the best part was that I made all four of the judges laugh. That boosted me up like none other. So, I ended up explaining things and got off stage. Leading up to my pitch, I was fucking nervous. I mean, seeing 3 other people present their shows relieved my nervousnes, but seeing them laugh just eased all nervousness.
After the whole "Pitch Your Show To GVTV" meeting, I left and as I was heading towards the stairs to go upstairs in Kirkhof when one of the judges came running after me and she tapped me on the shoulder and she told me she "loved" my script I gave the judges and that she'd fight for my show.
Could I be any more excited? Just wow. I know I probably didn't have the best show idea, but the fact that one of the judges liked my story just made me happy. Here's to hoping I get seriously considered...
