Sim1Where’s that script
April 23rd 2007 03:53
The Bloodspit script
Probably the biggest hurdle in Guerilla film-making is the script. If you’re good it will take 3 months to get a rough draft. Another three to get a 1st – then the shit starts. If you show it round everyone has an opinion and any confidence you had is flushed down the toilet in beer-soaked anxiety control. If you’re silly enough to send it to a script assessor – you may as well just give up. If you have funding don’t be surprised if a kangaroo ends up in the lead role.
In the twelve months you spend getting nowhere closer to a start - you could have finished. You could be watching walkouts at the premier. You could be onto the next big effort.
So what to do?
Duke and I don’t have scripts. I’m not saying that’s the best way to tackle the problem but I guess it works for us.
Recently we had Tug Dumbly in to record the intro voiceover for the film we’re currently shooting. The night before I put together some text from some stuff Duke had written the night before that. At the shoot, along with Jed we all pitched in giving the dialogue some extra go-go. We had the intro in the can in under 20 minutes. Then we shot a scene with Duke, myself and Tug – no script, just went with the flow covering a few points that progressed the narrative. You can’t do that with everyone, Tug’s a natural. We did the same thing in Bloodspit and pretty much all of that is done without a script.
Sure, we get a bit a flack from the cry-babies, but storyline and dialogue are not the difference between no-budget and big-budget. I wouldn’t be the only one who’s seen some horror scripts make it to the big screen at the big end of town.
I must admit I like the no script approach to film-making.
It’s a bit like being on a jungle covered island. With or without a map, if you keep heading straight you’ll always end up on a beach.
Until next time and happy film-making.
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