How many times we have dreamt about seeing our favorite characters from different shows together in one of them?
Personally this is the first time the crossover involves two shows I love: Bones and Sleepy Hollow.
But, as I said in the title, my favorite has been Bones. The story, the dialogues, the interaction between the four main characters and every other thing I can think were simply AWESOME. It has been a very exciting experience.
Some words about why I didn't enjoy that much Sleepy Hollow 3x05, instead.
Starting from the pilot I can say I loved the show since the very beginning. It was amazing. Ichabod Crane, perfectly played by Tom Mison, dealing with a new, unknown world was so funny; and interesting has been to explore his inner feelings.
But, this kind of very particular shows, about mysteries, supernatural and science fiction, in my opinion usually ends its "power" very early. In the most of cases with early I mean from 10 to 13 episodes, the so called miniseries. Some good examples are: The Whispers, Wayward Pines. Others should have ended after one season but lasted two: Extant, Resurrection. Other touched the third and more... Continuum (it has been involving until 2nd ), Fringe (until 3rd was great), Sleepy Hollow...
No matter I deeply love this last I would have stopped it at the end of the first season.
My question at the end of it was: The characters are amazing but how will the writers develop the story?
Yes, because the problem is in the story and the very hard ability to keep the logic of it and together the interest of the audience.
And with this I don't want to say that the writers are unable to do a good job (I swear I couldn't do better!) but simply that those kind of stories can't last long keeping a logic sense. They became boring.
Who can survive the "death", instead, are the characters.
That's why Ichabod Crane on Bones was so incredibly perfect, anew funny and interesting, recovering in 43mins all his original charm.
That leads me to think that a new experiment could be to start a second season of this kind of shows changing the context around the characters. They are still them, the ones we love and deeply know but on a new, different level and adventures. (In case it just happened in the past, I'm unaware of it!)
Will that be possible? Will we ever see it? Who knows...
At the moment other crossovers would be very welcomed.
Thanks to everyone from @BONESonFOX and @SleepyHollowFOX that made it possible :D
Happy Halloween everyone!
Saturday, October 31, 2015
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Story of my very first digital video editing
Never give up on your dreams. That's something I always said and go on saying to myself. I must admit sometimes I went walking the road of "maybe not everything is possible". But when it happens I use to read thoughts of valuable people that realized their dreams. That helps a lot to keep the faith in yourself.
But when you are too stressed by things of life in general you seem unable to pursue your purposes. And sometimes, something apparently bad as is to loose your job, may result in a physical and interior rebirth. It happened in February. The fact of being on welfare for some months, made me feel enough protected economically to mentally and physically rest. I discovered that I was so stressed that I needed 2 months before my mind decided to dedicate to something useful. I have two old passions: video editing and writing. But while for writing you only need a simple laptop and your mind, for my old first but everlasting dream, video editing, you need resources.
I tried several times in 20 years but with no luck. My first video editing was done in the '90s using videotapes, two video recorders and a lot of patience! Still remember the amazing feeling of when I saw it finished. But when I was going to buy my first digital mixer video (price 4000000 Lire back then, actual buying power 4000 Euro, a lot of money) it happened that things went bad in my "world" and had to use that money to live.
Some years later, still in the '90s, things went better for me, technology had done GIANT steps and computers started doing the job of "old" mixer videos. I was so happy that I now had a computer and a software but... I sadly soon discovered that the program, to run properly, needed resources that my new computer didn't achieve. I got sad. I was unable to buy another in that moment. Damn!
But, being a very positive person I never really totally give up. I learned sometimes you must wait, no matter how hard it is.
I went on installing softwares for video editing on every pc I had in my life, but I was always a step behind. And time flies, inevitably.
When two years ago I bought my last laptop, having a lot of digital material to "play" with I decided to try an old version of Adobe Premiere. But once again, my 300 Euro cheap laptop - Win 7 64bit System Dual-core processor AMD E-300 APU with AMD Radeon HD 6310 Graphics 1.30 GHz RAM 4GB- (still not enough money to buy one most powerful!) didn't reach the low specifications and video started running jerkily.
But, thanks to my constant motto "never give up on your dreams until you die!", one lucky day, April 1st 2014, I run into the last version of the software: Adobe Premiere Pro CC, 30 days trial. Innovative, so shining to my eyes. As usual, no matter this time too the specifications didn't match with the minimum system requirements I decided to though try it on the same laptop described above. And... surprise of the surprises... IT WORKED!!! Against every descriptions IT WORKED!!! I was INCREDULOUS!!! But finally, after 20 long years, my old everlasting dream could start. I felt so excited that it's very hard to describe. I was in my bed, with the laptop on my knees, watching that video running fluently in front of my eyes with no stops. I was smiling as a baby in front of their parents jokes and nearly crying. It was TRUE! It was RUNNING! Now it was only a matter of time to do my first digital video editing.
The first incredible excitement abruptly stopped after loading the first video. How to do the things in my mind? It was so that now that I had the POWER I didn't have the KNOWLEDGE! At first sight it's a complicated software. Complicated as every thing you never run in through. But luckily I always have been a self-taught person regarding technology. When I started using Microsoft Word 2.0 there was no internet (well, not the one we know now) and no tutorials. But it came with a very "fat" manual that I decided to start reading as a book. -It worked then, it will work now-, I said to myself. Now the "fat" book is a "fat" Pdf and Adobe created also a lot of intesting video tutorials that are short and very powerful. And if you add this what Google's world can offer and other tutorials from normal people on YouTube, you know you can start learning soon.
The trial comes with a sort of interactive project were you download videos, pictures and music, and together with the online teacher you can move your first steps. AMAZING.
The initial incomprehensible terms used became familiar in few minutes. Then followed the most, for me, exciting part: START DOING!
As usual, everything seams easy when done by someone with knowledge. So I diligently started repeting everything and DONE! I felt so proud of myself. But, being realistic, I just knew the problems would have started when beginning my own work. The videos in the tutorial where just selected and edited by the teacher, mine were only in my mind.
Indescribable joy when I loaded my first video to edit and soon after cutted the first scene. My dream was starting. Highly exciting. Then followed some major mistakes like deleting the video when inserting the audio, doing an unwanted slow-motion using the wrong tool, moving a scene just syncronized to the music that took me like 5 minutes to do it to later discover there was a dedicated procedure for doing this in one second. That's the price for not reading the manual first!
But sometimes, your knowledge with other softwares lets you do the right move making you feel like a pro! I needed to silence the original audio. How to do it? I instinctively right clicked on the video in the editing field and in the pop-up window I noticed a flag on enable. I unflagged it and... YESSS! It was the right thing. Now my few seconds edited started looking as a videoclip. My dream was going on. With a baby's smile on my face.
My next move was to slow the very first seconds of my video. Yes because that tool that I previously used when unwanted I was unable to find it now that I needed. So I started pressing each tool randomly. I know I must never do that but, you know, I like to be diabolic. So the predictable result was that instead of clicking 5 times starting from the top and find out immediately what I needed I ended up clicking like 20 times the entire row of commands without never pressing the right one! But if that by one side is diabolic by the other is instructive because you learn in few seconds the exact meaning of all the other tools. And that's good. You learn by your mistakes, says the said. True.
Next step was... how to delete just some few still from this clip? Another long research started and it was fructuous. Here I felt the power of the video editor: modeling the stills at my own pleasure. Because when you have a long time passion for editing as mine you watch nearly every scene critically doing yourself continuous questions like why those stills were repeted? Were them wanted or it was a mistake? Why that song is not totally in syncro at some points? Why that scene was so long and not intercalated with a shot taken from a different point of view?
The next addition was that thing called the lucky of the beginner. I liked a scene where there was a kick that I wanted to put it in a specific point of the music. Incredibly I posted it exactly in time at the first try! Well, we would use a term here for that, which is in gentle terms that human part posted right below the back. Lol, I'm sure you got it! ;D
My sequence was taking form and excitement was growing.
Screening the video material found a sequence that I decided it was the last, the closure of my first clip. The guy wave at the very end and my composition was bringing me to make another step. Transition. I needed a fade to black. Too bad that in the effect list on the left there is only a fade to white. Whyyyy? I need black! To see the effect I decided to though use the fade to white while searching for the proper black.
Started searching on Google "fade to black with Adobe Premiere pro CC". But it happened that there were only tutorials made with the previous version of the software. I said to myself -Well it will work as well.- WRONG! The software house decided to make the "fade to black" different, here. A lot harder to find for a beginner as me. So, after spending like 4 hours watching unuseful tutorials I searched on the good "old" fat pdf manual and found out what to do. There was a little mistake in my opinion but, doing some tries, I found the right one.
I went on searching and adding scene by scene and the excitement was bigger at any second added.
But since my slow video card sometimes didn't want to show me a fluent video, to see if my work was going well, it was time for my first rendering. I can't describe my immense joy when I watched the video, MY video, for the first time. I knew, I saw it was simple and imperfect but I was so proud of myself.
After watching it and asking a friend to give me their feedback I made some few changes and now the video was ready and for the first time, online.
A new, immense world opened in front of my eyes. And I feel a so great happiness that it's very hard to describe.
Thank you Adobe for this 30 days trial of Premiere Pro CC.
But when you are too stressed by things of life in general you seem unable to pursue your purposes. And sometimes, something apparently bad as is to loose your job, may result in a physical and interior rebirth. It happened in February. The fact of being on welfare for some months, made me feel enough protected economically to mentally and physically rest. I discovered that I was so stressed that I needed 2 months before my mind decided to dedicate to something useful. I have two old passions: video editing and writing. But while for writing you only need a simple laptop and your mind, for my old first but everlasting dream, video editing, you need resources.
I tried several times in 20 years but with no luck. My first video editing was done in the '90s using videotapes, two video recorders and a lot of patience! Still remember the amazing feeling of when I saw it finished. But when I was going to buy my first digital mixer video (price 4000000 Lire back then, actual buying power 4000 Euro, a lot of money) it happened that things went bad in my "world" and had to use that money to live.
Some years later, still in the '90s, things went better for me, technology had done GIANT steps and computers started doing the job of "old" mixer videos. I was so happy that I now had a computer and a software but... I sadly soon discovered that the program, to run properly, needed resources that my new computer didn't achieve. I got sad. I was unable to buy another in that moment. Damn!
But, being a very positive person I never really totally give up. I learned sometimes you must wait, no matter how hard it is.
I went on installing softwares for video editing on every pc I had in my life, but I was always a step behind. And time flies, inevitably.
When two years ago I bought my last laptop, having a lot of digital material to "play" with I decided to try an old version of Adobe Premiere. But once again, my 300 Euro cheap laptop - Win 7 64bit System Dual-core processor AMD E-300 APU with AMD Radeon HD 6310 Graphics 1.30 GHz RAM 4GB- (still not enough money to buy one most powerful!) didn't reach the low specifications and video started running jerkily.
But, thanks to my constant motto "never give up on your dreams until you die!", one lucky day, April 1st 2014, I run into the last version of the software: Adobe Premiere Pro CC, 30 days trial. Innovative, so shining to my eyes. As usual, no matter this time too the specifications didn't match with the minimum system requirements I decided to though try it on the same laptop described above. And... surprise of the surprises... IT WORKED!!! Against every descriptions IT WORKED!!! I was INCREDULOUS!!! But finally, after 20 long years, my old everlasting dream could start. I felt so excited that it's very hard to describe. I was in my bed, with the laptop on my knees, watching that video running fluently in front of my eyes with no stops. I was smiling as a baby in front of their parents jokes and nearly crying. It was TRUE! It was RUNNING! Now it was only a matter of time to do my first digital video editing.
The first incredible excitement abruptly stopped after loading the first video. How to do the things in my mind? It was so that now that I had the POWER I didn't have the KNOWLEDGE! At first sight it's a complicated software. Complicated as every thing you never run in through. But luckily I always have been a self-taught person regarding technology. When I started using Microsoft Word 2.0 there was no internet (well, not the one we know now) and no tutorials. But it came with a very "fat" manual that I decided to start reading as a book. -It worked then, it will work now-, I said to myself. Now the "fat" book is a "fat" Pdf and Adobe created also a lot of intesting video tutorials that are short and very powerful. And if you add this what Google's world can offer and other tutorials from normal people on YouTube, you know you can start learning soon.
The trial comes with a sort of interactive project were you download videos, pictures and music, and together with the online teacher you can move your first steps. AMAZING.
The initial incomprehensible terms used became familiar in few minutes. Then followed the most, for me, exciting part: START DOING!
As usual, everything seams easy when done by someone with knowledge. So I diligently started repeting everything and DONE! I felt so proud of myself. But, being realistic, I just knew the problems would have started when beginning my own work. The videos in the tutorial where just selected and edited by the teacher, mine were only in my mind.
Indescribable joy when I loaded my first video to edit and soon after cutted the first scene. My dream was starting. Highly exciting. Then followed some major mistakes like deleting the video when inserting the audio, doing an unwanted slow-motion using the wrong tool, moving a scene just syncronized to the music that took me like 5 minutes to do it to later discover there was a dedicated procedure for doing this in one second. That's the price for not reading the manual first!
But sometimes, your knowledge with other softwares lets you do the right move making you feel like a pro! I needed to silence the original audio. How to do it? I instinctively right clicked on the video in the editing field and in the pop-up window I noticed a flag on enable. I unflagged it and... YESSS! It was the right thing. Now my few seconds edited started looking as a videoclip. My dream was going on. With a baby's smile on my face.
My next move was to slow the very first seconds of my video. Yes because that tool that I previously used when unwanted I was unable to find it now that I needed. So I started pressing each tool randomly. I know I must never do that but, you know, I like to be diabolic. So the predictable result was that instead of clicking 5 times starting from the top and find out immediately what I needed I ended up clicking like 20 times the entire row of commands without never pressing the right one! But if that by one side is diabolic by the other is instructive because you learn in few seconds the exact meaning of all the other tools. And that's good. You learn by your mistakes, says the said. True.
Next step was... how to delete just some few still from this clip? Another long research started and it was fructuous. Here I felt the power of the video editor: modeling the stills at my own pleasure. Because when you have a long time passion for editing as mine you watch nearly every scene critically doing yourself continuous questions like why those stills were repeted? Were them wanted or it was a mistake? Why that song is not totally in syncro at some points? Why that scene was so long and not intercalated with a shot taken from a different point of view?
The next addition was that thing called the lucky of the beginner. I liked a scene where there was a kick that I wanted to put it in a specific point of the music. Incredibly I posted it exactly in time at the first try! Well, we would use a term here for that, which is in gentle terms that human part posted right below the back. Lol, I'm sure you got it! ;D
My sequence was taking form and excitement was growing.
Screening the video material found a sequence that I decided it was the last, the closure of my first clip. The guy wave at the very end and my composition was bringing me to make another step. Transition. I needed a fade to black. Too bad that in the effect list on the left there is only a fade to white. Whyyyy? I need black! To see the effect I decided to though use the fade to white while searching for the proper black.
Started searching on Google "fade to black with Adobe Premiere pro CC". But it happened that there were only tutorials made with the previous version of the software. I said to myself -Well it will work as well.- WRONG! The software house decided to make the "fade to black" different, here. A lot harder to find for a beginner as me. So, after spending like 4 hours watching unuseful tutorials I searched on the good "old" fat pdf manual and found out what to do. There was a little mistake in my opinion but, doing some tries, I found the right one.
I went on searching and adding scene by scene and the excitement was bigger at any second added.
But since my slow video card sometimes didn't want to show me a fluent video, to see if my work was going well, it was time for my first rendering. I can't describe my immense joy when I watched the video, MY video, for the first time. I knew, I saw it was simple and imperfect but I was so proud of myself.
After watching it and asking a friend to give me their feedback I made some few changes and now the video was ready and for the first time, online.
A new, immense world opened in front of my eyes. And I feel a so great happiness that it's very hard to describe.
Thank you Adobe for this 30 days trial of Premiere Pro CC.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
My fake interview with Greg Yaitanes created with some of his real tweets ;)
Reading his
last live tweets on Friday night about episode 4 of #Banshee I had these
thoughts that I love to share with you.
CH: Hi
Greg, we are so glad to have you live tweeting with us during this episode 4 of
#Banshee. -Actually I would like to say
I'm so glad to have you in front of meeee!!! Ok, going on... He nods with a smile. I could faint...!!- So,
#Banshee is starting, audience is all yours! -He smiles and starts writing his first live tweet.-
GY: Welcome
citizens of #Banshee!! I'm Greg Yaitanes and I'm the director and Exec
Producer. The series is created by @Jtropper @davidschickler https://twitter.com/GregYaitanes/status/297540042451197952
CH: Wow,
citizens of #Banshee! You really know how to make us feel addicted. -I smile at him excited!-
GY: #Banshee
trivia: this episode was the first episode that we shot. it's not the norm to
go out of order but we had our reasons!
https://twitter.com/GregYaitanes/status/297540538087923712
GY: we shot
ep4 as our "ep1" so when we shot ep1 we were warmed up as actor,
director and crew. paid off! @Cinemax is bold for ok-ing that. https://twitter.com/GregYaitanes/status/297544250302799873
CH: Oh yes,
you had a clever idea! The result was great. -The camera is sliding on some Carrie and Gordon photos while we clearly
hear kisses and moans.- A sex scene, right? -I ask with a bit of malice.-
GY:
*smiles* This sex scene between @ivanamilicevic and @RusBlackwell breaks my
heart. The conflict and their push and pull as characters. https://twitter.com/GregYaitanes/status/297540704018763777
CH: -Sure, that's our same first thought! Actually
I'm focusing too on a "push" and "pull" thing but it's about
Rus's performance; veeery good! As I believe men are focusing on the perfect
Ivana's body! I always ask myself how much in a sex scene is the view of the
director and how much is in the script... Well, these are obviously just inner
thoughts, you can't tell/ask that to a director! - Oh yes, it's clear her
mind is somewhere else! -I finally say. And
I really think about. But, in order, just for you to know, bad thoughts came
first! Lol)-
Will add
other parts of the "fake convo" soon. I enjoy a lot the writing of it
;D
Genius - Episode 0 - part 2 (English revised by Mark)
INT. HOSPITAL
- NIGHT - 12:10AM
Alma
arrives at the hospital with her partner James. They head to the reception.
Then, showing her badge..
ALMA DULCE
Detective
Alma Dulce Pilar, Detective James. We need to talk with the doctor in charge about
the guy found injured in Russell Square during the magic show.
NURSE
Oh, yes. I’ll
call Dr. Cassidy.
She opens
the microphone and speaks.
NURSE
(CONT'D)
Dr. Cassidy
is required at the reception.
Dr. Cassidy
at the reception.
The doctor
arrives in a minute.
ALMA DULCE
Detective
Alma Dulce Pilar, detective James. What about the guy found injured in Russell Square?
How is he?
DR. CASSIDY
He has
suffered a... One of his kidneys has been surgically removed.
Alma listens
carefully to the doctor without interrupting.
DR. CASSIDY
(CONT’D)
At the moment
he is sedated. He has lost a lot of blood but he should recover soon.
ALMA DULCE
Me need to
talk to him. When do you think it will be possible?
DR. CASSIDY
It depends
of his condition later today. We will keep you informed.
ALMA DULCE
Okay, thank
you Dr. Cassidy.
They shake
their hands and leave.
While
entering the car Alma’s phone rings. She sits in the passenger seat and while
James starts driving she opens the call. Before she can say a word...
JD
It’s JD,
detective.
ALMA DULCE
(Trying to
hide her surprise)
Hello...
Mr. Smith. What can I do for you!
JD
Wanted to
know how the guy is. I’m still upset, can’t sleep.
ALMA DULCE
(Faking
control)
It seems like
he will recover. You can have a good night, sir.
JD
(Surprised
by her coolness)
Thank God.
He feels
she is controlling herself. He liked her from the first. She is nice, ok, but
he feels there is something special in her. So decides to shoot one of his
“heart bullets”...
JD (CONT’D)
(Deep
voice)
Good night,
Alma.
He closes
the phone right after without waiting for her answer. He watches the phone with
a sweet smile imagining her inner reaction.
He was
right, she stays dumb for some seconds with the phone still in her right ear,
looking straight in front of her with her gaze lost nowhere.
James keeps
one eye on the road and one on her, smiling.
When she
recovers she realizes James is watching her amused.
ALMA DULCE
(Annoyed by
his amused smile)
What’s up.
JAMES
(Still
smiling)
What’s up with
you! What did he tell you!?
ALMA DULCE
(Annoyed
again)
He simply
wanted news about the guy.
JAMES
(Still
smiling)
He likes
you.
She watches
him blushing with her dark eyes wide open with surprise.
ALMA DULCE
What??
JAMES
Come on,
you’re blushing it’s clear! He is nice, what’s wrong!
ALMA DULCE
(Faking
self-assurance)
James, I’m
blushing for the foolish things you are saying!
JAMES
(Being
serious)
You’ve
never shown any interest in any man since I met you.
With him, it is different,
that’s nice! Isn’t it?
ALMA DULCE
Shut up!
She cuts
off the dialogue roughly. He watches her again caringly with a smile then,
still smiling returns watching the road in front of them. A lot of untold
thoughts run inside both their minds.
FADE OUT
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Genius - Episode 0 - part 1 (English revised by Mark)
Just some notes:
as I told in my previous post I felt the need to change the story a bit.
Reading Andrew Marlowe's words "as much of this episode was written while waiting in line at the Telluride Film Festival." I thought: OK, I'm not a pro as him, but if I can't go on is because I don't like what I'm writing. I have not clear in mind the story.
So, thank you Andrew :)
In my revised story:
Alma didn't win anything; JD is living between us and Bob... will tell you soon :)
You will probably be horrified by my script style but, please, be easy on me, you know my goal is to study with your help or with someone you will decide for.
GENIUS
“Episode Zero”
TEASER
FADE IN:EXT. SQUARE - NIGHT
HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE in a square attending the show of a famous illusionist: JD (- You remember our friend? ;) -)
PEOPLE ARE SCREAMING Go! Go! Go! This is the moment when our illusionist calls one of the attendants/audience onto the stage.
He is a charming guy, a big tall boy, he always has that enigmatic smile all the magicians have.
JD
(loud)
Aaaand, this is your moment people!
DRUM ROLL. JD closes his eyes and draws an imaginary semicircle on the audience with his index finger and his tense arm. He goes back and forth two times then, opening his eyes again, points to a woman.
JD (CONT'D)
(loud)
You on the stage, dear!
Two men approach the woman chosen and while walking with her towards the stairs of the stage, something happens...
WOMAN
(stops and screams scared looking down)
The men look down too and see a bloody dirty hand grasping the ankle of the woman. They lift up the red fabric cover of the stage and discover a man lying on the ground.
MAN
(low voice)
Please, help me.
END OF THE TEASER
ACT ONE
EXT. NIGHT - MOMENTS LATER
It’s about 10pm, Detective Alma Dulce Pilar has been called by his boss to go and investigate where the man was found.
Along with her some officers are searching for evidences under the stage, where the guy was found, and all around.
OFFICER1
(shouting from the other side of the stage)
Detective, we have found some blood here.
Alma who is walking bends under the stage, runs towards the exit, lifts up the fabric cover to reach her assistant quickly but has to stop immediately. She finds in front of her face a man’s groin (ok, you know what I mean! ^__^ ). A tall man is standing in front of the stage, dressed very elegantly in black. She stays a second in that position, embarrassed.
JD
(amused, ironic, playful)
Even it seems that’s not my face!
JD (CONT'D)
Hello!
Alma holds back a smile and stands up.
JD (CONT'D)
(offers his hand)
JD, nice to meet you. Officer Green told me you wanted to meet me.
ALMA DULCE
(shakes his hand)
Yes, thanks for coming.
ALMA DULCE (CONT'D)
Did you notice anything strange before or during the show? Anything unusual?
JD
No, everything was normal until that moment.
ALMA DULCE
Have you ever met the guy?
JD
Well, I meet so many people. Not that I remember.
ALMA DULCE
(offering her hand)
Thank you Mr Smith, feel free to call me if you remember something useful.
JD
(surprised, still hand in hand)
Mmmm, you know my name! A fan?
ALMA DULCE
(pinpoint)
A detective.
JD
This is for you, my princess.
Alma is disconcerted. She is his fan even she is trying to hide it and receiving this attention from him is something very touching. But she can’t obviously show her feelings. And she is also very mistrustful of men.
ALMA DULCE
(watching the flowers and with an awkward smile)
Thank you. Now I must go.
ALMA DULCE (CONT’D)
(adding)
Oh, this is my business card in case you remember something.
ALMA DULCE (CONT’D)
(adding)
Oh, this is my business card in case you remember something.
He takes it.
JD
(pretending to forget)
Oh, my number, in case you need. For work or... for pleasure.
He makes a business card appear and gives it to her.
JD (CONT'D)
(blinking)
It is signed on the back.
Alma takes it.
ALMA DULCE
For work, thanks. Goodbye Mr. Smith.
OFFICER1
(ironic smile)
A gift from the magician?
ALMA DULCE
(unusually smiling)
Yes.
OFFICER1
I found them creepy, the magicians I mean.
ALMA DULCE
Yeah... a bit.
FADE OUT
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Rewriting Genius
Sometimes there's a moment you realize what you are writing is not taking the direction you want.
That happened to me lately. I wrote and wrote some Genius things I didn't like so I stopped, I started watching (studying!) other shows, thinking and in a day off as today (holiday here) I could finally leave my mind flowing and the inspiration arrived. Something is taken by my old Genius, something has been changed.
I'll post soon, probably in a script style which is easier for my not perfect knowled of English.
Trying to create a dramedy.
See you soon :)
That happened to me lately. I wrote and wrote some Genius things I didn't like so I stopped, I started watching (studying!) other shows, thinking and in a day off as today (holiday here) I could finally leave my mind flowing and the inspiration arrived. Something is taken by my old Genius, something has been changed.
I'll post soon, probably in a script style which is easier for my not perfect knowled of English.
Trying to create a dramedy.
See you soon :)
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Chapter 3 - Six months later
The promise Bob made
to Alma six months ago is now an amazing reality. Such a big win can make you
lose your head, sometimes. But that can’t happen to Bob who has won back his
own dignity swearing to himself that with that fortune not only can he start
searching for his son again, but he can also help others that, like himself, a
part of their lives has been stolen of by some sick mind who ruins someone
else’s happiness for malice or pure madness.
Two months ago he
bought an office with four rooms with a view of the Empire State Building. That
imposing building reminds him of the last hours spent with his son twenty years
ago. The kid overstressed him with the request to be taken to the top of that giant
that fascinated him so much in the film. – Dad, take me to King Kong.
Pleaaaase! – he went on never growing tired of repeating that. – Come on dad,
please take me there! – In the end Bob gave up and once at the top, watching
that unreal scenario the kid said – Dad, when I grow up I will save King Kong
and his fiancé so they will live happily ever after. – All right -, Bob replied
giving a tender faint smile. They took some pictures and one, with them
together, shot by a Japanese tourist they asked the favor of. A photographic
enlargement stands lonely at his back in front of the desk where he receives
his clients. – I will find you – is clearly written on it. This is the message
of hope for himself and for all the people asking for his help.
People search for him
and want him because they know they will be totally understood in their drama. His
good example encourages even the most desperate to never give up and to start hoping
again.
He decides not to ask
for money because he doesn’t want inequalities between rich and poor people. He
accepts offers, but only if he solves the case. Every day he receives tons of
emails and letters of requests. He reads and carefully examines all of them and
when he sees even a frail hope, no matter if the disappearance happened many
years ago, he accepts it. He works simultaneously on hard and relatively easier
cases.
He spends more time
in the office than at home. He has chosen a very bright room for himself, with
most of the walls made of glass. The windows can’t be opened but a great air
conditioning system makes the stay pleasant.
The wall with the big
photo in it is brown. His desk is made of a tabletop of black crystal not
totally opaque which stands on a steel structure. The chair is black, in synthetic
leather, that too with a steel structure.
Few things on his
desktop: a silver-grey laptop, a penholder, a notebook, a white lacquered wooden
dice 10x10 cm with rounded corners hand made by an artisan on each side of
which the six winning numbers of the lottery have been carved. And…. the box,
the object that changed his life but that he hasn’t wanted to open anymore
since the lucky event. But he is never seperated from it, he takes it everywhere
so that when he bought the bag for the laptop he chose a model suitable for
putting the box in it too.
Bob is reading some
news on the laptop when gets a phone call. It’s Alma Dulce.
“Bob, a homeless guy was found near to
death in a suburban area. It seems he has been away for some days. He has now been
taken to the hospital. It seems another homeless is missing, reach me here”.
(Editor’s note: I
know I should go deep in the describing of the environments indicating the
names of places and streets but I’ll do it in the second draft. Now I’m giving
priority to the story so that you can evaluate the content.)
“I’m on the way” – Bob replies. He takes
note of the address on his smartphone, he stands up, takes the bag, puts the
box inside it, takes the jacket and leaves. When he arrives at the car he
enters quickly, he starts the engine and sets off.
Bob is a tough cookie
but today he feels nervous. It’s his first case in collaboration with the
Police since he abandoned his job twenty years ago. His ex-boss has seen the
excellent results he is having with his private cases and the high consideration
Alma Dulce has for him, decides to give him a chance by involving him in the cases
of missing people and wants Alma Dulce as his partner. She already knows Bob
very well and can supervise and evaluate his psychological situation and so his
attitude to go on or quit this cooperation.
When Bob reaches Alma
she is already taking notes from the homeless people.
When he exits the
car, in that environment so familiar to him (even if that wasn’t his old home),
he feels tense. Looking around searching for Alma Dulce the first impact is
painful. Thousands of images of his past life run through his mind, how many
memories? But he takes a deep breath and goes towards Alma who he has seen not
so far. She is talking with a man who is looking more sober than the others and
he is telling her there’s another of them who has been missing for some days.
He comments that it’s common enough for them to take “a vacation”, or so he
calls it, in another place, sometimes; for a woman for example. But usually they
turn back, he explains.
(Editor’s note:
if I was making a
pilot and I was starting the episode from this chapter. I, as the audience, I
was unaware of the story of the genius, the win, etc.. I was meeting the
protagonist by the camera starting showing me a not so slow – I hate slowness,
I love action! – complete view of the office dwelling upon some details zooming
toward the desktop starting from the dice, sliding on the box and then stopping
on Bob, that we see behind the laptop screen while reading. The camera zooms
back showing the giant photo on the wall previously described. The phone rings,
he takes the call and talks with Alma Dulce. He hangs up and before leaving he
takes the bag, then the black box. He keeps it in his hands for some seconds
clasping his fingers on the box and closing his eyes as to take strength from
it and then puts it into the bag.
In fact, if I was the
audience I would ask myself the reason for that gesture. What does the box
represent for the protagonist? It is ancient, amidst the modern furniture. Is
it a family jewel? Something that belonged to a loved one now deceased? Could
someone think of a Genius? Possibly not, if I change the title, lol!)
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