Blog #13

• When we first talked about this project, I was skeptical, I have never been a fan of writing, merely reading what others have written for me! I am also not a very creative, and I was worried about coming up with a worthwhile plot/story. I was not excited about it to say the least.
• I feel like it has widened my horizons. I did not particularly like working on the same thing for so long, but I can say that I have written a script now! I have given it a try, and it has helped me to at least appreciate the movies that I watch more! i have used script writing software as well, which I found very interesting.
• The part of the script frenzy workbook that I found most helpful was the section where the writer was supposed to flesh out the characters an give then character traits! Authors often describe how the characters in their stories take over the writing, and they are merely recording their actions on a page. This really began to happen to me a few pages into the story, and this would not have been possible if I had not though long and hard about my characters. I did not find the climax and falling action page to be helpful. I already knew the climax that I was going to employ, and the falling action was to far in the future to worry about. I wasnt sure who I was going to kill off, and I didn't know who I wanted to end up with who, I was intending to figure that out once I had actually reached the falling action.
• I learned that I am a procrastinator, and that if I have a month to do something, it seems like forever! Having so many distractions so close at hand..it was difficult to focus, which is why I had to get the program at home, when I could work on the project on my own time, at the time of day I wanted ( NOT 7:30 in the morning). Big projects are meant for home, that is what my brain is wired to think.
• My final script was 30 pages. I did manage my time to fit in at least that much (I wasn't cramming on the last night) but my goal was 75 pages. So I did not budget my time correctly, though it was budgeted. I finished my story in the 30 pages I wrote, so that tells me that my story must need a lot of revisions, or should just be a digital short instead of a full length feature film. I could have had a set page limit per day to make sure such a page goal was achieves, while I was writing my goal was really just to put at least a paragraph on the page per day. This approach was clearly not strict enough to keep me on track an achieve 75 pages. I should calculate it out exactly next time.
• The strength of my script was definitely the humor. My strategy was to distract everyone from the horribleness of my plot with witty banter between the characters. even though I did end up liking my plot, it was a moment of brilliance that came out of nowhere, and the fact that I actually cared about the content of the script made it that much better.
• my script was a tad short, which was definitely a weakness. Since I finished my plot in a mere 30 pages, I could clearly have elaborated on the scene, and dialogue. The climax was also rather short. I could have built up the tension, and extended Malificent's monologue. Bad guys always monologue right?
• I would focus most of my time on improving the relationship/dialogue between Phil and Rose. I feel like there is not enough substance there to really believe that the two are in love. I would also improve upon the scene where Rose confronts Malificent. It is over too quickly for a moment that Rose has been training and preparing for her entire life.

Blog#12

• I was told that the strengths of my script included humor, and good character interaction. My peers also expressed that I really gave my characters a 3-D feel, in that I fleshed out their personalities through dialogue. They also liked my plot choice, which was a spin on a classic fairy tale (Sleeping Beauty).
• They thought that one weakness found in the script was the relationships between the characters. While their personalities were apparent, the relationships between characters, such as Rose an her father, were not as apparent as desirable.
• If I could re-write this scene, I would lengthen the conversation between rose and her father, so the relationship between them (strained but loving) becomes apparent. She has not seen this man for 10 years, but the fact that they have just re-united is not quite apparent in my script conversation right now.

Blog #11

ROSE and PHIL enter the kitchen looking about for napkins to clean up PHIL's punch mishap. ROSE walks straight in without hesitation, while PHIL slinks in, looking embarrassed and worried.

 Phil

(looks embarrassed) So......where do you think the napkins are? (he has a worried afterthought)  Do you think there are spiders in here?????

Rose

(looking impatient) Well yes, I imagine there are. So who are you exactly?

Phil

(he looks worried) You...you don't recognize me? (he jumps) was that a spider?!

Rose

(very confused) all I know is that you are the clutz who spilled punch all over this horrid dress, I should bake you a cake! No, that wasn't a spider.......

Phil

(looking relieved) oh...okay. Well I'm Phil! Phil Charming....(he holds out his hand, and then looks worried as she still doesn't recognize him)The  one...erm, the one who...
Rose
(she looks stunned) Oh crap. YOU? I have to marry YOU? um, not that you aren't great or anything I just...uhhh (she thinks quickly and then runs to the corner pointing at something) SPIDER!
(Phil jumps a foot and scrambles to get a spoon. He bravely waves it around)
Phil
Don't worry! It is my duty and my honor...
Rose
( she walks from behind him and walks briskly, searching the cupboards) yes do shut up about that please we came to get napkins.
Phil
(he stutters)Quite, Quite right. yes. of course. well what's that in the corner? It looks like a pile of rags, that might do!(he warily approaches the pile of cloth)

Rose

Yes I suppose this will do...OW! Crapsicles!(she draws back the cloth, revealing a spinning wheel and pricks her finger)

(Phil hesitates, lookes confusedly at her, and slumps to the ground, and Rose stares, confused)

Rose

(standing over Phil who is clearly still breathing) Oh drat.

blog #10 Dialogue moving forward

Rose

And then, WHAM! he was down! What happened?

Flora

(looking uncomfortable) well.......do you remember that charm bracelet that your other Aunts and I gave to you on your 2nd birthday......?

Rose

What this thing? (looking at the bracelet suspiciously)

Flora

Well yes! That's a charm reversal bracelet. So...

Rose

(looking incredulous) Since that curse was meant for me, it rebounded and hit Phil??

Flora

I'm afraid so dear.

blog # 9 Dialogue

Phil

(embarassed) So......where do you think the napkins are? (worried afterthought)  Do you think there are spiders in here?????

Rose

(impatient) Well yes, I imagine there are. So who are you exactly?

Phil

(worried) You...you don't recognize me? (jumps) was that a spider?!

Rose

(confused) all I know is that you are the clutz who spilled punch all over this horrid dress, I should bake you a cake! No, that wasn't a spider.......

Phil

(relieved) oh...okay. Well I'm Phil! Phil Charming....(he holds out his hand, and then looks worried as she still doesn't recognize him)The  one...erm, the one who...
Rose
Oh crap. YOU? I have to marry YOU? um, not that you aren't great or anything I just...uhhh (thinking quickly) SPIDER!
(Phil jumps a foot and scrambles to get a spoon. He bravely waves it around)
Phil
Don't worry! It is my duty and my honor...
Rose
yes do shut up about that please we came to get napkins.
Phil
(stuttering)Quite, Quite right. yes. of course. well what's that in the corner? It looks like a pile of rags, that might do!

Rose

Yes I suppose this will do...OW! Crapsicles!(she draws back the cloth, revealing a spinning wheel and pricking her finger)

(Phil hesitates, cookes confusedly at her, and slumps to the ground, and Rose stares, confused)

Rose

(standing over Phil who is clearly still breathing) Oh drat. 

Facts about Dialogue

1. The dialogue in a story should move the plot forward. Meaningless dialogue can slow the story down, or lose the reader. (witticisms always help as well, they are needed more with a short film)
2. Dialogue shows the relationship between charaters, and implies information about the speaker's past, present and future.
3. Good dialogue reflects the speaker's personality. For instance, if the speakaer is a generally hostile person, he would not be going around saying "I love you man".  If the charater has an accent, that is also an important part of the dialogue. Is the speaker a foreigner? a native?

Hollywood Formula

OPENING SCENE:
Rose is in  the final battle with Maleficent, the evil witch she has sworn to destroy to revenge her mother's death (she died when a pile of spinning wheels fell on her). During the confrontation, Malificent has made Rose feel sorry for her by expounding on how she was an outcast, Rose, a fellow outcast, knows how this feels, and experiences empathy. However, then she flashes back to the day Malificent curses her, and the Story begins. the point, is that Rose remembers all of the horrible things Malificent has done, and that, outcast or not, she must be made to pay.
INCITING INCIDENT:
There are actually two. The forst is the freak death of Rose's mother.  Since she was crushed to death beneath a pile of spinning wheels, her death is ultimately Malificent' fault because she cursed Rose in the first place. This fuels in Rose a sense of vengeance. This is why she wants to become queen. The second is the Accidental nap of Prince Phillip. his sleep may mean that Rose never becomes Queen, which will never allow her to track down Malificent. Therefore Rose sets out on a Quest to cure Phil, whatever the cost.
SUBPLOT: Malificent is a mean, bitter old witch. Why? What happened? Well Malificent once went to the same finishing school as Phil's mother and Rose's mother (that's why the two are betrothed. Their mothers are friends). Naturally while the two girls are quite popular, Malificent is not. Thus she becomes embittered against the ladies an their kin. Classic bullying and self esteem problems. unfortunately, Malifecent can use magic, thus all their problems have begun.

Script Outline

SET UP:  The scene will start out with a banner announcing the birth of a prince, the banner must state that is in the land of fey. (should this be animated or not? Hmm)  and then will cut to people coming down the road to a castle. The mob comes closer, trumpets can be heard and  the main focus of the screen is a little red headed girl (2 years old) being dragged along by her mother. “ Rose don’t be such an ungrateful child , I’m sure he will be just wonderful” (her mother speaking).

                As they enter the castle, a feast is being held and the baby is viewed  (prince Phillip). He is a scrawny baby, who looks perpetually confused. Not at all engaging.  The viewer eventually learns through various conversations around the room that Phil and Rose will one day be married. During the festivities the evil witch maleficent rudely interrupts and due to an unfortunate overreaction attempts to cast a spell on Phil because she wasn’t invited.  However she was never much of a sports player and so she misses and hits Rose, who is sitting under a table and refusing to come out. This spell states that on her 18^th birthday she will prick her finger on a spinning wheel and die. Crap. So, Rose is banished to the woods for her own safety until after her 18^th birthday. She is accompanied by her three aunts, magical but strange, who present her with a magical charm reversal bracelet. This deflects spells cast on her, and dilute the spell’s power. After she leaves the kingdom, during a campaign to round up all of the spinning wheels, Rose’s mother, the queen, is crushed when a pile of spinning wheels falls on top of her. How ironic. Naturally, when Rose is told this on her 14^th birthday, this plants a desire in Rose to avenge her mother’s death. This means becoming queen, tracking down maleficent, and getting even.  Rose is never told of Phil though, her aunts don’t want to be the ones to break the news. She can be a snot. 

INCITING INCIDENT:  The Woodland ball is to be held in honor of Rose’s 18^th birthday (rose has to learn manners, because she is  a mud throwing tree climbing mess), and so Rose and Phil meet each other there, neither one knows who the other is. Phil ( a gangly, awkward kid ) is quite taken with her and promptly spills punch all over himself.  During their perusal of the kitchen looking for napkins, They both find a spinning wheel, hidden in the back of the cupboard, that has escaped the purge of the castle.  As rose draws off the covering to use as a napkin (apparently there are no other napkins? What a poorly equipped castle) because there is a spider web and Phil wont approach it, she pricks her finger on the spinning wheel. Because she is dumb I guess. But the charm reversal bracelet reflects off of her and hits Phil, reducing him to a deep sleep. Rose then learns his identity and realizes she must  find a way to wake him, or risk not being an effective queen (you need a king….no women’s rights).

RISING ACTION:

1. Phil gets cursed and falls into a deep sleep, Rose is determined to cure him, but she must figure out the counter-curse.
2. She goes and finds Flora who tells her it’s a riddle, “ wet and slippery, soft and sticky, I cure your ailments”. Rose assumes that this is the typical princess story and kisses Phil. Nothing happens. Drat.
3. She is walking through the woods pondering when maleficent swoops down and  lands in front of her. She and Rose exchange trash talk, epic battle.
4. eventually rose, while dodging spells, gets her bracelet on the witch, and when she casts a spell, she dies.
5. Rose falls from a tree (they have been fighting in the trees I guess) and lands in a mud pit. She realizes that mud is wet….and slippery……………..

CLIMAX: Is the confrontation with Maleficent. She expounds upon how she was never treated as an equal, always a freak, and Rose begins to feel sorry for her. She knows how that feels. As she moves closer to maleficent, the witch tries to grab her, revealing her treacherous nature. Rose then remembers  how this woman was responsible for the death of her mother, and might cost her  the crown she has striven for. She climbs a tree and leaps from tree to tree trying to avoid malifecent’s spells. When she remembers the charm bracelet she gets close to maleficent, and a killing curse rebounds off of her and kills the witch.

FALLING ACTION: Rose now realizes that the cure may be  mud. She races back to the castle, collects Phil, and dumps him in a mud pit by her house. Phil wakes up, and is very embarrassed to be seen a muddy mess.  Rose is unsure at first if it has all been worth it, but Phil  builds a forest in the castle, to show he has accepted her, and she starts to think maybe he isn’t so bad.

RESOLUTION:  These two hang out for a while, Rose teaches him about her woods, he teaches her about state. They make a great team, get married, and together they reinstate the spinning wheel to the kingdom, thus increasing the economic productivity of FEY and it’s residents never went hungry again. The end

#5: revised logline

After a curse dooms a young prince to indefinite sleep, an unsuitable mud throwing princess must find a way to save him, thwart the vengeful witch, and prove herself worthy of the throne.

#4 logline

After a curse dooms a young prince to indefinite sleep, an unsuitable mud throwing princess must find a way to save him, his throne, and get revenge for the mother who died before her time.

analysis of 6 words

1. Better in print than in person. 
   This quote really stood out to me because I feel like many young adults and  mayb e even adults are running into this problem in today's world of growing technology.This quote could be taken to mean that the person looks better in a photograph than in real life, or it could be tken to mean that they have a beautiful face, but a less desirable soul. However I chose to interpret this quote usinbg my experience with texting. many people become friends, or meet, over the internet of texting these days. which isn't wrong, peop;le should take advantage of the myriad ways to socialize that are now available to them. It can make friendships stronger. But oftentimes the person that is texting you is different face-to-face than he/she is over texting. It can even bring forward the fear of confrontation, the fear of ever actually MEETING this person with whom you have spent so much of your time.
2. Love passionately. Think mathematically. Travel compulsively.
  This sentence is important to me because this is kind of my mantra. I don't believe that anyone should waste time on plantonic love. love those you are close to, your friends, your family, your signifigant other, and stay loyal. They make life worth living. I believe that thinking is obviously an important part of life, logic, desicions, and problem solving will get you far in life, whether you are in school, or climbing a mountain. And traveling. You have never truly experienced anyone until you have walked a mile in thier shoes.
3.Hold on, I'm almost caught up....
  This made me laugh, because I feel like this on a daily basis. It is a true snapshot of my life, and lots of other teen around me. I would love to hang out but I have APs, an exam, my job, a driver's test, dance, soccer, etc. you name it, kids are doing it. which makes for well rounded kids (most of the time) but I must say that there have been times where I have just shut down completely, unable to do any more work. And just when you have achieved your goal, that promotion, that 5 on your AP, it starts all over again. I JUST CAUGHT UP!! THERE IS MORE?
4.I wrote it all down somewhere.
  This sentence really embodies my relationship with my mother. We love each other, however we often have arguments and disagreements on my organizational skills. I have many responsibilities in my life accumulated over the years. Girl Scouts, NHS, Violin, homework, scholarships, etc. I often deal with this pressure by writing tiny little lists which I promptly lose. My mother is forever exasperated that I don't keep my thoughts organized in a notebook. And so it causes familial unrest. That is why this sentence really stood out to me.
5. Dry humor, but with sweaty palms.
     This is a reflection of the rampant social pressures that are present in today's society.  This sentence expresses how hard it is to appear calm, collected, funny, and accepted in the world. If anything, fitting in has only gotten more difficult and being funny is often the way people find to fit in, even if they are not naturally that way. Girls like funny guys, guys like amusing girls. Laughter is of course, a wonderful thing, but when you have to go out of your comfort zone and change your personality to obtain friends, then it is wrong.


  

So. I'm exhausted and I don't know how to spell and I am giving blood today (which I've never done) and I have a presidential scholarship essay that I need to get proofread. My German homework isn't done, nor my physics, or math. I forgot to wear my NHS shirt today, and my mom is super upset with me about how horrid a child I am. kay. Now that that is out of the way.............................I plan to work on my stamina during assignments. Generally I just write concise, short assignments that answer the question. I don't believe in wasting words. While I plan to still hold true to that belief, maybe a few more adjectives won't hurt. A description of a scene, a person, or a place could always be used. I think that variety is also something important that I should begin to try and improve. I enjoy writing fantasy, and I also enjoy writing poetry, but there are hundreds of different genres out there! Perhaps I shall try science fiction, or a biography. I have always found history quite interesting, and so that could help channel my enthusiasm into a biography of my choice. Catherine the Great maybe? Mary Queen of Scots? Both were super interesting women who made a mark on history. Something that I have also come across are accounts “written” by inanimate objects. For instance, clocks are not sentient, but if they were, just imagine what they would see, and what they would have to say? They could witness a murder, alert people of intruders, etc. Maybe the next piece I will write will be about a day in the life of my skiis?

Welcome Message

Hey! Since this is a welcome post, I suppose that I should start with the formalities. WELCOME. How was that? Do you feel welcomed? Awesome. Lets see.....interests. Well I make it my goal to try as many different things as possible. But for the convenience of all, lets just stick to my favorites. I have played field hockey for 6 years, I am on the nordic skiing team, I play violin, and sailing is quite possibly one of my favorites. I am an avid camper, and hiker and I have been in over 17 different National Parks. But as interesting as all of this is (not as interesting as wolverines, but then what is?) you probably want to know what kind of writing I generally produce. Huh. that's tough. Whatever my teachers tell me? Don't laugh, it's true. That's why I am in this class. I was hoping to get  started on some pieces of my own, some stories that I am truly proud of. Maybe even create some of my own poetry. I am an avid reader, and so my strength lies in reading others work, not writing my own. If I was asked to choose my favorite author, I would respond that books should not be chosen based upon who wrote them. Some fabulous books were written by people who only told one story. Should those names be forgotten because they don't have a famous name attatched to them? Like Jane Eyre. Charlotte Bronte (or was it Emily Bronte???? Drat) only wrote one story. And Jane's story is still told today. But if I was told I ABSOLUTELY HAD TO CHOOSE, I would still be a pain, because I coyuld never choose just one. Some of my favorites include J.K. Rowling, Gary Paulson, Robert Frost, ande Dan Brown. But, as I said, there are plenty of others out there. All right lets see. Thats about 6 bullets done. What inspires me? Ummmmmmmmmmm................................................................................................oh dear lord this is painful. Because I have the most cliche thing in the world to say. Nature. Yup. So sorry, I'm sure you are banging your head on the desk right now, but it really is true. The ocean, lakes, trees, fields, grass, flowers, you name it. THough I must admit, the woods are my favorite. Why nature? Well I could give you all that crap, its beautiful, its pure, blah blah blah. Now, while I think that all of this is true, that is not why nature really means something to me. I love Nature because anyplace you can go where talkign isn't needed is special to me. I am generally a chatty person. I like my friends, I like to have a good conversation. But when I am tired of that, and when I need a break, Nature is there. you can travel with a stranger or a friend in the woods and not talk for hours. But when you are done, you still feel closer to that person. That is truly wonderful. So now that you know a tad more about me, I hope the pants have not been bored off you and you still wish to continue reading my thoughts!
Sara