MICHAEL DAVIS WORLD

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Typing Fade Out…, by Chris Derrick – Sympathy for the Devil #8

February 11, 2012 Chris Derrick 2 Comments

This week is a week in which I get to rejoice. My brother and I handed in the first draft of our newest screenplay to our managers… after being effectively prodded to get in done after only about 7 weeks after the outline was agreed upon and approved.

Writing, as many people know, is a thankless task that many consumers of entertainment don’t give enough credit to, but it’s pretty much guaranteed if you do like (or love) something it’s ‘cause the writing is top notch. Conversely, if you hate something or feel unsatisfied it’s also because of the writing.

As I write this column, I feel I’m recovering from shaving off a piece of the end of my life (or at least continued hair color) down on the page.

We approached this script decidedly different from all of our previous feature scripts, and truth be told this is the first original script that we’ve finished in many, many years (so much re-writing of other people’s scripts and our own have taken up the years, not mention that we focused on writing TV the last two and half years… although there is another feature about 70% done that will be ready sooner than later)… and one of the reasons why we took some time off from writing an original feature was figuring out a new process to work; to be more effective, efficient and eloquent – while still keeping it potent, organic and dynamic.

Typing “Fade In” is potentially one of the most daunting moments in a film & TV writer’s workflow… the possibilities are, as they say, endless, and therefore it’s maddening because you can, literally, go anywhere. Be prepared to play God and suffer through all the micropermutations of what you think up. The so-called blank page isn’t threatening to me, because I can always start a project… too many ideas kicking around not to be able to do that…

Ah, but actually finishing a project that you are proud enough of to present to peers, colleagues and a critical consumer audience is the hard part. You always feel (and sometimes know) that there are parts you can rework, re-address, revise, reconstitute, redline the hell out of… and that paralysis by analysis is what you have to break through.

We all know that the re-writing is where the true writing comes into play, and it makes sense after you’ve had objective, but critical feedback. The feedback, if coming from a trusted, proven and hip to the game source, is all about proof of concept.

So, typing “Fade Out” is the moment in which you best have your skin sufficiently calloused from previous writing rejection or just being fearless (which most writers ARE in the confines of their workspace, but not so much when we enter or present in the real world), because you’re going to hear where you failed to communicate a great idea or failed to execute a great idea or just plain failed (and that sucks the most).

Then you gotta trudge back to that place most of hate — hack shop — to put the patient on the table and go at it with chain saws, hacksaws, drills, blow torches and Elmer’s glue.

To a certain extent, I feel like resting for a week until we have a notes meeting with our manager… the dreaded notes meeting is only dreaded if who ever is providing notes has demonstrated that they don’t know what the hell they’re talking about.

This can disembowel your passion for a project and leave the guts on the floor to rot. I’ve seen people (producers, managers, agents, assistants… that litany of people who like to read and give opinions, but rarely have the solutions) give conflicting notes in the same meeting, and it’s like, “did you even review your notes before you decided to give them to me?”

A lot of people get stuck at this stage, trying to please their manager or agent or editor (for books and comics); this, if find, is a BIG mistake; being true the idea is what counts, and if your “people” can help you determine what is “true” for your script… then why do you have them in the first place?

Now if your idea is suspect from jump, well…

I’ve looked to help out a friend who’s manager had these ideas that weren’t really germane to the script at hand, that writer has been working on the same script over and over and over for like two years now…

But to address my feelings for taking a week off and recharging – I f-ing wish! Have to get to work on my TV spec and finish up notes on the initial art pass for our graphic novel…

Although next week, I might have to admit that I didn’t do a damn thing! We’ll see!

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Comments

  1. David Quinn
    February 12, 2012 - 6:43 am

    Congrats on seeing it through, Chris, and best of luck with the next one!

  2. Chris Derrick
    February 12, 2012 - 10:02 am

    David — thanks for the kind words. Although I’ve been recharging the last few days of the week, it’s back to work today. So itching to get the graphic novel moving forward.

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