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Space Oddity: It’s cool on SO many levels!

I just wanted to mark this day on my blog by posting the Space Oddity video, recorded by Commander Chris Hadfield on board the International Space Station. For me, it’s cool on so many levels. Cool that he did it where he did it. Cool that he chose that track. Cool that he takes it [...]

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Project: Rocketboy… top ten tips for getting feedback on a screenplay

Last week we completed the new draft of Rocketboy, by far the biggest reworking of the script ever undertaken. We sent the script to a handful of trusted people for feedback and we are still waiting from a few to come back. Waiting for feedback and getting feedback can be a nerve wracking experience, so [...]

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Why story days are essential for your screenplay: Rocketboy redraft nears completion

Yesterday, we wrote the final few words of ‘Rocketboy’. It was an emotional moment to get to the end, but also an emotional moment to see what happens to these characters we have fallen in love with. To write those final few scenes that you have been dreaming of, structuring and planning for so long, [...]

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Writing Rocketboy, our process for getting words on the page

Judy and I are closing in on the final few pages of ‘Rocketboy’ and I thought I would share our rather unusual writing process. You may know that I have been writing ‘Rocketboy’ on my own, on and off, for many years. The truth is I have lost count of the drafts, probably around 17 [...]

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Rocketboy act three turning point and the deep wounds inflicted

So having been in a bad mood all day, it hit me tonight why. We spent most of the afternoon dealing with writing the death scene for a major and much loved character in ‘Rocketboy’, and then discussing how best we can inflict huge amount of angst, grief and pain on our hero. We literally [...]

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So who is REALLY profiting from YouTube uploads of feature length films?

Last week I posted about Rocketboy and how another movie, ‘The Bridge To Terabithia’ had been an inspiration for the current redraft. I found the whole film on YouTube and embedded it into the blog. At the time I did think twice as it is unusual to find an entire film on YouTube, especially when [...]

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‘Rocketboy’ relaunches with a tonal shift that makes ALL the difference

So Judy and I have begun week 2 of redrafting ‘Rocketboy’ Regular blog readers will know that Rocketboy has been on the cards for many years – it was in fact the genesis of ‘Gone Fishing’. Over the years and between other projects, we have written draft after draft, attempting to nail it – each [...]

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How I decided to make one film, then chose to make another

Over the last two weeks I have laid out my plans for the movie we will spend the next two years making. It began with a decision, and ended with a choice. These two words may sound similar, but they are for me, profoundly different, operating on different mechanisms inside our heads. How The Decision [...]

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Rocketboy Draft Four is complete… and the feedback…

Rocketboy Draft Four is complete… and the feedback…

Well, we did get it down from 145 pages to 127 pages. But by that time, Judy and I had gotten ourselves so lost in the ‘wood for trees’ that we needed fresh eyes on the script. It was time for some feedback on ‘Rocketboy’. The script was sent off to about six close and [...]

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Meet Wilbur The Wallaby, one of the new characters in 'Rocketboy'

Meet Wilbur The Wallaby, one of the new characters in 'Rocketboy'

Yep that's Wilbur. More on him at the end of the post. Big news for us though. It’s time for us to make a change. For years now our email user group has been growing and it's time to move to a new home, to a shiny email system which delivers a much better service [...]

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‘Inception’, a screenwriters masterclass

‘Inception’, a screenwriters masterclass

I finally caught up with Chris Nolans ‘Inception’ last night and I am still reeling from the experience. Every five years or so a film comes along that raises the bar, reminding me that good is not good enough, great is just about passable, and world class is really what I need to be aiming [...]

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Cutting Dialogue from your screenplay, a masterclass in minimalism for Screenwriters

Cutting Dialogue from your screenplay, a masterclass in minimalism for Screenwriters

As I have been rewriting Rocketboy, I have also been re-reading some of my favourite screenwriting books. I have been looking for tips, tricks, insights and wisdom on the screenwriting concept that writing is rewriting. But it’s also about being tough in those rewrites. Killing your darlings. There are a few very good books on [...]

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Day three of the Rocketboy redraft and things are going very well

Day three of the Rocketboy redraft and things are going very well

Judy and I have quickly found a routine that works efficiently where we read a chunk, discuss changes at length, spitball new ideas, plan and re-structure, then Judy writes. As Judy is such a terrific writer, this is usually the fastest part. But it does give me the  chance to do a few chores before [...]

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Writing is re-writing… Rocketboy is dusted off and prepped for relaunch!

Writing is re-writing… Rocketboy is dusted off and prepped for relaunch!

To me, it’s amazing just how hard writing can be. It looks so simple. When written well, a good movie flows so effortlessly. It looks so simple that most people, who have never written a script, think that it can’t be that hard… ‘why all the madness, complaining, ranting, late nights, early mornings, compulsive behaviour, [...]

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Know Your Audience…

Know Your Audience…

When I am watching a movie that is brilliantly written, it leaves me kind of breathless. Because I know just how much hard work goes into writing a screenplay that breezes along effortlessly, with no friction, without a single scrap of waste, simultaneously surprising and obvious at each turn (‘how is he going to get [...]

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