Tuesday, August 09, 2005

treatments

If anyone's getting confused about the difference between scripts, concepts and treatments (I know I am) here's the original treatment for that film about blacksmiths starring Angela Jolly and Pitt Bradley. Or something. There's a nice picture of Angela in a man's shirt and wellies, which for some reason made my brain go all funny.

I'm still not sure about the ending (the baddies are all a bit anonymous, and though it's beautifully-choreographed, it's basically another emotionless fight scene where you're never in doubt about the conclusion), but interestingly, it's a bit at the beginning that seems to have changed (Jimmy Jackson sounded like a cool cameo for, I don't know, Simon Pegg?). I still think the agency bosses should have showed at the ending, to give it a bit more bite, but there we are. I'm going to blame it all on Akiva Goldsman. I think he's been leaving rotting vegetables in my fridge as well. Which would still be more fun to watch than 'I Robot'.

Although to be fair to Mister Goldsman (not an easy thing to say), I bet he realised quite a long time ago than in screenplays you only put the name of the main characters in capital letter the first time you mention them, not, as I've done, all the way through the script. Otherwise the effect is of someone SHOUTING completely RANDOMLY, and makes me look like a BUFFOON. No-one at Green Wing ever said anything though. Maybe they were just being polite.

Got a meeting with the BBC film department Friday (apparently this is an almost unprecedented event, so I'd better wear a nice shirt*). Agent Ginny is currently chucking copies of the new script (codename: road trip) to all the people who were foolish enough to show the slightest enthusiasm for the first one (codename: monsters).

Weird thing is, the road trip script took less time to write than the Viking Heist Movie treatment. Seeing as it's always better to go in with a finished script, that might be the way to go, although it could play hell on the TENDONS.


*But not wellies.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh dear lord, even the writers in Hollywood are buffed and scrubbed (or possibly photoshopped) to perfection.

Just about the only time I've ever read the script of a Major Motion Picture prior to filming was The Long Kiss Goodnight about 10 years ago. In fairness, the draft I read was far beyond treatment stage and did make it to the screen more or less intact. The thing I do remember though is that it contained a midly amusing scene in which the heroine and her (male) sidekick compared the breast sizes/relative attractiveness of Susan Saranndon and Geena Davis in Thelma & Louise. Then Renny Harlin bought the movie as a vehicle for his wife at the time, Geena Davis. I've always thought of that as a great self-reference missed opportunity.

Needless to say, it was quite a mediocre film in the end.

Mammabird said...

Loving your blog.... wear the wellies!

Anonymous said...

A nice shirt. A nice, ironed, shirt? Or is that pushing the ol' longship out a bit far?

James Henry said...

I bloody loves ironing, I do. Ah, the smell of hot steel on cotton...

The other day I found myself with an iron in one hand and a pair of jeans in the other, thinking 'hmmmm...'. I had to go and lie down until the urge passed.

cello said...

Good luck for Friday, JAMES.