"The Days Run Away Like Wild Horses..."

I recently "celebrated" my 39th birthday - what better opportunity to look back and wonder where all the time went! More to the point, it's the looming FOUR-O next year, which will no doubt bring upon all sorts of weeping and wailing on here in a year's time.

So where did all the time go? Well, after having a poke around through the many, many (Commandant Lassard style) folders containing many, many script documents, it transpires that a LOT of the 90's was spent writing. I probably write a little less now (due to, well, having a life) - But I also spend more time working on a single script. In the 90's, it was a factory - a seemingly endless conveyor belt. Couldn't churn it out quick enough. But was it any good? Erm... Well...

Miles Raymond:It tastes like the back of an L.A. school bus. 

Now they probably didn't de-stem, hoping for some semblance of concentration, 

crushed it up with leaves and mice, and then wound up with 

this rancid tar and turpentine bullshit. 

Jack: Tastes pretty good to me.

In my defence: In the early 90's, there wasn't the internet. Now, advice is everywhere - not all of it great (or at least put across in an encouraging tone). But there is plenty of brilliant, practical advice. It is now incredibly easy to create a professionally formatted script now - which was half the battle in the 90's.

A lot of my 'early scripts' were a product of my age. I hadn't lived much, and I was incredibly influenced by whatever tv or movies I was in love with: Translation - Nyeeerrrd. For example, my first attempt at writing a screenplay was a comedy "Aliens" rip-off - replaced 'Aliens' with 'Killer carrots'. Hey. I was fourteen. Okay, even for a fourteen year old that's pushing it, I know...

Then I moved into 'Die Hard'-parody: The twist being that an action-hero convention is over-run by terrorists, and it's left to our normal, every-day hero to rescue all these Steven Seagals and Schwarzeneggers. Set in a shopping mall. Hmm. Ooookay.

Then Reservoir Dogs happened - saw it seven times at the cinema ('cos we lived in an era of banned movies - the only place you could see it was at the cinema - sounding very Grampa Simpson, I know.). So I moved onto MY Reservoir Dogs.Lots of style over sense, and lots of Reservoir Dogs. (Which seemed to work okay for Tarantino and 'City On Fire', but he added his own stamp to it. "It's a fine line between stupid 'n clever:" Never a truer word, Mr. Tufnell.). This was probably the first script I ever re-wrote. And re-wrote. And re-wrote. To the point of it making no sense at all by the end of it, such was my desperation to create the next Reservoir Dogs.

Re-Writing: Not always a ton of fun.

Around this point, I started working on films as a runner/A.D., meaning I was also reading 'proper' film scripts'. Before then, it was mostly Faber and Faber reprints of famous scripts. Whilst working on these films, I began to realise the problems with the scripts - not that it was ever my place to tell the producer. (Okay, I did ONCE. Well, he did ask!). But it's very easy to poke holes in other people's work.

I was writing from a place of fear, such was the pressure to create an instant classic that would be immediately snapped up (because that's how it happens, of course...): I was living at home, desperate for money, so I just worked and worked and worked... With precious little to show for it. The work went out into the world too quickly - and whilst I did get some great feedback, an agent and a couple of good scripts out of it - there was also a torrent of rejection. Understandably. (Although youthful arrogance at the time dictated otherwise!)

So looking back through my old scripts, I counted (roughly) around 43 features (not including short scripts, or projects half-written/incomplete). Some good, some bad, a lot of middling - Some were never destined for the dizzy heights, but there was always something about them that reminded me WHY I wrote them. They had purpose and meaning for me - and therein lies the answer. I was writing for myself.

Rejection is never easy.

But there did come a turning point. A moment where I decided "I WANT to aim higher, try harder. I CAN do better." And that script was "Perfect Harmony". Several drafts later, it still isn't where it needs to be - but I know I'm getting closer. It wasn't ready in 1998, and the subsequent drafts prove that had the film been made back then, it would have been worse for it. My then-agent-nabbing sci-fi/western script 'Crouch Valley/Handshake From Hell" originally came in at 180 pages. Whilst that's just ridiculous, it showed enough potential to get me an agent who then worked with me to lop it down to 110 pages - which in turn taught me a LOT about script editing and killing your darlings. (The 'darlings' were stacked high by the end of that particular edit.And it hurt for the better.)

Miles: What about the new ending? Did you like that?

Jack: Oh, yeah. New ending vastly superior to the old ending.

Miles: There is no new ending. Page 750 on is exactly the same.

Jack:Well... maybe it just seemed new because everything leading up to it was so different?

Miles Raymond: [sarcastically] Yeah, that must be it!

Whilst personal tastes change as you mature as a writer and a human-doing, there is still one big similarity between now and then: I still write to 'please' myself. As I've recently discovered with a couple of projects, I find it very difficult to get all excited 'n creative over something which just doesn't fire me up. It's almost impossible to write something that I really don't care about. That's not to say the idea isn't great or doesn't have potential - It just isn't a great match for me. Working half-heartedly only achieves frustration because I'm seemingly unable to write anything. I've given a couple of ideas away because I know somebody else can do a better job with it - and that's fine by me.

Regarding these 43 scripts, it took me a long, long time to 'get it'. I fully admit I'm probably slow on the uptake - but not to run myself down too much, there was always something good about those 43 stories. I could see what I was trying to achieve. There were good scenes and characters, funny lines... They just needed more work. But when you're not being paid for developing spec scripts, it's very easy to get caught in a cycle of creative panic.Which is what I try to avoid these days. I now know that when I type 'the end', it's not THE END. It's end of draft one-of-many-yet-to-come.

See? Right there. Just what you just said.
That is beautiful. 'A smudge of excrement... surging out to sea.'

So as I'm dragged kicking 'n screaming towards my forties, I ask myself "Where is it all going?". Fair question. The honest answer is I have less idea now than I did back in 1993. All I know is that I'm working on projects now that fire me up more than ever. Film-World is forever changing, for good and for bad - but that's part of the adventure and the game - and I've never been more certain that this is where I want to be.

"I like how wine continues to evolve, like if I opened a bottle of wine today 

it would taste different than if I'd opened it on any other day, 

because a bottle of wine is actually alive. 

And it's constantly evolving and gaining complexity. 

That is, until it peaks, like your '61. 

And then it begins its steady, inevitable decline."

For an inspiring read about not-aiming-for-the-middle-of-the-road, click this:

"In space, no one can hear you..."

Movie trailers. The little teasers. 

At least that's what they're meant to do. But as we all know, they mostly show all the good parts, give away all the big plot twists and leave you knowing exactly how it's going to end. And then you still pay to see these movies, and have the audacity to grumble about how you'd seen the highlights in the trailer.

Which is why my all-time favourite trailers are for 'Alien', and even more so - 'Aliens'.

One of these people is not like the others. Actually, two.

I was recently watching a cast reunion Q&A with some of the 'Aliens' cast. (I loved Michael Biehn's response when asked his opinion of 'Alien 3' - and I LIKE 'Alien 3'! I hate it as a sequel to 'Aliens', but as an individual film it has a lot going for it.) Fond memories evoked, it made me realise again why that movie is so good - not only entertaining, but it served up new ideas - all fresh. (At least until repeatedly copied by umpteen wannabe movies that followed.)

****SPOILERS. But c'mon, this film did come out in 1986.*******

For most part, the character development and the interchange/conflict between them is what makes 'Aliens' really tick. For example: Hudson - the loudmouth who becomes an emotional wreck, finally going out in a blaze of glory in the final showdown with the beasties. Bishop: Do we trust him? Ripley doesn't: for one good Ash-shaped reason. He seems nice. But then...Burke. He makes lots of promises, seems to believe Ripley, but hey - he's willing to kill everyone! Frost - the likeable trooper who is the first to bite the big one. Heck, we liked that guy! (Thus telling the audience that NO ONE IS SAFE.) Gorman - aloof, anally-retentive leader whose lack of experience brings him back down to earth with a bump - and learns what it is to be part of a unit. Vasquez and Drake - the company's loved-up,  hard-nosed gun-nuts who have the honeymoon cut short by a well-intentioned shot and a gallon and alien acid blood. Hicks - seemingly the handsome hero who becomes the leader, only to be rescued by Ripley.

Or, to give a visual example:

Hudson: We're on an express elevator to hell!

Hudson: Game over, man!!!!

Hudson: DIE MOTHER*&£"#$*

Also, there's a lot to be said about the casting - in particular, using Paul Reiser (a stand-up comedian) to play the squirmy, under-handed Company Rep Burke. There's a whole bunch of playing against type in this movie, and that's what keeps it on its toes. That, and a plotline which leaps from jeopardy to another to 'oh my goodness,  how are they going to get out of that one?!' The tension and layers keep a-comin'.

Ripley accidentally treads on Hicks's foot for the 32nd time.

As an eleven year old in 1986, what really fired me up about this movie was the trailer. Whilst it uses the same 'format' as the original 'Alien' trailer i.e. No dialogue, an intriguing collection of images and scary alien wailing, all increasing in intensity - it goes one better. Rather than just being an alien trailer (by which I mean something chilling, pulsating, confusing and incomprehensible), it's more of a ticking time-bomb (much like the movie itself), it shows a lot without giving anything away - and it REALLY makes you want to see it. To understand what you've just seen, to find out what on earth is going on.

Even the posters give nothing away.

Intrigue! 

Mystery! 

What's Ripley looking at?!

I've previously harped on about the good ol' days before t'internet - with most films these days wanting the audience to know EVERYTHING about the movie before they've even seen it. The 'Aliens' trailer is a master class of letting the visuals do the talking. And that to me isn't just great advertising, but great story-telling too.

*Side-note. The teaser trailer for Alien 3 is just mis-leading: Implying that the story will take place on Earth was just uncool. Which, again, is another good lesson for writing - especially when it comes to loglines and pitching - make sure the idea you are pitching IS actually the story you are selling!

The bug hunters; in happier times. Before it all went wrong, like.

**Side-note part 2: The trailer for Prometheus. I was so hyped about this trailer. It had been a long while since I'd seen a trailer that made me go 'WOOOOAH.' "They've even emulated the style and sound design from the original 'Alien' trailer! "But it's not an Alien film! Sort of!" cried the producers. "Then why are you trying to fall-back on those movies by copying the Alien trailers?" cried, erm, me. "But it's even bigger 'n shinier! They're paying attention to these little fanboy details! It MUST be good..." replied the internet. Flash-forward to movie theatre: "Oh dear Lord." Another writing lesson there - don't hype your story. Deliver. The. Goods.

"A day in the marine corp is like a day on the farm."
The boys suspect Apone may have been lying.

***Side-note part 3: The final side-note. I recently re-discovered THIS in my loft.

This time it's your turn.

Yes, the based-on-the-1986-movie-of-the-same-name board game ALIENS. Haven't played it in years, but I recall that all the main characters are present and correct. You roll the dice, move, fight aliens etc... but it also throws up some interesting ideas, as there's no way of guaranteeing who will survive. So what would 'Aliens' have been like had Hicks, Hudson and Vasquez perished, but Apone, Crowe and Dietrich made it out of the initial skirmish? What if Vasquez got face-hugged? Would Drake go all-out-nutso? How would that mix of characters affect the storyline? Which brings me back to my final question to writers:

Have you got the right mix of characters and conflict in your story?

"A film is - or should be - more like music than like fiction..."

Following on from Chris Jones's fun blog post about film composers, I felt prompted to consider not only my favourite film scores and composers, but also how much music is an integral part of my writing.

With each script I write, there must first be a playlist. Always done it, even back to my first clumsy writing efforts (you might say more thought, talent and deftness of touch went into the C90 mix tapes I used to compile...).

I use music to motivate and inspire my imagination; to get 'that feeling' or emotion and somehow put it into words (try as I may). From an early age, film scores had a big impact on my cinematic memories, whether it was the fanfare of 'Star Wars', the heroic score to 'Superman' or the mystery of 'The Black Hole'.

So here's my list of favourite composers and their work. One thing I have noticed (while compiling this list) is that there aren't many scores from recent times.

Could it be something to do with the shortage of great films? Certainly there are some scores that hook into the brain, like the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' or Bourne movies or  - all fine works, but their imprint is seemingly everywhere. Especially the Hans Zimmer 'whaaaaaaaaarm', which is standard practice in every trailer these days. Or perhaps I'm just a nostalgic old bean?

In no particular order...

Vangelis - Blade Runner / Chariots of Fire

Whilst everyone knows the classic Chariots theme (who hasn't run in fake slow-mo to this?), Blade Runner is a masterclass, dripping with atmosphere whilst adding a bleak, menacing beauty to the gloomy world of Blade Runner. Pure class.

Stand-out tracks: Rachel's song, Blade Runner (End titles)



Roy Budd - Diamonds, Who Dares Wins, Get Carter, The Stone Killer, The Black Windmill

Budd was Mr. Cool. Always down to business, kicking arse and being dead cool with it (Get Carter especially). But my favourite scores have to Diamonds (never seen the film, but must on the basis of the soundtrack!), and The Stone Killer (a barmy Michael Winner effort with Charles Bronson).

Stand-out tracks: The Thief, Thief on the Prowl, Diamond Fortress (Diamonds) / M7 (sk 10), M1 (sk10) (The Stone Killer) / Free Tarrant (The Black Windmill)

Alan Silvestri - Predator / The Abyss / Back To The Future / Young Guns II / Judgement Night /  Flight of the Navigator / Overboard
Prolific composer whose accessible work conveys energy and pace (the various chase sequences in the Back to the Future series). Probably the first film composer whose work I could recognise from
a mile off!

Stand-out tracks: Bud on the ledge / Sub battle (The Abyss) / Hoverboard Chase (Back To The Future II) / Main Theme, Payback Time, Jungle Trek, Blaine Gets Killed (Predator)

Burkhard Dallwitz - The Truman Show

More of a 'favourite OST' here: Dallwitz takes the credit (and rightly so), but this masterful soundtrack also features some exceptional work from Philip Glass.

Stand-out tracks: Glass: Powaqqatsi - 5. Anthem Pt. 2, Drive,
Truman Sleeps, A New Life

Danny Elfman - Beetlejuice / Good Will Hunting / Edward Scissorhands / Batman / Midnight Run / Planet of the Apes

AKA Creator of "The Simpsons" theme tune, Elfman's often frantic, over-the-top style feature heavily in his early work, but his score for "Edward Scissorhands" is beautiful fairytale whimsy.

Stand-out tracks: Main Theme (Beetlejuice) / Will Hunting (GWH) / Theme (Edward Scissorhands)


James Horner - Commando / 48 HRS / Deep Impact / Field of Dreams / Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan/ Cocoon / Aliens / Red Heat / House of Sand and Fog / Batteries Not Included / Apocalypto / Battle Beyond the Stars

Yes, he did 'Titanic'. 'Avatar'. 'Braveheart'. But for me, Horner's early work is where it's at. The scores for 48 HRS, Commando and Red Heat are THE scores to listen to if you're writing heavy, thumping, gritty action scenes. It's like going ten rounds with Schwarzenegger. But Horner also scores emotional highs with 'Field of Dreams', 'Deep Impact' and the darker 'House of Sand and Fog'. The wondrous score of 'Cocoon' was cheekily lifted for the 'Super 8' trailer. As much as I knew it was from 'Cocoon', I had to see 'Super 8' just a little bit more urgently. (Yes, I fell for marketing.)  Horner's body of work is an impressive one, that's for certain.

Stand-out tracks: Ambush & Kidnapping, Infiltration,Showdown And Finale (Commando) / Goodbye & Godspeed (Deep Impact) / End Credits (Field of Dreams) / Waves of the Caspian Sea (House of Sand...) / Russian Streets, Main Title (Red Heat) / Luther's Blues (48 HRS)

Michael Nyman - Ravenous / The Piano

More known for 'The Piano', it was his teaming up with Blur's Damon Albarn for the OST for 'Ravenous' that really intrigued me: It's such an... unusual score; twisted, dark, humorous, scary... all at once.

Stand-out tracks: Trek to the Cave, Ives Torments Boyd and Kills Knox (Ravenous)



Barry De Vorzon - The Warriors

The pounding theme to The Warriors brings the intensity and, dare I say it, makes the cast of The Warriors slightly more menacing (and less mincey in some cases). But De Vorzon recaptured the sense of impending doom with his theme tune for the 80's tv series 'V' - and again, set the scene and made a slightly unconvincing show that much gloomier. Brilliant.

Stand-out tracks: Theme, Baseball Furies Chase (The Warriors) / Main Theme (V)

Gary Chang - The Island of Dr. Moreau

He may have worked on The Breakfast Club's score, but his moment of genius was hampered by a pure gold nutso film - The Island of Dr. Moreau. Again, one of the occasions when the film doesn't warrant such a cracking score.

An overlooked gem, with some completely out of place tracks including a drum 'n bass epic by Monk and Canatella Band - I believe the original director, Richard Stanley, had some input into this, and contractual obligations made the soundtrack as mad as the film itself.

Stand-out tracks: Main Title, Dr. Moreau, Moreau's Demise (Chang), Trout by Monk & Canatella Band

Ennio Morricone - The Untouchables / The Thing / The Mission

Yes, Morricone is more famous for Spaghetti westerns, but The Untouchables is absolutely joyous. Contrast to this, his work on John Carpenter's The Thing poses this question: Why did Carpenter hire another composer to sound just like him?

Stand-out tracks: Just buy The Untouchables OST, okay?

John Carpenter - Big Trouble in Little China / Escape From New York / Assault on Precinct 13 / They Live

Which leads us nicely to Mr. DIY himself. I recall an interview where Carpenter said he played the bongos/percussion a lot in his early years, and proceeded to play the theme tune to Halloween - on the bongos. Fantastic.

Carpenter has many scores to choose from, and seeing how I don't particularly like listening to horror scores (Why would you do that to yourself? Why?), I'm plumping for the brooding 'Escape...' OST and most preferably, the atmospheric, pulsing 'Big Trouble...' OST.

Stand-out tracks: Lo Pan's Domain, Abduction at Airport, White Tiger (Big Trouble...)

John Barry - The Black Hole / The Bond movies
John Barry will be forever in my mind as the man that scored two of the big films from my early cinema-going days:

Moonraker and The Black Hole.

Probably the first time I sat up and noticed a film score was due to Barry's soundscape - his music always sounded BIG. The swirling 'zero gravity/Main Theme' of The Black Hole was underpinned with typical ghostly romantic drama.

Whilst the score does suffer from (I believe) an 'enforced' hero theme (probably to make it more kiddy-friendly: The Black Hole is DARK. Someone should remake it - with  Barry's score - and make it for the grown ups this time.), it's easy to put that less convincing addition aside and focus on the doomy brilliance of Barry.

Stand-out tracks: Durant is Dead (The Black Hole)

Jerry Goldsmith - Total Recall / Gremlins / First Blood / Alien / Hollow Man / Basic Instinct / Star Trek NG

Goldsmith's diversity is what makes him stand out for me, yet he had an uncanny knack of capturing the heart of the film's characters within his scores - the loopy Gremlins theme, the unearthly Alien score, the sadness-tinged Rambo score...

Stand-out tracks: The Dream (Total Recall) / Main Theme (Alien) /  The entire First Blood OST

Burwell: AKA The Third Coen Brother.

Carter Burwell - Fargo / Barton Fink / Miller's Crossing / Raising Arizona / Three Kings / Being John Malkovich

Always capturing the unique tone of the Coen's movies - If you're not entirely certain what you're in for, let Burwell be your guide. His scores neatly compliment the subtext in certain scenes, which is a rare quality.

Stand-out tracks: Fargo OST / The Gold (Three Kings) / Main Theme (Miller's Crossing)


Michael Kamen - Die Hard / Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves / Highlander / Brazil / Lethal Weapon

Seemingly cornering the action hero scores of the 80's and early 90's, the score for me is Highlander. Yes, Die Hard wouldn't be Die Hard without those plucky acoustic guitars, Disney wouldn't have their DVD theme tune without the Robin Hood theme, but the Highlander score is just so sweepingly heroic (and sadly overlooked) that it's always there on my playlist, even if just to lift my spirit.
Stand-out tracks: Training MacLeod (Highlander)

David Shire - Saturday Night Fever / The Taking of Pelham 123

Creator of two extremely funky scores, Shire's Pelham OST is a corker. Buy it. And the film, while yer at it.

Stand-out tracks: Main title, Fifty Seconds/The Money Express, Mini-Manhunt

John Williams - Jurassic Park/The Lost World / Indy Jones / Star Wars / Superman / E.T. / Jaws/  The Poseidon Adventure... the list goes on.

A genius.What else can I add?

Stand-out tracks: The Asteroid Field (Empire Strikes...) / Main Theme, Anything Goes (Indy) / Looking Back (Jurassic Park) / Malcolm's Journey, The Trek, The Hunt, Rescuing Sarah (Lost World) / Duel of the Fates (Phantom Menace) / Theme (Superman) / Theme (E.T.) / Theme (Jaws)


David Newman - Heathers

Probably in my top three of favourite scores, and one of my all-time favourite films.

Sharp, warped, impish, wistful, dreamy, chilling... heavy on the 80's atmos, but it captures the tone of the film brilliantly.

Stand-out tracks: Petition Montage, Back to School, Forest Chase

Elmer Bernstein - An American Werewolf in London / Ghostbusters / Stripes / Spies Like Us / Trading Places / Three Amigos / Airplane / Animal House

The go-to man for comedy maybe, but the sheer catchy-ness of his themes earn him a place in the hall of legends.

Stand-out tracks: Suite (American Werewolf...) / Main Theme (Ghostbusters)



Howard Blake - Flash Gordon / The Snowman / The Bear

Co-creator of the Flash Gordon soundtrack with Queen, but it's Blake's work on The Snowman and The Bear which really single him out: His scores tell a story.

Stand-out tracks: Football Fight II,  Battle Theme (Flash Gordon) / The entire Snowman & The Bear scores.

Other worthy mentions:
Howard Shore - The Fly / The Lord of the Rings (The Fly captures Brundle's tragedy perfectly)
Leonard Rosenman - The Lord of the Rings (animated: Rousing stuff, with motifs repeated in Star Trek 4)

Ry Cooder - Southern Comfort (Cooder's work with Walter Hill is especially stand-out stuff)

Hans Zimmer - Gladiator ("The Battle", even if it rings close to Holst's "Mars, the bringer of war")
Brad Fiedel - The Terminator / True Lies (Terminator theme: Stone cold classic.)
Jon Brion - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Lovely melancholy, nostalgic themes)
Basil Poledouris - Robocop (Fun, slightly B-Movie-tinged quality whilst complimenting Verhoeven's style)
Dave Grusin - The Goonies / St. Elsewhere (The Goonies spirited score: Brill)
Marco Beltrami - Scream (Trouble in Woodsboro - love it)
Miles Goodman - Teen Wolf (I don't care, y'know. It's an 80's classic.)
Chris Boardman - Payback (Nicely harks back to the main theme from 'Pelham 123')
Rolfe Kent - Sideways ("Wine Safari" always makes me smile)
Peter Best - Crocodile Dundee (Main Theme has a great sly edge to it)
John Harrison - Day Of The Dead (If you want to creep yourself out, go for it.)
David Kitay - Ghost World (Main theme - has heart-plucking loneliness in spades!)
Arthur Rubenstein - War Games ("Turn your key, sir!" - Rubenstein goes for it...)
Yann Tiersen - Amelie (La Valse d'Amélie, L'autre Valse d'Amélie: Where's my beret?)
Bill Conti - Rocky / The Karate Kid / For Your Eyes Only (Master of the rousing climax!)
Toto - Dune (Bit 'rock guitar' in places, but taps into Lynch's pomp 'n lunacy nicely)
Tangerine Dream - Near Dark / The Keep / Risky Business (Check out TD's synth version of 'Walking in the Air', which plays at the end of 'The Keep')
Paul Buckmaster - 12 monkeys (The opening track captures the madness brilliantly)
Lalo Schifrin - Bullitt and the theme to Magnum Force
Robbie Buchanan - The Golden Child. Depending on what version you're watching (there's an alt. version which begins with some horrible 80's bland rock...). This track also served as the theme tune to 'Cinemattractions', which used to play on ITV sometime in the early 90's, in the middle of the night.
Angelo Badalamenti - Mr. Twin Peaks. Listen to 'The Pink Room'.
Tomandandy - Rules of Attraction
Maurice Jarre - The Man Who Be King
David Arnold - Composer for the recent Bond movies, he also created this Hot Fuzz gem.
John Murphy - 28 Days Later:  In a Heartbeat

James Bond:
Connery era - From Russia With Love (007 takes the lektor)
Lazenby - Durrr!
Moore - Live and Let Die (Trespassers will be eaten)
Dalton - Living daylights (Exercise at Gibraltar, Necros Attacks)
Brosnan - Tomorrow Never Dies (Backseat Driver, Hamburg Break-out)
Craig - Casino Royale (African Rundown, Miami International)

and not forgetting two pure gold TV themes: Miami Vice and The Equalizer. Check out the live version!

There are a couple of notable bootlegs doing the rounds, too.

Beverly Hills Cop by Harold Faltermeyer
The Lost Boys by Thomas Newman

Both worth getting hold of, if you can.

AND FINALLY...
Whenever I'm writing action scenes - big, silly, bombastic, insane stuff (in particular, my 'Border World' scripts), I turn to a score by Michael Giacchino (JJ Abrams and Pixar's go-to guy). And whilst I like his film work (in particular, the bizarre theme to 'Land of the Lost'), it's Giacchino's score for a Playstation game that wins hands down.


Medal of Honor: Underground.

Daring, bold, atmospheric, gloriously bombastic - it's a sort of rollicking jumble of Indy Jones-meets-Tintin: In a World War 2 caper.

This score need not languish; forgotten in time on some ancient console (as much as I still love that game!). This score needs a script written for it. It must live again!

Stand-out track: The Motorcycle chase. LISTEN HERE!

Movie Round-Up

It's a new year, it's a new day, it's a new dawn, so let's hark back to last year for a movie round-up!

It was a good year for animation, with Monsters Uni, Wreck It Ralph, Despicable Me 2 and Cloudy-Meatballs 2 all providing solid, fun entertainment. Best comedy of the year was Alpha Papa, closely followed by the rapture-tastic This Is The End.

The disappointments came thick 'n fast, with Die Hard 5, Star Trek ITD, The World's End and Man Of Steel all feeling like missed opportunities.

Quality.

Probably the stand-out film for me was 'The Hunt', which dealt with a sensitive topic in an unpredictable way. Excellent performances, intriguing and just classy without having to resort to Daily Mail-esque exploitation.

As for television shows, the stand-out series for 2013 has to be The Walking Dead (S3). Just brilliant. The first few episodes especially made my jaw drop at times. Games Of Thrones (S2) was not quite up to the first series (the plot meandered a bit too much), but still a quality show.

I watched the first series of 'Girls', but grew weary by the time season 2 arrived. It's a love-hate show: I want to like it, but I find it hard to care due to the main characters personalities. And I know that's a big part of the joke, but...ugh. I shouldn't be arguing so much with myself whilst watching tv!


The following list are films which I watched, either at the cinema or on DVD in 2013: (in no particular order, and just my personal taste!)



Recommended 
Alpha Papa
Despicable Me 2
The Impossible
Everything Or Nothing (Great Bond doc, didn't want it to end!)
The Hunt
Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2
Berberian Sound Studio (Atmosphere so thick you could cut it)
Monsters University
This Is The End
The Last Stand (Unexpectedly fun 80's throwback)
Django Unchained
A Royal Affair
The Hobbit (2012)
Killing Them Softly
Les Miserables (Oh how I blubbed...)
Wreck It Ralph
Life of Pi
Ted (2012)


Also enjoyed:
Iron Man 3
Starbuck (Interesting story, different)
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (Jim Carrey is brilliant as a David Blaine-alike)
Sightseers
Room 237 (Brain-twisting to the point of headache inducing!)
World War Z
Marion's Song
Amour
Warm Bodies (Quirky, entertaining)
Mama
Argo


Hmm...
Man Of Steel
I Give It A Year (Not a fan of 'cringe' comedy)
Oblivion (Sorry, but Wall-e did it better!)
The Host
Oz: Great and Powerful
A Good Day to Die Hard (How? Why?)
Womb (Grossed me out too much!)
Holy Motors (Didn't get it, sorry)
The Master (Loved Boogie Nights, but struggle with most PT Anderson films)
The Dinosaur Project
The Man with the Iron Fists

and the winner of worst film is....

Like the original Die  Hard, like hell...

"Without some damn war to fight, then the warrior may as well be dead, Stallion!"

Rocky: I see three of him out there.

Paulie: Hit the one in the middle.

Like a montage sequence from Miss Congeniality/Pretty In Pink/The Fly, 
it's the all-new, freshly-tarted-up blogalicious... blog from yours truly. 

The old blog has removed its mono-brow, waxed its hairy bits and 
rolled up it's blazer sleeves like an 80's James Spader.

Actually, delete that/rewind. Remember the training montage in 'Rocky 4'? (Who doesn't?) Ivan Drago had all the technology, money and the KGB backing him... Rocky had a stereotypical Italian brother-in-law, a goat shed and a snowy mountain. From now on, this blog is all about 'How to Keep Going'. As a screenwriter.

Genetic science and technology is no match for snow and a rotund Italian man.

There will be regular (ha!) posts regarding useful screenwriting advice/tips/wisdom - Where possible, quotes will be attributed to the greater intellects that mined these gems.It's stuff I find useful, and hey, if I put it up on here, I might actually read it myself from time to time.

Fret not, the content remains as random as ever. So let's get down to it, boppers.

I HAVE WRITTEN ONE SCREENPLAY THIS YEAR. O-N-E.*

*(Yes, I have written notes on others scripts, but that's a given.)

Actually, I've written lots of treatments, then a screenplay, then some more treatments to iron out the good and ditch the bad, THEN wrote some more drafts of the screenplay. The script is a psychological sci-fi thriller called "Lumen", about a neurotic female physicist who unlocks a portal to infinite parallel universes, only to discover the grass is not always greener...

Normally I write about three features a year (1995 was the year of TEN feature screenplays, but the less said about that the better i.e. I was 20, single, living at home with my parents and very broke.). I sometimes squeeze in a few short scripts, maybe a television pilot... so to work on just ONE idea for several months has been a fantastic exercise.

What has helped enormously is the fact that I've been working with a director, who has been able to give excellent, helpful and unbiased feedback, as well as just having the sense that we're actually working together on something which is going somewhere.

"We cannot accept unsolicited material/
Your screenplay is not for us/
There have already been films about aliens set in space/
Your screenplay fails the Bechdel Test/
The Bourne Ultimatum has set the bar for action films so high,
there is little point considering anything else...
(*delete as applicable)

My recent effort has been a complete submergence. Focusing on just one idea, as much as I'm all about starting the next one (and then the next one...), has been an absolute challenge. But an exhilarating one, too. A bit like sparring with yourself, punching yourself in the face, telling yourself to 'be better', and then having feedback at the end of it. Wash 'n repeat.

Hopefully I'll be writing more about this experience over the next year, once I've got something more juicy to say about the process.

"I pity the fool who doesn't write a treatment first!"

So, my first commandment to a new writer would be "Thou Shalt Always Write a Treatment (and get it right before writing the script!)." That's still not to say that the final treatment = final draft of screenplay. But it's enough to figure out the framework. I did still do a LOT of scene juggling when writing the screenplay, as well as being inspired by new ideas. But the treatment represents the map. The A to B to C. So long as I knew where it was heading, finding a few shortcuts along the way made the journey more exciting.

Normally, when starting a new script, I would write a very simple list of events (This happens, then this, then this, the end etc.). But writing a full treatment really does save a LOT of time, effort and woe. Especially when things don't quite go according to plan.

Starting a new screenplay often feels like this.

Yes, for a long time, I was the guy who would write, write, write, write - just as long as I was churning it out, that was fine by me. A bit like banging away on a piano without ever stopping to take a music lesson.

Ultimately, I had to take a good long look in the mirror and tell myself "NOT. GOOD. ENOUGH." Certainly, rejection comes from many quarters - Professional, amateur and everyone else with an opinion - even myself. I've had my share of long, gloomy nights, desperately trying to think of something else I could do instead.

Not to give myself too hard a time, I knew I could write. I could look back at my first screenplays and understand what I was trying to achieve; find a few funny or dramatic scenes or decent action sequences. The worst thing? Either too close to parody or flattery by imitation. Nowt worse than having a supporting character called "Dr. Cronenberg" (not that I ever did that!).

(Go and watch the second, straight-to-DVD Lost Boys movie. For some bizarre reason, they keep bleating on about The Big Lebowski, riding on the aforementioned classic's shirt-tails in order to score cool points. Bizarre and tellingly amateurish.)

As the years went on, the ideas were still coming, and my writing did improve. Living life and maturing as a human being also benefited the process. As feeble as it sounds, having Quentin Tarantino and Terry Gilliam tell me THEY liked my work kept me going. I wasn't all crazy.

Rocky keeps going - with the help of Apollo Creed (and some tiny shorts)

The biggest pitfall for a writer is NOT GETTING OUT THERE. Sitting in your room typing is fine, but the days of having an agent who finds you work are long gone (unless you're an established heavy-hitter or very well connected, and even then...). You are the salesman, and it's all about the pitch now, which is why attending events like the London Screenwriters Festival are essential.

I've been to the LSF for the last few years, which has been an amazing experience and no doubt will be brilliant again this year (although sadly I won't be attending this year, for very good reasons: Baby due in November and a very expensive house extension to pay for!). Not only do you get to hear writers, producers and 'industry experts' serving up insight and advice, but you get to put your new-found knowledge into practice by pitching to these professionals.

Dare I say it without sounding ancient, when I started out as a would-be writer, there wasn't a thing called (adopt Mr. Burns voice) "the 'world wide web'", with all its free advice, tips, software etc. Heck, there wasn't even all these books, courses and seminars. If you're a new writer or thinking about writing, it is all out there for you. The technical knowledge and insight is ready-made.

http://www.blakesnyder.com/

Watch as many movies as you can (even the bad ones). Read a lot screenplays of films you know and love. Read books on screenwriting craft. Develop and refine your taste. Having read all of the 'Save the Cat' books,  I've been implementing the various techniques by Blake Snyder. We all have our own way of working, but I can see a lot of sense in what Snyder says. There IS a formula - but that doesn't necessarily mean what you write will be 'formulaic'. Providing the ideas, plot twists and characters are sparky, having a loose guide to keep things in check works for me.

That said, there is now such a deluge of advice and tips (the irony of this blog post hasn't escaped me) that it can almost paralyse your motivation to write. And whilst some experts may be right in their advice, the style in which it is presented CAN be overly-Full Metal Jacket Drill Sergeant. I always plump for inspirational, helpful and encouraging blogs like Julie Gray's "Just Effing Entertain Me" or regular missives from Chris Jones. They know their stuff.

Even though I've been writing for quite a few years now, to still be learning about the craft is motivating and exciting. (Perhaps I'm just a slow learner?) When I read how Aaron Sorkin (generally regarded as a writing legend) still has long dark nights of the soul, it's strangely encouraging (not that I wish him a hard time!).

And finally (for this post, at least), if you can, find yourself a mentor. Preferably an established writer who knows their stuff, who can offer honest, sound advice.

'Til the next time, keep writing... and writing... and writing...