Screenplay | The Athletic Nerd

Rewriting Your Screenwriting Goals

February 1st, 2012 | Posted by jasonmckinnon in Featured Posts | Screenwriting - (0 Comments)

FIND OUT WHAT YOU’RE MADE OF

The last new screenwriting post I wrote for this site was posted on December 1, 2011. 2 months ago to the day. It was about the frustration screenwriters sometimes feel that leads them to furiously type FLKJFLSDDSJ:LF. I haven’t written about my passion since…

The reason for the lack of posts is simple. I wasn’t writing any screenplays. I decided that, once and for all, I would wrap up some big projects and start 2012 with a clean slate. I’m happy to say I accomplished that goal. We finished and released 17 West’s latest short film The Climb. In addition to that release, we put Playing Through online as well. It was all timed with the launch of our brand new website 17west.ca. Now I can start a new year with nothing left to do except write. (And get married in the fall)

All of the sudden I’m just a screenwriter. I’m not a web designer anymore. I’m not a director either. All my projects in 2012 involve writing in some capacity. Whether it’s blogging, picking away at my eBook or finishing up a new script, my mind is free to create new things. It’s an incredible feeling.

First up for me is a deeply personal story that I’m absolutely terrified to write. It’s a terror I can’t wait to explore. A demon I can’t wait to banish from my mind and onto the page.

Thinking about the new projects I want to tackle makes me wonder where I will be at the end of 2012. Mainly because I’ve been asking myself a very serious question for over a year now:

Am I a screenwriter? Or do I simply enjoy writing screenplays?

I’m not sure I can answer that. I’m an honest person so I don’t mind admitting that currently, I have no screenplays in production. I have no screenplays awaiting judgement in competitions. I do not have an agent texting me hourly for updates on my latest draft. There are no producers with a copy of my screenplay on their desks.

But that didn’t stop me from writing short screenplays entitled After, Lorraine, Maybe Not Today, Nathan’s Hoard, The Cold Spot, The Guardian, Caligari, The Blanket Fort and Droid. It didn’t stop me from dusting off a feature length script I started in college and finishing it. It didn’t stop me from developing treatments for 2 new features I plan to write this year in addition to a bunch of new shorts I’m excited about.

I am not a professional screenwriter in the sense that I do not get paid to write screenplays. I just love to write. Screenwriting is my cure for anxiety. It’s my calm place. It’s mine. But I’m 28 years old now and I just don’t think that’s enough anymore. I feel like it’s time to find out what I’m made of. Yet, I’m frustrated because I’ve said that before. I’ve even written about it on this blog.

“This year, I’m going to get my act together and find out if I have what it takes.”

It sounds great but that sentence won’t fill up the pages will it? It merely starts the engine but it’s pointless if the engine dies less than a mile down the road. What makes this year different?

“Nothing changes if nothing changes.”

What changed this year? I’ve simplified things. All I’ve got is screenwriting now. It’s just me and Final Draft. (Or Celtx on my iPad)

Above all else, I think the main difference is my main goal overall. Normally, I start a year thinking about all the screenplays I may or may not finish. This year, I’m thinking about the screenplays I’d like people to read. The screenplays that actors, agents and producers can get excited about. The screenplays that may become films someday. That’s a BIG difference in my usual thought process and it’s a ‘rewrite’ I should have done years ago.

Maybe I was afraid. Maybe I’m still afraid.

So… Am I a screenwriter? Or do I simply enjoy writing screenplays? I think I’d be happy with either in the long run because no matter what I’ll get to do what I love.

Check out my 150th screenwriting post featuring 15 of my personal favorites.

Have you rewritten your screenwriting goals lately?

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Screenwriting & The Game Of Thrones Theme

January 30th, 2012 | Posted by jasonmckinnon in Featured Posts | Screenwriting - (1 Comments)

I was bound to cave sooner or later…

After months of recommendations and glowing reviews from my friends, I finally decided to give Game of Thrones a shot. Whoa. I now regret waiting as long as I did. The show is absolutely phenomenal and I’m very proud to consider myself a part of it’s rapidly growing fan base. Especially with the newest (and amazing) trailer for Season 2 working it’s way around the web this week.

Over the last week or so, I powered my way through the exceptional first season while avoiding spoilers from virtually every fan I know. At the same time, I read a lot about the books on which the series is based. It’s a pretty fantastic world that author George R. R. Martin created.

What’s impressive about the television series is how well they established the world and the multiple story lines. It’s not easy creating a brand new world full of new characters, locations and cultures on the small screen. That’s part of the charm of Game of Thrones. By the end of the second episode, I was hooked and completely addicted to Winterfell, The Wall, The Starks, The Lannisters and the Iron Throne.

XTRA | Link, Zelda, Hyrule, Middle Earth & Screenwriting

THE OPENING CREDITS OF GAME OF THRONES

Something funny happened as I watched the first season. I found myself looking forward to the opening credits sequence at the beginning of each episode. Beyond that, I found myself humming the song constantly while I thought about my latest screenplay. The song fit very well into an action script I’ve been developing. I don’t mean to suggest that the opening theme could find a place in the movie someday. I simply felt inspired to write whenever I heard that song. I helped me get into my world and think creatively.

It’s funny how fate can sometimes step in when you are writing a new screenplay. Perhaps I was meant to delay watching the series until I was ready to write my new script? I like to think I was destined to fall in love with that theme and use it as a spark in my own writing.

Inspiration comes in many forms. Whenever something that triggers my creativity comes along, I try to seize every moment and write as much as I can. My new script has absolutely nothing to do with swords, knights, Lords or Kings. Yet here I am, playing the opening to Game of Thrones over and over again and writing…

It’s a good thing the show is amazing too. Win Win!

Do you connect songs to your screenplays? What other influences do you hold close while you write? Music? Art? Other screenplays? Movies? Television shows?

Screenwriting & The Game Of Thrones Theme | Screenwriting Blog

XTRA | How Diddy’s ‘Coming Home’ Inspired My Latest Screenplay

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Do You Have A Back Burner Project?

November 16th, 2011 | Posted by jasonmckinnon in Filmmaking | Movies | Producing | Screenwriting - (0 Comments)

Do You Have A Back Burner Project?

First and foremost, I love to write movies. Having said that, I’m also a massive fan of blogging, writing short stories and creating accompanying images and logos in Photoshop. On a daily basis, I normally have a number of projects I can work on but lately, I’ve been focused on finishing my short film The Climb.

It’s a project we filmed in May of 2010 and I’ve been experimenting with different editing techniques ever since. However, the time has come to wrap up the short so I can reorganize and prioritize my projects in 2012.

XTRA | We have picture lock!

So for the last month, I’ve been completely wrapped up in post production with a couple afternoons of screenwriting here and there.

In all honesty, The Climb will most likely be finished in a few weeks and I’ve spent a lot more time figuring out what I want to create in 2012. It’s always beneficial to think ahead. Besides two big feature screenwriting projects and a slight 17west.ca redesign my schedule looks like it will be pretty open.

Finally, it looks like Ill be able to put a dent into my…

BACK BURNER PROJECTS

Anyone who enjoys being creative has a couple of these occupying the dusty storage shelves in their minds. These are projects you might get to someday. Unfortunately, many of these projects remain unfinished or worse they never really get off the shelf.

2012 will be the year of the screenplay for me as I don’t have plans to direct another film anytime soon. (Especially with a wedding less than a year away). Its going to be a year of words and two related back burner projects I’ve wanted to tackle for years.

The projects in question are eBooks. Since I began this blog in 2009, I’ve had a number of ideas for extra content to offer and these eBooks represent my first foray into the online self-publishing world.

But when you add up screenwriting, filmmaking, blogging and life in general, taking on an eBook simply didn’t fit into my daily routine. But that’s what a back burner project is! It’s a project you pick away at slowly. Something you work on and think about during quiet moments. I’ve already laid the groundwork and created over 40 pages of content for my first book. I’ve just never really given the project the time it deserves to graduate from back burner status.

Having said that, I’m extremely excited to wrap up a couple things and finally have time to write these projects. They will come in handy when I’m not working on my latest screenplay or blog post.

In my experience, back burner projects rarely get taken off the shelf and dusted off. The only one I can think of other than these eBooks was a children’s book I wrote for my parents years ago. It was something I always wanted to do but regularly put off. There was always something else that needed to be done. Finally, I got it finished and had a friend illustrate it. The memory I have of giving them copies of the book are precious to me now. I think about that memory fondly and I’m thankful that I took the time to write it for them.

Some back burner projects are meant to rise up. I won’t know if these two eBooks will fall into that category but I’ll never know until I finish them right?

Maybe its time you gave your back burner projects another look?

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Introducing: PEOPLE TALES!

October 4th, 2011 | Posted by jasonmckinnon in Featured Posts | Screenwriting | Web - (0 Comments)

NEW BLOG LAUNCHES TODAY

People Tales is a blog about the wonderful uniqueness of a perfect stranger. It’s about the incredible moments and interactions we all witness on a daily basis. We are all people watchers but as an aspiring screenwriter and a blogger, I’m interested in how these People Tales inspire.

Authors tend to have a vault full of these little stories and People Tales will be my outlet. You will find weekly short stories about the every day extraordinary and how they influence a writer’s decisions. What excites me the most about this project is the variety of ways the site will integrate with The Athletic Nerd. It’s too soon to explain how right now but I’m looking forward to showing you more.

Visit www.peopletales.com now!

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Link, Zelda, Hyrule, Middle Earth & Screenwriting

September 27th, 2011 | Posted by jasonmckinnon in Featured Posts | Screenwriting - (0 Comments)

MAPPING OUT A NEW WORLD

The Legend of Zelda has been my favorite video game franchise since Ocarina of Time dominated my life years ago. I got the game as a Christmas present and literally spent a year immersed in the world of Hyrule.

Since then, I’ve eagerly anticipated and adored new titles like Majora’s Mask and Twilight Princess.

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Ocarina of Time is without a doubt my favorite game of all time because I was so wrapped up in every single detail. Most of all, I find the series fascinating because I’ve come to know the world of Hyrule so well.

It’s a testament to the designers of the game to be able to create a world so vivid and detailed. From a storytelling perspective, it’s an experience I’ll never forget. Little by little, as you play through the game, you are introduced to new areas and characters. You spend so much time exploring the enormous world that you don’t realize what’s actually happening. Suddenly you realize that you know the species, you know the towns, you know where people live, you know where to find things, you know Hyrule.

I dug out my old Nintendo 64 the other day and I was immediately stunned at how much I missed playing in Hyrule. The fact is, I still know where everything is. I started a brand new game I was instantly reminded of how many hours I spent searching for Skulltulas and conquering all the irresistible mini quests. I remembered all the different areas and weapons I was about to unlock all over again. I remembered spending entire afternoons trying to catch enormous fish in the pond.

XTRA: Check out this article over at IGN about the impact of Ocarina of Time

The Legend of Zelda is about the heroic adventures of Link at it’s core but the adventures would be boring without a world like Hyrule.

Link, Zelda, Hyrule, Middle Earth & Screenwriting | Screenwriting Blog | The Legend Of Zelda | The Lord Of The Rings

CREATE A NEW WORLD OF YOUR OWN

Every corner of Hyrule is populated by unique characters, secret locations, mysterious items and so much more. As I woke up in Kokiri Forest once more, I thought about the work that must have gone into the design of Hyrule. The hours and hours of work needed to bring every detail of that world to life.

Then I thought about what it would take to do it myself!

Why not take out a clean piece of paper and start drawing? Why not create my own world and use it as the setting for a movie? When you set out to create a fantasy film you have to know what you’re talking about. You need to know every corner of the world so it will be convincing to readers and hopefully audiences world wide. It has to be believable.

This isn’t a tiny assignment either. Think about all the species, aliens or creatures that could live there. Think about the geography. Think about the history.

I immediately jumped online to seek out maps for other worlds I’ve grown to love and my first choice remains the most detailed of all.

MIDDLE EARTH

Link, Zelda, Hyrule, Middle Earth & Screenwriting | Screenwriting Blog | The Legend Of Zelda | The Lord Of The Rings

Without a doubt, the richest and most detailed fictional world has to be J.R.R Tolkien’s Middle Earth. Every detail right down to the languages is thought out including literally thousands of years of history.

Imagine being able to tell a story with such a huge amount of back story in your mind. Now imagine doing it yourself.

Having the freedom to create anything you want is both intimidating and extremely exciting. Someday, I’ll base a story around a world I created from scratch. I’ve got a couple tales I’d like to tackle first but that doesn’t stop me from starting drawing a map does it? You have to start somewhere.

To be honest, I actually find the challenge of creating a world with so much depth inspiring. Who knows what you can come up with when you sit down with a blank page.

THE Q: What’s your favorite fictional world?

Next up: Skyward Sword! I can’t wait to return to Hyrule.

Link, Zelda, Hyrule, Middle Earth & Screenwriting | Screenwriting Blog | The Legend Of Zelda | The Lord Of The Rings

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Keep up with their scholarship opportunities and more!

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Rewriting Your Screenwriting Goals

FIND OUT WHAT YOU’RE MADE OF

Screenwriting & The Game Of Thrones Theme

THE OPENING CREDITS OF GAME OF THRONES

Do You Have A Back Burner Project?

BACK BURNER PROJECTS

Introducing: PEOPLE TALES!

NEW BLOG LAUNCHES TODAY

Link, Zelda, Hyrule, Middle Earth & Screenwriting

MAPPING OUT A NEW WORLD

CREATE A NEW WORLD OF YOUR OWN

MIDDLE EARTH

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