Tuesday 16 September 2008

Getting The Script Right....

Well, a huge chunk of business plans have gone out to potential Investors. The flyers I mentioned in my last entry have arrived and look great. They'll be hitting the floors of Lawyers and Accountants in the city early next week. And I've had the first few conversations about the budget. All exciting stuff...

But, something has been nagging me for the last few months; the big ugly monster waiting for me in the corner, the thing that, if I don't sort out now, will haunt me for the rest of my life. Yep, you've got it, THE SCRIPT!!!

Now, there's nothing actually wrong with the script, it certainly works, and is a very powerful piece of narrative. But is it really as good as it can be???

Some close friends have read it recently and although they've been complimentary, the same issues come to light. They've found some areas confusing and in places it's hard to follow. The problem seems to be due to the high level of visual set pieces in the film. There is a lot of description about alien things that are hard to visualize. In my heart, I'm sure that when an audience SEES what I have in mind they will have no problem following it, but it's vital that the script works in my favor (as investors are bound to read it) so this must be addressed.

Over the last year, I've been busy on business plans, making pilots and generally working hard to pay the mortgage and get to this stage. The thought of going back to the script scares the life out of me. It's a bit like ripping your back bone out and then trying to stand. The whole thing could collapses around me. But, I have to be grown up and embrace this demon, because this has to be sensational and world class.

When I set out to make this movie, I intended to make it "one of the greatest British sci-fi movies of all time". Which is easy to say, and gets even easier the more you say it. And the more you say it, the more you start to believe it. And the thing is, I genuinely DO believe it will be "one of the greatest British sci-fi movies of all time". But, delivering on this, well, that's a different story!

So, from here on, its head down and get on with it. The new draft starts over the weekend (GULP!). Wish me luck.....