Labour Of Love - The Struggle For Perfection

The last couple of weeks I've been quite busy, with my girlfriend staying over and celebrating her birthday. Then a couple of days ago, she went off to her Mum's house, and I had some quality time to actually progress with my new screenplay - or not.

It's never that simple. I opened Movie Magic, browsed to my screenplay's folder, and instead, opened my first screenplay, One Bag Full. Just out of nostalgic curiousity. That was it. I spent three hours tearing it apart. I just couldn't stop re-writing. You might think to yourself, that sounds horrible. But it wasn't. It was satisfying, and exhilerating. I felt so good for improving a screenplay that I'd considered finished. There's a certain feeling that runs through you, when you know you have improved a scene drastically. It's a good feeling. Finally, I managed to close the script and begin work on my most recent venture.

My new screenplay, which will remain untitled until it's finished, is a WW2 escape story, with a similar sort of tone to movies like The Cockleshell Heroes and The Great Escape. I realise the genre has been done to death, but I do think I'm approaching it with a fresh, and slightly unique, perspective.

So, after almost two weeks of zero writing time, I re-draft almost an entire screenplay, and bang out the first thirty pages of my new project. Good times. It's good to be motivated.

I've been dreaming up so many ideas lately too. Even in my dreams I'm coming up with ideas, good ideas, and actually remembering them as I wake, racing to write them down in a panicked moment of almost-forgetfulness. I think I have a large enough bank of ideas to write at least 10 good screenplays. Here's hoping.

Before I go, I have a short script that I want to produce. I have friends/actors willing to 'star' in the short, and I intend to direct it myself, but I have no equipment for production. All I need really is a camera and a microphone. A decent one. Some musicians would be cool too, for creation of an original score. If anybody is interested, and can maybe help, put me in touch with people or whatever (London area), or even if you have an idea for fund-raising so I can buy a camera of my own, please get in touch!