In a Jude Law State of Mind - Case of The Never Ending Screenplay Part 1 #indiefilm #shorts #actors

 

I’m channeling the wisdom of "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" star Jude Law this weekend, to get a short film script ready for what I hope will be the final draft stage. I have a feeling, however, that there's probably more work to do before reaching that point. It’s been too damn long -- I mean, I expected to have this thing done, especially now that January has come and gone.

The story was simple enough but then I altered the script outline a bit to try to make it more interesting. Afterward, I got bored and was no longer interested in making the whole darn thing. Then, I went back to square one, with plans to just make a straight-to-video flick that I could sell, regardless of whether I was interested in the movie or not.

In April, I lost enthusiasm for taking the script from first draft to final draft and these days, I’m taking the story in a whole new direction after coming up with some ideas that I actually like, to finally create a workable script that could be both simple, yet interesting. So, what does this all have to do with Jude Law, you may be wondering? Well, I recently came across three quotes from this Tony and Oscar nominated actor, that reminded me of what making movies (especially independent films, in my case) is all about -- more specifically, what needs to be the motivation for writing the script.

Since a screenplay is the very foundation for which films are based upon, if I’m not enthusiastic about creating the story on paper, how in the world am I going to find excitement in shooting it?! So, any movie for which the writer has no motivation to complete is doomed from the start. Now don’t get me wrong, producing artificial enthusiasm for a movie CAN be done, at any stage of production for that matter -- but is it worth it in the end? No way! Or, at least not according to Jude Law, where his acting is concerned.

Photo: People Magazine
“The only film I ever made for money was something called Music From Another Room, which I really didn't like.” - Jude Law

This reminds me of one of the most expensive short films I’ve made to date, which serves as a lesson to not make the same mistake twice. The irony is that I lost money on this particular film rather than making dough and also ended up with a film that brings me all sorts of frustrating and annoying memories on top of that. I thought that by making a film that I could use to raise money for the one that I really wanted to make, I didn’t have to exactly be attached to the end result.

Similar thoughts crossed my mind while hitting mental roadblocks on the first draft of my current script -- “I don’t need great ideas for this, so long as I cast at least one actor who can attract sales based on who he or she is -- hell, this person doesn’t even have to have acting experience. The guys from The Skorpion Show on YouTube has a huge audience. Problem solved!” Thank goodness I knew that this was a destructive path to follow and thus, started trying to find a story angle that I at least find attractive enough to hold my attention while I work on the remaining scenes.

Therefore, being focused on a straight-to-video ending is not going to improve the script that I have right now nor will it suddenly make me fall in love with a story that I dislike. What good is earning money on a film that you wouldn’t champion at every chance you get or even defend against critics?! -- which brings me back to the basic point that focusing on an end result only serves as a distraction while I put together a screenplay that I don’t even care about. Solution: Make sure you like the script before moving on to the next stage.

Read part two, which includes another Jude Law quote and more scriptwriting observations!

Did YOU know that Jude Law was injured on the set of “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” leaving him with a broken rib?

If someone paid YOU $1 million to make a film based on a script that YOU loathed, would YOU do it?

You Got Me with Loyal Movie Quotes #atozchallenge

“If you don’t worry about where I been or who I saw or, what club I went to with my homies, baby don’t worry, you know that you got me”

“You Got Me” by The Roots is a Grammy winning song that I’ve enjoyed listening to on many occasions. Although the hook to “You Got Me” is performed by singer Erykah Badu, this entire tune was written by R&B/ Neo Soul singer Jill Scott, who often performs with The Roots at their concerts, in place of Badu. Both The Roots and Jill Scott are from Philadelphia, PA -- where I currently am.

From my understanding, “You Got Me” is about a couple, particularly the lead performer of The Roots band and an unnamed female -- and how his traveling on the road and her schedule causes insecurities or jealously and/or other conflict in their relationship. The main point of “You Got Me,” however, is that this woman is trying to get him to understand that she is always in his corner and will not will not seek comfort or attention in the arms of another man.

So basically, this particular song by The Roots is all about loyalty, at least as far as I’m concerned with it. That also got me thinking about loyalty among friends, families, partners, lovers, co-workers, communities, etc. as portrayed in film. -- or the lack thereof.

After FINALLY watching Spike Lee’s directorial debut “She’s Gotta Have It” for the first time recently, it is nice to know that there are people out in the world who are loyal to one another -- even if those people do not include Nola Darling, her three boyfriends and her one lesbian suitor.

In honor of the principles laid out in “You Got Me,” here are some movie quotes that appear to describe loyalty among the main characters in film -- something that Nola, Jamie, Greer, Mars and Opal know nothing about (Still their disloyal behavior toward each other doesn't change the fact that "She's Gotta Have It" is a good and funny movie).

Movie Quotes that Say YOU-GOT-ME in one way or another:

"We ride together, we die together. Bad boys for life!" - Detective Mike Lowery (played by Will Smith) in "Bad Boys II"

“I made a promise, Mr Frodo. A promise. ‘Don't you leave him Samwise Gamgee.’ And I don't mean to. I don't mean to.” - Sam (played by Sean Astin), the Hobbit, in “Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”

“I know all of the people you would hire to come after me. They like me better than you” - Danny Ocean (played by George Clooney) in “Ocean’s Thirteen”

“I need your help. I can't tell you what it is, you can never ask me about it later, and we're gonna hurt some people.” -- Doug MacRay (played by Ben Affleck) to his friend Jem in “The Town” / “Whose car are we gonna' take?” -- Jem’s (played by Jeremy Renner) response to Doug in “The Town”

“This is Maddy’s card, you call her when you get to Conakry, alright?...And don’t trust that pilot for a second. You point this at his head if he fucks around! Take your boy home.” -- Danny Archer (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) in “Blood Diamond”

Can YOU name any movie quotes showing some form of loyalty among the main characters?

What does loyalty mean to YOU?           

Love according to Hollywood #friday #atozchallenge #atoz #lovebomb

 

“I wanna love you, I wanna love and treat you right. I wanna love you every day and every night. We’ll be together, with a roof over our heads, to share the shelter in a single bed. Is this love, is this love, is this love, is this love that I’m feeling?”

“Is This Love” by Corinne Bailey Rae is one my favorite songs to listen to -- many of you might be surprised to learn that I didn’t like Rae’s music when she first came out. Now, I can’t get enough of her. Excuse me as my letter alignment gets a little funky as the A to Z Challenge progresses. I also chose “Lovegame” by Lady Gaga as an honorable mention and while Gaga fits the L letter of the day appropriately, I don’t listen to that particular tune as much as Rae’s track, so the slow song wins over the frisky one.

It’s interesting how we find ourselves asking if we’re in love or wondering whether we know what it is -- what it looks like, what it feels like. Maybe it’s a gesture such as writing a whole bunch of letters to one’s significant other to help him or her cope with loss or serve as a reminder to smile, such as what makes up the storyline in “P.S. I Love You” starring Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler. This movie has been sitting in my Netflix queue for some time and I tried to watch it at the last minute before writing this post -- until I found out that it’s not available for streaming.

So, I’ve compiled some quotes on love from film actresses, as I wait for this DVD to arrive. Here they are for your reading pleasure if you want to share them with fellow guests at a bridal shower, bachelorette party, afternoon tea or even Thanksgiving. These quotes on love could make for some great conversation starters -- especially since everyone tends to have clashing views on the subject.

"I don't need someone to make me whole" - Hayden Panettiere (Remember the Titans; Scream 4) on the best relationship advice she’s ever received. (Cosmopolitan Magazine, 2008)

"I was never one of those girls who dreamt of my wedding and Prince Charming....To piss my mom off, I used to say ‘I’m never having kids I'm going to be be a fabulously rich old maid with cute butlers and dogs’ " - Jessica Biel (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The A-Team) on having kids and her relationship with Justin Timberlake. (Elle Magazine, December 2011)

"You have to give love your all, and if it doesn’t work out, he wasn’t your man...Now that I’m actually in a healthy relationship, I know that what came before wasn’t real" - Ali Larter (Resident Evil: Extinction; Legally Blonde) on romance. (Cosmopolitan Magazine, 2007)

Also, since March, I’ve been participating in a group called Love Bomb, which sends out weekly missions for members to spend 5 minutes each week sending words of encouragement, hope or simple kindness to people who may need an extra ray of sunshine during a hardship. These Love Bombs are done in the form of comments on the person’s blog or a blog operating on his or her behalf.

The Love Bomb recipients are everyday people like you and I such as a woman named Susan, whose stroke affected 2 arteries in her brain and there were many loving messages sent to her -- I sent one to her, myself. Unfortunately, she passed away within days but those messages are still there and can hopefully comfort her family.

Another memorable Love Bomb that I participated in was sending support to a budding California based photographer named Kim who lost her best friend Jenn to suicide in mid-February. After some dark days filled with sadness, Kim wrote a new blog post expressing her gratitude for all of the love and support, as well as providing an update on her efforts to get back into the swing of things -- enjoying the outdoors and soaking up the sunshine, trying to live her best life!

While I never thought that I could squeeze out any extra time in my day for something that may seem so trivial on the surface, participating in the Love Bomb missions reminded me of how powerful genuine love or caring can be -- even when it comes from strangers, but ESPECIALLY when it comes from a close friend or family member. Therefore, it’s five minutes well spent, in my book!

If you haven’t already, check out the Love Lessons from Leonardo DiCaprio!

Did YOU see “P.S. I Love You” in theaters or on DVD? If so, how would you rate it on a scale of 1 to 10?

Do YOU agree or disagree with what these actresses had to say regarding love and/or romance?

How do YOU know when you’re in love?