Not sure where the last couple of weeks have gone. I’ve finished a draft of a feature script, which is now with the director, had some promising talks about short film scripts, and started two new comic projects, pulling my ideas and notes together into something hopefully cohesive and compelling. All early days, but hopefully in the coming weeks I’ll be able to share more details as they develop.
So, with everything ticking along nicely, I thought I would point you towards…
Corey Brotherson’s site, where he’s posted an amazing preview of Butterflies and Moths, written by his good self and watercoloured by Jen Gyllblad. I’ve been lucky enough to read the full script, it’s dark, thought provoking stuff, and I can’t wait to see how Jen approaches the later chapters in watercolour.
Cy Dethan has posted a preview of The Ragged Man over on his blog. Neil Van Antwerpen’s artwork, Peter-David Douglass colours and Nic Wilkinson’s lettering look superb, and there’s also a link to an interview on SciFi Pulse radio.
I’ve a childish love of Doctor Who and I don’t see that as a bad thing. I’ve grown up with the series on television and was saddened when the show ended in 1989, arguably when it was starting to turn around with episodes such as Ghost Light and The Curse of Fenric.
When Russell T Davies resurrected the show I was delighted. He orchestrated one of the most incredible comebacks in television history and I’m grateful for what he, the actors and crew have achieved through their hard work.
I’m also glad that they stopped when they did. Towards the end of the fourth season some of the stories didn’t sit well with me, they begun to feel self indulgent, swan songs that went on for far too long.
Change can be a good thing. I’m excited that the show runner mantle has been taken up by Steven Moffat, the writer behind some of my favourite episodes, The Girl in the Fireplace and Blink, and that Matt Smith and Karen Gillan will be crewing the Tardis.
Moffat says he doesn’t have an agenda for how his Doctor Who will differ from Davies’ but “these things happen as a matter of instinct” and his instinct led him towards a more “storybook quality”. “For me, Doctor Who literally is a fairy tale. It’s not really science fiction. It’s not set in space, it’s set under your bed. It’s at its best when it’s related to you, no matter what planet it’s set on.”
Safe hands that will push the show’s unique concept – a character that can go anywhere, to anytime. A concept that lets it stride across genres, thrilling us in different ways, while never hanging around too long to become trapped or bogged down in any one.
As Moffat says, it’s a storybook romp. Here there be monsters…
Fascinating video on the possibilities of eye-tracking and tablets via Wired. Same technology could be applied to comics to bring an added depth of interaction.
Finished three intense weeks of work on the game scripts for Ubisoft. Worked out that I’ve written well over 8,000 lines of dialogue in that time. Hopefully all coherent and in equal measures of being funny and at times disturbing.
Trying now to get back on top of all my editing work for Insomnia. Thankfully everyone has been very patient and understanding, and to be honest because the standard of scripts is very high it should not take me long.
Everything else has been on hold with the volume of game writing work recently, so it will be good to get back to my own projects. Work on the feature with Tito is my main priority right now. In the background I’m working up two new comic pitches, alongside work on The Ionmonger’s Daughter and Sun Moon.
A couple of weeks ago, I responded to a script call on Shooting People for, “a simple script, based in the genre of magical realism (e.g. Amelie) that would come in between 5-10 mins.” The director has gotten back to me and it’s good news, they’re interested in making it. Will be meeting up next week to discuss the script and our next steps.
Pinch, punch, first of the month… White rabbits. February went in a blur, but hoping a little superstition will bring the momentum of the last few weeks through into March.
Thanks to SideLines, I’ve been working with a team of writers on a game script for Ubisoft. Four days of sample writing landed us the gig and now we’re well into the project. Can’t say too much about it. Enjoying it and, touch wood, it will lead to future work.
