Sprucing Up Those Bios
I’m so thrilled to have the second draft of my screenplay, TITLE VII, out to talent, crew and generous readers to let me know their thoughts/reactions/critiques so it may grow even further. As I mentioned before, I’m pretty confident that this draft is raring to go for a table read. And I’m excited.
About that, now is the time to put the directing hat on to aid the writer in me. These characters are ready to have actors breathe life into them. As a director I find it best to provide a guide (often referred to as a director’s vision) and, once the actors take hold, step out of the way. Allowing for the actor to feel they are in a safe space brings magic you as creator of the piece. Is it “perfect” if the actor recites their lines exactly as you envisioned in your head while writing? Not necessarily. I’m actually hoping for the opposite!
Already I talked to a friend of mine — a busy working actor who I hope will work with us— who popped into my head just this past week as a possible cast member. A persona I’ve seen him play with ease is totally opposite from the way the character was introduced in the novel from which I adapted the screenplay. In fact during my whole writing process, the character never changed from their original design. But when instincts kick in, you have to take a moment to think “Hmmm…that’s different. Let’s try it!” Colors, layers, complex personalities lead us to many of the relatable and memorable on-screen ethos you hope the audience immortalizes.
For this, I return to my earlier schema when first starting this screenplay: My character bios. Character biographies are not at all a new concept. For this particular project they were essential because there were so many characters in the novel for which I had to keep a scorecard, I essentially used them as a map. The bios fell by the wayside a bit as evidenced by those reading my first draft having the same questions which related directly to “why would this person do ________?” I answered those questions with the writing of the second draft but not updating the original bios. Now I am (happily) returning to spruce up those original character bios with two objectives in mind: 1) Detail them to the fullest extent so the actors walk right into the role (a lesson I took to heart from director John Sayles’ worth ethic), and 2) Prepare me for the next step of filling in my First Impressions chart borrowed from my Judith Weston years of study. I’m looking forward to sharing her words of wisdom with all of you soon!
Thank you, again, for joining me on this journey. Questions? Comments? Please give me a shout!
And, if you’re so moved, join us in our pre-fundraiser fundraiser with a $15 tax-deductible donation. We have 15 weeks to go and a little more than $29,500 needed (thank you so much to the generous donors this week!). We’re marching to victory by requesting small tax-deductible contributions of $15 per person that offers unlimited streaming of the final film, a film credit and a social media shoutout. Can we do it? I’m sharing how to do so with a tax-deductible donation here. My fiscal sponsor, An EPIPHANY Conversation, is the portal for all donations in this round. An EPIPHANY Conversation was formed as a fiscally sponsored community dialogue to introduce and educate using EPIPHANY Inc. media projects that take pride in communities of color.
Thank you so much for coming on board! Stay tuned….
