Tuesday, January 26, 2010

A Writer in the Family? Whodathunkit!

"Screenwriting is like writing in the sand with the wind blowing." -Frances Marton

I claim to be a voracious reader, but I don't believe I have ever actually read a screenplay. Until now.

I'm happy to report that I've just completed the first 80 pages of a great script! Now I have to be patient as I anxiously await the project's completion; which, apparently, is still "in the works."

In the interest of full disclosure, this script was written by none other than my own (and only) son! Cool, huh! And, I'm quite impressed! It was clever, fun, well developed and well written!

I won't give away details; in fact I couldn't ruin the ending anyway since that part is yet to be developed! But if you like movies like The Incredibles and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs then you'll like Webb's screenplay! It's very creative! I'm not sure where Webb's creative gift came from - clearly it skipped my generation!

As a lazy oaf who would much rather "read" than "write" I have to give Webb a lot of credit! Writing is tough!

I love a quote about screenwriters by the talented actress Emma Thompson (who wrote the screenplay and also starred in Sense and Sensibility.) Thompson said: "Lindsay Doran (producer), James Schamus (co-producer), Ang Lee (director) and I had met previously this month to discuss the latest draft of the script, which is what we're all here to work through...Lindsay goes round the table and introduces everyone - - making it clear that I am present in the capacity of "writer" rather than actress, therefore no one has to be nice to me."