This week finds me on a remote hilltop in New Zealand’s north, far from pesky 'civilisation'. As I write I can hear the bleat of lonely sheep drifting in over my pan-flute compilation.
I’ve snuck away for a week to try to finish a bunch of scripts. If I can pull that off, the production phase can begin in earnest. The cosy, solitary writing stage is coming to an end, and the crazy scramble to actually shoot stuff will soon begin.
This is the time I'll be calling upon many of those kind offers from people to get involved. It's the really collaborative part of the process, where scripts get tested, roles get cast, crews gets crewed and “action!” gets said a lot.
For a few quiet days, however, it's complete isolation for me as I try to finish eight very different scripts.
Perhaps it’s time for a little taster of what’s in the pipeline...
The script I’ve just been working on follows a teenage girl’s father and her boyfriend, forced to spend a night together as they drive around looking for her after she doesn’t return home the night before. It explores the idea that just because you’re older than someone, doesn’t make you’ wiser.
What else, let’s see… another script is about a man who collects recordings of silences – believing that every silence has a different quality.
There’s one about a girl who finds that whenever she takes a photo of something, she removes it from the world.
And then there’s another about a meek, retired man who, on impulse, attacks a priceless painting in a civic art gallery. And doesn't know why.
There are others of course, but there have to be some secrets in our relationship.
I’d love to know if any of these take your fancy. Let me know.
And stay tuned, I may be begging for your help in the coming few months.