Progress and TV Pin-Ups

The Red Planet Prize script is coming along well. For a start, I realised that I'd fallen into the 'voiceover' trap with the initial draft. Have gone through the script like a tornado today, ripping out that gratuitous voiceover action. It's really not that difficult, provided you don't simply replace it with your protagonist talking to themselves. My feature-length romcom screenplay, which I'm still working on simultaneously, has a fair deal of voiceover, which I don't see as a problem. I will, however, keep it to a minimum.

Was there a Scribosocial on Saturday, then? If it all crumbled away to nothingness, I shall be cyber-slapping the legs of all concerned. I say we pick a date for August and stick to it like some breed of superglue.

When people ask who I fancy on TV I generally come up blank, for some reason. Most female TV presenters and personalities (even most movie stars, in fact) look the same, and are generally the wrong side of bland-glam. This has changed since Friday, when I interviewed Holly Willoughby and Fearne Cotton for heat magazine. Together, in person. Christ, it's a tough old life. I was confident that Holly might cancel her imminent wedding plans after meeting me, but no - the girl still seems set on matrimony. Guess it'd be too embarrassing to drop out now. Yes. That'll be it.

8 comments:

Andy Phillips said...

Stephanie Flanders, economics editor on Newsnight. I don't know what she says, because all I hear is 'sex,sex,sex,sex...'

martin said...

Yes, I'm sure that is it! but never mind about them, did you meet kylie?? And did you think to get me her phone number if you did?? Hmm????

(...or are you not allowed to blog about what you do in Cardiff?)

I didnt go Sat, but I'm up for August.

How about Kelley Hawes, then? Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Anonymous said...

ferne britton.

obviously.

Oli said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Dan said...

Is voice-over and flashback a trap? I think voice-over provides Dexter with much of its dark humour. Lost would be scuppered without flashbacks. Maybe these are exceptions to the rule, but I sometimes feel that you spend half your time catering for the "in vogue" opinions of some "script doctor" or reader... when you should just focus on making a damned entertaining, emotional and exciting piece of work... and WHO CARES if you use voice-over and flashbacks?? So long as you use them well!

Lucy V said...

Who the in the name of bloody hell is Holly whatsername?? And what does she do and would I fancy her - remember I am a lesbian on thursdays whilst my husband is out chopping wood for the week.

Jason Arnopp said...

Pillock: I shall have to check Ms Flanders out.

Martin: No, I can't blog about what I do in Cardiff. Well, I could, but I'd have to track down every single reader and kill them. I just can't justify the man hours involved.

Dan T: Hmmmmm.

Dan: I don't disagree with you. But I think the key is this: is there a better way to handle exposition? If not, voiceover and flashbacks are fine in my book. Plenty of examples of great films which use both. In this case, though, I thought of a new device which will allow my main character to effectively talk to himself, without it being ludicrous. It feeds the main story better: hence the hacking and slashing of that crazy voiceover action. :)

Lucy: Holly's a TV presenter. Used to present Ministry Of Mayhem, which I never saw. But I'm downloading all 1026 episodes as we shriek. Just kidding.

Jason Arnopp said...

Oh, and thanks to a recent post over at Phil Barron's cyber-gaff, I've remembered that I also fancy Abi Titmuss. And I don't like Phill as much as I did. Jealous grumble...