Over the last few days I have met some really great ladies.
People like me who have the same inspiration and desire to help other writers.
They certainly helped me!
So here's a shout-out of luck and friendship to Jennifer and Beverly of the Atlanta Writers Group...
Hi Hey Holla Out!
Rayray
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Monday, February 12, 2007
Valentine Promotion
Over the weekend two employees and I stuffed 600 bags of candy for a Valentine Promotion. Needless to say I will be back after I hand it all out!
In the meantime visit http://coffeedevil.blogspot.com for Taylor Hartley's angular (and spot-on) view!
In the meantime visit http://coffeedevil.blogspot.com for Taylor Hartley's angular (and spot-on) view!
Thursday, February 8, 2007
The Show so Far
Extravagance
Act 1
Prelude: Fly/This is what it Means to be Alive
The Crossing
Let’s Go Play Tennis
Stars on an Island in the Sea
Road Dog (my light fearing Lovely)
The 25th Anniversary Song
Her Face
Workin’ For the Government (...a soldier's song.)
First Christmas (Being Together)
Oscar’s been good to David
Something’s Wrong With The (Her) System
Advertisement: Zodiac Commercial, 1991
Act 2
Extravagance
No Work for Old Hollywood?
Coming Home in Dress Blue Blues (a requiem for war heroes)
Go Deluxe
When I Miss My Hair (written by music artist Derek Toomey)
We no Longer have to Fake it
She’s got the Fire to Make It
Reprise “First Act Songs”
This is what it Means to be Alive
Extravagance reprise
The 40th Anniversary Song
Advertisement: Metro sexual Male 2006
Postlude: Land/This is what it Means to be Alive
Act 1
Prelude: Fly/This is what it Means to be Alive
The Crossing
Let’s Go Play Tennis
Stars on an Island in the Sea
Road Dog (my light fearing Lovely)
The 25th Anniversary Song
Her Face
Workin’ For the Government (...a soldier's song.)
First Christmas (Being Together)
Oscar’s been good to David
Something’s Wrong With The (Her) System
Advertisement: Zodiac Commercial, 1991
Act 2
Extravagance
No Work for Old Hollywood?
Coming Home in Dress Blue Blues (a requiem for war heroes)
Go Deluxe
When I Miss My Hair (written by music artist Derek Toomey)
We no Longer have to Fake it
She’s got the Fire to Make It
Reprise “First Act Songs”
This is what it Means to be Alive
Extravagance reprise
The 40th Anniversary Song
Advertisement: Metro sexual Male 2006
Postlude: Land/This is what it Means to be Alive
Prelude/Extravagance
Open (Years from now)
A man (Lover) and woman (Love), stop at the edge of a tennis court
A man (Lover) and woman (Love), stop at the edge of a tennis court
which is close to the beach. In the distance, they see an island.
Love
Love
(wiping her forehead)
That was a set! You lose!
Lover
Or maybe I win? By beating me you’ve won me.
Love
Is that so?
Lover
So.
Love
They say…
Lover
Who say?
Love
They say if you can hit a ball from here, with a good racket…
Lover
Oh, we’ll make a racket.
Love
They say…if you can hit a ball to the shore of that island, you’ll live forever. Somehow.
Lover
That island? It’s quite a distance.
Love
Ferry used to run here. They turned the parking lot into a tennis court. Ironic. The island owners were obsessed with the game.
Lover
Irony is my favorite aperitif. Now about that hit…
Love
Take your racket…
Lover
…Uh huh?
Love
Now throw your serve like normal, but really hit the ball.
Lover
Hit to the island?
Love
Of course!
Lover
…and we’ll…live forever?
Love
Well, you will.
Lover
That was a set! You lose!
Lover
Or maybe I win? By beating me you’ve won me.
Love
Is that so?
Lover
So.
Love
They say…
Lover
Who say?
Love
They say if you can hit a ball from here, with a good racket…
Lover
Oh, we’ll make a racket.
Love
They say…if you can hit a ball to the shore of that island, you’ll live forever. Somehow.
Lover
That island? It’s quite a distance.
Love
Ferry used to run here. They turned the parking lot into a tennis court. Ironic. The island owners were obsessed with the game.
Lover
Irony is my favorite aperitif. Now about that hit…
Love
Take your racket…
Lover
…Uh huh?
Love
Now throw your serve like normal, but really hit the ball.
Lover
Hit to the island?
Love
Of course!
Lover
…and we’ll…live forever?
Love
Well, you will.
Lover
(raising racket)
And...I will...first try...I'm lucky!
And...I will...first try...I'm lucky!
…But what of you? Won’t you be with me?
Love
Love
(shrugs)
Yes, well I dunno.
Yes, well I dunno.
Show-off!
I mean...but it's a long way!
Well,maybe.
I have to do it on my own...
Lover
...and you will.
Synopsis
Extravagance, the Musical by Ray Macon
An island in 1990 is the setting for this, the unofficial new “Cancer Musical of Hope”.
Aging television celebrities Margot and David Fontaine think they have it all until Margot “begins to ignore” her breast cancer and their only son runs away to the Persian Gulf War.
Not accustomed to failure; how will they make it through poor health, war, career layoffs, Hollywood politics and keep their love intact?
There’s a surprise at the end which will leave one asking “why do I always doubt myself?”
An island in 1990 is the setting for this, the unofficial new “Cancer Musical of Hope”.
Aging television celebrities Margot and David Fontaine think they have it all until Margot “begins to ignore” her breast cancer and their only son runs away to the Persian Gulf War.
Not accustomed to failure; how will they make it through poor health, war, career layoffs, Hollywood politics and keep their love intact?
There’s a surprise at the end which will leave one asking “why do I always doubt myself?”
Editing: Thinking through Extravagance Transitions Part 2
Since the last entry, while explaining a transitional problem with the 2nd Act, I spotted transitional problems in the 1st Act.
The first version is listed here:
Act 1
Let’s Go Play Tennis
Stars on an Island in the Sea
Road Dog (my light fearing Lovely)
The 25th Anniversary Song
Her Face
Workin’ For the Government (...a soldier's song.)
First Christmas (Being Together)
Oscar’s been good to David
Something’s Wrong With The (Her) System
Advertisement: Zodiac Commercial, 1991
I realized that I should list all musical components including the Prelude.
Also, I want to keep the audience alive, so I need to add a couple more "peppy" numbers. While getting coffee this morning I knew I had to write a song about extravagance, that the main lesson was missing.
Here is the latest:
Act 1
Open: Flight
Let’s Go Play Tennis
Stars on an Island in the Sea
Road Dog (my light fearing Lovely)
The 25th Anniversary Song
Her Face
Workin’ For the Government (...a soldier's song.)
First Christmas (Being Together)
Oscar’s been good to David
Something’s Wrong With The (Her) System
Advertisement: Zodiac Commercial, 1991
The first version is listed here:
Act 1
Let’s Go Play Tennis
Stars on an Island in the Sea
Road Dog (my light fearing Lovely)
The 25th Anniversary Song
Her Face
Workin’ For the Government (...a soldier's song.)
First Christmas (Being Together)
Oscar’s been good to David
Something’s Wrong With The (Her) System
Advertisement: Zodiac Commercial, 1991
I realized that I should list all musical components including the Prelude.
Also, I want to keep the audience alive, so I need to add a couple more "peppy" numbers. While getting coffee this morning I knew I had to write a song about extravagance, that the main lesson was missing.
Here is the latest:
Act 1
Open: Flight
Let’s Go Play Tennis
Stars on an Island in the Sea
Road Dog (my light fearing Lovely)
The 25th Anniversary Song
Her Face
Workin’ For the Government (...a soldier's song.)
First Christmas (Being Together)
Oscar’s been good to David
Something’s Wrong With The (Her) System
Advertisement: Zodiac Commercial, 1991
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Editing: Thinking through Transitions between Songs in a Musical Play
Perhaps the hardest thing I have ever had to do as a video editor (and now writer) was come to terms with my story transition frustrations. As a matter of observation: most changes in script/story just don't seem natural to me.
There is an advantage in television and screen because in the Editing Room they add some natural sound break which jars the viewer back to the story. I know this because I did it thousands of times for multiple stories. Yes, modern trickery and visual slight of hand older-than-the-book! As editors our thought was: "...it was available and so I used it"
Whereas we share the infinity of sound, and therefore sound effects---in musical theater it is often the musical script-to-numbers which "don't fit the transition"; extracting huge amounts of believability/credibility from the storyline. Imagine the wrong character singing the wrong lamentation and this can ruin the "run of story".
Keeping in mind that the best movies often have the most smart transitions, in Musical Theater we should look to each story as if we can see it on film---at least between scene transitions.
For instance, the last object of focal point on stage should be the actual opening point from the next scene. Fading to black is usually accepted but a modern day cope-out in artistic circles when a clever transition can usually be experimented with during rehearsals.
Now add a musical theater component where---as a rule we "keep hope alive every other act" ---we will easily spot weak points in the script.
I'll use Extravagance Act 2 as an example:
Originally I had these three elements back-to-back:
Act 2
Extravagance
Coming Home in Dress Blue Blues (a requiem for war heroes)
When I Miss My Hair (written by music artist Derek Toomey)
Okay so I liked the numbers and I knew they had to come in this particular order. I didn't know where I wanted to go with the transitions. I only knew I had to make it to these three points within the plot line.
Another problem...two of the three songs are bittersweet melodies. How does one "sell" that. They don't, without losing the audience!
As I thought about it I realized the 3 needed to be cushioned with a lot of script and a couple of get up on your feet and dance numbers.
I decided to add some funny song about the odd jobs actors do after their careers fade called No Work for Old Hollywood?
The new play now looks like this:
Act 2
Extravagance
No Work for Old Hollywood?
Coming Home in Dress Blue Blues (a requiem for war heroes)
Go Deluxe
When I Miss My Hair (written by music artist Derek Toomey)
(...continued)
-------------------------------------
------------------------------------
Extravagance, the Musical by Ray Macon
An island in 1990 is the setting for this, the unofficial new “Cancer Musical of Hope”.
Aging celebrities Margot and David Fontaine think they have it all until Margot “begins to ignore” her breast cancer and their only son runs away to the Persian Gulf War. Not accustomed to failure; how will they make it through war, career layoffs, Hollywood politics and keep their love intact? There’s a surprise at the end which will leave one asking “why do I always doubt myself?”
Songs written for this work include:
Act 1
Prelude: Flight
The Crossing
Let’s Go Play Tennis
Stars on an Island in the Sea
Road Dog (my light fearing Lovely)
The 25th Anniversary Song
Her Face
Workin’ For the Government (...a soldier's song.)
First Christmas (Being Together)
Oscar’s been good to David
Something’s Wrong With The (Her) System
Advertisement: Zodiac Commercial, 1991
Act 2
Extravagance
No Work for Old Hollywood?
Coming Home in Dress Blue Blues (a requiem for war heroes)
Go Deluxe
When I Miss My Hair (written by music artist Derek Toomey)
We no Longer have to Fake it
She’s got the Fire to Make It
Reprise “First Act Songs”
This is what it Means to be Alive
Extravagance reprise
The 40th Anniversary Song
Advertisement: Metro sexual Male 2006
Postlude: Land
There is an advantage in television and screen because in the Editing Room they add some natural sound break which jars the viewer back to the story. I know this because I did it thousands of times for multiple stories. Yes, modern trickery and visual slight of hand older-than-the-book! As editors our thought was: "...it was available and so I used it"
Whereas we share the infinity of sound, and therefore sound effects---in musical theater it is often the musical script-to-numbers which "don't fit the transition"; extracting huge amounts of believability/credibility from the storyline. Imagine the wrong character singing the wrong lamentation and this can ruin the "run of story".
Keeping in mind that the best movies often have the most smart transitions, in Musical Theater we should look to each story as if we can see it on film---at least between scene transitions.
For instance, the last object of focal point on stage should be the actual opening point from the next scene. Fading to black is usually accepted but a modern day cope-out in artistic circles when a clever transition can usually be experimented with during rehearsals.
Now add a musical theater component where---as a rule we "keep hope alive every other act" ---we will easily spot weak points in the script.
I'll use Extravagance Act 2 as an example:
Originally I had these three elements back-to-back:
Act 2
Extravagance
Coming Home in Dress Blue Blues (a requiem for war heroes)
When I Miss My Hair (written by music artist Derek Toomey)
Okay so I liked the numbers and I knew they had to come in this particular order. I didn't know where I wanted to go with the transitions. I only knew I had to make it to these three points within the plot line.
Another problem...two of the three songs are bittersweet melodies. How does one "sell" that. They don't, without losing the audience!
As I thought about it I realized the 3 needed to be cushioned with a lot of script and a couple of get up on your feet and dance numbers.
I decided to add some funny song about the odd jobs actors do after their careers fade called No Work for Old Hollywood?
The other song choice came from a totally wacky party idea from the mid 90s. The challenge was donning that old outfit under plastic you'd been meaning to wear for years beside your closeted Deluxe Vacuum. The night included drinking out of plastic cups stuffed into antique high heels.
I figured it could actually be a hit if we consider the large amount of crap we carry in our closets. It could also be a transitional song of acceptance (and coming-out) after Danny returns from war.
The new play now looks like this:
Act 2
Extravagance
No Work for Old Hollywood?
Coming Home in Dress Blue Blues (a requiem for war heroes)
Go Deluxe
When I Miss My Hair (written by music artist Derek Toomey)
(...continued)
-------------------------------------
------------------------------------
Extravagance, the Musical by Ray Macon
An island in 1990 is the setting for this, the unofficial new “Cancer Musical of Hope”.
Aging celebrities Margot and David Fontaine think they have it all until Margot “begins to ignore” her breast cancer and their only son runs away to the Persian Gulf War. Not accustomed to failure; how will they make it through war, career layoffs, Hollywood politics and keep their love intact? There’s a surprise at the end which will leave one asking “why do I always doubt myself?”
Songs written for this work include:
Act 1
Prelude: Flight
The Crossing
Let’s Go Play Tennis
Stars on an Island in the Sea
Road Dog (my light fearing Lovely)
The 25th Anniversary Song
Her Face
Workin’ For the Government (...a soldier's song.)
First Christmas (Being Together)
Oscar’s been good to David
Something’s Wrong With The (Her) System
Advertisement: Zodiac Commercial, 1991
Act 2
Extravagance
No Work for Old Hollywood?
Coming Home in Dress Blue Blues (a requiem for war heroes)
Go Deluxe
When I Miss My Hair (written by music artist Derek Toomey)
We no Longer have to Fake it
She’s got the Fire to Make It
Reprise “First Act Songs”
This is what it Means to be Alive
Extravagance reprise
The 40th Anniversary Song
Advertisement: Metro sexual Male 2006
Postlude: Land
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
Create an Outline: Ghosts of Baby Lake
Chapter 1 "...She wasn't blind after all!"
Chapter 2 Red's Morals
Chapter 3 Lester's Premonition
Chapter 4 The Lake Dies
Chapter 5 "...the back of your heair looks pretty."
Chapter 6 Village Meeting and Tornado
Chapter 7 Aftermath & Exploring
Chapter 8 The Birmingham Post Herald Reporter
Chapter 9 Invitation to a Social
Chapter 10 Walking with Red
Chapter 11 The Macons
Chapter 12 Someone Complains About the Lake
Chapter 13 Body Found
Chapter 14 Raymond
Chapter 15 Martha
Chapter 16 The Macons
Chapter 17 Lester
Chapter 18 The Twins
Chapter 19 The secret meeting
Chapter 20 Village Picnic "...no one will eat my pie?"
Chapter 21 Red & the Mines
Chapter 22 The Macons
Monday, February 5, 2007
Writing Backwards:Trapped in Time
Q: Could you give me an exercise for writing backwards on the time line?
This is a fun section. Be aware of the older places you visit which need renovations or structural makeovers. Is this place or room "trapped in time?" And what decade is it?
It's harder to guess the exact year than decade, but you can refine your knowledge of object-clues, allowing you to instantly remember what year the owner stopped caring for the place.
Taking it back to the page, we often are afraid to finish a scene because you want the character to open a refrigerator or washing machine but think "...what TYPE of washing machine did they have back in those days?"
To overcome these problems I will leave a blank line on the page:
"...she opened the Whirlpool _______ and pulled out a Fresca."
When you are in re-write to near completion, go back and fill in the blanks. Research everything, so to look knowledgeable. The Internet is a great tool for period research.
"...she opened the Whirlpool Duel Frost Spectrum and pulled out a lukewarm Fresca."
Don't put the project down because
This is a fun section. Be aware of the older places you visit which need renovations or structural makeovers. Is this place or room "trapped in time?" And what decade is it?
It's harder to guess the exact year than decade, but you can refine your knowledge of object-clues, allowing you to instantly remember what year the owner stopped caring for the place.
Taking it back to the page, we often are afraid to finish a scene because you want the character to open a refrigerator or washing machine but think "...what TYPE of washing machine did they have back in those days?"
To overcome these problems I will leave a blank line on the page:
"...she opened the Whirlpool _______ and pulled out a Fresca."
When you are in re-write to near completion, go back and fill in the blanks. Research everything, so to look knowledgeable. The Internet is a great tool for period research.
"...she opened the Whirlpool Duel Frost Spectrum and pulled out a lukewarm Fresca."
Don't put the project down because
you are unfamiliar with the time line!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
