Inside the Brain of E.C. Henry

Spec. Script Flashback #1: Hometown Professional Football

Can you believe that it's the end of the 2013 NFL regular season?  And that's what's triggering a flashback by E.C. Henry on a spec script he wrote a few years back?  In fact, even NFL game that I have on RIGHT NOW, the Sunday night NBC telecast of the Philadelphia Eagles vs. the Dallas Cowboys to determine who will in the 2013 NFC East division crown plays DIRECTLY into my melancholy flashback of a spec. script I wrote back in 2007:

Hometown Professional Football  © 2007 by E.C. Henry, PAu3-127-702.  WGAw registration no. 1191498.

Genre: Sports Comedy

Logline: An ex-NFL coach, a quick tempered offensive lineman, and a former high school star quarterback take their chances at resurrecting their careers and finding love in a newly formed professional football league.

Triggering the flashback is the fact that "Hometown Professional Football" starts with an end of the season game between the Philadelphia Eagles against the Dallas Cowboys at Philly's Lincoln Financial Field, where the announcers are speculating the future of the (fictional) head coach of Philadelphia Eagles,  Dennis Bunning, after his last place team takes a late lead on a team with playoff ambitions.

In my script Dennis Bunning (ideally played by Owen Wilson) is the main character, and we follow him from his firing as the Eagles' head coach to taking a job in newly formed professional football league in the Pacific Northwest.  Hey, I actually live in the Pacific Northwest, can you believe that coincidence?  (Wink, wink).

The script goes on to follow Dennis as he tries to resurrect his career in the Seattle area, apart from his wife, who is entrenched in the NFL socialites', high falutin lifestyle.  Basically Dennis takes this job on the other side of the country in an attempt to appease his wife and continue in the lifestyle that she's accustomed too.  Along the way Dennis meets a troubled worker at his new team's home stadium, Samantha Burbeck (ideally played by Jennifer Love Hewitt) who used to a high school cheerleader but got her world turned upside-down when she catches her football player boyfriend cheating her under the bleachers.  

As the story progresses Dennis face a growing dilemma of a budding romance with Samantha vs. his relationship with his wife...

Add in the plight of local kid who leaves a lowly restaurant job in attempt to reclaim his former glory as a lauded quarterback in high school, and a failed former # 1, NFL draft pick, a volatile offensive lineman from the Cleveland Browns.

"Hometown Professional "Football" is a screwball comedy with a rom-com center.  And I even have 37 extra pages written to accompany this script as part of a DVD extra package.  Yes, I think outside the box quite often.  And F.Y.I. I've also got DVD extras for another spec. I wrote which is entitled "An American Princess".  

Can't wait for tomorrow, as the day after the NFL season ends, NFL coaches give their end of the season speeches.  This of course reminds me of Dennis Bunning's plight in "Hometown Professional Football", and also of coach Frank Grashitola, the fictional head coach of the Detroit Lions in the other football script I penned entitled, "After the Glory," which I actually posted on Tallentville, which you can read for yourself -- IF you're a member at Tallentville and so inclined...

Why have Owen Wilson play Dennis Bunning, a football head coach.  Well-p, that's easy; think Owen Wilson looks anything like John Gruden?  John Gruden is the ex-NFL head coach of the Oakland Raiders and later the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with whom John Gruden won a Super Bowl.  I think the role of Dennis Bunning would stretch Owen Wilson's acting capabilities in a good way.  And I think the role of Samantha Burbeck is one that Jennifer Love Hewitt could pull off.

Anyway, I'm a dreamer -- and I know it, but I'll never stop dreaming.  And at certain times of the year these dreams are re-kindled -- especially at the end of the NFL year.  The song, "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears plays in my mind heavily on Black Monday: the Monday after the NFL season ends, and NFL coaches get fired and face tough questions by the press.  I think the song, "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" captures the melancholy that NFL coaches and players feel when they fall short of achieving their dreams and are forced to endure disgrace.  And through this song, "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears I can feel the angst in my protagonist's heart after the Philadelphia Eagle team he coached loses to the Dallas Cowboys, and then he goes home to face his wife:

 

P.S. The 2013 NFL regular season finale ended with the Eagles defeating the Cowboys by 2 points.  AND my Seattle Seahawks secured the overall # 1 seed in the NFC for the 2013 playoffs.  The Seahawks aren't playing their best football right now, but home-field advantage at Century Link MIGHT just be enough of a lift to carry my beloved 'Hawks to the Super Bowl, a place they haven't been since 2005, where they were robbed off the top prize by some highly questionable calls by refs.  But this playoff run will be different... I hope!  Anyway, gooo Seahawks!!

2013: A Look Back; 2014: A Look Forward

Ah yes, the end of one year and the beginning of another.  Time to reflect what happened in the past year, and make plans and lay out hopes for the upcoming year.

 

2013:

Completed 2 new spec. scripts: "Bubblehead Saves the Day" and "The Commune II".  Fell one competed script short of my goal for 2013, which was to complete 3 specs.

Went to L.A. twice.  Once on a Sherwood Oaks outing to meet people in the movie making industry.  Once to honor Gary Shusett at his memorial.

Lived like a spy at the day job.  Kept all my conversations superficial, "how's the weather" kind of stuff, as my co-workers aren't mentally mature enough to deal the real me without the veil of superficially which their own interests.  

Family wise we got through 2013 fairly well.  My brother dealt with a heath scare, but no major illnesses or death.  Praise the Lord.  Hoping for more of the same in 2014.

 

2014:

Master writing goals: complete a new draft of the epic fantasy novel, and write 3 new spec scripts: 2 to be an adaptation off the epic fantasy novel, 1 to be a coming of age, animated story.  

Work on my daily discipline.  Write for an hour everyday: either new spec. material, rewriting, or marketing.  Read David Wilkerson's daily bible verses with a goal of achieving a 90% (which means 9 out of 10 days I read the daily reading on the day it was intended for us to read).  Pray more: at night before bed and first thing in the morning.  Workout 3 times a week for an hour or more.

Work on the plethora of home projects.  Clean up our garage, which is a total mess right now from 25+ years of stuff getting dumped into it.  Chop wood in two piled up place in our property.  Take down and get rid off two old shed my dad built in the 80s -- one is my old motorcycle shed which now was tree growing through its roof.  Egats!

Blogwise.  Monthly do 3 posts or more.  I know right now my goal two a week, and that hasn't change.  But I at least wanna average 3 a month.  Gunna try to do a post which will have pictures of me in a bathing suit, as I haven't forgotten, "bringing sexy back".  It's just right now I need to get in better shape.  

Would of course like 2014 to be the year I get discovered as a writer and actually sell something, but that's kinda outta my control.  You can't MAKE someone love you.  I'll just continue to put myself out there.  Hopefully sometime soon, I'll that key response I've been waiting YEARS for.  

And who knows maybe this is the year that Jesus comes back!  Regardless of the silence of God and the passage of time, their is going to be a day when He returns.  I wanna be ready!  Regardless of how 2014 turns out, I know I need to keep my eyes on Him, and not the literal boobs above, and the figurative boobs which abound.  E.C. Henry needs the Lord.  E.C. Henry needs Jesus in 2014, and whatever lies beyond.  Jesus is the source of life, the door, through we can go in and out of and find pasture.  Never lose sight of that, regardless of where your dreams and goals may take you.

 

Happy New Year!

- E.C. Henry

Spec. Script Screenplay Format and Style: a Modern Paradigm by E.C. Henry

I spent YEARS educating myself, trying to find the definitive rules and guidelines for formatting feature length, spec. scripts.  

BEFORE ever attempting to write a script, if you've haven't taken classes at a university, I STRONGLY advise reading the following two books: 

• David Trottier's Screenwriting Bible 
• The Hollywood Standard: A Complete & Authorative Guide to Script Format and Style by Christopher Riley.   

 

From these two books, and your own learning you will find that there are essentially four main elements which comprise scripts: 

• SHOT HEADINGS (Also referred to as SLUG LINES): These technical lines tell where the camera is, inside or outside, where it is, and if needed what special conditions the author sees the shot being taken: black and white, in slow motion, what year, weather conditions (sunny, rainy, snowy, magic hour, sunrise, sunset).  Once a master shot heading has been established, then their is the subset of secondary shot headings, which call out for other camera placements
• DESCRIPTION (also called DIRECTION): describe the action and sound affects that supposed to be captured under a given shot heading.  I call like the term description better than direction because I feel that's what's happening the screenwriter is describing what he or she thinks need to be captured on film.
• DIALOG: comprises the character names, what they're saying and any special direction the screenwriter wants to convey as to how the dialog should be spoken.  
• TRANSITIONS: a technical cue given by the screenwriter as to how he or she sees one scene flowing into the next.

Okay, so do you have SOME familiarity with these four foundational building blocks of screenwriting: shot heading, description, dialog and transitions?  If no, then by all means read David Trottier's and Christopher Riley's two books.  They are outstanding.  To this day I STILL go back and refer to them from time-to-time to re-enforce past knowledge and get guidance.  I didn't refer them to you for no reason.

But over the years I have written many screenplays, read others, gotten feedback, and listened to what other people had to say, and found that spec. script screenplay format is not set in stone.  Rather this sentiment seams to reign supreme:

Looks like a screenplay.  IS a screenplay.

Thus, there is SOME wiggle room for writers to express their vision and "tweak" the rules a bit.  Their is room for a difference of syle -- so long as it doesn't go too far out there and is unrecognizable.  

Furthermore, I have learned not to bemoan the pros when then make typos or use more of the technical terms for screenwriting then it seams is allowed when writing spec. scripts as undiscovered talent (ie. pre-pro screenwriter).  

So what I'm getting at here is that in writing a spec. script, your's is not supposed to look like an established writer's script.  Actually, I think, you have to show you're better than them to break in.  Sounds like heresy, huh?  Well, after submitting to MANY contests, and getting feedback on my scripts.  Lemme just say you are expected to be perfect.  Your script is supposed to be bullet-proof.  It is VERY ROUGH out there, and for the most part the people who review your script aren't nice.  But lets not have those obstacles stop us, eh?  We're pioneers.  Advancing the frontier of screenplay writing.  

Are you a pioneer? If not, you should be.  I am.  And over the years I've "tweaked" the rules a bit and developed my own version of spec. script format and style.  And without further ado here's how I write:

 

SHOT HEADINGS:

Rule: Try to keep them brief with shot headings at three major divisions, ie: EXT. HILLSIDE (BONNEY LAKE, WA) - CLOUDY.  

This is a master shot heading calling out for an external shot (where the camera doing the filming is outside exposed to the elements), Bonney Lake, WA in parenthesis calls out that I'm calling out a hillside at specific location -- one from my home town.  Cloudy then describes the weather conditions of the shoot, cloudy.  So for some reason I the author think this shot should be filmed in cloudy weather.

In the screenwriting books you will find that they give examples of shot headings that go beyond three main divisions, under the basic understanding that the author is going from a general location to a more specific location, and also you can specify what kind of shot you want to be filmed in a shot heading, BUT I don't advice doing this.  You wanna keep your shot heading on one line, and bleed over into more than one line.  IF there is additional information you think needs to be conveyed do it in the next line of description under that shot heading, just don't spring a key detail like its been raining all along or something like that, cue that in the master shot heading.

 

DESCRIPTION:

 Basic rules/guidelines I E.C. Henry, follow when writing my spec. script paragraphs of description: 

• Keep all paragraphs of description under five lines.  Spec. scripts are not novels, and for a reader readability it is expected not to have big, unbroken paragraphs to read through.
• Each new paragraph should call out a secondary shot followed by the action which to be filled in that shot.  UNLESS you are describing a sound affect.
• Format for description paragraph.  Type of shot, to subject of shot, to action to be filled by the subject of that shot.  
• It is okay to over-describe a little bit.  You don't wanna be so vague that it's all up the imagination of the reader to imagine how your scipt should be.  Just remember to keep all paragraphs under 5 lines.
• Capitalize the names of speaking characters the first time they appear, and re-capitalize their name if it change like a reveal character.   If the MAN IN AN ALLEY is later revealed to be Mike, and is then referred to as Mike when we speaks lines in the script cue the reader of this change by CAPITALIZING his name in description next to his old name in parenthesis.  MIKE (MAN IN ALLEY) shakes the Police officer's hand.
• Capitalize the first letter of all characters who have speaking roles refereed to by position, Police officer, Deputy chief, Fireman #2.
• Capitalize all sound affects not made by a character, whether they appear on screen or off screen.   ZIP-ZIP-ZIP.  The SILENCER-TIPPED PISTOL FIRES THREE SHOTS.  Capitalize the description of the sound, and what made it.

In E.C. Henry's style of screenwriting secondary shots are embedded at the beginning of paragraphs of description.  A lot of times I'll cue that the camera is on just one character.  Example:

Tyler.  Raises the snub-nose pistol in his right hand.  Smiles at Paul, as he cocks back the pistol's hammer.

Subject of shot: Tyler.  So we go: Tyler, period!  That cues the camera that subject of this shot is Tyler.  All else is then description of what Tyler is doing when he's being filmed.  Give key details and the most detailed explanations up front: describe the gun early in the paragraph not at the end.  That's just good, clear writing.  Note the action verbs at the beginning of sentences.  Why?  Because remember the subject of the shot, it's Tyler in this example.  Hence all that follows are actions from the subject of the shot, Tyler: raising of the gun, then smiling at the man he's pointing the gun at.  

Embedded parentheticals.  I do this a lot in my spec. script format.  A parenthetical is a cue for what how a line of dialog should be spoken.  But if that cue of what the actor is doing happens up front before or at the beginning of them talking I'll embed that in the proceeding paragraph of description followed by a semi-colon.  

Paul.  Watches and listens as KEEMA'S TWO-STROKE MOTORCYCLE ENGINE DAMPENS as it races away.  The silencer-pistol drops, lips sneers:

PAUL

Fine, be that way.  More beer for me!

What'd I do?  Embedded Paul's action of sneering his lips up into description, rather then formatting it as parenthetical in parenthesis under the speaking character's name.  

Point: I think embedded parentheticals add to the readability of a spec. script.  

 

DIALOG:

I really don't have a lot of groundbreaking things to say here here.  To me dialog is pretty straightforward, easy to do, and always gives the false satisfaction of writing a lot, as excessive dialog gets you to a quick, high page count.   I don't get a lot of satisfaction from writing dialog.  Quentin Tarantino and Diablo Cody, I am not.  

Sure, I enjoy putting a good zinger in there, but I see dialog as a highly editable thing.   Like when actors read your work and through a table read better lines emerge as a group goes over what is to be spoken.  So I always have in the back of my mind that my characters written lines WILL change when my work gets done by the pros.

Typically I go over dialog a lot, listening to it use Final Draft's audio playback.  Now that's some good advice I can give you; buy Final Draft software and listen to your script using its audio playback feature.  

I use the draft process and repeated exposure to the same thing, to discover characters and hone their dialog accordingly as they emerge and come to life.  

Mostly I try to keep dialog relatively short, if it bleeds on for a half a page you really should consider cutting it back and annalyzing it to see if you could be more cinematic.  

Basic rule: be cool, be brief.  

Caveat: wild card character or important speeches.  And even then sometimes it's in your best interest to break it up with secondary shot headings calling out different shots.  Remember: it called the MOVE...ies.  Not the staticsies.  Excess dialog exchanges aren't cinematic.

 

TRANSITIONS:

Use them sparingly.  My thought on transitions is that this is basically a post-production consideration implored by the directors and editors of the film.  And if you really think about it after ever paragraph of description where you're going to a another shot is a CUT TO:.  You don't need to call that out, it's implied.  You do however need a transition every time you go from no image to a filmed image, a solid color to a filmed image, or a filmed image to a solid color.  That's where: FADE TO:, FADE TO BLACK, WIPE TO:; all come into play.  One of my favorite things to uses is to capture the feeling of a character loosing consciousness though their of point of view using a stylistic, WIPE TO BLACK.

Again, transitions should be used sparingly.  And a lot of the times they can be embedded at the end of a line of description to cue the tone of the action going from shot to shot.  Two dashes at the end of a paragraph of description cues a sudden CUT TO a the next shot.  Likewise three periods at the end of a paragraph of description cues a DISSOLVE TO the next shot, cuing that a passage of time occurs between the two shots.  

 

Okay, so there you have it; a nuts and bolts breakdown of how I, E.C. Henry, write at the technical, pen-meets-the-paper stage.  BUT I haven't said all I need to say on this subject yet.  Maybe I should have started with this, but here are some master guidelines I follow when I write.

Write for directors.  Treat all readers as if they were the director of your film.

Reveal your "precious vision" unencumbered in an acceptable format.

Write so as to bring light to your story.  Add style and overwrite as needed but never let that mask over your "precious vision".  Assume that the reader of your script is smart and DO NOT PANDER TO IDIOTS!!  Why do I write this?  Because I have heard that you have "dumb down" your script to pander to unqualified readers who are evaluating your work.

But I say, treat EVERYONE who reads your script as if they where the director of the film that would be made from that script.  Do not get over technical with camera angles and such, but don't be afraid to call out specific shots if that's what's in your mind's eye to do.  

You are the screenwriter, and hopefully someday your work will end up in the hands of a director who know FAR MORE about camera shots than you know.  So be willing to change your shot call out -- if asked to do so.  But I see the benefit of calling out shots in a script.  It's part of the "precious vision" which you are trying to sell to your reader; you want them to see the same thing that you're seeing; "precious vision".  

So where did this phrase, "precious vision", come from?  It's not an E.C. Henry original.  The term "precious vision" first came to E.C. Henry as a result of reading Neil D. Hick's Screenwriting 101: The Essential Craft of Feature Film Writing.  Neil's book was one of the fist I remember reading some 10 years ago when I first started writing script, and studying the craft of how how to write scripts.  I have since lost that book, but one I thing I never forgot was Neil talking about the "precious vision", and what is that?  That's your story.  That's the story you're trying to tell as a blueprint for a movie.  

So in closing my final advice to you, is to study craft, read a bunch of "how to book."  I have suggested a couple of my personal favorites, which I still refer to from time-to-time.  BUT at some point you have to venture beyond the textbooks and carve out a unique style.  Forge your own path.   Learn just enough so that your own style and unique voice can emerge.  Mimic no one!  

I hope that after writing some 18 + feature length scripts I have developed a unique voice of my own.  I do not write like Shane Black.  Yes, I admire Shane Black and think he's a great talent, but what Shane Black is known for, I'm do not want to be known for: telling insider jokes to his readers.  I like Quentin Tarantino.  But I do not want to be the next Quentin Tarantino.  I LOVE Nora Ephron, as she writes GREAT romantic comedies.  But I do not want to be the next Nora Ephron.  Nor do I want to be the next Richard Curtis: a GREAT romantic comedy screenwriter on the male side of the ledger.

Personally, I think one of the worst things you can do is set out to write a script in the same mold as one of your screenwriting idols.  Why?  Copying others kills your own voice.  When you copy others, you're really not being creative, you're being a parrot.  A fake.  An imitation.  Dare to be different, even if you revere the work of others.  There's only one you.  And I believe God gives us unique story that only we can tell, and He lets us find them for a reason.  We just need to apply to proper discipline to tell those stories.  

I do not read a lot a screenplays by other people.  Even the pros that I admire.  Why?  Because I want to guard my own voice.  Read too much of other people's work, you risk sabotaging your own, unique writing.  Rather I study enough just so I know enough to write in my own unique way.  

I want to be the first, E.C. Henry.  Unique.  A voice like none other.  And I want to tell the stories God give me, not merely parrot what other people write.  Pretentious as all fuck?  Yeah, sure, whatever.  All I know is that I try to write with clarity, and elevate everyone who reads my scripts to the position of being a director who is seeing a viable movie unfolding before them.  Along the way comes my voice, which I refuse to allow to be a distraction to the story.

You learn the conventions of screenwriting so you can tell share the "precious vision" story that God gives you to your fellow man.  Be smart.  Make others around you feel smart when they read your scripts.  Strive to give your readers the satisfaction that they "get it", and can visualize the film you've laid out for them.  THAT is what I, E.C. Henry, strive for.  And it it at the heart of my  modern paradigm for spec. script screenplay format and style.

Christmas Breather

Ever had one of those weeks that made you feel like you just lived through three weeks compressed into one?  Well, I have.  And it was this last week.  

Started out I had to work both Saturday and Sunday at the day job.  8 hours on Saturday, 10 hours on Sunday.  Then it was onto 10 hours everyday Monday through Friday.  Then on Saturday, yesterday, I took Obo (Brycen my 5-year-old nephew) to the Tacoma Mall for my FIRST bout of holiday shopping.

HAD to skip out on church today.  Desperately needed a:

"Christmas breather"

Ever taken a 5-year-old shopping with you?  Lemme break it down for you; he was in a constant state of distraction where he always wanted to be doing the next thing, rather than the thing we were doing at the moment.  We started out at JC Pennies.  While perusing for gifts, Obo kept going on and on about wanting to see the in-house Santa Claus.  I prepped the boy -- the way any "good" uncle would do, that if he sat on Santa's lap he needed to tug on Santa's beard to make sure he was dealing with the "real" Santa, and not an impostor.  Rationale concern right?  I mean, why pour your heart out to an imposer.  What's Santa doing at the Tacoma Mall when there's much needed logistics and preparations to be done at the North Pole?  

After we left JC Pennies we found the in-mall Santa attraction was parked right outside, so I sat Brycen down and let him get a good look at what was going on: Santa on his chair with little kids coming to sit on his lap for pictures.  But guess what, Brcyen lost his desire to meet with Santa -- now he wanted a hot chocolate!  

So we visited a few more stores...  Then finally got to a Starbucks.  NOW Obo got his treasured, hot chocolate -- and bites off a pecan roll I bought, and even a couple sips off my venti, vanilla latte with an extra espresso shot.  While sitting down at the Starbucks we were entertained by a crazy Mexican boy (8 years old or so) who decided it would be funny if he walked backwards around the store and the densely amassed people.  So after getting a chuckle out of this crazy Mexican boy, me and the now caffeinated Obo went back to shopping.

Refresher.  Brcyen got his nic-name, "Obo", a few years back when he was a baby.  The adults were talking in the kitchen, and in the other room I heard baby Brcyen say, "Obo."  Brycen was forming words and now indentified himself -- at least that's the way I interprited it.  Hence, from that moment on, Brcyen's nic-name was Obo and it stuck; I made sure it stuck by referring to Brycen as Obo, repeatedly.  Obo interlude over, back to the narrative.

Okay, so now not only is Obo caffinated, I'm caffinated too and apparently forgetting the fact that I'm 44 years old, decided to relent to king Obo's demand that he ride on my shoulders.  O-kay, so now I'm toting around a 70+ pound boy, and the presents we've bought.  But that's okay, because I'm invincible, right?  Indestructible, o'l uncle E.C.  Hey, to Brycen I am.  Maybe not to you.  But trust me, Brycen has no scruples about abusing me at every chance he gets.  Heck, even in the car he was pretending that spiders were coming in and let a mob of them of the crawl around on my back and bite me, while I was driving amidst the holiday traffic!

So up and down the escalators we went, Obo now on the 2nd floor, getting the king's treatment as we continued to shop.

So did I try to instill any values into Obo durring our shopping trip?  You bet I did!  I kept telling Brycen that buying presents was all about showing love to the other people in your life.  You want to show them how much you love them, by buying them a gift you think they'd like.  Did that rub off?  Don't think so.  The only gift Obo was real passionate about finding was video games that he could play on his Wii.  Thankfully, when I took to the video game store, Brycen was quickly overwhelmed.  I know just about nothing about modern video games; don't play them and have NO interest in doing so.  Still, I got Obo to the Wii aisle and let him satisfy his expressed desire.  I even explained several of the games to him.  Obo likes most of the cartoon based games, and the superhero games.  Thankfully Obo is not into zombies or those obnoxious, combat games.  

My day at the Tacoma Mall with Obo was suprsiningly productive.  I think I got about 2/3 of my Christmas shopping done.  Unfortunatly, I really feel sore today.  My body feels like it just hit by a demolition ball -- a 70 pound demolition ball in the form of Brcyen!

Capping off my day with Brycen, when we got home, we watched the 1st "Star Wars"  movie with my dad, Brycen's grandpa.  But even in the midst of watching this movie all Obo wanted to do was continue to play and jump on me; E.C. Henry: human trampoline.  And for the most part I let him.  I became his x-wing fighter, while he "helped out" Luke shoot down the tie fighters and defeat the villainous, Darth Vader.  Did a MUCH better job then the in-mall helicopter ride that I paid $.75 for him to ride.  What a rip.  The kiddie rides at the mall are ALL a bunch of rip-offs.  Live and learn: E.C. the in-house spaceship is much better than the in-mall rides.  That's an FYI that could save a much a dollar from the ol' wallet.  Just sayin'.

So today is a day of rest.  Literally.  Gunna watch some football, wrap a few presents, drink some beer, watch some football and probably go see "American Hustle" at the Bonney Lake Multiplex later tonight.  Hope y'all's Christmas season is going well.  I have the week off work, and don't hafta to back to work until the 2nd of January.  Week and a half off, yay!!  Going to use this time to get some projects done around the house, start up new writing projects -- and blog!  So expect more from me.  Not sure if I'll have another post before Christmas, but I'll try... as I now have time on my side, as opposed to running from here to there, running myself ragged.  Tomorrow, hopefully, I'll finish up my Christmas shopping.  I actually like shopping for presents for other people.  Why?  Because I'm a blesser.  I love blessing other people.  The Lord's been good to me, and because of this overflow and His goodness to me, I can be good and bless other people.

To God be the glory.

Have a very, merry Christmas.  Talk to you again soon.

December Dreams of Hollywood Stars

I am a dreamer.  To date I have written 18 spec. scripts that I am actively trying to sell.  All are feature length.  All are good enough to be produced, mass marketed, and shown to America and abroad.  Having wrapped up work on "The Commune II", I find myself looking back over ALL my 18 projects and considering the the "next step", which means aligning with people in the movie making business and getting the scripts I've written made into movies.

Over the years I have dreamt of working with a slew of people.  Some of these dreams are nearing the 10 year mark.  You see when you write at some point you dream about the "next step" and who could conceivably take your work and make it a reality on screen.  Pretentious?  I don't know.  What's so wrong about dreaming, and seeing your work as being something someone else could do?  Nothing. 

Most recently the biggest fix I have set my heart on is, strangely enough, Peter Jackson.  The timing may be just right for me to work with Peter Jackson; he is done with "The Hobbit" and may be looking for his next project to do.  Stoking the fire for my desire to work with Peter Jackson is Weta Digital in Wellington, New Zealand.  How does Weta Digital figure into all this?  Easy, movie affects.  Weta Digital does movie affects for the likes of "Man of Steel", "Iron Man 3", "Prometheus", and "King Kong".  And some of my specs. like "Indians of the Ancient Plains", "The Commune I and II", "Cowboy Alien Diaries," "A King for God's People?" and "The Rival Kings of Israel" will need a good, visual affects group.

Aligning the stars...  Big picture.  E.C. provides a initial script for Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh (Peter Jackson's wife, who is a writer herself) to use.  They run with it, get Weta Digital involved -- and it becomes their next hit!

Even bigger picture...  E.C. Henry has an epic fantasy story he's working on finishing up, Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh JOIN E.C. Henry in finishing that epic fantasy novel and corresponding 2 movies up.  Their experience with bringing "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" to life is reborn again with what I've got in the works.  It's not so far fetched, people.  Trust me.  This epic fantasy novel I'm working on IS my mom's favorite story I've written.  And her endorsement of it means EVERYTHING to me.  And it's NOTHING like "The Commune II" which was the last spec. I completed. 

Reasons why Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh SHOULD consider working with me, E.C. Henry:

1. The epic fantasy novel I've written is right up their alley.  The next "Lord of the Rings"?  Yeah, sure I can roll with that comparision, BUT I'd rather have my story more molding to the image of C.S. Lewis' "The Chronicles of Narnia."  LOVE to discuss this with Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh.
2. "Indians of the Ancient Plains."  This IS a big, budget, tent pole movie.  AND it can appeal to a major filmmakers ego.  Wanna go out into the Great Plains and Badlands and film a great, award winning movie?  Got your ticket RIGHT here, Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh.  Trust me.  You're going to have a fun time with this movie, it plays a lot like "King Kong..."
3. "The Commune" and especially the "The Commune II".  Wanna go back to your roots and do a little horror?  Well, if you do, I've got your ticket RIGHT here.
4. "A King for God's People" and "The Rival Kings of Israel".   Have big budget written all over them.  And they should be able to solicit interest in top-tier actors and actresses to helm the Saul and David story, as adapted from the bible from E.C. Henry.  If Peter Jackson wants to challenge himself, trust me, this project will do just that for him.

Okay, so I've babbled on and on about Peter Jackson, and my desire to work with him.  I just think it's so doable...  So ripe for the picking...  But I digress, my dreams don't stop with Peter Jackson.  Here's some other players I'd love to get my work in the hands of:

Nicole Kidman.  "A Heart Built on the Sand" and "Cowboy Alien Diaries".  I find Nicole Kidman an easy star to dream about.  In my heart and mind I see her as Laura Dennison the star heroine in "A Heart Built on the Sand".  Wanna see Nicole Kidman in black latex, a wits end with a gun in her hand and revenge on her mind?  Get her tripping on "Tall Cool One" by Robert Plant and see what happens next...  Oscar gold is what happens next.  And then their's the role of Margret Bennett in "Cowboy Alien Diaries", ANOTHER staring role fit for Nicole Kidman to play.  Imagine a woman watching her children one by one being abducted at night by aliens, and her inner heartache over how her life has unfolded and left her distrusting of men, even her own husband who loves her dearly.  Again, Margret Bennett a role suitable for a top notch actress to play.  Ready to go, right now, from E.C. Henry to Nicole Kidman.  Opposite Nicole Kidman I would ideally like to cast Bruce Willis as her husband, Dan Bennett.

Judd Apatow.  "Give It Up for Chimpy" and "Give It Up for Chimpy II".  Would LA-OVE to somehow get Judd Apatow to take on this project.  Get a king of comedy to stretch his wings and take this "Ted"-esque two movies I written and bring them to life.  Trust me, Judd, you're going to have so much fun doing these movies.  And they will expand your legacy beyond the raunch-com, as these are both screwball, romantic comedies.

Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber.  "Cowboy Alien Diaries".  Naomi would play the main heroine, Margret Bennett.  And Liev Schrieber would play Pentman Reggit: the main antagonist.  Hugh Jackman would play Dan Bennett, Margret's wife.  

Jennifer Love Hewitt.  Not sure where this girl's head is these days.  As she just had her first child.  BUT if she ever wanted some vehicles to jump-start her movie features career, trust me, 'ol E.C. Henry has A LOT of movies he's penned that have roles suitable for Jennifer Love Hewitt to star or be a part of: Stacy Dutchmen in "Give It up for Chimpy" and "Give It Up for Chimpy II", Holly Pearson and Jennifer Means/Conns in "Cupid's Helpers", Samantha Burbeck in "Hometown Professional Football" staring opposite Owen Wilson, and Danielle Holiday in "An American Princess".  

You see over the years I've been doing a lot of dreaming about you, Jennifer Love Hewitt. Hence, the reason I keep visiting your message board on IMBD.  Too bad we never met or communicated.  I found you very easy to channel when I was writing romantic comedy fodder.

Quentin Tarantino.  I LOVE this man.  I have a lot of admiration and respect for Quentin Tarantino and what he represents.  And if he's ever looking for a project to do... He should of course see me!  I've got "The Commune I and II", and "The Judas Project" for Quentin.  In fact, if you ever read it, I think you'd be honored by "The Judas Project" Quentin.  Why?  Because your best movie, "Reservoir Dogs" help me plot "The Judas Project".  Don't know if you'd catch that or not.  But trust me, you, Quentin Tarantino, was a heavy inspiration when I penned that script, "The Judas Project" a gritty, low budget, dark, urban drama, about friendship turned inside out.  

The Coen Brothers.  Another duo I have IMMENSE respect for.  Their appeal is much like Quentin's: something different and out of the norm.  Got "The Commune" and "Indians of the Ancient Plains" for them.  Would La-ove to see Frances McDormand, Joel Coen's wife, and a GREAT actress take on the role of Victoria Glover in "The Commune".  I could see the Coen brothers also doing "Indians of the Ancient Plains" IF they can handle the visual affects side of the ledger...

Shia LeBeouf, Dustin Hoffman, Daniel Day Lewis, and Seth Rogen: David, Samuel the prophet, Saul and Goliath; in "A King for God's People?" and "The Rival Kings of Israel".  

Jennifer Aniston, Carlos Bernard, Zoey Deschanel, and Tomas Lennon: Denice, Rey, Juniper and Al in the romantic comedy I penned entitled, "Cupid Got Stupid".  

Ryan Reynolds.  Logan Bennett in "The Commune" and "The Commune II".

James Cameron.  "Indians of the Ancient Plains."  "The Commune I and II"  

Steven Speilberg.  "A King for God's People?", "The Rival Kings of Israel", "Indians of the Ancient Plains", "Cowboy Alien Diaries".  O who am I kidding, whatever you want Steven.  Just to be in the same room as you would be a dream come true.

Lynda Obst.  "Cupid's Helpers", "An American Princess", "Cupid Got Stupid".

Kate Hudson.  Laura Crenshaw in "Cupid's Helpers".

Jonny Depp.  "A King for God's People?", and "The Rival Kings of Israel".  Jonny would play Saul, a man who starts out as the hero, and ends up being the villain.

So there you have it.  Where my telescope is pointed when I, E.C. Henry, look up into the stars and dream of working with the stars of Hollywood.  All dreams are of course subject to interpretation, and as an undiscovered talent I'm of course adaptable to what outside forces envision doing the with the projects I've penned. 

P.S. Sorry for not post earlier last week.  The day job has expanded with the holiday season and people taking off, yet the word load getting heavier.  Most nights I come home waisted.  Totally tired, finding it hard to muster the strength to knuckle down and do blog posts.  STILL the resolve remains the same: one big post over the weekend, one smaller post during the week.

P.S.S. As of today Saturday 12-14 I still haven't done any of my Christmas shopping.  Will try to get some of that in starting tomorrow.  So please be praying for me as I venture out into the malls and shopping places from Tacoma to Southcenter, Washington.  

P.S.S. Coming soon will be a post on spec. script format, and how I, E.C. Henry, write and the formatting techniques I use.

 

Untamed Heart: Movies that Move Me: Volume IV

Friday, while I was sick as a dog, and reduced to doing nothing else than watching what cable TV had to offer after a night of puking my guts out, I ran across an old favorite of mine:

Untamed Heart (1993: Marisa Tomei, Christian Slater, Rosie Perez, writen by Tom Sierchio) 

"Untamed Heart" is a gem of a movie that anyone who loves romantic comedies SHOULD watch at least once.  No, it's not overly funny, and never attempts to be.  Thus I would not classify "Untamed Heart" as a romantic comedy, but rather a romantic drama.  BUT trust me, this movie exudes romance.  And "Untamed Heart" is very realistic and set in a setting that I think most people will be able to relate to.  "Untamed Heart" reminded me of a time in my life when I was going through college and working part-time, fast food jobs.

"Untamed Heart" is one of the most romantic -- and realistic -- movies I can ever remember seeing.  It's about a waitress, Caroline (Marisa Tomei) who is unlucky in love, and a loner busboy at her restaurant, Adam (Christian Slater) who forge an unlikely love affair in Minneapolis during the winter and spring months.  Once Adam saves Caroline from a near rape late at night when she's walking home from work, Caroline begins to see Adam in a new light.  Then as the movie unfolds you get to see that Adam had been carrying a secret torch for Caroline for some time, and loves her very deeply.  Caroline's character arc is about a woman finding herself, and finding herself in a romantic relationship which grows to fruition where is she is love by a boy who doesn't desert her.  Rosie Perez plays a fellow waitress at the restaurant, who is Caroline's confidant and adds zest to the story.  

"Untamed Heart" (1993) is a tragic love story.  One where the two lovebirds don't have a happy ending, actually Adam dies from a heart condition in Caroline's car after the two of them watch a hockey match together.  

"Untamed Heart" (1993) has some romantic lines in it that melt me.   

I am going to fall in love with you.  You don't have to love me back.  I am going to give you my heart.

Wow, what a line!  I openly challenge you to name a better romantic line EVER spoken in the movies...  Can't think of one, can you?  And this is the context in which this line is spoken.  Adam has come over to Caroline's house.  Caroline starts to give Adam a hair cut.  As she touches him, Adam opens up to Caroline.  They end up kissing and taking off their shirts.  Then when they embrace, Caroline whispers that line in Adam's ear.  

Wow, what a line!  Kudos to writer Tom Sierchio and director Tony Bill for putting that line of dialog in your movie.  Totally melts me -- and I'm a guy!  

And you'd have to be seriously gay NOT to want a hottie like Marisa Tomei say something like that to you.  And I mean seriously gay.  This was Marisa Tomei at her peak.  Forget winning the Oscar for her role in "My Cousin Vinny" (1992), no her role as Caroline in "Untamed Heart" was wa-aay better.  And by the way she did a fine job with the Midwest accent too.

I wonder if you think of me half as much as I think about you.

Wow, now there's another romantic, powder keg, line.  Context: Adam and Caroline are now boyfriend and girlfriend, and Adam is starting to open up, and reveal to Caroline more of who he is.  Does context matter as to how a romantic line comes across?  YES.  It matters a lot.  I'll probably post more on that on a later date.

MAYBE one of the reasons this movie, "Untamed Heart" resonates so strongly in my own life is how much I see similarities in my own life.  When I was younger I used to work in fast foods, just out of high school, and yes, there was a  hottie I worked with that I had a crush on.  Kinda even looked like Marisa Tomei, even had that same spark of life in her that Marisa Tomei's "Caroline" had.  But the girl I liked had her eyes on other guys.  But one time I got my shot with her, we went out to laser light show at the Seattle Center, got high on some weed she had on her, and then when we were in private I said I always liked her and wanted to kiss her.  Well, she looked at me like I was completely insane, went back to her friend, we drove home, and that was that.  Defiantly NOT a Caroline/Adam moment.  She played it all off brilliantly, treated me with a lot of respect after that, but I always felt jaded and never really felt comfortable around her ever again.  I wonder who handled this most maturely of us too: the guy who is now rom-coms or the girl who living a constant string of rom-coms?  Hmmm...

So you see, I was very much like Adam up to that point in my life.  I was very shy. Had a hard time telling girls I liked I liked them.  Was always looking for the "right time" to express myself.  Found that "right time" never came and when I thought it came, well, things went to shit, like in the preceding paragraph.

An odd post-script to my relationship to this girl I worked in fast foods, is that  later she got married -- after dating the field I might add -- had a kid.  I bumped into her and she made it point to show me a picture of her daughter.  I think this was her way of trying to tell me that she was "off the market" and had finally found her guy.  Like I said, Adam and Caroline we were not.  But that's why we watch the movies isn't it?  Because in the movies we get to see the happy ending that in real life we are denied.  

Okay, so enough of my sad, pathetic, love life, and back on track more on the actual movie itself.  I think if consider romantic aficionado you owe it to yourself to watch "Untamed Heart" at least once.  My guess is that this movie will resonate with you, maybe not as strongly as it resonated with me, but it is a fine movie none-the-less.  Maria Tomei at her best.  And Christian Slater does a fine job scaling himself down into a shy loner.  And girls don't you remember when Christian Slater was "the bomb"?  A total heartthrob that many a young maiden dreamed about in the early 90s.  Well, in "Untamed Heart" Christian Slater doesn't disappoint.  In fact you even get to see him without his shirt on!  Hooray, right?  Well, my favorite part of that exchange is you also get to see Marisa Tomei without her shirt on...  Totally heterosexual male speaking here.  But then again I digress, and should stop now before I get in further trouble...

Anyway, I would rank "Untamed Heart" as the 2nd most romantic movie ever made.  2nd only to "The Notebook" which really got me -- though not nearly on the same personal level. 

So go watch "Untamed Heart" to see if ol' E.C. Henry is off his rocker, or if he's spot on: "Untamed Heart" is a hidden gem.  Personally I think "Untamed Heart" is must see for anyone who thinks of himself or herself as a rom-com aficionado.  And it's even topical: as much of the movie takes place around the holiday season-- so go see it right now, you bunch of saps!

- E.C. Henry from Bonney Lake, WA

By the way.  Courteously of yet another still from "Untamed Heart" lemme just say THIS is the kinda stuff I wanna find under my tree this year:

Going back to bed boys -- and I'm takin' this with me!

What Will You Choose to See This Holiday Season?

That was actually a question that my pastor at Calvary Community Church posed last Sunday during his first sermon in this advent season.  

We see what we choose to see.

I guess that's true.  The mood of our heart does shape how we perceive the things around us.  So with that in mind, I choose to see Christ this holiday season.  That's right, I want to see Jesus!

Sure, I'm going to mall, repeatedly I might add, to get Christmas presents for my family, but giving gifts and taking place in the U.S. economy isn't what Christmas is about.  Jesus is.  

His arrival trumps all.  Like pastor Ray said, it even divides time, A.D. from B.C.  Doesn't matter that its been over 2,000 years since Jesus' life here on Earth.  The fact that He came will ALWAYS be worth celebrating.  I can't imagine being up there in Heaven seeing all the evil that people are capable of doing, THEN coming down to Earth and living.  I don't think Jesus gets near enough credit for have the courage to come here in the first place.  That's worth celebrating.  That's worth a holiday season.

O-kay, so I just went a little religious on ya all.  Hey, it's MY blog.  And I'll drive this thing as I see fit. And Jesus will ALWAYS have a place in my blog.  In fact, as a Christian, He will always have first place in my life.

Sometimes I look on my life and wonder if I'm living up to that, is Jesus REALLY first place in E.C. Henry's life?  In words, YES.  I know who He is.  And I know how special He is.  Jesus deserves to have first place from me.  Is that lip service only?  Ya know, I'm in a physical body, bombarded by presures, many of which are not of my choosing.  Everyday I go to work amongst a bunch of people that I don't trust as far as I can throw.  Everyday I have either my mom or my aunt pray for me -- basically just for protection against there schemes against me.  They are people of the world who don't know Jesus.  All they have are schemes.  They have no everlasting spiritual foundation.  They are of the B.C. mind.  They need an encounter with Christ.

So I must see them as they are, unsaved.  People who need Jesus.  

Creatively I wonder if my endeavors take me too far away from Christ and the faith.  Writing "The Commune II" I knew I had to cut myself A LOT of slack.  But even in writing a sci-fi horror script I need to remember, that Christ comes first.  Without God there is no spark.  Without God I don't have the life to even pursue creative endevors.  E.C. Henry needs Jesus.

Since I finished up "The Commune II" I've been taking a break for the last week and a half from writing.  I really needed to get away from it.  I find line editing very taxing/draining.  Got some notes from my guy in L.A. will incorporate them into a stronger draft, and I'll do some marketing work, but for the most part "The Commune II" is done, and it's time to move on.

What comes next?  I think I'm going to key on two projects:

1. An epic fantasy novel that started this whole "writing" thing off back in the 90s.
2. A new spec. script, an animated coming-of-age story.

We see what we choose to see.  I want to see new stories emerge.  And though I've come to realize I have a "bend" towards stories with an "edge" I wanna do something different with these two stories.  

One of my favorite things about C.S. Lewis' "Chronicles of Narnia" series: "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" through "The Last Battle"; was the inner warmth of the scenes.  Tea time kind of stuff.  Scenes where characters sat down to a meal, relaxed and talked amongst each other.  There was also a distinct tone set with the hand-drawn pictures that graced every chapter of the series that STILL on my bookshelf.  I'm not saying I want to be the next C.S. Lewis, but I want to write something that compares favorably to his "Chronicles of Narnia" series, and I want my coming-of-age story to be along that line, AND also my epic fantasy novel.

So why not compare yourself to J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" series?  Don't mind that comparison.  LA-OVE the rich texture of the Middle Earth world J.R.R. Tokien created.  But really want my epic fantasy novel to come closer to C.S. Lewis' "Chronicles of Narnia" series.  

I'm finding a lot of inner friction within me of jumping back into the fantasy novel.  I can still vaguely remember why I left it in the first place: the daunting prospect of getting published.  Basically these days you're on your own.  You have to self-publish, get a record of sales, establish a platform for yourself, then MAYBE a publisher will pick you up.  Seeing the world through those eyes makes me not want to do anything.  It's just too much.

That's why I need new eyes going forward.  I need to draw from within.  Find the spark of life that only Christ can bring, and work from there.  The cool part of this journey is the fact that my mom is encouraging me to embark on it again.  Maybe some of this comes from the fact that I read her the last 60 pages of "The Commune II", and I think she'd like it better if I was writing material that was a little more uplifting.

I'm there with you, mom.  I realize "The Commune II" isn't the place I want to remain.  Yes, I like that story I crafted, but it's a dark one.  Now I want to write stuff that's more uplifting.  I want to finish what I started back in the 90s and see what God does with it.  The cool thing is, that by going back to the epic fantasy novel, I'm going to make my mom happy -- which means a lot to me.  

Sooo... its time to crank up the epic fantasy novel again, and it's corresponding two movies, the story I've written breaks very nicely in a cliffhanger suitable for two movies, you'll see...  And also to try something new -- an animated film!

Creatives need to always be pushing themselves.  I saw this when hearing from some of the Hollywood players that attended the Sherwood Oaks functions I went to.  Creatives are not bound to one genre or any one thing.  I truly believe that if you're a writer, you're a writer, period.  The world should be your oyster, and you should have the freedom to go in new directions and have the confidence that you can pull it off.  

So what do you see this holiday season?  I choose to see Christ.  The rest is gravy.