Hard but unfair...

I told you about the two Whiteworms projects I am working about, there is one other thing I am thinking about. I spent a great summer in Cambridge, I met some great people, made new friends, had a lot of fun and I think there is a story (or more) I want to tell. I had the great idea to make some notes of things hapening around me while I was there and those notes will serve as a backbone for a screenplay. I am not entirely sure how or when I am going to write it but there are just so many great moments, I just have to write a movie about it.

One of the challenges will be writing about my friends. So far I created characters in my head, sure some of them have been influenced by real people but I never wrote about real people before. Then there is the thing about me being in the movie. How do I write myself? Sure I am an important part of the story and all I know about the summer is what I saw and heard but somehow making myself a main character feels wrong. I don’t want it to be my story, I want it to bea movie about a group of people having a great summer.

Right now the Whiteworms project has priority but after the current or the next draft, I might need to think about something else and clear my head, that is when “A summer abroad” might come in handy even though I really feel the urge to write it right now. Why is “the other project” always more interesting than the one your currently working on?

Orlindo Frick, the other “owner” of Whiteworms, and I have decided to resurrect our little company. The plan is to produce a short film that will (hopefully) get us a few meetings. In these meetings, we want to have something solid to show, which is why we’re also working on a feature-length animated movie screenplay. Orlindo is focusing on the short film, while I’ve started work on the feature.

This project is incredibly important to me, so I’m doing everything I can to make sure the screenplay is as strong as possible when it’s finished. I don’t want to go into too much detail—no spoilers—but I’d like to share how I’ve approached the project.

Very early on, I had a small idea. Since it’s an animated movie, I started by going through the list of animals that haven’t been done to death already. Then, I decided on a time and place for the story. To be honest, all I had at first was one scene—a scene I saw very clearly. It’s by no means a key moment in the movie, but it helped me find the essence of the story.

For a long time after that, nothing happened. I kept the idea in the back of my mind, but I wasn’t actively working on it. Then, at some point, something clicked. When I finally sat down to write the outline, the story seemed to flow naturally. Sure, there was (and still is) a lot missing, but the skeleton of the story was there—and it worked.

Since then, it hasn’t changed much in terms of structure. The current version is much clearer, more detailed, and better paced, but the major plot points are still the same.

I’m on track to finish the latest draft this week, and I think it’s a substantial improvement over the last one. After this draft and a longer conversation with Orlindo, my goal is to complete the first draft of the screenplay by the end of the year. It’s ambitious, but I think I can do it.

I’m genuinely psyched about this project, and I have a good feeling about it. This could very well be the screenplay that launches my career—or brings Whiteworms into the spotlight.

Wish me luck!

Greg