Grabbing My Attention
BY NICK MARSHALL, GILBERT, AZ, USA - Guess you could say I was nervous about the idea. Well, I suppose, not really nervous, more like anxious. The waiting was, in fact, the killer, the anticipation. But I guess you always have to allow a certain amount of trust in that situation. What really got my noodle running, the gears turning, was how it seemed to be hidden away. How it was kept away from the light, until at least satisfactory, or even better; good. I understand completely why it would be under wraps until the authors were satisfed. There's nothing worse than getting people excited about an idea and then when you present that idea to them, and they read this idea written down on the page, and after they read, they look up and your there with a "what do ya think?" in your eyes and them a soured smile, a smile of "It's fine" or "It's ok" and you knowing it most certainly is not "fine" or "ok" because you have to go back again and rewrite and maybe they won't reread it, their idea of your idea already soured, and once they've made that connection, that judgement, it hard to persuade them otherwise.
But it is safe to say that I've read it. Well, a third of it. All of the crew did. We read it together, getting our thespian voices in order, or out of order. Taking turns on the different parts, realizing why we were better suited to be behind the camera rather than in front. I knew beforehand what the synopsis was but, how would it be written? Would it be interesting? Exciting? Tension between characters? And maybe most important, would I want to keep reading? Would I want to see this film? Well, now, at least for the first third, I can answer those questions.
YES.
My honest opinion is yes. And I believe it can only get better as I read the other two thirds. Of course everyone else is in the dark about the details, but I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise. This is definitely not a review and most certainly not a tell-all. I'm just giving a taste, or letting everyone else know what it tastes like. I do have an inkling about where some characters will end up at the end of the script, but not all and, I think this makes for any good story, I can't see where the main character will end up, and how he'll be changed. I think if you're watching a film or reading a screenplay, the authors want people to think "where is this going?", "What's going to happen?". When people are taken by surprise and don't expect the twists and turns, that's what always makes for a good story. When you have to hold on until the end to see what will happen and you can't stop watching or reading, you must finish, and if you stop midway you'll be thinking about it too much not to want to come back to it. I love the feeling of being so absorbed in a story that everything not involved in the story fades to the back of your mind. These characters and the situations they're caught up in have your full attention. Now show me why I'm interested. Show me why I care. Then show me why I can't stop reading or watching until the end. Those are the films I love.
Now to make it. I only hope we can live up to the script. If the visuals are anything like the script, or if I dare, better, I have no doubt that people are going to want to see this film and not only see it but like it. Then I have no doubt that those same people will want to see how it was made.
This is what I meant by the waiting.