Only days after leaving Montreal, I get a call from my sister informing me that my mother fell while walking her dog Felix. Fortunately, she was spotted by neighbors who called for an ambulance that transported her to Lakeshore General where x-rays revealed she had broken her hip. She had surgery yesterday and I’m pleased to report she is on the mend. In fact, I phoned her today to see how she was doing and found her in good spirits. She wanted to know if I had mentioned her on the blog. I informed her that I hadn’t. She seemed genuinely disappointed. Well now. Evidently, I’ve been remiss. So now you all know. And mom will no doubt be expecting your various well-wishes.
Come on!
Do iiiiiiiiiiiit!
Well-wiiiiish!
Back at the office today where we took a stroll over to the Art Department to see what Production Designer James Robbins has in store for SGU’s second season: airlocks, sealing corridors, damaged sections, ships, aliens, and that secret place I can’t tell you about under penalty of death. Then, after lunch, we finally got around to giving notes on those scripts. First up was the second season premiere in which the events of Incursion I and II come to an explosive conclusion. Chock full of great character moments, Paul’s first draft is tight and well-written. It took us all of twenty minutes to go through it. Since we already gave Rob notes on episode two before the hiatus, we moved on to episode three, my script. It’s no secret that this one was – well, a bitch to write but the big question was “Had those weeks agonizing over the script paid off?”. Well, let me put it this way: By the time they were done giving notes, it was so late that we decided to call it a day. In fact, I probably would have received even more notes had Carl not actually willed himself to pass out in order to escape the marathon session.
The day also brought a title change from The Awakening to the Brad Wright-inspired Awakenings. Better and, more importantly, in keeping with that one-world title we’ve got going. So it breaks down like this:
I: I———–
II: A——–
III: Awakenings
IV: P——-
V: C———
Mini Mailbag:
Adaminator1 writes: “I have no idea how to start a script. The thing I want to ask is this: How would you suggest starting pre-production on this massive undertaking? Do you have any advice for an aspiring animator/script writer like me?”
Answer: It all starts with that script. Sit down, force yourself to write, and get it done. You’re going to need it if you’re serious about trying to sell/set up your project. A simple pitch or even a detailed series bible is not good enough. It’s all about the script. Once you’re finished, have others read it (hopefully someone familiar with the industry) and ask them to be as honest as possible. Having your mom tell you she likes it won’t help. It may make you feel good but it that sort of feedback will only hurt in the long run since you are trying to send out the best possible script you can write. You want to get that critique and make the necessary changes early on because once you send your script out – that’s it. You have only one shot at these places. They will not read the same script twice.
Sis writes: “Also wondering… during your search of the premises, were you wielding the butcher knife like you used to when doing similar searches back home?”
Answer: Butcher knife in my left hand, collapsable iron cobras in my right. Yep, just like old times.
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