Genesis!

One day, I was walking on campus when my friend, Shaun, stopped me on the sidewalk. “Hey,” he said. “You write, right? I want to make a narrative film, but I don’t have a script. Would you write a script for me?”

I am not one to turn away a request! A couple weeks later, I handed him a script I had banged out after reading a book or two on screenplay formatting.

Five months and one short documentary later, Shaun e-mailed me. The gist of the email was, “Let’s make a movie this summer!”

So here we are!

I must say that I was surprised to find myself making a film out of the first screenplay I have ever written. I have written several short and full-length plays, and even had one win a contest (the prize was to have it produced!).

I have never even tried to write a screenplay before. Besides plays, I also write short stories and essays when the passion seizes me. I decided that rather than try to force one of my descriptive stories or minimalist plays into a screenplay, I would write something for film that could not be told on paper or on stage. I set myself the task of creating something purely (or nearly purely) visual. To that end, the main character only has one line, and it contains one word. She’s in every scene in the screenplay, but she doesn’t speak. I do include description in the screenplay, but I didn’t worry about the wording since the whole point is to inform the camera where/what it is shooting.

I like my script. I think it rocks for a first attempt. My attempts since have sucked. Beginner’s luck rocks, too.

Finis.