Bubblicious Houses Across the Country

Real C'ville - The Bubble Blog has a couple of pals from both New York and Los Angeles who sincerely believe that C'ville is just one of their suburbs. So to humor them (especially you, George) we thought we'd offer a look at bubble properties in other cities.Here's a look at some individual homes in California. All of these houses are jaw-dropping in terms of price. But if you scroll down to

Intercut?

Wyndham: What's the best way to tackle two long scenes in different locations which happen at the same time and both of which continue at some length. Can you treat them as one long intercut or is it important to always treat them as separate scenes entirely?

Intercut is most common in telephone conversations (or, y'know, telepathic conversations like with Vader and Luke in Empire Strikes Back). For these types of scenes, it’s a simple case of cutting back and forth between the characters. This helps to maintain an easy-to-follow continuity for their conversation. Formatting wise, you can either state where each cut occurs, i.e.

INT. DANNY’S OFFICE. DAY

DANNY
With me so far?

INT. WYNDAM’S PLACE. DAY

WYNDHAM
I think so, carry on.

Or set up the first cut to establish that they’re in separate locations, then state INTERCUT AS NECESSARY so the director/editor knows what to do. This can be helpful to let the flow of the scene work to better effect on paper (i.e for the reader/exec).

Now, to get to the meat of the question. What’s the best way to tackle two long scenes that happen at the same time and at different locations? I presume we’re not talking about a simple telephone exchange then. But no need to panic. I’d say it’s perfectly valid to intercut scenes in this way, SHOULD IT BE ESSENTIAL FOR THE STORY. If it’s harming the narrative flow, then it might be better to treat the scenes separately.


** SPOILERS FOR SILENCE OF THE LAMBS & THE GODFATHER ahead **

This type of intercutting is generally used for three purposes. CONTRAST, SUSPENSE and SUMMARY. And a lot of times, all three. A classic moment in modern cinema beautifully highlights contrast and suspense. Silence of the Lambs - when the FBI and Clarice Starling arrive at Jame Gumb’s house. A tense intercutting sequence reveals that the FBI are at a different house entirely, and Clarice is by herself chatting to Mr Gumb. This link for the script doesn’t have page numbers but do a search for “WIDE ANGLE on what appears to be, at first, a calm, ordinary neighbourhod”, and that would be a good place to start reading.

Then of course there’s the famous sequence where Michael Corleone becomes godfather to his sister’s child while his orders to assassinate the heads of the five families get carried out. This provides contrast and summary. The contrast is of Michael Corleone being a religious and family man - even renouncing Satan - while his men carry out the dastardly deeds (the summary of the action).

Suspenseful intercuts usually build to some kind of twist or reveal in the story. For example, we see a hero finally finding the treasure while cutting to his damsel in distress who is being tied up by the baddies. But when the hero opens the treasure, it’s empty, and we cut to the damsel being unbound by the baddies, a big smile on her face as she’s handed the treasure. That kind of thing.

Basic contrasting purposes are usually good for showing what various characters are doing at the same time. In a romcom, this could be a sequence where the girl tells her friends about her sensitive first date while we intercut with the boy’s beefed up version to his boorish mates (Summer Nights in Grease comes to mind).

I think the important thing to do is to treat ‘intercutting’ as a sequence (or mini-story) rather than simply cutting between two scenes. In other words, ask yourself what is the point of the key scenes being intercut in this way, and try to use each cut so that they develop to a satisfying conclusion. For Silence of the Lambs, it was the electrifying reveal that Clarice had to face the final showdown by herself. In The Godfather, it was the climactic moment where Michael Corleone had become everything he had tried to avoid. It’s not incidental that these two moments are the key dramatic issues of the story, so when done right, this kind of intercutting technique can work wonders.

Not sure if any of that is helpful. If anyone has any good examples of other intercuts, famous or otherwise, then do please share. All I could think of was Lambs and Godfather, and a few generic intercutting sequences in romcoms and the like. There’s bound to be loads more (The Deer Hunter hunting sequence intercut with the wedding?). As a last note, I would say that intercutting is not the same as a montage but they share similar qualities in their style and content.

Oh, and if you’re going to the Screenwriters Festival, see you there! We’re launching the second Red Planet Prize (check out the new blog) on Wednesday, so it’s gonna be good.

Dave Phillips: Anatomy of an Overpriced Listing

Dave Phillips, CEO of CAAR and a frequent welcome commenter on this blog, has an astute post over at the CAAR Blog about how to accurately price a property in this laggard market.He notes that every property has a "magic price"--the one at which it will sell. The Bubble Blog fully agrees with this. Part of what we hope we're doing is "encouraging" sellers to find magic prices, to get more

Are You Registered to Vote?

Are you registered to vote?What are your candidate's views on the Economy and the Housing Bust?Thomas L. Friedman says, "Our bank crisis is not over. Two weeks ago, Goldman Sachs analysts said that U.S. banks may need another $65 billion to cover more write-downs of bad mortgage-related instruments and potential new losses if consumer loans start to buckle. Since President Bush came to office,

1606 Grove Road - Open House

MLS #4449913 Bedrooms, 2 BathsYear Built: 1953Sq. Ft.: 2,130Acre: .50Open House: Sunday, June 28, 1-3pm.This brick Cape in Meadowbrook Heights has been on the market since before 2008 began, as we told you at length in this post a month ago.The Asking Price has been reduced from $380K to $360K, from the original $410K.The current Listing states that this house is "back on the market" because "

Fire Sale on Rugby Road!

Holy HELOC, Batman!Is this what's necessary over here in the Rugby Road area? Invoking a superhero to save the day?If you've driven down beautiful Rugby Road extended lately, you've been surprised when you reached the 1300 block. Here, and down Rugby Circle, and further on to the first branch of Dairy Road, a number of houses are for sale with prices ranging from 650K to 1.6M.Several of these

903 Rougemont Avenue - $179,900.00

MLS #4511572 Bedrooms, 1 BathSq. Ft.: 720 ($250 Sq. Ft)Year Built: 1952The Bubble Blog has watched this price "drop" since January--$10K.This South Belmont property near Quarry Park has appeared on Craigslist so many times that one of Real C'ville's crankier pals flagged it for overposting. In fact, you yourself have seen 903 Rougemont on Craigslist so many times that you already know all

2.2% Intend to Purchase in Next Six Months; Prices Dropping

Across the U.S., potential house buyers remain wary: they know the bottom of the market is not in sight.An accurate view of the housing market here and elsewhere factors in excessive supply combined with the credit debacle and wage rate relative to home prices: these are the must-haves for significant price drops. As we all know, there's a huge supply of houses in our market. And we all know

Story A or B?

Ganesh wrote in about a Story A and Story B situation: "The script [I'm working on] is a 'will they/won't they, should they/shouldn't they' humorous love story. In the end I want the couple to do it or go their separate ways. If it were a serial, it's suggested that Story A progresses step by step, week by week to this point, with a Story B that feeds into A. If it were a series, then each week Story A is about the thwarted attempts of the couple to get together, with a related Story B continuing in the background week by week. Is this how you view story development yourself?

If supposing the couple are 'on a break' for 3 or 4 episodes, does that fit the TV series model? Is this too rigid approach? I looked at 'Gavin and Stacey' as the model. Series 1 was more serial than series, and I'm not sure what series 2 was in that case. The writers feel that it would have run out of steam after Christmas, do you think this is a symptom of the way it's been plotted in the last season?"

---

Well, let's get the difference between series and serials out of the way.

A series is a show that can generate new and interesting story lines around the series’ premise and characters for however long is required. These are often referred to as ‘returning drama series’, where they can run for pretty much forever, and new characters can replace the old ones without upsetting the concept or expectation of the show.

A serial is usually a concept and story line that will have a definite resolution over a fixed amount of episodes. Shows like State of Play, The State Within and Five Days. They lure the audience in with their interesting premise, usually high concept or grabbing in some shape or form, and twist and turn the plot over a set amount of episodes before coming to a satisfying conclusion.

When you're plotting a half hour drama or sitcom or whatever it is, it is common to have a main story line for that particular episode (story A) but also a corresponding subplot (story B) so that the story has a bit of variety and interest. In soaps, you could have up to four or five story lines running through each episode. In sitcoms, it's usually two (the main story being the premise of that particular episode and the subplot being an offshoot of this premise or something that focuses on a secondary character but will usually have an impact / pay off on the main story). In some instances, the premise of the episode is enough to sustain the entire story. Father Ted kicking Bishop Brennan up the arse for example.

It varies. The key is not to be too rigid. Let the characters and stories naturally dictate what needs to happen rather than make a bullet-point plot between A and B story lines.

For Gavin & Stacey (spoilers for series 1 & 2 ahead), the first series followed how a guy from Essex fancied a girl from Wales just by regularly talking to her on the phone. They arranged to meet, and were relieved that they really did fancy each other, and they fell in love. What they didn't count on was the influence of their friends & families, and how that would impact their lives, not to mention the awkward commute between Essex and Barry Island. So the first series focused on the lead up to Gavin and Stacey's wedding, and whether it would happen, if it would work, and of course, what would happen between Smithy and Nessa (who didn't know he made her pregnant).

Series two followed up on this by seeing how Smithy would react to Nessa's pregnancy, while also showing how difficult Stacey was finding living away from home and being under the roof of Gav's larger-than-life but well-meaning parents. So, two key situations arose to drive the series. Would Gav and Stacey's marriage survive? Would Smithy & Nessa get together?

For me, the success of Gavin and Stacey has been the focus on characters rather than relying on obvious gags or typical sitcom humour. The characters are treated with love and care by the writers, and the humour comes from their human and realistic reactions. Of course, there are some great lines but only within the context of the characters and their situation. The humour might seem lowkey at first but it develops through the warmth and identification of the characters, and by the end, it's hilarious. And for those that still don't find it funny, I'd argue that it's a show that's hard to dislike and is always enjoyable to watch.

"Sweet Deal for Homebuyers" - Daily Progress

We love a good read with our morning coffee. And today we learned something."Homebuyers should not be greedy," says Keller Williams Real Estate Agent Arlene Yobs.This sage counsel was offered to Real C'ville - The Bubble Blog and thousands of other readers in the Sunday Edition of The Daily Progress, in a story subtitled Sellers turn inventive with unusual incentives."Be reasonable and try to

611 Avon Street - $494,000.00

611 Avon Street, which Real C'ville - The Bubble Blog brought you on May 24, has a bright red bubble attached to the Real Estate - III sign. It reads "Open House." This is the only info we can find on the topic, however.BTW--the owner of 611 Avon Street will pay $10K toward closing.Which makes Real C'ville wonder: Is this in addition to dropping the Half Million Dollar Asking Price to what 611

Mortgage Rates Up in Past Week

If you're (thinking about) buying a house, do you know how many fees are associated with Closing Costs? Typically, it's more than 20.Which costs are fixed, and which ones can be negotiated? And what's a HUD-1 Settlement Statement? To begin discovering answers to these vital questions, click here.And know that you need to track numbers. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.42% in the

At the Beginning of the Bubble....

At the beginning of the Bubble, buyers used to offer sellers "gifts" with their bids. Now it's the other way around. Want a new little something with your new little house?Check out this offering.

833 Locust Avenue - $549,900.00

MLS #4543125 Bedrooms, 2 BathroomsSq. Ft.: 2,200Acre: .49Year Built: 1928This nice brick Colonial on a double lot in a good neighborhood went on the market June 15. The listing says there's a "newly finished terrace level, new gas furnace, cac, electrical and plumbing."Real C'ville ran right out to look. We wanted to see what a HALF MILLION DOLLARS for 833 Locust Avenue looks like, as compared

Arrests, Criminal Charges: Subprime Debacle & Mortgage Fraud

The FBI announced Thursday that it had arrested about 400 real estate industry players since March — including dozens over the last two days — in its crackdown on incidents of mortgage fraud that have contributed to the country's housing crisis, credit crunch, and global economic instability.Read about two Bear Stearns hedge fund execs here, and hundreds of other arrests here.

Now. Taking. Comments.

Dave Phillips, CEO of CAAR, has been Asking for Comments. So have realtor/blogger Jim Duncan, and some commenters over at REALCentralVA.And many of new Email friends want to add their two (or 2,000!) cents. So the latest "home improvement " to Real C'ville is the Comments capability.We actually began taking comments with the previous post, "Aftermath: Info, Tools & Tips for Bubble Buyers &

Aftermath: Info, Tools & Tips for Bubble Buyers & Sellers

Today is the final installment of the Wash Post's Bubble: Anatomy of a Meltdown. Don't miss Part III, Aftermath, as it details the "ripple effect" of the housing collapse and credit crisis.After reading these articles and thinking about the national and local economies, the following will be covered today:I. June Market Report (May Numbers)II. Info for Bubble SellersIII. Tools & Tips for

WASH POST: Anatomy of a Meltdown

The Washington Post Continues with its front page series: The BubbleHow homeowners, speculators and Wall Street dealmakers rode a wave of easy money with crippling consequences.Part II: The Bust

Getting Ahead?

A few questions that kind of tie into the same answer: Without an agent and a production credit, what would you say is the best chance that I have to break into scritpwriting? I've been working on some spec script but mostly in splendid isolation. I want to get out there. Where should I be going? Who should I be seeing? What should I be doing next? And how?

Well, first the obvious cliché: keep on writing, keep on sending your stuff out to production companies, agents and producers. Something might break and eventually, if you're any good, it probably will.

Now, to get ahead: have you considered writing a short film and getting it made? Or, even better, writing & directing the short film yourself. You can make a film for very cheap nowadays, and you could do it over a weekend. I made a no-budget short this way. It didn't cost any money at all and it turned out well (I think. See for yourself here).

Radio is a good way to get a credit and raise your profile. Research/be aware of when the commissioning rounds come up, and get your proposal in on time. Even better, try to get your script attached to a radio producer first. Have them submit it on your behalf, and that gives it a better chance. Jane Purcell, a playwright, has some tips on the process, here.

Alternatively, write a stage play. Send it around London or wherever you live, and all the theatre groups, local or otherwise. Stage it yourself. Hire a venue (a room above a pub, that kind of thing), get some actors, invite your friends and you have your first staged production. A modern or comedic spin on a familiar idea/story (that isn't copyright) is a good way to get the punters in. Even better, write to the original author and get their permission to adapt their script/book/film into your play. They might say ‘yes’, they probably will say ‘no’. When I was a researcher/assistant in TV, the golden rule was: always ask, otherwise you’ll never know. Invite a local journalist to your play/performance: get a review. Now you’re official!

Or, instead of a short film or a stage play, you could film a comedy sketch (all the rave on the net) or get a group of comedy writers together to write a sketch show, and perform it above the pub (very common, and TV peeps always keep an eye on these). The film/play/sketch route involves spending a bit of money but probably not as much as you think, so it's worth exploring.

If you can't film or perform something, then organise a private read-through of your script. All you need is a room with a table and actors to read your script. Actors are everywhere and keen to do stuff like this. You won't have to pay them. Just be nice and give them some drinks/snacks as they regale you with valuable feedback on what works, and what doesn't, in your script. This is proactive development rather than sitting at your computer, wondering what to do.

Network. Network like a crazy wild cat. Festivals, screenings, courses, talks. Attend. Chat to other writers. Say hello to the guest speaker. Be nice. Be proactive, always be doing something. Don't get stuck in a rut. It's nice to get out of the house every once in a while. Blogging has become a useful way to network with fellow writers and like-minded individuals. Sure, they may be people who won’t advance your career (hey, y’never know!) but it’s nice to make some friends and not feel so isolated.

Use your common sense. Think laterally. Read the trade magazines (Broadcast and Screen International). Swot up on who the movers and the shakers really are. Keep an eye on upcoming events/courses/talks etc. Someone from Working Title may be doing a Q&A or attending a pitching event, so mark it down on your calendar, go along and network. Try to introduce yourself to the main person but be just as nice and interested in everyone else, including the coatroom guy. Someone from the Film Council could be at a Bafta talk or screening. Go up and say hello. Get them to agree to read your stuff (solicited script) or, if not, they might remember your name when your unsolicited script comes across their desk.

Basically, use your noggin’. Common sense, a practical approach and an easy going manner will get you a long way and probably make you some friends, too.

And finally… the seven songs thingy, as memed by Sheiky.

1. Burns Inside - Puressence (no-one talks, or indeed, seems to know about this band, which is why I probably like them. They won't change the world but good quality indie pop).
2. After Hours - We Are Scientists (catchy tune, like it).
3. Serpent Sky - JJ72 (fairly sparse and raw but energetic and grabbing riff).
4. Jigsaw Falling Into Place - Radiohead (really like the video too, which was directed by Adam Buxton, I believe).
5. America - Razorlight (classy song).
6. Trophy - Bat For Lashes (listen once, try to hum it out of your head for days).
7. Boys of Summer - Don Henley (a classic favourite which I finally found to download t'other day).

I tag anyone on the list who hasn't been tagged yet.

Dynamic Maps of Nonprime Mortgage Conditions in USA

Here's a Mapping Tool courtesy of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Our previous post links near this tool, but we're highlighting it in its own post to emphasize the visual of the information about Subprime and Alt-A mortgages.Are you as shocked by Virginia's numbers as we are? The percentage of late payments in the past 12 months? The percentage of ARM mortgages that will be resetting in

WASH POST: Anatomy of a Meltdown

The front page of The Washington Post announces their Three-Part series, entitledThe BubbleHow homeowners, speculators and Wall Street dealmakers rode a wave of easy money with crippling consequences.Today: The BoomMonday: The BustTuesday: AftermathClick here to access the story.

626 Booker Street - $147,900.00

MLS #454183Sq. Ft: 700 ( = $211.00 per square feet)Year Built: 1920Acre: .09 (& about 36" from the shack to the left)We throw the word "shack" around a bit on this blog, as liable to use it to refer to Seven Oaks as to the lowliest pile of bricks.But there's no other word to describe this particular offering except "Shack." You might add the adjective "Shotgun."The MLS listing is optimistic in

Foreclosure Filings Up 48%, Repos Double

Banks repossessed twice as many homes in May and foreclosure filings rose 48% from a year ago as falling house prices trapped borrowers in mortgages they couldn't afford, RealtyTrac Inc. said in a report today.According to RealtyTrac, one in every 483 U.S. households either*Lost the home to foreclosure*Received a default notice*Or was warned of a pending auctionAlbemarle County is not immune.

50% Price Drop: the Frightening Forecast for Some Markets

It's Good to Live in the HookWe're glad we live where the Bubble is smaller--because the chaos that ensues when prices fall this far--loss of equity, loss of home, loss of consumer buying power, loss of career and social mobility--it's a bad situation.According to CNN Money, house prices are plunging by more than 30% in some markets, and bargain-hunters are ready to "pounce."But it may pay for

Coming Soon....

While we stepped away from the blog for a few moments earlier this week, withering in the heat rather than the glow of the laptop, we appeared elsewhere in the blogosphere.The venerable David R. Phillips, President of CAAR, whose CAAR Blog we've quoted earlier, mentions us.And a RE Agent whom we greatly respect, Jim Duncan, whose blog REALCentralVa we read, posted about us.We'll discuss some of

"The Great Seduction"

Writer David Brooks' Op-Ed column has appeared in The New York Times since 2003, and The Washington Post has called him "The Right's Ambassador to the Liberal Establishment."He is the author of one of our favorite books, "Bobos in Paradise: The New Upper Class and How They Got There," about the convergence of Bohemian and Bourgeois cultures, and those who live this lifestyle, "Bobos." (C'ville

"By July 1, it's definitely over..."

...So say RE Agents trying to get their homeowners to realistically assess the market, the economy, their potential buyers, and, of course, their properties. You don't want your house to stall in the current selling season, where nationally 40% of annual sales take place...and if your house is still without a new owner after being listed at the beginning of the May season, well...you could be

End of Part One?

Wyndham: I want to put together some spec scripts but I'm uncertain whether to build in act breaks to them, for example if they were targeted at a commercial network. What's your advice on this. If it is a good idea, where do they go - every 15 pages, 20 pages? What?

I presume you’re talking about TV scripts. I have read feature specs that put in ‘End of Act One’, ‘End of Act Two’ etc but this feels slightly inappropriate, as if the writer is making it clear to the reader that there is a definite and purposeful structure in place, should they be stupid enough not to recognise it.

For TV scripts though, it’s not such a bad idea. However, I would avoid the ‘End of Act One’ terminology and instead use ‘End of Part One’ as it’s easily recognisable as an ‘ad break’ in the script. And generally, yes, every 15 or 20 pages is a good ballpark to aim for.

If you use official terms such as ‘end of act one’, you risk alienating the reader/exec with your presumptuous knowledge of structure and storytelling technique. Some readers may call into question whether your act break is indeed an act break or just a normal transition from one scene to another. And putting ‘End of Act One’ into your narrative just gives them an excuse to hate your script and stamp a big fat PASS all over their coverage.

I’ve recently completed writing/script editing a new animation TV series and, from the very start, the producers requested that the writers develop their synopsis, outlines and scripts in a clear three act structure. In other words, we were to specifically mark out the act breaks. These became more ‘cliffhangers’ rather than ‘act breaks’ but in essence, the producers wanted to ensure that there were clear ad breaks within the story, which would make for more captivating stories and to improve the chances of selling the show to commercial broadcasters once it’s ready to go.

The routine of developing each story around a three-act structure became very useful. It enabled us to quickly discover whether we had enough plot or story to spin around the initial springboard premise. A lot of writers had good ideas but sometimes struggled to fill 24 mins of screen time when it came to developing the story. If anything, it was a valuable reminder that a good knowledge of craft and structure can help you and your story rather than make you feel bound or restricted by conventions and clichés.

So, to recap: ‘End of Act One/etc’, that’s generally a no-no. ‘End of Part One’, this is more suitable and acceptable, especially for spec TV scripts. However, overall, you’re probably best to leave out your flagged intention of where the ad breaks should go. You could certainly prepare the stories in this manner, so you know the plot is hanging together in a tight structure, but then just let the script flow naturally in one piece. A good reader/exec will get the jist or pick up on the structure, if it’s working to its full effect, so don’t worry too much.

West Nile Virus & the Housing Bust

Seriously.  All those vacant properties?  Without homeowners and/or gardeners?  They're creating perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes, many of which carry West Nile Virus. So besides a tanking economy, lots of pocketbook pain and social upheaval, the Bursting Housing Bubble may now be producing a health threat.As Our Friend Fred says, "Oy!"Watch this video, courtesy of Housing Doom.  

Seven Oaks - $12,500,000.00

MLS #448948"Seven Oaks"Year Built: 1847Greenwood4 bedrooms, 4.5 half bathsSq ft: 6870Acres: 100What? Still No Buyer?But how can that be? It's been on the market since February!Among the dependencies are four tenant houses and a 2,870-square-foot pool house with outdoor kitchen, home theater and vanishing edge pool. A studio, gym, stables and vineyard are part of the package.DMB's incredible

U.S. Equity at Lowest Point in 63 Years

Mortgage debt rises in 1Q to $10.6 trillion.The equity Americans have in their most important asset - their homes - has dropped to its lowest level since the end of World War II.A homeowner's equity is the market value of a property minus the mortgage debt.Homeowners' portion of equity slipped to 46.2 percent in the first quarter from a revised 47.5 percent in the previous quarter. That was the

WSJ: "Little Indication" of Housing Bottom

We read, and enjoy reading, Real Estate blogs by both Agents and Bubblers and Economists (see our side blog).Sometimes, though, even if you're an average citizen (not one of us here at Real C'ville who's afraid for the local (and national) economy) you have to wonder what some of the REAs are thinking.  Below are examples of misinformation to be found on local RE blogs, AND what Economists

Market Stats for May

We're waiting for the conscientious and reliable Jim Duncan, a local Agent, to post his Market Overview for the month of May, coming this Monday, June 9.While RE blogs are "selling tools," Jim's offers a plethora of useful info, and it's not a "hard sell." We like this. He also periodically, and metaphorically, wrings his hands at the state of the economy and the market. We always find

708 Park Street Appears in The Hook

That sad little figure of fun, 708 Park Street, which we regaled on Wednesday, May 14, appears in this week's The Hook (June 5, 2008).The house is in the "Still Available" feature, which focusses on houses that haven't sold but which were previewed in an earlier Hook. 708 Park appeared in the October 25, 2007 issue.The current Hook story, however, has some incorrect information. It doesn't

1 in 11 Mortgageholders Face Loan Problems

About 1 in 11 American homeowners with a mortgage faced foreclosure or fell behind in their payments in the first three months of the year, according to a report released Thursday, a figure that offers a look into the toll caused by the collapse of the housing market.The period from January to March marked the worst quarter for American homeowners in nearly a quarter-century, according to a

Here's "Affordable" For You

MLS #454027100 Surrey Road$249,900.004 bedrooms, 3 bathsSq. Ft.: 2438Acre: .34Year Built: 1965This listing appeared on www.mycaar.com just today.Technically, the house in Albemarle County, not Cville, but it's Zip 22901, just up Barracks Road from the 250 Bypass and the Shopping Center. The price is "right," though none of us here at Real C'ville have yet checked out the place and for all we

The Only Two Links You'll Ever Need

So. You've scoured the internet. Read all the screenwriting blogs. Devoured all the tips and advice. But you keep surfing, hoping to catch that extra bit of insight or insider gossip. And you just keep on going because the web provides an endless supply of tags and links. Well, now there are only two places on the 'net for all your screenwriting needs.

The first, and you might have seen this before, is Oliver Stapleton's "So You Wanna Work in Movies?" where he gives a comprehensive round-up of what's needed, not just for writing but every key filmmaking department. There's even an index at the bottom of the post to help you navigate to your preferred subject. Mr Stapleton is a cinematographer with about 30 years in the know, so he the man.

Second, and hot off the blogging presses, is James Moran's indispensible response to my writing revelations meme a couple of posts back. James's post is blindingly helpful, honest and pulls no punches. It also coincides with his 5th blogoversary (he was the first UK scriboblogger!), so if anything, go on over to pop a cork.

There you have it. No more surfing the 'net or trawling through endless links. All you need is the above.

Oliver Stapleton's "So You Wanna Work in Movies".

James Moran's Writing Revelations.

We can all go home now.

(Of course, Lucy has been kindly rounding up all the best articles on the 'net, so that's another place to visit if you want more. More goddammit! So, erm, that's the three links you'll ever need... Oh, and then there's John August, Ted & Terry's WordPlayer, but they should be on your bookmarks already.)

Hear Your Voice

Lisa: If your character has a distinct regional accent is it necessary to write their dialogue 'in accent' or enough to say where they are from?

Good question. A lot of scripts just say where the characters are from, or will state that a certain character has an accent, but not make much of a big deal of it in the dialogue. And that’s okay, that can work, but it is much more enjoyable to see the distinctive dialogue in play. It can give so much more colour and texture to a character (or characters) if they speak with individual voices that are clearly identifiable in the script.

Let’s say one of your main characters is a Geordie lad. Immediately, this gives him a distinct vernacular in which he will express himself. For example, instead of saying: “I’ll do anything for a fiver”, a Geordie bloke will say: “I’ll do ‘owt for a fiver, man”. And if you have this kind of dialogue in the script, then it’s going to give the character and the story some pace and humour, especially if he’s the only Geordie in the flick. If the film’s about a group of Geordies, then they will all speak in their particular dialect but it should be down on paper as much as possible so that the reader gets a sense of authenticity and tone from what they’re saying.

Look at The Wire. Every person’s character is clear and defined, and they all speak with a distinctive voice, using the unique slang and vernacular of the Baltimore streets. The writers must have a blast putting down Omar’s dialogue, or Bunk’s, or Bodie’s or any of the smart-ass street kids. You don’t need a Baltimore ear to follow their words but listening to them speak gives them and their world so much more texture and credibility, not to mention humour. And it’s not just gangsta talk either, some of it is given a neat or elegant turn of phrase, witness this exchange at a tense gun stand-off: “I see you favor a 45.” Omar: "At night I do. And I keeps one in the chamber in case you ponderin'.”

So, in answer to your question: yes, by all means, write in the character’s regional accent or particular turn of phrase. It will add so much more to your script than others who try but give it the usual bland clichés and exchanges.

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