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Category: INK

Script page hanging from washing line
Feb142019

Laundry Writing

Script page hanging from washing lineI not talking about dirty laundry… okay, I kinda am.

Think you don’t have time to write? Well, if you can fit laundry into your schedule, then you have at least some time!

Scenario 1: The Laundromat.
Heave your loads to the laundromat. Dump the dirty garments into a row of machines and get them started. Now pull out your journal and pen (or open up your computer) and off you go! Write away the waiting time until it’s time for the transfer to dryers. That’s a good 30 minutes of timed writing! Use it as a warm up if you must and plan what to do when your laundry is in the dryers – because the drying cycle is longer; you’ll have at least an hour of focussed writing time. Cool, eh?

Okay, then there is…

Scenario 2: Laundry at Home.
Even better. You don’t have rows of machines to do all your laundry at the same time. Load #1 into the washer gets you 30 minutes of timed writing… the “Laundry Writing Warm-up.” The bell on the washer tells you it’s time for the transfer to dryer. Load #2 into the washer at the same time. Now you’ve got a good hour of focussed writing time. The washer’s bell is a mere warning sound; it’s the dryer’s alert that tells you it’s time for the transfer/re-load break. To delay folding until the end of your writing session, lay out the clothes loosely on the bed to minimize wrinkling… the deal is to get back to your writing as quickly as possible. Use the laundry to schedule writing sessions.

So there you go! I’ve just gifted you some time for writing that screenplay or novel, short story or poem that you’re itching to write. Celebrate the time you have – the time you can carve out your busy life – and use it well.

Cheers & happy laundry-writing to you,
Deb

– – – – – – – – – –

Deborah (Deb) Patz is the author of Write! Shoot! Edit! for teens and Film Production Management 101 for the industry – both books are published worldwide by MWP. She’s also part of the editorial board for Prism International. She’s kinda looking forward to piles of dirty laundry now… how odd is that?!

WHERE IS DEB? (upcoming events and appearances)
July 2019 – UFVA Conference, Minneapolis, MN

WHERE TO FIND DEB’S BOOKS?
Paperback or eBook: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Chapters/Indigo, Waterstones, direct from the publisher and from plenty of other great bookstores worldwide.

Nov222018

Diving Into The Three Wells at Tea & Ink Writing Club

I was requested to mentor again at the Tea & Ink Writing Club and happily agreed. To do something a little different, this time I brought Matthew Kalil’s book “The Three Wells of Screenwriting” (a wonderful new MWP book on my bookshelf). It’s a book to get the inspiration juices flowing.

From the book, I introduced the group to Matthew’s three wells of creativity, and then we ran through the exercises to dive in and explore each one. Let me share a bit with you:

#1 – The External Sources Well –
The ideas and thoughts here are from external sources, like movies and books, etc. and from the writing exercises we noticed they were primarily visual. Tapping into this well was by far the fastest. Thoughts and ideas related to this well we found were very close to the surface and easily accessible.

#2 – The Imagination Well –
Wild and crazy ideas happened here. Some in space, some not. Wonder and personal philosophy inspired the ideas from this well, but it did take more focused thought to push past the external sources well to reach this well of uncharted imaginative ideas.

#3 – The Memory Well –
Finally, this well was the deepest and most personal. It triggered tender and teary emotions as well as memory of smells. No doubt it is from this well that we write most closely to the human experience, and it was clear that we required more thoughtful time than the previous two wells in order to access these memories honestly.

Gosh, we only tapped the start of Matthew’s book. He also highlights the strengths and weaknesses of each well so you know how far to wade in, that book goes on from there.

Now, in my book, “Write! Shoot! Edit!“ I see the creative process in three stages:

(1) Wild Inventor Brain (inspiration), followed by:

(2) Dr Structure Editor (the structural – but still creative – edit), and followed again by:

(3) Nitpicky Copy Editor (polishing)

As Matthew’s book is all about the inspirational stage of the creative process, you can (and we did) use The Three Wells to point one’s Wild Inventor Brain in a rough direction of where you want to go for a writing session and through freewriting explore, reveal and discover.

It was a wildly successful Tea & Ink session, and the range of writing from the participants was vast. No surprise there, as the group includes poets, novelists and short story writers.

So, if you need some inspiration to get yourself writing – or writing again – or if you have an active Wild Inventor Brain that needs a little direction in order for you to productive, dive into the three wells yourself.

Cheers & happy inspiration to you,
Deb

– – – – – – – – – –

Deborah (Deb) Patz is the author of Write! Shoot! Edit! for teens and Film Production Management 101 for the industry – both books are published worldwide by MWP. She’s also part of the editorial board for Prism International. As well as writing, she LOVES tea.

WHERE IS DEB? (upcoming events and appearances)
Nov. 29-30, 2018 – Whistler Film Festival
Feb. 9, 2019 – Author Participant with Biz Books at Digital Media Youth Expo, North Vancouver BC
July 2019 – UFVA Conference, Minneapolis, MN

WHERE TO FIND DEB’S BOOKS?
Paperback or eBook: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Chapters/Indigo, Waterstones, direct from the publisher and from plenty of other great bookstores worldwide.

Nov102018

Date Stamping A Movie Scene… Creatively

So you want to suggest what time of year it is in a movie scene? Sure, there are the standards:

  • blossoming flowers = spring
  • green leaves on trees = summer
  • coloured leaves in piles = fall
  • snow = winter

Beyond location weather, you can – of course – use clothing to signify weather and time of year. All useful but rather ordinary, no? Well, how about going a bit more creative and using bus signage?

If the bus says:

… you gotta know it’s the first two weeks of November!

So, exercise the creative brain of yours. How else might you date-stamp (or location-stamp) a scene creatively?

Cheers & a creative scene building to you,
Deb

P.S. Oh yeah, and if the bus says “Sorry…” you’re probably in Canada. 🙂

– – – – – – – – – –

Deborah (Deb) Patz is the author of Write! Shoot! Edit! for teens and Film Production Management 101 for the industry – both books are published worldwide by MWP. She’s also part of the editorial board for Prism International. She thinks that Remembrance Day is probably the most important holiday of the entire year.

WHERE IS DEB? (upcoming events and appearances)
Nov. 18, 2018 – Guest Author – Reading Event at Tomes & Tales, Pitt Meadows BC
Feb. 9, 2019 – Author Participant with Biz Books at Digital Media Youth Expo, North Vancouver BC
July 2019 – UFVA Conference, Minneapolis, MN

WHERE TO FIND DEB’S BOOKS?
Paperback or eBook: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Chapters/Indigo, Waterstones, direct from the publisher and from plenty of other great bookstores worldwide.

Sep12017

The Mentor Dies… Oh No!

How often do we see it in the movies? The mentor dies and so the protagonist has to take on the (powerful) antagonist alone. Not only that, but training is rarely complete! Well, the mentor usually thinks there’s enough training, but the protagonist sure doesn’t. At any rate, the mentor is right, and the protagonist goes on to save the day.

Well…

In my new book, “Write! Shoot! Edit!”, I position myself a mentor to new filmmakers (teens and young adults). BUT I DON’T WANT TO DIE!!

So here’s the deal: you can read the book, no problem. But when it comes to making your actual movie, I ask that at a strategic moment during the filmmaking process, you put the book down before reading the final chapter and finish making your movie. In that case, I – as mentor – will have left you alone on your shoot day and you can become the filmmaking hero you already know you are.

Save a mentor.

I’ll be every grateful. 🙂

Cheers & a good shoot to you,
Deb

– – – – – – – – – –

Deb Patz is the author of “Write! Shoot! Edit! A Complete Guide to Filmmaking for Teens” (new in 2017) and “Film Production Management 101” both published by MWP Books. She’s seen a lot of mentors die on-screen.

DEB’S LATEST NEWS:
Her new book, “Write! Shoot! Edit!” was reviewed in:
(1) the Vancouver Sun and other papers across Canada, including the Montreal Gazette,  The Province, the Ottawa Citizen, the Saskatoon Star Phoenix, the Windsor Star, on Canada.com, and News Locker… and now also: the Edmonton Journal, the Calgary Herald
(2) SF Crowsnest (in the UK);
(3) the Midwest Book Review Library Watch list (on the Theatre/Cinema/TV Shelf)

May272017

DIY Summer Camp: Write! Shoot! Edit!

Wow, there are a lot of fabulous summer camps out there: Knight camps, space camps, sailing camps, horse riding camps, and on and on… and of course camping camps. But you can’t attend camp every week of the summer, and at some point you age out of some of them too.

So… what about a do-it-yourself camp? Why not make a movie with your friends?

My new book “Write! Shoot! Edit A Complete Guide for Teen Filmmakers” comes out July 1st… just in time for camp season! Pre-order now or pick up a copy when it comes to bookstores, then gather your friends and use it as your guide to a DIY Filmmaking Camp all the way from writing the story to editing the final version. The book shows you how to make a movie with whatever equipment, cast and crew access you have right now.

Summer camps are all about learning new skills and making discoveries about yourself. How better to to that than making a movie… YOUR movie. You may discover a whole new exciting career ahead of you – all because you started this summer. Now.

And when you do make your summer movie, drop me a line and tell me about it and the experience. I love to hear about your filmmaking stories.

Cheers & a good shoot to you,
Deb

Here’s a link to learn more about the book and to read an excerpt:
http://mwp.com/product/write-shoot-edit-complete-guide-teen-filmmakers/

Here’s a link to places where you can pre-order the book:
http://www.debpatz.com/a-world-of-book-store-links-aka-finding-write-shoot-edit-for-pre-order/

And, if you’re in the Vancouver Lower Mainland, come to the Sat. June 24 Book Launch Party!
http://www.debpatz.com/book/write-shoot-edit/

– – – – – – – – – –

Deb Patz is the author of “Film Production Management 101” and the upcoming “Write! Shoot! Edit! A Complete Guide to Filmmaking for Teens” both published by MWP Books. The movies she made at her own DIY summer camp led to her career in the movies.

WHERE IS DEB? (upcoming events and appearances)
May 31 – Guest Speaker – Encompass, Coquitlam, BC
Jun.3-7 – Guest instructor – PEI Screenwriter’s Bootcamp, Charlottetown, PEI
Jun.14 – Guest speaker – Charles Best High School, Coquitlam, BC
Jun.16 – Guest speaker – Heritage Woods High School, Port Moody, BC
Jun.24 – Book launch party for “Write! Shoot! Edit!” at Chapters Pinetree, Coquitlam, BC
Jul.30-Aug.3 – Panelist – UFVA Conference, Los Angeles, CA

May102017

How The Creative Brain Works: Two Perspectives

I read an interesting article in the May 2017 issue of National Geographic about how the brain works regarding creativity. As a people, we’ve tried to understand creativity for years. Can’t see it, can’t touch it, but it – whatever “it” is – is definitely there.

Nat Geo reports another scientific attempt to understand the creative process.

Researchers managed to record brain waves in an MRI while jazz musicians played music that was memorized and then music that was improvised. They learned that for the improv, the brain activity was “fundamentally different” and that it appeared the brain was able to turn off its own ability to criticize itself.

I find this fascinating because, I’ve learned the same thing from leading a creative life, and share as much in my new teen filmmaking book (“Write! Shoot! Edit!”) coming out this July. I believe it’s important to understand the creative process so you can better harness your creativity.

Though it appears the researchers break the creative process into two types of activities (in this case playing improv vs playing memorized music), through my experience, I believe the creative process breaks down into three stages:

(1) wild invention (the improv, free-creative activity)

(2) structural edit (a big picture activity where you work with historical conventions)

(3) nit-picky edit (a fine-tuning activity where details and consistency matters)

Each one of these stages needs its time at centre stage, its time of focus, so if it’s a writing project, you’ll have to write the project at least three times to focus your brain’s perspective for each draft.

I’d love to see an MRI scan of differing brain activity for each of these three phases of the creative process, as I believe each one taps into a different skills in the brain… but I guess we’ll have to wait for science to explore that idea someday.

For those living the creative life, what’s your perspective on the activity happening in your brain while you’re creating?

All the best of creativity to you,
Deb

For more info on my new book “Write! Shoot! Edit!” see my website’s book page.

– – – – – – – – – –

Deb Patz is the author of “Film Production Management 101” and the upcoming “Write! Shoot! Edit! A Complete Guide to Filmmaking for Teens” both published by MWP Books. She’s lived a creative life for… uh… all her life!

WHERE IS DEB? (upcoming events and appearances)
Jun.3-7 – Guest instructor – PEI Screenwriter’s Bootcamp, Charlottetown, PEI
Jun.24 – Book launch party for “Write! Shoot! Edit!” at Chapters Pinetree, Coquitlam, BC
Jul.30-Aug.3 – UFVA Conference, Los Angeles, CA