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Showing posts from August, 2017

A Surprise Writing Award....

Some of you may remember that I'm working on a short film. It's been a long process. We started filming in April. I'm still working on post-production. The film only clocks in at 19:11, even with credits, but there's a lot of work packed into those minutes. And I'm still doing it. So you can imagine my surprise when I messaged a friend and said, "Do you know anyone who can help with audio?" And he responded with, "Yes, but can you get a 10-minute version of your rough cut together and preview some scenes at a film festival? In a few weeks...?" Imagine my surprise when I said yes. I worked really hard to get a cohesive version of half the film together that would be worth the time of a festival going audience, something that would show what I was capable of if the film got finished and a taste of what the film would feel like. I spent a great day in Helper, Utah, the most fascinating mining town nestled right up next to the mountains.

My Dragon Con 2017 Schedule

It's time again for another year of Dragon Con. This is one of my favorite conventions every year and they keep me busy. Here is my tentative schedule and I hope to see you there. (Especially for my reading. There's nothing worse than reading to an empty room.) Title: The Last Jedi Fan Speculation  Time: Fri 02:30 pm Location: A601-A602 - Marriott (Length: 1 Hour) Description: *SPOILER ALERT* *PURE SPECULATION* We are not insiders. We are not members of the Star Wars StoryGroup. We know what you know, but we're not afraid to dream & speculate. Maybe we'll finally find out in December who Rey's parents are--and where has Luke been...? Title: Reading: Bryan Young  Time: Fri 05:30 pm Location: Vinings - Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour) Description: Author, geek, podcaster, magazine and comics writer; documentary producer reads from his works. Title: Better Diversity for a Better Story  Time: Sat 11:30 am Location: Hanover AB - Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour) Descri

Anatomy of a Scene: The Third Man

It's time again to break down a classic scene. One that's well-written and, in my view, a fine example of excellent craft. I've done some of these articles from books (like The End of the Affair   and Starship Troopers ) and other movies (like Citizen Kane , City Lights , Raiders of the Lost Ark , and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid ), but now it's time to take a look at a scene from The Third Man . It blends the best of Orson Welles (as he's in the film and drives this scene) and Graham Greene, who wrote this particular screenplay. Before we get to the scene, we need some context. The Third Man is a tale of the black market in Vienna, just after World War II. It's about a cheap, dime-store Western novelist named Holly Martins (played by Joseph Cotton) and his friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles.) Lime offered Martins a job in Vienna, so Martins leaves America and arrives, only to find that Harry Lime is dead. Penniless, without a friend or reason to be