Every weekday, I've been doing my five minutes (usually more) of writing each morning.
I've been working with the treatment, going scene by scene making tweaks and corrections based on feedback and my own review of the script. Staying away from the script itself until I get the story straight.
I was making great progress, usually a scene per day.
For the past couple of weeks though, I've been working solely on the end: the climax and resolution. As I've tightened it up, it's become clear that the seeds of the end need to be spread elsewhere in the script, leading up to it.
I'm reminded of a chiropractor I had who used an unusual approach (something called "non-forced technique") where she measured my spinal issues through adjusting my feet. She would move my feet around as I lay on my stomach, see the changes up my spine and then adjust my spine where needed.
Working with the feet of the story is the same way: it affects up and down the spine of your film.
Along the way, I had a crisis in confidence (do I care about this movie enough to go through the hassle of making it?) and then I had a great thematic break-through today and fell in love again. I realized that my theme was darker and more cynical than I had originally thought -- but it resonates deeply with my instincts and with theme it's best to go with your gut.
Anyway, progess is being made.
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