Settling Into TO

Three mornings in a row now, I’ve been able to start my day with a coffee in my hand and a view towards the neighbourhood here in TO.  I marvel at how much the place has changed since I left.  It’s green now.  Hot too.  First thing on my list of dos to do was install my air conditioner.

Jazzy and I have meandered through our last couple of days here quite nicely.  When we finally left the house on Tuesday, we headed for Kennsington Market.  Ate lunch at Big Fat Burrito, then went our separate ways.  Three hours, she had to herself wandering the many diverse shops and boutiques.

Lisa and I picked her up at the Library on Bathurst and Dundas West then went for supper.  We all met Frank and his friend Dianna at a place called Pomegranate, where Tahirah works.  It was the first time Frank and I saw each other in over a month.

Everyone got along great, and we all went to Salsa classes afterwards.  Jazzy was my dance partner for the first part of the evening.  I’m not sure how well we did, or how much she enjoyed it, but it was completely unplanned, unexpected, and unquestionably more fun than doing nothing with the rest of our evening.  After dropping Lisa off, Frank and Dianne came over for beers, vodka and a movie (though Jazzy only partook of the later).

Yesterday Jazzy and I hung out in the office of Crucial Pictures, which sounds super impressive, but really looked more like us hanging out on the couch at my place, except it was someone else’s office.  From there we took off for the Distillery District where I taught a photography workshop.  My student and his father were quite enthused, and didn’t want to quit by the time four hours came and went.  It was very satisfying.

Today has me at Images, where I’m making some tweaks to an old project I cut for them.  Jazzy’s on the couch outside the edit suite with her nose in the computer.  No idea how we’ll cap the day, but that suits me fine.  It’s nice to be making things up as we go.

Post-Regina Recap

After 28 hours of driving over two days, I’m feeling like the world has sufficiently slowed down enough for me to reflect upon my time in Regina.

As mentioned previously, I spent most of my time holed up at Mom’s working on my script. The experience made for a very different kind of visit.  There wasn’t a lot of time to see friends.  I didn’t even make it out to Dad’s.  It was strange being surrounded by so much that I miss about the place, but not actually partaking of it.  It was a bit like going to a steak house, and ordering tofu.

I did manage to make the visit worthwhile in other respects.  Jazzy was a big part of my trip.  I walked her to school nearly everyday.  We hung out on the couch and watched TV together while I rubbed her feet.  I drove her to work at Nadia’s store, and picked her up at the end of her shifts.  I took her shopping.  We went for a long walk together near Craven.  I took her to Easter service on May 5.  We dressed up and went out for supper at a fine dining place with Nadia and her man Milos.  We talked.  We laughed.  We mused.  We philosophized.  We kept the bond between us strong.

Home cooking, and all that came with it was beyond words.  Mom’s house is a home.  Being there meant I never had to worry about any other aspect of living, except working on my script.  Water is wet, the sky is blue, and Mom will always be Mom.  I never took for granted a single plate of food, or a warm cup of coffee placed before me.  Sitting on the deck with Dave, and playing cards with Grama and Papa made the whole experience, home.

I managed to carve some hours away for other friends.  I saw Shawn a couple of times – once upon arrival, and the second time, upon finishing my script.  He had Brad & Beth over, along with Cheryl’s sister & brother-in-law from out of town.  We had a fire in the back yard.  Clear night.  You could see the Northern Lights.  Unfortunately, I was burnt right out, mere hours after handing my application in.  I was home before midnight.

There were other faces too.  I put in a personal appearance with the guys from the Romanian Syndicate for our annual hockey pool (which I’m winning by the way).  I gave a lecture at O’Neill High School about filmmaking.  Saw Jamie & Greg in their backyard, movie with Cheryl, lunch with Lindsay, drinks with Glenna, supper with Shy, and visits with Yana, and Shauna.  Seems like a lot, but feels more like I’m scratching the surface.

I was most struck by how familiar everything seemed.  I’ve been driving around Regina’s streets all my life.  Most are associated with memories – some distant, some not so much.  I sat in Atlantis on a couple of occasions.  Wandered aimlessly.  Drove in the city’s version of traffic.  Took in the sights.  Photographed the sky and sent it to TO.

I’m writing this from my apartment in Toronto.  I’m looking out the window at the neighbourhood, and basking in all this familiarity.  Jazzy and I had quite the day yesterday, getting ourselves reacquainted with the city.  I could say more, but that’s a subject for another day.

Leaving Regina

I’m hitting the highway this morning with Jazzy in the passenger seat.

We spent our last act in the city last night walking around the lake together.

I have more to say, but I need to hit the road. Thank you Regina for being an excellent host these last three weeks.

If I’m feeling plucky, I’ll be writing a more comprehensive post tonight, somewhere from the middle of Wisconsin.

The View From the Summit

That was intense.

I finished my script yesterday morning at 11:30, and got the rest of my application in a couple of hours later.  Made the CFC deadline with time to spare!

I feel like a great weight has been lifted off me – or perhaps that’s just light-headedness kicking in from climbing a mountain and scaling into thin air.  I did what I set out to do.  That’s reason enough to celebrate.  I wrote a good script too – which is an even better reason to feel good about myself.  The best even.

I celebrated by taking an afternoon nap.

I haven’t seen much of my friends or the rest of the city over the past couple of weeks.  Been doing nothing but writing and researching, with the odd exchange thrown in.  Never have I written as such a pace before.

As I mentioned previously, I had no idea what sort of story I would be telling only a couple weeks ago.  The biggest shift came when I completed my step outline.  From there it was a matter of following the roadmap.  From there is was a simple matter of writing scenes – each being a self-contained short story.

Normally when I write, I chart my progress by counting pages.  Something new happened this time around.  Pages meant almost nothing to me.  I had 22 scenes to write, and there was no getting around that fact.  If one scene wound up being 4 pages, it was still only one scene out of 22.

A hard, immovable deadline meant I had to crank out scenes at a pace that would allow me to meet the deadline.  I was sitting at 12 scenes on Wednesday morning.  I found I could comfortably write 3 scenes per day – and have them feel dramatically sound.  I’d write a scene in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one after supper.  I’d be sitting for 1-2 hours each time, with a couple hours between each session.  If I pushed the pace much faster than that, I’d feel my brain getting tired – I wouldn’t trust my work as it landed on the page.

The experience of writing this script taught me a lot about myself.  I learned much about my craft by diving so deeply into someone else’s series.  I learned even more about how I work.

Rosetta Mountain Stone

I’m feeling more confident with this script.  Wrote my first scene with Dunn Pernsley (one of the black characters) and it went rather well.  I used the scene I transcribed from a previous episode as a sort of Rosetta Stone – using what he’s said in that scene, as a way to express what I need him to say in my scene.

It helps to be watching previous episodes as I write as well.  The subtle nuances of language are lost as a passive viewer.  I hear them, but I don’t really note them.  Listening specifically for those nuances however, is a whole other experience.  It makes me appreciate the series all the more – and I’m becoming a better writer for it.

I feel the clock ticking.  I have six days to hand this script in, along with the rest of my application.  Hasn’t left me with a lot of time to catch up with friends here in Regina.  Hard deadline.  Makes climbing mountains a lot easier.  Without it, I wouldn’t even have begun.

Writing by ‘Feel’

Writing an episode of Boardwalk Empire is proving to be the most challenging thing I’ve ever taken on as a writer.  I knew what I was getting myself into when I decided to take it on, but damn – it’s one thing to know what you’re getting into, and quite another to experience it.

The step outline didn’t take very long to complete.  Once I figured out the beats of my five stories, plotting them into the series’ template wasn’t difficult.  In fact, I was quite surprised at how well these five stories juxtapose next to each other.  This script will be a gooder when it’s complete.  Unfortunately, this script ain’t writing itself.

Dialogue is the trickiest bit.  I know what I want the characters to say, but the specific words they use, requires quite a bit of thought.  1920s vernacular, sub-divided by class, education, and ethnic background.  All of this needs to be reflected in the dialogue of the individual characters.

Some dialogue is trickier than others.  I have a scene between Chalky White and Dunn Pernsley – two very strong black characters.  Their dialogue is a whole other language.  The cadence, their choice of words, and their punctuation is completely foreign to me.  To get a handle on it, I actually watched an episode where they appear together – and I transcribed every word of their dialogue.  It’s helped quite a bit.

Getting a handle on someone else’s characters is really quite intimidating.  I keep second guessing myself.  These characters belong to Terrence Winter and I’m just borrowing them for a spell.  He’s spent years with them.  I’m doing a one-night-stand.

I’m about a fifth of the way through the script.  Not a very great pace, but I expect I’ll be moving faster as I get a better feel for everyone’s dialogue.  I’ve taken to watching parts of different episodes while composing my own script.  It gives me confidence to feel the series, while writing it.

Gonna wrap this up now.  I have a shitpile of scenes to write in a very short period of time.

Drawing Upon History to Write the Future – Except in the Past

My research is about done and I have a good idea for what lies ahead of me.

An episode of Boardwalk Empire typically consists of one A Story of 7 scenes, two B Stories of 5 scenes each, and two C Stories of 3 scenes each.  Each scene runs slightly more than two pages.   Each story has an Inciting Incident and a Climax, and in the case of a C Story, a reversal.  The A and B Stories are more complicated, but continue to follow a classical plot structure.

At the end of the day I’m still looking at approximately 54 pages of script, but it’s no longer an intimidating mountain to climb.  I’m writing five short stories, the longest of which will run 16 or so pages.  I weave these short stories together in a manner that best permits a flow.  If I eat my Wheaties, I can unify them all under one overarching theme – each scene representing a positive or negative reinforcement of that theme.

Research has been key, and that research has also followed two streams of thought.  The first stream involved understanding the series on a deeper level.  Season 3 remains unavailable on DVD, so I’ve been left to read summaries of each episode to see what happens to the series’ central characters (and perhaps guess what lies in their future).  I have been reluctant to hitch my wagon to any particular story idea until I’ve had a chance to learn more about these characters.

I have researched in-depth a typical episode structure, and gained insight into what drives the series as a whole.  I’ve read countless interviews and articles.  I read the book that the series was based on, and reread a couple of key chapters.  Made notes.  Took names.  Drew conclusions.

I have concluded that I won’t worry too much about how my episode will fit into the producers’ plans for Season 4.  If anything, mine could take place in Season 5.  I base this decision on a pattern I’ve seen emerge from my research.  Seasons 1 & 2 took place in 1920 & 1921.  Season 3 jumped ahead to 1923.  Nucky Thompson, the series’ main character, is based on the life of Nucky Johnson, who reigned as Boss of Atlantic City from 1913 – 1941.  Key events of his life were dramatized for this series (with certain creative liberties taken for dramatic effect).  Other historical figures and events have also been woven into the series (with creative liberties also taken).

My A Story will focus on a key event in the life of Nucky Johnson that happened in 1926.  Though his reign in Atlantic City had 15 years remaining, this event marked the beginning of the end for him.  I can also tie this event into the fiction of the series’ backstory, giving the story an ironic twist – in righting a wrong that continues to haunt him from his distant past, Nucky Thompson sets the wheels in motion for his own eventual downfall.

It sounds like a daring move – writing a key event in the series’ arc – but I think I can get away with it, because I have historical events on my side.  By setting my story three years into the future from where the series left off, I can safely navigate past anything the producers are currently working on.  They’re going to reach 1926 eventually, and maybe upon their arrival, through some strange form of happenstance, they may encounter my script waiting for them, ready for use in whole or in part.

As for the B and C Stories, I am content to leave those self contained, not relying on anything that came before in the series.  These stories won’t have much of an influence on the series’ future direction either.  One mustn’t be too bold or ambitious.

Instead, I draw upon history.  I’ve have previously researched and produced a documentary about the KKK and fraud in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan in the 1920s.  I’ve also researched and produced a documentary on the Willow Bunch Giant.  Both of these stories will fit well into the world of Boardwalk Empire.  What remains is for me to figure out a couple more minor stories, and then I can begin.

I’m excited to see where I’ll be in my progress by this time tomorrow.

Climbing a Mountain in Familiar Surroundings

Being in Regina for the singular purpose of finishing my script for Boardwalk Empire has been both refreshingly simple and complexingly complicated.  Professionally, I have a mountain to climb, and I need to summit by May 15th or so.  The deadline for the CFC’s Prime Time Television Program is May 17th and I find myself a bit nervous thinking about where I am, and where I need to be with this script.  It’s a big part of my application.  It’s the only think I need to worry about for the next 10 days.

Personally, there are all these people in my life whom I desire to spend time with because I don’t get to see them all that often.  I walk Jazzy to school every morning.  I hang out with her in the evenings and soak up being with my beautiful little girl.  I’ve been spending time in coffee shops with PJ, doing research for the script, and slipping in a bit of talk time.  We’re ex-husband & wife, but we remain best friends.  Mom and Dave are mom and Dave.  I’m sleeping in my old room, and eating from their table.  It’s really great to be home.

I hung out with the guys from the Romanian Syndicate and got myself into our annual hockey pool.  When Benji walked in, he was shocked to see me.  Funny.  I’ve been away for 18 months and it feels like I never left with this bunch.  I’m tracking Shawn & Cheryl down later this weekend and lining up drinks with other friends over the coming days.  So many people to see, in so short a period of time.

It’s Orthodox Easter tonight – the one time of year I go to church.  We have a service that starts at 10pm in candlelight and wraps up two hours later.  Afterwards, we’ll be heading back to mom’s for a meat orgy.  I’ve been fasting since March 18 – no meat or dairy – so I’ve had cabbage rolls on the brain for some time.  Jeff, Benji & Monica are coming over after Church.  It’ll be a late night.

Jazzy has a job working in Nadia’s store.  She’s been there two months now.  I phoned Nads up asking if she wouldn’t mind spending time with Jazzy in the shop for a few hours. She’s one of my most favourite women in the world, and I figured she’d be a great role model for Jazz.  Hanging out in the store, turned into a regular weekend job.  It was more than I could have asked for – and Jazzy loves it!

I’m going to be driving Jazz to work in a few hours.  I figure I’ll hang out for a bit, then plunk myself down at my usual spot in Atlantis to get some serious mountain climbations accomplished.

AMerican Road Trip Through Chicago Sports Radio

After two days, one night, six states, and two-thousand seven hundred seventy three kilometres, I was able to reach my long sought after destination – a beautiful little girl named Jasmine, in Regina, Saskatchewan – where she’s old enough for a part-time job, but still young enough to jump into my arms and call me ‘daddy’.

There was also still snow laying about.  WTF?

Toronto to Regina, via Chicago.  I like long road trips.  Yoga for the mind.  Nothing to do but keep it between the lines.  Traffic moves between 130 and 140 km/h.

Detroit, Chicago and Minneapolis were the only major spots where I lost time, but I didn’t mind.  I like seeing the big cities from my view out the windshield.  8 lanes.  10 lanes.  Merge lanes.  Big glass towers.  Old brick industry.  Ball parks.  Park parks.  Highway lines and back bumpers.  Mind my place in the left lane flow, and I’ll be just fine.

Sometimes I drive in complete silence.  Sometimes I listen to audio books.  This time I stuck mainly to AM radio.  Just picked up what I could as I passed from place to place.

There’s something about AM radio that makes me feel like I’m actually traveling somewhere.  The crackle of the distance between me and the signal’s source is more tangible than FM band somehow.  AM signals never really fade – they go down fighting.  The background static just gets louder and the signal screams for dear life.

And as the mile markers blink passed me, that crackle takes me through time.  I imagine myself 80 years ago, stuck in some distant nowhere – big vacuum tube radio, picking up something from anywhere – especially on a starry clear night.

I travel the dial as I put miles behind me.  Talk radio voices – accents from places laid out like road markers on the side of the highway.  Old country music stations.  Gun advocates.  Preachers.  Politicians.  Local news.  Weather reports.  Flood warnings.  Sports.

I caught the Chicago Bulls playoff game just as they went down by 14 points with 3 minutes left to play.  Someone from Brooklyn missed an easy dunk.  I was on I-94, crossing from Indiana into Illinois.  Hit Chi-town just as the game went into overtime.  Was heading into the tunnel downtown as the 2nd overtime began.  Cleared traffic on the north side of town as the team pulled out the win at the close of the 3rd overtime period.  Every radio voice on the air said it will go down as one of the greatest playoff games ever played.  I really wouldn’t know.  It was the first NBA game I ever heard on the radio – and for that matter, I’ve never seen an actual NBA game on TV either.  Reminded me of the time I caught seven periods of overtime between the New York Rangers and the Washington Capitals in 1986.  I was a kid and hadn’t really taken an interest in hockey yet.

The signal faded as I approached Rockford, Illinois on I-90.  The next clear signal on the dial was a NASCAR race in Richmond, Virginia.  Listened to the first 192 laps until that signal faded, somewhere northwest of Madison, Wisconsin on I-94.  Next clear signal on the dial was a Chicago Whitesox game in Tampa Bay.  Caught an inning before that signal broke up.  Next turn on the dial made me laugh out loud – a Chicago Cubs game in Florida!  What’s with all the Chicago teams?

Baseball broadcasts lack the action of basketball or hockey.  They’re more like conversations between announcers that get interrupted by bits of action from time to time. Almost seems like an inconvenience.  Still, it remains perfect platform from which to experience a game.  AM radio, baseball, and a late-night road trip go together like nostalgia, old photographs, and painted memories.  Imagination takes the stage for a crack at the miles barraging my soon-to-be heavy eye-lids.

Further up the road, near Eau Claire, Wisconsin, I turned to the next clear signal on the dial, a home broadcast of the St. Luis Blues.  Guess who they were playing?  The Chicago Blackhawks!

It’s good to be home.  Turned the dial one last time as Regina’s lights came into view.  620 CKRM.  The most nostalgic of all AM radio to me.  Roughrider games.  Pats.  Childhood memories of late night polka parties, playing cards with my Grama in Assiniboia, Saskatchewan.  Willie Cole & Fred King.  Geoff Courier.  Carm Carteri.  Rod Pedersen.

I’m getting together with my buddies for a hockey pool draft on Tuesday night.  I was thinking I’d take Penguins as much as possible, but there’s something about this road trip that has me thinking seriously about Chicago’s chances.

Pleasing the Home Crowd

I finished the final vignette for the Mayor’s Arts & Business Awards at 3am on Monday morning.  Woke up six hours later to finish the title cards – the screen shots that go between the vignettes, displaying the name, category, and sponsorship logos for each section of the awards show.  There were 49 title cards in all, and I was far, far too foggy to concentrate on those sorts of details for more than a few minutes at a time.  But I did anyway.

It only took me a couple hours to finish the cards, and then another hour to create the final self contained video with all the vignettes and title cards in place.  The whole rest of the day was spent watching progress bars.

There was a progress bar telling me how long it would take to compress the video (4 hours).  There was a progress bar telling me how long it would take to upload to my server (3 hours).  There were internet and wifi connection hiccups that caused me to have to monitor the situation closely.  And then when it was all said and done, I had to help my client find a solution for how to download the video.

It seems Apple went and made some changes to Safari that made, what was once a simple, ‘right click to download’, into something impossible.  We were on the phone for an hour before we eventually downloaded an FTP application that would allow her to cut and paste the URL directly into a window, that would begin the download of the MABA video immediately.  Now we know for next time.

The highlight of my day was going for a walk while the video was compressing.  It was a warm sunny day, and I’d been housebound most of the weekend.  Found a pub in the Junction called, ‘Axis’.  I sat on the patio and read my book for Boardwalk Empire.

Back home in Regina, I heard it was -20 C.  Judging from the Facebook posts, it seems people are about ready to go postal on Mother Nature.

[several hours pass]

I received a couple of texts and one email from people who were at the event, congratulating me on a job well done.  It’s very gratifying to be pleasing the home crowd with my work.