and you wonder how i entertain myself…
June 30, 2010
omg surf mouse!
June 30, 2010
character writing begins july 13
June 29, 2010
The online master class —
Character Writing starts July 13, 2010 and is officially open for :::registration:::
This class is limited to twelve students so please sign up early to reserve your seat.
*reserving a seat requires a course deposit and may require a writing sample*for more info on character writing visit ::::classes at afw::: and to sign up visit :::contact afw::: and drop us a line to register
hollywood get together (via celluloid blonde)
June 26, 2010
genre writing
June 26, 2010
I read —
A lot of scripts.
Not as many scripts as industry suits read.
Those poor bastards read scripts year in, year out, 24/7.
I just read a lot of scripts over the summer.
Reading scripts over the summer though, I see mistakes continually in genre writing. It kind of makes me crazy. I wonder, reading a script that obviously falls into a definite genre, what someone was thinking abandoning the genre mid-game or, worse, pre-game?
This doesn’t just apply to scripts either. Sometimes I see it in actually produced films. The mind boggles. What were these people thinking? I try to mental block those out though. There are not that many of them and usually group frat boy stupid doesn’t get as far as the million dollar mark. Anyway —
Max’s Top Five “You Just Blew Genre” Faves —
Comedies are supposed to be funny. Opening them with a funeral and five consecutive scenes containing people sobbing inconsolably by coffins and gravestones might not be the way to go.
Action Adventure kind of depends on action. Stalling a Raiders wannabe flick in the second act with 20 pages in which characters sit in a hotel room while it rains might not play so well for the genre.
The keyword in Romantic Comedy is “romantic.” It might be wise to reconsider that plethora of fart jokes. Also, this is a date film, people. Do you really think a half hour watching a guy on screen fucking different women is going to work out on date night?
Children/Family Films are supposed to be fun for kids. Generally speaking, that means the kid should get the fun action, not the mid-life crisis dad. Another thing to think about with kid films: Little kids are going to watch these films. Are people playing with severed body parts really the way to go there?
Serial Killers have been fascinating audiences for years. What is supposed to be fascinating and freaky about serial killers however is the serial killer – not the script writer who refers to decomposed bodies and evisceration as “sexy” in scene description. Rule to the wise: What characters say? Is the character talking. What scene description says? Is the writer talking. And every reader knows the difference.
where the art work comes from :
that is broken from arab queen
think quake
June 24, 2010
When is the last time —
You thought about an earthquake? When is the last time you checked earthquake supplies?
If you live in Connecticut fine. If you live in California? Go check the supplies. And also check this checklist. This is a Red Cross list:
WATER
* Store water in plastic containers such as soft drink bottles. Avoid using containers that will decompose or break, such as milk cartons or glass bottles. A normally active person needs to drink at least two quarts of water each day. Hot environments and intense physical activity can double that amount. Children, nursing mothers, and ill people will need more.
* Store one gallon of water per person per day. Don’t forget your pets.
* Keep at least a three-day supply of water per person (two quarts for drinking, two quarts for each person in your household for food preparation/sanitation).
* Change this water every six months. Household liquid bleach to kill microorganisms:
*Use only regular household liquid bleach that contains 5.25 percent sodium hypochlorite. Do not use scented bleaches, colorsafe bleaches or bleaches with added cleaners.
*Add 16 drops of bleach per gallon of water, stir and let stand for 30 minutes. If the water does not have a slight bleach odor, repeat the dosage and let stand another 15 minutes.
*The only agent used to treat water should be household liquid bleach. Other chemicals, such as iodine or water treatment products sold in camping or surplus stores that do not contain 5.25 percent sodium hypochlorite as the only active ingredient, are not recommended and should not be used.
FOOD
* Ready-to-eat canned meats, fruits, vegetables.
* Canned juices, milk, soup
* Sugar, salt, pepper
* High energy foods such as peanut butter, jelly, crackers, granola bars, trail mix; foods that will not increase thirst.
* Vitamins [*Max Note: Vitamins looks stupid to me and should say medication, which to me could spell way more important, but that could be just me.]
* Foods for infants, elderly, persons with special dietary needs
* Comfort/stress foods: cookies, hard candy, sweetened cereals, lollipops, instant coffee, tea bags.
* Pet food, at least one ounce per animal pound per day. [Max Note: Have you met a dog who could live on one ounce per day? No. Store more.]
* Avoid foods like rice, pasta and dry beans that require a great deal of water to prepare. Remember to restock your food once a year.FIRST AID KIT
* Sterile adhesive bandages in assorted sizes
* Assorted sizes of safety pins
* Cleansing agent/soap
* Latex gloves (2 pairs)
* Sunscreen
* 2-inch sterile gauze pads (4-6)
* 4-inch sterile gauze pads (4-6)
* Triangular bandages (3)
* Non-prescription drugs such as Pain relievers, Anti-diarrhea medicines, Antacid, Syrup of Ipecac (used to induce vomiting with the advice of a Poison Control Center), Laxatives, Activated charcoal (used with advice from the Poison Control Center)
* Various roller bandages
* Scissors
* Tweezers
* Needle
* Moistened towelettes
* Antiseptic
* Thermometer
* Tongue blades (2)
* Tube of petroleum jelly or other lubricant
[*Max Note: I would add a pair of workgloves to this, if you need to move anything heavy and rough like a tree? Work gloves are your friend. Wow I am starting to feel like an episode of Burn Notice here.]TOOLS AND SUPPLIES
* Paper cups, plates, and plastic utensils
* Battery-operated radio and extra batteries
* Flashlight and extra batteries
* Cash or traveler’s checks
* Non-electric can opener or a utility knife
* Small fire extinguisher
* Pliers
* Tape [Max Note: Um, duct tape or electrical tape, not Christmas wrapping tape.]
* Matches in a waterproof container
* Aluminum foil
* Plastic storage containers
* Signal flare
* Paper, pencil
* Needles, thread
* Medicine dropper
* Wrench, to turn off gas and waterSANITATION
* Toilet paper
* Soap, liquid detergent
* Feminine supplies
* Plastic garbage bags and ties
* Plastic bucket with tight lid
* Disinfectant
* Household chlorine bleach
* Poop bags and scooper for pet wasteCLOTHING AND BEDDING
* Sturdy shoes or work boots (keep near your bed) [Max Note: The important thing is have some footwear sturdy or otherwise under the bed that will get you across glass, forget the workboots crap.]
* Rain gear
* Blankets or sleeping bags
* Warm clothing
* Sunglasses (keep your spare eyeglasses in the emergency kit, too.)
DOCUMENTS* Will, insurance policies, contracts deeds, stocks and bonds
* Passports, social security cards, immunization records
* Bank account numbers
* Credit card account numbers and companies
* Inventory of valuable household goods, important telephone numbers
* Family records (birth, marriage, death certificates)
**Remember to include special needs family members such as a baby or an older person might have. It is also good to store in a water proof plastic bag important family documents (passports, wills, medical records etc.) along with your earthquake survival kit.
SOURCE: Chronicle, American Red Cross, Disaster Preparedness Handbook, City of Berkeley
ADDITIONAL NOTES: Additional notes are Max notes.
quake
June 24, 2010
This is a re-post. Read it anyway —
There is a lot of fighting about the Triangle of Life because it contradicts the old Drop and Cover advice that has been in disaster pamphlets for a long long time [like a hundred years, seriously, with no updates] and used to be the only earthquake advice out there. That contradiction started a huge fight between different relief and disaster agencies whose organizers were all mostly pretty pissed off about that upstart Triangle of Life contradicting older more established Drop and Cover. [Oops.]
There has also been a lot of controversy surrounding the guy credited with coming up with Triangle of Life, Doug Copp.
That said, I think this is important and informative info about earthquake response and people should read it. Sorry, Drop and Cover.
EARTHQUAKE SURVIVAL “TRIANGLE OF LIFE”
— Doug Copp
My name is Doug Copp. I am the Rescue Chief and Disaster Manager of the American Rescue Team International (ARTI), the world’s most experienced rescue team. The information in this article will save lives in an earthquake.
I have crawled inside 875 collapsed buildings, worked with rescue teams from 60 countries, founded rescue teams in several countries, and I am a member of many rescue teams from many countries.
I was the United Nations expert in Disaster Mitigation for two years. I have worked at every major disaster in the world since 1985, except for simultaneous disasters.
The first building I ever crawled inside of was a school in Mexico City during the 1985 earthquake. Every child was under its desk. Every child was crushed to the thickness of their bones. They could have survived by lying down next to their desks in the aisles. It was obscene, unnecessary and I wondered why the children were not in the aisles. I didn’t at the time know that the children were told to hide under something.
Simply stated, when buildings collapse, the weight of the ceilings falling upon the objects or furniture inside crushes these objects, leaving a space or void next to them. This space is what I call the “triangle of life”. The larger the object, the stronger, the less it will compact. The less the object compacts, the larger the void, the greater the probability that the person who is using this void for safety will not be injured. The next time you watch collapsed buildings, on television, count the “triangles” you see formed. They are everywhere. It is the most common shape, you will see, in a collapsed building.
TIPS FOR EARTHQUAKE SAFETY
1] Most everyone who simply “ducks and covers” WHEN BUILDINGS COLLAPSE are crushed to death. People who get under objects, like desks or cars, are crushed.
2] Cats, dogs and babies often naturally curl up in the fetal position. You should too in an earthquake. It is a natural safety/survival instinct. You can survive in a smaller void. Get next to an object, next to a sofa, next to a large bulky object that will compress slightly but leave a void next to it.
3] Wooden buildings are the safest type of construction to be in during an earthquake. Wood is flexible and moves with the force of the earthquake. If the wooden building does collapse, large survival voids are created. Also, the wooden building has less concentrated, crushing weight. Brick buildings will break into individual bricks. Bricks will cause many injuries but less squashed bodies than concrete slabs.
4] If you are in bed during the night and an earthquake occurs, simply roll off the bed. A safe void will exist around the bed. Hotels can achieve a much greater survival rate in earthquakes, simply by posting a sign on The back of the door of every room telling occupants to lie down on the floor, next to the bottom of the bed during an earthquake.
5] If an earthquake happens and you cannot easily escape by getting out the door or window, then lie down and curl up in the fetal position next to a sofa, or large chair.
6] Most everyone who gets under a doorway when buildings collapse is killed. How? If you stand under a doorway and the doorjamb falls forward or backward you will be crushed by the ceiling above. If the door jam falls sideways you will be cut in half by the doorway. In either case, you will be killed!
7] Never go to the stairs. The stairs have a different “moment of frequency” (they swing separately from the main part of the building). The stairs and remainder of the building continuously bump into each other until structural failure of the stairs takes place. The people who get on stairs before they fail are chopped up by the stair treads – horribly mutilated. Even if the building doesn’t collapse, stay away from the stairs. The stairs are a likely part of the building to be damaged. Even if the stairs are not collapsed by the earthquake, they may collapse later when overloaded by fleeing people. They should always be checked for safety, even when the rest of the building is not damaged.
8] Get Near the Outer Walls Of Buildings Or Outside Of Them If Possible – It is much better to be near the outside of the building rather than the interior. The farther inside you are from the outside perimeter of the building the greater the probability that your escape route will be blocked.
9] People inside of their vehicles are crushed when the road above falls in an earthquake and crushes their vehicles; which is exactly what happened with the slabs between the decks of the Nimitz Freeway. The victims of the San Francisco earthquake all stayed inside of their vehicles. They were all killed. They could have easily survived by getting out and sitting or lying next to their vehicles. Everyone killed would have survived if they had been able to get out of their cars and sit or lie next to them. All the crushed cars had voids 3 feet high next to them, except for the cars that had columns fall directly across them.
10] I discovered, while crawling inside of collapsed newspaper offices and other offices with a lot of paper, that paper does not compact. Large voids are found surrounding stacks of paper.
*do your own research and see what you think, we just had another quake in so cal so i thought it might be good to post*if you live in quake country and do not know :::museum putty::: is your friend you should
hollywood get together
June 15, 2010
July 11th yay! —
Pitching a Movie Script — Meetup with Max Adams
Sunday, July 11th, 6 pm to 7 pm
Neon Venus Art Theatre
7023 Melrose Avenue
Hollywood, CA 90038
310-428-4236After there will be much mingling and socializing. Yay!
For more info and/or to RSVP go here: :::RSVP:::
If you are in L.A. you should come by. Do :::rsvp::: though. It is not a huge place, if you wait too long you might not get in.
the correct way to lick a bowl
June 15, 2010
*where that puppy came from :
my friend bonnie sent that to me
cancel scriptwriters network
June 11, 2010
I am —
Withdrawing from the June 12 Scriptwriters Network
Nicholl Fellowship Panel.Sorry about that. Let’s catch up at the July 11 Neon
Theatre :::hollywood meetup::: instead.
when bp spills coffee
June 10, 2010
This is genius.
when books come to life
June 9, 2010
This is awesome.
