* Thomas Emmet *

Script for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly can be downloaded here.
This will be the first time I read a script before I watch the film. I can imagine this was a fairly tough film to write so it will be interesting to see how it appears from paper to screen…

Thought this might be worth putting out there. An interesting outfit that provides workshops and coaching for all that aspire to join the world of film-making…worth a look…http://visionpictures.org

Paul Thomas Anderson’s fantastic film THERE WILL BE BLOOD. Remarkably shot and with steady-paced acting. Daniel Day Lewis is frightening.

Sympathy towards Daniel Plainview is invoked in the first scenes where we are treated to the dialogue-free sequence where Daniel Plainview is only starting to build his empire. He breaks bones and rock. It looks like back-breaking work. It looks never-ending. But you don’t want it to end.

The screenplay makes for great reading and can be down loaded HERE

One of my most favourite films and one of the most ground-breaking of its time. 2001 started off life as a slightly different script. Written in 1965 it meandered slightly towards being a different film. Its a great one to read for anyone struggling with the descriptive parts of their scripts. Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke’s made monkeys dance like no one else. The script can be read and downloaded here

There is something Washington-like about this shot. I took it with an old and grubby, germ-riddled FED-2 (Leica replica) with B&W film in Dublin’s Phoenix Park. Happy with the photo it lead to me deliberately shoe-horning Phoenix Park into a script Im working on at the moment.

The winning plays will be broadcast through the month of July 2010 on Sunday Playhouse (RTÉ Radio 1, Sundays 8pm).
“New Manchego” (by myself) made the shortlist but not the final three. Looking forward to hearing the winning entries – they have great titles for sure.
Excerpts were played on the Arena radio show (Friday 4th June… You can listen to the podcasts HERE)

1. “GRENADES” by Tara McKevitt – Winner (€3000)

2. “THE QUIET WILLOUGHBYS” by Neil Flynn – Runner up (€2000)

3. “THE EULOGY OF HARRY BROGAN” by Alan Archbold
Second runner up (€1000)

The RTE PJ O’ Connor Radio Drama Awards 2010: The 55 minute play New Manchego (by myself) made the shortlist.

An excerpt – from the first couple of lines of dialogue:

1. PIUS NOLAN You’re late Cicero.

2. CICERO BOYLE Sorry Pius, my good man. I had some painting supplies to purchase.

3. PIUS NOLAN Ah yes, for this unending task of painting one May Crosthwaite! (LOWERS VOICE, HUSHED) You’d want to watch yourself and ensure her husband doesn’t find out about your involvement with each other.

4. CICERO BOYLE He wouldn’t even notice. He never notices her.

This is my favourite part of writing – putting Post-Its (or Stickies – depending on your brand allegiance) all over a wall and mapping out a plot. It is probably the best way to do it – no computer programme can replace it. (Although I couldn’t live without a computer to tell me how many tabs in the parenthetical goes).
It’s true that the Word Processors and computers have increased the fluidity of writing scripts but I still can’t stand them…