I am awfully quick to give advice about screenwriting in this blog. And some people actually accept it. The funny thing is that none of those people have ever read any of my scripts! They might have seen one of my films, but, with a finished film, it is difficult to say who contributed what. Therefore, to help people decide whether my writing advice is any good, I am posting some pages for your pleasure and perusal.
Inspired by the three-page challenges on the Scriptnotes podcast by John August and Craig Mazin, I have decided to post the opening of some of my scripts in a series of blogs. However, rather than three pages, I am going with five pages because I feel that will provide a more accurate appraisal of my writing and the stories. I am not posting the scripts of any of my produced films. That would be complicated legally since those scripts now belong to their respective production companies. Nor am I posting any script currently under option for the same reason. These scripts are either new or part of my back catalog. Some are ready to be pitched. Others need a little polishing. But you can read the first five pages now.
The 4 Sided Triangle is one of many scripts I wrote with my friend director Lee Bonner, who ultimately co-wrote and directed my first produced feature 21 Eyes. When I met Lee Bonner, he was a top commercial director and a budding director of episodic primetime dramas. He had also been an RCA recording artist with his band The Lafayettes. Their most famous song was Life's Too Short. Here it is:
The band was more popular abroad than it was in the United States. The Beatles used to cover Lee's song Nobody But You during their days in the clubs. (Paul sang it.) I remember reading an interview with Robert Plant where he mentioned another one of their recordings. I immediately called Lee and told him about it. Lee's response: "Who's Robert Plant?"
Despite Lee's lack of familiarity with the lead singer of Led Zeppelin, I was excited to write with him because he is a talented filmmaker and always a pleasure to hang out with. I am revisiting The 4 Sided Triangle because it came dangerously close to being made once upon a time.
The first script Lee and I wrote together, West Rhodes, was set predominately on boats on the Chesapeake Bay and deemed too expensive to produce independently. We wrote The 4 Sided Triangle as a lower cost alternative. When we completed it, a possible SAG strike was looming and everyone was trying to get in one last film. We were going to do it if we could get Christopher Walken for the leading role of Bobby, the obsessive dance instructor at the art college. (He would have been perfect!) Walken read the script and agreed to do it. However, at the last minute, we didn't pull the trigger. Lee had an idea for a spy thriller, that could only star Michael Caine, he wanted to pursue instead. So bye-bye to The 4 Sided Triangle. However, we lifted the two lead detectives from this script and made them the lead characters in 21 Eyes.
Here's the logline:
The 4 Sided Triangle is a sexy thriller embroiling Bobby, the naughty professor with an insatiable itch for his female students; Libby, the teachers latest pet; Dylan, the talented male dancer overlooked once too often; and Jimmy, the homicide detective who falls for Libby while investigating the brutal slaying of Bobby's former protégé. The trouble is: Four is one too many in a romantic triangle.Here are the first five pages:
I hope you enjoyed those first five pages. Here's the trailer for the film we made together:
You can read about the making of the film here:
21 Eyes, A History, Part 1
21 Eyes, A History, Part 2
21 Eyes, A History, Part 3
21 Eyes, A History, Part 4
21 Eyes, About That Nude Scene....
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 2, The House
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 3, This Is Us
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 4, Arrival
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 5, Methodology
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 6, Clara's Tale, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 7, Clara's Tale, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 8, My Tale, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 9, My Tale, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 10, My Tale, Pt. 3
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 11, Natalia's Tale, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 12, Natalia's Tale, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 13, John's Tale, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 14, John's Tale, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 15, Come Inside!
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 16, Marion's Tale, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 17, Marion's Tale, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 18, Jeanne's Tale, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 19, Jeanne's Tale, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 20, Lisa's Tale
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 21, Recap, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 22, Recap, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 23, Recap, Pt. 3
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