ideas

over the weekend i took time to re-read a couple screenplay writing books i've had for years. the curious thing about every screenplay book i've picked up is that they all describe the same structure for narrative films, which is: 30 pages of act one, 60 pages of act two, and 30 pages of act three, each page corresponding to roughly one minute on screen. act one and act two are punctuated by "plot points" near their end which turn the movie in a new direction, either towards conflict in act one or resolution in act two. i remember the first time i saw this formula and how i thought, "that is so lame." i couldn't believe that all my beloved feature films followed this structure. but, in fact, almost all of them do. apparently this structure derives from vaudeville, which early films imitated, and is partially what we expect and love when we go to see a feature film.

feeling rich with possibility from sucking up so much advice over the weekend, last night i suddenly felt overwhelmed. i was thinking things like, "how do you even start?" "where do the ideas come from?" i ought to know by now, having created my whole life, but it seems i'm forever susceptible to this "blank canvas" panic. perhaps one just has to get used to it. but, this morning i thought, wait, i take notes all the time with my camera. it's kind of my idea catcher. so, voila, a hundred ideas poured into my head. fear is the gatekeeper.