Buddy, you can be really profound. I really appreciate your insight into the workings of these stories.
I can’t tell if you guys aren’t really acting, or if you’re making the lines up, or if the lines are just that dialed in on paper, or if there is a natural chemistry at work mixed with gifted ad lib , or a comfort zone from being at home or what, but when it clicks I sense the right info, emphasis and amount of words creating a melody over the rhythm of shots.
We are acting and I'm very lucky that Sheila is just a natural. In her case, she has a knack for knowing what feels right and what doesn't. (It also says so in her astrological chart.) She had never studied acting or the arts, though she was a successful chef, who liked watching movies. When we got married (in 98'), I asked her to act in
ETERNAL and
ROADKILL and was really amazed by what I was seeing out of a first timer!
SCREAMIN' DEMON was written out. As for
CONTINGENCY PLAN, it's funny that the story comes off so well, since I wrote it around the strafing and dummy shots, as seen in the
other thread, from IndieMeet. I knew how it ended - she blows up, but now I had to come up with some back story. I told Sheila about the "short term memory" and "bomb in the head" bits, then we just worked the details out. Nothing was written down and it was put together, quickly. We did talk it out and rehearsed the opening scenario. When I do come up with a story, I like to come back to previous references, like "Dr. Hindlick." With that kind of gruesome finale, I thought it would be funny to have him call.
If you haven't seen it, check out
THREE STRIPE. Sheila got "Best Acting," from that year's 48 Hour Film project.
Mildly amusing is
A BIT OF A FALLING OUT. I prefer the action of the other flicks, but it might be worth a look.