The Joy of First Drafts
A Fraggle Rock update: Script writing is rolling along. Fraggle comedy and action ensues.
Writing is tough. It's bringing something to life out of thin air, and that blank page can be daunting. Different writers work different ways. For me personally, my favorite part is the first draft. I can be sloppy, I can be long in page count, and I can write FAST. And I have the need for speed. It's "getting the clay on the wheel," as I like to say.I can't give any details about the Fraggle Rock script, but here's how it's going: I have blasted off into my wonderful free-fall of first draft, and have about fifty pages done. Part of the freedom to write (for me) comes from a very nailed-down outline. The outline for Fraggle Rock is extensive, around seventeen pages. It is the product of many meetings with the Henson and Weinstein folks, and has every little story beat we could think of. The outline as been picked at, beat up, and shot at for any major problems. So now I have the freedom to lock myself in my laboratory and create, knowing that I am working from a road map that everyone has signed off on.
Of course, new twists and turns will present themselves as I write; things will be discovered off the beaten path of the outline. That's inevitable. But when the studio has signed off on an outline, I am LESS likely to turn in a draft that surprises them (in a bad way).
I'm having a lot of fun. I just finished my first action scene (yes, there WILL be action scenes!), and am cracking some decent jokes. It's hard to create jokes for Fraggles, since they have no pop culture references whatsoever. That's probably a good thing... that means I have a better chance of creating a timeless movie (If I see one more cute iconic character ruined by "Shrekking It Up" for easy jokes, I'm going to go postal).
Gobo, Red and the gang say "Hi."
posted by Cory Edwards at 11:09 AM
17 Comments:
Best News I Have Heard In Ages, Can't Wait To See It & Hopefully You Do The Great Jim Henson Proud!
Hello, Dublin! Thanks... and thanks for the link!
Hi ya thanks a million for comments and hello to you in LA LA Land and hello to the Fraggles wherever they are hiding, I'm not sure if you know this but over in Ireland Fraggle Rock is like an institution over here and still like crazy popular so there is alot of people very very happy to hear bout the film.
No word of a lie its not unusal to be in a pub over here and at end of night last song to be played is the fraggle theme tune and everyone goes nuts and sings along, good times lol! I hope Sprocket will be in the film!
Ah, if only I could learn the joy of the first draft. The blank page is the tough one -- after that, I fully get ya.
Keep on truckin'.
-Sean
I agree that the "Shrekking" must end and that a timeless flick would be great. There is little doubt in my mind that you're going to do an incredible job with this.
(By the way, the hilarious post that vanished gives me great confidence that your sense of humor is as sharp as ever. Made me slap my wooden knee, and we all know how painful that can be...)
D'oh! I just realized that's two comments I've made in a row with the "painful" line.
Wish I could delete that. Well, just think of it as a "first draft" kind of comment... :D
Dude, you're reading my mind. Pop-culture references and the creative process. Sounds like you're diving into the script in a Fragglish way. Fraggles have their own roadmaps for structure and go nuts within that structure. Right on.
Yay! Good shtuff! Yeah, lest us have no pop-culture refrences... every animated/kids movie I see advertised, makes me roll my eyes in pure agony... the humor is just not "classic" enough.
Way to go, Cory!
Will the Fraggles be redisigned in any way? Maybe more articulation and some slight color alterations and more detail?
I mean no offense by this, but didn't you, "shrek it up" in Hoodwinked?
Hehe, that's a good question, Annonymous Daniel. I guess that all depends on what is meant by "shrekking it up." Maybe Cory will 'splain....What you think he means by that expression?
I actually did like Shrek, by the way (although I liked Shrek2 more). I think I'm just ready now for something more classic and less "crass-ic." :D
"I recently blogged about Hoodwinked again here".
Daniel:
To address the term "Shrekking it up:"
By that, I mean going for very current pop culture references, taking a mean, modern tone, or going for crass innuendo and poop jokes. We tried to make "Hoodwinked" distinctly different from "Shrek."
(check out this old blog: http://coryscuriosities.blogspot.com/search?q=shrek)
You may still feel "Hoodwinked" shares a lot with "Shrek," but it owes more to Bugs Bunny, Jay Ward's "Fractured Fairytales," and any Muppet send-up of a common tale.
And no characters throw up on someone or kick them in the crotch in my movie.
But if you still think there's a lot of "Shrekking" in "Hoodwinked," I can understand that. It's not the first time I've heard it... and it's one of the reasons I am not directing "Hoodwinked 2."
I am thrilled to see that this movie is being made...I am a huge fan of the series and can't wait to see what you all come up with! When is the movie expected to be released and will it be released in theaters or just staight to DVD?
sohbet
good information thank you
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I am so surprised that a movie is being done! I was a huge fan of the series when I was little, back in the early 80s. Right now, I'm sitting in our living room, watching the 1st season on DVD with my little son (well, actually, I'm watching it because he's only 5 months old). :) When I first read about the movie on another website (a few minutes ago!), I was extremely dissappointed - hollywood has a way of destroying nostalgia by trying to "update" it with crude jokes, pop culture, and the like. I'd be very, very dissappointed in any Jim Hansen project that showed the muppets as dumbed down pop creatures. The original series was brilliant, profound insights into life were handled very well, and it had enough depth to entertain adults. The original series didn't need pop "jokes". Fraggles had their own sense of humor. Why change the formula?
I wish you the best of luck with your writing!
whoops... i meant to say, shows the "Fraggles" as dumbed down pop creatures, not "muppets".
Kermit, Piggy, and Gonzo are perfectly fine holding the coin as pop jokesters. :)
As a hobbyist screenwriter and big fan of Fraggle Rock, I'd love to get a look at this script.
I know I wouldn't be able to see it now; that's fine. However, would there be a way for me to get a copy after the movie has come out?
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