I couldn't believe I produced a whole page of script on the #tmtwngm screenplay project by the imaginary deadline I created for myself. It is very simple to follow. Basically, because the scenes I write are usually no longer than sequences, they're very similar in length to SNL skits.
Deadline is 11:30PM Eastern
This scenario might even make for a good skit in itself. The premise is what if SNL was short of skits and all of their writers were blocked? Would they all get drunk trying to spark creativity? Would they scour the web for people like me who upload scenes on line for the general public to read?
I even formatted my stylesheet to make updates to my blog easy to format like a screenplay (without typing on my typewriter and scanning the hard copies into the computer for uploading to lj as image files.)
Example
INT. TRAIN - NIGHTTraveling at 85MPH, people walk funny as they make their way thru the passenger train cars and into the dining area.
How many in your party?
(HOARSLEY) One.
Where typing is concerned, it's a whole lot easier just using the tab button to advance the carrier to the proper indention point and start typing dialog, direction, character names, etc. The main inconvenience is accessing my typewriter. Laptop is easier to carry around, and less noisy. Then there's an app for my iOS device I recently discovered. It's called untitled.
What I like about this app is that, theoretically, a writer could just write freestyle (without formatting scenes in movie script style) and the app is supposed to format it like a screenplay when you preview it either in PDF format or application's own 'preview' viewer. Crazy, huh? I haven't been able to use the app without thinking in terms of formatting; in other words, I still do this:
INT. APARTMENT - DAY
I suppose printing would be easier than exporting and sharing to a blog, but I simply keep my phone next to my typewriter and transcribe directly from it to paper on my manual typewriter. It gives me a chance to edit a few words I might have chosen in haste, and shorten other areas for brevity. Printing directly from the app might look a lot better than the faded ink ribbon my typewriter uses, but at least it's refined from the opportunity of having a second look at what's been written.
So, I'm trying to make time in my busy schedule to produces sequences which I can upload to my blog.
blanketsin dot com
But now I've limited who can and cannot view my #tmtwngm updates to screenwriting group members. Of which I think there is only one and it isn't me or an alternate account I've created. It's far fetched that SNL would be so hard up for material that they would resort to such a thing, but I'm concerned that I've blocked my sometimes NSFW updates to a select few (of one) so much so that adding new friends requesting access by commenting will be accepted no questions asked. Plagiarism be damned.
I don't have cable anymore
I can't really tune in to the first broadcast of SNL. Here in the west coast, SNL aires at 8:30PM. Time Warner/Spectrum sabotaged my set-up so that the new cable box/DVR displays snow and digitally obscured TV screens everytime I turn on my TV. I had to restart the DVR each time I wanted to watch TV, so I cancelled my subscription. What I should've done was cancelled the whole thing, Internet included; but that would be excessive. Internet isn't all that great either. On-demand movies are constantly being interrupted with pauses and requiring backing out of the film and restarting it.
So now I have to wait until Sunday to check if Hulu has SNL's recent episode. I think it only takes a day. It might be interesting to calculate the exact time it takes for Hulu to offer live broadcasts. It's bad enough paying for Hulu doesn't eliminate commercials. How does a streaming organization get away with delaying a live broadcast too?