Surprising Myself

Sometimes you get those reminders that you’re on the right path when you’re not expecting it.

I had a meeting that went so well that I impressed myself by some of the comments from an industry heavy-weight. But before I could let out a heavy sigh of relief I was back rewriting and taking suggestive notes for the next draft of my script which was the focus of this meeting.

I love storytelling and this just reminds me of how much of a collaborative effort it is. Getting that research for a story helps so much with the technical aspects but nothing compares to having a seasoned pro give to notes on tempo and other subtleties that no manuel or google page can help you find the answers for.

Some of the best advice I got a few years back was to collect all the information on a subject as if I was about to write a master’s thesis on the universe of that topic. Read it over as many times as I possibly could when forming the basic points of a story/episode/feature. Then, when it came to actually fleshing the outline and giving the story substance put all that research away. Knowing that world in depth, and having that subconscious knowledge, will bring out new and exciting twists without having to push for a turn.

We all know when someone’s pushing for an emotion but letting it form freely gives a much better, and sometimes surprising, reaction.

Oh, and a quick note. Check out my friend Mark & Stephanie’s episode of “Flashpoint” this Friday at 9pm on CTV & CBS. Or if you miss it, the episode is called “Last Dance” on iTunes.