Free Love...

I've found that with Free Love in Utopia, I'm writing a delightfully weird script. Since I didn't have time to plot out each and every scene, it's making a few turns that I didn't expect. I don't know if I'd recommend this as a course of action, but hey, this is the last 434 script I'll write at UCLA. I'm going to use my last quarter to rewrite two scripts: Free Love and The Bestsellers. The idea is to make sure they're tight when I send them out. I think the biggest mistake folks in film school make is send out their scripts when they're not ready. And honestly, now that I think about it, I really wish I hadn't sent out MEN OF THEIR TIMES to the folks who read about it in Variety. It wasn't ready, but you're excited when someone wants to see it. But, you live and learn, and no harm done.

Anyway, I have a breakfast meeting tomorrow morning, and I'm almost done with the second act of Free Love. The idea is to write a script between 95-100 pages. Not one page more. Last week, I gave The Yardies script a read, and realized that it came out to 112 pages. As Whitney would say, hell to the no. I could EASILY cut ten pages out without a worry. I just may do it. The chairman of our department, Richard Walter, likes to say that you must learn to love to cut stuff out. That is what I like to do. I love to cut. In fact, it's damn near orgasmic (not really, but you know, as a writer) to cut out words that makes my script tighter. Anyway, the progress meter is broken, but I'm at page 51. I'm going to finish the second act tonight and then see if I can finish the script by the end of the weekend. Also due this weekend, SECRETS & LIVES. I need to format it correctly and finish doing the third draft.