Blueprints and Refried Movies

So Blogger has been asking me to switch my blog over to their new, improved version for some time now and I finally did because it was the last chance I'd have to do it. And once I had I found that I had about 16 comments waiting to be aproved. There was a little icon letting me know. I had forgotten I set it up so that comments have to be approved. And all this time I thought you people didn't care but you like me! You really like me! Or...well...at least you don't hate me. So sorry to all of you that I sent those nasty messages to. It was my own fault. Just like most of my other problems.

I started at my internship for a very cool production company in the city. I don't know if I should tell you the name...well alright. It's Tribeca Productions. I know I promised you all I'd give you the inside scoop on what goes on behind the silver screen but right now I'm going to have to disappoint you because it's all so damn cool. It's a great building. I could work in an office forever if it's as nicely designed and friendly as this one. Everyone I've met is fairly young and well dressed but not in a pretentious way. They seem very friendly. My first day I had to go to Magnolia Bakery to pick up so cupcakes for a gift. MMMMMM. It's goood. Maybe not the best in the world or anything but still good and sugary.

I got to read the script for the movie we're going into production on in March. It's pretty good. I liked it alright. The strange thing about reading scripts though is that not everything is given to the reader. I'm used to reading fiction and in fiction most everything is described for you. You generally understand the motive of the person, even if you don't know what their tea tastes like as they sip it and pulverize their assistant. In movies too, you are given most of the information. You can read the actors' faces and get an idea of where they're coming from. Or their clothes and understand what this character is supposed to be. Reading a script is more like reading a blueprint. You can look at all the outlines and get an idea for what the finished product will be but you aren't sure what color they'll paint the walls or where they'll hang the pictures. And you start to think of it as a fairly blank, bland building and forget about things like interior design and personal choices. You need to think of it like a blueprint but when you're used to looking at the finished product it's hard to readjust.
So, I was reading the script and not knowing who would play what role or what that actor would do with a certain line and it is very hard to get an idea of what is good in terms of scripts or not. I don't really know what producers look for when they read a script trying to decide whether or not to make it into a movie. If I had to do that right now I wouldn't have picked this movie, necessarily. Nothing is wrong with it, I can tell that much, but it doesn't grab my attention all that much. It's a complicated business I'm starting to see. I can tell when something's bad but not when it's good. I can tell when a finished movie is going to be good or not but being able to tell what will be good seems much trickier. I guess that could be why such crap is made. At least, that might be one of the reasons. The other being the need to make money off of refried stories.