Tips for…um…what the…just a second…oh…tackling Writer’s Block.

It happens to anyone who writes. For those who earn a living or simply one who writes simply because it’s something that they love to do. Like a octopus it seems like it will never let go once it’s locked on, and like a shark it’s ready to attack when you least expect it.

This voracious denizen of destruction and no little annoyance is called Writer’s Block! (WB)

Yeah that thing that rears it’s head when you least need it to, especially when you’re approaching a deadline. Often you’re writing merrily along not a care in the world and then                    !

That’s right,                 !

______ at all!

Nothing at all!

If you have notes they suddenly look like they’re written in Klingon, your imagination feels like a boring bomb just went off. This is entirely not like you, yet it happens to each and every one of us. And if it hasn’t…just you wait.

So here’s a few handy things you can do when beset by the dreaded WB blues.

1. Do NOT Panic. Seriously don’t, panic gets you nowhere other than all the more frustrated that you are suffering from or through WB. Also if you are on a timeline you cannot afford to panic, if things have to be delivered to a schedule panic will just make things worse. You have to sit back and look at things objectively, contact the people who are waiting for your work and make sure they know what’s going on.

Terminating Batman at the Salvation Army Store

So the other day I decided to walk around town a little bit more than usual and anyone who knows me is fully aware that I walk around town a LOT. However yesterday was a little bit different in that I ended up at the local Salvation Army Store- the one in Redlands California is more like a Antiques repository but on the right it still has DVD’s, Video/PC Games, Comic Books and Collectables…and Music CD’s. I actually went in to look at the DVD’s as they are priced to move and often have a good selection of films that I’ve wanted to see and have never been able to.

Aeon Flux caught my eye right away, it had a strong chance of being picked because it ticked all the right boxes for the kind of film I wanted to experience. However in the end I found myself kneeling in front of the CD rack and looking very carefully at the titles for anything I might like. It turns out there ended being two items that grabbed my attention…well to be honest 3, but when I opened the first one I found the dreaded stolen/missing disc staring at me. So I handed it to one of the workers to get it out of circulation.

Has Justin Lin Put Himself Back Into the Running for Terminator 5 Director?

Justin Lin has directed every movie in the Fast and Furious series since he came on board for Tokyo Drift and arguably with each film he has crafted a greater and more powerful and robust piece of entertainment. Fast 5 was the first in the series I took the time to see in theaters since Rob Cohen’s The Fast and the Furious. And as a film it blended high octane car racing with the heist film for absolutely nutty amounts of fun, the ending chase is action heaven.

Now Justin is putting the finishing touches on Fast 6 which will be by all indications even more fun and spectacular than Fast 5. Universal wants to get going right now on Fast 7 and that’s forced Justin Lin to drop out of the directing gig ostensibly because he doesn’t want to be in Post Production on one film while being in Pre-Production on the next simultaneously. I can’t fault him for that, and though it’s a shame that we won’t get to see him complete his planned Fast and Furious arc we will get to see Fast 7 coming down the pipe very very soon as Universal Pictures is apparently talking to Director James Wan to fill the directors chair.

This leads to my question: this move once again opens up the possibility of Lin signing on as director of the long gestating Terminator 5. Will rights owner Megan Ellison seek him out? The script is currently being written and Justin Lin has shown interest in directing the 5th film in the past.

Superbowl Coverage: Some thoughts on the Ravens, 49ers…and the Refs.

Introduction

As a 49ers fan I have to say that it was a very exciting game. We could’ve done without digging ourselves a huge hole. We could’ve done much worse than making the amazing comeback that we did. To loose by 3 points to an excellent squad like the Ravens is nothing to be ashamed of- and if it had been all a the hands of the Ravens I wouldn’t have an issue with the loss at all.

This is not about the Ravens, making that clear, the Ravens played an excellent game. They gutted it out…held on…and won.

However they also benefited from some blown calls, in fact I think they were the beneficiaries of 90 percent of the blown calls.

The Calls/Non-Calls

We have a running into the kicker call on the Ravens that netted a 5 yard penalty… that could easily have been a  roughing the kicker call leading to a first down and extended drive that could’ve netted 7 points…instead of a made retake of the field goal.

Terminator 5: Dawn of The New Screenwriters!

The Terminator (soundtrack) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It’s with a somewhat heavy heart that I write this official Terminator 5 news update as it means that I’ll no longer have to defend Ferris and Brancato on another Terminator script. Seriously though this news both excites me and bums me out since I spent a good deal of last year working on securing this very project.

However I’m also happy since that means Laeta Kalogridis  (Avatar/Shutter Island/Alexander) and Patrick Lussier (Wes Craven’s Dracula/My Bloody Valentine/Drive Angry (Writer and Director) are going to be the ones to receive any blow back from the fans if the film under performs.

It’s and interesting duo that’s for certain however I know that Terminator rights holder Megan Ellison isn’t into making stupid decisions. She is after all behind such awesome films as Zero Dark Thirty and The Master and is very serious about making great use of the Terminator name.

This is someone I fully trust to know what they’re doing.

Apparently the Laeta/Lussier was combo writing a SF original for David Ellisons’ Skydance Productions and was so impressed with it that he landed them the Terminator job.

More news as it breaks.

Ross Out.

Related articles

• Laeta Kalogridis and Patrick Lussier to Pen New TERMINATOR Movie (collider.com)
• Laeta Kalogridis And Patrick Lussier Set To Script New ‘Terminator’ (deadline.com)
• Laeta Kalogridis And Patrick Lussier Set To Script New ‘Terminator’ (m.deadline.com)
• New ‘Terminator’ Film Gets A Pair Of Screenwriters (screencrave.com)
• ‘Shutter Island’ and ‘Drive Angry’ Writers Tapped For ‘Terminator 5′ (slashfilm.com)
• ‘Terminator 5′ Gains New Screenwriters (screenrant.com)

Rewriting Made Easier- Terminator Connor Chronicles

There are a total of 7 people on the writing staff of Terminator: The Connor Chronicles (T:TCC) I think that’s a grand number, it’s also the number of perfection so I suggest we leave well enough alone on that point. However how does writing work with a seven person team, or to be more specific how does re-writing work?

Screenplay (Photo credit: Matt-Richards)

Let me share with you a few things that I took into my first re-write so that you can understand how the process works.

First of all while the latest update at the main page Terminator: The Connor Chronicles says that I’m the 2nd writer on the series, (and I do truly feel humbled by that), I am in fact the most recent hire. I’m coming into a project where we have first drafts written for 90 percent of the episodes, in other words other writers have poured their time, energy, effort, and writing skills into these scripts. Which leads to my first rule of rewriting especially of other peoples work.

Treat the draft with respect.

I’m Now a Writer for Terminator: The Connor Chronicles!

This site now generally is a place for posting whatever movie/television/music news not to mention gaming videos that I

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Season 1 (Photo credit: halilgokdal)

find interesting or make myself. However one look at the title in the address bar reveals that the primary reason I made this blog was to talk and discuss Terminator related items and articles. I’m so very happy to be doing that again, as I’m pleased to announce that I was approached by a friend, and welcomed by a new friend to be part of Terminator: The Connor Chronicles (T:TCC)!

Some of you may be asking yourselves what is T:TCC. I will lightly touch upon a few things here but you can follow this link to find out much much more. Terminator: The Connor Chronicles!

1. It’s a unofficial, non profit, CGI continuation of  Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles.
2. Over 4o big time fans are hard at work to bring the universe back to life. 
3. I am part of the writing team working hard to bring an excellent story line to tip top shape.

I’m currently hard at work writing a new draft of Episode 3 and it’s coming along very nicely indeed.

To say this was unexpected is an understatement, I knew very little about T:TCC through the first friend listed above before hand- as she mentioned in passing months ago that she was doing voice acting for a Terminator related project. I never once thought I would end up writing on said project, but I’ve very glad I am.

This year has been full of Terminator surprises and to be honest it’s a great way to cap off the year….though having a killer interview with Verizon this Thursday would make it even better.

So keep watching this space…within the next few days I’ll be writing a post about how I have approached re-writing on the project and there will be other articles in the future about Terminator: The Connor Chronicles.

Catch you on the flipside!

Ross

Terminator 3: Final Retribution Sketches

Way back in 1999 I with the help of a good friend released my Terminator fan script Terminator 3: Final Retribution (T3:FR)onto the internet. The site went through a number it iterations including hosting through two different services, a liquid metal logo animation, message boards and even a Future War set written Terminator RPG.

We advertised the script as…”The Fan script fit for the big screen!“

You can still find on of the old sites on the internet to this day, it features artwork by another friend, Terminator short fiction and who knows you might even be able to still read the script online! If not you can download it from Terminator Files- They have absurdly detailed files! look under Scripts.

On top of that just like my inspiration in screenwriting Jim Cameron would draw artwork I also did some drawings as as part of the Digital Restoration Project I’m going to upload some artwork that I did around the time of the website release. So prepare to be Terminated by mediocre artwork as we travel back to 1999!

In T3:FR I wrote a direct follow up to Terminator 2: Judgment Day in which General Connor came back through time to protect himself and stop Skynet from two Automated Personell EXterminator Terminator units sent back through time by Skynet to kill off John Connor in the past. Here is a sketch of Apex One based on a certain actor.

“I am cold and unforgiving on the inside.”

After the break meet his female counterpart and find more art from 1999′s Terminator 3: Final Retribution!

And Now On Kickstarter…The Thief in The Night!

For the better part of a year now I’ve been rather busy that’s why there have been fewer updates here at Ruminations of RossBondReturns. Well it’s time to let you all know what has been consuming my time and it is a Independent Film called The Thief in The Night.

The film is still in active production and we are still filming scenes and recording dialogue and doing all the nitty gritty things that need to be done in order to make a complete film experience. More than 17 dedicated and hard working individuals have donated their time and skills to make The Thief in The Night into a project on the verge of completion.

However we need your help,

Let’s Play: Hatch 18: Chapter One- Forgotten Passenger

The makers of CUBE are back with the first chapter of the second slice of their Other-Life Series entitled Hatch 18. The have chosen to release their second Half-Life 2: Episode 2 mod in a chapter by chapter basis. You can download chapter one and track the further development of the mod here:Hatch 18 on Moddb

I’ve sat down and recorded a Let’s Play of Chapter One which as far as I know goes through to the end, if not I’ve still got some discovering to do!

Give it a test run before Black Mesa hits on the 14th!

Ross Out.