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.

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.

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,

Awesome New Skyfall Theater Standee!! New Bond Teaser!!

So today I went to see The Dark Knight Rises with a very good friend of mine with whom I do voice work for his podcast. And lo and behold what do I see from outside the theater as I’m waiting for the B.O. to open but a new standee for the new James Bond film SKYFALL starring Daniel Craig and directed by Sam Mendes. Needless to say this puppy is freaking badass!

Below are a few photographs some taken inside and a few from outside. Once The Expendables 2 is out of the way I expect they’ll be moving it into the place where the TE2 standee is but it is very visible from outside the theater.

Later this week I will be returning to take some pictures later in the evening to try and get some from outside sans all the reflections but here’s a few shots that i took just hours ago.

Also a new Teaser for Skyfall premiered during the opening ceremony for the Olympic Games last night and here it is courtesy of youtube:

I am so stoked! Fixing his cufflink at the end of the teaser there is so 007!

Ross Out!

CUBE Let’s Play- Part One of the Other-World Trilogy

I’ll be posting some of my gaming vids from time to time.

Today I’m going to post the first vid from my Let’s Play CUBE.

CUBE is a Modification of Half-Life 2 Episode 2 set in an Alternate Universe that nevertheless crosses over into the Half-Life/Portal Universes we know and love. It is abundantly clear that a huge amount of effort has been taken to produce a game play experience that rivals the A-List titles is is a modification of- it is excellent, flat out excellent!

It is also one of THREE modifications based in this OTHER LIFE universe. The other two are OTHER LIFE which they’re just getting going on and HATCH 18 (Which they’ve released a Demo for already.)

These can be found by searching at Moddb.com.

Hatch 18 Demo Only
Other-LifeEarly Development
CUBE ModPlay it NOW!

This series is truly going to be something special. I implore you not to play the Hatch 18 demo before finishing CUBE- because CUBE sets up the world and Hatch 18 continues it.

Happy Gaming!

Ross Out

Pilot order for Bob From Corporate

This just in and hot of the presses SyFy is in the process of developing a pilot for a new sci-fi series currently titled Bob from Corporate.

James Middleton, who worked on the axed way too soon Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles and Jamie Paglia are on as Executive Producers. Currently not much is know about the show other than the following:

Corporate is a secret government organization that investigates strange scientific incidents and goings on. The groups leader is a strong personality whose stance on morality could be considered to be detrimental. And he likes to blow stuff up (so we’d get along swimmingly).

Sounds like fun they’ll be more news as it’s available.

Ross Out.

Black Mesa is About to DROP!

Oh my goodness!

Image via Wikipedia

Talk about exciting news ripping a hole through the Half-Life Universe just today the news has Broken that Black Mesa formerly known as Black Mesa Source is very close to release! Black Mesa all out, megasized, Source powered and designed, fan made, super high quality remake of VALVe Software’s Half-Life released way back in November of 1998.

A Little History

The folks behind Black Mesa have been working long and hard on this project. Work began on the project in 2004 and has continued non-stop since then- this is all the more impressive when you consider the huge undertaking that remaking an entire game is. Those behind Black Mesa are from around the world and are doing this on a voluntary basis- they did announce one release date back in 2009. However when that didn’t end up being the case they adopted the traditional “When it’s done” release date.

They’ve kept eager fans satiated by posting on their messageboards, and releasing media updates but those have been fewer and further between recently. Why was that? We now have our answer.

The Date is Soon

Today the webmaster at the Black Mesa website posted the following message in the forums:

 It was said that once the soundtrack is released, one could expect the launch of black mesa two weeks after. I can now say that a new website will be launched with the soundtrack in preparation for the mod. **** if we care about the current website. Just take a good look at it because it will be gone soon enough.

That alone speaks volumes and there a couple of other people who have been working on the project who have also made similar statements.

Did I mention that not only will this file be huge…but it will also be FREE!

I’ll be keeping you guys up to date, but it’s great to say to all Half-Life fans that the release of the ultimate user made project is on the doorstep of completion!

Here’s the Official Trailer:

Ross Out.