Feedback on Catch Me First

I started this as a response to Karen's comment on the last post and then realized I have more to think about than just a comment.


That assignment was the same professor, but a different project as Snowman Baseball. The snowman photo was more of a composition assignment. This was find an existing photo and tell the story assuming this image is the fulcrum point in the story - the moment when change occurs for one or more of the characters.

In class yesterday I got official feedback on the snowman story and unofficial "pitch it in class and then discuss" feedback on this story. In both cases the professor was kind of lukewarm. This story is too sweet and has no conflict. And that's a valid comment really.

In any case I've already moved on.


I have to turn in the first draft of a potential thesis script for the same class next Wednesday. I have a word doc that now has about 8 blurbs and half formed ideas. Well, including Catch Me First and Snowman Baseball because they both started on that doc. And including the first 3 I pitched to her which Grandpa's Getaways was among. All three of those she discouraged. She thought Grandpa would work better as a feature length idea. I find that fascinating because it's not remotely feature length in my head. I have no idea what to do with it to make it 80 minutes.

I like Mary Jane, but I've come to realize that she and I think very differently, or maybe communicate very differently. Because I'll toss out an idea and almost inevitably she'll see something in that idea that is not remotely what I was thinking. That's not a bad thing necessarily, especially when you're in the early brainstorming stages of things. But if I'm trying to pitch an idea to get approval then it isn't so good. One of the ideas that I pitched in the first round was about an artist living in a planned community and her struggle to both fit in and yet find her own voice. It's not really one of my better ideas, but it's based on a real location and so it's never quite left my head. Her response was that would make a great documentary. And I thought, wow, you've missed my point. There are no real artists there. All of the art in the Arts Barn is just as conformist and planned as everything else in that community.

So I've been struggling with trying to take one of the other half formed ideas and get it worked out to a real script. A couple of them I've attempted to outline. But so far it's root canal. They're all fighting me. Except of course Grandpa's Getaways which is already drafted. So I opened that up today and started editing it taking into account everything I learned in screenwriting last term. I'm left with a dilemma. Do I use it next week even though she didn't approve it, or do I poop out something else over the weekend that I haven't had a chance to pitch to her one way or the other? I'm sure it's obvious what my preference is, but you know I'm such a "good student" that I'm not sure I'm ready to risk it.

I dont' have a lot else going on this weekend. I suppose I'll just see what I can manage to write. If it turns out ok I'll use it and if it doesn't I'll fall back on Grandpa.