In the later part of 2006 I noticed a post on MySpace from a fellow metalhead and filmmaker by the name of Joel Wear. A talented director based out of Oregon, Joel was looking to find a screenwriter to collaborate with on a specific project. Namely, he was looking to put to film one of King Diamond's (a metal legend) spectacular concept albums. The album in question was Abigail, acknowledged by most metalheads as the ultimate King Diamond release.
Joel and I had known each other previously from the World Metal Alliance
It is the perfect combination. We both are rabid Kind Diamond fans, full blown metalheads, musicians, and filmmakers. Joel is the director. He has made a LOT of short films, finished a full-length called "Multiple" (check it out on IMDB) and is now working on another full-length titled "133".
Though I've really only made one (official) short film, my experience leans more towards screenwriting. I've gone to school for screenwriting, participated in contests, attended seminars, as well as finished several scripts to include: Age of the Dead (zombie splatter horror), Stitches (sci-fi), Last Four (comedy), and a drama/action period piece that remains untitled.
The process has been great as we both have been able to communicate our concerns clearly which has lead to a pretty damn good script thus far.
Currently I am still incorporating Joel's notes and some suggested scenes into the draft we have now. We are pretty much staying true to what King originally wrote. Drama wise, we have taken some liberties and added extra content that we feel will ratchet up the suspense more and give us a closer look into the lives of the main characters.
My official page count now is between 67-70 pages. We did have more but taking story and plot into account, some thing's just have to be cut and whittled away. Usually this happens after a first draft, but we are constantly going back and tweaking items. This isn't a bad thing and I'm glad we are doing it.
Stay tuned for more updates.
Yes dude. Thanks for writing this with me. I am glad you are doing this. You are a great writer and the script would suffer if you were not involved. I hope we can continue working together after this film!
ReplyDeleteHail the King
You bet your bottom dollar brotha!
ReplyDeleteCan not waaaaiiiiittt to see this. ABIGAIL is one of King's best albums and this should fucking slay. I'll be at the premier with big fucking bells on. Raising the horns in honor.
ReplyDelete