Scripts

Lately, I've been watching a lot of Monk.

Now, Monk is one of my favorite shows.  For those of you who don't know, it centers around the fictional title character, Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub) who is a police-officer-turned-private-consultant.  He was released from the San Francisco Police Department when he had a mental breakdown after the violent and heart-breaking murder of his much beloved wife, Trudy. 

What made this show groundbreaking was not the fact that it was just another detective show, obviously.  It was the fact that Monk, a world-class investigator, struggles to find a way to deal with his obsessive compulsive dissorder.  While this show does create humorous situations around Monk's OCD, it also shows viewers Monk's daily battles with this condition, thus also allowing viewers to see the seriousness of it. 

But what I've been trying to most pay attention to in this show (since I already knew the plot and having been a huge fan for years and years) lately is the dialogue and how well written it is.  I  have also been paying a lot of attention to the different types of frames they use when shooting.   I guess this post isn't really about the scripts as much as it is just me attempting to analyze a great television show's choices and seeing if I can picture myself working on such a thing (because let's face it, working in television would be amazing.  I would so love a job behind the scenes). 

Maybe it's just because I've been thinking about the future a lot recently, and film is something I could see myself working on.  But then again, so is writing.  Or, for that matter, real esate.  Or something with animals.

Okay, I've just realized how misleading the title of this post it.  I'm very sorry if you came here to read completely about scripts and I've now devestatingly dissappointed you. 

Maybe you should go watch some Monk!

Lyrics

I've been on a music kick lately, listening to my iPod whenever I have a spare moment.  And I sometimes marvel at the lyrics these artists can put together.  Music can express what words alone can find it difficult to.  All while rhyming.  :D

On my iPod I have a mixture of country, pop, Disney, Starkid, and random (not to say any less skilled) artists who could possibly be described as alternative or... soft pop?

Either way, I'm still amazed by their skills as lyricists. 
Lyrics from the ever popular and brilliant Taylor Swift...
"And I just wanna show you, she don't even know you,
She's never gonna love you like I want to.
And you just see right through me, but if you only knew me,
We could be a beautiful miracle, unbelievable, instead of just invisible."
To less known and genius Charlene Kaye...
"New buds on the branches made me realize that loss is necessary
For new life, new joy, new memories to be made
So we threw up our hands and soaked up all the life around."
To the YouTube sensation, Tyler Ward...
"I am captivated by the way you look tonight
And I've seen what you've been into.
So I will never cross the line, I won't tell you any lies,
I was sent here for the rescue."
musicians really know how to hit a note in a person's heart and mind. 
And it sometimes RHYMES.
And rhyming makes everything better. :)

Creating

" 'But don't you think it's possible...' -I twisted up my face- '... that every person is a hero to someone else?' I said." ~Waiting for Normal, Leslie Connor

I read this book about 4 years ago, and something about this sentence, from the whole book, stuck with me.  I guess it made me feel like I could possibly be more important than I had ever thought I was before.  Maybe there are people who look up to me, I realized.  Maybe it's true that my life affects more people than just me.  That one really got nailed in.  What you do affects others.  True, mistakes are still made, they always will be.  But when it comes to vital decisions, this realization can make such a difference.

I think it's insane how one sentence can mean so much to a person, how it can change their whole way of thinking, urge them to make a difference, or take action and do what's right.  It can force them to think of things in ways they never would've.

This is an oddly short first blog post for me.  But I really have nothing else I can think of to say other than words have a force so strong, anything can be created out of them and anything can be altered by them.  Is it good or bad? Both or neither?



Makes you think.

More to come.