A slightly different review from me today. Well actually, it’s more of a teaser, for a new series called Rogue starring Thandie Newton, Marton Csokas and Leah Gibson. The IMBD synopsis goes like this:

Grace, a morally and emotionally-conflicted undercover detective, is tormented by the possibility that her own actions contributed to her son’s mysterious death. In her quest for the truth, Grace finds herself striking out on her own and falling deeper into the city’s most powerful and dangerous crime family. As Grace struggles to become the wife and mother her family now needs, her life is further complicated by a forbidden relationship with crime boss Jimmy Laszlo. In order to stay alive, Grace needs to help Jimmy find the traitor in his midst, while knowing he may have played a part in her tragedy.

Anything that reads morally conflicted immediately hooks me in, and to add to that, the cast is a mixture of British, Canadian and New Zealand actors. The first series was filmed in Canada by DirecTV.

The cherry on the top of this one is that my friend Leah Gibson gets a strong role as a sexy crime wife. You can read my interview with Leah from a while back, and with her agent Penni Thow. You can also read an interview with Leah over at Geekadelphia. So delighted to see her star rising! Check out this sexy clip with her co-star Joshua Sasse.

And Thandie Newton as Grace, the cop who finds humanity among the bad guys.

Looking forward to this series a lot. Now I just have to find a way of getting hold of it over here!

Todd interviewed by Bec Stafford.

 

1. Todd, you’re running a 2-day writing master class at the Gold Coast Film Festival. Who were your writing role models, and what would be the #1 tip you’d give an aspiring screenwriter?

Role model was without hesitation Stephen King.  Granted my influence was with his prose but also, writer’s write.  King’s ability to take everyday people and drop them into extraordinary circumstances had set him apart from all other horror writers and most  genre writers.  Plus he writes 362 days of the year.  Writer’s write.  That is the number one tip.  Stop planning.  Stop dreaming.  Write!  It’s easy to say I want to be a writer.  It’s easy to say I’m going to be a writer.  Get thee behind me, speech-maker!  Write!

2. Your first film, Jason X, was the 10th instalment in the Friday the 13th series. Were you a fan of the franchise before you got on-board? What are your favourite elements of the Friday the 13th story?

I was a fan of all horror.  I always leaned toward Halloween because I found that film was more believable and to be more disturbing.  BUT the Friday franchise had offensively in your face gore as well as fun.  Any movie that opens with Jason inside the James Bond opening wins my eternal love.  The F13 franchise could be both scary and fun.  And that has stuck with me through all my writing.

3. What is the greatest challenge about writing horror scripts and what is your favourite aspect of writing in the horror genre? Were you always a horror fan?

If you love and if you find beauty in the world then writing horror should be easy.  You simply write about what you fear losing.  As for a special challenge with horror, I think it’s the same challenge with any writing.  Your characters should be real.  They should follow their wants and desires rather than the wants and desires of the writer.  Ever watched a movie where the character does something completely out of character or simply dumb?  That act, 9 times out of 10 was to serve some needed purpose of the writer.  Not a fan of that.  And yes, I’m aware that some of the fun in horror is yelling at the screen telling the character, “Do not go out there!”  Then again, you don’t do that with JAWS or ALIEN or SILENCE OF THE LAMBS and those are horror in my book.  That said, every script could use a moron or two.  :)

4. How do you think horror audiences have evolved over time? Is it harder to shock contemporary horror fans?

I think all story is old or rehashed.  When I started it was just the main three: Michael, Jason and Freddy.  Then came SCREAM which did what I’d been told was forbidden and that was to make your characters self-aware.  100 million dollars later that rule had been tossed out the window.  A self-aware horror screenplay become commonplace.  Then came Japanese Horror with THE RING.  But even that wasn’t new.  It was an import.  That ran its course then it was torture porn.  That was pretty shocking but ran its course.  And that’s horror.  It’s cyclical.  Like life.  Fads come and go then return.  I’m still awaiting the return of bell bottoms.  Is it hard to shock?  No.  But the horror audience is smart.  Way smarter than the suits give them credit.  That’s what I like about them.

5. Which horror movies do you think have best stood the test of time and why?

Great Grandpa, Grandpa and Pa.  Great Grandpa is the classics.  Dracula, Wolfman, Mummy.  Grandpa is Exorcist, Oman and Rosemary’s Baby.  Dad is Michael, Jason and Freddy.  I really believe that most horror has those shoulders to thank.  In fact, you could easily make the argument that Freddy, Jason and Michael were simply the 80s versions of Drac, Wolfie and Mums.

6. What makes you jump, when you’re watching a horror film? As someone who understands the format so well, are you hard to scare?

I’m the easiest to scare!  I’m the BEST audience member because I go there!  I get in the mind of the characters.  My imagination tends to fill in the gaps.  I jump, cringe and cry out!  I think if nothing scares you then you likely should get out of the horror biz.

 7.  What are you working on at the moment?

I’m spread out within genres and mediums.  Just had a comic book come out.  Working on a couple of children’s books.  Pitching a TV shows based on a pilot I wrote with Patrick Lussier.  Working on a couple remakes, couple specs and the list goes on.  Hollywood can be frustrating because you have to throw a ton of mud at the wall to find something that sticks.  But writers write and as long as you embrace that then all is well.  :)


Todd is teaching a Masterclass at the Sofitel at Broadbeach, Gold Coast on Monday April 22 and Tuesday 23 2013 and is limited to 40 participants only.  During the two day session, there will be an allocated period where Farmer will hear all aspiring writers’ individual pitches and provide feedback to participants, which is invaluable to both aspiring and current writing practitioners.   

The master class fee is $444.38 (which includes GST and a $9.88 booking fee) guaranteeing that those people attending will be serious about learning the craft.

For more information please visit the festival website – 

http://www.gcfilmfestival.com/page/90/Screenwriting_Master_Class

As you know I love me a bit of Social Media! So this week I launched a social media coaching consultancy called (surprise, surprise MDPWeb Consultancy!).

This is an exciting step for me, and I’m looking forward to working with some of you in the future. Good fortune has brought me into contact with the Twitter guru Keith Keller, and you can now find me on the team at Global Social Media. Now, here’s a bit about the man himself…

Keith Keller is a “Twitter 4 Business Specialist” and now has clients around the globe. He is also a popular speaker on the subject of Social Media (especially Twitter) and has appeared on numerous radio shows, teleseminars and webinars across the United States, Canada, UK, Europe, Asia as well as Australia.

Keith’s latest project is: “TWITTER 101 – CRACK THE TWITTER CODE”  A program focusing specifically on harnessing the global possibilities of Twitter. (Just like having your own Personal Trainer in the Twitterverse) www.CrackTheCodeCoaching.com He is also a Career Change Coach and the co-creator of the widely acclaimed Internet radio show Career Success Radio, which he co-hosted for over two years with Annemarie Cross.

Keith is a passionate advocate of social media, which he used extensively to market and promote the show. As a result, podcasts for Career Success Radio have now been downloaded well over 80,000 times and listened to in 120 countries around the world. Contact Keith for more information about using “TWITTER 4 BUSINESS”

keith@globalsocialmediacoaching.com

 

Awards

davitt-award  aurealis-award   logo-curtin-university

Peacemaker - Aurealis Award
Best Science Fiction Novel 2014

Curtin University Distinguished Alumni Award 2014

Transformation Space - Aurealis Award
 Best Science Fiction Novel 2010

Sharp Shooter - Davitt Award
Best Crime Novel 2009 (Sisters in Crime Australia) 

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