VANESSA NZEDIEGWU: READY TO TAKE MY PLACE

VANESSA NZEDIEGWU SET TO SHOOT FIFTY MILION NAIRA MOVIE


She has been around for quiet a while. She was on her way to becoming one of the best actresses coming out of Nollywood. Beautiful and gifted with a certain charm and flair she had Nollywood thoroughly enchanted, but without warning, Vanessa Nzediegwu stepped away from it all and people started asking what had happened. That question we will answer later.

Vanessa Nzediegwu

 Sexy, Sensational, Charming, Talented, all these terms, much as they have been used to describe who people think that this young woman is, what those who pen such words have left out are the words Focused, Hardworking and Determined. Those are the words that have brought this young woman to where she is now.  A few years ago when Vanessa decided to pursue her second love, painting. a lot of her friends thought she had made a mistake, but mistakes have never been part of her vocabulary as she proved everybody wrong when she held her first exhibition, backed by a group of artsts she had put together (ETA) an acroynm for Extremely Talented Artists.  The group has since then held three exhibitions  and have recorded huge successes in each.
Vanessa's journey however did not stop  at the successes of ETA because she headed off to the New York Film Academy where she studied  film directing. She is back in the country and has decided to stake her claim for a directing diadem in Nollywood. This ingenue is ready to take her place as she is about going on set to shoot her first movie. We are not allowed to tell you the name of the movie just yet but Vanessa has told us that it is a big budget thriller that would most likley star the presenter of Hollywood's PRANKED Ashton Kutcher a couple of other a-list Hollywood superstars and a sprinkling of Nollywood talent. The movie is to be shot on locations in Lagos and Delta State and the foreign crew are ready to go. The budget for the movie is in excess of fifty million naira and we will keep you posted as the production planning umfolds. and remember that you read it here first.

OKEY BAKASSI vs STELLA DAMASUS   

STELLA DAMASUS

OKEY BAKASSI

You can be sure that whatever you read here is authentic and that you would have heard it here first. Well then, this is a first. Come the last week of September Comedian turned politician or is it Politician turned Comedian Okechukwu Mcanthony Onyegbule otherwise known as Okey Bakassi will climb the stage to thrill audiences with Nollywood star actress Stella Damasus in a comedic stage play that has been penned by Reginald Ebere who will also direct it. The arrangements are still hush hush as we understand that both Okey and Reginald who are co-producing have not finalised discussions with Stella Damasus. Asked why they chose stage, Okey and Reginald who have Theatre and stage backgrounds said that  "we are simply exploring another dimension of our art. We have conquered the different arms of entertainment we have been involved in. Now we think we should try out new things" Okey said "Most people do not know and may not remember that Reginald used to be a stand up comedian. He used to host Comedy Tonight on AIT and we both  initiated Night of a Thousand Laughs which Opa Williams has successfuly turned into a continental brand. We have been friends for a long time so we have the same mind and we think this will be a huge success."  Talking about Stella Damasus Reginald said  "I have worked with Stella a couple of times before and she is a brilliant actress. she has a crazy sense of humor and has also had stage experience. we considered other actresses before settling on her and i think she will bring out the best in Okey Bakassi" 
We have been made to understand that the stage play is a two man play. The venue of the stage performance is also under wraps and from what we have gathered, the tickets will go on sale in late August. Follow this blog for more information

                                        THE LONDON SCREENWRITER'S FESTIVAL

26th, 27th and 28th October 2012
London School of Film, Media & Performance
Regent's College, London, UK

TUTORIAL

How to write a two-page screenplay
 In this short tutorial, you will learn how to write and format the four critical elements of a screenplay (Scene Heading, Action, Character, and Dialogue.) You’ll also learn how to save and send your script in Final Draft.

GET STARTED
So you’ve got this great idea for a movie. And you want to write a screenplay. Whether you’re writing a short two-page script for this contest or a full-length feature film, you must get your idea into the particular screenplay format that the entertainment industry requires.

A screenplay serves two purposes. It’s a story with a hero or heroine who must conquer adversity to achieve a goal. But a screenplay is also a blueprint. Your script contains directions and details that the cast and crew need to actually produce the movie.

No matter the length or genre, all screenplays look remarkably the same. They are written in the Courier 12-pt. font and usually equal one page for every minute of screen time. Scenes and action and dialogue are all written a standard way. If you don’t adhere to proper screenplay font and format, your writing looks amateurish and will probably be ignored.

You can certainly use a word-processing program to write a screenplay. But you run the risk that you will make formatting errors. And you may spend more time formatting your script than writing.

With Final Draft software, you can easily write a properly formatted screenplay with just the Tab and Enter/Return key. And with the free Final Draft demo, you can write a script up to 15 pages that can be saved, emailed, or printed for review. (The free demo is available at www.finaldraft.com.)

SCENE HEADINGS
Everything in a screenplay is organized into scenes, and every scene starts with a scene heading. A scene heading looks like this:

EXT.  SID'S  HOUSE - DAY

A scene heading starts 1.5 inches from the left margin of the page and is always in ALL CAPS.

There are three parts to a scene heading: INT/EXT, location, and time of day.

The first part tells you whether the camera is placed outside, or exterior, which is abbreviated EXT; or inside, which is INT, for interior scene.

Next is the location of the scene. This can be as specific as Billy’s Bedroom, or as broad as Wyoming. In the example above, it’s Sid’s House.

Last is time of day. It’s best to write only day or night. Specific times are generally not used, although you might use a general time of day, like sunrise or evening if that’s critical to making the scene work.

Anytime you start a new scene by changing location or time of day, you need to write a new scene heading.

ACTION LINES
Action is what keeps your story moving forward and your audience stuck to their seats. In most cases, an Action line is written immediately after the Scene Heading to describe what is happening. Here’s an example from the screenplay L.A. Confidential.

     EXT. POLICE HEADQUATERS - DAY

 

  Reporters scribble as as the chief speaks. Uniforms

    everywhere along with EXLEY and LOEW. Bus sits in the

    back

Action lines start 1.5 inches from the left margin and extend to 7.5 inches from the left. An action line is single spaced and a present-tense description of what the audience sees. If you are introducing a character for the first time, you may capitalize the character’s name in the action line. An action line never includes what a character is thinking. If the audience can’t see it, don’t write it. Keep your script lean and clean.

CHARACTER AND DIALOGUE
The dialogue your characters speak moves your screenplay forward while also revealing important information about your characters and story. Each character’s dialogue should be unique to that character. If one character sounds like another, rewrite the dialogue so each has a distinct voice. Rocky didn’t sound like Adrian. Your characters shouldn’t either.

The Character line is written directly above Dialogue. Here’s an example from the screenplay for You’ve Got Mail.

KATHLEEN

Hey, you forgot to pick up the

garbage last week and i got a

ticket. And you are late today... i

could have gotten another

After you finish writing Dialogue, you can continue the conversation by writing more Dialogue from a different Character. You may write a line of Action to keep the story moving forward. Or you may finish the scene and write a Scene Heading to start a brand-new scene.

While there are other elements to a screenplay you should learn, these four (Scene Heading, Action, Character, and Dialogue) are the primary elements in any script. You can start writing your script right now with just these four elements. To see all four in action, we’ve attached a one-page example at the end of this tutorial.

USING THE FINAL DRAFT DEMO
You can download a demo for Final Draft for Mac or Windows at www.finaldraft.com/demo. This demo is a fully-functioning version that allows you to save up to 15 pages of your script as a Final Draft file. You can easily email this file to another Final Draft user who can open it, read it, edit it, and even print it with no limitations.

After you download and install the demo, you will be asked to enter a customer number or continue as a guest. Click the continue button. You’ll see a blank page ready for writing.

Before you start though, read the tutorial file and browse the User’s Guide which is found in the Help area of the program. There is also a complete set of video tutorials on YouTube – search for FinalDraftInc.

EMAILING OR UPLOADING YOUR SCRIPT
At any time you can save your script as a Final Draft file in the accepted .fdx format. You can then email your script or upload it. As long as the recipient also has Final Draft, he or she can read it exactly as you’ve written it. Your script retains its formatting that the industry requires.

THIS TUTORIAL IS A FINAL DRAFT TUTORIAL FROM THE 50 KISSES COMPETITION