Now back to Stormblood. 'Kay, bye.
Sunday, June 18, 2017
Monday, June 12, 2017
Whoops, I saved this to drafts instead of posting it!
Well hey, new story that I'm going to turn into a script for a class. Enjoy my new story, "Powerless".
“Think about how you got here, Reed.
What did you do to end up on that side of the table, with enough chains on you
to anchor a cruise liner.” The man across the room eyed Caden a few times, then
tossed a manila folder to him. It hit the tabletop without much force, but the
sound it made seemed deafening in the quiet room.
“Well,
I assume it’s because I stopped a robbery, officer Doyle,” Caden said,
shrugging. The chains on his shoulders and back clinked against one another as he
struggled to lift them. “Or maybe it’s because I didn’t eat my Wheaties? Oh
wait, no. This is some kind of test, isn’t it? Like the ones they do at jobs to
make sure you’re honest. I’ve always been shit at-“
“Enough,
Reed.”
“Jeez,
who pissed in your cereal today?”
“You
apparently. Registration is law, you know that.”
“Oh
that? Yeah, forgive me if I don’t want to be a government stooge.”
“What
the hell do you have against registering? You’re a meta-human, you could
literally be the most popular force for good on the planet if you got your head
out of your ass for fifteen seconds.”
“And
then what? You point me in a direction and expect me to go and melt doors off
their hinges? You know what happens when the government has us all on the
payroll Doyle.”
“I
know where you’re going, Caden. Don’t even-“
“Once
we’re working for the government-“
“Reed,
I swear to god-“
“They
say who’s good and bad-“
“Shut
your-“
“And
good people get caught in the middle, just like Claire.”
“Shut
the fuck up Reed!” Doyle’s hand crashed into the table, leaving a dent that
showed he could’ve easily brained a rhino with his bare hands.
“You
were so proud of her Richard,” Caden said. “You loved her. She was blood after
all. And I loved her too. But she believed in what we did. I’ve been helping
people, without needing someone to tell me who the heroes and who the villains
are. I see something bad, I stop it. Just like she wanted.”
“You’re
breaking the law, Caden. So was she.”
“And
they killed her for it, Richard. They killed Brute Force’s, their own star’s,
only daughter.”
“It
was an accident, there was so much chaos…”
“But
if they had let us do what we set out to do, no one would’ve died.”
Officer
Doyle sighed. His head hung low as he turned away from Caden.
“You’re
like a son to me, Caden, but you know I can’t just let you go. There are four
more officers on their way with the insulated restraints. You won’t be able to
get out of those, even if I did just unlock you.”
“You’re
not Thunderhead. Those don’t mean a damn thing to you. You’re the one and only
Brute Force, the best meta-cop on the planet.”
“I’m
registered. They’ll hunt down my wife, my mom, everyone.”
“Not
if we hide them. I know more than enough people and places that your family can
disappear to.”
“So,
what, you want me to join your vigilante squad? Metas are basically nuclear
warheads with an I.Q. People could still get hurt.” Doyle’s phone buzzed in his
pocket. He pulled it out and glanced at the screen. “It doesn’t matter, they’re
ten minutes away with the transport.”
“Still
time,” Caden said, pushing his chained-up arms across the table. “Better your
finger on the launch button than someone who’s never seen the effects. What’s
your call?”
Saturday, June 3, 2017
Holy crap I've been busy!
So new month and it already feels like I'm at the end because of how much work we're getting done at school. This week we have 7 assignments in one class due tomorrow (don't worry, I'm on number 5 right now) and a story to write for the other. And that's just week one! But in writing news, I'm still working on a spec script for Heroes of Olympus, and I have two comics I'm scripting. One, called "Pagelings" I'm working on with my lovely lady, and another called "The Ifrit's Heart" that I'm working on with a fellow student. Links will go up when they start, and thanks for waiting patiently for this post!
Friday, May 12, 2017
Oh goody, it's a sample!
So i finally made the amount of progress on that project I've been working on! But before that, a quick nerding out! Kingsman 2 is on the way and I absolutely loved the first one, so I've been watching the first one every dang night! I can't wait for the over-the-top, amazingly corny jokes ("This ain't that kind of movie bruv."), and the [SPOILERS] return of Colin Firth! Anyhowitzer, enough about that, time for the reveal, right? Here's a picture of the work below!
Guessed what it is? Hint: I'm working on a script for an animated "The Heroes of Olympus" series to pitch to Rick and Disney. Here's hoping right? Anyhowitzer again, I should get back to work, have a great weekend!
Guessed what it is? Hint: I'm working on a script for an animated "The Heroes of Olympus" series to pitch to Rick and Disney. Here's hoping right? Anyhowitzer again, I should get back to work, have a great weekend!
Friday, May 5, 2017
It's Friday night!
So it's Friday night, and the world keeps moving! My sample that I said might be out this week, unfortunately, isn't ready just yet, but hopefully next week it will be! I want to make sure that it's in a really good place to make sure it's presentable. In other news, my club at school, CyberLAN Gaming (Not actually my club but I'm an officer) is quite possibly getting a Tespa chapter! It's not finalized yet, but I did get to meet with a representative online today!
I do want to take a moment to give a shout out to someone I found this week (read: literally yesterday and I binge read 600+ pages of their comic), Emy Bitner. She makes a comic called Trying Human which you can find here! Keep in mind it's mildly NSFW (strong language, minor nudity, and adult situations in Emy's words), but it's a fantastic read and it's not over the top in any of those categories. Please, enjoy the comic!
I do want to take a moment to give a shout out to someone I found this week (read: literally yesterday and I binge read 600+ pages of their comic), Emy Bitner. She makes a comic called Trying Human which you can find here! Keep in mind it's mildly NSFW (strong language, minor nudity, and adult situations in Emy's words), but it's a fantastic read and it's not over the top in any of those categories. Please, enjoy the comic!
Friday, April 28, 2017
Friday success!
As the week draws to a close, and Spring break comes to an end, I contemplate what lies ahead and realize only one thing. "Crap, I'm going to have to wake up at a reasonable hour for class this month!"
In all seriousness, I'm really looking forward to this month (even if class starts at 9 am, ugh). And a little more insight on that secret project I mentioned, here's a clue! The project is going to be an adaptation of a story that wasn't given proper respect in the past. Hmm what could it be? Well hold your dang horses and you'll find out! Peace in the Middle East until next week, with hopefully, a sample!
In all seriousness, I'm really looking forward to this month (even if class starts at 9 am, ugh). And a little more insight on that secret project I mentioned, here's a clue! The project is going to be an adaptation of a story that wasn't given proper respect in the past. Hmm what could it be? Well hold your dang horses and you'll find out! Peace in the Middle East until next week, with hopefully, a sample!
Saturday, April 22, 2017
I'm horrible I know.
I know, no Friday post again, sorry! I'm still on spring break until next Saturday so I'm going to my best to make sure that there's an actual Friday post this coming week. In the meantime, please know that I've seen Your Name. three times now in theaters now, and each time it hits me right in the feels. I honestly believe that, as a screenwriter, you should study what's out and why it does well or not. I've gone into this movie three times and I've decided that it's going to be the benchmark for my writing from here on out. Any original projects that I do, will strive to meet the quality that is Your Name.
That being said, I do also have a project that I'm working on currently. It's very under wraps until I get a little farther along, but I know a good deal of my friends will enjoy the idea. I can give you one clue though, it's not my story, but one that deserves to be done some real justice. More on that at a later date, and this time, a post on Friday, woo!
That being said, I do also have a project that I'm working on currently. It's very under wraps until I get a little farther along, but I know a good deal of my friends will enjoy the idea. I can give you one clue though, it's not my story, but one that deserves to be done some real justice. More on that at a later date, and this time, a post on Friday, woo!
Tuesday, April 18, 2017
I realized there was no Friday post...
And that's because I'm on Spring Break so I'm working on a weird schedule this week! But today, I was reminded why I love writing so much. My lovely lady and I went to go see the newest Funimation dub in theaters, Your Name. And it was amazing.
If you have some cash and free time, I highly suggest going to see this movie on the big screen, because this movie has a beautiful story. It really reminded me why I do what I do and to keep trucking forward, and to be honest, it's just got a really satisfying story arc over all with solid character development and a REAL huge obstacle. It takes everything a story needs and amps it up to the extreme without going over the top. I'll try and have a story this Friday, but right now, my emotions are still getting brutalized by the wringer this movie put them through!
If you have some cash and free time, I highly suggest going to see this movie on the big screen, because this movie has a beautiful story. It really reminded me why I do what I do and to keep trucking forward, and to be honest, it's just got a really satisfying story arc over all with solid character development and a REAL huge obstacle. It takes everything a story needs and amps it up to the extreme without going over the top. I'll try and have a story this Friday, but right now, my emotions are still getting brutalized by the wringer this movie put them through!
Friday, April 7, 2017
Flash Fiction: The Urn
Another flash fiction this week, this time about a mystery box. Or urn rather! Enjoy.
Tuesday, December twenty-ninth, I received a package from my sister, Dora. She had been away for work, on an archaeological dig, somewhere in Greece since before Christmas, so it was nice to get something from her so I knew she was alive. Inside the white FedEx box that came to my door, was an intricate urn, topped with a wooden lid. The paint was faded, but it was easy to tell that at one time, the outer shell was covered in purple and blue paintings. Around the neck of the urn was a rusted, gold ring, chips missing from the precious metal. I absolutely adored it. I called my sister to thank her, but she never answered. I hung up when I got her voicemail, and began carefully turning the urn over in my hands. It was then I noticed a note, taped to the wooden lid that read “Do not open,” in Dora’s handwriting. I figured it must be some prank. I decided to play along, and set the urn carefully on the dresser in my room. It was that night the voice started.
“Open… lid…” I heard in the middle of the night. I sat bolt upright in bed, searching for the voice’s origin.
“Open the lid…” I heard again. The voice was muted, as if covered by a cloth, or some foreign object, but obviously, that of a young child.
“Hello,” I said. “who’s there?” I sat timidly in bed, expecting to hear some crashing of a burglar in my living room, but no noise came. A quick lap around my apartment with my favorite nine-iron yielded no results either. The door was still locked, everything was in place, and no windows were shattered, or even opened. I went back to bed, but every hour or so, the voice haunted my dreams.
Wednesday, December thirtieth, I realized that the year was ending. My phone rang off the hook, friends calling and asking what my plans were for the following night. I told them I wasn’t feeling well, and that I was staying in this year. I just wanted to sleep soundly, late into New Year’s Day, as it was my day off. I tried to call Dora again that day, still no answer. What in the world is she doing, I wondered to myself. That day was uneventful, but at night, the voice started again.
“Open the lid. Let me out,” It said. “I’m all stuffed up in here.”
This time, the voice sounded nearer, louder even. I slowly stepped out of bed and crept around my room. As I passed my dresser, I heard it clearly.
“Open the lid, let me out. Please,” The voice said again. There was no mistaking it, it came from inside the urn.
Thinking that this was one of Dora’s jokes, I picked up the urn and shook it gently. No sound came from inside, it seemed empty. “What is this?” I asked.
“Pandora’s pithos,” The voice replied. “I’m Hope.”
Startled, I shoved the urn into my closet, behind some thick sheets, but through the night, I heard Hope call out.
“Open the lid, please.”
Thursday, December thirty-first, I realized I hadn’t actually slept in the past two days, more like passed out from exhaustion. The day blurred by without any notable instances, and night came once again. Party-goers out in the streets sang about the new year, hoping it would prove more fruitful than the last. I sat inside, staring at an urn.
“Open the lid,” called out the voice once again. “Please.”
I thought insanity had finally set in from my lack of actual sleep. I began talking back.
“You’re Hope,” I asked
“Yes.”
“What are you doing in there?”
“An angry god put me here, centuries ago.”
“And this is really Pandora’s…”
“Pithos. Yes.”
“Not Pandora’s Box?”
“There was never a box. Just this pithos. And me.”
“And you’re Hope.”
“Yes,” The voice said, curtly. “Would you be so kind?”
I stared at the markings on the side of the urn. I smiled, thinking that the world could always use a little more hope. Without another thought, I lifted the small wooden lid, and out seeped a dark, oily cloud of smoke. It burst forth with maniacal laughter on its heels and malice in its wake.
“Freedom,” Hope screeched. “After millennia, freedom!” The smoke burst through my window and into the night. I looked around, stunned, and saw my phone lit up on my nightstand. I had missed a call from Dora during my conversation with Hope. She left a message.
“Don’t open the urn! Hope isn’t what she says she is! After millennia of isolation and loneliness, hope turns to fear, fear to hate. She’s not Hope anymore, she’s Hate. Don’t open the urn.” The message ended with the sound of a wooden chair striking the floor, and rope tightening. Through the broken window, I heard cheers of “Happy New Year!” Two-thousand sixteen had begun.
I started seeing Hope in the news. In the eyes of politicians, she was there. I heard her in the voices of people around the globe. She consumed whole countries at the drop of a hat. Hope had turned to Hate, and I had unleashed her on the world.
Friday, March 31, 2017
Creative Writing finally starts!
So this month is all about flash-fiction writing. For anyone who doesn't know, flash fiction are fiction stories between 250 and 100 words, so the stories you'd find in magazines. That means every week, I'll have new stories to share, starting now! I'd like to present, "Hitching a Ride with a Hitman".
I remember how it all started. My wife was working late at the hospital, and I had gotten a flat tire on the way. I tried to hail a cab, but no one in this city ever stops. Except, I found a random stranger who flagged me down. He opened the door for me, and I stepped in his large, black SUV. “I’m Ricky,” he said as I closed the door behind me.
“Anthony, but you can call me Tony.”
“Tony, huh? I like that name.”
Ricky was well dressed, a three-piece suit, the jacket draped over the back of his seat.
“Where you headed, Tony?”
“UMass Hospital. The wife’s a nurse, and she’s been out all day. I just wanted to bring her something to eat,” I said. “Tuesday is left-over night.”
Ricky chuckled approvingly. “Good man. Happy wife, happy life, yeah?” he asked. I nodded in reply. At the next light, Ricky reached back into the back seat and pulled a paper-wrapped package. “Hey, since you’re headed to the hospital, could you drop this off with a man named Leo? He’s waiting for it, and I’ll even throw in a C-note for you. I have to hightail it to my niece’s birthday party.”
I sat stunned for a moment. A hundred bucks to drop this package off somewhere I was already going, for such a kind man? And I had been between jobs for so long while my wife worked fourteen-hour days. “For a guy like you, Ricky? No problem,” I said.
Ricky clapped me on the back and pulled promptly up to the front of the hospital. “Good man,” he said, handing me a crisp hundred-dollar bill. “Leo should be on the second floor, room 203. Can’t miss him.”
I stepped out of the car, took the package, and nodded to Ricky as he drove off. Leo was the next stop, and Ricky was right. Leo was a wall of a man, and he approached me the moment he saw the package. He grunted in thanks, and I was on my way to my wife’s station, where I dropped off her food. She wasn’t on break so I left it in the fridge, and texted her from the cab I finally managed to get back to our little apartment. I sat down in my recliner and sighed, dozing off to the news on channel five. I woke up a few hours later. The news cycle had to be over, but the casters were still on the air. Apparently, one of the UMass hospital’s doctors had been shot. As if on cue, there was a knock on the door. Two spooks in suits were on the other side, claiming to be FBI. Within moments, their demands stopped as two gunshots rang out. Carefully, I stuck my head out the door, and there stood Ricky and Leo, dapper and covered in blood.
“Hey Tony, looks like you’re stuck with us. Welcome to the job,” he said dryly.
Leo smacked me over the head with something, and the next thing I knew, I was in an ornate living room.
“Get dressed,” Ricky said. “Time to earn the boss’ favor.”
I was handed a suit, tie and mask, all of which fit me shockingly well. Too stunned to argue, I did what Ricky said, and he and I stepped into his big, black SUV.
“Don’t worry,” Ricky said, handing me a pistol. “First time’s always the hardest. Just, don’t miss, okay?”
After a short ride, Ricky and I stepped out of the car. In front of us was the Commerce Bank on Main. I knew what was going on. “Ricky, no,” I said. “I don’t want to do this. I’m not involved!”
Ricky cocked a shotgun from somewhere on the other side of the car. “Your face is all over the news Tony, from the UMass killing, where you handed Leo the gun.” He said as he stepped around the car. “Like it or not, you’re involved.”
He shoved me towards the front door of the bank. It was my first heist. Later I learned, it was my first job offer in months, and seeing no other option, I took it. Now, I have a well-paying job, I’m a good husband, and every Tuesday is still left-over night.
Saturday, March 25, 2017
"I never wanted to be the villain..."
So last week, I wrote out this prompt, and wanted to see some stories! Understandably though (since only like 3 people actually look at this, but hey I love writing for whoever those three people are!) I didn't get any responses on that post. I do however, have my own little tidbit to use. Enjoy!
I remember the day it all happened. I came before my king, a humble man from the plains, asking only for more support for my people. Monsters and vile men had been raiding our town for weeks, pillaging whatever good they felt like, taking our people and doing ungodly things to them before our eyes. I stood in awe of the towering figure I only ever knew as "your highness", and barely noticed the young boy beside him. Should I have though, I would have seen the malice and contempt for me and my plight in his eyes.
My pleas fell on deaf ears, not that day, but in the weeks following, my people suffered with no aid. Finally, the royal guards came, but not to our aid. We were told to leave our homes, our shops, our livelihoods, as if they had never meant anything to us in the first place.
"Where do we go?" The women of the village cried out. The guards didn't care, they had no sympathy for our plight. Eventually, the women made their way to the canyon, just outside the desert to the west. The men found themselves conscripted, forced into the royal army with no military training. Many of them were slaughtered trying to defend other from the horrors they had faced. The rest either took their own live, or disappeared. All but myself. I was the only man in our tribe that had been blessed by the goddesses, meant to carry on a legacy of greatness, of power. To usher in a new era of peace was my only goal. And that boy, that little blonde boy with the pointed ears saw it fit to whisper in the king's ear, to tell him that I was plotting to end his daughter's life and the royal bloodline with it, when all I wanted was to keep my people safe.
Now though, my goddesses have granted me my opportunity to repay this boy, who without lifting a finger, has thwarted my plan for peace in our time at every turn. Their power flows through my veins, turning my skin a pallid green, but I care not. Their power reverberates in my muscles, making me a gargantuan anomaly among man, but I care not. their power though, also flows into him, my final obstacle in the way to ultimate peace, for my people and the people of this world. His courage is admirable, but I will not let it sway me. I have my goal, to destroy the vileness in this land, and sow the seeds of a world in which all people can live and work together, but here he stands, in my citadel, ready to cast me down.
They love him, the courageous "hero" they see before them. They don't know how he's been corrupting their sacred rites and temples, casting out the guardians that lay dormant therein. They don't see how, where he goes, death and unnatural destruction follows. All they see is the blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy, clad in green, who has disrupted the natural order of our world. The same boy who stands before me. I call to him, the boy who ostracized me from the world I wanted only to save, in an attempt to scare him away from a fight that I do not want.
"I am Ganondorf, of the Gerudo!" I cry, hoping to intimidate him. "Wielder of the Triforce of Power! You cannot hope to stop me you fool!" He remains silent, and draws his sword.
I remember the day it all happened. I came before my king, a humble man from the plains, asking only for more support for my people. Monsters and vile men had been raiding our town for weeks, pillaging whatever good they felt like, taking our people and doing ungodly things to them before our eyes. I stood in awe of the towering figure I only ever knew as "your highness", and barely noticed the young boy beside him. Should I have though, I would have seen the malice and contempt for me and my plight in his eyes.
My pleas fell on deaf ears, not that day, but in the weeks following, my people suffered with no aid. Finally, the royal guards came, but not to our aid. We were told to leave our homes, our shops, our livelihoods, as if they had never meant anything to us in the first place.
"Where do we go?" The women of the village cried out. The guards didn't care, they had no sympathy for our plight. Eventually, the women made their way to the canyon, just outside the desert to the west. The men found themselves conscripted, forced into the royal army with no military training. Many of them were slaughtered trying to defend other from the horrors they had faced. The rest either took their own live, or disappeared. All but myself. I was the only man in our tribe that had been blessed by the goddesses, meant to carry on a legacy of greatness, of power. To usher in a new era of peace was my only goal. And that boy, that little blonde boy with the pointed ears saw it fit to whisper in the king's ear, to tell him that I was plotting to end his daughter's life and the royal bloodline with it, when all I wanted was to keep my people safe.
Now though, my goddesses have granted me my opportunity to repay this boy, who without lifting a finger, has thwarted my plan for peace in our time at every turn. Their power flows through my veins, turning my skin a pallid green, but I care not. Their power reverberates in my muscles, making me a gargantuan anomaly among man, but I care not. their power though, also flows into him, my final obstacle in the way to ultimate peace, for my people and the people of this world. His courage is admirable, but I will not let it sway me. I have my goal, to destroy the vileness in this land, and sow the seeds of a world in which all people can live and work together, but here he stands, in my citadel, ready to cast me down.
They love him, the courageous "hero" they see before them. They don't know how he's been corrupting their sacred rites and temples, casting out the guardians that lay dormant therein. They don't see how, where he goes, death and unnatural destruction follows. All they see is the blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy, clad in green, who has disrupted the natural order of our world. The same boy who stands before me. I call to him, the boy who ostracized me from the world I wanted only to save, in an attempt to scare him away from a fight that I do not want.
"I am Ganondorf, of the Gerudo!" I cry, hoping to intimidate him. "Wielder of the Triforce of Power! You cannot hope to stop me you fool!" He remains silent, and draws his sword.
Sunday, March 19, 2017
A bit of a review and a writing prompt for everyone! (Myself included)
So I just finished the new Zelda game, Breath of the Wild (hence why this week's post is on a Sunday night instead of a Friday afternoon), and as a writer, I have to say that this game's story was BEAUTIFUL! I'll do my best not to spoil things here, but honestly, it was a refreshing change of pace. For once, they added some real story beats to the game. "This happened, then because of that, this happened" and so on and so forth, rather than just, "Okay. Go here. Do this. Go there. Do the next thing. Save the princess. You win". I absolutely loved it because for once, there was some real character development to Link and even the side characters.
They had a reason to do what they did, and motivations, and obstacles blocking their progress. For me, I feel like that's what Zelda games were missing, the ability to make the characters seem more real than myth. It made me want to write something new and exciting, so I came up with a prompt, that I'll post my response to next week, and I hope someone else will play along!
"I never wanted to be the bad guys, but the hero made me." Aaaaaaaand go!
They had a reason to do what they did, and motivations, and obstacles blocking their progress. For me, I feel like that's what Zelda games were missing, the ability to make the characters seem more real than myth. It made me want to write something new and exciting, so I came up with a prompt, that I'll post my response to next week, and I hope someone else will play along!
"I never wanted to be the bad guys, but the hero made me." Aaaaaaaand go!
Friday, March 10, 2017
No writing this week, have some advice instead!
So due to the nature of this month's schedule, I don't have as much writing this week to present as I haven't been able to sit down and put words to paper (aside from this and I want to make this a good habit). Instead, let's dole out some advice for any future Full Sailors!
If you've decided to go to Full Sail, you'll have a great time, that much I can promise. Within the first week, I'd made some of the coolest friends at the school, and I'm extremely introverted. I promise you, if you're like me, just talk to one person at that networking summit thing during orientation and your whole career at Full Sail will be so much easier!
Now, month one, you'll have two classes that are pretty simple. No matter what program you're in, you'll have Creative Presentation and Psychology of Play. They're really easy classes, just do your homework, and for the love of all things nerdy, REMEMBER TO DO YOUR REPLY POSTS! You'll understand when class starts, but seriously, don't forget them.
Here's the part where I turn into Navi from Ocarina of Time and tell you "Hey, Listen!" but that's because, like your teachers, I want you to succeed here and beyond the school's walls. It's time for a tip list!
1. Network! Go nuts meeting new people. Hit up Vistaprint.com and get some business cards, they're like $30 for 200 of them and that'll last you a good couple months. Just remember to give them out! They don't even have to be anything special really, just a neat design with your name, what you want to do, and some contact info. Mine just says "Matthew Scarpa, Aspiring Screenwriter" and has my email, phone number and address on it. Simple stuff, and the school president, Garry Jones already has one because I had them on me. Look at that, an important man already has my info, boom.
2. Set aside some homework time EVERY DAY! I kid you not, every single class, you will get anywhere from one to three homework assignments and they can take up to six hours a piece if you're slow at them. The teachers are going to cram as much possible learning as they can into the month they've got their hooks in you, so be prepared to work and work hard! I know you'll hate it, but hey, in the real world, this kind of thing happens a LOT so better to get used to it now rather than later!
3. Go to events! Full Sail has absolutely INSANE events. In February, we basically shut down all the classes and party for a week to celebrate the six coolest alumni that have been outside Full Sail for a decade or more at the annual Full Sail Hall of Fame. And let me tell you, that week is absolutely nuts! Food trucks, games, absolutely awesome prizes (I won a $400 audio interface that I still have zero idea what to do with), and at the end of the week there's a huge award ceremony and party for our Hall of Fame inductees. Besides that, Full Sail hosts WWE NXT every year so snag some tickets, or better yet, volunteer to work it for some free wrestling! And of course, we have club events like the LAN Club's Clash of the Campus (where Full Sail and neighboring UCF go head to head in Super Smash Bros 4, League of Legends, Overwatch and more!) that officially starts this September at our very own Full Sail Live Venue! And speaking of clubs...
4. Find a club you like and join it! Or if they don't have one already, make it! No joke, Full Sail has so many clubs, I can't keep track. Like I said, we've got the LAN Club (with a twitch channel right here where we stream our events like last month's Super Smash tourney that Nate and I got to commentate on), Cosplay Club, Tabletop Club, Role-play Club, one for Creative Writers (represent!), heck I think if I look hard enough I'd find a club for long boarding in a chicken costume we've got so dang many!
5. Do collaborations! This goes back to networking, but once you guys meet people, do stuff with them! If you guys meet me and you want to do a webseries or T.V. show, just text me! Be all "Yo Matt, I got a story for a show, but I need someone to write the script." I promise you, by the time you're done typing out that next text I'll be all over that like white on rice, I love this stuff, and the people who go here love their field as much, if not more than I love mine!
6. Explore the campus, especially when it's busy! Hit up The Fishbowl in FS3B at any daylight hour and you'll see anywhere from fifty to a hundred students all doing so much cool stuff it'll blow your dang mind! I promise you, make a lap around The Fishbowl and you'll meet at least two people who are cooler than the fridge in your apartment that you'll want to hang out and work with.
7. Finally, and this one is a personal piece of advice that I learned REAL dang fast; meet your instructors. These men and women here want you to succeed like I said before, so they will be your harshest critics, but also your biggest advocates if you just follow their advice. Each of them has so much experience in their field and nine times out of ten, in the field you want to go into. If you can meet your department heads one-on-one too, holy crap you'll be golden! They'll hit you with so much info so fast, you'll get whiplash and start yelling "That was awesome, can we go again?!" And of course, be on the look out for Garry. He's without a doubt, one of the coolest guys you'll ever meet (I mean come on, dude's gone crowd surfing at concerts hosted at the school he's the president of!), and he actually genuinely cares about you succeeding at what you want to do. He's like the cool uncle that watches you rock people's socks off. Plus, if you actually go up and talk to him or ask him for advice, chances are he'll hit you up later in the program (make sure you give the man a business card!) to see how you're doing. That's good looking out Garry.
Anyhowitzer, thanks for letting me spit my opinions and junk at you through this whole thing, just remember to do your best and don't miss that balance of work hard, play hard and you'll do fine. Now if you'll excuse me, I've put off homework enough for today for V.E.M (month 2 class for film, CW and the like programs) and I need to get things done. Peace in the Middle East, I'm out!
If you've decided to go to Full Sail, you'll have a great time, that much I can promise. Within the first week, I'd made some of the coolest friends at the school, and I'm extremely introverted. I promise you, if you're like me, just talk to one person at that networking summit thing during orientation and your whole career at Full Sail will be so much easier!
Now, month one, you'll have two classes that are pretty simple. No matter what program you're in, you'll have Creative Presentation and Psychology of Play. They're really easy classes, just do your homework, and for the love of all things nerdy, REMEMBER TO DO YOUR REPLY POSTS! You'll understand when class starts, but seriously, don't forget them.
Here's the part where I turn into Navi from Ocarina of Time and tell you "Hey, Listen!" but that's because, like your teachers, I want you to succeed here and beyond the school's walls. It's time for a tip list!
1. Network! Go nuts meeting new people. Hit up Vistaprint.com and get some business cards, they're like $30 for 200 of them and that'll last you a good couple months. Just remember to give them out! They don't even have to be anything special really, just a neat design with your name, what you want to do, and some contact info. Mine just says "Matthew Scarpa, Aspiring Screenwriter" and has my email, phone number and address on it. Simple stuff, and the school president, Garry Jones already has one because I had them on me. Look at that, an important man already has my info, boom.
2. Set aside some homework time EVERY DAY! I kid you not, every single class, you will get anywhere from one to three homework assignments and they can take up to six hours a piece if you're slow at them. The teachers are going to cram as much possible learning as they can into the month they've got their hooks in you, so be prepared to work and work hard! I know you'll hate it, but hey, in the real world, this kind of thing happens a LOT so better to get used to it now rather than later!
3. Go to events! Full Sail has absolutely INSANE events. In February, we basically shut down all the classes and party for a week to celebrate the six coolest alumni that have been outside Full Sail for a decade or more at the annual Full Sail Hall of Fame. And let me tell you, that week is absolutely nuts! Food trucks, games, absolutely awesome prizes (I won a $400 audio interface that I still have zero idea what to do with), and at the end of the week there's a huge award ceremony and party for our Hall of Fame inductees. Besides that, Full Sail hosts WWE NXT every year so snag some tickets, or better yet, volunteer to work it for some free wrestling! And of course, we have club events like the LAN Club's Clash of the Campus (where Full Sail and neighboring UCF go head to head in Super Smash Bros 4, League of Legends, Overwatch and more!) that officially starts this September at our very own Full Sail Live Venue! And speaking of clubs...
4. Find a club you like and join it! Or if they don't have one already, make it! No joke, Full Sail has so many clubs, I can't keep track. Like I said, we've got the LAN Club (with a twitch channel right here where we stream our events like last month's Super Smash tourney that Nate and I got to commentate on), Cosplay Club, Tabletop Club, Role-play Club, one for Creative Writers (represent!), heck I think if I look hard enough I'd find a club for long boarding in a chicken costume we've got so dang many!
5. Do collaborations! This goes back to networking, but once you guys meet people, do stuff with them! If you guys meet me and you want to do a webseries or T.V. show, just text me! Be all "Yo Matt, I got a story for a show, but I need someone to write the script." I promise you, by the time you're done typing out that next text I'll be all over that like white on rice, I love this stuff, and the people who go here love their field as much, if not more than I love mine!
6. Explore the campus, especially when it's busy! Hit up The Fishbowl in FS3B at any daylight hour and you'll see anywhere from fifty to a hundred students all doing so much cool stuff it'll blow your dang mind! I promise you, make a lap around The Fishbowl and you'll meet at least two people who are cooler than the fridge in your apartment that you'll want to hang out and work with.
7. Finally, and this one is a personal piece of advice that I learned REAL dang fast; meet your instructors. These men and women here want you to succeed like I said before, so they will be your harshest critics, but also your biggest advocates if you just follow their advice. Each of them has so much experience in their field and nine times out of ten, in the field you want to go into. If you can meet your department heads one-on-one too, holy crap you'll be golden! They'll hit you with so much info so fast, you'll get whiplash and start yelling "That was awesome, can we go again?!" And of course, be on the look out for Garry. He's without a doubt, one of the coolest guys you'll ever meet (I mean come on, dude's gone crowd surfing at concerts hosted at the school he's the president of!), and he actually genuinely cares about you succeeding at what you want to do. He's like the cool uncle that watches you rock people's socks off. Plus, if you actually go up and talk to him or ask him for advice, chances are he'll hit you up later in the program (make sure you give the man a business card!) to see how you're doing. That's good looking out Garry.
Anyhowitzer, thanks for letting me spit my opinions and junk at you through this whole thing, just remember to do your best and don't miss that balance of work hard, play hard and you'll do fine. Now if you'll excuse me, I've put off homework enough for today for V.E.M (month 2 class for film, CW and the like programs) and I need to get things done. Peace in the Middle East, I'm out!
Me and Garry rocking the Hall of Fame Feb. 2017
Thursday, March 2, 2017
A sample of "Colossal"'s pilot script
Good morning everyone, I'd like to present you all with the first seven pages of "Colossal"! These pages can be viewed through Google Docs right here! I hope you all enjoy this little taste of what's to come!
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
Obligatory Introductory Post!
Hello denizens of the internet, my name is Matt! As is customary, I figured I'd tell the world a bit about myself and why I'm here! I'm a creative writing student, and by definition, a freelance screenwriter who focuses on animation and children's entertainment. That being said, I also enjoy writing short stories and live action scripts as well, and I absolutely love ancient mythology and military history, especially Greek and Roman (enough so that I traced my family name back to the oldest recorded instance and proceeded to get the Roman Legion number my family would've been most likely involved in tattooed on my shoulder).
I love writing almost as much as reading, video games, and enjoying classic and alternative rock music, but enough about me. You're probably here because you want to know what I've done! Well, before I moved to Florida to Study at Full Sail University, I lived in Allen, Texas, where I completed the pilot script for my own show, "Colossal". The show is an animated series following Carter Hernandez and Amber Greene as they balance, school, friends, and battling giant manifestations of the forces of nature called Colossi (Colossus if it's only one). I have a pilot script that will be sampled in a post later on, as well as a series bible with some artwork (courtesy of my good friends Joseph Taylor and Ash Corona) and a whole lot of episodes!
My personal goal is to eventually be a show runner for Cartoon Network and bring back shows that encourage people to sit down with their friends and marathon the episodes until their eyes hurt and their hearts well up with all sorts of emotions.
Thanks for dropping by!
~Matthew Richard Scarpa
"Fortune and Glory kid. Fortune and glory."
~Harrison Ford, "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" (1984)
I love writing almost as much as reading, video games, and enjoying classic and alternative rock music, but enough about me. You're probably here because you want to know what I've done! Well, before I moved to Florida to Study at Full Sail University, I lived in Allen, Texas, where I completed the pilot script for my own show, "Colossal". The show is an animated series following Carter Hernandez and Amber Greene as they balance, school, friends, and battling giant manifestations of the forces of nature called Colossi (Colossus if it's only one). I have a pilot script that will be sampled in a post later on, as well as a series bible with some artwork (courtesy of my good friends Joseph Taylor and Ash Corona) and a whole lot of episodes!
My personal goal is to eventually be a show runner for Cartoon Network and bring back shows that encourage people to sit down with their friends and marathon the episodes until their eyes hurt and their hearts well up with all sorts of emotions.
Thanks for dropping by!
~Matthew Richard Scarpa
"Fortune and Glory kid. Fortune and glory."
~Harrison Ford, "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" (1984)
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