Introduce Yourself : Finally got my creativity back by Vital Butinar

Thanks for sharing Vital Butinar Great to hear what you're working on, keep it up.

Greetings, Vital Butinar how are you doing? Thanks for finding your way to the IYW. I’m Geoff, a Stage32 moderator as well as a screenwriter, director and author. I’m currently working on a Pitch Deck for a feature and awaiting a meeting with a UK Producer about my short film project called “Breathe”.

Always great to see you, Vital Butinar! I'm working on a pitch deck job, pitching projects, trying to decide my next script, and of course, networking.

I recommend Vital and Leya's film "Suspended Fear," everyone!

Hey Nick Waters thank you. Yeah I've never been good with writing but it's just something I stumbled on, so sometimes I still struggle with times when I don't have enough energy to write and I'm really happy when I'm able to again.

What are you working on these days, anything cool?

Thank you Geoff Hall! Like I said I've met some really cool people on Stage32 and I collaborate with some of them pretty regularly, so it's really cool! Congrats about the pitch deck and the meeting. What's Breathe about?

Maurice Vaughan thank you very, very much and it's great to see you too. I don't know why but I've come to really enjoy making pitch decks and film art. I guess it's because I can be creative in a little different way.

Any ideas already on your next project?

Well I've been working on the comedy feature a bit more, I figured I needed a little more comedic elements in it and needed to cut the dialog, so I'm working on that and the techno noir sci fi thriller I've been developing. I wrote a little more of that one but I seem to be getting stuck at one point that I don't like or should I say it feels a little too simple. But working on it, so I'll figure it out eventually.

I've been following the whole AI thing and that's why I got a couple of ideas on a few shorts that deal with the subject.

Suspended Fear is one of them, but mainly it was just a fun short little project that allowed me to play around with a few things that I had been wanting to try for a long time but didn't have a contact for.

I was really surprised how easily Leya and I were able to get cool sci-fi-ish looking shots of stuff with not a lot of complications by just using stuff from around the house. My absolutely favorite is the shot of the extension cord switch coupled with a sound effect that looks like a cockpit panel switch. Mind-blowing.

Vital Butinar Hi Vital, “Breathe” is about a young poet who has lost her sense of identity and purpose and is visited by her older self, who shares a little wisdom to help her. It’s an experimental film, as the dialogue is poetic in nature. I’ve entered the script in the Stage32 Short Film Script Competition.

Wow! Very cool Geoff Hall! Sounds interesting and good luck in the competition.

You know Leya Marincic my partner (who's also here on Stage32) had a grandfather who wrote poetry and it was really interesting listening to him speak because he kind of sounded like he was reciting poetry while he spoke.

I've been meaning to enter a short film in the short film contest too, but don't know if it will be finished or if I'll have the money so anyway.

I really like making pitch decks and film art too, Vital Butinar. Most of the time I make them after I finish rewriting a script, but sometimes I start on a script poster before the script. Making the script poster up front gives me ideas for the script sometimes.

I have a feature script idea that's high concept, really unique, and can be made cheaply, but I need to outline the story more.

Congratulations on the progress with your Comedy script and your Techno Noir Sci-Fi Thriller! Slow and steady. :)

"I was really surprised how easily Leya and I were able to get cool sci-fi-ish looking shots of stuff with not a lot of complications by just using stuff from around the house." It's incredible what filmmakers can make using regular things. I saw a video of a filmmaker who made a futuristic Sci-Fi city out of regular stuff, and it looked like a city from a big-budget movie. Gotta use what you got. :)

We all hit those lulls, Vital. Good on you for pushing through and finding your energy and passion again!

Vital Butinar ah, yes, the heart and voice of a poet are one!

It’s strange that I had never written poetry until I’d written my first novel, wherein one of the characters was a poet, dubbed by the State as a ‘toxic poet’! Lots of it features on the website created to publicise the novel. It just seems to flow, when I’m in the zone! Perhaps it’s an age thing? The older I get, the more poetic I become!!

Maurice Vaughan oh yeah, creating artwork is satisfying and I love creating it for inspiration. I wish I had the ability to just download the images I see in my head, that would just be the best inspiration.

As far as the sci fi from regular stuff goes, I've been meaning to try it for a really long time and I love how lights and knobs, screens look on camera. I hate it when this stuff is CGI. CGI is cool for set extensions but I don't really like green screens all that much. I really have to try a couple of test shoots for something else with set extensions.

Thank you Richard "RB" Botto! Yeah it's great when I'm able to be creative, the problem is always unnecessary stress which kills creativity. All you have to do is find a way trough it.

Very interesting Geoff Hall! And I love that you can get yourself into a place where you can put yourself so much in the characters shoes that you can write poetry. I've always struggled with this.

I know that I have a big problem because I tend to write as a director who sees the film in front of their eyes and then make up stuff to fit the plot, but it doesn't originate from the characters themselves and then I always have a lot of rewriting to do to make it feel realistic.

I've noticed that often that means there's too much dialog and not enough action, so when I rewrite I try to create characters more complexly and then find a way to motivate their actions.

It would be so much easier if I could just export the whole film from my head. :)

I'm with you, Vital Butinar. CGI is cool, but I like practical effects more. In my opinion, practical effects look better. Like the old "Star Wars" movies.

I hear that, Vital. One thing that helped me tremendously with stress was making my priority list for the next day the evening before and dedicating the first hour to my day to only things that benefit my physical and mental health. You'll find the structure that will work for you, I'm sure.

You got this, Vital Butinar!

Making a priority list is a great idea, Richard "RB" Botto. I usually make a mental priority list, but I think I'm going to start typing it up so it's easier to refer back to.

Always great to have that visual, Maurice. Helps not to forget, plus you get the added pleasure of crossing things off when you're done!

Always a fan on in camera effects where possible. Congratulations on your latest piece!

Maurice Vaughan yeah I agree. I think it's a fine line to walk on when using CGI. For me personally is if you can do without it fine, but if you really nice it for the story then I'm open for it, as minimally as possible.

But I remember ever since I was a kid and saw stuff like Bladrunner and Alien, I loved those tech noir environments with lights and neon signs.

I'm hoping that the thriller that I'm writing can be made that kind of way.

Oh Richard "RB" Botto thank you. You're right, sticking to a routine is a good thing and I think I have mine set, which does help a lot.

The problem you just fall down into a pit and start to think that 90% of people in this world are crooks, even though it's probably only 80% (just kidding). But dealing with such people then messes with my internal peace so much that I can't even sleep and then everything is off.

Thankfully I always find a way to clear everything out of my mind and then it's ok again, but sometimes it takes a little longer than other times.

Thank you Tom Stohlgren :)

You're right Catherine. In camera effects are so cool and there's so much you can do in camera, also you can augment a lot later.

I feel ya, Vital. That's one of the reasons why I harp so often on making sure you're networking with the right people, not rush into representation without doing your homework, never take a free option and all the other pearls of wisdom I try to drop. If you do these things, you won't avoid all of those crooks and bullshit artists, but you will avoid the majority of them. All about listening to the right voices and putting yourself in a position to win. There's enough negativity out there. No reason to expose ourselves to more.

Hi Vital! Sounds like you have been on a roll to me! Congratulations on getting your scripts completed. Tyler Winther is one of our executives who I think would be a really great consultation for you if you ever want feedback on your script. He is partiularly interested in VFX and CGI for indie filmmakers, and has incredible experience with it. Feel free to write us at success@stage32.com if you want the link! Congrats again on all of your hard work!

Vital Butinar thank you. I know what you mean writing as a director. We tend to fill the script with stuff (action, dialogue) that we see. I don’t think that’s a bad thing, but we just need to find a balance. That comes from allowing people you trust to read the script and taking notes that help towards that balance.

“And I love that you can get yourself into a place where you can put yourself so much in the characters shoes that you can write poetry.”

Well, it may seem strange, but it’s like getting into the zone, or a zone. Jack Stanza is the father of the main character in my novel, who was a political prisoner and was vilified in the Press as a ‘toxic poet’ because he wrote poems which were against the system. Then I started writing poetry by his partner, who is a spiritual mystic and so focuses on spiritual consciousness.

This was all after the novel was published and was leading to the second book in the series. In the first, I was writing a journal for the main character, Strix who was a young lad in his late teens. It was all about angst, and resistance and the longing for something more than the Absolutist State was offering.

It was through this writing discipline, that I explored and discovered more about these characters.

There is more about Why I Write, here if you are interested:

https://www.worldofowl.co.uk/owlnewsblog/writing-why-i-write

And the poetry can be found here:

https://www.worldofowl.co.uk/search?q=Poetry

Richard "RB" Botto I agree with you. The best thing to do is to listen to your inner voice and follow it and that way you can steer clear of a lot of bad stuff. I think we tend to put ourselves in bad positions because we're pushed into a corner and then try to get out and grasp at straws.

That's awesome and thank you for that! :)

By the way I sent you a PM, about a cool project that I'm developing that would help independent filmmakers fund films, if you have the tame to take a look. I'm interested in your take.

Oh waw thank you Gigi! I'll write you guys in the next couple of days. :)

Well the short was just an experiment and I'm happy I was able to pull it off the way it was finished.

Geoff Hall very cool! I'll check out the links and very interesting. It always sees like creative people are always against the system in some way. I keep wondering why. I guess because creativity is free and a system is a closed group of principals and these two concepts clash inertly.

As far as writing, that's exactly what I do. I let a couple of people read what I wrote and I actually really love constructive criticism because it makes me think of exactly why I wrote something or why it could be changed. Then after a couple of drafts I get something that I like and is usable. :)

Vital Butinar thank you, Vital. Yes, it’s important that we can share our work within trusted relationships. That’s helpful w we grow as writers. Enjoy the links and the World of Owl site.