John Oak Dalton

"Not 'Hollywood Independent' - writer John Oak Dalton is the real Real Thing." --Cinema Minima."Very weird and unpopular b-movies and comics."--Blogalicious. "After watching the film I am left to wonder if he had some childhood trauma he is not telling us about."--IMDB user review. "Screenwriter John Oak Dalton wanted to be in Hollywood. Instead, he's in the rustic kitchen above the Germania General Store, stirring a pot of boiling hot dogs." --The Harrisburg Patriot-News.

Tuesday, May 18, 2004

Working at the Car Wash Blues

So how great is Blogger? Yesterday I got an email from my first childhood pal, Matt Booty, whose name I listed in a meme a few weeks back. So you don't get in trouble trying to google his name at work, he is now at Midway Games in Chicago. Hadn't talked to him in a decade or so. How cool is that?

Blogger helped me get a rewrite job, and has put me back in touch with a couple of old friends and acquaintances. Thanks, Blogger!

Sometimes when I'm down and feeling tapped out I like to cartoon a bit to try to recharge my batteries. I just finished a little crappy-looking photocopied 'zine called VOLUNTEERS where I used "found art" principles to write the plot and dialogue. If you want to know what I'm talking about, give me a shout and I'll send it to ya.

Today, RING OF THE SORCERESS on a Harryhausen trip:

CUT TO:
INT. CATACOMBS (STAIRCASE) -- CONTINUOUS
Shadow descends the staircase, his sword at the ready. At the bottom, he stands in a shadowy cave heading off into darkness in all directions. After a long moment listening, Shadow heads off in one direction.
CUT TO:
EXT. CATACOMBS -- MOMENTS LATER
Shadow sees a row of skeletons chained to the wall, dressed in the rags of villagers as well as the cloaks of nobles. Shadow gives them a long look, then ventures forward.
Suddenly one of the skeletons lunges forward and begins clawing at Shadow. He cries out in surprise and hacks at the skeleton with his sword.
The skeletons head comes loose from its neck-bone and bounces on the stone floor. Then, finally, the skeleton collapses into a pile of bone.
With a flurry of strokes, Shadow hacks at the other skeletons as they begin to move with unnatural life.
In a few moments, Shadow has reduced the group to a mound of bones. He moves on.
But in a moment, he cries out.
He sees that a skull has attached itself to his leg, and is trying to gnaw through his trousers. He tries to shake it off like an annoying puppy.
But a second later another skull has latched onto him, then a grasping hand lands on his back and begins digging in.
Shadow kicks one foot, and then another, against the wall of the catacombs and splits the skulls in half. Then he pounds his shoulders against the stone until the hand is just splinters.
Shadow takes a ragged breath, then steps forward.
CUT TO:

Give me a yell at johnoakdalton@hotmail.com.