Year: 2010

Sorry for the delay

Maximum Z Disney, running, screenwriting, script doctor eric

I haven’t written/posted in a couple of days because I’ve been out of town.  For THE RACE.

The Legs of Steel are now on the mend following my running the 2010 Disneyland Half-Marathon.  My time: 2:02:30, which is 2:31 more than the last one I did. Three years ago!  There’s hope for me yet.

I am sooo grateful it was cool and foggy.  If it had been sunny and warm/hot, I don’t know how I would have done.  There were times I felt like I wouldn’t be able to finish, but my body overruled my brain and I kept going.

Once again, K put it in perspective.  If I had trained more, I would have had a better time.  So, I’m going to really have at it in order to be ready for New Orleans in February.  I’m hoping to get at least 1:55.

And our time in Disney was fun, too.  Hot, but fun.  V discovered a love of rollercoasters.  Except for that big one in CA Adventure.  She didn’t like that.  Or Indiana Jones.

K also commented that I was born to steer the boat on Jungle Cruise.  Can’t argue with that.  We also noticed a lot of multiracial families and a TON of tattooed patrons.  There were also a lot of overweight folks, but that’s expected…

On the writing front:

-I talked to that life coach from the logline contest last night.  He was really cool and had some helpful things to say.  I didn’t know what to expect, but was hoping he wouldn’t be some kind of Tony Robbins ripoff.

Quite the opposite.

He used to work in the industry, but has since moved on.  He mentioned a lot of his clients still do, which is very interesting.

He liked what I said about myself, and suggested trying to get involved with some networking.  Only problem – I’m up here and they’re down there.  I think there may be some ways to accomplish this online, so that’s something to investigate.

He also offered to try and send some potential event leads my way, which means I may be heading south again.  I’m thinking November-ish.   Provided, of course, that this doesn’t fall within the ‘Hollywood shutting down for the holidays’ timeframe.

It also seems like the man behind the contest is also a great contact to have, and is worth establishing more of a connection with.  His basic script analysis package is $99, which isn’t too steep; just more than I can currently afford.  I’d like to do that soon as well.  I think if he likes it enough, he’s willing to pass it on to more industry folks.  And that would be awesome.

-I re-did the first act outline of BABY LIKES JAZZ, using my notes from BABY BOOM as a reference point.  Problem is, apart from these changes, I like how it all unfolds later on.  I also noticed a few holes that need to be taken care of.  That might be harder to take care of than I anticipate, but I’m not too worried.

No Movie of the Moment tonight, but we’ve got IN THE LOOP and the first season of PUSHING DAISIES in the house.  One of those tomorrow, so hang in there.  Suggestions are always welcome, too…

Who are you again?

Maximum Z craigslist, screenwriting, writing gigs

I’ve noticed a disturbing trend among people seeking screenwriters on Craigslist:  they want someone with credits to help them with a project.

Because a professional screenwriter is constantly checking Craigslist to get that big $50-80 payday.

The most recent listing was from somebody who graduated from film school last year, but focused on directing and producing more than writing, so now they want a ‘professional’ to give their script the fine-tooth-comb routine before it is sent out.

Because THIS IS THEIR CREATIVITY ON THE LINE!!! (emphasis mine)

Give me a fucking break.

You want somebody who knows what a script should look like. Believe it or not, there are tons of quality writers out there, and a lot of them would be more than happy to check out your script.

I highly doubt someone with credits is going to spend a few hours checking out something like this.  And if they do, they must be ‘between projects’ right now.

And I’m not even going to get into the listing from the caucasian writer who wants to partner with a black writer on his project, because, in his words, only a black writer can capture the passion and personality of the story.

Oh, fer God’s sake…

Getting back to me.  I started breaking down BABY LIKES JAZZ like how it was done in BABY BOOM.  Short, to the point, but relevant to the story and revealing of the main character.

Amazingly, some of the ideas I had waaaayyyyy back in outline #1 still apply.

Apparently my brilliance knows no bounds.

I finally tried it. And it was good

Maximum Z Uncategorized

So last week the writing group took a look at my first act for Baby Likes Jazz. A comment I heard a few times was to watch movies of a similar nature to get a better grasp of how to approach the material.

So I put Baby Boom at the top of my Netflix queue. It’s more or less a similar story.

I was going to just watch it, when the idea popped into my head to take notes. I already had a blank document on Word open, so I started typing what was going on in each scene, primarily from a “what’s the scene about/what’s going on?” perspective.

It was really helpful. And when it was finished, I looked over the whole thing and was able to follow the story quite easily. I wonder if it will be as easy in, say, a week.

When that was done, I started thinking about what kind of changes would need to be made to my story. Especially in the first act. Somebody in the group said it moved to quckly; things were happening too fast.

In Baby Boom, lots of scenes are short, but make their point in an easy-to-grasp way. I don’t think I have that yet. I also need to show more of how the kids impact my hero’s world.

I keep going back and forth regarding hammering through to the end of the current draft. Part of me wants to, then I think about starting again, but with the changes I would develop based on what I picked up from Baby Boom.

-I got a very nice email from the Eric of Script Doctor Eric regarding my prize for ensuing triumphant in his recent Logline Friday contest. The life coach I get 30 minutes with is on vacation, but should return later in the week. The more I think about it, the more intrigued I am as to how he might be able to help me.

I also joked about someday being able to afford his analysis service. He recommended saving up. Either him or the $60 guy. I like it in concept.

-there was another listing on craigslist for a screenwriter today. A guy in Cow Hollow is looking for a collaborator on material. But he’s more of a videographer/editor type, it sounds like. I’ll be curious to see if he responds.

Movie of the Moment: Night at the Museum 2. Only because it was free and on cable. Overall, not as much charm or cleverness as the first one. Some of the subplots didn’t seem to have much purpose; probably in there for a cheap laugh more than anything. And Hank Azaria’s character was way too passive. He should have been more threatening and dangerous. I don’t need to see it again.

I also attempted to watch Fanboys, but the disc was really scratched up. It’s enjoyable, but guys who talk about nothing BUT Star Wars gets irritating after a while. Hopefully the replacement disc will be in better shape.

All those starts, stops and digitized frames were driving me crazy.

Mega-shorty

Maximum Z Uncategorized

Real fast.

Decided BABY LIKES JAZZ has potential for more risqué-ness. Investigating…

I won the weekly Logline Friday contest from scriptdoctoreric.com! Yay me! Now to check out this life coach and see what he can offer me.

That’s it.

How liberating!

Maximum Z screenwriting, video

I didn’t write at all today.  I did think about BABY while I was running, but actual pages?

Nope.

And it felt pretty good.

I’ll do something tomorrow, or at least next week.

It’s weird, but I think once I get this draft done, making changes won’t be as hard as I think.  I also find myself going back to ideas way back in the early days of developing the outline.  Some of them could actually work.

I’ll have to look into that.

Movie of the Moment: HOT TUB TIME MACHINE.

Don’t you judge me.  Parts of it are really funny.  I can see how they were hoping it would be the next HANGOVER.

So my attention keeps going back and forth between this screen and the TV.

TV wins.

Later.