concept

Can’t go wrong with a little originality

Maximum Z comedy, concept, creativity, crowdfunding, determination, independent films, perseverance, persistence, producer, screenplay, screenwriting, script, short films, thriller, writing , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The crowdfunding effort for my short film has passed the 25% mark. On one level that is FANTASTIC, but there’s still that remaining 75% with about six weeks to go. That means my extensive efforts and outreach will continue.

It’s the only way to make this happen.

It’s great to have so many supporters step up. More than a few have commented on how much they love the concept, along with a handful who’ve asked to read the script – and liked that as well.

One of the recurring comments has been how this would be a great example of independent film. In all honesty, I never thought of it that way. I just wanted to write and make a short film that other people could enjoy. Mostly for the experience of doing it, but also for the satisfaction of having something I can show the world and say “I wrote that”.

But what it really comes down to – a bunch of creative types making a film based on an original idea.

Hopefully that’s what’ll happen. Fingers remain, as always, firmly crossed.

And please donate if you can at the link above. Thanks!

Slow and steady and all that

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Quick update – no post last week because I was getting ready to run the Writing For Hollywood track as part of the San Francisco Writers Conference. Time got away from me what with all the planning and coordinating. Even though I was miffed about not posting, having a phenomenal day of panels with some savvy screenwriting & filmmaking pros was a nice consolation prize.

FYI – I’ll be doing this again for next year’s conference, so if you’re interested in attending, there’s a link on the homepage to find out more.

So with the conference out of the way, it’s back to work on a few projects.

-had a great meeting with the director of my short film. The crowdfunding should be launching in early/mid-March, with a projected shoot in early/mid-June. Doing what I can to make that happen. Watch this space for more details.

-had a pair of great Zoom calls with some writer chums to discuss my new spec idea. Both had some excellent suggestions. I’d been feeling stuck on the story – especially for Act Two – and it was quite helpful talking things out.

Once again I find myself writing ideas down and constantly thinking “How about THIS?” Right now it’s mostly a big jumble of ideas and concepts, but something is definitely starting to take shape. I’m not as stressed about it as I was. This is that part of the process that’s equal parts thrilling and frustrating, but the important thing is that it’s getting done.

And the more I work on it, the more hopeful and confident I get about it.

From the archives: FBD is a BFD

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This post from July 2024 is about when I was first starting on this new story idea. I’d put that one on hold to spend a lot of time polishing and rewriting another script, so work on this one has resumed. There has been some progress on figuring out the story, but a lot of what’s mentioned in here still rings true – especially the subject.

Enjoy.

Working on this new script idea is proving to be quite a challenge. It’s still in the very early development stages, so any and every idea is being written down for potential use. No doubt some will stay, some will be trashed, and some will be altered/revised/modified to varying degrees.

Adding to all of this is that a big part of the story is similar to parts of a very beloved and well-known film – so similar that it’s one of my comps – so I also need to come up with ideas so my story safely falls into the category of “Familiar, But Different” – FBD.

It’s my goal to have this story be reminiscent of that other one, but not so much that it feels like I’m totally ripping it off. I’ve read a lot of scripts that fall short of that, so doing what I can to avoid falling into that trap.

This film also has a lot of iconic scenes, so it’s even more important I put my own spin on the concept to really hammer home its FBD-ness. The absolute last thing I want is for somebody to read this and think “There’s nothing new here”.

A key part of this is breaking down the components of the original film – not just the story, plot and characters, but seeing what worked, how the various storylines and subplots were laid out AND how they were connected. I can then use all of that as a springboard to putting my story together, and then fine tune as necessary.

Challenging, but not impossible.

Great as it would be to have the final result ready now, finding a new way to tell this familiar story is part of what I enjoy about doing this. I like to call it “go for the hard turn”; Just when you think things are going to go a certain way, there’s a yank on the steering wheel and all of a sudden things are heading in a whole new direction that makes you want to keep going.

One thing I’m fairly certain will play a factor in putting this together is that I’m just enjoying working on it. I don’t think there’s anything like it out there, so there’s a certain thrill to exploring the unknown, so to speak. It’s a priority for me that when it’s totally done – no matter how long that takes – it makes a strong impression for both the story it’s telling and how it’s written.

Even though it’ll take a while for me to figure it out, I’m confident I can make it happen.

The gears they are a-turnin’

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Another shorty today, but it’s a good ‘un

Still trying to figure out the story for my new spec, but it’s slowly coming together. Will probably take longer than I’d like, but making a point to not rush through this.

Got the concept, a few scenes and plot points in place, and I know the ending.

Bonus – placeholder title replaced with something better/stronger. For the time being, anyway.

Now I just need to focus on everything else and I’m all set.

Easy peasy.

Taking a few days off from the daily grind, so next week’s post will most likely be out of the archives, but the creativeness never stops.

Later, gators.

-Also wanted to express a huge thanks to all my writing chums who helped me navigate my way through a rough week. Consider me thoroughly grateful for all the ongoing support & encouragement.

Is it different for animation?

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It was suggested that I come up with a pitch deck for my animated fantasy-comedy, or at least some character designs and concept art – and maybe a title page.

I’ve never been big on pitch decks. I figure if somebody’s interested enough in the script AND willing to shell out the moolah for it, then it’s out of my hands and they can come up with whatever looks they want. It’s not like they’re going to care about what I envisioned.

But dealing with a story that’s meant to be animated is something entirely different. You want to present at least a general idea of what the characters look like. If you’re trying to skew younger, they’d probably look more cartoon-y or Pixar-ish. If you’re going for a wider audience, they have to look like you weren’t seeing this as primarily a way to sell toys and Happy Meals.

I can honestly say these are things I hadn’t thought about while I was writing it. But since marketing is one of those screenwriting topics that doesn’t get mentioned as often as it should, it’s something requiring my attention.

Especially now.

As for the contents of the pitch deck, that was also me starting with a blank slate. What to include? And not include? How much of the story do I describe? How many pages should it be?

Fortunately, several trusted colleagues offered to send me their pitch decks as points of reference – an offer I eagerly accepted. A majority were for television pilots, which is very different from one for a feature. Some were for animation, so it was at least a start.

Like I mentioned before, my pitch deck would need to include character designs. My drawing skills are lousy, so doing it myself was not an option from the get-go. I need an artist. Thus I made my way to Fiverr and deviantart.com to check out artists whose styles match the vibe I’m going for. Several have been found, so initial contacts are underway.

Unlike some folks in the entertainment industry, I’m a firm believer in paying a creator what they deserve to be paid, but I also need to keep a close eye on how much I have available. No idea what the end cost will be, but hoping it’s not too pricey.

Like with a lot of projects in the early, early development stage, it’s all a lot of info to process, so there’s a general feeling of being overwhelmed. But also like those projects, it just requires dealing with it all a little at a time. It might not get done quickly, but this isn’t something to rush through. It’ll take as long as it takes to get it to be as effective as I can make it.

Wish me luck.