independent films

A last big push

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This is the last weekend for the crowdfunding for my short film SHECKY.

“A new homeowner discovers he’s being haunted by the ghost of a comedian who keeps telling the same terrible jokes over and over, and who refuses to leave – or stop.”

The campaign may be winding down, but there are still plenty of ways to support this indie film project: the usual donations and tier rewards – just click on the link above to get all the details.

But there are also some perks you might want to consider, including:

-$125 – script notes from me

-$250 – be a guest on my podcast The Creative Writing Life to talk about yourself and your work (available on both Spotify and YouTube)

-$250 – if you’re an actor, Trevor Nagle, who plays one of the two SHECKY leads, will do a critique on your reel, a self-tape set up consultation, or an audition coaching session

-$500 – for filmmakers, award-winning director Ally May will give you notes on your reel, offer tips on filmmaking, or give you notes on your script

We’re also offering producer credits, complete with onscreen credit:

$500 – Associate Producer

$1000 – Executive Producer, which also includes one ticket to attend a screening of SHECKY at a local film festival

Just to get an idea of the quality of talent involved with this project, here’s Ally talking about her involvement with the project.

And here’s Trevor.

The entire team behind SHECKY is really excited to see it happen. Your donation, no matter how much, will be a huge contribution towards that.

Can’t go wrong with a little originality

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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!

A population of your creation

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deadpool
Part of the appeal was how blatantly non-traditional the characters were

Totally unintentionally, I’ve watched a handful of independent films lately. It’s just the way my Netflix queue was set up.

Apart from each one being a solid example of good writing and demonstrating how to craft a small and contained story with a limited number of characters, they also had the distinction of featuring well-known and established actors in a wide variety of roles.

My first thought was “How did they end up in this?”, but as the film played out and the story progressed, it became pretty apparent that the actors were attracted to the characters and that they were actually part of the story.

Ranging from those in a handful of scenes to the protagonist, each one felt fleshed out and three-dimensional. They had depth. Nobody came across as if they had no business being there to begin with.

This was also apparent in the trailers that preceded the films; many, if not all, I’d never heard of or had a very, very limited release. There must have been something to that script or the roles that would attract actors of that caliber.

As a screenwriter, you want to make sure that not only are you presenting a solid and entertaining story, but it has to be populated with original and unique characters we’re interested in, who are also developed enough that we become invested in wanting to see what happens to them.

Not as easy as you think.

How often have you seen a film or read a script where a character is simply a tired cliché? Notice how fast you lose interest?

Now if that character were something totally different than what you expected, wouldn’t you be more likely to want to go along on their journey?

Just as an example, I read a script last year with a protagonist who was introduced as a “total slacker dude, mid 20s”.

Snore.

And if that wasn’t tropey enough, he was playing a video game in his cluttered studio apartment.

Double snore. Seen it countless times before.

I’d suggested to the writer they consider really changing things up with a totally different approach. Rather than a slacker, what if the protagonist was some kind of genius? Or had been successful, but now fallen on hard times? Something, anything to not go down Cliché Avenue.

See where I’m going with this?

You’re not only telling a story, you’re providing the raw, base material for an actor to work with. They like delving into new territory just as much a reader or audience. By taking a different approach and providing the foundational details, you can create a new and original take on old and f amiliar characters.

Like with the story overall, give us somebody we’re not expecting. The more unique and interesting they are, the more likely an actor will be interested in portraying them, just as much as we’ll be interested in wanting to see what happens to them.