No post today because of work on a non-script-related project with a fast-approaching deadline.
Normal posting will resume on Friday.
In the meantime, enjoy a piece of your favorite pie with my compliments.
pie
All wrapped up with a bow and everything
This being Christmas Eve, the timing couldn’t have been more fortuitous.
I’m very grateful for my ever-growing legion of readers, and try to show my appreciation when I can. And today is no exception.
You know if I could, I’d give each and every one of you much success with whatever project or projects you’re working on. And a piece of pie, just to make this festive occasion that much more festive.
But since neither is actually doable, I hope you’ll enjoy a gift of a more hypothetical nature.
Don’t worry. Size, color and the usual details do not factor into this. It’s actually pretty simple.
Here’s how it works: You can have anything connected with the making of any movie ever made. Prop, costume, vehicle, director’s chair, animation cel, script.
Whatever you want, it’s yours with my compliments. Again, hypothetically.
What’s it going to be?
But remember – just one.
(And once you’ve made your decision, maybe reconsider the pie option)
Destination: uncharted territory
First and foremost, thanks to everybody for the hearty congrats. Words of encouragement from one’s peers are always nice, doubly so when it’s from people you know are good writers.
I’ll also admit to sending updates of my recent accomplishments to my old writing group, more with the intent of “Hey kids, ain’t this swell?” rather than “Suck on it, losers!”
And a big mazel tov to the 24 other semifinalists, 10 finalists and the top 3 winners of the Tracking Board Launchpad contest. Best of luck to all of you on your future endeavors! Celebrate in your desired appropriate style. I find pie to always be a solid viable option.
Speaking of which (the writing stuff, not the pie), these are exciting times. I don’t think I’ve ever been this close to something potentially happening with one of my scripts before – he said with fingers firmly crossed.
There isn’t a writer out there, including yours truly, who doesn’t daydream about achieving some kind of success while they hammer away at their latest project.
But things are different for me now, and a new learning curve is underway. I’m a bit nervous, but still quite psyched about it.
This is exactly what I’ve been working towards, and feel very fortunate to have even made it this far. I hope everybody can experience this kind of sensation at least once.
So all I can do now is keep writing and maintain a positive attitude while staying reasonably sane and level-headed.
I’m a huge fan of tales from the trenches, so any anecdotes of early-in-my-career experiences and such are more than welcome in the comments below.
-Movie of the Moment: MONSTERS UNIVERSITY (2013). I didn’t think there was really a demand for this; the first one seemed more than enough. Despite it’s box office success, I wouldn’t call this another home run for Pixar. A triple, maybe. And kudos to them for making the college experience as G-rated/Disney-safe as possible.
V was interested in seeing it, but she didn’t laugh that much. There were chuckles from both of us, but not as many as you would expect.
Still, glad we saw it, especially in 2-D, and at one of SF’s remaining single-screen theatres. We’re always happy to send them business.
-It’s heartbreaking on several levels to read how much THE LONE RANGER is sounding more and more like a train wreck (no pun intended). Hopefully this won’t be yet another death knell for westerns in 21st century, such as the one I’m working on. I’m discouraged, but not defeated.
I did it (part 1)
You can no longer consider me a screenwriter without representation.
I signed with a manager this week: Sean Butler of The Mikael Group.
He found DREAMSHIP on The Black List and liked it enough to want to work with me on it. The enthusiastic comments from his coverage person were also a nice little ego boost.
(Fortunately, his suggestions about changes to the script all are pretty minor and shouldn’t make a rewrite too difficult. We’ll be discussing those next week.)
Simply put, it feels really good to have all that hard work finally pay off.
But this is a short-term celebration. I’ve overcome the first hurdle of getting a career going (hence the “(part 1)”), and there’s still a lot more to go.
Next up – getting an agent.
I’d also like to offer an extremely hearty thanks to all of you who’ve been so generous with your time and feedback on this script. I really could not have gotten here without you, so enjoy a piece of pie of the flavor of your choice with my compliments.
Cue the cartoon Disney animals!
You know that feeling when you come up with a story idea you can’t wait to jump into, and then when you actually do, writing it is even better than you could have possibly imagined? Almost as if the physical act of writing is no longer a chore-like slog, but has become a thrilling way of putting the excitement of your imagination right there on the page?
That’s exactly what’s happening now as I turn my western outline into a script.
I’ve been doing my best to stick to the at-least-1-page-a-day method, and so far, it’s been working out nicely. Going into yesterday, I was on the verge of getting to page 3, but made it to almost the end of page 4 courtesy of bringing my laptop to V’s soccer practice. It was also cool to completely revamp the scene’s ending totally on the fly. I like when the creativeness kicks in like that.
(Working in a public space is becoming so much more productive. Good thing there are lots of coffee shops and cafes in our neighborhood.)
It’s really hard to describe how jazzed I am about writing this. I don’t know if it’s the love of the genre, or letting my enjoyment of pulp-y adventure shine through, or just plain having fun with it. Maybe it’s a little of everything. Truth be told, I wouldn’t trade this feeling for anything.
How powerful is this positive sensation? Not only am I not even acknowledging that internal voice of self-doubt and naysaying, but if it were possible, I’d send everybody a piece of my homemade pecan pie just to make their day a little brighter. Trust me. That’s saying something.
Of course, I’m not completely oblivious to reality. This thing is going to need some major work when the first draft is finished. There will most likely be all sorts of details that need to be fixed, ranging from story to characters to historical accuracy.
But I don’t care about any of that right now. I’m really enjoying this and want to keep that feeling going as long as possible.
It’s also my hope that my enthusiasm comes across on the page, which would make it that much more fun a read for somebody else. Who wouldn’t appreciate becoming engrossed in a rousing tale of adventure?
-The Oscars. Since we have Apple TV, the show wasn’t streamed live (unless we wanted to subscribe to a service we’ll never need or buy a useless product) so we couldn’t watch it, but were able to hear the audio. Hopefully the Academy and the networks will accept that live streaming is an inevitable part of the future and make the appropriate changes. Probably not, but one can hope.
Regarding the awards the awards themselves, nothing too surprising except for how well LIFE OF PI did. Guess I’ll actually have to see it now, along with most of the other BP nominees.
-Movie of the Moment – DREDD (2012). I’m familiar with the comic, and this was a much stronger adaptation of it than the Stallone version. Karl Urban was a great fit for the lead.
In terms of plot, if you enjoyed THE RAID: REDEMPTION, you’ll like this. The same concept, more or less, but with less martial arts and more whiz-bang special effects. Overall, not a bad way to spend 92 minutes.
Maximum Z 