As the crowdfunding for my short film continues (all donations welcome!), I’ve also donned my producer’s hat and am quickly discovering just about everything involved with putting the whole operation together.
I say “just about” because my more-than-capable director is handling some of the more technical aspects, but pretty much everything else falls under my jurisdiction.
For someone who hasn’t done this before, I’m taking the approach of “this is something I’m pretty certain needs to be done, so I better take care of that”.
And I am not understating it by saying there is A LOT to take care of.
From all the social media to get word out about the crowdfunding to making lists of props I need to pick up to reaching out to local restaurants about donating food for the shoot (with onscreen credit, natch), every day a few more things get added to the list.
Writing the script is challenging. Producing it is a whole different and much bigger ballgame.
It’s exhausting, and sometimes I feel pulled in multiple directions, constantly wondering if I’m doing a good job. But I will admit on a certain level I’m enjoying it. This is a project I’ve worked on for a long time, so doing everything I can to make sure it all goes smoothly, or at least as close to that as I can get.
And we haven’t even gotten to the post-production part of the conversation. I’m bracing for that one.
As I’ve said to more than a few people involved with the project, I hope they’ll be patient as I stumble my way through all of this. It won’t be pretty, but I’m doing what I can.
And here’s the link to the crowdfunding once again, which also falls under the category of “something that needs to be done”.
Seeing as how 2024 just passed the halfway mark, and taking into account how many drafts I’ve done on the animated fantasy-comedy, it’s safe to say that for now, this script is as solid as it’s going to be.
Naturally, that could change, but I’m quite thrilled with how it’s turned out and don’t want to mess with it any further. It’s a strong writing sample/calling card script and I’m already prepping to enter it in a few contests next year.
So what now?
My initial intent was to go back and revise the sci-fi adventure, but earlier this year I came up with an idea I am absolutely crazy about, and since they say you should work on that which excites you, this one definitely fits that bill.
Far as I can tell, there hasn’t been a story like this before.
I’ve mapped out the plot points and started jotting down the ever-increasing number of ideas for scenes and sequences. The more I work on it, the more ramped up I get about working on it. I’m sure things will change as things develop, but as has often been the case, the core of the story should remain the same.
Ideally, I’ll have a first draft done by December 31st, but also want to take my time in plotting it out. Once that’s set, it’s diving headfirst into pages.
Excitement levels are pretty strong, and doing what I can to keep that going.
Had the chance to talk to some writing colleagues this week. Some new, some I’ve known for a while. One via Zoom, one on the phone, and the rest in person.
(Ah, the results of networking and making connections!)
While each conversation was specific to each person, there were a few common threads: what we were working on and how it was going, experiences and results of previous projects, and glimpses ahead to potential future work.
But apart from discussing actual writing stuff, there was also a mutual contentedness about just being able to have a nice chat and offer up some morale-boosting encouragement.
For most of us, writing is a solitary activity, so social interactions might be on the sparse side. As much as I enjoy a productive session that sees progress on my script, there’s just as much enjoyment from shooting the breeze with another writer (or writers) over a cup of coffee.
I’m extremely fortunate to have a lot of other writers live nearby, so I take advantage of that and meet in person whenever possible. (Highly recommended if you can)
If this isn’t the case for you, what’s stopping you from dropping another writer a line and inviting them to talk on Zoom? You’re probably already connected on social media, so why not take it one step beyond? It’s a great way to meet and get to know each other better, all from the comfort of home. And you might be surprised how receptive they are to the idea.
No matter how you do it, one of the unspoken benefits of talking with other writers is the pleasant reminder that YOU ARE NOT ALONE IN THIS. It’s more than likely they’ve gone through the exact same things you have, so they can relate. Maybe they’ve endured more, so you can learn from their experience, and vice versa.
Just as it’s important to try and maintain a regular writing schedule when possible, taking the time to step away, relax, and engage in a casual conversation can be just as helpful.
“And then he actually asked, “But what’s your Save the Cat moment?””
Had a really nice in-person get-to-know-you coffee chat with a writer this week, which are always a pleasant experience. I highly recommend doing them, whether you’re the inviter or the invitee. (Iced sugar-free vanilla latte with oat milk for me, please.)
I’ve written about these more than a few times, including this classic post from August 2016.
(And a friendly reminder that my book is now available)
It’s been a busy week around here, and not just in terms of writing.
I’ve had some great in-person meet-ups with three other local writers over the past couple of days. Two were first-timers, the third was someone I’ve known for a couple of years. Each one was great in its own way. This really is one of my favorite parts of networking – actually meeting somebody else and getting to know them.
Because of my work schedule, lunch or early afternoon coffee are ideal. I prefer a nice little cafe because it always makes for a better one-on-one environment: quiet, sociable, pleasant. Larger networking events, usually at bars, tend to be pretty crowded and noisy, which makes it tough to establish a solid rapport. I’m not too keen on having to continuously shout and not be entirely sure either of us can hear the other.
The first meeting usually involves the exchanging of “here’s my story” mini-bios, and then moves on to what’s going on for both parties. Over the course of about an hour, we’ll share and discuss our individual journeys as writers. Everybody’s journey is different, and I always find each one quite fascinating.
We often share many similarities: our constantly working in the hopes of eventually succeeding as a writer (or filmmaker), the noticeable excitement while discussing our latest project(s), wondering how it’ll go and how it’ll be received.
We are also allowed free rein to vent our frustration about whatever’s currently sticking in our respective craws. Bad experiences, lack of funds for a project, feeling stuck with developing a story, dealing with lousy notes, and so on. One of my new connections even stated, “It’s nice to know I’m not the only one this has happened to!”
That may be what’s at the heart of all of this: knowing you’re not the only one trying to do this, and that somebody else totally understands what it is you’re going through. Simply being able to chat about it in a casual social setting can do wonders; one might even call it therapeutic.
I also make a point of offering to help out in any capacity I can, which tends to usually be either giving script notes or suggesting potential contacts and strategies, and just about everybody is more than happy to reciprocate. Who can’t use a little help?
If you haven’t done so already, I heartily recommend reaching out and connecting with somebody in your area, especially if both of you are within close proximity to each other. Chances are they’re seeking to do the exact same thing.
You know the saying, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know”? Well, this not only applies to breaking in, but also to helping you work your way towards that. Building up your personal network of fellow creatives is easy, won’t cost you that much (just what you’d spend on a cup of coffee or a meal), and is a definite plus for all involved.
Thanks to my ever-expanding network of savvy creative types, I get lots of chances to be on both the giving and receiving ends when it comes to reading scripts.
I consider myself extremely fortunate to be able to get exceptionally helpful notes from a lot of really talented folks. All this feedback has somehow managed to influence my writing for the better, and for that I am overflowing with gratitude.
So the least I can do when somebody asks me “Will you read my script?” or “Can I pick your brain about this idea?” is to say “Of course.”* Maybe I can offer up a few scraps of advice that might somehow work to their advantage. If anything, I can at least point out where a fix in spelling or punctuation is needed. For a script, anyway. That counts, right?
*caveat – it’s taken a lot of work spread over a long time for me to build up my network and establish connections, so I don’t mind if somebody I actually know drops me a note with such a request. If our only connection is being connected on social media and we’ve never interacted – at all, you’re little more than a total stranger to me. So heed that one word and be social. It makes a difference.
I had the pleasure of such an experience this week. I’d connected with another Bay Area creative, and we’d been trying for a while to arrange a face-to-face meeting. After much scheduling, cancelling and rescheduling, we finally made it happen.
This person had an idea for a project, wanted to talk about it, and see if I was interested in being involved. I stated at the outset that I had enough work on my own for now, but would be open to giving notes – time permitting.
After the initial introductions and our thumbnail backstories, we focused on their project. I won’t go into specifics or details about it, because those aren’t the important parts.
What was important was:
-this was a story they’d had inside them for a while, and even though they knew it needed A LOT of work, they were still happy with simply having written it all out
-they were totally open and willing to listen to my suggestions. Some they liked, some they didn’t. Totally fine.
But the more we talked, the more the seeds of ideas were planted in their head. Even though a lot of the details we came up with, including possible paths the story could take, ended up being totally different from their original incarnation, it was easy to see that spark of excitement reignite inside them.
Seeing that happen with somebody you’re trying to help is more satisfying than you can possibly imagine.
We parted ways, with them really rarin’ to go and start developing the latest draft. They added that they really appreciated me being so willing to help out.
I just like doing that sort of thing. I never had that kind of person-to-person help when I was starting out, so why not do what I can for others? Granted, the internet and social media didn’t even exist then, so it’s a lot easier now.
I got a few emails from them the next day showing me what they’d come up with since our meeting. Same concept, but a totally new approach (and, in my opinion, provided the opportunity for a lot of new possibilities). This also included a more thorough write-up of “what happened before the story starts”.
Even though it can be tough to read emotion in text, it was easy to see the spark was still burning strong within them. The way they talked about their plans for what comes next, I could tell they were actually looking forward to working on this.
It was nice knowing I had a little something to do with it.
We exchanged a few more emails (mostly me asking questions about story and characters and them providing sufficient answers), and I wrapped up with “Keep me posted.”
Their response: “Definitely. Thanks again. You’re a good dude.”
Maximum Z 