short films

San Diego, here I come

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Apart from all the work on scripts and beginning the process of entering my short into film festivals, I’m currently getting ready to attend Comic-Con in San Diego.

First time going, and pretty psyched about it. This is one of those events I’ve always wanted to attend, but never had the opportunity. So when a friend offered me a badge, my ever-supportive sweetie said “You should go”, I decided to take the plunge.

For those unfamiliar, Comic-Con is a HUGE event that takes over that part of San Diego over the course of several days. All things comics, movies, TV, video games, toys, games, and beyond. Not to mention the vast number of cosplayers. Hundreds of thousands will be in attendance, including yours truly.

(Full disclosure – it was always a dream/fantasy that the first time I’d get to go would be to promote a movie that I’d written. Not the case, but still thrilled to be going.)

I’ve been putting together a list of panels I’d like to attend, books and maybe some merch I’ll try to get, and creatives of all sorts I’m hoping to meet – especially writers.

I originally considered panels about writing-oriented careers in various industries, but I’d also like just enjoy myself, so swapped some of those out for Q&As with industry vets and topics I like.

One thing I won’t be doing – waiting in line for hours to get into the canyon-esque Hall H (although I would do it for the Spaceballs 2 panel in the event that Mel Brooks shows up, which I suspect he will), or seeking out “exclusives” (i.e. specialty items only available here). I found a “first-timers” group on Facebook, and 95 percent of the posts were all about that sort of stuff (e.g. “We need somebody to hold a spot in line for the Marvel panel!”), so no thanks. That’s not why I’m going or how I want to spend my time there.

I just like the idea of attending this massive event that features a lot of things I’m interested in. No doubt it’ll be initially overwhelming, but the primary goal is to simply enjoy myself while taking it all in. Anything beyond that is a bonus.

And if you spot me out and about, feel free to say hi.

From the archives: Knew this wasn’t going to be easy

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Allow me to offer up a literary amuse bouche before moving on to this week’s hearty entree.

Some good progress on the rewrite of the fantasy-comedy – about halfway through the outline. Taking the “write it out one scene summarization at a time” approach. It includes lots of notes to myself, significant editing, and some rearranging/inserting of scenes from multiple previous drafts.

Decided to do the same for the action-comedy outline. Quite eye-opening, and what feels like a pretty good foundation. Still a ton of work to do, but off to a good start.

Looking forward to the ongoing work on both.

But let’s switch gears and focus on what this post is all about. WordPress has added a feature that shows you posts that appeared on the same date in the past. Since this blog has been around since 2009, something pops up just about every day. Such as it was with this one from July 3, 2020 (everybody remember the fun that was lockdown?), and everything in it still rings true.

Also of note: I mention the idea of writing – and potentially making – shorts. Nice to see that part actually came true.

Enjoy.

Many, many years ago, while attending the Screenwriting Expo in the City of Angels, one of the seminars I went to featured an “industry professional” as a speaker. I put that term in quotes because I couldn’t tell you who it was or what they did. Maybe a writer-producer or something like that. It was good enough for the folks running the Expo.

There were probably 20 or 25 of us in the audience. This guy walked to the front of the room, and the first thing he said was, if you’ll pardon my paraphrasing:

“I don’t know who any of you are, how experienced you are, or how may scripts you’ve written, but I can guarantee that just about all of you will fail at this.”

Well, ain’t that an encouraging lead-in. Everything he said after that is pretty much a blur, because I found it to be…

Shocking? Most definitely.

Disheartening? Pretty much.

Accurate? Maybe. But he was speaking from his experience. No doubt he’d seen an endless stream of writers come through, give it their all, and despite their efforts, subsequently crash and burn.

It’s easy to overlook the fact that this was well before you could make a movie with your phone and a laptop. Resources and DIY filmmaking opportunities were much more limited than they are now.

His comments really struck a nerve. Is this what I, along with everybody else in the room, should think? Were we just wasting our time? Were our chances THAT small? Should we just give up and go home?

I couldn’t speak for anybody else, but I had a little more faith in myself than he did.

Like I said, I forgot everything after his opening – the sooner I got him out of my head the better – and gradually replaced it with a few thoughts of my own:

-Yes, this is a HUGE mountain to climb, let alone get to the top. Is that intimidating? Hell yes. Is it going to stop me from trying? Hell no. Much as it sucks, it’s better to try and fail than to give up entirely, so I’ll keep trying. As long as it takes.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll continue to do so: I really like doing this, and even though I’ve endured my fair share of disappointments, I keep going – because I like the process of writing.

It’s taken me a long time to develop my skills just to get to this level, and I know there’s  room to keep improving. The challenge to myself and my writing abilities is one most welcome.

-Do I have a chance of eventually being able to call myself a professional writer? Hard to say. Some might say I already am, but that might be an individual matter of perspective. For me, until I see my name onscreen accompanied by “Story By…” or “Screenplay By…”, it doesn’t apply. my efforts will continue undaunted, unabated and undeterred.

Count me among the writers who are content to just be working. Sure, a huge paycheck would be great, but I’m also cool with writing a low-budget horror, or taking on an assignment, or doing an uncredited rewrite. IT’S ALL ABOUT THE WORK. The more I get to do it, the more I’ll enjoy it.

-For a long time, it was always “I need to find that somebody who says ‘yes’; somebody to open that door for me”, and to a certain extent, that still rings true. Getting representation, meeting with REAL industry people, and so forth.

But in the meantime, there’s absolutely nothing stopping me from making my own stuff. For the past few months, I’ve been dabbling with writing short scripts. Five to 10 pages, a handful of characters, one to two locations. Something that presents not only my writing skills, but also that I know how to tell a story in the most visual way possible.

Added bonus – a ridiculously short production time. It could be made over a few days (or a long weekend) with a minimal crew.

Feedback and notes from writing colleagues who’ve also made their own short films have been helpful and encouraging.

All of this, of course, will be a little more feasible once society slowly returns to “normal”. Until then, I’ve got plenty of time to prepare. Why not start creating our own opportunities?

-As much as I dream about all of these great things happening, I’m also a realist. I know that the journey to achieve this kind of success is a very, very long and tortuous one. Disappointment abounds.

I’ve no intention of giving up, no matter how frustrating things get. And there will be A LOT of frustration.

This is what I want to do, and despite all the negatives, I still enjoy doing it.

Thus the soldiering forward continues. Shoulder to the grindstone and all that…

Not much time left…

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Just under one week to go for the crowdfunding for my thrill-omedy short film SHECKY.

The good news is the initial goal was achieved, so post-production is covered, and everything that comes in between now and the end will contribute to covering any unforeseen expenses plus potentially entering the film in some festivals. As of this writing, that’s only $419 away. Fingers crossed a few generous souls join the cause.

Tier rewards are still available, including:

– What’s the buzz? – $10 – social media shoutout

– Flavor of the Month – $25 – shoutout, copy of the script

– In the Spotlight – $50 – shoutout, copy of the script, copy of the film (after its festival run)

– The Punchline – $75 – shoutout, script, film, personalized video of me telling you a terrible joke

-On the Red Carpet – $100 – shoutout, script, film, video, 30-minute Zoom call for your choice of script notes, director’s reel notes, or acting reel notes

-Box Office Blockbuster – $250 – shoutout, script, film, video, 60-minute Zoom call, 1 ticket to screening of SHECKY in your area (if applicable)

-A-lister – $500 – shoutout, script, film, video, 60-minute Zoom call, 2 tickets

For those who’ve been following along, this project has been in the works for a long time. I’m thrilled that it’s THIS CLOSE to being done and can’t wait for people to see it.

I’m hoping all supporters of indie filmmaking, connoisseurs of terrible jokes, and the screenwriting community can find it in themselves to step up and chip in a few bucks. Every dollar really does make a difference.

Thanks, and donate if you can.

Little changes = big results

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I’d been struggling with the rewrite of the fantasy-comedy spec. I identified a few things that could probably be cut and where some repositioning might come in handy, but there were still a few details that were proving difficult.

So I did what any sensible writer would do: I shifted my attention to another project. Naturally, I’d still return to this one every once in a while, trying to find a viable solution.

Since my usual approach wasn’t working, (helpful tip – don’t try to force ideas. Let ’em happen naturally) I decided to try the tried-and-true “go for the hard turn”. Same objective, much different route to get there.

“Rather than THIS, how about THAT, which still gets us to THERE?”

The spark had been lit. Definitely some potential here, but with some reservations. How much would this drastically impact the story? This was already a major rewrite/overhaul project, but I didn’t want to get away from what appealed to me about the story in the first place.

I mapped things out, looking for scenes and story details that could be changed just enough to make a difference but also not sending things too off-course. Found a few things that matched that criteria and made the appropriate changes in the outline.

I usually stick with the outline until the entire story is ready, but I wanted to give these new ideas a test run to see if they worked on the page. I cranked out a few pages – while also keeping in mind the guideline of “keep it tight!” (i.e. Don’t go for the flourish; just write what needs to be there).

End result – pretty good. It’ll need a little more polishing, but I’ll deal with that later.

There are a few more story details that need work, but I’d say this is a good start.

–

Just 2 weeks left on the crowdfunding for my short film SHECKY. We were very fortunate to hit our initial goal and are now working towards a stretch goal. Every $ goes towards post-production, and whatever’s left over will help get the short into some film festivals.

There are several tier rewards, including a new one that includes a personalized video of me telling you a terrible joke (which is on theme for the short).

So if you’re a big supporter of indie filmmaking, the telling of terrible jokes, and the overall screenwriting community, I hope you chip in to help this project reach the finish line.

Change: embraced

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The ping-ponging between my three projects continues, with a little bit of progress for each.

A lot of this whole endeavor comes down to not only rewriting, but how each rewrite is put together. What to keep, what to cut, and most importantly: what to change.

For the most part, there’s nothing huge or drastic, but just enough to make a difference.

Is this scene necessary, and if so, where does it fit best into the story?

Is there a different way to present it so it’s not the same as its previous version but still accomplishes what it’s meant to?

What would be a more effective way to show the protagonist in action while driving the story, but also reinforces their arc?

Notes for each project are dotted with questions that need addressing (e.g. WHY DOES SHE DO THAT? WHICH IS SHE MORE LIKELY TO DO?, etc.) – all with the intent of helping me figure things out.

Also very helpful – a collection of notes from readers with questions, comments, and suggestions. Some have had quite a lasting impact.

It’s becoming easier to make these changes. Some long-term darlings have been sacrificed, all for the greater good – resulting in what is hopefully a better and stronger story.

It’ll be interesting to see what the end result for each project is, with every day seeing a few steps forward.

–

Good news for the crowdfunding of my short film SHECKY! We hit our initial goal, which was all about post-production. There are still a few weeks left, so a stretch goal has been added with whatever’s raised going towards helping out with film festival fees.

All the tier rewards remain in place, with the addition of a new one that includes a personalized video of me telling you a terrible joke. And in case that sounds weird, it’s keeping with the style of the short’s story.

So if you’re a supporter of indie filmmaking, the telling of terrible jokes, and the screenwriting community, I hope you can chip in. Every dollar really does make a difference.

Thanks!