short films

No choice but to be determined

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The crowdfunding for my short film project continues…

**Still plenty of opportunities & tier rewards for donating!**

And it is quite the mountain to climb. Almost comparable to writing a script.

Almost.

With a script, everything is under your control. You are the one determining what happens, what the characters say, and so on.

Raising the funds to make a film based on that script? The only thing under your control about that is how much effort you put into getting those funds.

In theory, the more you work and the more effort you put in, the more likely you are to succeed.

Again – in theory.

You can push what you’re selling all you want, but it only works if they’re willing to pay.

To paraphrase one supportive donor – “Crowdfunding is a full-time job. You EARN that money.”

You certainly do. When they say every little bit helps, they’re not kidding.

I’ve begun reaching out to members of my network of creatives – writers, filmmakers, and industry-adjacent – to ask about chipping in if they can.

Responses so far – not too bad.

I also realize that times are tough, especially in this business. Things haven’t fully recovered since the strikes, and lots of folks are out of work. The last thing I want is for somebody to feel bad for not being able to donate. I’m just happy to have the support.

Even if all you can do is repost the link, that’s great too. The more eyes I can get on this, the better.

We’ve made some good progress since the campaign started, and there’s no sign of letting up.

As the days count down, I’ll be doing everything I can to see this through.

Hey kids! Let’s put on a show!

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It gives me a huge thrill to announce that the crowdfunding campaign to make my short film is now up and running.

I wrote the script a couple of years ago with the intention of actually making it, with myself in the director’s chair.

That didn’t work out.

Met with a potential director with some lofty ideas.

That didn’t work out either.

Connected with another director I already knew as a writer. She was very eager to take it on. To say she’s been a godsend helping steer me in the right direction is putting it mildly.

Which brings us to now.

We’re hoping to raise $15,000 by June 1st. This will cover everything involved with production, as well as compensating the cast and crew.

Every little bit helps, so if you can contribute, any amount is greatly appreciated. If that’s not an option, just helping spread the word around is also great.

I’m really proud of this script, and very confident it will make for a very entertaining short.

Probably safe to say I’ll be a bit stressed over the next two months, so bear with me.

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.

That’s one out of the way…

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Hard as it is to believe, I can honestly say that my work on the animated fantasy-comedy has come to an end. I got some great notes from a new batch of readers (and one previous one), did a few passes on it, and there you have it.

I think it’s a very strong piece of work and at the very least makes for a fantastic sample/calling card.

Bonus – one reader really enjoyed it and offered to put out feelers for potential interest within their network of industry connections. There was no hesitation to say yes (and thanks).

When the year started, I had plans of what I wanted to accomplish in terms of writing and the writing-adjacent. With this rewrite officially in the books, I feel totally unencumbered to do that.

Things feel different this time around, like the air is rife with possibilities. It’s up to me to take advantage of that and be productive while also enjoying the ride.

A few more ideas jotted down for the new spec, work continues on getting things ready for the short film, lining up guests (and reading their work) for the podcast, and putting the finishing touches on the panels for the Writing For Hollywood track at the upcoming San Francisco Writers Conference.

And when I can find the time, reading scripts – both produced and specs.

There’s a lot going on. So far, so good.

Striving to thrive in ’25

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I can honestly say that this year did not play out as originally planned.

-A script rewrite was shelved to do a few more rewrites on another script.

-Developing the crowdfunding campaign for my short film, and subsequent production of said film, kept getting delayed – mostly due to working on other stuff.

-The podcast I co-hosted became solely hosted – by me – which meant doing a lot more reading of the books of upcoming guests.

-I entered my script in a handful of contests. Got a few semi placements, a few QFs, and a few whiffs.

Overall, not the results of what I was hoping 2024 would yield.

But despite it all, it’s all okay.

After all those rewrites, the script feels much, much stronger now. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m drastically cutting back on contests, so this script will only be submitted to a low single-digit number.

I really want to see this short film through to completion, so I’m setting up a daily checklist of what I need to do to get it there. Hopefully I’ll have an actual short film to show off this time next year.

On the writing front, I’m still working out the details of a new spec. Right now it’s all about breaking the story. Once the outlining is done, at least two drafts done by year’s end would be great.

There’s also a new type of project I’m developing that, if it comes to be, would be something I can’t wait to show. More on that as it develops.

Lastly, but certainly not least, the return of The Maximum Z Script Showcase proved to be a ringing success, with over 550 views and a handful of read requests. Already looking at when to do it for next year.

2024 has been a real rollercoaster ride, and I hope you were able to accomplish many, if not all of the things you set out to do.

Here’s to all of us doing even better in 2025.

-A little relevant and shameless self-promotion – the latest episode of the podcast features myself and screenwriter/author/brand strategist/past guest Brian Fitzpatrick talking about what a writer can do to prepare for the coming year. It was a lot of fun to record, and offers up some great advice.