education

Not perfect. Just written.

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Some decent progress this week on two of my three big projects for this year.

The one that really resonates is the continuing work on the outline for the new action-comedy spec. Came up with a few more scenes and sequences, while the laborious task looms of fitting them all together in the most effective way.

But something became very obvious while working on one sequence:

Too much effort was going into the details of the scene, and not enough on “what’s the point of this scene?” I was creating more work for myself than necessary, trying to get everything right the first time out.

Silly writer. That’s what rewrites are for!

One of the most important parts of the first draft is just to get the damned thing written. There’ll be lots of work down the road, so why stress about something that’ll most likely be changed in one way or another?

This has really helped my frame of mind. There’s still a ways to go, but the road feels a little smoother.

On top of that, while taking a few breaks along the way by watching some personal favorite films, I noticed how so many scenes really adhere to the “get in late, make the point, move on to the next one.”

I’m going to try and apply that to how I put scenes in the outline together, and then refine it even more as I move on to actual pages.

There’s always something new to learn, and this is no exception.

-Crowdfunding for post-production of my short film SHECKY continues! We’re at 73%, with just under a month to go. Hope you can chip in – and take your pick from some sweet tier rewards!

Just stumbling my way through

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T-minus one week to shooting my short film SHECKY, which means constant checking and re-checking of the seemingly infinite list of “stuff that needs to get done”.

And just about every item on there involves me asking a ton of questions to those with much more experience and doing my best to not feel foolish while doing so.

Fortunately, everybody has been extremely understanding and patient while explaining, coupled with “You’re actually doing a really good job.”

Certainly doesn’t feel that way.

One of the things I severely dislike is not knowing how to do something I’ve set out to do. It’s very frustrating and can easily throw you off-kilter. But nobody’s good at something they’ve never tried before. (Hello, screenwriting!) Mistakes will be – and have been – made, and the best thing to do is learn from them.

Which is what I’m trying to do with this.

I’ve also been told on multiple occasions of how excited everybody is about the project and being part of it, and how great it’ll feel during the shoot and once it’s all over.

That’s what I’m hoping (post-production notwithstanding). In the meantime, back to the list.

One down, a gazillion to go

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Just two weeks to go until we shoot my short film SHECKY, and there are a lot of things I need to take care of. It’s a list that feels like it never ends, or at least like every time I check something off, two or three more take its place. I’m doing my best to deal with a few items each day.

I suspect it would be very easy for things to fall through the cracks, instantly rendering them as forgotten – which means they would inevitably be needed in some kind of vital capacity or else the whole thing is shot to hell.

Which is why I’m doing everything I can to stay on top of that list and keep things moving.

It is my objective to have as much stuff ready to go for that first day of shooting so that when everybody shows up we can get right into it.

It’s exhausting and challenging, and definitely a crash course in learning how films are put together – even if it’s only a short.

Like when we start out as screenwriters, there’s a lot I don’t know, so I’m taking the time to learn as I go. Mistakes will be made, questions will be asked, and I’ll learn from all of it.

Each day involves adding a few more items onto the list, or maybe a new expense (which also seem to keep showing up). It’s always good when I can check off one or two things as “taken care of”.

All of this is part of the gargantuan effort to see this thing get made. Confidence and support from the cast and crew remains high, so I’ll keep working on reducing the number of items on the list. Don’t know if it’ll ever get to zero, but I’m sure gonna try.

-Donations are still being accepted to help with any and all SHECKY-related expenses (hello, post-production!), so let me know if you’d like to chip in. Every dollar helps, and perks and tier rewards from the crowdfunding still apply.

Just put “SHECKY project” in the subject line and I’ll send you the appropriate links (Venmo or PayPal).

Thanks!

A little re-educating never hurts

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I’d already been working on the new spec for a bit when a friend offered up the chance to be a beta tester for his new screenwriting course.

It offers a lesson a day to help you get your first draft done. He admits the course is geared more towards newer writers still learning the ropes, but thought I might enjoy it – as well as provide feedback about my experience with it as needed.

I figured “Why not?” and signed up.

Just a few days in and I like how it’s going.

I’m following the lesson plan, which so far has involved the very basics – What’s your idea? Which genre is it? Tell us about your protagonist. Do you have a few ideas for the title? What’s the logline?

It would be really easy to blow all this off and just jump ahead, but I said I’d adhere to the guidelines, so that’s what I’m doing.

In some ways it’s helping take some of the pressure off and avoiding the trap of the whole “just write it!” mindset. Taking it nice and slow, and being slightly more reflective than usual is reaping some benefits. Getting the more manageable tasks out of the way has also resulted in a few more bursts of creativity – which is especially helpful as I continue to work on coming up with story ideas.

It’s almost zen-like in the approach.

I also like the accountability factor. It’s great for me to work on this, but I want to help my friend make the course as effective as I can, which is why I’m being diligent about completing each day’s lesson. I’d call that a win-win.

This is a 60-day course, and I’m still in the single digits and about to get into the outlining phase. Like I said, I’d already been working on this, so I have a lot of the first act in place – it’s the second act that’s proving to be the challenge.

But I’m not stressing about it. One lesson/task a day equals slow but continuously steady progress.

If things work out the way the course intends, then I should have a pretty solid first draft in just under two months, which is fine by me.

Then the rewrites begin, which will probably a totally different course.

There’s a lot more to this than writing

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As screenwriters, we’re always trying to hone and develop our writing skills. But how prepared are you for what comes after your script’s written and ready to go?

How familiar are you with the business aspect of “show business”? Maybe you’re thinking “I’ll get an entertainment attorney and let them handle it.” But how do you find the attorney that’s right for you?

Or “All I need to do is write and have my rep deal with all that other stuff.” What if you don’t have a rep and somebody comes along with an offer?

A screenwriter (or TV writer) needs to know these things.

I had the good fortune earlier this year to interview Kaia Alexander as part of the San Francisco Writers Conference. We covered multiple topics about being a screenwriter, including finding your “wolfpack”, to making and maintaining professional connections, how to determine your brand as a writer, and the do’s and don’ts of pitching.

If you’re serious about a career in screenwriting or TV, and these sound like the sort of things you’d like to learn more about, you should look into enrolling Kaia’s upcoming summer session of the Entertainment Business School.

The program begins on August 5th and runs for 9 weeks. Among the other topics covered:

-How studios and streamers make buying decisions
-How attachments work and how to get them
-How to pitch to buyers and reps
-How to network and build your community
-How to get producers for your projects
-The way the industry is changing
-How to negotiate like a pro and not leave money on the table
-Film financing and where to find investors, and how to vet them
-The roles of managers, agents, entertainment attorneys, publicists, producers, and development execs
-Entertainment business etiquette do’s and don’ts
-How to think about budgets

Enrollment opens next week – June 28, through July 28. There are two tiers: Balcony and Orchestra. Both include all access to what EBS has to offer, but Orchestra includes some personalized coaching from Kaia and is limited to 24 students.

One caveat: students who move forward from the application will go to a 1-1 Interview with Kaia. Not all students who apply will be accepted.

Kaia is also offering a special discount for readers of this blog: use the code PZ50S24 to get $50 off the enrollment fee. This code is only valid until July 28, which will be here before you know it, so don’t wait to sign up.

I know several writers who’ve taken the EBS courses and have been quite thrilled with the results. This is a great opportunity for any writer, and I hope you take advantage of it.

And feel free to tell Kaia I sent you.