filmmaking

A few bangs for your bucks

Maximum Z comedy, community, crowdfunding, determination, filmmaking, perseverance, persistence, producer, screenplay, screenwriting, script, short films, thriller, writing , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The crowdfunding for my short film SHECKY continues. We’re closing in on 30%, and doing what I can to keep those numbers climbing.

Every dollar raised goes into the costs involved with making this film, and there are different amounts you can donate. Each tier has its own reward as a thank you for donating.

(and if the names seem a bit odd, just think “showbiz”. It’s part of the story)

$10 – Stage Door Johnny

Social media shoutout of your total awesomeness & onscreen thanks expressing my eternal gratitude

–

$25 – What, And Give Up Show Biz?

Social media shoutout, onscreen thanks, and your name as “Member of the Chorus” on a Paradise Theater poster

–

$50 – Road Company

Social media shoutout, onscreen thanks, your name & your vaudeville act on a Paradise poster

–

$75 – Rising Star

Social media shoutout, onscreen thanks, your name & your act as headliner on a Paradise poster

–

$100 – Presenting…

Social media shoutout, onscreen thanks, your name on the Paradise marquee, a pdf of the film’s poster, a copy of the script

–

$250 – In The Spotlight

Social media shoutout, onscreen thanks, a video of Shecky telling you a joke, poster, script

–

$500 – Stage Manager

Social media shoutout, onscreen thanks, joke video, poster, script, digital copy of the film

–

$1000 – Publicity Agent

everything above & onscreen credit as “Patron of the Arts – Silver Circle” + 1 ticket to screening (if possible), full-service script notes

–

$2500 – Mr./Ms. First Nighter

everything above, onscreen credit as “Patron of the Arts – Gold Circle”, 2 tickets to screening, script notes, interviewed on The Creative Writing Life podcast

–

$5000 – Box Office Smash

Everything & above, onscreen credit as “Patron of the Arts – Diamond Circle”, 1 ticket to a screening at a film festival, script notes, podcast interview, short film consultation

–

This is a project that’s been a long time coming, so I sincerely hope you’ll be willing to chip in to help make it happen.

No choice but to be determined

Maximum Z community, crowdfunding, determination, film, perseverance, persistence, producer, screenplay, screenwriting, script, short films , , , , , , , , , , ,

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.

Slow and steady and all that

Maximum Z community, concept, crowdfunding, encouragement, enthusiasm, filmmaking, ideas, perseverance, persistence, San Francisco, screenplay, screenwriting, script, short films, spec, writing , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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.

And then there were three

Maximum Z blog, books, consultants, filmmaking, pie, playwriting, screenplay, screenwriting, script, television, writing , , , , , , , , , , ,

Bit of a self-promoting shorty today.

My third book – GO AHEAD AND ASK! INTERVIEWS ABOUT SCREENWRITING (AND PIE) VOLUME 3 is in the final preparation stages, and an official release date of October 7th.

This is the last collection of interviews done for this blog over the years, including helpful and insightful comments from script consultants, writers of TV and film, playwrights, and writers in other mediums.

Responses to the first two books have been overwhelmingly positive, and fingers are firmly crossed for this one. They’re available here and here.

While a lot of other screenwriting books are more of a “here’s how you write a script”, these are geared more towards “how can I make my script better?” The advice from the experts within can help with that.

Plus, lots and lots of pie suggestions, which is always a good thing.

Bonus – the holidays will be here before you know it, and the complete set of three books makes for an excellent gift. A great resource for any screenwriter’s library.

Want a signed copy? Let me know.

The writer’s GPS: always recalculating

Maximum Z community, determination, encouragement, filmmaking, frustration, graphic novels, perseverance, persistence, screenplay, screenwriting, script, short films, writing , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The road to screenwriting success is a long and hazardous one, filled with constant obstacles that make you constantly second-guess yourself, doubt your judgment, and even make you wonder if you’re even headed in the right direction.

Trust me, we’ve all been there.

And the longer the journey takes, the longer it seems like anything good is going to happen – if it happens at all.

Who doesn’t know a writer who’s made some progress, only to have things stall out, making them question if it’s worth continuing on, or are just so fed up that they throw up their hands up and say “That’s it. I’m done.”?

As someone who’s been at this for a good number of years, again – totally been there.

There’s a part of me that always feels bad when I hear somebody say this sort of thing. Thanks to social media, I’ve been able to follow many a journey, offering congratulations on successes, and encouragement for the bad times.

So when I’m engaged in an online conversation with someone, and they talk about being so frustrated that they’re ready to chuck it all, I go into pep talk mode with the hope it helps replenish their reserve of strength to keep going.

No idea how effective these are, but I keep trying.

And just like these writers, I feel that way sometimes too. I accept there’s a chance it might not happen, but the optimistic cheerleader in me is quite stubborn and keeps pushing me to stay at it. That, and I like writing too much to stop anyway.

There’s also the realization that my road to success may not be what I initially set out on, and is totally what I make it.

If things don’t seem to be going my way, and often times they’re not, I’ll take a step back and explore what my other options are.

Queries not getting any responses? Read requests fizzling out? Contest results not attracting any attention? The industry constantly saying “Thanks, but no thanks”?

Frustrating, so I’ll try something else.

I’ve got a phone with a movie camera in it, and my computer has basic film editing software, so I can take a stab at making a short film. It might not look great, but it’s something.

Bonus – the $ I’d normally spend on contests can now be put towards a film budget.

I’m fortunate to be connected to some local filmmakers. I can ask if they need any help with their projects. No qualms about being part of the crew, and it’s a great education in filmmaking.

(If the filmmaking opportunities are somewhat limited where you are, maybe see this an opportunity to start laying the foundation to create them.)

I’m extremely fortunate to be connected to writers literally from all over the world. I can ask for feedback on my scripts, and offer to reciprocate.

Since a lot of my scripts are of a visual nature, there’s the possibility of turning some of them into graphic novels. I know a few writers who’ve done this, so I could talk to them about their experience and get their advice and suggestions.

The dream to see the stories we create on the big screen is powerful, and what drives a lot of us to do this. The sad truth is it most likely won’t happen for a large percentage of us.

But that doesn’t mean we should stop trying, or that it’s the only way it can happen.

You’re going to keep getting knocked down. It’s up to you how many times you’re willing to get back up and try again.