short films

The countdown continues!

Maximum Z comedy, community, crowdfunding, jokes, post-production, screenplay, screenwriting, script, short films, spec, television, thriller , , , , , , , , , , ,

**Disclaimer – this post is for the most part promoting stuff I’m doing, especially the second one, so it won’t be shared to some of the usual social media platforms because they frown on that sort of thing and I do my best to not be a rabble-rouser**

And with that out of the way…

Here’s a pair of brief but very, very important announcements:

-One week from today is the great unveiling of The Maximum Z 2025 Script Showcase! A thrilling assortment of screenplays, TV scripts and short scripts* from an exceptionally diverse cadre of skilled and savvy writers.

If you’re among those who has NOT sent in the info for your script, you have until Thursday 18 December to do so. All the details can be found here. Please make sure to read them carefully and be diligent about following the instructions.

*no webseries submissions as of yet, but it could still happen

-The crowdfunding campaign to raise post-production costs for my thrill-omedy short film SHECKY is up and running. The editing and sound departments are working their magic, and the latest cut is looking mighty good.

There are tier rewards, including invaluable feedback on scripts, directors reels, and acting reels. Great stuff all around.

If you’re a fan of indie filmmaking, terrible jokes, and supporting the screenwriting community, then I sincerely hope you can help out by chipping in a couple of bucks.

Thanks.

Is it that time already?? (Yes. Yes, it is.)

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When I read a compelling logline or hear a “It’s THIS + THAT” that piques my interest, I will not hesitate to contact the writer and ask if the script is available to read.

But where could I, or any other writer, get information like this without having to scroll through endless pages of social media?

Wouldn’t it be awesome to have a vast assortment of scripts available in one convenient list that doesn’t cost you a single cent (RIP – the penny) AND has the email for every single writer?

Behold The Maximum Z 2025 Script Showcase!

This is your chance to put the basic info about your script on full display for the rest of the screenwriting community to peruse and have somebody go “Hey, I’d like to read that.”

Here’s how it works:

The Showcase will post here on Friday, December 19th. It will be a collection of screenplays and TV scripts, plus the added categories of scripts for short films and webseries. A link to the Showcase will be posted on various social media platforms.

If your script is included and you want your connections to know about it, it is highly recommended to copy-and-paste the link and post it on your platforms, inviting everybody to take a look.

To have your script included, send the following information here with the subject line “Maximum Z 2025 Script Showcase”:

Format (Film, TV, short, webseries)

Title

Writer

Genre(s)

Logline

Comps

Awards (if any, limit of 5) Please list how you placed, category (if applicable), the year, and the name of the competition – e.g. “Second Rounder – 2025 Austin Film Festival” or “Finalist – Horror, 2024 StoryPros International”

Your email

Feel free to check out the 2024 edition to get an idea of what it’ll look like.

Two conditions:

ONLY ONE SCRIPT PER PERSON

and

DO NOT SEND THE SCRIPT!!

Previously-listed scripts are okay, but new scripts are highly encouraged.

And can’t stress this one enough – PROOFREAD ALL OF YOUR INFORMATION BEFORE SENDING!! How it’s written in the email is how it’ll be listed in the post. This blog is not responsible for any wrong details, misspellings, or shitty punctuation.

The window to send in is between now and Thursday, December 18. Any submissions after that will not be accepted. Reminders will be posted weekly during that time, so don’t delay and send it straightaway.

Here’s the email again, and the subject line is “Maximum Z 2025 Script Showcase”.

Looking forward to seeing what you’ve got.

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 last big push

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This is the last weekend for the crowdfunding for my short film SHECKY.

“A new homeowner discovers he’s being haunted by the ghost of a comedian who keeps telling the same terrible jokes over and over, and who refuses to leave – or stop.”

The campaign may be winding down, but there are still plenty of ways to support this indie film project: the usual donations and tier rewards – just click on the link above to get all the details.

But there are also some perks you might want to consider, including:

-$125 – script notes from me

-$250 – be a guest on my podcast The Creative Writing Life to talk about yourself and your work (available on both Spotify and YouTube)

-$250 – if you’re an actor, Trevor Nagle, who plays one of the two SHECKY leads, will do a critique on your reel, a self-tape set up consultation, or an audition coaching session

-$500 – for filmmakers, award-winning director Ally May will give you notes on your reel, offer tips on filmmaking, or give you notes on your script

We’re also offering producer credits, complete with onscreen credit:

$500 – Associate Producer

$1000 – Executive Producer, which also includes one ticket to attend a screening of SHECKY at a local film festival

Just to get an idea of the quality of talent involved with this project, here’s Ally talking about her involvement with the project.

And here’s Trevor.

The entire team behind SHECKY is really excited to see it happen. Your donation, no matter how much, will be a huge contribution towards that.

Happy to make your acquaintance?

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A quick reminder – just over a week left on the crowdfunding for my thrill-omedy short film SHECKY, so there’s still time for you to kick in a few bucks if you haven’t already. And a major thanks to those who have.

I’ve been pretty diligent in posting about the crowdfunding all over my social media platforms, so I’m checking them all several times a day. After initially checking my own stuff, I’ll do a quick skim of what else is going on out there.

One thing that seems to be popping up more often is a slight uptick in interest in spec scripts from reps and producers. Many are from already-established writers, but there’s also a slight increase in writers connecting with said reps and producers via social media.

Goodness knows I’ve tried doing that, but with very limited results – if you can even call it that.

On a similar note, Facebook has been posting more “Connection recommendations” that include a lot of writers and reps, plus a handful of producers. I’d considered trying some of those, but figured they probably prefer to keep their personal and professional lives separate (or even totally apart), so opted to not take that path.

I’d posted about this and got several responses back, including “You’d be better off using LinkedIn, X/Twitter or Instagram.”

Yeah, tried those too. Most of those connection requests go unanswered, with a handful accepting.

One odd exception is a few lit agencies following me on Instagram. Those responses tend to range between zero and none.

No matter what the platform is, I make a point of just being friendly (“Hi. Hope your projects are going well”) and not immediately starting with “Hi! Nice to connect! Read my script!” I hate when people do that to me, and suspect industry folks hate it even more.

I interact when I can and try to keep it respectful. Bad impressions have incredible staying power.

I haven’t tried using any of these for queries due to past experience of zero response, but you never know. Just need to do some research to see who might be the most receptive. It might be a longshot approach, but trying is better than doing nothing.

With so many other projects in the works, I’m not querying as much as I used to. One of these could even potentially attract some attention, thereby nullifying the need to query at all.

In the meantime, it’s all about the short film and having fun developing my scripts.