The Collaborative Process is truly an amazing thing. For me, it’s what makes filmmaking such a thrilling (and fun!) form of expression.
During our shoot last night (or this morning, depending on how you look at it), something really pretty cool occurred. We were working on this one scene—a fantasy sequence, a brief, fun little scene. As originally written, it was roughly half a page.
About three weeks ago, the director called me and asked if I’d be willing to tweak that particular scene a bit. He told me his idea, which I loved. So yes, I was happy to rework the scene and send him the revision ASAP.
So, fast forward a few weeks (to last night, in fact) and we’re on the set and preparing to shoot the revised sequence. For reasons that aren’t at all important to this anecdote, the three actors in the scene only had a chance to read the revision mere moments prior to shooting.
OK, so this is where the cool part comes in.
Our three actors really seemed to get a kick out of the new scene (which became funnier and weirder in the rewrite). Infused by sudden inspiration, each actor made certain choices with regards to their wardrobe and the blocking of the scene. I chimed in with an idea or two. Our camera operator came up with interesting camera moves and lighting. Even our sound guy made a suggestion. Sure, I realize this is what generally happens during the course of shooting any scripted film or TV production (especially in the low budget arena), but what made this so much fun is that it all came together in such a spontaneous burst of creativity—all these creative people pitching in to make that half-page scene far more than what I initially envisioned. So, pretty cool, don't ya think?
Collaboration: it’s pretty exciting stuff...if you allow it to happen.
WEB-SERIES UPDATE: HALFWAY THERE!
Well, it’s 5:30 in the morning and I’ve just come off a nearly 13-hour shooting day. We are now halfway through filming the first seven episodes of the web-series. We would’ve been a bit further along by now if it hadn’t been for a rainstorm last week. But the shoot has been going well—on schedule each day and problems and obstacles have been few.
On our first night, literally the penultimate shot, and after 10 hours of shooting, a LAPD helicopter decided to circle over our location for quite a while. So we waited...and waited...and waited. The copter eventually raced off into the night and we were able to get our final shots and wrap for the day (at 12:30 in the morning).
My primary role during production has been as on-set still photographer (which was something I did during my pre-screenwriting days). And hey, if a sandbag needs lugging, or a boom pole needs holding, or if a set needs to be dressed up a little, I’m more than happy to lend a hand. It’s all part of the fun of being involved in such a project. I’m also on-hand to assist with any dialogue tweaks that might arise. Yes, I even managed to insert myself into one brief scene—and wrote myself a bit of dialogue, too!
As for the small crew: they’re professional and hardworking. The actors, as I’ve mentioned in a previous blog, are enthusiastic, eager to do a good job and come well-prepared. In fact, they know the script better than I do! Most important of all: our crafts service has been quite good. OK, so I’m being a bit facetious here. But as anyone who’s been involved in a TV or film production will tell you, having sufficient food and drink available on the set can (and will) make or break a production. So a big THANKS to our producer for providing some pretty decent sustenance during our shooting days!
So...things look pretty good as of this moment. With some luck, and if the stormy skies don’t unleash another torrent upon us, we’ll wrap shooting next week. Stay tuned!
On our first night, literally the penultimate shot, and after 10 hours of shooting, a LAPD helicopter decided to circle over our location for quite a while. So we waited...and waited...and waited. The copter eventually raced off into the night and we were able to get our final shots and wrap for the day (at 12:30 in the morning).
My primary role during production has been as on-set still photographer (which was something I did during my pre-screenwriting days). And hey, if a sandbag needs lugging, or a boom pole needs holding, or if a set needs to be dressed up a little, I’m more than happy to lend a hand. It’s all part of the fun of being involved in such a project. I’m also on-hand to assist with any dialogue tweaks that might arise. Yes, I even managed to insert myself into one brief scene—and wrote myself a bit of dialogue, too!
As for the small crew: they’re professional and hardworking. The actors, as I’ve mentioned in a previous blog, are enthusiastic, eager to do a good job and come well-prepared. In fact, they know the script better than I do! Most important of all: our crafts service has been quite good. OK, so I’m being a bit facetious here. But as anyone who’s been involved in a TV or film production will tell you, having sufficient food and drink available on the set can (and will) make or break a production. So a big THANKS to our producer for providing some pretty decent sustenance during our shooting days!
So...things look pretty good as of this moment. With some luck, and if the stormy skies don’t unleash another torrent upon us, we’ll wrap shooting next week. Stay tuned!
Web-series News, “Hey, Where’d My Thriller Go?” & “Mr. Creepy”
WEB-SERIES NEWS...
We had another round of auditions last week. Our director called for them after determining the two candidates for male lead, auditioned a few weeks ago, simply weren’t right. (There was one actor the director liked quite a bit, and one actor I thought would be pretty terrific. Alas, after further consideration, it was deemed that neither were “the one.”) We saw approximately 25 actors in 4 hours...and when all was said and done, we were confident that we’d found the right actor for the job. We’re assembling our cast for a table-read next week; then, if all goes well (and if none of the actors jump ship), we’ll begin pre-production soon after. The plan is to shoot our first (hopefully not last) episodes in mid-February.
“HEY, WHERE’D MY THRILLER GO?”
So, I stopped by my manager’s office the other day to pick up a check. (Yay, money!!) We also played catch-up after a bit of down time during the holidays. One of the things I inquired about was my thriller project that’s supposed to be in the works up in Canada. I asked if she’d heard anything from the producers. She said she’d sent them an e-mail a month or so ago but didn’t hear anything back. Then she added, “But it (the project) is posted on their Website (categorized under “in development”).”
So when I got home later that night, I went online and checked out the prodco’s site. My project’s title was nowhere to be found. Huh? So I shot off an e-mail to my manager: “Contact the producers in Canada – find out what’s going on.” The following day I get a voice-mail from my manager (paraphrased here): “Heard back from Canada. They’re still waiting on financing to come through.” Now, I’m not entirely certain what this means...or even how accurate it is. From what I understood based on communications months ago, the Canadian producers had a three-picture deal in place, and MY project was one of them. The rather generous option extension fee I was paid at the time told me they were confident my script would go before a camera within a year’s time. Since that option expires in roughly four months, I’d assume they’d be a little further along that merely “still waiting on financing.”
Well, whatever. Hopefully this will all come together soon and everything’ll be on track. If not...well, it’ll be yet another gut-wrenching dip in the roller-coaster ride known as writing movies.
I’ll keep you posted.
“MR. CREEPY”...
They say you’re nobody until somebody is out to get you. Well, it looks like I’ve finally become somebody cuz I’ve got some highly unstable gentleman trying to drag me into his own personal Hell. I won’t go into any great detail about all this, but here’s the gist:
“Mr. Creepy,” as I like to call him, contacted me several months ago, asking if I’d read his script, then, if I liked what I read, help him get it out to any producers I might know. I told him I’d be happy to read his first ten pages. If I like what I was reading, I’d definitely read the rest of the script—and yes, I’d be happy to pass the script forward to any film-types that might be interested. Well, I read those first ten pages.
In a word: dreadful.
So I wrote up a page or two of notes, explaining to Mr. Creepy how his descriptions weren’t at all cinematic/interesting, his dialogue was on-the-nose/flat/unrealistic, and how none of it seemed at all interesting or compelling. Creepy took umbrage to these notes and BLEW HIS STACK. Not only did he send me a blazingly angry missive, but a warning not to steal his script idea. If I did, there’d be a lawsuit. And oh, I shouldn’t even try contacting him because he’s putting my e-mail on his ignore list.
I’ve done north of 100 critiques in recent years. I’ve had maybe three people get a little bent out of shape with the notes I’ve sent them (they just couldn’t accept my blatant honesty), but I’ve never, never, never had anyone go as nutty as this fella.
But wait, it gets better.
Creepy also has a habit of posting videos of himself on the Net where he whines about how nobody understands him, how nobody is willing to give him a chance, and how “Jim Vines is out to destroy me.” I didn’t even know about these video-blogs—especially the tirade against ME—until an acquaintance of mine brought it to my attention. At first I was a tad bit flabbergasted, but then I could barely control the laughter. I mean, this guy went on and on with this nonsense about yours truly for several minutes (not to mention a flurry of other videos he’s got posted, all venting dramatically about his rather dismal existence)! I won’t even discuss the odd fascination/crush he professes to have for the teenage pop star Miley Cyrus. But hey, this is why I lovingly call him Mr. Creepy. He really is. Anyway...
I nearly forgot about ol’ Creepy until I got an e-mail from the aforementioned acquaintance just a few days ago: “He’s at it again.” Sure enough, all these months later, the guy is still on the war path, still trying to bash me, and still making completely manufactured accusations against me. The guy is downright scary. But...
I feel bad for him. I do. He’s a sad, troubled man and is in need of psychiatric help. I hope he gets it, and I hope he can find some peace of mind. (And no, don’t ask me to post links to Mr. Creepy’s videos. He doesn’t deserve that sort of attention. He really doesn’t.) Moving on...
We had another round of auditions last week. Our director called for them after determining the two candidates for male lead, auditioned a few weeks ago, simply weren’t right. (There was one actor the director liked quite a bit, and one actor I thought would be pretty terrific. Alas, after further consideration, it was deemed that neither were “the one.”) We saw approximately 25 actors in 4 hours...and when all was said and done, we were confident that we’d found the right actor for the job. We’re assembling our cast for a table-read next week; then, if all goes well (and if none of the actors jump ship), we’ll begin pre-production soon after. The plan is to shoot our first (hopefully not last) episodes in mid-February.
“HEY, WHERE’D MY THRILLER GO?”
So, I stopped by my manager’s office the other day to pick up a check. (Yay, money!!) We also played catch-up after a bit of down time during the holidays. One of the things I inquired about was my thriller project that’s supposed to be in the works up in Canada. I asked if she’d heard anything from the producers. She said she’d sent them an e-mail a month or so ago but didn’t hear anything back. Then she added, “But it (the project) is posted on their Website (categorized under “in development”).”
So when I got home later that night, I went online and checked out the prodco’s site. My project’s title was nowhere to be found. Huh? So I shot off an e-mail to my manager: “Contact the producers in Canada – find out what’s going on.” The following day I get a voice-mail from my manager (paraphrased here): “Heard back from Canada. They’re still waiting on financing to come through.” Now, I’m not entirely certain what this means...or even how accurate it is. From what I understood based on communications months ago, the Canadian producers had a three-picture deal in place, and MY project was one of them. The rather generous option extension fee I was paid at the time told me they were confident my script would go before a camera within a year’s time. Since that option expires in roughly four months, I’d assume they’d be a little further along that merely “still waiting on financing.”
Well, whatever. Hopefully this will all come together soon and everything’ll be on track. If not...well, it’ll be yet another gut-wrenching dip in the roller-coaster ride known as writing movies.
I’ll keep you posted.
“MR. CREEPY”...
They say you’re nobody until somebody is out to get you. Well, it looks like I’ve finally become somebody cuz I’ve got some highly unstable gentleman trying to drag me into his own personal Hell. I won’t go into any great detail about all this, but here’s the gist:
“Mr. Creepy,” as I like to call him, contacted me several months ago, asking if I’d read his script, then, if I liked what I read, help him get it out to any producers I might know. I told him I’d be happy to read his first ten pages. If I like what I was reading, I’d definitely read the rest of the script—and yes, I’d be happy to pass the script forward to any film-types that might be interested. Well, I read those first ten pages.
In a word: dreadful.
So I wrote up a page or two of notes, explaining to Mr. Creepy how his descriptions weren’t at all cinematic/interesting, his dialogue was on-the-nose/flat/unrealistic, and how none of it seemed at all interesting or compelling. Creepy took umbrage to these notes and BLEW HIS STACK. Not only did he send me a blazingly angry missive, but a warning not to steal his script idea. If I did, there’d be a lawsuit. And oh, I shouldn’t even try contacting him because he’s putting my e-mail on his ignore list.
I’ve done north of 100 critiques in recent years. I’ve had maybe three people get a little bent out of shape with the notes I’ve sent them (they just couldn’t accept my blatant honesty), but I’ve never, never, never had anyone go as nutty as this fella.
But wait, it gets better.
Creepy also has a habit of posting videos of himself on the Net where he whines about how nobody understands him, how nobody is willing to give him a chance, and how “Jim Vines is out to destroy me.” I didn’t even know about these video-blogs—especially the tirade against ME—until an acquaintance of mine brought it to my attention. At first I was a tad bit flabbergasted, but then I could barely control the laughter. I mean, this guy went on and on with this nonsense about yours truly for several minutes (not to mention a flurry of other videos he’s got posted, all venting dramatically about his rather dismal existence)! I won’t even discuss the odd fascination/crush he professes to have for the teenage pop star Miley Cyrus. But hey, this is why I lovingly call him Mr. Creepy. He really is. Anyway...
I nearly forgot about ol’ Creepy until I got an e-mail from the aforementioned acquaintance just a few days ago: “He’s at it again.” Sure enough, all these months later, the guy is still on the war path, still trying to bash me, and still making completely manufactured accusations against me. The guy is downright scary. But...
I feel bad for him. I do. He’s a sad, troubled man and is in need of psychiatric help. I hope he gets it, and I hope he can find some peace of mind. (And no, don’t ask me to post links to Mr. Creepy’s videos. He doesn’t deserve that sort of attention. He really doesn’t.) Moving on...
VARIOUS ITEMS...
The Web-series...
We held the auditions for the Web-series last week. It went really well. We had some talented people come in and read. Sad to say, there were a lot of not-so-talented people too. But I think we’ve found our main cast and I’m pretty excited with who we’ve chosen. Our director is planning a table-read with the actors in a couple weeks. If all goes well, we should be shooting by mid-February. I’ll keep you posted.
R.I.P. VHS...
I just read a rather sad story in the L.A. Times. It was about the demise of the VHS tape. Yes, it’s finally happened. But it had a good run – 30 years. I remember the very first VHS tape I purchased. It was in 1978 (or maybe it was 1979). It was a copy of my second all-time favorite movie: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The cost was rather high, especially for the late 70s, and especially for a teenage kid: $50.00. But the idea that I could get my favorite movies on tape and play them at home...? Whoa, that was pretty cool! Sure, I still occasionally watch stuff on VHS, but I’m a confirmed DVD guy. I guess Blue-ray is hot on DVDs tail and is becoming the new trend, but I’m sure they’ll find a replacement for that in a few years. Anyway, here’s the article from the L.A. Times:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/valley/la-et-vhs-tapes22-2008dec22,0,5604036.story
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!
Well, Christmastime is here. Here’s a little gift from me:
(David Bowie meets Bing Crosby)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKTHvW2JcAA
(Mariah Carey – All I Want For Christmas Is You)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8rY0Fyws20
(A Charlie Brown Christmas)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRm5qofw5vs
We held the auditions for the Web-series last week. It went really well. We had some talented people come in and read. Sad to say, there were a lot of not-so-talented people too. But I think we’ve found our main cast and I’m pretty excited with who we’ve chosen. Our director is planning a table-read with the actors in a couple weeks. If all goes well, we should be shooting by mid-February. I’ll keep you posted.
R.I.P. VHS...
I just read a rather sad story in the L.A. Times. It was about the demise of the VHS tape. Yes, it’s finally happened. But it had a good run – 30 years. I remember the very first VHS tape I purchased. It was in 1978 (or maybe it was 1979). It was a copy of my second all-time favorite movie: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The cost was rather high, especially for the late 70s, and especially for a teenage kid: $50.00. But the idea that I could get my favorite movies on tape and play them at home...? Whoa, that was pretty cool! Sure, I still occasionally watch stuff on VHS, but I’m a confirmed DVD guy. I guess Blue-ray is hot on DVDs tail and is becoming the new trend, but I’m sure they’ll find a replacement for that in a few years. Anyway, here’s the article from the L.A. Times:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/valley/la-et-vhs-tapes22-2008dec22,0,5604036.story
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!
Well, Christmastime is here. Here’s a little gift from me:
(David Bowie meets Bing Crosby)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKTHvW2JcAA
(Mariah Carey – All I Want For Christmas Is You)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8rY0Fyws20
(A Charlie Brown Christmas)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRm5qofw5vs
Back from NYC and Web-series news...
I got back from my trip to New York City just a few days ago. As always, I had a blast there in the Big Apple. Yes, it was cold and rainy, but hey, I love that sort of thing. I met with some friends, ate some good food, did a LOT of walking, took pictures, and just soaked up the atmosphere of that great, great town. (Nothing like NYC just before the Christmas holidays!) I also brought along a script I've been polishing and got most of it done. So, a truly fab trip.
Web-series news:
So I met a young actress this past summer. She told me how she wanted to do a project that could showcase her talents. I told her a Web-series might be a good way to go. I figured I could write up a handful of episodes, then we could shoot them and put them up on the Net and see what kind of response we got. If people seem to dig it, then we could do more episodes. If nobody watches (a very distinct possibility), then we haven’t wasted much time or money getting those initial episodes created. My young actress friend agreed.
I saw this young lady as the cute, comedic type. Not glamorous, not necessarily “hot” and sexy (though she’s certainly attractive and cute); no, I definitely saw her as more of the funny, quirky type. So I pitched her an idea that I (coincidentally!) had kicking around in my brain for a few months. There just happened to be the perfect role for her. She’d play the quirky, funny best friend of the male lead. She really liked my pitch, loved the character I had in mind for her, and said she’d love to read the script when I had it completed.
So I took a few weeks and wrote several episodes. The actress loved what I wrote. She then contacted a young (well, younger than me) director/producer she knew and sent him the script. He really liked the script, too. The three of us had a meeting. Good meeting. Lots of great ideas tossed around, each of us in total sync. So we all shook hands and the director started putting a crew together. He also started the casting process. In fact, we’re having auditions all day tomorrow. From what I’ve been told, the response to the casting notice was quite high, so it should be a fun and interesting day. Always a thrill having actors bring on-the-page characters to life.
I’m not sure where any of this will go. I’m hoping people respond to this Web series once we put it out there. If not, well, I’m really enjoying the process, really enjoying working with smart, enthusiastic, talented people. For me, that’s a big part of why I’m in this business. I’ll keep ya posted.
Web-series news:
So I met a young actress this past summer. She told me how she wanted to do a project that could showcase her talents. I told her a Web-series might be a good way to go. I figured I could write up a handful of episodes, then we could shoot them and put them up on the Net and see what kind of response we got. If people seem to dig it, then we could do more episodes. If nobody watches (a very distinct possibility), then we haven’t wasted much time or money getting those initial episodes created. My young actress friend agreed.
I saw this young lady as the cute, comedic type. Not glamorous, not necessarily “hot” and sexy (though she’s certainly attractive and cute); no, I definitely saw her as more of the funny, quirky type. So I pitched her an idea that I (coincidentally!) had kicking around in my brain for a few months. There just happened to be the perfect role for her. She’d play the quirky, funny best friend of the male lead. She really liked my pitch, loved the character I had in mind for her, and said she’d love to read the script when I had it completed.
So I took a few weeks and wrote several episodes. The actress loved what I wrote. She then contacted a young (well, younger than me) director/producer she knew and sent him the script. He really liked the script, too. The three of us had a meeting. Good meeting. Lots of great ideas tossed around, each of us in total sync. So we all shook hands and the director started putting a crew together. He also started the casting process. In fact, we’re having auditions all day tomorrow. From what I’ve been told, the response to the casting notice was quite high, so it should be a fun and interesting day. Always a thrill having actors bring on-the-page characters to life.
I’m not sure where any of this will go. I’m hoping people respond to this Web series once we put it out there. If not, well, I’m really enjoying the process, really enjoying working with smart, enthusiastic, talented people. For me, that’s a big part of why I’m in this business. I’ll keep ya posted.
Share YOUR success stories!
Wow, I can’t believe 2008 is nearly history. I’m happy to report that I’ve had some nice successes and advancements this year. Some of them I’ve shared with you in this blog. I expect further success in 2009.
Now I’d like to hear from YOU.
I’d like to hear about any successes, big or small, that you’ve had in the past year. It could be a screenplay you’ve had great coverage on. It could be an option deal or perhaps even a sale. Maybe you’ve had a movie, big or small, produced. Maybe a Web series you penned was, or soon will be, posted to the Net. Maybe you signed with a manager or agent. If any of these successes apply to you, share ‘em with me and your fellow Working Screenwriter blog readers.
Why share, you ask? Well, because I think it’s important for all budding screenwriters to know that a modicum of success in this crazy business is definitely possible to those talented individuals willing to work for it. Sharing your success might provide a glimmer hope to other writers still waiting for their break. Besides, I bet you’re more than willing to brag just a little bit. (It’s OK, you deserve it. )
So e-mail me a quick summary of your success to theworkingscreenwriter(at) yahoo.com and I’ll follow up with a brief written interview. (If you prefer, I won’t use your real name when I post your interview here on the blog.)
C’mon, claim your bragging rights—let’s hear from you!
Now I’d like to hear from YOU.
I’d like to hear about any successes, big or small, that you’ve had in the past year. It could be a screenplay you’ve had great coverage on. It could be an option deal or perhaps even a sale. Maybe you’ve had a movie, big or small, produced. Maybe a Web series you penned was, or soon will be, posted to the Net. Maybe you signed with a manager or agent. If any of these successes apply to you, share ‘em with me and your fellow Working Screenwriter blog readers.
Why share, you ask? Well, because I think it’s important for all budding screenwriters to know that a modicum of success in this crazy business is definitely possible to those talented individuals willing to work for it. Sharing your success might provide a glimmer hope to other writers still waiting for their break. Besides, I bet you’re more than willing to brag just a little bit. (It’s OK, you deserve it. )
So e-mail me a quick summary of your success to theworkingscreenwriter(at) yahoo.com and I’ll follow up with a brief written interview. (If you prefer, I won’t use your real name when I post your interview here on the blog.)
C’mon, claim your bragging rights—let’s hear from you!
"Where'd Jim go?"
A few of you have written, asking: “Hey, Jim, why haven’t you been posting much of anything in recent weeks?” Well, the truth is, I feel that between my website and this blog, I’ve said pretty much everything I have to say. The outlining process, the rewrite process, formatting “rules,” navigating the “Hollywood maze,” the exhilarations and disappointments of the screenwriting life—it’s all there, all you have to do is look for it.
Another reason I haven’t posted very much is simple: I’m working on a lot of stuff.
As of this moment, I’m completing a submission draft of a psychological thriller (which I’d like to get out before the looming holiday season), I’ve recently completed writing four episodes of a proposed web-series, I’ve just outlined a story for a dramatic character study (a spec), started outling another psychological thriller (also a spec), and I’m doing final tweaks on the El Salvador assignment (see posts from March/April ’08). Add to this the occasional script critique, and dealing with the minutia of day-to-day business (producers, representation, etc.), along with trying to maintain some semblance of a social life...well, there's not always a lot of time to come up with blog posts.
Fear not, when I have a distinct point of view to offer on the art, craft, and business of screenwriting, or when I have some interesting behind-the-scenes tidbits, you’ll be hearing from me. But right now I just need to focus on getting projects done, getting them out into the world and, hopefully, produced.
But always remember, I’m only an e-mail away. If you have a specific screenwriting-related question you’d like me to tackle, feel free to send it my way. I’ll post my response here on the blog.
So, friends, until then...WRITE ON!
Another reason I haven’t posted very much is simple: I’m working on a lot of stuff.
As of this moment, I’m completing a submission draft of a psychological thriller (which I’d like to get out before the looming holiday season), I’ve recently completed writing four episodes of a proposed web-series, I’ve just outlined a story for a dramatic character study (a spec), started outling another psychological thriller (also a spec), and I’m doing final tweaks on the El Salvador assignment (see posts from March/April ’08). Add to this the occasional script critique, and dealing with the minutia of day-to-day business (producers, representation, etc.), along with trying to maintain some semblance of a social life...well, there's not always a lot of time to come up with blog posts.
Fear not, when I have a distinct point of view to offer on the art, craft, and business of screenwriting, or when I have some interesting behind-the-scenes tidbits, you’ll be hearing from me. But right now I just need to focus on getting projects done, getting them out into the world and, hopefully, produced.
But always remember, I’m only an e-mail away. If you have a specific screenwriting-related question you’d like me to tackle, feel free to send it my way. I’ll post my response here on the blog.
So, friends, until then...WRITE ON!
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