Fellow screenwriter Ashley Scott Meyers contacted me recently, asking if I’d do a review of his new screenwriting website SellingYourScreenplay.com. He said I could give the site a positive or negative review...just as long as I helped him get the word out that the site is up and running. Sure, I’m always happy to help a fellow scribe...
So I gave the website a whirl.
Now, as we all know (or should know), there aren’t necessarily any easy answers in the screenwriting arena. There is no true “best” way to do any of it. So I’m always a bit dubious of any book or website that even vaguely proclaims, "This is how you sell your script." I’m not saying that Mr. Meyers’ website is proclaiming any easy pathways or any surefire methods to selling a screenplay, but with a site name such as "Selling Your Screenplay,” well...
OK, so just who is this Ashley Scott Meyers?
Well, he’s the author of—yup, you guessed it— Selling Your Screenplay (which I have not read), and the writer or co-writer of three movies: Man Overboard (2008), Reunion (2005), and Dish Dog (2000). It seems only the latter is available via Netflix and Amazon.
But honestly, do we really need another screenwriting website regurgitating all the usual information? How many times can we read topics such as, “How to Write a Query Letter,” or ““Who Do You Address Your Query Letter To?” or “Should I Put My WGA Registration Number on My Screenplay?” or “How to Get an Agent”? Um, come to think of it, with the endless stream of people diving into the screenwriting pool on a daily basis, people looking for any crumb of information (and face it, most do tend to ask the same monotonous questions over and over again), perhaps one more “how-to” site can’t hurt. With that in mind, if SellingYourScreenplay.com happens to be one of the first screenwriting website you land on, you could probably do far worse.
You’ll find a modicum of solid advice on the site. Mr. Meyers comes across as earnest, likeable, and truly seems to have a sincere desire to help the neophyte screenwriter. I found no trace of an over-inflated ego or “DO-IT-THIS-WAY” dogma. Though a handful of topics/subjects are “the same ol’, same ol,” I found at least one entry, “How I Optioned and Sold My First Screenplay,” particularly valuable.
My chief complaint: aside from the aforementioned entry (and a few others), there’s nothing truly unique being imparted on the site. Virtually all the information can be found on a hundred or so other screenwriting sites, my own included. (I should point out that SellingYourScreenplay.com has only been in existence a relatively short time. As of this moment, June 2009, there isn’t what I’d call a wealth of information posted. I’m confident it will be far more comprehensive six months or a year from now. At least we can hope so.)
Another complaint—a minor one, really—is the plethora of Google ads positioned throughout. I noticed one or two for a notorious “scam” lit agency. I know this isn’t the fault of Mr. Meyers (those ads are automatically placed by Google)...I just think that sort of thing tends to drop a site’s legitimacy a notch or two.
So, do I think this site is a waste of time? No, absolutely not. If you’ve been around the block once or twice in the ol’ screenwriting game, you probably won’t discover too much that’s new and exciting. However...I’m confident that novice and intermediate scribes alike will find a few valuable nuggets that will aid them in their journey through the Hollywood maze. That, along with Mr. Meyers’ seemingly genuine desire to aid the budding screenwriter, certainly makes a visit to SellingYourScreenplay.com worthy of your time.
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APRIL 2015 ANNOUNCEMENT: My debut novel, Luigi's Chinese Delicatessen, is now available in paperback from Amazon.com and Kindle e-book! (You're gonna love it cuz it's all about Hollywood and screenwriting!)
Well, that's showbiz!
I got word yesterday that the Canadian prodco will NOT be renewing the option on my script. They cite the troubled economy as the ultimate reason they couldn’t pull together the financing. This puts to an end a deal that’s been in the works for more than three years. Three years of meetings, e-mails, phone calls, yadda yadda yadda.
When a disappointment like this happens, I do what I always do: I kick into high gear and get my reps to put the feelers out, get in touch with folks who might've shown some interest early on. Then I start making phone calls and sending e-mails on my own. I’ve already got some potential prospects percolating.
So, onward and upward.
But who knows, maybe when the economy turns around, and when money starts flowing again, that Canadian company will want to get rolling on things again. Sure, that’d be great...if I haven’t already sold the script, that is.
I’ll keep ya posted.
Oh, one more thing...a couple of you have written to me, asking "What happened to your Izen-Vines website?" For those of you who don't know, the Izen-Vines site was sort of a fun "tribute" site that explored my fun, very creative days attending Beverly Hills High School in the late-70s, early-80s. Sadly, the site in no more. Nope, we couldn't scrape together the $9.00 to keep it in operation. But for those of you who are at all interested (and maybe just a little bit bored out of your minds), you can visit the MySpace page of the the all-time #1 Izen-Vines fan, Nezi Nevins. In fact, here's the link: myspace.com/nezinevins.
So stop by, say howdy to ol' Nezi, take a gander at some of the goofball pictures of yours truly...and have a laugh. Or not.
When a disappointment like this happens, I do what I always do: I kick into high gear and get my reps to put the feelers out, get in touch with folks who might've shown some interest early on. Then I start making phone calls and sending e-mails on my own. I’ve already got some potential prospects percolating.
So, onward and upward.
But who knows, maybe when the economy turns around, and when money starts flowing again, that Canadian company will want to get rolling on things again. Sure, that’d be great...if I haven’t already sold the script, that is.
I’ll keep ya posted.
Oh, one more thing...a couple of you have written to me, asking "What happened to your Izen-Vines website?" For those of you who don't know, the Izen-Vines site was sort of a fun "tribute" site that explored my fun, very creative days attending Beverly Hills High School in the late-70s, early-80s. Sadly, the site in no more. Nope, we couldn't scrape together the $9.00 to keep it in operation. But for those of you who are at all interested (and maybe just a little bit bored out of your minds), you can visit the MySpace page of the the all-time #1 Izen-Vines fan, Nezi Nevins. In fact, here's the link: myspace.com/nezinevins.
So stop by, say howdy to ol' Nezi, take a gander at some of the goofball pictures of yours truly...and have a laugh. Or not.
Wow, it's already May??
Still in a holding pattern...
...with a few of my projects. I should find out any day now whether or not the prodco up in Canada will extend the option on my script. They've already had the script about three years. The last I heard, they were getting close to obtaining full financing. But ya never know how these things will work out. So we wait.
Web-series news...
We wrapped our final day of shooting earlier this week. Now it’s into the editing room to put it all together. I’m hoping we can roll out the first couple of episodes by the end of June. As always, I’ll keep you posted.
On a sad note...
Entertainer Danny Gans passed away early yesterday at the young age of 52.
For those of you unaware of who Mr. Gans was, he was an entertainer who has performed regularly in Las Vegas for several years.
My friend Craig and I had the great pleasure of seeing Mr. Gans perform last May 29th at the spectacular Wynn hotel in Las Vegas. Let me tell you, I’m a guy who is very difficult to impress, but Mr. Gans sure impressed me. Wow, what a show. For 90 minutes, he tore up the stage with impersonations of just about any singer or dancer you can think of. His repartee with the audience was hilarious. No dirty jokes, no crass innuendo—this was clean, wholesome entertainment.
After returning to L.A. a couple days later, I couldn’t stop raving about Mr. Gans. I told everyone I knew, “When you go to Vegas, you gotta see this guy!”
But what I found so special about Mr. Gans—other than his extraordinary talent—was his humility. He stopped the show to tell the audience that he knew he was a very lucky man indeed. He had a fantastic wife and great kids, and a career that far surpassed anything he’d ever dreamed. He was also active in many charity organizations.
Yes, Danny Gans had a full life...and he will be greatly missed.
Here are some clips of Danny to enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-9l9bdKsDc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BWqVygS83Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEm7cmqWvPI
...with a few of my projects. I should find out any day now whether or not the prodco up in Canada will extend the option on my script. They've already had the script about three years. The last I heard, they were getting close to obtaining full financing. But ya never know how these things will work out. So we wait.
Web-series news...
We wrapped our final day of shooting earlier this week. Now it’s into the editing room to put it all together. I’m hoping we can roll out the first couple of episodes by the end of June. As always, I’ll keep you posted.
On a sad note...
Entertainer Danny Gans passed away early yesterday at the young age of 52.
For those of you unaware of who Mr. Gans was, he was an entertainer who has performed regularly in Las Vegas for several years.
My friend Craig and I had the great pleasure of seeing Mr. Gans perform last May 29th at the spectacular Wynn hotel in Las Vegas. Let me tell you, I’m a guy who is very difficult to impress, but Mr. Gans sure impressed me. Wow, what a show. For 90 minutes, he tore up the stage with impersonations of just about any singer or dancer you can think of. His repartee with the audience was hilarious. No dirty jokes, no crass innuendo—this was clean, wholesome entertainment.
After returning to L.A. a couple days later, I couldn’t stop raving about Mr. Gans. I told everyone I knew, “When you go to Vegas, you gotta see this guy!”
But what I found so special about Mr. Gans—other than his extraordinary talent—was his humility. He stopped the show to tell the audience that he knew he was a very lucky man indeed. He had a fantastic wife and great kids, and a career that far surpassed anything he’d ever dreamed. He was also active in many charity organizations.
Yes, Danny Gans had a full life...and he will be greatly missed.
Here are some clips of Danny to enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-9l9bdKsDc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BWqVygS83Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEm7cmqWvPI
What’s new in Jim’s world?
Well, for those of you who care (and even for those of you who don’t), here’s the latest:
Item 1: The web-series is almost done shooting. We had some rain delays, an extra day or two tacked on due to scheduling and location conflicts, but right now it looks as if we’re down to just one more day of principal photography (giving us a total of seven days). It’s been a fun shoot, the actors, the director and crew have all done a bang-up job, and I’m quite pleased with what we’ve got in the can. I’m hoping we can start posting these first seven episodes by late spring. I’ll keep ya posted on a “grand premier” date.
Item 2: Last week my manager sent a producer (one I’ve worked for previously) a recently-completed thriller script of mine. The producer read it...then got back to us. Though he said he liked it well enough (insisting it was something he would’ve been interested in a year ago), he made it clear that the releasing company he now works with is looking for "different" material. Um, OK, so what kind of material are they looking for? Well, it seems even the releasing company isn’t sure what they’re looking for, as requirements change for them virtually on a monthly basis! Well, whatever. One producer down, a few more to go.
Item 3: Earlier this month I had a meeting down in San Diego with a guy who was looking to hire a screenwriter for a true-life story. In fact, it was his true-life story. (You old-school, hardcore skateboarding fans would definitely know who this fella is. He was HUGE back in the 70s and 80s.) Anyway, I sat with this gentleman (now in his late-40s) for about an hour and tossed around some ideas. He seemed to really like my "take" on things. Then we shook hands and went our separate ways. Maybe something will come of this meeting; then again, maybe not...but hey, San Diego sure was nice!
Item 4: I was at a tuxedo rental store in Beverly Hills last week, picking up a tuxedo for the wedding of one of my best friends. I was just about to leave when a gentleman (who had just completed a fitting) asked if I was getting married. "Nope. Been there, done that. My best friend is the one on the chopping block this time." For some really odd reason, the gentleman then asked what I did for a living. I told him that I was a screenwriter. His face lit up. I then spent the next 45 minutes listening as he pitched this rather interesting (though not necessarily commercial) story he’d like to see turned into a movie. We traded some ideas, and I schooled him a bit on how the film industry works (he was a real estate developer). He seemed pretty excited about it all. Then I gave him my card, the contact information for my manager...and I walked out the door with my tux. It’s now more than a week later and we have yet to hear anything from the guy. To be honest, I didn’t actually think he’d get in touch, but ya kinda gotta wonder why he’d go to all the trouble about telling me this story, then all the bla bla bla about he’d "really like to move forward on this!" In Hollywood, talk is cheap. Actually picking up a phone an making a call and making things happen...well, that’s another story.
Item 5: My thriller project up in Canada (which has been in the works for at least a few years now) seems to be inching closer to full financing (yawn). If the financing doesn’t come through by the time the option expires in early May, I’m hoping the producers decide to renew. Based on recent conversations they’ve had with my rep, I’m thinking they will. Then again, this is the film business we’re talking about. We’ll see.
Item 6: Another producer is currently trying to get financial backing for one of my scripts. Unfortunately, with the economy the way it’s been, money is awfully tight, and getting movies made is even more difficult than usual. (Yup, it’s pretty bleak out there, folks. This crazy economy has even managed to sideline the El Salvador project I wrote last year. Well, at least I got paid in full on that one!) But I got word a few days ago that this producer has a potential backer who might read the script if we can pitch it to him in a brief written synopsis. Ugh, I hate writing those things. Anyone who knows me knows it’s easier for me to write a full-length screenplay than it is to write a one-page synopsis. Well, I guess I’ll just have to buckle down and do it. UPDATE: I wrote the synopsis in two days. The potential backer seemed to like it well enough to request a script, which went out today.
And finally, only in Hollywood...
My buddy Craig and I hit a few west side watering holes last night. Our final stop (at 12:15 in the morning) was at a bar in Beverly Hills. As we pulled into the valet parking garage, I noticed a young guy and girl sitting cozily on a couch; both were quietly checking their Blackberries. Then I realized the guy wasn’t a guy. Nope, it was Samantha Ronson...and the attractive girl with her was Lindsay Lohan. Now, this is Beverly Hills and you tend to see this sort of thing all the time, so that’s not what I found interesting. No, what I found interesting was that it was Craig and I, Samantha and Lindsay, a couple of parking attendants...and not a single crazed paparazzi with a camera. Not one! Hmm, I guess they’d been there earlier and had their fill of picture-taking. Or maybe paparazzos don’t work past midnight?
Item 1: The web-series is almost done shooting. We had some rain delays, an extra day or two tacked on due to scheduling and location conflicts, but right now it looks as if we’re down to just one more day of principal photography (giving us a total of seven days). It’s been a fun shoot, the actors, the director and crew have all done a bang-up job, and I’m quite pleased with what we’ve got in the can. I’m hoping we can start posting these first seven episodes by late spring. I’ll keep ya posted on a “grand premier” date.
Item 2: Last week my manager sent a producer (one I’ve worked for previously) a recently-completed thriller script of mine. The producer read it...then got back to us. Though he said he liked it well enough (insisting it was something he would’ve been interested in a year ago), he made it clear that the releasing company he now works with is looking for "different" material. Um, OK, so what kind of material are they looking for? Well, it seems even the releasing company isn’t sure what they’re looking for, as requirements change for them virtually on a monthly basis! Well, whatever. One producer down, a few more to go.
Item 3: Earlier this month I had a meeting down in San Diego with a guy who was looking to hire a screenwriter for a true-life story. In fact, it was his true-life story. (You old-school, hardcore skateboarding fans would definitely know who this fella is. He was HUGE back in the 70s and 80s.) Anyway, I sat with this gentleman (now in his late-40s) for about an hour and tossed around some ideas. He seemed to really like my "take" on things. Then we shook hands and went our separate ways. Maybe something will come of this meeting; then again, maybe not...but hey, San Diego sure was nice!
Item 4: I was at a tuxedo rental store in Beverly Hills last week, picking up a tuxedo for the wedding of one of my best friends. I was just about to leave when a gentleman (who had just completed a fitting) asked if I was getting married. "Nope. Been there, done that. My best friend is the one on the chopping block this time." For some really odd reason, the gentleman then asked what I did for a living. I told him that I was a screenwriter. His face lit up. I then spent the next 45 minutes listening as he pitched this rather interesting (though not necessarily commercial) story he’d like to see turned into a movie. We traded some ideas, and I schooled him a bit on how the film industry works (he was a real estate developer). He seemed pretty excited about it all. Then I gave him my card, the contact information for my manager...and I walked out the door with my tux. It’s now more than a week later and we have yet to hear anything from the guy. To be honest, I didn’t actually think he’d get in touch, but ya kinda gotta wonder why he’d go to all the trouble about telling me this story, then all the bla bla bla about he’d "really like to move forward on this!" In Hollywood, talk is cheap. Actually picking up a phone an making a call and making things happen...well, that’s another story.
Item 5: My thriller project up in Canada (which has been in the works for at least a few years now) seems to be inching closer to full financing (yawn). If the financing doesn’t come through by the time the option expires in early May, I’m hoping the producers decide to renew. Based on recent conversations they’ve had with my rep, I’m thinking they will. Then again, this is the film business we’re talking about. We’ll see.
Item 6: Another producer is currently trying to get financial backing for one of my scripts. Unfortunately, with the economy the way it’s been, money is awfully tight, and getting movies made is even more difficult than usual. (Yup, it’s pretty bleak out there, folks. This crazy economy has even managed to sideline the El Salvador project I wrote last year. Well, at least I got paid in full on that one!) But I got word a few days ago that this producer has a potential backer who might read the script if we can pitch it to him in a brief written synopsis. Ugh, I hate writing those things. Anyone who knows me knows it’s easier for me to write a full-length screenplay than it is to write a one-page synopsis. Well, I guess I’ll just have to buckle down and do it. UPDATE: I wrote the synopsis in two days. The potential backer seemed to like it well enough to request a script, which went out today.
And finally, only in Hollywood...
My buddy Craig and I hit a few west side watering holes last night. Our final stop (at 12:15 in the morning) was at a bar in Beverly Hills. As we pulled into the valet parking garage, I noticed a young guy and girl sitting cozily on a couch; both were quietly checking their Blackberries. Then I realized the guy wasn’t a guy. Nope, it was Samantha Ronson...and the attractive girl with her was Lindsay Lohan. Now, this is Beverly Hills and you tend to see this sort of thing all the time, so that’s not what I found interesting. No, what I found interesting was that it was Craig and I, Samantha and Lindsay, a couple of parking attendants...and not a single crazed paparazzi with a camera. Not one! Hmm, I guess they’d been there earlier and had their fill of picture-taking. Or maybe paparazzos don’t work past midnight?
The Collaborative Process...
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.
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...
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