Item #1:
I finally signed that deal with the producer up north. I’ll be doing a rewrite on an existing screenplay. Have to get it done—the first draft anyway—in about five weeks. I got an early start and I’m already nearly halfway through. I’m anticipating a few stumbling blocks during this latter portion of the script, so I’ll need every moment of those five weeks. As for the deal we signed: I’ll get some solid up-front cash, co-writer credit, and a percentage of whatever the script sells for...if it sells. Happily, there’s a money guy who's already interested in seeing this project get made. If he approves my rewrite—and I'm confident he will—he's agreed to put up a good portion of the financing. Look, I certainly realize this is all a long shot, but hey, I’m having fun with the rewrite...and I put a few bucks in the ol’ back pocket!
Item #2:
So...a few weeks ago, a producer I know calls me and says, “I’d like you to send your script __________over to this development executive I know. I think it might be right up his alley.” My obvious response: “Sure!” So I send the script off to this development exec (who works for a prodco you all know). He e-mails me back, says, “Thanks for the script. I’ll definitely give it a read.” A week or so later he gets back to me. He says it’s a really good script—and he enjoyed it—but it’s not quite the sort of thing his company does. It “doesn’t fit our franchise.” But he says, “You’re a strong writer” and “I’ll read anything you send me.” Then he tops it off with, “It’s just a matter of finding the right script.” Then I remember a script I wrote a few years back. It might—might—just be something that would work well for them. So I pitched it. He says to send it. I did. Two days later he e-mails: “I like this script. Let me run it by my partner.” So now I’m waiting for a response. The way I figure it, even if they don’t go for that particular script, they’ll read whatever I send them. With some luck, I think we’ll find—or I’ll eventually write—something that fits the franchise.
Item #3:
Tonight is the final performance of my play. I was in attendance with some friends last night and we had a lot of fun. The cast was in top form and the rest of the audience (a packed house!) seemed to enjoy it quite a bit. Who knows, I might tackle another play...one of these days.
Item #4:
I spoke with the producer/director of my upcoming web series MY ROOMMATE SAM. He’s putting the finishing touches on the first couple episodes, so hopefully, there will be a premiere soon. I know I’ve been building this up for a looooong while. I do hope it’s all worth it. I wish I had more control over the final product. But what can ya do? You just gotta hope for the best. Anyway, as soon as I know something, you’ll know something.
Interview with Darren Howell: September 2009 Update...
In April 2008, Summit Entertainment optioned the sci-fi action spec Arena written by first-time feature writers Toby Wagstaff and Darren Howell. The story of Arena revolves around a group of modern-day soldiers mysteriously transported from the thick of battle to a terrain-shifting landscape where they must fight the best warriors from different eras and histories in a gladiatorial fight to the death or be killed by the all-powerful operators of the "Arena." Last week, the UK-based Darren gave me a quick update on the progress made by producers. (Be sure to read Darren’s initial interview from June 20, 2008.)
JV: What’s the current status of the project?
DH: Things are ticking along and progressing from what I understand.
JV: So...the BIG question I have to ask: Have you been able to quit your day job yet?
DH: Noooo...still working the Underground [the UK rail system]. To be honest, I never expected to be able to quit on the strength of one sale, and I wasn't going to do anything dumb like just walk out. It's good in a way—it gives me some good time to think up new stuff and develop ideas.
JV: Are the producers keeping you involved in the rewrite process?
DH: The rewrite is done. They're happy with it, apparently. There are meetings taking place.
JV: Thus far, what’s been the most frustrating aspect of the development process for you?
DH: Probably being so far away and missing out on the meetings; the face to face interaction, if you like. They get me on the phone when possible—or when we're invited! But it's a pain in the arse sometimes.
JV: I don’t want to get you into trouble with the powers-that-be on the production, but have you experienced any Development Hell?
DH: I don't think there's been any Development Hell yet as such. My own “hell” is my impatience. Everything seems to take sooooooo long. Is that me—or is that Hollywood in general?
JV: Do you find the producers are resistant to your ideas as the script is being developed?
DH: Haven't really encountered that as yet.
JV: What are some of the most exciting aspects of where you are now in the process?
DH: I just find the whole thing pretty exciting—that someone's gonna make a movie out of an idea you had! I'll probably go into excitement overdrive during the actual production and when I see it on the screen.
JV: Has a director been attached to the project?
DH: Yes, Jeff (Cry Wolf) Wadlow. It's been announced in the trade papers, so no one's gonna shoot me for telling you. He's a great guy. I met him when I was out [in Los Angeles] last. He's really enthusiastic about Arena and has had some neat ideas of his own.
JV: Have any actors been attached?
DH: Not yet, I don't think. I have my own fantasy cast list though.
JV: Have you shared your "fantasy cast" list with the producers? If so, what sort of response did you get?
DH: No, Toby and I have run a few names between us, but only for fun. There were a few names floating around when I met Jeff last June, but I think this was more his own fantasy cast list. I guess casting relies a lot on what they finally fix the budget at, so we'll just have to wait and see, and hopefully be pleasantly surprised.
JV: Now that you have a screenplay on the fast track, now that you're getting some nice attention, have you been offered any other screenwriting assignments?
DH: Yeah, we've had a few things come our way, but nothing solid for one reason or another. We got asked to take a look at the Highlander remake, which was pretty cool as I love the original, but we lost out to the guys that wrote Ironman.
JV: Give me some detail on going up for the Highlander remake. How did that all evolve—and finally, devolve?
DH: Off the back of our sale of Arena, we were asked by Summit to come up with a treatment for their re-imagining of the original Highlander. We were pretty fired up by it—I LOVE the original! Anyway, we submitted our ideas during a lengthy meeting (with me on the phone in London). They really seemed to like our take. So the waiting game started...until we found out the guys that wrote Iron Man got the job. C'est la vie, I guess. The more experienced guys got the job.
JV: Do you have other screenplays on the shelf? If so, now that you’ve got a project in development/pre-production, are you garnering any interest in those screenplays?
DH: We've got our old faithful “The Duritz Find” waiting in the wings after a radical strip down, re-jigging and title change. And I'm currently working on a cheeky chappy cockney crime caper, kinda like The Italian Job (the original!) meets Snatch. And we've got a few other ideas...
JV: You’ve struggled over the years and now you’re enjoying the fruits of that struggle. What piece of advice would you give the budding screenwriter—the writer who’s in the midst of his or her own struggle?
DH: Well, I dunno if I'd go as far as “enjoying the fruits of your struggle” yet, after all I'm still plodding along with the day job. However, I understand what you're getting at. I've always believed, as the adage goes: “It's better to try and fail, than not try.” It's like I said before, if you have faith in what you're doing; if you have what you believe to be a good solid product—stick with it. All the more better if your circle of family and friends and guinea pig readers agree! Keep going, don't give up. And the beauty of writing is that there's not much of an initial outlay—most people have got a PC and some paper. Personally, I have an awesome writing partner who I couldn't do without. I'm not suggesting that having a writing partner is essential, but it’s worked for me!
* * *
Thanks for keeping us posted on things, Darren. I’m sure all my WS blog readers join me in wishing you continued success with Arena—and we look forward to future updates! (And perhaps a ticket to the premiere for yours truly.)
(Update: To read Part 3 of Darren's interview, click here.)
JV: What’s the current status of the project?
DH: Things are ticking along and progressing from what I understand.
JV: So...the BIG question I have to ask: Have you been able to quit your day job yet?
DH: Noooo...still working the Underground [the UK rail system]. To be honest, I never expected to be able to quit on the strength of one sale, and I wasn't going to do anything dumb like just walk out. It's good in a way—it gives me some good time to think up new stuff and develop ideas.
JV: Are the producers keeping you involved in the rewrite process?
DH: The rewrite is done. They're happy with it, apparently. There are meetings taking place.
JV: Thus far, what’s been the most frustrating aspect of the development process for you?
DH: Probably being so far away and missing out on the meetings; the face to face interaction, if you like. They get me on the phone when possible—or when we're invited! But it's a pain in the arse sometimes.
JV: I don’t want to get you into trouble with the powers-that-be on the production, but have you experienced any Development Hell?
DH: I don't think there's been any Development Hell yet as such. My own “hell” is my impatience. Everything seems to take sooooooo long. Is that me—or is that Hollywood in general?
JV: Do you find the producers are resistant to your ideas as the script is being developed?
DH: Haven't really encountered that as yet.
JV: What are some of the most exciting aspects of where you are now in the process?
DH: I just find the whole thing pretty exciting—that someone's gonna make a movie out of an idea you had! I'll probably go into excitement overdrive during the actual production and when I see it on the screen.
JV: Has a director been attached to the project?
DH: Yes, Jeff (Cry Wolf) Wadlow. It's been announced in the trade papers, so no one's gonna shoot me for telling you. He's a great guy. I met him when I was out [in Los Angeles] last. He's really enthusiastic about Arena and has had some neat ideas of his own.
JV: Have any actors been attached?
DH: Not yet, I don't think. I have my own fantasy cast list though.
JV: Have you shared your "fantasy cast" list with the producers? If so, what sort of response did you get?
DH: No, Toby and I have run a few names between us, but only for fun. There were a few names floating around when I met Jeff last June, but I think this was more his own fantasy cast list. I guess casting relies a lot on what they finally fix the budget at, so we'll just have to wait and see, and hopefully be pleasantly surprised.
JV: Now that you have a screenplay on the fast track, now that you're getting some nice attention, have you been offered any other screenwriting assignments?
DH: Yeah, we've had a few things come our way, but nothing solid for one reason or another. We got asked to take a look at the Highlander remake, which was pretty cool as I love the original, but we lost out to the guys that wrote Ironman.
JV: Give me some detail on going up for the Highlander remake. How did that all evolve—and finally, devolve?
DH: Off the back of our sale of Arena, we were asked by Summit to come up with a treatment for their re-imagining of the original Highlander. We were pretty fired up by it—I LOVE the original! Anyway, we submitted our ideas during a lengthy meeting (with me on the phone in London). They really seemed to like our take. So the waiting game started...until we found out the guys that wrote Iron Man got the job. C'est la vie, I guess. The more experienced guys got the job.
JV: Do you have other screenplays on the shelf? If so, now that you’ve got a project in development/pre-production, are you garnering any interest in those screenplays?
DH: We've got our old faithful “The Duritz Find” waiting in the wings after a radical strip down, re-jigging and title change. And I'm currently working on a cheeky chappy cockney crime caper, kinda like The Italian Job (the original!) meets Snatch. And we've got a few other ideas...
JV: You’ve struggled over the years and now you’re enjoying the fruits of that struggle. What piece of advice would you give the budding screenwriter—the writer who’s in the midst of his or her own struggle?
DH: Well, I dunno if I'd go as far as “enjoying the fruits of your struggle” yet, after all I'm still plodding along with the day job. However, I understand what you're getting at. I've always believed, as the adage goes: “It's better to try and fail, than not try.” It's like I said before, if you have faith in what you're doing; if you have what you believe to be a good solid product—stick with it. All the more better if your circle of family and friends and guinea pig readers agree! Keep going, don't give up. And the beauty of writing is that there's not much of an initial outlay—most people have got a PC and some paper. Personally, I have an awesome writing partner who I couldn't do without. I'm not suggesting that having a writing partner is essential, but it’s worked for me!
* * *
Thanks for keeping us posted on things, Darren. I’m sure all my WS blog readers join me in wishing you continued success with Arena—and we look forward to future updates! (And perhaps a ticket to the premiere for yours truly.)
(Update: To read Part 3 of Darren's interview, click here.)
A New Rewrite Gig...
An assignment recently came my way from a producer up north.
George (not his real name) had a script that—he felt—needed a minor rewrite. Sure, sounds good. But first I needed to read the script. So he sent me a copy. It took me a while, but I eventually got through it.
A “minor” rewrite? Um, no, this thing needed a major rewrite. It needed to be torn down to its base and rebuilt. The script contained all the usual maladies: on-the-nose dialogue, yawn-inducing descriptions, scenes that did absolutely nothing to push the story forward...all the usual novice stuff. I relayed all this via several pages of notes. OK, so now George is definitely interested in having me do the rewrite. But before we sign the deal, I wanted him to know precisely what I’d be doing to the script. He needed to know that I wasn’t going to simply tweak a few words here and there. No, I was pretty much gonna eviscerate the script. He also needed to know that my eventual rewrite draft would be something that could actually sell. So I took the first few scenes of the script and rewrote them.
Three days after I e-mailed my rewrite pages I still hadn’t heard back from him. So I shot off an e-mail: “What’s up? Did you get the pages I sent?” I heard back a few hours later. George admitted that he was somewhat shocked by my changes. He said, “I expected a light trim. What you gave me was a buzz cut!” I told him, “Trust me, it’s precisely what the script needs.”
So a few more days go by and I don’t hear a single word from him. I figured I scared him off. But he finally contacts me, saying, “I gave the script to an associate of mine. I wanted to get his opinion on the changes you made.” So here’s the e-mail George received from the associate:
“Honestly, your screenwriter is doing you a service. Your draft is lovely, but the pacing is very slow, laborious and you will lose your audience quickly. The screenwriter has picked up the pace for you immensely, given it some energy and kept it moving so that it keeps the reader’s interest. You lose none of the beauty of the story in his draft; he has just focused it more—to highlight the important beats. I think you should stick with him.”
So, thanks to his very perceptive associate, George now has a newfound respect for my abilities and is most agreeable to the changes I need to make. The first installment of my fee has been paid and the rewrite is coming along nicely. Contrary to popular belief among many novice screenwriters, rewriting can be a lot of fun. I’ve really been enjoying tackling this script and transforming unworkable scenes into scenes that, well...work. I plan to have a first rewrite draft in the next few weeks. With some luck, I’ll have a “final” draft—something George can take to money people, actors, etc.—completed by mid-October. That’s my plan, anyway.
George (not his real name) had a script that—he felt—needed a minor rewrite. Sure, sounds good. But first I needed to read the script. So he sent me a copy. It took me a while, but I eventually got through it.
A “minor” rewrite? Um, no, this thing needed a major rewrite. It needed to be torn down to its base and rebuilt. The script contained all the usual maladies: on-the-nose dialogue, yawn-inducing descriptions, scenes that did absolutely nothing to push the story forward...all the usual novice stuff. I relayed all this via several pages of notes. OK, so now George is definitely interested in having me do the rewrite. But before we sign the deal, I wanted him to know precisely what I’d be doing to the script. He needed to know that I wasn’t going to simply tweak a few words here and there. No, I was pretty much gonna eviscerate the script. He also needed to know that my eventual rewrite draft would be something that could actually sell. So I took the first few scenes of the script and rewrote them.
Three days after I e-mailed my rewrite pages I still hadn’t heard back from him. So I shot off an e-mail: “What’s up? Did you get the pages I sent?” I heard back a few hours later. George admitted that he was somewhat shocked by my changes. He said, “I expected a light trim. What you gave me was a buzz cut!” I told him, “Trust me, it’s precisely what the script needs.”
So a few more days go by and I don’t hear a single word from him. I figured I scared him off. But he finally contacts me, saying, “I gave the script to an associate of mine. I wanted to get his opinion on the changes you made.” So here’s the e-mail George received from the associate:
“Honestly, your screenwriter is doing you a service. Your draft is lovely, but the pacing is very slow, laborious and you will lose your audience quickly. The screenwriter has picked up the pace for you immensely, given it some energy and kept it moving so that it keeps the reader’s interest. You lose none of the beauty of the story in his draft; he has just focused it more—to highlight the important beats. I think you should stick with him.”
So, thanks to his very perceptive associate, George now has a newfound respect for my abilities and is most agreeable to the changes I need to make. The first installment of my fee has been paid and the rewrite is coming along nicely. Contrary to popular belief among many novice screenwriters, rewriting can be a lot of fun. I’ve really been enjoying tackling this script and transforming unworkable scenes into scenes that, well...work. I plan to have a first rewrite draft in the next few weeks. With some luck, I’ll have a “final” draft—something George can take to money people, actors, etc.—completed by mid-October. That’s my plan, anyway.
UPDATE: SUMMER 2009...
Sorry for being away for so long. It’s been a crazy couple of months.
On the personal side: the house I live in has been getting a major makeover. New paint job, new carpeting, some construction. Right now the place looks like a typhoon hit it.
Then my parked car got totaled by some idiot who wasn’t paying attention to where he was driving. It all worked out: I got a slightly newer, marginally better car.
Then my somewhat off-kilter ex-wife came into town and turned my life upside down for a couple of weeks. (The poor girl has some, um, issues.)
But yup, it’s been a fairly hectic summer. No time for some of the luxuries I usually enjoy. To wit, I typically blaze through four or five movies from Netflix each week. I’m now down to a mere one movie a week. Yikes!
On the professional front: I recently completed a quick writing gig. A proposal for a reality series. Just three pages. Fun and creative. Easy money.
I’m waiting to start work on creating a treatment for an existing story (not mine) for a producer here in town. The person I'll be working with is a pretty well-known music producer. Should be fun.
I’m also gearing up to do a co-write job on an existing script with a “writer” up in Seattle. We still have some contractual issues to iron out, but hopefully it’ll all come together in the next week or so.
Last month my manager brought me three potential gigs: two page-one rewrites and one from-scratch assignment. Alas, not one of these jobs actually materialized for me. C’est la vie.
I’ve been doing a fairly steady stream of script critiques. (I guess summer is when people need critiques!) A couple of the scripts were, quite surprisingly, pretty decent. They need a lot of work, but they might actually become marketable. Hopefully I gave the writers what they need to get their scripts whipped into shape.
As for my Web-series My Roommate Sam: I just got word that the first episode has nearly completed post-production and will soon premier. Geesh, finally.
A play I wrote—yes, a play, and the only one I’ve ever written—just got picked up by a theater group here in L.A. It’s scheduled to go up for two weekends next month. This could go over well or it could become a dismal abomination. We’ll just have to hope for the best and see where it goes. (If it does become an abomination, I'll be thankful that it's only a play and not captured forever on film.)
A couple months ago I mentioned that I was planning to do a follow-up interview with UK screenwriter Darren Howell. I have yet to do it...but I will. Soon.
And finally...I’m giving very serious thought to shutting down my website The Working Screenwriter. What I’m planning to do is transfer all the info on the site over to a standard blog (like the one you’re reading now). I think it’ll work just fine. It’ll have all the same great information for the novice and intermediate scribe—and I won’t have to pay a fee every year to keep it running. (Anyway, I never ever liked the way the website looked.) If I do this, and I’m sure I will, it’ll happen in the next few weeks. I’ll keep you posted.
On the personal side: the house I live in has been getting a major makeover. New paint job, new carpeting, some construction. Right now the place looks like a typhoon hit it.
Then my parked car got totaled by some idiot who wasn’t paying attention to where he was driving. It all worked out: I got a slightly newer, marginally better car.
Then my somewhat off-kilter ex-wife came into town and turned my life upside down for a couple of weeks. (The poor girl has some, um, issues.)
But yup, it’s been a fairly hectic summer. No time for some of the luxuries I usually enjoy. To wit, I typically blaze through four or five movies from Netflix each week. I’m now down to a mere one movie a week. Yikes!
On the professional front: I recently completed a quick writing gig. A proposal for a reality series. Just three pages. Fun and creative. Easy money.
I’m waiting to start work on creating a treatment for an existing story (not mine) for a producer here in town. The person I'll be working with is a pretty well-known music producer. Should be fun.
I’m also gearing up to do a co-write job on an existing script with a “writer” up in Seattle. We still have some contractual issues to iron out, but hopefully it’ll all come together in the next week or so.
Last month my manager brought me three potential gigs: two page-one rewrites and one from-scratch assignment. Alas, not one of these jobs actually materialized for me. C’est la vie.
I’ve been doing a fairly steady stream of script critiques. (I guess summer is when people need critiques!) A couple of the scripts were, quite surprisingly, pretty decent. They need a lot of work, but they might actually become marketable. Hopefully I gave the writers what they need to get their scripts whipped into shape.
As for my Web-series My Roommate Sam: I just got word that the first episode has nearly completed post-production and will soon premier. Geesh, finally.
A play I wrote—yes, a play, and the only one I’ve ever written—just got picked up by a theater group here in L.A. It’s scheduled to go up for two weekends next month. This could go over well or it could become a dismal abomination. We’ll just have to hope for the best and see where it goes. (If it does become an abomination, I'll be thankful that it's only a play and not captured forever on film.)
A couple months ago I mentioned that I was planning to do a follow-up interview with UK screenwriter Darren Howell. I have yet to do it...but I will. Soon.
And finally...I’m giving very serious thought to shutting down my website The Working Screenwriter. What I’m planning to do is transfer all the info on the site over to a standard blog (like the one you’re reading now). I think it’ll work just fine. It’ll have all the same great information for the novice and intermediate scribe—and I won’t have to pay a fee every year to keep it running. (Anyway, I never ever liked the way the website looked.) If I do this, and I’m sure I will, it’ll happen in the next few weeks. I’ll keep you posted.
Stuff you can look at...and some Mr. Creepy news!
And now, a bit of silliness...
About five years ago I was visiting my old pal Taunia (pronounced “Tanya”) for the weekend at her home in Arizona. One of the things I’ve always really liked about Taunia—and we’ve known each other for 30 years—is her never-ending well of creativity. She’s game for just about anything.
Anywho...one afternoon during my visit, we decided to get out the ol’ digital camera and shoot something. This is what I refer to as a “Spontaneous Film”—something made at the spur of the moment. No planning, no real thought other than to do something fun and creative for a few hours.
(Please hold your critiques about how the lighting sucks, or how the camera work could’ve been better. None of that is really important. This is merely a matter of coming up with an idea, a bit of goofy wardrobe, a prop or two, shooting it, then cutting it all together. What ya get is what ya get.)
This particular short is entitled “Home for Lunch.” In it, I play a rather high-spirited, rotund little man who has an appetite for mid-day snacks and a penchant for...well, you’ll just have to see for yourself.
What’s funny, at least to me, is that I haven’t really thought about this project since we shot it. It was just another bit of silliness I got involved in. Lo and behold, Taunia sent me this edited/scored version just last week. (Five years—what took her so long?)
I’ll tell ya, I actually got a kick out of it. I found it to be alternately silly and, um, oddly disturbing. So I figured I’d share it with all of you WS readers...and I hope you find it at least somewhat entertaining. If not, please forward your letters of hostility to Taunia. I’m sure she’d love to hear from you.
To watch “Home for Lunch," click here! (PS: For the record, no, that’s not my real stomach you’ll be seeing.)
"Mr. Creepy" news!
For those of you following my long saga with “Mr. Creepy” (see January 12, 2009 blog entry): Well, ol’ Mr. C finally realized he was wrong about me trying to destroy him. It seems somebody was passing himself off as me and wreaking havoc upon poor Mr. C’s already damaged psyche. But I’m pleased to announce that Mr. C has done the right thing and pulled all his let’s-bash-Jim-Vines videos from his YouTube account. So there.
About five years ago I was visiting my old pal Taunia (pronounced “Tanya”) for the weekend at her home in Arizona. One of the things I’ve always really liked about Taunia—and we’ve known each other for 30 years—is her never-ending well of creativity. She’s game for just about anything.
Anywho...one afternoon during my visit, we decided to get out the ol’ digital camera and shoot something. This is what I refer to as a “Spontaneous Film”—something made at the spur of the moment. No planning, no real thought other than to do something fun and creative for a few hours.
(Please hold your critiques about how the lighting sucks, or how the camera work could’ve been better. None of that is really important. This is merely a matter of coming up with an idea, a bit of goofy wardrobe, a prop or two, shooting it, then cutting it all together. What ya get is what ya get.)
This particular short is entitled “Home for Lunch.” In it, I play a rather high-spirited, rotund little man who has an appetite for mid-day snacks and a penchant for...well, you’ll just have to see for yourself.
What’s funny, at least to me, is that I haven’t really thought about this project since we shot it. It was just another bit of silliness I got involved in. Lo and behold, Taunia sent me this edited/scored version just last week. (Five years—what took her so long?)
I’ll tell ya, I actually got a kick out of it. I found it to be alternately silly and, um, oddly disturbing. So I figured I’d share it with all of you WS readers...and I hope you find it at least somewhat entertaining. If not, please forward your letters of hostility to Taunia. I’m sure she’d love to hear from you.
To watch “Home for Lunch," click here! (PS: For the record, no, that’s not my real stomach you’ll be seeing.)
"Mr. Creepy" news!
For those of you following my long saga with “Mr. Creepy” (see January 12, 2009 blog entry): Well, ol’ Mr. C finally realized he was wrong about me trying to destroy him. It seems somebody was passing himself off as me and wreaking havoc upon poor Mr. C’s already damaged psyche. But I’m pleased to announce that Mr. C has done the right thing and pulled all his let’s-bash-Jim-Vines videos from his YouTube account. So there.
A thought for the day...
OK, so I’ve got a question for all of you. Here it is:
Why do we create?
Is it for the FAME? Is it for the GLORY? Is it for the MONEY?
Fame? Quick, name five “famous” screenwriters. Let’s see, William Goldman...Shane Black...um... wait, don’t tell me...
Glory? OK, so who won Best Screenplay at this year’s Academy Awards?
Money? Hmm, what’s the statistic from the Writers Guild? I think the average screenwriter make about $60,000 a year.
So if you’re looking for “fame,” “glory,” or big bucks, the life of a screenwriter probably isn’t for you.
For me, it’s about the creative process. Just the notion that I can come up with the germ of an idea...cultivate that idea...nurture it, hone it...slowly transform it into 100 pages of marketable screenplay...well, that’s pretty darn exciting. And if we’re lucky enough to have those 100 pages turned into a movie, and even luckier that a modicum of fame, glory, and money follow...it’s all icing on the cake.
Another exciting phase to the creative process is what happens to your work once it’s set forth into the world.
I had an experience just the other day...an experience that pretty much sums it all up for me. It clarified my own personal reason why I love to create the things I create.
I was chatting on the phone with a friend/business associate. She was telling me how much she enjoyed a couple of my recently-completed screenplays. Being the fairly modest fellow I am (no, really, I am), I downplayed it with the usual, “Yeah, I think they’re pretty good.” But no, she insisted that they were really quite excellent. She was, apparently, very entertained by both scripts. (I should point out that she is currently trying to get these scripts to the next level: a producer who will actually buy them.) Then she mentioned a short film that I made a few years back. She said she really loved this little film. In fact, she loved it enough to send it to several of her friends. Apparently they loved it too. In fact, one friend told her something like, “The day you sent me the link to Jim’s film, I was really feeling low. Pretty miserable. But I watched the film. I have to tell you, I laughed and laughed. It really cheered me up.” (Click here to see my short film.)
Wow, that’s a pretty terrific feeling. It’s nice to know that this little movie I made...this goofy little project my childhood friend and I did simply to do it, to have a little fun and work our creative muscles a bit...had the ability to transform a person’s day from gloomy to, well, just a little bit sunnier. Yup, a pretty terrific feeling, all right.
This, friends, is why I create.
So think of that the next time to sit down to write your screenplay, or shoot that funny little YouTube video, or paint that picture, or shoot a photograph suitable for framing, realize that you’re creating something that will more than likely touch other people in same way. You will created something that says, I was here.
Why do we create?
Is it for the FAME? Is it for the GLORY? Is it for the MONEY?
Fame? Quick, name five “famous” screenwriters. Let’s see, William Goldman...Shane Black...um... wait, don’t tell me...
Glory? OK, so who won Best Screenplay at this year’s Academy Awards?
Money? Hmm, what’s the statistic from the Writers Guild? I think the average screenwriter make about $60,000 a year.
So if you’re looking for “fame,” “glory,” or big bucks, the life of a screenwriter probably isn’t for you.
For me, it’s about the creative process. Just the notion that I can come up with the germ of an idea...cultivate that idea...nurture it, hone it...slowly transform it into 100 pages of marketable screenplay...well, that’s pretty darn exciting. And if we’re lucky enough to have those 100 pages turned into a movie, and even luckier that a modicum of fame, glory, and money follow...it’s all icing on the cake.
Another exciting phase to the creative process is what happens to your work once it’s set forth into the world.
I had an experience just the other day...an experience that pretty much sums it all up for me. It clarified my own personal reason why I love to create the things I create.
I was chatting on the phone with a friend/business associate. She was telling me how much she enjoyed a couple of my recently-completed screenplays. Being the fairly modest fellow I am (no, really, I am), I downplayed it with the usual, “Yeah, I think they’re pretty good.” But no, she insisted that they were really quite excellent. She was, apparently, very entertained by both scripts. (I should point out that she is currently trying to get these scripts to the next level: a producer who will actually buy them.) Then she mentioned a short film that I made a few years back. She said she really loved this little film. In fact, she loved it enough to send it to several of her friends. Apparently they loved it too. In fact, one friend told her something like, “The day you sent me the link to Jim’s film, I was really feeling low. Pretty miserable. But I watched the film. I have to tell you, I laughed and laughed. It really cheered me up.” (Click here to see my short film.)
Wow, that’s a pretty terrific feeling. It’s nice to know that this little movie I made...this goofy little project my childhood friend and I did simply to do it, to have a little fun and work our creative muscles a bit...had the ability to transform a person’s day from gloomy to, well, just a little bit sunnier. Yup, a pretty terrific feeling, all right.
This, friends, is why I create.
So think of that the next time to sit down to write your screenplay, or shoot that funny little YouTube video, or paint that picture, or shoot a photograph suitable for framing, realize that you’re creating something that will more than likely touch other people in same way. You will created something that says, I was here.
A New Screenwriting Site: A Review...
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.
***
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!)
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.
***
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!)
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