A director—who also happens to be somewhat of a special effects wizard—will be producing a horror short I wrote.
This director and I met initially late in 2009. He had read the script and thought it was just what he was looking for. We discussed some minor changes (i.e., tweaking the original ending somewhat and trimming things up by a couple pages so we can keep the run time down), which I agreed to. So I went away and did a polish, then waited and waited and waited while this director completed other film obligations.
Well, the director recently sent word that the project is now a definite “go,” with shooting scheduled to begin the first week of September.
I think I’ve written a solid short. If this director does his job properly, and I think he will, it’s gonna make a nifty, horrific little flick. We’ll see.
For those of you saying, “But, Jim, there’s no money in short films!” Yes, of course you’re quite correct (at least for the most part). But gosh, it’d be pretty sad if everything we did was for the almighty buck.
Over the years I’ve had a blast working on projects that paid me very little or, frankly, nothing at all. One project that leaps to mind: doing some sound effects work on the James Cameron movie True Lies. My buddy and I were brought in by the sound editor (who has since won a couple of Oscars) to provide gunshot sound effects. We spent a good portion of the day out in a huge, desolate field in Frazer Park, blasting away at various surfaces (wood, metal, tin, brick, etc.) with a wide assortment of firearms—and we were using live ammunition! (And yes, in case you were wondering, we did manage to destroy one or two microphones in the process.) My buddy and I were paid some sort of token payment, maybe received a nice lunch out of it, but that's OK cuz we sure had some fun out there.
I guess what I’m saying here is: Don’t be afraid to get involved with low-paying/non-paying gigs. If it sounds like a worthy project, if it sounds like something that can be a learning experience, just go for it. After all, you never know who you might meet—and you never know how much of a good time you’ll have doing it!
A Bit of Good News...
OK, so I had some good luck come my way not long ago. Here’s what happened:
Last October, I submitted a thriller script to a prodco here in L.A. (This is a company which I’m sure most of you have heard of. A solid company and they produce quality thrillers.) Though they really liked the script, they said it wasn’t quite up their alley. But…they asked if I would like to do a rewrite on an existing script they already had in development.
I had a couple of meetings, which went very well, then my rep worked out the details…and I was hired to do the rewrite. Two drafts, which I ultimately completed in about six weeks. I’m told the flick goes into production later this year. (Unfortunately, I won’t receive screen credit.)
Then…about a two months ago, the development exec at this same prodco gets in touch with my rep, asks if that original script I submitted last October was still available. (It seems that particular script was suddenly up their alley!) “Yes, it’s still available,” was the reply from my rep.
So I went in for a meeting…they suggested a handful of fairly minor changes…the deal was worked out…and I went to work on the changes.
I turned in the revised draft about two weeks ago.
A few days went by and we didn’t hear anything back. A full week went by, still nothing. Finally, they got in touch…and they really liked what I did with the rewrite. Great!
OK, so a couple days go by and we get this call from a producer at the company (a fella we hadn’t dealt with before), and he says: “We’ve decided to put your project on the shelf.”
WHAT?!
Then a few hours later we get another call from the same company, but this time it's from our main contact there. Turns out that the previous call about putting the project on the shelf was in error—“ooops, sorry”—and rest assured, my script was still in active development.
Anyway, as things stand now, the company wants me to do one more pass at the script. No major changes, just trimming up a couple of scenes. Not a big deal at all. If things go well—and really, anything can happen—they’re confident the script will go into production in spring 2011.
The roller-coaster ride continues. I’ll keep you posted on any further developments.
The Big Debut: My Roommate Sam!
I am very pleased to announce that the web series My Roommate Sam (created and written by yours truly) has hit the Net! Here’s what it’s all about…
My Roommate Sam is about a guy named Jack (Matt Devine), an aspiring young actor living in L.A. Sadly, his "acting career" isn't going so well. To top it off, his roommate (Mike Kersey) suddenly decides to pack up and move back to Ohio, leaving Jack without someone to share the exorbitant rent...and Jack's co-worker (Derek Lux) is super stuck-up and real pain in the ass...AND Jack has a cute little stalker named Gillian (Brandi Aguilar) who has a big crush on him and makes a big deal out of everything Jack does! Whew!
So, in search of a new roommate, Jack posts an online ad. A guy named Sam replies via e-mail and he really wants to see the apartment...and everything is turning out great until Sam arrives at the door. The problem is, Sam isn’t a guy. Nope, Sam (Rebekah Graf) is actually an outrageously hot young chick! Yes, folks, Jack is in L-O-V-E!
What will life be like with Jack and Sam, a single young guy and a single young gal, living together as "just" roommates? Will Jack make a complete idiot of himself? Will Gillian sabotage everything between Jack and Sam? Log in and find out!
OK, so Casablanca it ain’t, but it’s a fun, sexy bit of entertainment and I think you’ll enjoy it.
My Roommate Sam is about a guy named Jack (Matt Devine), an aspiring young actor living in L.A. Sadly, his "acting career" isn't going so well. To top it off, his roommate (Mike Kersey) suddenly decides to pack up and move back to Ohio, leaving Jack without someone to share the exorbitant rent...and Jack's co-worker (Derek Lux) is super stuck-up and real pain in the ass...AND Jack has a cute little stalker named Gillian (Brandi Aguilar) who has a big crush on him and makes a big deal out of everything Jack does! Whew!
So, in search of a new roommate, Jack posts an online ad. A guy named Sam replies via e-mail and he really wants to see the apartment...and everything is turning out great until Sam arrives at the door. The problem is, Sam isn’t a guy. Nope, Sam (Rebekah Graf) is actually an outrageously hot young chick! Yes, folks, Jack is in L-O-V-E!
What will life be like with Jack and Sam, a single young guy and a single young gal, living together as "just" roommates? Will Jack make a complete idiot of himself? Will Gillian sabotage everything between Jack and Sam? Log in and find out!
OK, so Casablanca it ain’t, but it’s a fun, sexy bit of entertainment and I think you’ll enjoy it.
Quote for the day...
"There's nothing to stop a man from writing unless that man stops himself. If a man truly desires to write, then he will. Rejection and ridicule will only strengthen him. And the longer he is held back the stronger he will become, like a mass of rising water against a dam."
-- Charles Bukowski
-- Charles Bukowski
END OF YEAR UPDATE...
Well, we’re closing in on the end of another year. For me, 2009 was a year filled with some ups and some downs. Thankfully, mostly ups. For inquiring minds with a need to know, here’s an update on what I’ve been up to in the last few months:
Item #1: I’ve been working on a reality show. It’s an exciting idea. An idea that’s hard-hitting, gritty, and will—hopefully—benefit many in communities all over the country. The first episode has been shot (in the process of editing), the trailer cut, and sponsors are signing on.
Item #2: Regarding my web series My Roommate Sam…I’m really stumped, folks. The fella who ran the show on this one—he was the producer and the director—has basically disappeared off the face of the map. After months of telling cast and crew, “I’ve been editing. It looks really good. It’ll definitely go up soon,” none of us have heard a word from the guy. He doesn’t return calls or e-mail. It’s a head-scratcher, it really is. We put a lot of faith in this guy and he’s let us down. Well, he put up the money for the project, so I guess he can do what he wants, but I feel bad for those of us who put so much time and talent into the project. I think our actors and crew did a really solid job and they deserve to have their work seen. Who knows, perhaps one day soon Sam will hit the web. As with everything else in this business, we’ll just have to wait and see.
Item #3: I recently met with a producer who’s hot for one of my thriller scripts. He’s confident it’s a project he can get off the ground (not that this means a whole lot, but hey, it’s a start). He knows what it is I expect as far as option money and purchase price, credit and “back end” participation (cough cough), and he feels we can definitely make a deal. When he returns from Europe in a few days, we’ll proceed forward with our negotiations.
Item #4: A rather well-known production company (one that makes smaller genre movies) loves this action-adventure piece I wrote. It’s one of nine scripts they’re considering producing for 2010. Of the nine, they’ll choose six. This means I have a 66% chance of making a sale. Certainly not the worst percentage in the word. I should know something by the end of the year.
Item# 5: I’ve been toying with the idea of writing a book. Well, technically, I’ve already written a book (Q & A: The Working Screenwriter), but that was a book consisting of interviews with 16 working screenwriters. No, now I’m thinking of something in the form of a novel. I’ve been cranking out pages in recent weeks and really enjoying the process. Not quite sure why I’ve suddenly developed a tastes for this type of writing, but I have. Odd. Anyway, I’ll have to see where it all goes.
Item #6: I’m currently in the midst of a second draft of that script I was hired to rewrite a few months ago. The producer and I have butted heads on a few key elements of the script, but I think we’ve worked things out sufficiently. (He quite often asks me to make changes that simply won’t work. It’s up to me to justify my reasons why. I’m usually successful with these justifications. Not always, but usually.) I anticipate completing this second draft around the beginning of the New Year.
And that’s about it. For now. I plan on coasting through the rest of this year and tackling 2010 with my usual—and very necessary—passion and enthusiasm. Hope you’ll do the same.
Wishing health, happiness, and great success to you all in 2010!
JV
Item #1: I’ve been working on a reality show. It’s an exciting idea. An idea that’s hard-hitting, gritty, and will—hopefully—benefit many in communities all over the country. The first episode has been shot (in the process of editing), the trailer cut, and sponsors are signing on.
Item #2: Regarding my web series My Roommate Sam…I’m really stumped, folks. The fella who ran the show on this one—he was the producer and the director—has basically disappeared off the face of the map. After months of telling cast and crew, “I’ve been editing. It looks really good. It’ll definitely go up soon,” none of us have heard a word from the guy. He doesn’t return calls or e-mail. It’s a head-scratcher, it really is. We put a lot of faith in this guy and he’s let us down. Well, he put up the money for the project, so I guess he can do what he wants, but I feel bad for those of us who put so much time and talent into the project. I think our actors and crew did a really solid job and they deserve to have their work seen. Who knows, perhaps one day soon Sam will hit the web. As with everything else in this business, we’ll just have to wait and see.
Item #3: I recently met with a producer who’s hot for one of my thriller scripts. He’s confident it’s a project he can get off the ground (not that this means a whole lot, but hey, it’s a start). He knows what it is I expect as far as option money and purchase price, credit and “back end” participation (cough cough), and he feels we can definitely make a deal. When he returns from Europe in a few days, we’ll proceed forward with our negotiations.
Item #4: A rather well-known production company (one that makes smaller genre movies) loves this action-adventure piece I wrote. It’s one of nine scripts they’re considering producing for 2010. Of the nine, they’ll choose six. This means I have a 66% chance of making a sale. Certainly not the worst percentage in the word. I should know something by the end of the year.
Item# 5: I’ve been toying with the idea of writing a book. Well, technically, I’ve already written a book (Q & A: The Working Screenwriter), but that was a book consisting of interviews with 16 working screenwriters. No, now I’m thinking of something in the form of a novel. I’ve been cranking out pages in recent weeks and really enjoying the process. Not quite sure why I’ve suddenly developed a tastes for this type of writing, but I have. Odd. Anyway, I’ll have to see where it all goes.
Item #6: I’m currently in the midst of a second draft of that script I was hired to rewrite a few months ago. The producer and I have butted heads on a few key elements of the script, but I think we’ve worked things out sufficiently. (He quite often asks me to make changes that simply won’t work. It’s up to me to justify my reasons why. I’m usually successful with these justifications. Not always, but usually.) I anticipate completing this second draft around the beginning of the New Year.
And that’s about it. For now. I plan on coasting through the rest of this year and tackling 2010 with my usual—and very necessary—passion and enthusiasm. Hope you’ll do the same.
Wishing health, happiness, and great success to you all in 2010!
JV
The Perfect Writing Spot...
We all have preferred places to do our writing—places that make us feel comfortable, creative, and inspired. I know I do.
If you’ve followed this blog, you know that I get quite a bit of writing done at cool all-night diners, funky coffee houses, posh hotel lounges, the beach, middle-of-nowhere roadside rest stops, and even cruise ships. Just a yellow legal pad and pen, a cozy, relatively quiet spot to work, perhaps a nice view and a beverage of some sort, and I’m a truly happy fella.
Earlier today—while sweating through another 95 degree day in sunny L.A.—I got to thinking about perfect writing spots and happily recalled one of my all-time favorites. It was early last December at a Starbucks in New York City. There was nothing overly interesting or special about this particular Starbucks—I only went there because it was a couple blocks from my hotel.
Anyway...during that week last December, the city was experiencing some truly great fall weather: chilly, breezy, overcast days; not really raining, but everything was wet. As far as I’m concerned, that’s sheer perfection in the ol’ weather department. (Don’t ask me why I live in L.A. Just don’t.)
So, one drizzly late-afternoon I’m sitting in this Starbucks, cozily ensconced at a table near the window, a half-written script in front of me, people chatting happily all around me, the delightful music from A Charlie Brown Christmas wafting from the store’s sound system, and there’s this content little smile on my face. “Ahh”, I thought, “this is what it’s all about.” Then, as I do with all special moments in my life, I paused for a few seconds to really let it sink in. I even took a photo from where I sat (see above). Then I buckled down and cranked out a bunch more pages.
Now, this is the fab part about being a writer: you can do it just about anywhere. If you’re lucky—and my apologies for getting just a tad bit sappy here—you can find places in our world that have meaning and value to your inner being.
So do yourself a favor once in a while and find that perfect writing spot. Not only will you be doing an awful lot of good for your head, you’ll be doing a lot of good for your heart. For a writer, that can be a very good thing.
If you’ve followed this blog, you know that I get quite a bit of writing done at cool all-night diners, funky coffee houses, posh hotel lounges, the beach, middle-of-nowhere roadside rest stops, and even cruise ships. Just a yellow legal pad and pen, a cozy, relatively quiet spot to work, perhaps a nice view and a beverage of some sort, and I’m a truly happy fella.
Earlier today—while sweating through another 95 degree day in sunny L.A.—I got to thinking about perfect writing spots and happily recalled one of my all-time favorites. It was early last December at a Starbucks in New York City. There was nothing overly interesting or special about this particular Starbucks—I only went there because it was a couple blocks from my hotel.
Anyway...during that week last December, the city was experiencing some truly great fall weather: chilly, breezy, overcast days; not really raining, but everything was wet. As far as I’m concerned, that’s sheer perfection in the ol’ weather department. (Don’t ask me why I live in L.A. Just don’t.)
So, one drizzly late-afternoon I’m sitting in this Starbucks, cozily ensconced at a table near the window, a half-written script in front of me, people chatting happily all around me, the delightful music from A Charlie Brown Christmas wafting from the store’s sound system, and there’s this content little smile on my face. “Ahh”, I thought, “this is what it’s all about.” Then, as I do with all special moments in my life, I paused for a few seconds to really let it sink in. I even took a photo from where I sat (see above). Then I buckled down and cranked out a bunch more pages.
Now, this is the fab part about being a writer: you can do it just about anywhere. If you’re lucky—and my apologies for getting just a tad bit sappy here—you can find places in our world that have meaning and value to your inner being.
So do yourself a favor once in a while and find that perfect writing spot. Not only will you be doing an awful lot of good for your head, you’ll be doing a lot of good for your heart. For a writer, that can be a very good thing.
NEWSFLASH: THE END OF MY WEBSITE, BUT...
Dear Everybody:
My popular website TheWorkingScreenwriter.com is no more. Yup, I got tired of scraping together the ten bucks a year to keep it up and running. But...all that great material—no, really, ALL OF IT—can now be found here on Blogger. Yes, the former website is now a blog! (Sure, it makes a certain amount of sense...doesn’t it?) So, from this day forth, please feel free to visit The Working Screenwriter 2 (catchy name, eh?) at:
http://theworkingscreenwriter2.blogspot.com/
PS: Please help me get the word out. Tell your friends! Tell your enemies! Tell anyone and everyone who wants to write movie scripts!
My popular website TheWorkingScreenwriter.com is no more. Yup, I got tired of scraping together the ten bucks a year to keep it up and running. But...all that great material—no, really, ALL OF IT—can now be found here on Blogger. Yes, the former website is now a blog! (Sure, it makes a certain amount of sense...doesn’t it?) So, from this day forth, please feel free to visit The Working Screenwriter 2 (catchy name, eh?) at:
http://theworkingscreenwriter2.blogspot.com/
PS: Please help me get the word out. Tell your friends! Tell your enemies! Tell anyone and everyone who wants to write movie scripts!
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