Connecting
Mr. Hart replied to a post from earlier in the week: Ok so lets say you have a well written screenplay or you are in the process of writing one, how does one go about selling it? For example, I am a PA on a television series and what if I wanted to write a […]
Script Coordinator: A Way Out of The PA Doldrums
I have no intention of being a PA forever. As I’ve said before, I’d ultimately like to write and direct. Every path out of PA-hood is unique, but one way out that doesn’t get enough attention is the PA –> Script Coordinator route. A Script Coordinator is the keeper of the script. He or she […]
The Curse of the Origin Story
Not everyone starts their career the same way.
Screen Story Success
Since I’ve been talking about executives all week, I figured now would be a fine time to direct you to Screen Story Success, a blog by former studio executive Lindsey Hughes. Some of her advice is good (“If your story is episodic, your main character better be incredibly compelling”), some, not so much (sorry, Lindsey, […]
How to Get an Agent
Chad replied to yesterday’s post: I read every entry of your blog last night starting from the very beginning in April. You’re hilarious! Wow, even I haven’t read every post. (You can tell by the poor speling and grammar,) I’m a fellow (aspiring) writer and had a quick question for you- how do I go […]
Take Coverage!
Writing about dogs in unusual professions took me back to the good old days of reading scripts and writing coverage. “Coverage” is basically a synopsis of a script, followed by comments on its quality. This usually involves reading the script twice: once to get a sense of the script, and again so I can get […]
“‘Dog Movie’ Screenplay Needed”
The universe is somehow bending itself to my will. I seriously wish I was kidding. From Craig’s List: “Dog Movie” Screenplay Needed (Anywhere) Reply to: gigs-916676856@craigslist.org [?] Date: 2008-11-12, 3:28PM PST We are a Burbank based production/development company looking for a: Dog Themed Family Film This will be direct-to-video low budget 2009 release. We are […]
Luckiest Motherfucker Ever
You know my feelings on luck. I generally don’t believe in it, but Peter Steinfeld is trying to very hard challenge that disbelief. The other day, I listened to Creative Screenwriting Magazine’s interview of Steinfeld after 21. (By the way, it’s a great podcast series, if you’re interested in writing. You can download old podcasts […]
Really Writing
I walked into the writers’ office yesterday and saw a ping pong ball and two paddles sitting on the assistant’s desk. I paused, staring at the ping pong ball. This was one of those moments you see in indie movies, where the character is contemplating his life, but you don’t know exactly what he’s thinking […]
A Derivative Post
John August has another one of his Scene Challenges up. The goal is to write a scene where one character explains to another what investment derivatives are. It was a difficult writing problem, since I have no idea what investment derivatives are. I’m #48.
A Clarification
Yesterday, I said writing is not producing. I didn’t mean that as an insult. When I came to LA to attend film school, I thought the writer was in charge of the filmmaking process. It turns out, I was wrong. People usually laugh at me when I relate that bit of youthful naiveté. Or they […]