Three days ago, Matt Wallace and I each set out to write a feature film screenplay in three days. Just to see if we could.
I agreed to do it because I felt like I hadn’t been generating enough material in the daily grind of L.A. survival.
Matt agreed because he had a chance to write a quickie screenplay for some cash, and pitch it to a low-budget production company in the area.
POST-MORTEM
Matt ended up with 53 pages of a screenplay he’s firmly convinced is too good to send to this production company, and will be finishing in the next week, giving him two very strong feature scripts he’s going to market with.
I ended up with 25 pages of a quirky mindtrip indie flick, and a 17-page treatment for a horror film, which I sent to a production company on Thursday. It’s looking like, if things go well, I could be writing and directing that treatment by the end of the year.
As part of the Script-A-Thon between Matt Wallace and myself, I am going dark in the next two hours.
Come Friday, I will have a new feature screenplay ready to read. We’re accepting a limited number of unbiased readers, email here if you want to be one of them.
Actually, I’m going dark right now because I still have a feature synopsis due to ANOTHER production company before I start on this one.
See you Friday.
Posted 2 weeks, 2 days ago at 5:13 pm. Add a comment
Just a quick update to let you know my recent silence has been work-related. The move to LA has precipitated a lot of work, and while that’s good, it’s forced me to go into the production submarine a bit more than I’d like to.
I have an interview yet to post, as well as several essays I’ve been fiddling with.
I’m also toying with the idea of posting finished screenplays here (released under a C.C. license) for others to examine, and possibly produce. Thoughts?
Posted 3 months, 1 week ago at 2:35 pm. Add a comment
In LA, you never know where the day will take you. Sometimes, for example, it takes you back to the East Coast. Today, I learned Patrick McLean (most notably the author of How to Succeed in Evil) is bringing to a close his award-winning podcast “The Seanachai.”
At 9PM Eastern on Wednesday, March 24th, 2010, Patrick McLean (with help from P.G. Holyfield) will host a live event on Stickcam.com. It’ll feature the final Seanachai story (Patrick is shot twice with one bullet) and a few special guests (including, it seems, me).
I first remember hearing Patrick McLean when he took a decidedly difficult website (TheSeanachai.com) and, with the help of his zombie friend Bob, created one of the most quietly-outstanding promos in podcasting, in my opinion.
Quietly outstanding is a good way to describe Patrick’s work. I think that’s why I like him so much. We both prefer to speak softly and carry a big idea.
So if you like Patrick, or me, or good writing in general, make plans to swing by Stickam.com/patrickemclean at 9pm next Wednesday. If I have anything to do with it, there’ll be quite a bit of drinking going on.
Posted 5 months, 2 weeks ago at 12:51 am. Add a comment
I’ve written before about video games as the future of entertainment. I have another post brewing in me about the difficulty of merging the active video game experience with the passive entertainment experience we’re already familiar with (primarily the printed or moving image).
The game seems to offer a more matured story experience than what we’ve seen in the past, and that’s already a good sign as far as serious artists getting involved in the craft.
But what caught my eye are the mentions of product placement. Energizer batteries, for one, and an unnamed car company.
If this works, then I think we can expect to see a lot more of this in the future, and perhaps see much of the advertising dollars that have dwindled from television and print rush into this new medium.
Remember, no one was interested in California, new medicines, or that sticky gunk called “oil” until someone figured out how to make money from them. Right now, video games have only tapped the existing models of income used by books and movies: develop a product, and sell it to consumers.
But if the video game — a fixed form product — could tap into the advertising model that supports the constantly-renewing products like newspapers and television, the potential revenue could be staggering.
Posted 6 months, 2 weeks ago at 8:46 pm. Add a comment
So last night — at 10 PM — I received a message saying Disconnect has been nominated for a Ray Bradbury award (given out at the Nebulas each year for “best dramatization”).
So that dropped my jaw.
Then I find out: in order to make it to the finalist’s list, I need enough nominations to make it to the top six.
So basically — I need a hand from my Science Fiction Writers of America friends.
Today is the LAST DAY for voting for the Ray Bradbury Award (as well as for the rest of the Nebulas).
If you are a member of SFWA, and haven’t yet voted (or are willing to change yours for an independent piece), consider placing a vote for “Stranger Things (Episode 5: “Disconnect”), Earl Newton (Writer/Director).” If you haven’t yet watched the episode, you can see it here for free: Disconnect (20 mins).
Click here to vote (you’ll need your SFWA username and password). LInk provided by a friendly (and supportive) SFWA member.
This is completely a last-minute discovery, but if it would actually happen, just being a finalist among films like District 9 and Avatar would open some doors here in Los Angeles.
If you do vote for it, let me know, so I can owe you huge favors in the future.
Posted 6 months, 2 weeks ago at 10:55 am. Add a comment
When you wonder why we see such a limited number of examples of “beauty” in mainstream culture, remember that it is not in the interest of big business to encourage niche audiences.
Posted 6 months, 3 weeks ago at 1:47 pm. Add a comment
