In It

I'm working on a couple of different projects right now, one for a class and another is a collaboration with a friend of mine who graduated from NYU Film in '05. In both scenarios, I'm far enough into the writing of the actual script, and far enough away from the laborious prewriting stages that I'm willing to officially state that I'm past the point of no return.

There is no turning back. Both must see themselves to fruition.

It's exciting, but it's scary. And distracting. And annoying. And great.

As it's such a visual medium, I find that I'm always working through the words in my head until the picture becomes clear. From a literary standpoint, I can start a scene knowing what I want to write, but the actual execution, the physical manifestation of the text, can be altered by the simple clarity of the moving image. It's that quest, to be able to see what I'm working on, that tends to consume me.

It's like a drug because the moment the picture is right there, there is an overwhelming urge to drop everything and get my ass in front of a computer (even better if it has Final Draft). Even then, after writing the scene to the point where it meets my own ridiculous standards, after I'm laughing at the jokes on the page and feeling for the characters, knowing that it's the perfect segue to the next big sequence, the story lingers in my head, leaving me waiting for the next big image to strike.

It's lovely and addictive, and I'm at a point where I fancy the idea of being able to sit down for 7 to 8 hours a day to write. However, that's not an option, and so the snail continues to crawl, and the advice of writing teachers urging that it's okay to write just one page a day sounds on par with verbal torture.

If there's a conclusion to be drawn, I can't yet grasp it. I'm sure all of this is okay and typical. And while the time spent to write this might have been better spent working on at least a couple pages of either script, I have no problem using this infinite white space, brought about by the code of someone who looks at html and seizes, to vent, to clarify, and to share.

Write on...

Venom

This courtesy of Norphen:

(click to expand image)

This is from the exclusive clip of Spider-Man 3 that aired during this week's Heroes and later on NBC.com. It's a still shot taken from what was probably half a second of footage shoved into a small montage directly following an extended clip of Peter Parker attempting to evade Harry Osbourne as the New Goblin.

Obviously neither I nor Norphen have any legal right to reproduce this image, but what did Sony expect? With this much technology, I was stunned to see that this image didn't appear 6,000 times when I did a Google Image search for "Venom."

Fans at this year's NY Comic-Con were privy to the first Venom-centric Spider-Man 3 trailer over the weekend, and I'm a little surprised that it hasn't been released to the public yet. Oh well. I'll be here waiting. Let's hope pictures like these satiate our appetites.

Write on...

Gee, Thanks Sony

This kinda speaks for itself.

Box Office, WTF?

I had to spit out my coffee today when I saw the box office numbers from this past weekend. It turns out Wild Hogs, yes, that biker movie staring John Travolta, Tim Allen, and Martin Lawrence (we'll spare having to directly associate William H. Macy with this picture), absolutely CRUSHED Zodiac by about 24.9 million.

I'll give you a minute to read that one more time.

I guess when I think about it, it shouldn't be all that surprising. I'll give Touchstone credit where it's due: the ads for the film made no attempt to mask the irony of having John Travolta and Tim Allen star in a movie about a bunch of old guys who are way past their prime and have to do something desperate to...rediscover themselves(?)

It did come off as silly and quirky, and downright odd, but I suppose that's better than whatever the hell Paramount did with promoting Zodiac. How do you promote a serious movie released on the first weekend of March without SERIOUSLY PROMOTING IT!? Why wasn't Jake Gyllenhaal everywhere the past two weeks? Why weren't there, like, seven ads during the Super Bowl? How do you not make a fuss about the upcoming film directed by the same guy who was responsible for Se7en (yes, that is technically how it's spelled) and Fight Club.

Sad thing is, this was probably Zodiac's best shot. If you're into watching box office numbers and such, it'll be interesting to see how much 300 grosses this weekend. The fan boys alone should push this thing to some record-setting numbers (for March, anyway).

I'm looking forward to the upcoming Wild Hogs sequel, which will pit everyone's favorite gang of over-the-hill bikers against, you guessed it, Ghost Rider!

I would just like to take this opportunity to offer my services to whichever company agrees to spearhead production:

I think it really captures the essence of the film.


I would also like to take this opportunity to welcome the Facebook community (all 60 of you as of this morning). I should make it clear that though there will be some original content for the Facebook group, it really only served as an advertisement. Ultimately, we'd like most eyes to land here.

Content, of course, is the key. And believe me, we're working on it.

Oh, and score one more for geeks everywhere.


Write on...

Monday Opts.

Came across these and thought someone might be interested.

-LoKor

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9TH ANNUAL SCRIPTAPALOOZA SCREENPLAY COMPETITION

BREAKING NEWS!!!
Past entrant Craig Clyde sold his script to LifeTime Network and is
currently filming in
Washington. He credits Scriptapalooza for the connection.

Why should you submit your script to Scriptapalooza?

Grand Prize: $10,000
All the reading is done by 60 production companies
Entertainment Weekly Magazine calls us 'One of the Best'
We promote the top 13 winners for a full year
5 scripts in the 2006 Competition have been OPTIONED
Finalists, Semifinalists and quarterfinalists get requested consistently

About Scriptapalooza:

The Scriptapalooza Screenwriting Competition, was founded in 1998, and has
generated heat, publicity and a reputation that demands respect.
Scriptapalooza, Inc., along with its various divisions was created to
nurture talent and create opportunities. Storytellers come from all over
the world and from all walks of life, because of the simple fact that
everyone has a story. Scriptapalooza’s goal: to seek out that storyteller
and honor their script with a grand prize of $10,000. Each year dozens of
production companies and literary representatives sign on as participants
to read our winners, resulting in many scripts being optioned, sold or
outright bought.

info@scriptapalooza.com
323.654.5809 office
www.scriptapalooza.com

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American Theatre Magazine Invites Applications for
Affiliated Writers Program

Deadline: April 30, 2007

Supported by the Jerome Foundation ( http://www.jeromefdn.org/ ), American Theatre magazine's Affiliated Writers Program for early-career arts writers is designed to foster the development of a corps of cultural journalists, feature writers, and theater critics who are knowledgeable about the field nationally; contribute to an increased public demand for serious criticism and in turn persuade editors nationwide of its importance; and work to enhance the viability of American Theatre magazine as a forum for the publication of high-quality critical writing that is national in scope.

The program is open only to writers based in Minnesota and
New York City.

The program will select two to four writers a year (with writers eligible to repeat the program). Each writer will receive an annual stipend of $3,000 in exchange for three to four articles as assigned. Travel expenses for agreed-upon projects are also covered.

Complete program information is available at the Theatre Communications Group Web site.

RFP Link:
http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/10006445/tcg/writer

For additional RFPs in Journalism/Media, visit:
http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_journalism.jhtml

May I Suggest...

Though I'm not one to usually recommend books that claim to give you an insider's view of the industry (due to a healthy combination of egocentricity and skepticism), if you're looking for a title that won't crack your spine with the weight of everything you need to do to be successful, may I suggest K. Callan's The Script is Finished, Now What Do I Do? (4th Edition).

As you've probably guessed by the title, the book makes no attempt to hide its subject matter, and thankfully, unlike some writers, Callan manages to check her ego at the door. While she doesn't try to hide the near impossibility of cracking the industry shell, she manages to present a realistic strategy, based largely on quotes from industry insiders, and breaks down a (seemingly) endless list of possibilities that, by the time you get to the full agent and manger lists in the back, you feel like you have some options. Ultimately, she comes off as supportive, albeit with an if-you-absolutely-must-do-this-it-wouldn't-hurt-to-consider-these-things-first-here-hold-my-hand attitude.

Believe me, this is a positive review. The book is definitely worth the twenty dollars it will set you back. As for subsequent editions, it may just behoove you to sit in the bookstore and update your outdated copy with a pencil and a lookout.

One of our members is in job searching hell, which is only exacerbated by the fact that he's a few hundred miles away. While I enjoy the stability of my situation (to remain confidential, but let's just say it's office administrative...er, bliss), even my eyes have been roaming.

Of course, one of the places to which I recently applied just released their 2006 numbers, ending up in the red by about 185 million. Oops.

Perhaps a little research would be in order.

Write on...

A Warm, Toasty Welcome

So, January might have been a bit of a stretch. It seems that some of our members had to do some pesky graduating, some going back home before returning to Gotham, but the reunion is exciting. I'm counting the days.

Though everything seems vague at best, allow me to clear some things up. As the subheading under the web page's title so aptly suggests, we are a screenwriting collective. Our goals are twofold, which I will expand upon now.

1. The development, honing, and maintaining of our craft, particularly through:
-Workshopping new projects and rewrites.
-The rounding out and developing of ideas. A springboard, if you will.
-Staged readings, open to the public, to test audience reaction and the "sellability" of scripts.
(This may or may not lead to the formation of a League acting company; we'll see)

2. Career Development
-Researching and submitting scripts to agencies ("Mailing Nights").
-Seeking out production companies that accept unsolicited screenplays.
-Finding, researching, and submitting to film festivals and screenplay competitions
(- Potentially starting an off-shoot production company that would, well, make movies.)

And while those are the goals for The League itself, this blog, and eventually the website that it turns into, will hopefully become a community, a place where people can track the insights and adventures of the The League's young members, but also engage in the sharing of information and experiences through comments to the blog posts (which will always be a staple). Here's what you can come to expect:

-A running blog, authored by all of The League's Members, offering varying perspectives and styles as we tackle this industry head-on.

-As the theme is that of SUPER HEROES, we'll be hosting a web strip ala Penny Arcade.
(naturally those personas, are tbd and forthcoming.)

-Did I forget to mention downright badassery?

KAPOW! BOOF! UMGHEYEYS@8379DLK;!

Welcome to The League.