Meeting the Producer
As told by an actor friend…
“So I am at a networking function and I time it to where I run into a producer in the restroom. I wash my hands and he crosses behind me without washing his. I stop him in the hallway as we are headed out. I give him a business card to check out my stuff. After we were done conversing, he extends his elbow (because he knew I saw him not wash his hands). He starts laughing. I touch elbows with him and he said, “you already know.” I saw him shaking hands and hugging people as the night went on.”
—Awesome
A recent email to my friend and producing partner…
So bro…
Writing to put my thoughts out there to someone who cares – hang with me… it’s my time to process.
Here’s the deal. The internet is a game changer for us regarding distribution. We have all the equipment we need to make a product that only a studio could do even just seven to ten years ago. We can edit and do special effects… all of it can be done.
Let me back up. How cool would it be to work in the studio system? I mean to get to write/direct/produce a film like unto the Avengers would be amazing. But why? And who really cares? Not saying I would deny it on any level, nor do I scoff at it. But the system itself is cumbersome… a massive machine that is hard to turn and frankly, next to impossible to actually work in let alone make a difference in. I would love to work on a studio film which is still a large and major goal of mine, yet it’s not the heart of why I do what I do.
Why do I write? Why do I make films? Because I love it… simple. Someone once told me that “passion” is an educated life changing decision that something is worth everything. I’m passionate about making films. I love starting with an idea, the offspring of my imagination, opening my laptop and staring at the blank page. I love to hate the process and frustration when something in the story is not working. I love shooting and seeing the idea come to life.
This my friend is what we CAN do… this my friend is what we ALREADY do.
I had a conversation this weekend with another screenwriter, not unlike ourselves, just getting started in the game. He was telling me about a screenplay he is busy shopping around and it’s getting some interest. I wish him the best and honestly and truly hope he sells it. But then what? Development hell. The off chance that it actually gets a budget and gets made… these chances are few. At least he collects the check of the initial sell. During the entire conversation all I could think of was, “we can make that happen, we can make that movie.”
This isn’t really news to you nor a new revelation, it’s not even that the light bulb has finally come on. We have talked about this a thousand times, yet the vision and reality of what can be done seems to become more and more clear each day. Things like crowd funding for studio projects popping up (Veronica Mars) as well as the independent projects… Netflix, Hulu and YouTube developing original series/content just for their site. These companies are catching on. Vimeo and Youtube still being an amazing place to launch our films yet we still could make a difference launching on our own website just with a slick landing page for a digital download.
We my friend… have the world available to us. We have all the resources available to us to get done what we need to get done.
Yes, money is an issue… yet I think money is only an issue when it’s actually an issue. Meaning, we make it this enormous road block in our minds before we even get started (at least it’s what I do). We need to be doing everything we can to produce “x” project until we simply cannot move forward anymore until we have said amount of money. There is always a way to shoot something, we already have what we need. I think the project we are working on right now is a great example. Look at what has been accomplished and we haven’t even spent one cent…yet.
Here’s the point. Nike was right… Just do it.
Pixar story rules (one version)
Pixar story rules (one version)
#1: You admire a character for trying more than for their successes.
#2: You gotta keep in mind what’s interesting to you as an audience, not what’s fun to do as a writer. They can be v. different.
#3: Trying for theme is important, but you won’t see what the story is actually about til you’re at the end of it. Now rewrite.
#4: Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.
#5: Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Hop over detours. You’ll feel like you’re losing valuable stuff but it sets you free.
#6: What is your character good at, comfortable with? Throw the polar opposite at them. Challenge them. How do they deal?
#7: Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle. Seriously. Endings are hard, get yours working up front.
#8: Finish your story, let go even if it’s not perfect. In an ideal world you have both, but move on. Do better next time.
#9: When you’re stuck, make a list of what WOULDN’T happen next. Lots of times the material to get you unstuck will show up.
#10: Pull apart the stories you like. What you like in them is a part of you; you’ve got to recognize it before you can use it.
#11: Putting it on paper lets you start fixing it. If it stays in your head, a perfect idea, you’ll never share it with anyone.
#12: Discount the 1st thing that comes to mind. And the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th – get the obvious out of the way. Surprise yourself.
#13: Give your characters opinions. Passive/malleable might seem likable to you as you write, but it’s poison to the audience.
#14: Why must you tell THIS story? What’s the belief burning within you that your story feeds off of? That’s the heart of it.
#15: If you were your character, in this situation, how would you feel? Honesty lends credibility to unbelievable situations.
#16: What are the stakes? Give us reason to root for the character. What happens if they don’t succeed? Stack the odds against.
#17: No work is ever wasted. If it’s not working, let go and move on - it’ll come back around to be useful later.
#18: You have to know yourself: the difference between doing your best & fussing. Story is testing, not refining.
#19: Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great; coincidences to get them out of it are cheating.
#20: Exercise: take the building blocks of a movie you dislike. How d’you rearrange them into what you DO like?
#21: You gotta identify with your situation/characters, can’t just write ‘cool’. What would make YOU act that way?
#22: What’s the essence of your story? Most economical telling of it? If you know that, you can build out from there.
Presumably she’ll have more to come. Also, watch for her personal side project, a science-fiction short called Horizon, to come to a festival near you.
It’s a must to download the new magazine now in its fourth issue, Backstory. This along with Jeff Goldsmith’s podcast the Q&A has been one of the biggest resources I have had at getting an inside look into the process of writing and making a film.
Backstory
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/backstory/id521967972?mt=8
Podcast
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-q-a-with-jeff-goldsmith/id426840843?mt=2
From johnaugust.com
Highland ships
Highland, our long-in-beta screenplay editor, is finally available in the Mac App Store today.
It’s regularly priced at $19.99, but through the end of the month, it’s half-off at $9.99.
In addition to letting you write scripts in plain text, Highland converts files between PDF, Final Draft (.fdx) and Fountain formats. It works in all directions.
Yes, all directions — you can give it a PDF of a screenplay and it will melt it down to an editable file. That seems like magic, but it’s actually just a lot of hard work, and a year’s worth of report cards submitted by beta testers.
Melting PDFs is a feat that no other screenwriting app even attempts, so we made alittle video about it:
Behind the Scenes Video - Oblivion
to get started, here is the first of the behind the scenes spots of the biggest blockbuster of 2012 - The Avengers. of course you can go to their youtube page and watch the rest.
Until I can gather some content for the “projects” page, feast your eyes on this little treat I cooked up.
How to write a scene
If you have not already, head over to www.johnaugust.com - great podcast and website built for the screenwriter.
