Dopamine, Anticipation, Capitalism, Hollywood, and What Happens if Charlie Brown Never Kicks the Football?
Wherein I ponder dopamine, capitalism, show business and Charlie Brown’s unhealthy obsession with kicking that football.
screenwriting
My Journey from Contest to Manager to Agent to Paid Writer… Maybe!
Depending on how long you’ve been exploring the business of being a writer in Hollywood, you’ve probably asked or heard someone ask, “How do I get a writing job?” One of the first answers to this is often, “You need to have an agent.” The following question is, predictably, “How do I get an agent?” … Read more
Something New / Script Analysis
This spring I’ll be taking a cross country trip in order to teach three classes at University of Florida. Two of the topics I’ll be teaching will be very similar to classes at USC that I feel were the most valuable to my writing career. One of them I enjoyed greatly. The other, I did … Read more
When It Gets Challenging
It’s a tough time of year. The weather is hot, both in the way that August is always hot and the way that portends the ever-nearing climate apocalypse. The autumn is nigh. In the way that August always precedes the too-fast downhill slope into the holidays and the end of the year. We’re housesitting for … Read more
Writing: Obstacles and Stakes
The other day, I was asked to give notes on a short script that had an interesting premise and main character and cool settings, but felt lacking in dramatic dramatic tension. In my notes I talked about obstacles and stakes, which are elements that come up commonly enough with clients or students, that I thought … Read more
Representation!
So, here’s a little news on the professional front. I’ve got representation now! A little more than a year ago, I received an email from a college classmate, introducing me to his manager and suggesting that we might enjoy working together. I had some work ready to go, so I sent the manager some samples which … Read more
It’s Free Script Season!
Movie awards season. I have mixed feelings about the awards themselves. Living in proximity to that world, I become ever more aware of all the lobbying and advertising, and how the people who get to vote on such things rarely have time to even watch everything they are supposed to be choosing between… And then … Read more
The Finish Line
Ohmigod friends, I think I’ve actually finished something. By “I” I mean, “we”–my co-writer on Lovers In Their Right Mind and me. Two years ago last month, we finished the first outline, and since then we’ve been writing and re-writing, re-carding and doing a lot of “my draft,” “your draft,” “my draft.” For the last … Read more
Three Weekends, and Doing What You Can
Two weekends ago was a “writing cave” weekend—basically an 11-hour day and a 13-hour day of polishing a draft and application materials of Lovers in Their Right Mind to submit to the the Film Independent Screenwriters Lab. Wish us luck! Last weekend was more fun because my next deadline–for Pole Cats–is not until May 1st, which … Read more
Apex Triangles in Composition: Pictures and Words
Another interesting concept from my directing class is the idea that when you compose a shot, you can usually find within it a triangle. And the point of the triangle that draws your focus is the APEX of the triangle. When the idea was introduced in class, I was intrigued–but wondered, beyond aesthetic benefits, what … Read more