Sending Out S.O.S.’s
March 26, 2008
There was a scene I omitted from my final draft of Welcome to Cydonia, and it involved my main character, Colton Price, suffering such a serious bout of depression that he actually attempts to send an S.O.S. message in a bottle. The bottle would then turn up in the hands of one of the Cydonians who would have a good laugh as well as his ass over a barrel, but I scrapped it on account of the lull in pace it would represent. I wanted WtC to move quickly. Because it was a more intimate piece, the plot needed to be super taunt and move forward at certain speed. In an earlier entry I mentioned that I was applying a “pushing” concept to the drafting of this screenplay. If we write quickly we are often pushed by our ideas instead of pulled by them, which hopefully translates into an exhilarating reading experience. I wanted a reader to feel like they were on a wave, and unwilling if not helpless to get off. Also, I didn’t outline very extensively. Once I sort of knew where it was going and had the opening, I jumped in with both feet. The Coen brothers were right when they said that, “if [the writer] doesn’t know where it’s going, neither will the audience.” And so far, feedback has been positive and of the ilk that suggests I managed to push them into the wave and guaranteed they’d stay on until the end. I’m pleased with that. Minor mission accomplished.
But now comes stage two of the life of the story where I dig out names of parties and individuals who might be interested in the concept and style, and send them a letter. So in a sense, I’m sending out my own S.O.S., and hopefully there won’t be the usual lull in pace that often accompanies this particular phase. I’ve not given up on my other works, but I made the decision that they were too ambitious from an unknown writer to use as bait for representation. I felt I needed to write something that an agent or interested buyer could wrap their head around in a brief sitting. I needed to give them something they could take a chance on that wouldn’t translate into possibly the biggest risk of their careers. And as previously stated, I wanted to keep them riveted as they waited for their laundry to dry or in between their deep tissue massage and tee-time. Hopefully, I’ve done that and I thank everyone who has taken the time to give it a read. You’re truly awesome.
So I dropped 14 bottles into that Cydonian Sea yesterday, along with a few carrier pigeons by way of online submission in hopes that someone, somewhere, finds it, opens it up, and likes what I’m selling. It was nice to have a link to a video pitch that could be found right here on my blog, along with a somewhat lengthier synopsis, and I have the Massify contest to thank for that. I also tried to show my work, including a paragraph that honestly explained why I singled out the intended recipient of the letter. Most of the reasons involved the work of clients they currently represented having similar tastes to mine, others involved me taking a stab at reps of talent who have been known to sign on a smaller film or literary property that may have something going for it. It’s very likely those will get returned or binned, as 99.9% of film companies and talents agents won’t touch unsolicited ideas with a thousand foot Saudi yacht. They do this to protect themselves from future lawsuits in the event their company or star is involved in material that may incorporate overly familiar elements to the unsolicited work. But every once and awhile someone takes a chance on someone if they present themselves as honest and professional, and I wanted to be there if my lucky number was called – even if I wasn’t a stripper with lots of professional writing experience and more than likely a real life agent with deep Hollywood connections.
Hollywood really does like a Cinderella story. Especially if she takes off her gown and a few suitors are swept under the carpet.
Regardless, I really think I overturned lots of stones this time around. And in many cases, one stone lead me to another which lead me to the one I really was looking for. Hey, when you live on an island and you write about an island and so often when seeking to get a foot in the door of the film industry you feel like you’re stranded on one, what else is there to do but turn stones and send bottles?
And of course, keep on writing.
Contest Update!!!
March 18, 2008
I lost. That is all.
Okay, that’s not exactly fair, even if it is absolutely true. To be honest, I never really expected to win for a variety of reasons, and I’m cool with that. I did, however, learn a few things:
1. Those who arrive late to the party end up with the stuff nobody wants. Don’t think you’re just going to waltz in whenever you damn well feel like it and get the best booze or cake or finger food because it’ll be gone. People who know this arrive early and generally walk away satisfied. They’re also massively annoying, undeserving of their reward, and almost always poorly dressed. Anyhow, I found out about the contest well late into it so I’ve no one to blame but myself. And just to show there’s no hard feelings, I’ve picked my horse. Does it shamelessly borrow from every horror trend that’s come along in the last five years? Yes, yes it does. Does it do it in a cool way? I think so. Good luck, gents.
2. People liked my idea, and in the way I hoped they would. I got a handful of nice comments that I will pump straight into my ego reserve tank, even if they were at least partially motivated by electoral need. They could have said Welcome to Cydonia was “kinda scary” or “reminiscent of popular Russian propaganda films circa 1983″ but instead they said stuff like:
“…diggin the pitch. Very good concept.” – AIMark2
“This has a creepy, fantasy element to it that I love.” – Cruellty
“I like your pitch, it’s very interesting.” – Fear
“I just checked out your pitch. Really original, I’d love to see it as a film. I love character buildup, and just in your synopsis, you’ve left me wondering what happens to the characters.” – BinderGang
“Ooh, this sounds different. I like it.” – jazztastic
“I like the prospect of this character, it’s a very creepy idea, I like it 
“ – deathtiger
“Very cool concept…I always liked playing with concepts of the afer life but you’re literally creating an entire movie around one. And a very unique and creepy take at that…the poster is also really great. Looking forward to more…” – raffi
“Awsome! a very unique idea.” – draven
So a HUGE THANKS to that talented bunch for their motivating words. And I want them all to know that I voted for each and every one of their ideas, as well. Check out their pitches when you get a chance.
3. The online filmmaking community is definitely out there and growing. This is a good thing. Massify should be commended for their efforts, and no matter how it really comes together in the end, it’s a wonderful thing to be able to give and receive feedback in this way and offer this kind of opportunity to, well, the masses. I have high hopes that the future of filmmaking is branching out a bit more to the people and not remaining so closed inside the Hollywood system where so much gets done in a vacuum and often for too much money. I’m not a blockbuster hater or anything like that, nor do I think the system has necessarily failed us, but I am worried how infrequently fresh and original material is supported and encouraged. It’s great when graphic novelists and authors of other media get their shot in the sunshine, just as it is when a classic old movie gets remade for the third and fourth time. But it’s doubly cool in my opinion when risks are taken and rewards divvied out to the thousands of individual voices who have no interest in doing anything other than making their art and possibly supporting themselves in the process. I think the film industry needs that, and it can only make a good thing better.
So to all of those who checked out my pitch, and the eleven of you that voted for me, thanks. I really mean that. Also, do any of you think the above picture and title would have been more successful? I’m curious, as it certainly seems to fit in with the others better.
Also, if anyone is interested in reading the screenplay, I’ve decided to make it available for a few days. Enjoy!*
*Sorry, script is down. If you really want to read it, contact me. If you’d like to watch the video pitch, click here.
Exercise Your Right to Make This Blog More Interesting.
March 14, 2008
Which is what will happen if I win, or at least get into the top ten. My story fits this contest like The Twist fits a dance contest on Soul Train but dammit, I think it’s good. To be totally honest, it’s a little scary to even imagine that I’ll lose the concept for a producer and “orginal story” credit, but there are worse things than lucking out of utter obscurity to see your story idea made into a film and be allowed to take part in the production. The thing is, I’m shit at digging out votes from others gathered on Massify. They send you an email, ask real nicely if you’ll have a look and throw them a vote, and then you never hear from them again. Thing is, at first I voted for whomever asked. I wasn’t sure I was even all that interested in entering. Then I started playing with that poster and thought “what the hell”. Now, I’ve cast more votes for others than I actually have. Smaaart.
The other sticking point is…I don’t feel comfortable asking people to vote for me unless they truly think it’s something they want to see, and more to their taste than what the others have entered. This “vote for as many as you want” policy makes for a big clusterfuck that I have trouble getting behind. I’ve been up against it with a battle of the bands once and it was disastrously annoying. There were people figuring out how to vote more than once and the count reached a total surpassing the amount of people who actually owned computers in the United States. It was ridiculous. I understand that Massify and After Dark Films have entered into some kind of partnership where they’ll increase user traffic and therefore generate a larger audience for their products, and I think that’s internetastic and whiz-bang clever and all, but it’s not exactly trolling for quality, is it?
I should shut up. This is about the people.
But I’m not done.
Heh, here I am semi-dissing the contest I’ve just entered. I really should be nice because the entering has gotten me to dig into the minutiae of marketing of my screenplay. I’ve got a neat little video and even a poster that might get some attention, and it’s basically put me on a roll and for that I’m grateful. But if you look at my entry and the others, mine is more about finding the madness in the straight lines and hospital bed corners than in the ragged fonts and mental asylum bed springs, if you know what I mean. Eh, we’ll see what happens.
Anyhow, if you’ve arrived here and feel like entering into this experiment with me, click on this link, check out what I’ve got on offer, register (I know it sucks, but the porn will be there I promise) and click the vote box that magically appears. And why not tell a friend? I mean, we could look at this as taking over the mainstream media one contest at a time. And don’t be fooled by entries that play themselves off as edgy and radical. Quiet is the new loud, doncha know? And I swear on the half-life of my plastic credit card that Welcome to Cydonia will literally make you so fretful the next time you go to the beach that you’ll wish Jaws was in the water with you.
And no one has ever died from simply going crazy, I don’t think.
I’ll let you know.
Sea Change
March 10, 2008
Okay, so despite the howling winds, torrential rains, and at least one cat box emergency, I had a fairly productive weekend. I worked over my script like it was my fat-bellied, marine recruit and I its spit-spraying, drill sergeant. It’s remarkable how much useless gunk gets stuck between the teeth of a first draft. You really need to go back and dig it out with whatever miracle of modern technology you have at your disposal. I was fortunate to have a bright and untiring talent on the other end of an email or ten to point out several inconsistencies and uncrossable chasms of logic so that helped tremendously. I’ve learned, however, to be very careful about polishing my work too much as I can inadvertently clean out some of the personality that may have found its way in. The same does not go for my teeth, by the way, so you can quit backing up. Clowns.
I suppose the biggest change to the story is the title. I’d had a love-hate relationship with Shh… since I first came up with it, and while it was fun, different and significant to the story itself, it’s also a pain to explain over the phone, annoying to write in a sentence, and a little insubstantial on a title page. So I’ve changed it to the title you see up there in my little movie poster mock-up. Interesting story behind that, actually. I came across a very cool website that was holding a horror film pitch contest and the winner got their film produced by After Dark Films and included in Horrorfest 2008′s “8 Films to Die For”. You even get a chance to audition for a part, and on-site voting would determine who made it right down to the final casting. Cool idea, I have to say. So I submitted a logline, a synopsis and the two requirements left were poster and pitch video. I’ve yet to make the video and am still not exactly sure I’m going to go through with it as this particular entry is rather left of center for what they’ve done in the past, but it was a cool little exercise to help me visualize my story a bit more.
So I figured I’d share. What do you think? Welcome to Cydonia is certainly more traditional sounding, which at this start-up stage of my non-career can be a good thing. I hadn’t really thought of changing it yet until I had this poster challenge thrown at me, so as I ran around google images borrowing shamelessly from anyone and anything I could find that might represent the story, it just seemed to fit better. I was shooting for a European flavor circa 1975-1980 and slapped something together. I think I just about captured the fun but twisted tone of the piece, so for now I guess I’ll keep it…unless I get a bunch of comments telling me I’m being really lame. Which is cool, too.
I saw a terrific little film last night by one of my favorite European directors, Alejandro Amenabar. It was his sophisticated directing genius that gave his 2001 smart as hell ghost story The Others, starring Nicole Kidman, the style it needed to win a ton of awards, including a Goya – Spain’s equivalent of an Oscar – yet without a single word of Spanish in it. Open Your Eyes (1997), his modestly budgeted, science-fiction/horror tale showcased the imagination and talent for directing actors that would eventually put him in touch with Kidman and it is very easy to see why she signed on with little or no Hollywood fanfare to speak of. She won an Oscar that same year for her role in that clueless mess Moulin Rouge! but if you ask me and a whole lot of Spanish people, I’d say they got her best film confused. Meh. Qué saben ellos?
Anyway, check out Open Your Eyes if you don’t mind subtitles and love to have your mind seriously blown by intelligent filmmaking and arguably the greatest overlooked plot twist of the last decade of sci-fi cinema. I also enjoyed watching the copious amounts of dialog, as Welcome to Cydonia™ has lots of it and at times I was afraid I was coming off like a Mr. Wordy McBlowhard.
And on that note…
Now that would be a cool headline. Hey, it worked for Amityville, New York.
With approximately a day and a half still left to go before my deadline, the first draft of Shh… is complete. It clocked in at exactly 100 pages, which is a little short for one of my screenplays. But every second counts in this story of an afterlife set in a strange, seaside community, and for a low budget production heavy on atmosphere and dialog, I think it’s about right. Although, I’m not entirely convinced on the title. You can’t just say it like most film titles, as you actually have to “act” it a bit. That might be a good thing as it contributes to the slightly campy, lo-fi/hi-fun tone I was shooting for. But as is so often the case in this business, depending on who’s got the checkbook, it might be a “problem”.
Having set out to write something that might catch the attention of smaller, independent film companies who will give a non-guild member a shot, I think I succeeded. So much so that I actually entertained contacting members of the Atlantic City Film Association (holders of the Atlantic City Film Festival) to see if I could find some production teams who might be interested in making this film with me possibly at the helm. Living in southern New Jersey doesn’t afford a wannabe filmmaker/screenwriter a lot of options in regards to starting a career, even one that lives in the veritable shadow of a camera-ready location like Atlantic City, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me from trying. So with memories of attending the first annual Atlantic City Film Festival well over 10 years ago, I looked the organization up.
Aaaand, they’re no more. Guess I can stop trying.
What I’m going to do now is cast the net a little further out to surrounding markets such as Philadelphia and maybe this cat in the Washington/Baltimore area (although, I think I should be a little wary of anyone who describes themselves as “superdelicious”) to see if I can learn how independent folks are getting it done. As for the contest I was using as my deadline, that was pretty much all I wanted from it. I’m not really ready to drop a fifty to see how my offbeat tale of a man who kills his family and is rewarded a “vacation” fairs against a few thousand romantic comedies. Not yet, anyway. I’ll also be posting the script on Inktip where I’ve had a few downloads of late, one of them really interesting, and see if I can get a few bites. But first, I’ve got to roll up my sleeves and start polishing my product. And yes, I know how “PG-13, some language, nudity and sexual themes” that sounds. Heh.
Last night I watched Horror of Dracula with the greatest blood slurper of all time, Christopher Lee. The film is full of iconic horror imagery if somewhat unintentionally comically scripted, but one has to remember that Hammer Films back in the day made most of their product on a shoe-string budget, often against resistance from outside sources and quite often on the fly. There’s a very informative article about it here if you dig that sort of thing.
Okay, the phone is starting to ring. Time to get a few things out of the way so I can work some more on my story and get that ring to mean something else. Oh, and if you haven’t already, click the pic above for something amazing.
