I'm back

Sorry. Haven't been writing for a while. I got a job at an office building... two weeks later I was let go. Probably because I hate working and I could never do that shit for the rest of my life. It was a temp. job anyway.  So now I'm back to writing every day! 
Still waiting on a few agencies to reply to me and tell me if they liked my script or not. Integral, Zero Gravity, Meridian and a studio in London.  Waiting sucks!


Well, that's all I got.  Hope your Tuesday is going well.

Oh. I saw Star Trek 2, it was amazing. Go see it. 
Saw Hangover III.... you're not missing much. It wasn't funny... something comedies should be.
Saw Fast and Furious 6, I gotta say, it's the better of the Fast and Furious movies. Worth a watch for sure.

Okay, till next time. Thanks for reading

Can't wait for This Is The End. Emma Watson is always great

You have to be awake to know you're dreaming.

So while I wait for the powers that be to let me know if I'll be a professional screenwriter soon, I have to enter back in society and turn myself into a slaved zombie at a 9-5 office job. Bills need to be paid, beer needs to be bought taxes need to be taken, so I'm probably going to start a temp. job this week. Oh how I hate it, but this is the time you're awake, before you can sleep and live your dream.

I wish society held artists in higher regards. Oh well, got to pay your dues I suppose.

On a brighter note, Star Trek 2 comes out this week, the same day as my birthday, woot  :P

Alright, happy Monday ya'll. And to the college grads that got their exam marks back, a fitting picture for some.

I love you, liver.

I am soooo hung over today.... that's all I got.  Time to hydrate.

Screenwriting Tips

I'm honored and excited to write something, anything about advice on screenwriting. I think this will help me as much as you.

Always have coffee

Okay, doesn't have to be coffee, but every morning I need something warm to drink and a bit of a sweet kick. Green tea is awesome too. I have a mug that says "Go away I'm writing" and every time I fill it with coffee my brain and rest of my body, realizes it's time to create some kick ass scenes. It's kind of like a Pavlovian trick. Keep doing it. Feed your soul and feed your body.

(I can't believe my first tip was to drink coffee, that was not the direction I was going for, lol, but so be it. It helps, God damn it!)

Characters, Conflict, Can't be boring

I have written six screenplays and a handful of teleplays. The way I work best is I have an awesome, interesting character and he's cool enough to drive the story. I thought this was the answer to a great story. Cause story and character are one in the same (What the hell do you mean? - says your brain -  Well, sir, or maam, the story only happens because it's happening to a character. The character only exists because there's a story he's perpetuating. A mail man that kills all the dogs on his route is a story about a mail man...that kills dogs on his route. The character is a person who kills dogs on his route...and the story is about a dog killing mail man-- yeah you get it.) 

  So this worked well for four of my screenplays. All my characters had something cool/different/special about them, and that was the story.   One day I offered my friend - an up and coming actor who's agented up and all that - that I would write a screenplay just for him. He has a cool, bad ass, Steve McQueen / Depp look to him.  I thought, "sweet, awesome character, here comes an awesome story"  I had nothing.. NOTHING.  What I came up with was some bad ass who kicked the asses of robbers and other criminals and kept their money....  *cough*... yeah, that's it. 
  SO, what I realized is you need conflict and you can NEVER be boring.  While character is important, you also need to build and figure out a great story for her. Basic three act structure with conflict, and twists, and reveals and reversals and character development. A roller coaster ride of emotion and story.  And while all that's going on you have a kick ass character to take you on this amazing story. It's win-win.
  Conflict on every page. Doesn't have to be a gun to your head, just a disagreement or an obstacle or even trying to hit on the opposite sex.
If it's boring to write, it's boring to read. Have fun. Be fun. No one wants to read/watch a movie where they're bored. Movies are entertainment. So entertain.

WRITE, you son of a bitch!

This one may seem like a no brainer, but (one) of the "hardest" things about writing is that some people will start and never finish. ALWAYS finish. In writing, in bed, in a race, in anything you love doing. Finish it. And do a good job.  This was such a big thing for me that I took it to the extreme. I'm a lazy fuckin guy. I want to work hard at what I love so I CAN be lazy - does that make sense?   After I graduated I somehow ended up in office jobs. Few years went by and I didn't write shit. So, I quit. I quit my job, but didn't tell anyone. 8 Months ago I quit and have been leaving the house at 8:30 and coming home at 4:45. My parents think I work and they're not on my case about getting a job. I'm forced to write. I have to fill the time, and with no income, there's only 1 thing I can do: write.  So I've put myself in a situation where I have to write 8 hours a day for the last 8 months.  I've written three screenplays to completion. and re-writing an older one to polish up.  Four agencies and management companies are reading my screenplay and I'm waiting to hear back from them now.  Do you know how long this would have taken me if I had a 9-5 and did what I was "suppose" to do?  I was lucky to write a few hours a week, while working. It would have taken me years.  Now I'm hoping it'll pay off soon so I won't have to bite the bullet and get a real job again.  Yes, I realize when people say biting the bullet means to die, and that's what getting a 9-5 job would be for me: death.


That's it for now. Coffee/rituals, character, conflict don't be boring, and just write!  Some great books to read, and that have helped me immensely are: Save The Cat! 1 and 3, Story, by McKee (duh) and read A Hero with 1000 Faces by Joseph Campbell.

Any questions or whatever, comment below. I'd love to help. Happy writing!

Iron Man Thr33 and what you should be doing.

Go see Iron Man 3.

The Mediocre Gatsby

So, as a huge fan and student of film and screenwriting, every once in a while I'll review a movie.  I was lucky (or so I thought) enough to win tickets to a pre-screening to The Great Gatsby.

Well if there's one thing you should know about me, it's that I absolutely despite and have a full on hate towards 3D. If I could stop war or banish 3D movies, I'm sad to admit we'd still be having many a wars. It's just not needed. They charge more for something a lot of people don't want. It literally hurts my eyes. I blink less, and when I do blink I start to tear up. If I close one eye, it looks normal but.. .come on, who's gonna do that?  It's what pop-up books are to reading. Sure the first two or three are neat, and different, but you wouldn't read every novel ever in pop-up book style. I could never read Catcher in the Rye as a pop-up book...maybe 50 Shades of Grey, but not much else.

Anyway! Back on track here, I'm walking into the theater and there's a girl with a box of 3D glasses. "Nooooooo! Why!" I shouted. Why, of all the movies would THIS be in 3D?! It's not action, it's not adventure just leave it alone!

I'll cut to the chase here; it felt an hour longer than it actually was (just over 2). Parts dragged on and nothing happened for some time. It felt more like a stage play at times, which was okay for a bit, but I just lost interest. It was shot beautifully. Lighting, wardrobe, acting was great, everything, which made it a victim of style over substance.

One of the girls I went to go see it with totally loved it. So, maybe it's just me. I don't know. Rottentomato's gave it a 40% ... and I agree with that rating. 

But def go see it. It's worth a view and I'd love to know what you loved/hated about it. Try to see it in 2D though... unless you love 3D, then go see it in a volcano.

A Millionare touched me yesterday - Literally and Metaphorically

So I shook a millionaires hand yesterday. Not just any millionaire, Robert Herjavec. He's on Shark Tank and was on Dragon's Den. Has a few books out, super rich, lives in Toronto, all that jazz.

Anyway, as I was working on my screenplay (Starbucks... i know, i know, but i have no choice) he sat behind me. I was walking back to my table and I thought it was him, wasn't sure though. So I got up, did my best acting and pretended to look at the Canadian History section, like I gave a damn, and went back to my table. Still wasn't sure. I did this charade about 3 more times. The last time, he got up and we crossed paths. So I yell out "Robert Herjavec?!'  He says "Nice to meet you"  (YEAH, I'm sure you're blown away that you're meeting me). Shook my hand, I blanked on anything great or funny to say, so I just said "Oh... awesome to meet you" and he made his way to the magazine section to pick up some car magazines. (He's huge into cars, watch the MTV cribs when they go to his house, he has a bunch of awesome whips.)

This is an excerpt from his newest book: 

"... take risks, take control of their life, and stay true to your own vision.
Whether you are seeking to build the next big company in communications technology, to become the most respected teacher in your educational system, or to make a lasting impact as an artist in your field, the most important decision you can make is to reject mediocrity. In the long run, “good enough” is never good enough, whether in our personal lives or in our careers." Robert Herjavec

Love him. Good advice, sir.

So, that was cool. He was in town doing a book thing. I love him on Dragon's Den and the Tank. He has a small city for a house and is super cool and approachable. He came from nothing and made himself uber successful. Now if I can only get to half as wealthy as he is, I'd be happier than a pig in shit. That being said, back to the screenplay.

Okay, here to stay!

Okay, I'm really starting to see how important a blog is to have these days. I keep reading only "real" writers have blogs, and yadda yadda yadda, so I'm going to get my ass in gear and update thing thing daily, yeah DAILY!

As of now I want to remain anonymous and get more strangers to read this than friends... I don't know why, as that old lady in Mission Impossible said "anonymity is a warm blanket" ... or something along those lines.

What's the latest you ask? Okay, okay I'll tell you. In bullet form, yo!
 click, boom!

•  Wrote a screenplay, coming of age, teen feature. Four agencies are reading it right now deciding my fate. One friend in Europe is reading it and will give it to her production team. And another friend with a manager will give it to a manager that she finds fitting.  They all control the rest of my life. How crazy is that?

click, boom

• I have a darker drama with a super cool and strong female lead script done... and by done i mean half done. It needs about 35 more pages. But there are four indie studios/producers that are looking for a screenplay just like this one, so I'm going to tell them I have a completed script ready to go... mix things up. Hope it works out well.
• Re-writing an older coming of age script. Sucked before, but i think it works now, cuz magic is a big thing in movies these days and that's what it's about.

• Oh, okay, LAST one, cuz even I'm starting to get bored here:  In 1911 this Italian dude stole the Mona Lisa.... for 2 years! never a movie has been made about it. Till now!... well no, not till now, I just wrote the screenplay for it. I'm super excited for that one. It's a true story and it's awesome.

I swear, writing a great script (which is super hard.... well not HARD hard, it's work I love doing, just takes time and energy and respect for the craft.)  is way much much much much MUCH easier than finding a God damn literary agent or manager that will take on a new writer.  I guess I am jumping the gun a little bit. I still need to let some time pass before an agent gets back to me. I sent out 40 query letters and four of them wanted to read my script, so that's a good number ( i was told).   WHY though? Why is it so hard to break into an industry that sorely needs better products? Why do they make it this hard?  I just shook my head. hah, I'm speechless. And it's soul crushing that Hollywood makes it this difficult to break in. Maybe it's a way to weed out the weak? Maybe my screenplay isn't that great? I did send it for coverage, and that company loved it. I got a recommend as a writer and the script was a consider, so, I dunno.  I'll wait and see I guess.

Can't wait to see Iron Man 3 this weekend! Woot!

kthanksbai!