thewritestateofmind

My Summer Movie Season Film

THE WRITE STATE OF MIND — Sat, 26 May 2012 05:47:21 +0000

Summer movie season is officially here! Well, technically it got here when “The Avengers” opened a few weeks ago. But Memorial Day weekend has usually always been the start of summer movies. The past ten to fifteen years the one thing that has been constant is what type of movies you’ll see. These include movies based off comics, cartoons, and toys. There are also those many remakes and sequels out there. “The Avengers” kicked everything off and then we saw “Battleship”. (Or not according to the box office) Now it is Memorial Day weekend and we have the release of “MIB 3”. Soon we are going to see the release of “Madagascar 3”, “Ice Age 4”, a prequel called “Prometheus”, “Snow White and the Huntsman”, “Piranha 3DD”, “Amazing Spider-Man”, and of course “The Dark Knight Rises”. I could go on, but I don’t want to bore you.

Now there is one thing all of these films have in common. None of them are original concepts. Sure the Snow White film is an interesting spin off, but still based off an old Grimm’s fairy tale. Now this isn’t a bad thing; if you look at the box office you know these are the films that bring in the cash. Since this is such a popular time to go to the movies, I find myself wanting to jump on board. Currently I’m rewriting the films I’m producing so I try to resist from starting any new project. This is harder than it sounds so to fill that void when I come up with an idea I just grab a pen and pad and write an outline in paragraph form until I’ve exhausted my brain on the story. Sometimes I get through an entire outline; that is the case with a recent outline based on a popular Saturday morning cartoon. Recently my wife bought the entire series of the 80’s cartoon show “Jem”. I never watched the show; I was eight and I considered it ‘girlie’. My wife wanted to introduce the show to our daughters and I ended up watching it along with them. It was very interesting. Sure it was corny, but the messages were very 80’s, so was the music and clothes. After watching all three seasons, I found myself grabbing a notebook and writing a live action movie based off the show. If I ever do make “Jem: The Movie” it will be a lot of fun. I’ll also be sure to release it as a summer blockbuster and make millions. (It could happen!)

PROJECT UPDATE:

This was a big week for “Punished Woman’s Lake“. We released the not only the official website, but the Facebook page. There is also a Twitter account for the film, @PWLfilm. Next week sees more intense work on the film “Immortal Darkness”. We are running out of time to shoot that film. Also, more work on “Back to One” and a website as well.

I Wanna Pilot

THE WRITE STATE OF MIND — Sun, 20 May 2012 03:53:37 +0000

I’m not talking about the kind that you find at airports; this is a screenwriting blog. This is a pilot for a TV show. I’m reading up on formatting a 30 minute and a 60 minute television shows, so now I want one. It is good for screenwriters to have one in their arsenal. Back in the old days, 5 to 10 years ago, it was asked of screenwriters to write a script of an established show. This is a good idea, because this could lead to writing in that genre and get a job on a great show. Now what people are looking for are original ides. This shows how you can develop characters and create situations and storyline.

Now I’m putting together a half hour and an hour pilot. The hour long pilot is about two Union Civil War soldiers, brothers, who are working their way back home after escaping a prison camp. They are on the run from Confederate soldiers and not being from the area, have to put all of their trust in a guide. Now that guide will either is a young girl, a runaway slave, or both. I’m also working on a comedy that is what I’m calling a blend of “Entourage” and “Arrested Development”. That one I’m most looking forward too. I might post more of that one, as well as the Civil War pilot, here on the site.

PROJECT UPDATE:

MAY 25TH! That is the date for the launch of the official “Punished Woman’s Lake” website. A lot will be happening this summer with that film and the website is the first of many. We will also be launching the official Facebook movie page on that date as well. In other website/movie news, “Bus 1107” has a Facebook page so be sure to stop by and “LIKE ” it!

“Wet Hot American Summer”

THE WRITE STATE OF MIND — Sat, 12 May 2012 04:18:59 +0000

I never went to summer camp. I always wished I had, but it was something my parents never did. I did go to a few basketball, football, and cross country camps so I wasn’t denied completely. I was a huge fan of all the “Meatball” movies; the first sequel being my favorite. (“I beat ‘em with my brains. I’ve got more brains in my little finger, then I do in my whole head.” –Boomer) I do have to announce though that I have a new favorite camp movie.

Last summer I caught a midnight screening of this film that I didn’t know too much about. All I knew was that it was made ten years ago and took place twenty years before that. It starred a lot of actors I knew like Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Bradley Cooper, Janeane Garofalo, Amy Poehler, Molly Shannon, Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter, and many more. They were all early in their careers so it was cool to see a very raw low budget film that helped them get their start. Going in I was expecting a camping movie, but then I realized it is a satire of the genre. Written by David Wain and Michael Showalter, they took everything about camping movies and put it into one movie, and then upped the ante. The humor was top notch. The pacing was all over the place, but with a film like this that is what you want and that is what the screenwriters wanted. When the film was originally in theaters in 2001, no one went to see it. Now you can catch it during special screenings, usually during the summer time, or just head over to Amazon and pick it up for $10.

I highly recommend this film, but when you watch it don’t expect to see a movie full of major plot points. Expect to see something so crazy that you can’t help but think “What the F**K!” So I suggest getting as many friends as you can together for a viewing of this movie. Be sure to check out the official website too. I can’t wait to buy this on DVD and this summer I’ll be heading to my local theater to see another midnight screening.

PROJECT UPDATE:

That’ll do it! Fundraising for “Back to One” on Indegogo.com has come to an end. We fell short of our ultimate goal, but what we did raise will go far when production begins hopefully this fall. Now it is time to lock down the shooting dates and locations. We’ve held two auditions and we should hopefully be casting soon. Also, the film “Bus 1107″ is in post production. Hope to have it edited soon so it can be submitted to its first film festival. If all goes well we’ll see a Fall 2013 release. Work continues on getting a location for “Immortal Darkness” The clock is ticking on that film. Finally, “Punished Woman’s Lake” is going great. We are getting our name out there which includes a website that will be launched soon. Expect to also see a fundraising campaign on this film to launch as well.

A Podcast?

THE WRITE STATE OF MIND — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 03:35:44 +0000

Sometimes old urges find a way to resurface. What keeps sitting in a compartment in my brain is getting back to my roots of being an on air personality/DJ. I know I wouldn’t be able to walk into a radio station and get a job; I’ve been out of the business since 2002. But in this day and age with everything online, podcasting would be the way to go. I’ve thought about putting a team together of producers, sound mixers, and even a co-host and start streaming my own show. No pay to start, but if you got a good marketing guy you can reach an audience and then in come the sponsors. (i.e. money) I spent six months selling radio ads and even though I wasn’t the best at it, I know how it works. The topic would have to be broad enough to appeal to wide audience.

Who knows if it will ever happen, but it would be nice to get back to the days when I couldn’t wait to go to work and get paid for screwing around. When you think the DJ’s on the radio are having fun, you are right, they are.

PROJECT UPDATE:

The “Back to One” fundraising campaign is coming to an end. This is sad, because the funds raised were not what I was hoping for. I did learn a lot though so the next time I use a better game plan. On another set back, “Immortal Darkness” was put off again due to our construction team being unavailable at the last minute. These two short films have been a thorn for over a year, but I will not give up; you cannot tell me to give up. I’m now hoping to push “Immortal Darkness” off to either June or July and “Back to One” to the fall. Never say die!

The Twisted mind of a Storyteller

THE WRITE STATE OF MIND — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 02:51:58 +0000

This is a very hard topic to discuss, but it is in the back of the mind of not just screenwriters, but directors, producers, and actors. The majority of people in the world will not understand you and that is fine. Once you can admit that you can move on with your life and move forward. Some people struggle with it and end up feeling alone and they dress up in black and shoot up schools. (A bit of a stretch, I know) If you want to succeed, know who to surround yourself with. Find people who are as driven as you are and things will happen. I’ll admit this thinking has failed. I’ve thrown my heart into projects only to find I was the only member of a team. The worse thing you can do is get mad. People are different. You screenwriters should embrace this. It is your job to create characters that are different. My only advice would be to recognize the signs and handle it the right way. Then, of course, keep moving toward that ultimate goal.j

PROJECT UPDATE:

The past week was filled with great highs and big lows. On an acting note, I finally booked a national commercial only to find out days before the shoot that a reworking of the schedule was done by the production company and thus eliminating my part completely. It was very disappointing and the worse thing was I couldn’t do anything about it. The other bad news was the film “Immortal Darkness” is again going to be delayed. We can’t seem to get this film into production. What got me through the bad news was we shot another short film I did (now) titled “Bus 1107″. My goal is to get this through post production and put it out for the world to see. Also, I spent last weekend in South Shore, South Dakota scouting for “Punished Woman’s Lake”. This is going to be a great film and now it is time to buckle down even more to get the funds to push it into full development.

Ode to the Poet

THE WRITE STATE OF MIND — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 03:39:23 +0000

Poetry is something I can no longer write. Let me take that back. It is something I can no longer do well. When I was performing stand-up at a local open mic, poets would come up and read their work. It was great to hear the way their love, fear, and anger flow in a paragraph or two. There was a point in my life when I did write a lot of poetry. I was sixteen and for the first time in my life I was in love with a girl who loved me back. I was very “smitten” and that lead to a new creative outlet. I wrote this girl SO MUCH poetry. Two of them caught the eye of a regional publisher who put them into his book. But first loves, especially those in high school, are known for not lasting and she eventually dumped me for a senior. This caused my poetry to take a dark turn. Before I turned eighteen I pretty much saw all the poetry in me dry up. Now I was in love three or four times after that, but the poetry never came back. Years later I now see it all had to do with being in love for the first time. When the first time was over, the poetry was over too. When I hear a poet spout off their work I’m in awe. So keep writing poets and please keep sharing your work with others.

PROJECT UPDATE:

Big week coming up. I will be performing improv in the town of Wilber, Nebraska. I’ve done a lot of improv in my day, but this will be two firsts, performing at a high school prom and me having to direct an improv show. I welcome this challenge and I’m really looking forward to seeing what it is like being at the helm of one of these shows. The next night I will be directing again, but this time the short film “Bus 1512″. As producer, I only plan on submitting this to one, maybe two, film festivals and then I’ll put it online for all to see. I’d go into details about other big items coming up, but I’ll save that for next week.

Back to the Well (aka “American Reunion”)

THE WRITE STATE OF MIND — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 03:12:02 +0000

About ten years ago I wrote a script with my old college roommate, Chad Bring, called “Halfway Point”. It was about a recent college grad dealing with being an adult. After the film was released we received a lot of praise about the story, but what brought it down was the quality. The film was made during a time in my life when I was first learning about filmmaking. The lighting, directing, sound, editing, and acting were not topnotch. After the film had run its course my first instinct was to write a sequel. I knocked a quick treatment, but that is as far as I got. I had to realize that in order to move on and stay creative I had to put the characters to rest. The treatment helped me do that so in my mind I will always know how those characters ended up. I will write a sequel someday though; I have to make sure it will improve on the original. There are so many sequels that are made for money only. But there are those sequels that not only improve the original, and if there were any before it, but bring a story full circle and make it worth the ride. As was the case with “American Reunion”.

My wife and I got a sneak peek of the film, which in case you didn’t know is the fourth installment of the “American Pie” series. (I’m not counting all the direct to DVD spinoffs) The movie is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a long time; no I’m not crazy. I also laughed out loud many times and my wife at times uncontrollably. I was able to catch up with the characters I met back in 1999. I was in college and one night we all decided to go see a movie starring a high school friend of my girlfriend’s, now my wife, Chris Klein. I was expecting just another sex comedy, but I ended up relating to the characters and I found the heart of the film. It was also VERY funny. I also had a blast watching “American Pie 2”, and “American Wedding”. So here we are, thirteen years removed from the first one and here comes film number four. This time around the guys are dealing with being in their thirties and facing the fact that things in life don’t always turn out the way you wanted them too when you were eighteen. Back again are Jim, Oz, Finch, Kevin, and Stifler. Also back are their female counter parts Michelle, Heather, and Vicki. Jim’s Dad also plays a very important, and emotional, role in this film. There are the excellent cameos of Jessica, Sherman, Nadia, Stifler’s Mom, and of course The MILF guys. So to wrap things up, I highly recommend this film. But if you haven’t seen the first three, you won’t get it. It would be like going to a high school reunion at a school that you didn’t attend.

PROJECT UPDATE:

Not one, but two films will go into production this month. A short film I came up with a couple years ago is getting a rush to production. I’m so happy for this little film and I’ll have more details regarding its status later. But the big news is that “Immortal Darkness” will be going into production. I’m going to be launching a web site hopefully soon.

“Bull Durham”

THE WRITE STATE OF MIND — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 00:15:05 +0000

With preseason baseball in full swing and opening day within site, I thought I do a movie review of one of my favorite baseball movies. (Go CUBS!)

I love baseball movies. I’d love to write a baseball movie. The problem is I can’t seem to come up with that perfect baseball story line that moves people to the point films like “The Sandlot”, “The Natural”, or the topic movie “Bull Durham” did. The best thing about this movie is the screenwriters avoid major league teams and making this picture a bio pic. This forces the film to rely on characters more heavily rather than baseball. This could be a ping pong film and it still would have worked for me. We can relate to the wild child of Ebby Calvin “Nuke” LaLoosh (Tim Robbins), the old fashion guy of Crash Davis (Kevin Costner), and then the woman who characterizes both of them Annie Savoy (Susan Sarandon). Screenwriter Ron Shelton did a great job making me relate to these people. I never made the High School baseball team. (Which I should have, it really could have been my sport) I only have one complaint. The first and second acts are great. The third act starts off well, but the end is disappointing. The reason for that might be because the movie was made in the 80’s and by a studio. Happy endings were popular and I think if an audience didn’t have one they felt cheated. If this film came out about five years later there would have been an unhappy ending and would have been more realistic. It also would have left it open for a sequel, which is now very popular. I wonder if there was an alternate ending…I’ll have to ask Kevin Costner someday.

PROJECT UPDATE:

The campaign continues to raise funds for the short film “Back to One”. (Check out the new video!) Another big investor surge is going out for “Punished Woman’s Lake” before the campaign for that one begins in May. “Legend of Pine Acres” is also going to be submitted into a few more festivals this week; might be able to get some more attention surrounding the first horror film I penned. Finally, a new short film is starting to take shape. Wish I could talk about it more, but I’ll have to leave it at that for now.

Getting Centered

THE WRITE STATE OF MIND — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 23:05:36 +0000

When I’m working on a script I find myself living my characters. I’m in their heads and in their world. All writers must take a break and the best way to do that is to get centered. Some people meditate, some do yoga, some sleep, some do their laundry. I never took to any of those. It was always too quiet for meditation, yoga required too much bending, sleeping made me tired, and laundry was something I considered work. If I want to get centered, and really relax, I turn to massage. Not getting them, giving them.

Stay with me…

People feed off of other people. They do this through conversation or just sitting in the same room. I sometimes feel uncomfortable when put in a room with a lot of people. Now this is where it gets weird. I feed off of other people’s energy by touch. This is totally non-sexual, it is so calming and brings me back to reality. When I discovered this I started studying massage therapy, the history of massage, and parts of the body. I’ve done this so much that I now want to get myself certified as a licensed massage therapist.

I’m hoping to be licensed someday and I might even be able to make it a nice part time gig. I can see myself as a freelance therapist making house calls between writing sessions; that would be cool. Maybe one day you’ll check this site and see another tab talking about my new service. Point is, if you are a writer you have got to have other things that take your mind off of writing. We have a tendency to get too “involved” with our scripts; we all need that thing that calms us.

PROJECT UPDATE:

Big focus right now on the four films that I’m producing. The short film “Immortal Darkness”, a cop thriller, is looking for second life by looking for a new location. Another film looking for a second life is “Back to One”. To make sure this film gets made we are seeking funding from Indiegogo. Check out the PAGE and pass it on or donate. Finally, “Legend of Pine Acres” is getting ready to be sent out on the festival circuit and a huge campaign is in the works for “Punished Woman’s Lake” to get that film going. The year is filling up fast.

My Life is an Outline

THE WRITE STATE OF MIND — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 03:46:28 +0000

Years ago I learned a great way to write that works for me. Before I start I always know four things: a big opening, the conflict, the ending, and the purpose. After that I can work on character backgrounds and possible arcs. Then I can work on my favorite step, the outline. I get to zip through the entire story in a matter of about 15 pages. I hand write them because I find myself working on it at odd times and places. This approach to screenwriting has now spilled over into the way I produce. I outline the tasks, crew, locations, equipment, auditions, etc. It makes for a long list, but everything gets done.

I have even taken it a bit further. I was looking forward to spending time with my daughters while my wife had to work one Saturday. I found myself outlining the day. Start the day at the library for story time, and then off to the Human Society to play with the dogs and cats. After that we pick up lunch on the way home, followed by nap time. When nap time is over we can go to the water park or the regular park depending on the weather. This is all before dinner, bath, and a bed time story.

Now to get real, I’m the only one who stuck to that schedule; turns out a 3 and a 5 year old don’t run on a clock. But this is how it goes with writing and producing. There will always be curve balls, but if outlined correctly you can allow for them and still end up with a great project…or day with your kids.

PROJECT UPDATE:

“Legend of Pine Acres” premiered at the Omaha Film Festival this past week. The response from the crowd was great. Afterwards we got a lot of compliments and only boosts my energy to work on the feature film. Stay tuned because a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds will be going up in a few weeks. It is going to be a ride.