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Post by Jeff Messerman on Jun 25, 2010 10:08:48 GMT -5
Marvin Gaye sang that subject heading in a studio in the month of June 40 years ago. I'm feelin' it. Are you? Images of pelicans frozen, eyes open, forever entombed in a cloak of oil. Jobless benefits dry up for 1 million Americans today. Some dude from Colorado goes on a Bin Laden hunt (screenplay material, anyone?).
Summer 2010. It's been strange.
These past few weeks for me have been weird as well. A totally out of left field offer to direct not one, but TWO, of my script projects that at first seemed to have a certain amount of financial backing and then, mere days later, having the previously interested parties pull out... I wasn't surprised, this is the norm for this sort of thing, and I approached every meeting with a fair share of healthy skepticism but these guys appeared, early on, truly excited about the prospect of funding some film projects.
The deal is apparently not dead in the water yet but I'm treating it like it is.
A decade ago or more, I would have handled this type of thing so poorly. Now, I just put feelers out, keep my guard up, and, of course, the one constant?
I keep writing. (That one's for you, Scherer!)
Because that's all we can control. There's such power in that, such a respite from all the other lunacy and nuttiness that goes along with this "lifestyle."
So, um, how's everyone else's summer going?
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Post by mscherer on Jun 25, 2010 11:20:06 GMT -5
Jeff?? Jeff?? Name sounds familiar ;D Welcome back, my friend. Keeping fingers and toes crossed for those projects. Not only should you Keep Writing, but you also have to remember the 3Ps: Perseverance. Perseverance. Perseverance. In the end both will pay dividends
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Post by Jeff Messerman on Jun 25, 2010 11:25:15 GMT -5
Too bad there's no emoticon up there for "sheepishly hanging one's head."
I have been criminally absent around here of late. This ridiculous "production company" proposal thing ruled my life when I wasn't wrangling the kids and making two star (our four) dinners for the family.
The madness is over. (for now?)
My presence shall be presently present! Gits Club forever!
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Post by dwight on Jun 25, 2010 11:42:40 GMT -5
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Post by lazzard on Jun 26, 2010 6:11:25 GMT -5
I feel your pain on the deals that seem to have floundered. And the time it takes out of your life just hanging on every phone call/meeting.
This game reminds me a bit of fishing. When I was a kid, there were basically two ways of doing it. Float fishing , where you baited your hook, chucked it in the river and spent the rest of the day watching the tip of that tiny sliver of balsa like a hawk , for anything up to an hour. Then, finally, you'd haul it in and realize that the bait had gone - probably fell off the second it hit the water. Then there was 'ledgering'. Bait up the weighted hook, chuck it in and leave it. You'd know you had a fish when your rod was dragged into the river. And the really smart kids? They set up about six rods. Set 'em up and left them. Moral: In this game don't be a 'float' fisherman. Just chuck as many in the river as you can, forget them and get on with baiting up the next hook! Keep the faith!
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Post by mscherer on Jun 26, 2010 7:28:25 GMT -5
Larry,
Truer words were never spoken. Reminds me of a joke -- stop me if you've heard it ;D:
********* Two friends sit at a bar. One is Jack, 20s, average looking, wears bib-overalls. The other, Billy Bob, 20s, dressed to the nines.
Billy Bob asks Jack, “How do you manage to get laid night after night?”
Jack responds, “Easy. I just walk up to any woman that interests me and ask, ‘Do you wanna f**k?’”
Billy Bob, “Don’t you get slapped a lot?”
Jack, “Yup! Get laid a lot too!” ******** Go out -- get slapped -- get laid.
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tous
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Post by tous on Jun 26, 2010 10:41:31 GMT -5
Mike... you just introduced characters in a joke in screenplay format. I dunno what ink you use or if continously bang your head on the keyboard- but it begs the question of "how much have you been writing, and how else has this infected your life?" I mean, can you not help but look at food and think of backstory? Do you question it's motive? PErhaps it wants to be eaten. Does the story end? OO oo! Maybe it's only thinks it wants to be eaten.. Okay okay- so point being-- I couldn't help but wonder how much back story you could put into Jack. Right? Take it one step further and he's taken few kung fu classes, mAybe he has a degree in medicine? Bio-engineering? A little accident with something called toxic waste? Anyone getting this.. Ya ya okay, but then - - what the hell are you doing in a bar in the first place right? Fighting the evil injustices of drunkenness? Sooo that was my joke AND now back to real life. Writing and reading, all day, everyday. Wake up. Roll out of bed. Run 5-8 miles. Sand. Beach. Swim. Chill. Shower. Commute to city. 4'clock. Sit at a desk. 10'clock, shit won't be home till 12- Eat. Sleep. Repeat. Sum up? At work, I sit at a desk, 6-7 hours a day, 5 days a week, where I basically just read and write. ALL the time-- Yes, yes sadly i get paid for it... MuHAhaha! Sorry. I guess the only problem I have is establishing a wall from my personal life to my writing. It get's a bit tricky when you find your heart is in two places at once. One's on the page bleeding, and the other one is getting cold in somebody else's hand who happens to have the empirical face of a goddess and the best laugh you have ever witnessed. So it's hard to have the heart off the page direct what I write if what I'm writing shouldn't be anything about that. Does that make sense? I find that it still effects my writing - good or bad, it's emotion but I can't help feel that it's cloudy. Anyone else have this? Or have found their way of pulling their strings away? For me it helps to get distracted first, talk to someone about nothing, read a few pages of a book on screenwriting. Inspiration type deals. Not that the talking to someone gives you inspiration but motivation to stop wasting time on bedsheet, or cats, or whatever it is you happened to have shouted to get their attention. Adieu/
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Post by mscherer on Jun 27, 2010 7:22:07 GMT -5
tous, I’m assuming you work 4pm thru midnight, else you get up pretty damn early ;D. I used to write everyday after work for at least an hour, then on weekends around three hours each day. When I started my new job 2 ½ years ago -- a 75 mile commute one way -- all that changed. Today I am up at 4am; on the road by 4:20; at my desk by 5:30; usually end up staying until 3:00pm; get home by 4:30pm -- traffic permitting. No writing during the week. I think about it. I attempt it. But I am just too pooped to participate . Now I write only on weekends. I hit Panera Bread Saturday at 6:30am -- Sunday at 07:30am -- write till 11:45. Gives me about nine hours a week. I don’t like it as much -- the writing-rhythm is disrupted. But the key is to write when you can, as much as you can, and love every minute of it . This is called writing what you know. Each of us experiences emotions every waking minute of every day. So do our characters. Emotion == Truth. And all of our stories are about Truth (theme, character arc, premise). I agree. Distraction is good as long as it does not affect the desire to write. Discipline is the key. Routine is the key, also. When I write at the coffee shop -- drinking my coffee and eating my Bear Claw -- I make it a point to read an on-line newspaper, see how badly my Cleveland Indians are doing (last place: 26-47, :-/sigh); read some blogs; check the industry news (spec sales, etc.); then hit the keyboard. Which is what I should be doing now. Starting a new script. Fired up over this one. So I gotta go and, Keep Writing!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 27, 2010 8:25:41 GMT -5
Welcome back Jeff.
Yes, this has been a very odd summer. All winter our company struggled. It gave me more time to research the craft of writing. Now that I have studied enough and I feel I am ready to write, I am swamped with work. Boooo!
I watch my kid, work, watch my kid before my wife implodes, visit with my wife for an hour, sleep, repeat.
Weekends have been consumed with helping the in-laws with their new house, or our boats. I am seriously thinking of taking some vacation time to lock myself in my office to write. I have already had a discussion with the wife that we need to change up our schedule somehow. The lack of showers and not getting out of the house a week at a time is starting to get to me. Oh the joys of parenthood. (I work from home, which has its pros and cons)
Even reading a script can take a week or two as I try to read it on my Blackberry as I rock my daughter to sleep.
I WILL keep writing as these ideas MUST get out of my head. It may be shit on a page at first, but at least the letters will be on a page. Writing is rewriting! LOL.
Oh... and F**k BP.
P.S. One way that I keep my passion burning is by following other writers on Twitter. It keeps me motivated and keeps the passion pilot light lit. Sunday evenings at 8:00 PM EST, there is #scriptchat. This evenings theme is High Concept if anyone would like to lurk or participate.
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tous
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Post by tous on Jun 27, 2010 10:15:31 GMT -5
"I have already had a discussion with the wife that we need to change up our schedule somehow. The lack of showers... is getting to me." Haha I just pictured that conversation. Huhh... listen honey, do you smell this? - Yeah what is that? - That's me. And it's me not showering. Do you see this face? - Yeaa.. you've been kinda sad lately - BECause I haven't showed damnit! - Oh. Well.. do you want me to make you something? - ?!!?!?
haha sorry.
and hey mike, thanks for responding, I always like to know what people are into and how they work and what they think about. It's very insightful. I actually tend to forget that people, with their real jobs have to wake up like 4-6a.m. and then they get home at around 3-- since i'm on the complete opposite end. Yes, i work 4-10 weekdays and 11-6 on weekends. Except theres always an hour lay over for the LIRR train. And then that puts me another hour behind because I have an hour commute, then 10 min bus ride. So i get Alllloooot of thinking done, which no human being should have. That hour kills. And I remember this one writer I forgot who it was, maybe it was August, but he says that now a days ppl are always listening to music-- walking, running, train, bus- i-pods, they get in the car- radio- and that's the time when you can get a lot of thinking done, but now i find that sometimes my brain get's so tired I have to just snooze with Radiohead or the Fleetfoxes. (which is the upside down of radiohead, just happy)
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Post by echomusic on Jul 8, 2010 8:33:58 GMT -5
Jeff! How I’ve missed thee!
In fact I’ve missed this board. This year I’ve written and directed an episode of a friend’s web series – not anything in my style but I think it fits with what he wants the series to be.
I’ve also been polishing up three of my feature scripts (Love Alters, Outpost A113 and Murder In Democracy) as well as starting half a dozen other screenplays.
Just got back from an amazing vacation in Japan and Australia, but sadly my grandfather passed away in the middle of my trip. I went down to see my mom once we got stateside and realized that the vacation and those 4 days in Ft. Lauderdale have given me a new outlook on things and I plan on making this a productive year.
If I can’t get my first feature made (basically it’s a lack of knowing how or what the next step is) then I’ll focus my energies elsewhere. I’ve come up with what I think will be a great idea for a web series. Already written the first two episodes and we’re gonna start casting in a few weeks. I hope to have three episodes up by the end of the year
Glad to be back and hope to frequent the board more often.
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Post by mscherer on Jul 8, 2010 8:50:36 GMT -5
echo,
Sorry to hear of your loss -- always tough to lose a parent, grandparent, any loved-one for that matter.
You, sir, are a busy, busy man ;D Best of luck with all of your ventures, and always remember to
Keep Writing!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 8, 2010 11:10:24 GMT -5
Echo,
My condolences on your loss.
Good to see you are back.
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tous
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Post by tous on Jul 11, 2010 16:22:54 GMT -5
Echo Wishing you the best and happy turn outs on your work.
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