Script

A friend and I took a class last year where we were commissioned to write a script for BYU-Television. They paid us to finish a 30 page screenplay that they would produce for a special programming that they are working on called "Writer's Block."

They said that if our script was to be picked up for production we would get an additional amount as compensation. They didn't pick up either of our scripts (even though they led us on and told us "maybe" for several months).

After December the rights lapsed back to our control, so we went ahead and started developing a feature based on my friend's script. Unfortunately, and fortunately, they decided that they still wanted to produce it and that they would let him know when they pick it up.

We had a choice...he could pursue the BYU thing and get some money out of it, or I could try and convince him to sign over the rights of development to me. Eventually he decided (and I encouraged) that he pursue them and try and get his way with the script (like having sole authorship and okay on director).

I think this is a good course for him, we can always come up with better ideas and better scripts. This way something he wrote will be produced and aired on national television. If we had held onto it, who knows what would have happened to it, it might have died.

On to the next project!!

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Discoveries.

• It is unbelievably cold in Utah right now. Especially in my parent's basement.
• The LDS Film Festival has grown a great deal, there were a ton of people there. I really like it and wish I could have gone to more films than I did.
• Diantha's Crossing is a feature film that I produced my senior year of school and it was amazing. I think Tom Russell is a brilliant director and he should do more movies and they should be distributed nationally.
• It is extremely hard to come back to Los Angeles after spending time in Provo. There are so many good friends and friendly people there. There are great places to eat and it is always exciting to drive in snow.
• I like driving. And I can do it for a long time, but there comes a point in a long trip where you just don't feel like it anymore.
• It is extrememly windy this time of year on I-15. It gets really bad on the stretch between LA and Vegas.
• Scout Camp - the movie that Tiffany and I worked on last year was shown last weekend and it was really fun. It was funny and exciting. It was also really nice to see everyone again.
• Why is it that I check my facebook, email, twitter, blogs, and my other email several times a day? Is it going to change or something?
• I love Ice Cream.
  

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We're Off!!

We're off to undisclosed locations. Some of you know, some of you don't. I guess it will just have to be a surprise then.

We are leaving at 2pm today and coming back on Sunday.

Goodbye crazy Los Angeles and all of your cookieness!

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Changes

As you might have noticed...I have changed the format a bit of the look on my blog.
Let me know what you think!

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New Movie Wanted Now

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Progress

There has been much excitement lately over writing feature scripts. I have been fully endorsing such activity. I am currently working on five projects in various levels of development.

The first script is one that I am writing completely by myself (with feedback from family and friends). I have already written some things about it, so you can scroll down and read what I wrote earlier, but to refresh you - it is called Pieces of Time and it is a sci-fi/thriller. It is basically The Ninth Gate meets Click.

The second is a script that I have been working on for a while with my friend Jacob. It takes place in the 1930's and it involves family, revenge, mobsters, murder, and forgiveness. That's all I will say about it for now, but it will hopefully be moving along soon.

The third is an adaptation of a short script my friend Spencer wrote for a class. BYU didn't pick it up, so we are going to expand it and add more to the story. You can read about it on his blog.

The fourth one is a revamping of a feature script written by my friend Josh. He wrote it for a senior project class. After reading it I had an overwhelming sense that I should do whatever I could to be a part of the film, whether it be producing or otherwise. He and I have been talking about it for a few weeks now and we are trying to get together soon to talk more about the rewrite.

The final script is an adaptation of The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain and I am working on this with my friend David. It is in the first stages of a treatment right now and hopefully soon we can start an outline.

Hope all of you have begun working on your own writing projects whether they be feature/short scripts, plays, novels, short stories, blogs, or news articles. I fully encourage everyone to start writing and keep at it.

Realize that no one ever sits down and writes a great masterpiece, they usually write trash that they can rewrite into great stories of drama and comedy.

Good luck!!

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"Remember when..." - College Edition

Remember when...

• Eating at the Coug Eat was very repetitive and bland (and fatty) but you did it anyway because it was fast and easy and you could use your Sig card?
• You kept all your classes at or near the HFAC so you could pop into the MADLab in-between class and check your email?
• Getting into the Cave was like winning the lottery or joining an exclusive club, you were "cool" when you were given the keycode?
• Walking through bottom floors of the HFAC were like being led down to the dungeon by the Phantom of the Opera, except there wasn't any organ (there usually was singing though)?
• How annoying it was to have to take a stupid GE that you didn't even want to take all the way at the opposite end of campus and usually on the day that you had all of your classes in the HFAC?
• We all had to take 102 and 112 and get an A to get into the program, and then we had to write up an atrocious application (which included writing a book on how cool you are because you know the deeper meanings of Carl Dreyer's Ordet), then we had to go in front of the entire faculty to prove our worthiness to be accepted into the program which usually involved a self-introspecting question that made you guess and second-guess your answers until you wanted to pull your hair out?
• Sitting in an un-airconditioned small room with 12 or so other students (usually in constant flux) while discussing the same scripts and the same film projects over and over again for a full year. Then finally getting to break free and film the projects only to realize that you wish you had more time to prepare the production, or at least more time to film?
• Taking Stats 101 to graduate and barely passing because, let's be honest, those types of classes totally blow and it was impossible for a creative brain type like us to think in such a logical fashion as to understand the relevency of an x-bar?
• Staying up until the awful hours of the night to catch up on Lost episodes or to have an impromptu Tarantino and Rodriguez marathon, only to wake up an hour after your 11am class the next day and decide that you really didn't care about studying Brecht today only to find out that they watched the most amazing film ever in class?
• Even though it was tiring, hard, excrutiating, tough, difficult, demeaning, exhaustive, menial, confusing, wearying, and heart-breaking...it was also very exciting, wonderful, rewarding, beautiful, worth-it, fun, and fulfilling?

...we were in school at BYU's Film Program.

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Garbage Half-Fail

Some people just don't try as hard.

That being said. I probably would have not wanted to touch that thing either. Who knows what kind of diseases it carried.

Or maybe it was a perfectly good mattress that they didn't need anymore and it was time to get a new one, so they threw this one out. Unfortunately there wasn't enough room in the compactor, so they got it in as much as possible.

Or maybe I just thought this was funny because of my terrible day and in comparison to my day it gave me a chuckle.

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Shock, Horror, Despair

Found out today that my favorite radio station to listen to in the car has decided to go off the air and exclusively stream online.
This is cool for them, because they can keep playing fresh tunes and keep it real. But for me it is pretty tragic because now I have to listen to crap stations on the way to work (like Jack FM who plays what they want).

I'm glad they're still broadcasting, it just sucks to not have the ability to listen in the car while commuting.

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Pieces of Time

As some of you know I am trying to write a feature-length screenplay in about 3 weeks. I have a title, synopsis and characters done, as well as a treatment. Right now I am working on the long outline. Here is some info about my story.

PIECES OF TIME

A busy music industry executive in Los Angeles never seems to have enough time. He finds a magical pocket watch at an antique store that gives him thirteen hours instead of twelve. The antique store owner tells him about more watches that have more hours, these watches are scattered throughout the world. They begin a journey to find more magical watches but are constantly followed by an evil collector that is bent on stopping them.

Characters:
Jim Sherman
(Jeremy Piven)
A very busy and very important executive at a recording company. He has his entire life scheduled and timed. He never takes time to deviate from his schedule, not even for his family and friends.
After he discovers the watch he is able to have extra time with his two daughters and his wife Lynn, but he soon starts to become obsessed with finding more watches.

Harlan Macavoy
(Morgan Freeman)
Owner of the antique shop where Jim finds the watch. Ever since he found the 14-hour watch in a foxhole during the Vietnam war he has been searching the world to know if there are any other watches. He has found several clues as to where the other watches are and has even discovered more watches. He had put away the thought of finding any more until Jim happened upon the 13-hour watch in his store. With Jim's encouragement, he takes up the search again.


Lynn Sherman
(Jennifer Connelly)
Jim's wife Lynn is very sweet and understanding, but this watch obsession is just too much. She affords Jim the opportunity to search a little bit for the watches and work on his hobby (even if she doesn't understand it). She also likes how he suddenly is able to have more time for her and the kids. When Jim's obsession for finding more watches overtakes his entire life and threatens his job she draws the line and pleads with him to give up the search.



Sir Walter Connegan
(Christopher Lee)
Our villain of the story, Sir Connegan has also been seeking the watches. His entire family down to his great, great, great, great grandfather has been seeking the watches. Sir Connegan is very rich and powerful and has many resources that Jim and Harlan don't have. He also has a great deal of artifacts and clues about the watches that they don't have. In the late 70's Harlan had been working with Sir Connegan to find the watches, but after a bitter fued over the 18-hour watch, Harlan broke up the friendship.


FYI: Don't even think about stealing my ideas, I know how to copyright and register with the WGA and I have a paper trail of all my ideas. Just be cool, keep your hands off.

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Work Work Script Work

Still looking for a job. Nothing exciting to report yet.
I have been working on a few projects though. Various scripts and treatments in different levels of development.

I rally all writers to work with me to finish a script in the next three weeks. If you are interested in trying this with me, I will send you a three-week script writing course that I have found. It has helped me flesh out an idea and get it ready. I am just now finishing day 7 of my process. I plan on finishing an outline for my script tomorrow.

It's a really great way to express yourself and get your ideas out there. Also, it helps in getting your creativeness out so you can grow and learn.

If anyone has a feature script or a really good short that they want me to read or give thoughts/feedback on let me know!

Good luck!

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Music

I've got to be honest folks. I am not a big fan of Portishead's new album. (I know, shock! amazement! horror!)
It is a good album, not a great album. I might be missing something within the greater picture, and I'm glad they're back after so long. But I can't say I like the new direction. (I guess that's what I get for being a die-hard 90's Portishead fan).
I was still excited about getting the new album, and I am listening to it again as I type. So I will not not recommend it, just slightly less recommend it.

Also in the world of music is some new stuff:
MGMT
"Electric Feel"
http://court13.com/electricfeel.mov

"Time to Pretend"
http://www.court13.com/TimeToPretend_480.mov

Asteroids Galaxy Tour
"Around the Bend"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGjl6ITkFqI

Michael Franti and Spearhead
"Say Hey"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoaTl7IcFs8

Ezra Furman and the Harpoons
"Take Off Your Sunglasses"
http://www.myspace.com/ezrafurman

Eagles of Death Metal
"Wanna Be In LA"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CN7aAYS7FuU
(alternate version) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWF3Jt16Ciw

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CLOSAT # 6

C- A filthy invalid who is homeless but also a hopeless romantic
L- The hydraulic chair at a hair salon
O- A slightly damaged and mostly used gift card to Pier One Imports
S- Searching for hours for an open restaurant on a major holiday and finding nothing
A- Furiously pulling out a ripped and bent piece of mail from a tiny mailbox
T- We can try our utmost to keep ourselves free of doing wrong, but when the temptation is much more visceral and attainable than any other reward, we tend to choose the wrong and then try and recover by justifying our actions, which doesn't really make us feel better about our decisions, it just numbs us from feeling good about ourselves

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