Daily Pre-Script-tion

Many of you may know, my buddy Spencer and I started a blog a few years ago called Daily Pre-Script-tion.

We attempted to write a one-page script every day for a year (schemes!).  We were unsuccessful at this attempt.  We were able to accomplish 100 each.  That's like two feature screenplays.

The experiment was extremely fun and exciting.  We based each script around a particular theme, usually a picture, video or other random craziness.  We also had guest writers on Fridays.  The Pen script was my favorite to write.

As you might expect, this practice became very tiresome.  The experience was valuable, we learned a great deal about deadlines and coming up with material quickly, but we just couldn't keep up the momentum.  We  learned how tiring it can be to format and fix a blog post every single day.  It was made especially difficult when traveling or not being near a computer.

Although the experience ended suddenly and the blog was all but abandoned, the overall lasting effects were tremendous.  We grew as writers.

I have officially opened the blog back up.  The dust has been removed and we are now going to have new content.

Check it out for more details and read the first in a long line of great scripts to come.

You are more than welcome to help us out by reading and commenting, or if you feel you have the chops - contributing your own scripts. (Just email me if you're interested).

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Hearing is Better than Seeing

After being indirectly reprimanded by Bitter Script Reader, I will now proceed to write my post for today.  And hopefully the trend will continue throughout the rest of the week.

I have a good excuse though (writing a pilot, cleaning my apartment, reading everyone's scripts), but I won't bore you with my whining.

Instead I will just complain.

I would like to file a complaint.  My current work computer has some issues.  Most of which I'm totally okay with:  It runs super slow, the email program quits unexpectedly when I try and write an email, and there are nine (count them - 9) color lines running down my monitor - probably from dead pixels.

I'm totally alright with all of this.  But I have one very large complaint right now:

My freakin' audio won't work.

I started it up the other day and it is now broken.  Of course, I know if I restart my computer it will probably be fixed, but I don't have that kind of time.  It takes FOREVER to start up all my programs and especially the phone book - which is absolutely essential to my work.  I'll probably do it Friday night before I leave, but until then I'm audio-less.

Which means, I can't watch any cool and fun videos.  Yay for the spike in productivity!

Boo for not being able to watch this:



It also means that when my favorite website: Dump.com, who has just started sharing videos, is unplayable on my computer right now.

I watched the first minute of a video without audio and it totally sucked. Woah, is me.  I DEMAND YOUR PITY!!

Anyway, I've been working on my calendar for the Book Thing.  I'm getting really jazzed!
Also planning on a post a day during the week like Bitter.  I can only hope to entertain and educate.

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Welcome Stranger

I have a pile of scripts to read on my desk, I am in the middle of finishing a new pilot and I have a few favors that I need to be doing for friends.  But I can't think straight right now, so I need to just write it out and see if I feel better.

Last night was a new experience for my burgeoning career in Hollywood.  I was a welcomed stranger in a strange land.

As some of you may know, a large part of my career of choice is networking.  To be able to shmooz and talk and get to know other people is the main way you get jobs, sell projects and make money.  (I'm totally down with this principle by the way, it is a necessary thing).

For a change of pace, I was invited to a mixer for Entertainment professionals of Asian and Pacific descent.  "But" you say, "you're not Asian, Eric."  Ya, I know.  It's cool, I was with good people.

It was a strange experience to say the least.  Not that I was shunned for being white, but because I was not shunned.  Let me explain...

Shunning can be very passive-aggressive.  It is very easy to ignore a person because of who they are, what they are and what they look like.  To ignore a person standing in the room that you for some reason hate with all of your black heart, is a very easy thing to do.

I'm not saying this is a good thing, it's actually quite bad.  But sometimes you just don't get along with someone or sometimes a person has done something offensive to you or your kin.  I think we all do it subconsciously to certain types of people.  I know I am guilty of doing this, and I hate to admit that I'll probably do it again.  Especially if I ever get stuck in a room with someone I secretly dislike (you probably don't know who you are, but I assure you - I don't like you.)

But here's my point - while attending this wonderfully asian social soirée, I was not shunned but welcomed whole-heartedly.  Almost too much in fact.  I felt completely at ease while there, even though there were a few moments of pure awkwardness - mainly from having been approached by one of the other only white guys there and being asked incessant questions about reading scripts at the agency at which I work.  But I brought that on myself, I should have just said I'm an aspiring writer and that I'm between jobs.

Needless to say, I shunned that guy the rest of the night.

Back to work!

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Book Update

Hey friends, an update on my book thing.

I've comprised a list of 72 suggested books to read. That is more than I need, but I'm still looking for more suggestions if you have them (send me an email or comment below).

I've decided to start the conquest on Monday, November 1, 2010. It seemed like a good enough date to start. Hopefully I can blog about each book and post it by Sunday night. I'm not promising deeply thought out and well versed critiques of each book, but I do promise hilarity and possible insight with each review.

I'm hoping to get the list compiled and my calendar set by the middle of October.  Then you may criticize and glow about the choices I've made.

Also, I've created a Goodreads account to track some of the books I want to read. You are all invited to join my circle of friends and recommend more books: Just click here to join me.

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