Unsure

Just now as I sat watching a show, my consciousness was attacked with desires to write something. It took me a few minutes, but I finally sat down and opened up a document to start documenting my ideas and vision.

Unfortunately I couldn't figure out what to write. I know what I want to write, I just don't know what to write.

This isn't the first time I've ever had writer's block and it certainly won't be the last. This time I thought it would be fun to write a blog post (because I haven't blogged in a few weeks because of a new job) and use it to have a bit of fun.

Below is an image that I found on Google image search:

Now I'm going to write a scene using this image and post it below. (I'm going to try and use Scrippets so it will look official). My parameters are:

1. No longer than a written script page.
2. Image must be new to me and I can't read anything about the image.
3. Must be sci-fi related or have some element of sci-fi within.

Hopefully this will be a fun tool to get me inspired to write again and bring back the flow of inspiration that I once had.


[scrippet]
EXT. STREET – DAY

ANGELA picks up a steady pace as she crosses the last street.  Her breath has become erratic and her head swivels back and forth, waiting for an attack at any moment. She protects a small black backpack on her right shoulder, not letting it out of her clutches for a second.




She approaches the corner when a large black sedan SCREECHES to a halt, blocking her path.




A tall and slender MAN in a black suit swiftly exits the back of the car and puts on a large black surgical mask. Angela has no time to run, she stares the man down.




ANGELA

Move.




MAN

It would be in the best interest of the collective if you would get in the car.




ANGELA

Move now.




The man stands firm. He takes out a small cigarette-sized metallic pen. He points it at her.




ANGELA

That's not funny. Put that away.




MAN

I've tried to be reasonable with you Angela. You've left us no choice.




ANGELA

You've been given nothing but choices. You had a choice to stop the game when we arrived on this planet. You had a choice to bring the others back.

(closer to the man)

You had the choice to get me out, and you didn't.




The Man stares Angela down for an intense moment. Her icy-glare is unrelenting in its accusation.




He breaks. Takes off the mask. Puts the pen in his coat pocket.




ANGELA

Good. Now let me through.




MAN

I'm afraid that won't work Angela.




Instantly Angela lurches forward in pain. She grabs her stomach, it is beginning to bleed through her grey-hooded sweatshirt. She crumples to the floor.




ANGELA

...How could you?!...




Angela closes her eyes, for what seems like the final time.
[/scrippet]

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Fall Movie Preview - September

It's time for school!! Well, not for me, but I am excited about the upcoming releases this fall. Each year around this time you get a funny mix of both critically acclaimed movies (Oscar-bait movies), movies that the distributors were unsure of so they didn't release them during the higher grossing summer months, and the blockbuster Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday films.

Here are a number of my personal picks and suggestions, I'll be rolling them out each week with trailers and thoughts for each one. Starting tomorrow I'll have a fall TV preview as well. Hope you get excited to see some cool movies!

I didn't include anything that wasn't related to Sci-Fi, but I know there are a number of great films coming out this Fall. What are you excited to see?

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Movie Review: COWBOYS AND ALIENS (2011)

COWBOYS AND ALIENS (2011)

For some reason, I had heard a lot of bad stuff about this film. A good many of the people that I follow on Twitter said they didn't love it. It didn't do as well as expected at the box office (just barely beating out The Smurfs that weekend) and it didn't do well on RottenTomatoes.com (a whopping 45%).

All the same, I found it to be quite fun and exciting. It had a few missteps and a bit of wonkyness because of the genre blending, but overall a good enough story to warrant a view.

SPOILERS AHEAD!

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Portal Gun

I'm not really a huge video game person. I was growing up, but since graduating high school it's been hard for me to get into any new games. I love playing new stuff suggested by friends, but other than that I can't really find the time to play in-between watching movies and TV and writing movies and TV.

I am however, extremely intrigued by the game Portal, as well as it's sequel. The thing that amazes me most is the idea of having a gun that can transport someone. It's taking a great idea and making it better by adding mobility and puzzles.

An impressive short film directed by Dan Trachtenberg just surfaced on YouTube today. Something that I think you should see. This definitely opens up questions of a full feature soon. Right?

Watch the film here:


What did you think? Look good?

Here's my one concern: Why was she given access to the gun? How did she find it? Why would they let that happen?

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Grammar

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Netflix Gems: MILLENIUM (1989)

A newer feature on the blog that I will have be posting in conjunction with my Movie Review feature is the Netflix Gems.  These are films that are streaming on Netflix right now (as of the date of the posting) and are fun little movies that you may not have heard of or even thought about watching.

The first film in this series is the 1989 futuristic thriller MILLENIUM:

An airline crash investigator finds a strange device in the wreckage of a double plane disaster. The device comes from the future and the discovery of it could end the world in about a thousand of years. A mysterious woman visits the investigator and attempts to get the device back before all hope is lost. Directed by Michael Anderson. Written by John Varley (based on his short story). Starring Kris Kristofferson and Cheryl Ladd.

Subgenres: Time Travel/Romance/Futuristic

This film has a lot going for it and only a few things bringing it down.  What it has going for itself is an amazing plot and an intriguing idea.  What brings it down is a few cheesy elements and a seriously outdated style.

SPOILERS AHEAD!

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BLADE RUNNER Again

As one comment read on Nikki Finke's Deadline Hollywood news post: "And thus, the internet breaks in two." (posted by 'Mike').

It was announced today and later confirmed on Finke's blog that Alcon Entertainment has acquired the rights and Ridley Scott is attached to produce and direct a follow up of his groundbreaking sci-fi film Blade Runner.

Every movie and sci-fi geek knows that Ridley Scott directed two of the most influential sci-fi movies of all time - Alien and Blade Runner. In the last year or so, Scott has been working on a new version of Alien with a project written by Damon Lindelof (Lost) called Prometheus. From what I understand, this will not be a reboot, but more of a prequel or what-happened-up-to type film (a lot like the new The Thing).

As the commenter said above, this just may split all geeks into two factions.  Those that love the new direction and enjoy the fun of a new version of their favorites, and the other group - the ones that feel the Hollywood studios are treading on sacred ground and should begin coming up with more original ideas rather than trying to reboot and change every known movie franchise out there.

Personally, I'm in the second camp.  I wish they would try and make the NEXT Blade Runner -esque film rather than just rehashing the same thing over and over again.  I get that there are 'only twelve stories to tell' or whatever, and I don't mind if a story is "like Blade Runner meets ..." but to make an exact copy or just updated style is a bit ridiculous.  I know it's been done well in the past, and that every 30 years or so we see a lot of copies and remakes, but for crying out loud - it has gone on to epidemic proportions!

Some other funny comments on Twitter:

"Announced: August 2017 Ridley Scott to reimagine GI Jane." @wilzmak
"Announced: June 2015, Thelma and Louise Survived" @writerspry
"Announced: Aliener" @ScreenWritten

Here is the epic trailer for the epic film Blade Runner (1982):


What do you think?  Are you sick of all these reboots and rehashes?

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Student Film: CITY IN THE SKY

Italian filmmaker and recent London Film School student Giacomo Cimini has had some early buzz for his short film City in the Sky.  It premiered at the 66th Annual Venice Film Festival and is available on iTunes.

What I find interesting about this film is that it has been widely distributed by the film school which is something that is rarely, if ever done.  The ability to self-publish through iTunes and other electronic mediums makes it a much easier task nowadays, but it's even harder now to find good quality.  Another interesting thing is that it looks far better than most film school films usually do.  It has it's problems from what I can tell in the trailer, but I think it deserves special note and it would be very interesting to see the film.  What do you think? Better than most student films?

Here's the trailer:

City in the Sky Trailer from Giacomo Cimini on Vimeo.

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Issues

I've realized since the start of the new direction that I haven't really expressed what it is that I am going to focus on exactly.  Broadly I am going to write about and report on things of Science Fiction nature, but more purposefully I will be discussing issues of writing Science Fiction.

During the course of my transformation I hope to share some interesting news in television, film and books to which I will have posted under the label "Sci-news" on the Irregular Features list to the right.  Also under that list I hope to have a bunch of short stories, links to great articles and websites, and the occasional interview with an author or screenwriter about the subject.  Keep your eyes peeled for such awesomeness!

I also hope to do some wicked awesome reviews of television shows, feature films, and sci-fi novels under the respective labels to the right under Regular Features.  To explain to you exactly what I hope to accomplish with those reviews, I want you to firstly know that I am not a scholar and I am not a critic.  Sure I've taken classes on film theory and history, and sure those classes have influenced me along with the reading I have done on the subjects, but in no way am I any good at keeping all that stuff in my head.  I'm terrible at it if you must ask, so I don't think I will discuss those things to great lengths unless the right mood hits me (or if I remember something valid in a moment of brain clarity).

A few subjects that I am interested in learning about, and hope to explore in my reviews are the following:

• God:  The treatment of god in science fiction.  The development of the idea of god and the destruction of that idea.  The concern for or lack of concern for as well as the prevailing theory that god is destroyed by science (which I do not believe).
• Cheesiness:  We all know that most sci-fi movies and books have an element of cheesiness to them.  This fascinates me and I'm intrigued to find out why that is and how to avoid it.  Or if it's possible at all to avoid it.
• Randomness and Irony:  A lot of things going wrong, or a lot of things going right.  I want to explore how these random actions or events influence the characters and plots.  It might also be fun to find some outlandish examples of these things effecting the outcome of the plot.
• Sexuality:  This doesn't interest me as much.  I get it, we're sexual beings, we have desires.  I also get that nerd generally like sci-fi and nerds have a lot of pent-up sexuality.  What I'm interested is in how sexuality effects the characters and plot.  Also how it is misappropriated or thrown into a story for titillating purposes rather than genuine ones.
• Violence:  This is another topic that doesn't interest me as much, but it is fairly prevalent in sci-fi, so I think it's a valid concern.  What I want to figure out is how violence can influence the characters as motivation or how violence is an instigator for change.  I don't really care how it is misused or overdone, although I know it is, I just want to focus on what useful purpose it has in story (if any).
• The Technical:  This is something I am fascinated with because of my production background.  I want to exalt those that have done a good job and discuss the effectiveness of great technical work.  I also want to discuss how bad or outdated technicality can bring you out of the story and disrupt the experience.  Some technical aspects to look at are - Sound, Cinematography, Directing, Music, Acting, Editing, etc.  (In books, we can look at the technical aspects of writing - grammar, format, etc.)
• Effects:  I am also fascinated by visual effects (VFX) and special effects (SFX).  There is a distinction between the two - visual effects are generally a trick of the camera or added computer effects within the frame.  Special effects involve more practical use of robotics, animatronics, prosthetics, plastics, explosions or other things to create an effect.  I believe science fiction has driven this industry for several years and it is a great thing to comment on and discover.
• Themes & Cliches:  Finally, I want to keep in mind recurring themes, cliches, plots, and characters from science fiction.  We can talk and discuss about these things at great length in the comments section and hopefully we can all get really good at spotting these things throughout the litany of recurring elements in this wonderful genre.

So now that you know a little bit more about what we're going to focus on in this blog, what do are you interested in exploring?  Maybe there is something I need to learn more about and add to the list.  Comment below!

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Top Ten Impending Apocalypse Movies

Apocalyptic or post-apocalyptic are some of my favorite genres.  One discusses the pathway to our impending doom, the other discusses the aftermath of such doom.

Many apocalyptic movies start out with the beginnings of the end and end with the Earth-shattering events that cause the doom.  A great sub-set of these types of movies are what I like to call "Impending Apocalypse" movies.  These are movies in which the cause of the world's doom is discovered and we fight back to try and save everyone and everything - and we're successful!  These are usually pretty cheesy blockbuster films that give us thrills and chills until the climactic cheer-inducing finale.  In this list I tried to stay away from films that were mainly on the destruction of Earth and focused more on films that were about how we fought it and won.

Below are my top ten Impending Apocalypse movies and why:

1: ARMAGEDDON (1998)
Yes, I know this one is pretty cheesy, but it came out at exactly the right time for me to really enjoy it.  I was in high school and this film had all the big stars (Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler) and it had the biggest soundtrack of the day (Aerosmith, come on!)  Another good reason to like it, is that one of the co-writers is none other than our lovable JJ Abrams!  That man is indelible.

(This is the worst/cheesiest poster I could find of the movie)

2: THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951)
This is not the Keanu Reeves one, it's the better one (oh!) This film is interesting because it is first and foremost an alien invasion movie, but we then get to know about the impending apocalypse through the super creepy Klaatu.  It's a great premise - if we don't knock it off and play nice, aliens are going to take the world from us and give it to the more deserving.  A great call to peace and understanding.

3: DR. STRANGELOVE, OR HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB (1964)
This is an all-time classic.  Not only because of the amazing director - Stanley Kubrick, and not only because of the amazing cast including the multi-talented Peter Sellers, but because of the hilarious situations and outlook on the whole Cold War era.  It's a treat especially at the end when things go absolutely wrong and we are left to wonder about the outcome.

4: CHILDREN OF MEN (2006)
Alfonso Cuarón is certainly a great talent of a director.  This film is super stylized and wonderfully paced.  It's technically a mind-blowing viewing experience. The interesting premise of this film is that we as a people on Earth are no longer able to produce offspring.  Everyone on Earth is over thirty years old or so.  It presents some really great ideas about survival and what is really important in life.  A beautiful and haunting film.


5: TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY (1991)
I just love this idea - a post-apocalyptic future is in the balance and travelers from that time come back to our time to try and influence it.  This one is cheating a bit because as we know the apocalypse is unpreventable in this world.  The thing they are fighting about is the possibility of saving the human race with a resistance force in that future.  I think the reason this one is so effective is not only the fast-paced action, but the whole attitude and style of the entire film.  Also the new model of terminator droid is freakin' impossible to kill!


6: INDEPENDENCE DAY (1996)
This is a classic.  How can you not like this one?  Alien invasion to the fullest extent!  The great thing about this film is how Jeff Goldblum's character is able to figure out the plot of the alien invaders and through his brilliant scientific mind is able to prevent the disaster from destroying all civilization.  This one is cheating a bit too because most of the world is indeed destroyed, but I feel that it has such a strong resistance and 'fight back' mentality that it deserves a mention.


7: DEEP IMPACT (1998)
This film is a more intelligent look at the same phenomenon as in Armageddon.  Because it is more psychological, it is more about the drama of such an event.  Also, the big difference between them is in Deep Impact there is no recovering from the disaster.  The fact that it doesn't really have much action is probably why it didn't do as well as Armageddon (since they came out the same exact year - don't you love how Hollywood does that?)  Either way, it is still a very fun and enjoyable movie.  This is under the 'let's just hide out the apocalyptic event' style rather than fully fighting it, but it's still valid for the list.

8: KNOWING (2009)
This film could have been so much better.  Well, it was pretty great I would say until the very end.  Still, it's a really cool idea and the director Alex Proyas does a great job of creating a crisis mood for the characters.  What if we could know the exact date of the end of the world?  An interesting way of fighting the apocalypse - figuring out the date and preparing for it.  Overall this movie suffers from a lot of incongruousness and unimportant elements thrown in for no reason, but it makes for fun viewing if you're interested.

9: END OF DAYS (1999)
This movie came out at the right time for apocalyptic movies - just before the Y2K disaster!  This film is a lot of fun.  Not particularly an intelligent film by any means, but good Arnold Schwarzenegger action madness.  This is honestly Schwarzenegger's last good movie (before he became the Governator).  Gabriel Byrne is totally badass and he plays a great devil.  Seriously, don't go into this thinking too much or it will be ruined, but believe that it is a lot of fun.


10: MILLENNIUM (1989)
I would say that this film is more of a time travel movie than an Impending Apocalypse one, but it still has bearing because of the crisis that humans face and the way in which they deal with it.  You have to love the cheesy 1980's costuming and dialogue.  This one's a gem and I'll be posting a more in-depth review of it later this week.  Definitely worth a few hours of your time on Netflix Streaming.


I purposefully didn't add some movies on this list because I haven't seen them yet (i.e. Rise of the Planet of the Apes, etc.), but what do you think?  What did I miss?  Do you have any favorite Impending Apocalypse movies?

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Trouble for The Walking Dead

As Slashfilm reports, an anonymous source has said that the AMC show The Walking Dead has fired (or indirectly fired) the showrunner Frank Darabont right before the second season gets in full swing.

I know that Darabont was probably not the easiest guy to get along with (what auteur-like director is?), and he probably took too long and spent way too much money, but I think AMC may be shooting themselves in the foot here.  Or maybe not, maybe they're making a good move.

The question is, did they go in to this too hastily to begin with?  Did they do the initial six episodes for the first season and spend way too much money thinking they would have had bigger numbers?  I thought the show did pretty decently, I was definitely hooked in even though I had problems with the characters and story at times.  Was it that Darabont wanted a greater hold on the show to make it more distinctly his own?  I had a feeling that the first season was just a first act and that Darabont was about to kick it in gear all the way to the final shocking and amazing moments near the end of the show.  (Remember The Shawshank Redemption?  That movie knocks you off your feet in the final act.)

Now they've hired a man named Glen Mazzera to take over.  Listen, I don't know this dude, and I can't say for certain whether he will do a good job or not, but looking at his credits I truly fear for the show.  Mazzera has been the showrunner or executive producer for such procedurals as The Shield, Life, Crash, and Hawthorne.  None of those shows appeal to me.  None.  So will he do a good job?  Probably, but it may not have the same touch and style that made me tune in each week.

As for the concern that Mad Men and Breaking Bad have taken a majority of AMC's budget for original series programming:  If that's true, they should have seen that coming.  Seriously guys, you have two ground-breaking and hugely popular shows that cost a ton of money.  Now you want to add a costly genre series to the mix?  That's just too much, too fast.  AMC is still a young network when it comes to original series.  Granted they have knocked it out of the park, even when not quite landing a series (Rubicon, The Killing), they still have class and style that far outweighs any other television station on the planet right now (besides the BBC).

I truly hope things get resolved and that our second season far outshines the first, but in all honesty - these setbacks, delays and bad karma moments have me scared that this show is going to be done for by mid-season.  Sad face.

What do you think?  Did you like the show?  What didn't you like and will you be watching next season?

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How Sci-Fi Changed My Life

Okay, now that I'm changing my direction in writing, I wanted to give you a bit of background in to how Sci-Fi has effected my life and how it has molded me into the person I am.

When I was a young lad, most of my reading experience was with scripture, or baby books, or Roald Dahl (still a big fan of his today).  One day my mother wanted to encourage me to read more, so she handed me a copy of Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card and encouraged me to read it with her.  The book was so different from anything that I had experienced before.  It was so mature and it spoke to the loneliness and angst that I was feeling at the time.  The visuals told within the book opened up a new world in my mind and I could feel myself right along Ender watching it all unfold.  This was the first time that I could say that I envisioned the entire book.

Later on, for a friend's birthday, I went to the theater to watch the movie The Fifth Element.  We had some crappy seats, and I remember being annoyed by that until the movie began.  Once it got started I couldn't think, look or listen to anything else.  My mind and body was glued to the screen.  It was so fantastical and quick.  It was funny, but action-packed.  I remember thinking at that exact moment in my life "This is what I want to do with my life."  From that moment on I focused my time and energy into becoming a filmmaker.  I wrote stories that were in the same style (and looking back on it now, probably copied almost entirely) as the movie that had knocked me off my feet.  It has been an obsession that has lasted me for a majority of my life. I even had to buy the Blu-ray when I could afford it because the DVD just wasn't cutting it.

In the last year or so, another Sci-Fi piece of literature has effected me so much so, that it has helped drive my decision to focus my life in pursuit of writing and becoming more adept at Sci-Fi.  It was a script.  An unproduced, but up and coming spec called I'm.Mortal by famed writer/director Andrew Niccol (who also did Gattica and S1m0ne).  He has now finished production on the film and the title has changed to the generic In Time, but I warn you - do not think of this film as generic.  It has impacted me in a way that few may understand and even more may find ridiculous, but to me it is significant.  I eagerly anticipate the release of the film, but I know that because I love the screenplay so much I may be disappointed (it kind of happened with Source Code).  Either way, I am excited by writing and talking about Sci-Fi now and I hope to be able to do as good of a job as Mr. Niccol someday.

So those are only a few examples of how it has effected and changed my life.  What about you?  Have you been effected by Sci-Fi (good or bad)?  What experiences have you had that made you love/hate it?

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A New Look. A New Direction.

Hey Blog Friends,

It's been a good while since I have done anything on this blog.  I've been very pre-occupied as of late (systematically destroying my life and ruining my career).  Maybe that's a bit dramatic.  Either way, I want you to know that I am now undertaking a process of transforming both my life and my goals.

The first transformation will be with this blog.  I am officially changing the direction.  From now on this blog will be specifically targeted to discussing and sharing things of a science-fiction nature.  I'll be discussing books, movies, and television that are inherently Sci-Fi.  I'll be doing reviews of these things but also talking about them from a writing perspective, hoping to both sharpen my skills and create a large network of interfriends that will help me learn and enjoy this passion along with me.

So what does this mean for my non-science-fictiony friends?  Well, I would hope that you would continue to be my friend despite my focus change.  If you really despise Sci-Fi and want nothing to do with it - I encourage you to friend me on Facebook where I will only discuss things of Sci-Fi periodically.  Most of my space used on that and Twitter will be reserved for discussions of my life and updates on what is going on.  I will warn you though, Twitter will be blasted with re-tweets of Sci-Fi news and updates of the blog.  Facebook is probably your best bet... if you haven't friended me there yet, let's correct that right away.

Thanks for your patience as I learn and adapt and grow with the new direction.  Hopefully in a year or so I will have all the bugs and kinks worked out and we can enjoy the blog daily.  Until that time, please let me know if you have any suggestions or changes that would help in creating a more pleasant reading/viewing experience.

Bless you and all that you do for me.

Best,
Eric

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Fat

I need to get fit. I've gained about 20 pounds in the last few months - probably because of all the free snacking time and heightened sit-down-edness that I'm experiencing at the moment.

This week I have been working out daily and regulating what I eat by only eating two fistfulls of food every two hours. Of course I'm trying to regulate what type of food as well, I've been leaning towards the natural fruits, veggies and grains. I'm also tracking my calories on the iPhone app Lose It!

My goal is to get below 180 lbs by the end of July. This would make me very much happy.

Encouragement and good job's are well in order as I progress. Wish me luck!

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FORGETTING - A Sci-Fi Novella

EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT:

I am publishing a book online.  It is free to read via Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr.  The book will be released one chapter a week.  By following/liking/RSS-ing the book in any of these formats you will be able to keep up with the story each week.  It will run from the beginning of March to the end of May, with a special e-book release on June 15th (with extra goodies and a visually pleasing format).  You will also be able to get the book on iBooks, Kindle, Nook and other readers June 15th.

FORGETTING written by Eric John Anderson
A Sci-Fi Novella via Twitter/Facebook/Tumblr

The first chapter will be unveiled this week over the three platforms, here are the links:
http://twitter.com/#!/ForgettingBook
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Forgetting/152901354764063#!/pages/Forgetting/152901354764063http://forgettingbook.tumblr.com/

The first portion of the book is online now, get linked up right away and enjoy!

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Oscarfied

Last night was a Hollywood first for me. Through my wife's work, I was able to attend the 2011 Academy Awards. Actually, I didn't attend; I was in the press room.  And I didn't just sit around and watch, I had to work.

Tiffany was asked to work the Oscars again this year (she's done it twice before).  Basically the job is to hand out radios for the press as well as pass around microphones for a few of them to ask the winners questions.

Basically we were stuck in this ballroom adjacent to the Kodak Theater for ten hours.  We had a great view of the members of the press.  The winners would come in periodically during the show and we would scramble around to get the microphones to the press people that were given a chance to ask the winners a question.  And yes, there were several stupid questions.

Tiffany and I against a non-copy-written image

(seriously, we couldn't take pictures in the press room)

 Believe it or not, this is the first time I've ever worn a tux.

It's not all that fun.

 The food - my one and only payment for working (Tiffany was paid)

It was a pretty crazy night.  Nothing too amazing happened, just a lot of hurried madness.

A few really fun things did happened:

• When the press were asking Melissa Leo questions I had to walk in front of her (like two feet away) and crouch down awkwardly.  I didn't mind - she's still got it!
• Christian Bale was openly candid with the press - much more than I had expected.  The best jokes of the evening came from his self-deprecating humor.
• One press woman asked Natalie Portman why she wasn't wearing Dior (apparently she's the face for that designer), then also asked about the designer that made anti-semitic remarks.  The moderator avoided this by interrupting "we're going to move on to the next question."
• I saw Trent Reznor.  Seriously guys - Trent Reznor!!
• Everyone of the winners looked exactly like they do on the screen.  Some of them were smaller and shorter than I thought (except the Australian bloke who won best animated short, he is truly that short.)
• The food was seriously awesome.   Well worth the free labor.
• Being that close to the winners made me feel extremely excited to meet and talk with them, but of course there's no chance I could do that in the venue and situation I was in.  It also really made me want to try harder to make it there some day as a guest and possibly nominee.  This is why I do what I do!  To dress up in funny clothes and pat myself and others on the back.  It's about recognition of your talents and abilities.  It's about getting to know others who share your love and enthusiasm for the business of making movies.  It's about partying and having a good time because you worked hard all year.

Would I do it again?  Probably not unless Tiffany wanted me to.  I would however take an invite to the show in a heartbeat (nudge nudge).

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Dungeon Crawlers

My buddy Spencer is a pretty talented cartoonist.  Ever since I've known him he's been able to draw funny doodles and such.  Especially during class!

His latest opus has been the Dungeon Crawlers Comic.  IT IS BRILLIANT!

I advise you all to go and RSS the blog right away: http://dungeoncrawlerscomic.blogspot.com/

I'm proud that he has been able to create this comic and keep it going week to week.  It's especially difficult when you're working full time and trying to do something creative.  Hopefully someday he can quit and work on this sort of thing full time.  Something like Joel Watson and his HijiNKS ENSUE webcomic.  (Seriously, check out his cool explanation of "The Experiment" on his website.  It's very inspiring.)

Mostly I'm just excited for Spencer to get some recognition for his work.  That's what it's all about.  That's why we create (it's why I write).  We want others to share in the joy, humor, excitement of what is on the page.

Best of luck to you Spencer and all that you do with this blog.  I am a fan.

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Writer Levels

I've been thinking lately about where I stand in my writing.  Then I realized I shouldn't compare.
But I did think of something that may be of use to you writers out there.  It's a basic Writer Level comparison chart.  Well it's not really a chart, but it's a list of levels that could easily be made in to a chart.  But I don't have the time.  Either way, the information is there.

The basic levels for writers that we use in Television are:

• Baby
• Staff Writer
• Story Editor
• Executive Story Editor
• Co-Producer
• Producer
• Co-Executive Producer
• Executive Producer
• Showrunner

Consulting Producers are thrown in there sometimes as well.  The consultants are usually higher level than producer, but they don't want to give away profits on the show like an EP.

Features don't have a level system like this, but they do have increasing levels of pay depending on how much you made on your last writing job and how much the studio believes your work is worth.

I thought of a few levels myself, some that can help paint a better picture of how the work and dedication that goes into becoming a full-time TV or Film writer can pay off.  Here they are:

• Novice Writer: Anyone from those just starting out to those who have written a great deal but haven't been staffed on a show or been given a professional writing job.  No this does not include Independent films unless you win awards and/or get wide distribution for the film.
• Beginning Writer: You've landed a staff writer position or you've sold a spec screenplay.  You have officially been put on the map as a writer worth your business.  You can now continue to work your way up the ladder.
• Intermediate Writer: You have been on staff for a while, maybe you're a Producer (TV only) by now.  You have a few pilots or features in the works that you're trying to sell around town.  You know the game and it doesn't surprise you.  Writers at this level have been known to secure Blind Script Deals or feature writing assignments.
• Advanced Writer: You've sold one or more pilots.  You may have even had your pilot go to series.  One of your features has made it all the way to the theaters and you have retained credit (believe it or not, this is a very hard thing to do).  People now recognize you as a writer by trade and you might be hassled by novices after a Q&A sometime.
• Expert Writer: You have been a showrunner, you have had several features made, you are an officially recognized (by IMDb and others) writer.  Congratulations.  Now good luck getting your next project off the ground (because your neighbors cousin just made millions selling his stupid YouTube channel to MTV).

It seems that an individual can jump from Novice to higher levels depending on success, but this is a very hard thing to do.  Everything in this town is about popularity.  It's just the way it is.

Maybe you can talk to your neighbor's cousin for a job on his YouTube show?

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Book Review: A CHRISTMAS CAROL by Charles Dickens

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Synopsis:
A mean old miser with is given a second chance at overcoming a cruel afterlife. During the night of Christmas Eve, he is visited by a series of ghosts that show him how different Christmases influenced him in the past, how the present world around him is more than he knows, and how bleak the future can be if he doesn’t make a change.

Thoughts:
This tale has been hashed and rehashed on the big and little screen over and over again. To be honest, I’m not sure I will ever care to see another version for the rest of my life (especially not the new Jim Carrey version). However, reading the original tale is something completely different. It was a quick and wonderful read.  It is also really scary.  Surprisingly more haunting than I had thought.

A few times Dickens would go off topic with describing an event or an object in detail that has absolutely no meaning to us in our day, at those times it became difficult to focus on the reading. For the most part they were few and didn’t take away from the enjoyment for too long.

Just in case you were wondering, The Muppets did my favorite adaptation of the book. You may agree or disagree, but that film influenced me in many ways.

This tale from Dickens breathes of life and love. It gives you an overall sense of enjoyment for the Christmas season as well as the love and affection of those around you. Dickens was a master of the written word, and this short tale has had such an impact in the world that it is worthy of emulation. It was enjoyable if not only for the sake of knowing his words in a more intimate manner.

What I Learned:
Learn the power and effectiveness of words to get your point across more effectively. Describe things in the greatest of detail without boring your audience. Learn a grand vocabulary so you may use it for the benefit of your tale.

Suspense comes from within our character’s reactions. You can describe a thing in detail to the reader, but it’s in the character that we become panicked, queasy and stressed. Use their emotions and actions as a tool against the audience to make them uneasy.

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Back on the Wagon

It's been a while since I've posted some regular items to the blog.  I've added a few things here and there for the past few weeks, but nothing of substance.

I just posted my book review of Bone, and soon I will post my review of A Christmas Carol (that's how behind I have become).  I am still very much interested in completing my list of 52 books, but because of several events as of late the schedule has been thrown out the window.  I was doing well for the most part, but unforeseen circumstances can be a detriment to the most avid timekeeper.

With the help of my buddy Spencer, I am working on weekly goals for writing.  This includes my blog, so to answer to him I am working on being a better blog writer.  This isn't an apology or a resolution, just an FYI to the two or three people that enjoy reading the nuggets of inspiration up here.

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BONE by Jeff Smith

Bone: The Complete Cartoon Epic in One Volume by Jeff Smith

Synopsis:
Three Bone cousins are kicked out of Boneville and stumble upon a world they never knew existed. Their presence in this magical land awakens an evil that had long been forgotten and starts the course of a war that involves a royal family, dragons, and the fate of the entire world.

Thoughts:
At first glance I wasn’t quite sure what this whole thing was about. What are these weird bone creatures and what’s with this weird land? It was all strange and confusing, especially when friends tried to pitch it to me.

After the first few pages, I was absolutely hooked. It is so wonderfully written and beautifully drawn. There are elements of Disney, Bill Waterson, and The Lord of the Rings influenced throughout the work. I’m really grateful I picked up the full epic, because each book ends with a gut-wrenching mystery, compelling me to keep reading. It is definitely worth your time, and it is most definitely worth the $25 you will spend on Amazon to get a copy of the full epic. I highly recommend.

What I Learned:
Mystery is best revealed piece by piece. End each scene or act on a strong mystery and keep the audience guessing.

Also, start your story as late as possible for it to make sense. Don’t worry about the audience being able to know your characters because they will know them through their words and actions. Just get into the story as late as you can and leave as soon as it is finished.

Up next: A CHRISTMAS CAROL by Charles Dickens

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Thought you should know...

Chindo-gu is the Japanese art of inventing ingenious everyday gadgets that, on the face of it, seem like an ideal solution to a particular problem. However, chindo-gu has a distinctive feature: anyone actually attempting to use one of these inventions would find that it causes so many new problems, or such significant social embarrassment, that effectively it has no utility whatsoever.

via Wikipedia

Now go to this website and view the catalog: http://website.lineone.net/~sobriety/

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Writing Goals 2011

Hey folks, it's that time again.  Time to discuss how you did last year and how you intend to do better now.

I myself have done fairly well this past year.  My goal was simple in 2010 (as was my childish understanding of this business one year ago... oh silly, naive me).  Last year I wanted to complete five (5) full-length screenplays - also accepting two complete pilots to count towards a screenplay.

Here's how I did (in sequential order):

1. THE GILLIAM EFFECT (co-written with Spencer)
2. SEVEN GLADIATORS (co-written with Spencer)
3. THE FRIEND ZONE
4. DINNER TIME (co-written with Spencer)
5. LOST & FOUND Pilot
6. BAND OF THIEVES Pilot (co-written with Spencer)
7. SPIRITS Pilot

And that doesn't include all the really great projects that I pitched, outlined, and threw out mid-keystroke.

For 2011 - I want to go on record with my goals so I can look back and cry about not fulfilling expectations as I did last year.  Here's the lineup:

• 2 Features - One with my bud Jacob Parker and another with my oft-times writing partner Spencer Holt.  Actually, maybe three if I decide to do Scriptapalooza this year.
• 3 Pilots - Two Drama (I'm already outlining one drama with an element of sci-fi).  One comedy (probably with Spencer).
• 3 Short Stories - Two sci-fi(ish) and one dramatic.  Not sure where to place them once finished though - any ideas?
• Novel Outline - Only going to do the outline.  I have a project that I'm excited about and I've written a great deal already, so this should be a lot of fun to get through.

So that's it!!  What do you have planned?  Anything I should know about?

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Tried to remember this quote verbatim for my friend Tim, but couldn't.

To love is to suffer. To avoid suffering one must not love. But then one suffers from not loving. Therefore, to love is to suffer; not to love is to suffer; to suffer is to suffer. To be happy is to love. To be happy, then, is to suffer, but suffering makes one unhappy. Therefore, to be unhappy, one must love or love to suffer or suffer from too much happiness.

Sonja, Love & Death by Woody Allen (1975) 

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