two years since my last blogpost – two years since my last update on The Journey So Far – i’d like to say a lot has happened, but that’s over-egging it a bit – that said, some progress has been made, but of course, not as much as i’d like … I guess some people are never happy
so, for those of you interested, here’s the update
let’s start with yesterday (240423), when i posted an ad across a bunch of facebook groups that seem to be of interest to producers, investors, directors and such like – i doubt if this will amount to anything, but what the hey, right? – the ad is for my screenplay, The Last Discovery – i’ve advertised it before, but this time it comes with a PITCH DECK
Pitch Decks, we’re told, are a “must have” in this day and age, as people just don’t have the time to read screenplays – and, apparently, they don’t have the money to employ staff to do it for them
i based my Pitch Deck format on a document put together by ScriptHop which you can find here – they’re hoping to create a standard for the industry – which is a nice idea – and while i found their book useful, i ended up modifying their approach slightly, in line with my experience in creating presentation documents and brochures, back in the day
i’ve created Pitch Decks for all five of my completed feature film scripts – a process i found to be both gruelling and boring [1] – this was despite the occasional flash of insight or inspiration, which would then make me go back to the script and make some minor tweaks
i will be advertising these five scripts on facebook and instagram over the coming weeks – i’ll let you know what happens – hopefully before another two years pass
for the rest of this post, i’ll refer back to PART 3, and note what’s happened since
social media
yes, i’m still dabbling – slowly, slowly i’m making … what’s the word? … contacts? – no, that’s maybe too strong – more like people who you nod at, after briefly making eye contact during your morning commute – still, it’s progress of sorts
I did get pretty active during the AWG strike in the U.S. – mostly posting a series of 24 quotes from actors, directors etc about how important the script is – i posted these in various screenwriting groups, as a show of solidarity and whatever – and was saddened (but not entirely surprised) when the posts got pushback from people who wanted to be, and in some cases actually were, working screenwriters – wtf?
three of the twenty-four inflammatory posts
then, because i’m a sucker for punishment, i posted a few graphics around the word “content” and how it denigrates the efforts of all the creatives in the screen-story business – and once again, i was saddened (but not entirely surprised) when i received pushback from some writers saying we shouldn’t get too hung up on WORDS ... seriously?
i mean, referring to movies and series as “content” is like referring to people as “human resour—” … oh, wait
– the first panel reproduces a quote by the fabulous Emma Thompson
btw: if you’re interested in an extended rant on why “content” is such a noxious word, i suggest you watch Patrick Willem’s essay here
in my faltering efforts to, uh, “network” i tried Craft Services – Craft Services claim they want to create a “dynamic, diverse, and unprecedented community of talented new screenwriters and writer-directors from all over the world and to help them launch their creative careers – for free” – sounds great, yeah? – and i found nothing to suggest that they weren’t totally legit and sincere
... so, maybe the timing wasn’t right, but i found their primary way of communicating to their community, via a Discord server, to be too overwhelming – that said, there seemed to be a lot of enthusiastic people there, so maybe i’ll give it another whirl when i have the time
producer/director
as i mentioned, i initially gained their attention through my script Rain Dogs – for the last year or so, we have, in between their other projects, been working on a feature script
they currently have the second draft and, when they’re done with post on their latest project, i’ll be expecting their feedback – fingers crossed!
released scripts
the last feature script i released was Hairy Man Creek – this is the “low-budget creature feature” i mentioned in PART 3 – like The Last Discovery, this is me trying to keep the costs down to a dull roar – which means the creature is only seen at night, and only in the last ten pages
i should also mention i’ve completed nine shorts, ranging from 3-22 pages – the shortest, You’re Early, is also the most popular, and has been produced three times (twice in the U.S. and once in Germany) – to date, it has won one-or-more awards at eight festivals – another short, Thirty-Seven Dollars, has been turned into a radio play by First Read Radio
scripts in progress
in addition to the script i’m writing with the producer/director, there are:
Oubliette (mentioned in PART 3) – this still needs to be completed – by which i mean, i need to delete a bunch of stuff and cleanup a few issues – not a huge task ... and then it’s “just” the Pitch Deck to do
U.S. producer project – is still on hiatus
another creature feature – written with a partner a few years ago, it has now been resurrected and, after some discussion, hopefully needs only a quick rewrite and a polish ... and the Pitch Deck to do
evil landlords feature – have most of the outline sorted, just looking for a killer ending
and then there are the three old scripts i mentioned in PART 3, that have the potential to be turned around relatively quickly ... so there’s plenty to be carrying on with, before i start sifting through my stack of new concepts
Script Revolution
the site seems to be growing nicely and, unlike ScriptHop (see below), occasionally attracts some eyes to glance my way – that said, most of the eyes are interested in my shorts, rather than my features – but at this stage, any interest is better than none
particularly when the interest is a positive review – here’s one for my 5-page script Thirty-Seven Dollars, and here’s one for the 22-page Ghost & Zombie
i also try and contribute to the site by sharing a blog post or two, and wading into the forums every now and then … although i must say, the forums are almost the opposite of Craft Services’ hectic Discord server, with people dropping in a comment or question, every a week or so … i like to imagine it’s because they’re all too busy writing
ScriptHop
the ScriptHop honeymoon is over – it is now a subscription service that i can’t afford – particularly as i never got much in the way of traffic, through them – thankfully they published their “how to write a pitch deck” book, so that (in my eyes) more than covers the loss of their service
blog posts
in PART 3 i listed a few of my posts that may be more interesting to writers than the one you’re currently reading – at the moment i have no new ones to add – however, i do have a few in development, and i hope, by noting them down here, i’ll be compelled to complete and post them:
Eleanor Roosevelt – her quote, “great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people” prompted me to muse upon our current focus in storytelling, on emotions, particularly those of the individual, and wonder if it’s limiting the kinds of stories we can tell – and in turn, if this harmful to the art form, and society at large
Gilligan’s Island – in which i pitch an updated version of the beloved 60s sitcom, but make it WOKE AF ... and fold in a sci-fi element to help “explain” why they could never be found
Rating Horror Movies – here i try to get around the issue of how some horror fans fixate on one metric or another, when deciding if a movie or series is “good” – and in the process, confine and reduce what horror stories can be – making themselves, and the genre, poorer in the process
Readers – in which i explain how i use non-screenwriters (mostly friends) to review my scripts, and why
Weird – here i discuss how it may be possible to make weird (in the literary sense) movies and series, that could appeal to broader, mainstream audiences
so that’s it for the moment – best of luck to all of you
[1] boring because i’ve already written the story, and now i’ve got to tell it again, but in a weird, chopped-up format … it feels a lot like having to explain a joke, and I worry about killing the frog