Unrelated to screenwriting but interesting…
Interesting comments people have phoned in about concerning the current Mel Gibson story… Listen to them below.
I’m curious about this story for several reasons…
First, Mel Gibson is one of the few Republicans in Hollywood so in my opinion, he’s definitely going to take a slightly harder beating than a Democrat.
Second, many many people all over the world, let alone America, thought PASSION OF THE CHRIST was anti-Semitic.
Third, with the alleged anti-Semitic remarks made during the arrest, will a simple press released apology be enough? Especially with the world’s current events?
I predict he will apologize quite a few more times… Check himself into some kind of alcohol rehab program… Get out — more apologies. Slowly slide back behind the scenes into producing… Maybe directing but something tells me that might take a while. I don’t think we’ll see any acting for awhile…
I could be wrong… Will be interesting to watch.
Probably the best coverage on the web is here: Mel Gibson DUI arrest
Unk
Tags: Mel Gibson
We, The Screenwriter…
From the web site: We, The Screenwriter
Uniting 16 film and television writers for a richly entertaining and often surprisingly revealing dialogue, We, The Screenwriter explores the personality, process and profession of being a writer working in today’s Hollywood.
Sounds interesting… Can’t wait to check it out when it’s available.
Unk
Tags: We The Screenwriter Film Writer Television Writer Hollywood Screenwriting Profession Screenwriting Documentary
What FASCINATES YOU? –finale… Last sword in the horse.
Wow… You people REALLY came out of the woodwork on these discussions about screenplay competitions! These blog things are very interesting but hey, at least you’re listening.
I’m still receiving email… 60 plus and counting.
Hence, the reason for this post… I cannot possibly reply back to everyone and quite frankly… Some of your emails I’ve received seem just shy of a death threat… LOL.
And that’s okay because just to let you know… I don’t take any of it seriously.
My posts about FASCINATION has apparently become the INCITING INCIDENT in some of your lives. Good or bad… For that, I am grateful.
Somebody had to put it out there and for those of you (as Poke so elequently pointed out) artistes who found it necessary to lambast me about screenwriting contests… I was purposely vague about mentioning specific contests.
The majority of you out there KNOW which contests are worthy of submissions so you don’t need me to research it for you and to be honest, I don’t have the time nor the inclination.
But please indulge me in one LAST observation about screenplay competitions…
For years, screenwriters wanting to break into the business, scream and yell about how hard it is to get a break. First of all, let’s face it. Most screenplays written by those trying to break in are worthy of little more respect than a fire log.
However, just as film festivals started springing up like wild fire within the last several years (due no doubt to the onslaught of digital video filmmaking), we now have screenplay competitions sprouting up in very much the same manner. In fact, except for those handful of competitions, I would go so far as to say that the majority of film festivals and screenplay competitions are the filmmaker’s and screenwriter’s equivalent to COMFORT FOOD.
Except for the very exceptional few, screenplay competitions simply are not the end all to breaking in the business. What is however, the end all to breaking into the business is a FUCKING OUTSTANDING SCREENPLAY.
So let’s say you write that fucking outstanding screenplay and submit it to the BUMFUCK EGYPT Screenplay Competition where the judges are the local artistes (remember them?) working at a nearby university… Cool, right?
Let’s take it a step further and say that your fucking outstanding screenplay even has a high concept! Holy shit! You’re sure to win Bum Fuck’s contest!
Several month later however, the results come out on Bum Fuck’s web site and you search your ass off… Then you take a break. Then you go back and search again because they surely must have made a mistake, right?
YOUR NAME CANNOT BE FOUND.
Instead however, you read the logline of the WINNING screenplay…
“The story of a young misguided debutante who takes over the family’s worm farm.”
Now you’re wondering, “What the fuck do I do now? Do I go learn as much as I can about worm farming and write a better screenplay or do I quit?”
Okay, okay… That’s too extreme.
But you do think to yourself, “What the fuck, over?”
And therein lies my point… As you chomp down on that comfort food and submit your fucking outstanding screenplay and lose to the worm farm epic, some part of you has to wonder if you’re in the right business.
All I’m saying is, don’t take the bait… Hey, that’s kinda funny. Bait. Worm farms.
Anyway, it is my contention that by and large, many of these film festivals and screenplay competitions THINK or worse yet, PRONOUNCE they are helping to change the scope of filmmaking and screenwriting in Hollywood.
Don’t believe it for a second.
If anything, many of them are perpetuating the myth that your worm farm epic is the kind of film that puts asses in theater seats.
And maybe… Just maybe… If you can find the high concept in the worm farm epic, there could be some truth to that but let’s face it… The simple TRUTH of the matter is that the ticket buying demographic would rather see PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 2 than a worm farm epic.
Comfort food does not equal hard work, extensive knowledge of the craft, or high concept.
Write what FASCINATES YOU. Find the HIGH CONCEPT in your story and write it into your screenplay. Make that screenplay a fucking outstanding screenplay. Shop it around and WE WILL TAKE NOTICE.
Insert sword in horse and twist.
Unk