serious play

Pick a Challenge, any Challenge

July 26, 2009 by openchannel 4 Comments

August is a fine time to work your creative mojo. Everyone’s doing it! And they’re doing it in the form of challenges and experiments. Below are a few that I recommend.

Please let me know if there are any more out there in the coming month/s and I’ll add them to the list.

The 3:15 Experiment

Anyone who follows my blog with any regularity knows that I participate in the annual 3:15 Experiment every year. Basically, a shifting menagerie of poets (and prose writers, actually) wakes up at 3:15 AM EACH morning during the month of August and writes. Our goal is to write while riding a 1/2 dream state. Magic happens. We have a Facebook Group now. Join us.

August Postcard Poetry Fest

Started by Paul Nelson and Lana Ayers, the Postcard Poetry Fest challenges you to send 31 postcard poems, one for each day of August. They START it NOW if you’d like to participate… and I’m not sure you still can, but you can go to their website or FACEBOOK group and ask.

The rules say that on July 27th (tomorrow!), you write an original poem right on a postcard and mail it to the person on the list below your name. Starting on August 1st, ideally in response to a card YOU receive, keep writing a poem a day on a postcard and mailing it to successive folks on the list until you’ve sent out 31 postcards. I’ve never participated but some year I think I’ll write my 3:15 poems on postcards. That would be fun.

10 shorts in 10 days

This is a little invention of my friend Tod McCoy and myself. It happens irregularly (whenever we feel like lighting a fire under our butts). We write either 10 short films or 10 pieces of micro fiction in 10 days. This August we’re writing short scripts. Anyone out there is welcome to join us. There is no official website and no official place to post them, although if you’d like to post them on your blog and send us a link, that’d be swell.

We’re starting on AUGUST 10 and running until August 19. The rules are simple: Write a short script (or story) per day. Badda bing, badda boom. In the past our short scripts have run about 3-6 pages (in standard format). If you wonder what I mean by micro fiction, check out any one of my 56 Flavours stories, most of which were written during a 10 day challenge.

The 3-Day Novel Contest

This contest has been running for 30 years. It wins. I’ve only participated once, but had a blast doing it. Some day I’ll dig out the novel and rewrite it. It happens over Labour Day weekend (Sept 5-7 this year). They also have a Facebook page. If you want to officially participate, and for a chance at fame and fortune, you have to register, which involves $50. If you just want the challenge of trying something new and don’t care about official registration, I suggest forming a group and holing up somewhere in a 24 hour coffee shop together. Oh, yeah, the object is to write a novel in 3 days.

G.A. Pitchfest Part 2

June 22, 2009 by openchannel 3 Comments

The Do’s, Don’ts, Myths, Facts (around the industry, pitchfests, and pitching)

This post is a collection of things heard straight from the pros mouths and from my own observations of what I consider “bad behavior” – meaning things that will make you annoying and appear difficult or amateur.

The last thing you want to do is appear difficult to work with or ignorant of the industry. I don’t care how good your script is, if people decide off the bat that you are going to be a pain in the ass, you’ll never get your brilliant script read. You are asking them to invest precious time, energy, and money in your project, working with you for many months, even years… if you don’t sell yourself first, you certainly won’t sell your script.

Do NOT…
… pester executives / decision makers at networking parties. The first thing out of your mouth when you meet someone at an industry event should not be a pitch. How do you know you even want to work with this person if you don’t get to know them?
… carry the DVD of a movie you made around with you trying to show it to everyone you meet.
… go to a pitchfest if you are not a serious screenwriter. Serious screenwriters have more than one script and many more in their heads. Serious screenwriters have spent time on their craft. They know how to edit and they know how to take criticism. They understand that filmmaking is a collaborative process. If you aren’t in it for the long haul (and it is a haul), you’ll be wasting everyone’s time.

Myths

-NO ONE IS GOING TO STEAL YOUR IDEA. If you are afraid to pitch to an executive because you think they’re going to steal your idea you need to get over it. First off, they are professionals. If they got caught stealing ideas, their reputations would suffer. But even more practical than that… the portion of the budget that goes into the script/writing is minimal. It makes more financial sense for them to buy your idea from you than risk going to court.

(BTW – When I was teaching a screenwriting course, one of my students didn’t want to share her story with the rest of the class because she thought they might steal it. First of all, if you took that idea and gave it to 10 people, they’d end up with 10 different scripts. Second, after they wrote it, they’d have to spend months/years polishing it and pitching it and somehow get someone to produce it (where it would be changed again). Sounds like a lot of effort to me towards someone else’s idea. But also – you’ll never get the feedback you need if you don’t share your script.)

-Whoever has said your script won’t get read/made if over 100 pages is misinformed. Keeping it tight is a must (i.e. 130 page scripts tend to put people off), but if it’s a tight script at 115 pages, and it’s a great script of course, people won’t care. A great script is a great script.

-Big agencies are not always better. They could be too big for you. They might not have the time to really work with you. They are really looking for the NEXT BIG SCRIPT. You may be better off with a boutique agency.

DO!

–Network! Get to know people and get to know the people that you know. You don’t have to know a lot of executives to get assistance in the industry. Start with the people you know already. If you have a friend who is an assistant director, take them out to lunch and ask them for advice. People are suprisingly more helpful than you might think. You just need to ask.

-Take chances and be flexible! Don’t be married to your ideas (could the protagonist be the magician rather than the orphan?) or with your vision of what your career looks like. If someone asks you to write a commercial for a petstore and you think this is beneath you, you could be missing the opportunity to make a good impression on people who might offer you more work.

-Love what you write. Whether high concept or art film, it’s going to be with you for a long while. Everyone can smell inauthenticity in a script written simply because you thought you were following some formula for a blockbuster.

-Enter reputable contests. Although not the “golden key” to production, they will get you noticed and management companies do care. BE CAREFUL of scammy contests with no professional merit or valuable offering for the winner. The Reel Breakthrough panelists all mentioned Cinestory, Fade In, and the Nicholl Fellowship. One panelist said she entered a contest and didn’t win, but one of the judges optioned her script.

G.A. Pitchfest Part 1

June 17, 2009 by openchannel 4 Comments

There’s so much to tell about the Great American Pitchfest that I need to break my posts down into bite-size nuggets.

Right off the top I have to say the whole thing is worth the price of admission. If you are serious about screenwriting and ready to take yourself to the next level, it is definitely the place to be. If nothing else, it will give you a crash course in pitch practice, something that every screenwriter must learn to do (no matter how much we detest it).

(I have only been to the FTX Pitchfest in Vancouver and to this one, but there is also the Hollywood Pitch Festival in August, which is even larger)

Saturday consisted of FREE workshops and panels that anyone could attend, even if they weren’t signed up to pitch on Sunday. I’ve attended so many workshops and panels on screenwriting that much of the material was redundant. But for those who have been writing in a vacuum, there was a great deal of value.

There were workshops aimed towards writing such as “megahit movie climaxes,” “mastering the creative process,” “writing great endings,” and Dara Marks “Inside Story” workshop on personal themes. There were also workshops on how to pitch, how to network, legal tips, and working with agents.

There were panels of action movie screenwriters, comedy screenwriters, executives giving advice on what they’re looking for in a pitch, and my favourite panel: Reel Breakthroughs.

Reel Breakthroughs was a panel of screenwriters who were just a step or two ahead of us, the ones who had recently gotten feature scripts optioned/bought. I liked it because it was very authentic and encouraging. It was personal stories from people I could relate to. The message to me was simply keep doing what I’m doing. There is no one way to make it, you just have to persevere and ride the ups and downs. They had taken courses, entered the right contests, and networked. (hands down they all said the CINESTORY and FADE IN contests were the most useful)

And of course, they kept writing… and writing… and writing.

(UP NEXT: do’s, don’ts, myths, and facts)

Gone Pitchin’

June 12, 2009 by openchannel 4 Comments

So much for updates… guess I’m not going to be hired as a live blogger any time soon! I got so distracted in Banff I never posted anything and now I’m already in L.A. for the Great American Pitchfest. More on that later…

The Banff World Television Festival.

Folks in the industry just say “I’m going to Banff” and colleages know they mean the festival, even though visiting Banff any time of year is a treat.

Banff is a town located in a national park on the southwest border of Alberta, Canada. It’s so stunning that photos don’t do it justice and it’s impossible to get used to the views.

(bit of trivia: Because the town rests inside the national park, there is no freehold land available. The town pays $550,000 annually to the Government of Canada to lease the land within its municipal boundaries.)

The top photo is the Fairmont Hotel where conference attendees schmooze. The bottom is the Rundel Range, just one of the stunning mountain views. (photos from the Banff National Park website)

This year was the 30th anniversary for the Television Festival. It is known as THE place to be if you want to know what’s happening in the industry and/or you want to meet with decision makers to pitch a show. The hotel was crawling with attendees and pitch meetings were taking place everywhere from the lobby to the bars to the cafe.

Banff is not cheap. The “rookie rate” (for newbies) for the festival is $1,000. More if you’re a seasoned pro. Add transportation, accommodation, and food and you’re easily looking at $2,500 – $3,000. Everyone swears it is worth it and it is indeed a good time. I think industry folks love it because it’s such a beautiful spot. The mountain air loosens everyone up.

If you are an attendee you can schedule face-to-face meetings with agents, take creative interactive workshops, learn about the biz via panels and speakers, take master classes, network at parties, lunch (and bowl) with decision makers, etc. Major players in the industry attend Banff each year.

If you don’t have the money for a delegate pass or don’t have a show to pitch, you can do what I did and just go to hang out. I went to support a friend who was piching a TV show. I attended all the parties. Sat in on a pitch session. I was even kidnapped by a Russion TV producer and taken to a private party. I made new friends and connections, some I know will last for years to come.

There’s plenty to do even if you’re not a delegate. Everyone ends up in a local bar at the end of the evening. Women in Film and Television Alberta puts on a party for a $5 donation the first night of the festival. And if you get tired of industry talk you can wander the town or go for a hike.

I highly recommend attending if you’re interested in Television (or Digital Media, because there’s a 3 day component before the TV fest begins). You won’t learn as much in such a short amount of time than at Banff. But if you’re tentative, try what I did and go with a friend who is a delegate so you can suss out the situation and return the next year knowing how the festival works.

10,000 Hours

March 19, 2009 by openchannel 2 Comments

I just picked up Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers and I love it already. I love it when anyone can make me see anything in a different way. I love when people uncover things that are right in front of us, simply by asking the right questions.

Chapter Two is all about the “10,000 Hour Rule,” which has been proven over and over again to be the magical amount of time one needs to practice something in order to master it. (practice meaning “purposefully and single-mindedly” doing the thing “with the intent to get better.”) In one particular study of a group of top violinists, it was discovered that there were NO “naturals” – people who had gone effortlessly to the top while practicing much less than their peers – and NO “grinds” – people who worked harder than everyone else but still didn’t make top ranks.

This isn’t the first time I’ve heard something similar. Poet Peter Rabbit once said that you have to write for 10 years before you can call yourself a writer. 10 years at 20 hours of practice per week (or 20 years at 10 hours per week) equals 10,000 hours.

I’ve often wondered why I felt “mediocre” in a lot of things and master of little. It’s likely that I’ve flitted around doing so many different things. There is a lot to be said for focus.

I realized recently that I’ve had my 10,000 hours of poetry. Would I call myself a master? I’m not sure. I’m definitely more confident about my poetry than any other form of writing. Screenwriting would come next, then novel writing.

Is there anything you have done for 10,000 hours? Do you consider yourself a master?

(hey, I just realized… I’ve had over 10,000 hours of sleep! Am I a dream-master now?)

Serious Play – Redefining the Body

March 16, 2009 by openchannel 2 Comments

Baby and I haven’t had TV since Dec 28th and haven’t missed it. Mostly because all our spare time is taken up with renovating the house.

Instead, we’ve been addicted to T.E.D. Thought provoking talks under 20 minutes… What’s not to like? Add some chocolate and I’d say that’s a pretty good date.

We both enjoy the talks where art meets design. Or, in this case, where poetry meets prosthetics.

Aimee Mullins has gone far beyond how the traditional medical community might design artificial limbs. It doesn’t have to be about function… it can be artful, it can be whimsical.

Aimee Mullins

“A prosthetic limb doesn’t represent the need to replace loss, any more… it can stand as a symbol that the wearer has the power to create whatever it is that they want to create in that space… so people that society once considered to be disabled, can now become the architects of their own identities and indeed continue to change those identities by designing their bodies from a place of empowerment.” ~ Aimee Mullins

[ted id=”482″]