How do you know you're meant to be a writer? Here's a hint: Do you keep working despite the constant rejection,self doubt,and the little to no income to show for the hundreds of hours of blood, sweat and tears poured into your pages? If you won an Oscar for your screenplay,(and the big payday to go with it)...would you stop?
Here's a quote from Aaron Sorkin, right after he won an Oscar for the Best Adapted Screenplay for The Social Network.
“Well, I’ll be very candid with you. Lately, and really since the movie came out and it got the kind of critical reaction that it’s got and cultural reaction that it’s gotten, I feel like I’ve been hyper aware that whatever I write next is going to be the thing I wrote after The Social Network. I’m going to spend tonight enjoying this and tomorrow starting something new. I think that’s what I have to do. I just have to keep writing, keep doing what I’ve always been doing which is writing, trying to write something that I like, something that I think my friends will like, something that I think my father would like and then keep my fingers crossed that enough other people will like it that I can earn a living.”
Now THAT'S a how a real writer thinks.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Tangled in the Web
Okay, so after two days of feeling as dumb as a brick (are bricks dumb? Seems like unnecessarily high expectations for an inanimate object) I managed to get my website http://phyllisheltayscreenwriting.com/. It might not be "up" yet, but give it a try. This is where I might load up a few interesting things along the way. Right now it's just an empty shell of nothingness, really. Writers need a presence on the Internet in order to brand ourselves, especially if you're not located where you can get face time with industry professionals and/or don't have an agent or manager.
So now that I've sucked up a chunk of time wading through the 'how to' of site building, it's back to the real work of writing.
So now that I've sucked up a chunk of time wading through the 'how to' of site building, it's back to the real work of writing.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
The Long and the Short of it
My short film HITMAN is wrapping up production in L.A. this month. Ricky Moore of Rosenbard Films is the filmmaker, and he's had to battle the demons of lack of funds and time to take it from my script to post production. I'm excited to see the outcome of all that hard work when it comes out this summer and *crossed fingers* we eventually get it onto the festival circuit.
I also have a short MUSTANG optioned with Lucas Krost, an award winner director in Richmond, Virginia who is a champion of regional filmmakers.
If you write feature length screenplays, it's a good idea to consider writing shorts too. Is it because they're easier? No! It takes just as much energy and creativity to craft a 10 page short that has impact and character development as a 120 page script. Story is story, and all the rules apply. Short films are often a calling card for writers, directors and film students to garner notice of their talents. Filmmakers usually have to fight tooth and nail to scrape together enough personnel, time, and money to get these films completed. We're talking serious commitment. And that bodes well for producers looking for professionals to work with on feature projects.
I'll keep you posted on the progress of these films and tell you where you can see them when they're launched into the world!
I also have a short MUSTANG optioned with Lucas Krost, an award winner director in Richmond, Virginia who is a champion of regional filmmakers.
If you write feature length screenplays, it's a good idea to consider writing shorts too. Is it because they're easier? No! It takes just as much energy and creativity to craft a 10 page short that has impact and character development as a 120 page script. Story is story, and all the rules apply. Short films are often a calling card for writers, directors and film students to garner notice of their talents. Filmmakers usually have to fight tooth and nail to scrape together enough personnel, time, and money to get these films completed. We're talking serious commitment. And that bodes well for producers looking for professionals to work with on feature projects.
I'll keep you posted on the progress of these films and tell you where you can see them when they're launched into the world!
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Rewrite...rewind...rewrite
The best thing, and the worst thing, about coming to the FADE OUT on a script, is the realization that I only have a few short moments of exultation before the real work begins. After the first rough draft it's almost a luxury to crawl back over the words to clean out the flotsam and jetsam (where the hell did these words come from and do they ever stand on their own? "Cyril, did you take out the jetsam?")- it gives me the satisfaction of straightening out a neglected closet. I know there will be those painful moments where a certain piece of dialogue I thought was brilliant turns out to be a pile of embarrassing crap, but the challenge to make it better kicks me in the butt and gives me the energy to get back into the game of characters and story. This is what it's like when I'm rewriting my spec scripts...alone...no time restraints or notes.
Rewriting from notes given by readers or a producer brings another type of challenge: it means satisfying somebody else's opinion about a certain element (or entire acts) of a script. Sometimes I disagree with those notes, but try to understand why they're saying what they're saying. My writer's ego can get in the way and often does. Being a professional means understanding the nature of the business - it's collaborative dummy! It takes a whole lotta folks and money to make a film, and everyone wants - and needs - it to be the best it can be.
When the process gets too heavy (the script seems to be getting worse with every pass, or I feel like every original idea has abandoned me for good)I press the rewind button and try to remember why I wrote the damn thing in the first place! We all have tricks to stop us from abandoning the sinking ship - I cook, ramble around the web, walk my dog, and phone a friend who's up for a 2 hour blab fest. Oh yeah, and sometimes a shot of Irish whisky does wonders to quiet the nagging doubt.
Rewriting from notes given by readers or a producer brings another type of challenge: it means satisfying somebody else's opinion about a certain element (or entire acts) of a script. Sometimes I disagree with those notes, but try to understand why they're saying what they're saying. My writer's ego can get in the way and often does. Being a professional means understanding the nature of the business - it's collaborative dummy! It takes a whole lotta folks and money to make a film, and everyone wants - and needs - it to be the best it can be.
When the process gets too heavy (the script seems to be getting worse with every pass, or I feel like every original idea has abandoned me for good)I press the rewind button and try to remember why I wrote the damn thing in the first place! We all have tricks to stop us from abandoning the sinking ship - I cook, ramble around the web, walk my dog, and phone a friend who's up for a 2 hour blab fest. Oh yeah, and sometimes a shot of Irish whisky does wonders to quiet the nagging doubt.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Some Inside Help
Here's two websites that are invaluable in getting exposure for your completed screenplays. Inktip will post your logline, synopsis, and script for a reasonable fee. Producers and managers who join can fill in a search with specific requirements and voila! your project will pop up. Only industry subscribers can see your listings. I have optioned a feature and two shorts through Inktip (and you can list as many loglines for shorts as you want in the free public listing part of the site). A preferred newsletter gives you direct access to companies looking for specific projects.
Another great site is Virtual Pitchfest where you can send queries to producers and managers that subscribe to the site and have listed their preferences re: genre etc. Now this is a little pricey unless your really do your homework and target the right company. Your query will be sent, then notice of their response will be emailed to you. You have to be on your toes and have your screenplay in polished condition if it's requested, and work on your query letter to get the biggest bang for the buck. The site shows a sample query letter. My odds have been 3 out of 10 pitches result in a request to send the script. They'll never know you're sending it from Tasmania!
Another great site is Virtual Pitchfest where you can send queries to producers and managers that subscribe to the site and have listed their preferences re: genre etc. Now this is a little pricey unless your really do your homework and target the right company. Your query will be sent, then notice of their response will be emailed to you. You have to be on your toes and have your screenplay in polished condition if it's requested, and work on your query letter to get the biggest bang for the buck. The site shows a sample query letter. My odds have been 3 out of 10 pitches result in a request to send the script. They'll never know you're sending it from Tasmania!
Outside the Loop
If you're reading this it's a good bet you have Final Draft or Movie Magic minimized on your other screen and you're wondering: What moon is she writing from, and am I on a similar revolving satellite? If you've ever asked the question "Is it possible (or even advisable) to be in the business of screenwriting when I don't live in Los Angeles?" Then you, my friend, have landed on the right rock.
Since "blog" is the combo of "blather" and "log" (I'm guessing), that is what I'll be doing. Rambling about writing screenplays and trying to get them read by industry professionals, sold, and on the screen. And since of this date you won't find me on IMDB ... you know I'm still in the trenches. There's no one way to break in, and I can only talk about my attempts and perhaps help you avoid my mistakes to save valuable time. I've taught a few screenwriting classes, and there's always a great interest in what tools or resources are the best in the scrum of websites devoted to the art. Hopefully along the way I can impart some wisdom in that regard. Or this blog just might be my way of steering away from my Final Draft screen whenever I get stuck...we'll see.
Since "blog" is the combo of "blather" and "log" (I'm guessing), that is what I'll be doing. Rambling about writing screenplays and trying to get them read by industry professionals, sold, and on the screen. And since of this date you won't find me on IMDB ... you know I'm still in the trenches. There's no one way to break in, and I can only talk about my attempts and perhaps help you avoid my mistakes to save valuable time. I've taught a few screenwriting classes, and there's always a great interest in what tools or resources are the best in the scrum of websites devoted to the art. Hopefully along the way I can impart some wisdom in that regard. Or this blog just might be my way of steering away from my Final Draft screen whenever I get stuck...we'll see.
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