Archive for February, 2010

I have enjoyed the random “odds and sodds” post I was doing there on Fridays ever so briefly, but failed to post yesterday due to exhaustion more than anything else. So, without further ado, a day late and a dollar short, here’s the randoms post for the week.

- New Trainer = Ouch! (This was one of my Facebook status updates yesterday.) I made it through the two sessions this week. My new trainer has the same approach as the head trainer. In fact he stated it to me this week. Basically, it’s “I’m not doing my job if I don’t push you right to the brink of passing out or getting sick every session.” Which is what almost happened yesterday. On one hand, I know it is somewhat good for my health to be pushed this hard. On the other hand, I’m not enjoying my time at the gym at all, which is not good. That and I’m in a tremendous amount of soreness and pain for several days after.

-Still no word on the Nozik/Haggis/HWY 61 meeting. In fact, there’s been some communication difficulties on our side of the table. So, I’m not real sure where anything stands, at the moment.

-On the serial killer film, now titled John Doe, which I’ve been developing all through the fall and winter with the talented young director Anthony Onah, is headed to pages, which is lovely news. Mostly for me, because I get to put thought into action after months of preparation.

-That clears the flight deck for breaking the story and developing Dead Man’s Hand with Alan and his boss, the head of development of Right Brain, a subsidiary of Nala Films. We officially convene in the “tank” at their offices to work the white board together and come up with a killer story for our Chinatown in the desert.

-It also clear the deck for Jason and I to attack some scripts collectively and get this graphic novel slate off the ground. Which I think we’d both be quite happy about.

- Kept, the play, is coming along. I wrote a two page scene that contained one line of dialogue today. It was a curious experience. Writing the play is all about exploration for me. I have no idea where this is all headed and I’m enjoying that more and more each day. Though, I’m also starting to think about a novel. I can tell it’s almost time for me to try my hand at one and see what happens.

-Cards signed Felipe Lopez, a super utility switch hitting threat, for about 1.25 million on a one year contract. I am amazed they got him. Thankfully, this should spackle the one glaring issue we had on the bench – no dependable left-handed bats. TLR, a.k.a The Skipper, knows how to use his utility guys. In fact there’s no better field general for a utility player to take the field for. Tony loves his grinders who can play anywhere and hit anywhere, “with the potential (re:hitting) for some damage.” I’m gonna miss LaRussa when he retires.

-Furthermore, down in Jupiter, Tony’s already been riding young, hyperactive, but immensely talented shortstop Brendan Ryan. On the one hand you have the unforgiving, certain Hall of Fame, veteran manager and on the other the screw loose, ADD, hyper, always puts his foot in his mouth potential gold glove shortstop. I think Tony loves to ride Brendan, take shots at him in the paper, and generally let Brendan know that he’s about to lose his job at any given moment. It’s funny to watch and its taken on a kind of ritual now.

- Been listening to a lot of Yo-Yo Ma as I write.

-Me and the CPAP are slowly learning to co-exist. Though my relationship with sleep has grown even more contentious lately, despite my best efforts to alter my nocturnal struggles.

One last thing: On his Facebook page, avery good friend of mine has the following:

The trick is finding satisfaction even when things aren’t perfect.                                                         Then you’ll find that actually things are perfect.

Definitely words to live by.

Good Night….

A very good friend of mine texted me tonight on finally reaching Fade Out on his final UCLA Script. He’s not in school this quarter and had an extension of his script for fall quarter, which is his last quarter. He is now officially a Master of Fine Arts in Screenwriting. That sounds pretty cool, doesn’t it?

I have touched upon it here and there in other posts recently, but even then have not stopped to contemplate fully the so called “end of the road” and what crossing the finish line will mean. I may not even be able to completely wrap my head around it, though I would like to take a moment to pause and reflect upon the past three years, which have totally transformed me as an individual and a writer, and all that comes with this degree.

I think what I’m getting at here, working it out in this post tonight, is that in this final lap it’s easy to fall into the mindset of looking forward, worrying about what’s next, and placing all my attention on that. Certainly there’s a need for that right now. I’m in the process of building a bridge from school into the industry and a career, hopefully. Or into a university and a teaching career.

But, I should not cheat myself, once the dust settles, to step back for a day or two. Maybe drive up the coast and savor the accomplishment. Let it sink in a bit, before I go tearing off into the next phase. I think, by late June or so, I’ll have earned something along those lines.

More importantly, I feel it’ll be necessary to do to some degree. Even if it’s just a day in Los Angeles where I turn off the phone and forget the world for a moment and enjoy where I am.

One unescapable thing we touched upon in this text exchange was just how fast the time went in the grad program. It’s almost indescribable. It feels like its been minutes since we arrived, went through orientation, and were at the start of it. I really do mean minutes. Maybe even seconds. So, stopping to enjoy the end, as well as trying to slow things down a bit now even, is important. It’s too easy to not feel satisfied with your work, especially when your alone with it most of the time.

That’s not to say I’m not excited about what could come next. I really have no clue, but it’s an exciting time filled with a lot of promise. I feel quite confident that no matter what shape the next phase of my life takes, or where my road takes me to; I’ll be happy, or at least more content than I have ever been before.

This isn’t what I sat down to write about tonight, though. Part of our text exchanged dwelled on the regularity of typing in “Fade Out” at the end of a screenplay nowadays.  Those two words are the goal of every dramatic writer, basically. That’s what it all boils down to – I want to write “Fade Out” and be done. It’s that simple.

When you start out, writing that one hundred and ten page script and reaching the promised land of “Fade Out” feels like a major, major journey. The whole process of pages seems heavier and the work, day in/day out, more of a grind. Reaching that final clatter of the keys became cause for major celebration. I did it. I wrote a feature length screenplayNow, especially post-UCLA and the ten week deadlines – one after the other, “Fade Out” feels so….normal. It’s expected. It’s no problem (for the most part.) It will happen. There’s no questioning whether or not the story works, whether  or not you can make it through the second act with your sanity intact. Essentially,  all those self-doubts and insecurities that seem so much more prevalent or weightier in the early years of writing feel lighter, less vocal, and not so frightening or paralyzing (if at all, really) now.

Shockingly so, when he brought it up, and I thought about it for a minute. First of all, he’s dead on. I write three times or more the amount of projects I wrote before school in a given year. But more importantly,  for me, it’s about the volume of pages per day that I churn through on most days. For example, I had the playwriting class today and brought pages to read. I walked in with fifteen pages. There was a time when that would’ve constituted a week’s worth of work, not a day and a half’s. There’s also a time when that churning out these pages would’ve been so exhausting, not what I did before lunch.

So, we have the “Fade Out” on my dream of attending film school, and the easy-going “Fade Out” that comes with being battle tested. There’s a connection there in these two thoughts…but I’m tired and can’t put my finger on it. You’ll have to figure it out without me.

More Shutter ISland tomorrow!

FX has a new series premiering in a week. It stars Timothy Olyphant, who played the righteously tortured gunslinger Seth Bullock in David Milch’s Shakespearean western, Deadwood. I loved Olyphant with a set of shootin’ irons in his hands. He just nails the cold, tightly clenched fury of a man who lives by his Colt. 45. He seems like the kind of cowboy my Grandpa Jack would’ve routed for, wholesale; or one my brother Chris and my brother-in-law David would really get into, along with me, obviously.

I saw the teaser trailer for the show and it promised some excellent things, namely this kind of razor edged performance by Olyphant. The series is inspired by an Elmore Leonard book, Fire In The Hole.

Here’s the blurb on the show:

“Olyphant stars in the lead role of U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens. Givens is a modern day 19th century-style lawman, enforcing his brand of justice in a way that puts a target on his back with criminals and places him at odds with his bosses in the Marshal service. That conflict results in a reassignment for Givens to the U.S. District covering the town where he grew up. He is an anachronism – a tough, soft spoken gentleman who finds his quarry fascinating, but never gives an inch. Dig under his placid skin and you’ll find an angry man who grew up hard in rural Kentucky, with an outlaw father, who knows a lot more about who he doesn’t want to be than who he really is.”

There’s a bunch of trailers out there for it. It’s airing on March 16th. Let’s hope it’s good. What I did want to share was the poster/key art for the series, which I saw for the first time today.

I’m so in. I love it. It’s downright iconic, without trying.

I absolutely love photographs, more than any other kind of visual fine art. A picture is truly worth a thousand words and then some. What I love about a still image is the spark it creates in my imagination. I’m often captivated by a random image, my heart and mind spinning through a series of questions and possible answers – what time of day is it? what’s going on in there? what state of mind was the photographer in? what feelings do the colors or the light strike in me? These questions are so familiar when I see an image, as an exercise that I do, and have countless variations, that they spill out with instant answers – kind of like ripples across water. I’m envisioning myself in that picture, or as someone in that picture, in a scene or a moment, filling in the emotional textures from past memories and instances. Often times. late at night, I’ll go surfing across the web, searching for photos that strike a chord in me and downloading them whenever it’s possible.

I thought I’d share these tonight. I won’t get into commentary. I’ll let you have your own moment. Enjoy.

Not much doin’ today, beside writing or the wrestling with the task of writing that constitutes getting warmed up to write. Still with me? I had to sink down into KEPT, the play I’m writing. It’s high time I get some pages rolling here. It’s been lingering on the back burner a little too long.

Look’s like we’re going to pages/first draft in a week or so on John Doe, the gritty L.A. neo-noir feature I’m writing for a UCLA director and producer, Anthony Onah and Justin Begnaud. I was recruited for this one, which was nice. Justin made the introduction, but I was recommended by a Producer who graduated my first year at UCLA and is now at Sony as an Exec. Tony and I have put in many hours developing the story. So, it’ll be nice to get rolling on the pages.

Once that’s officially in flight (as in pages), Alan and I, under Seth’s guidance, will reconvene on Dead Man’s Hand. Pushing that idea towards the runway. In addition, The Rose Cross Brotherhood (Jason and I) are cooking up Narcos, our next one hour pilot; as well as a couple of feature rewrites/polishes and the ever present graphic novels we’re tossing around. This while we wait for CLIPPED, et. all to travel around town.

In other words, a pretty full plate. Honestly, I would gladly leave school/not come back for the spring (as much as I twinge when I say it, because that’s how much I love school) if I could figure out the money situation. There’s a lot of work happening, but no pay. Which I’ve mentioned before. Unfortunately, it’s part of the whole dance. Another nail-biting, gut check sacrifice to make. Maybe the last of the breaking in kind, who knows? I’ve heard from a few people who have some experience that this is what it is, the final barrier to cross. You work extremely hard for free, or practically for free, prove yourself and if your good enough, something goes forward and you get paid. Then your in and a whole new set of pressures start.

That was kind of the theme of the meeting on Friday, besides the idea. If you deliver a great first draft in a timely fashion, you’ll get paid something. In other words, Rookie, make it happen and you’ll stay in the line-up.  All in all, I think I’m up the challenge. Bring the Heat!

Not much tonight. I’ve had a long week. There’s still some playwriting that has to happen one of these days and Doc’s (apparent) man cave is encountering some wireless intraweb difficulty. Not fun.

- Time-Warner came out today and a 1/2 hour (tops) router switch, turned into a two and a half hour debacle. I had internet when the guy arrived, by the end I had no wireless internet and my desktop computer wasn’t registering any wireless connection. Not fun indeed.

-Meeting/pitch went extremely well. Sadly, I’ve been ordered by the head of development to not speak of the idea quite yet – until we register it in the form of a two pager. But that being said, he really loved it – alot. So, this past two weeks of Alan and I on the phone at 11p.m. going until 2 a.m. or so, really paid off. We have some strong, well-drawn characters and good central premise.

-Meeting went so well that we will be developing it in house. As in breaking story with Seth, that’s the head of development’s name. Which probably means we’ll cut down on the late nights considerably. Seth, who’s a writer as well, will get a chance to  voice his thoughts, add, and guide the story now, instead of after a draft is written, which should save time, money, and – hopefully – cut down on the odds against the script getting made.

-No money up front. Which, I believe, is the way development is headed for most of us writers. Gone are the days of big fat development deals and spec sales, unless you hit home run after home run. I will get paid, though, if the company decides to try and set it up at a studio, or just make it.

- I really, really wish the Cardinals would a) suck it up and increase their annual player payroll to 115 million to 120 million, b) get a left-handed bench bat at the very least (Hello! Felipe Lopez is still looking for a gig!), c) Sign Albert to a big fat contract for the rest of his life. He’s my generation’s Stan Musial.

-Not real sure how to feel about the whole Mark McGwire  deal.

-I want to paint before the new shelves arrive. Or, rather, I want to pay someone to paint before the new shelves arrive. (Though I seriously doubt this will happen.)

- My friend Tiff, who I’ve mentioned before, wrote a really special, amazing blog post today. My favorite line in it is an honest to God, quote for the ages line:

Because I am not tethered to this road, but rather, it is here for me to step upon.

Wow. So true. In life, as an adult, quite possibly this is one of the toughest things to not only  learn, but also to hold onto and practice – no matter who you are.  Thank you, Ms. Antone. That’s going next to the computer.

-Shutter Island, people. Written by Laeta Kalogridis, who’s a proud Bruin Scribe and has come to Suber’s class several times to speak. She came our first year – two years ago – just as she was leaving to go back east where they were shooting Shutter Island. She’s coming back, next wednesday to Suber’s current class, who are writing a paper on Shutter Island this weekend. I’m not in the class, but I plan on ducking in to hear her again. It will be a nice moment of completion and return.

-Yes, I realize Shutter ISland was directed by Scorcese and I didn’t mention that.

More tomorrow….

My sincere apologies….

I took President’s Day off, and actually a good portion of Valentine’s Day, too. Just sort of had to, but getting back into things was a little messy of course. So here we are. A few days have passed since we last spoke. Of course, it’s terribly late and I have a dental appointment early (for me) in the A.M.  So this might not be the longest post. But I was thinking of you and thought I’d pop by and let you know that I hadn’t disappeared.

Part of the week’s been spent prepping a bit for a meet and greet I have Friday afternoon at a production company that a friend is at right now. More on that later, but it’s a good thing. Always good practice to get our there and swing the bat (so to speak) in live game situations. Still no word on the HWY 61/Nozik meeting. I hope that gets locked in soon. Jason and I have been getting great early feedback on Clipped, our first pilot. We are off and running on our second as we speak. More on that as it develops.

Went and saw a play tuesday night. It was The Female Of The Species at the always beautiful Geffen Playhouse in Westwood. The Geffen has an affiliation with UCLA, as well as some kind of connection with Steppenwolf in Chicago. I was able to score student comps and went with a friend. The Female Of The Species is a prime example, with a cast top lined by Annette Benning and David Arquette, of one of the more fun parts of the sometimes hit or miss theater scene in L.A. (Which I’ve been deeply immersed  in thanks to my dear friend, and talented playwright, Tiffany Antone); which is the fabulous casts that some productions get with rather well known and talented film actors who are tired of chasing roles that don’t interest them, or merely want to stretch and do something different. Annette Benning in particular does a lot of theater in and around UCLA. This is the second time I’ve seen her. The other time it was UCLA’s Freud Theater in Medea (Remember the sand, Tiff!), in which the entire stage was covered in sand as if it were…a beach I think. I’m still not sure. Anyways, you get wonderful casts sometimes and it heightens the experience a bit. This doesn’t stop just with the headliner either. The play also featured, in its supporting cast, tow rising television stars from two of my more favorite shows right now. The first was the absolutely hilarious and cringe inducing Merritt Wever (who plays Zoe, the glefully oblivious nurse in training on Nurse Jackie) and Mireille Enos (who plays the ethreal and riveting Marquant Twin Sisters on Big Love.) They were both wonderful. I had no idea they were in the cast.

Before I head off to bed, I also want to share an Esquire article about one of Chicago’s most iconic figures and one of this country’s most respected film critics Roger Ebert. I’ll be straight with you. It’s an unflinching look at his devastating battle with cancer and his fierce spirit to not give in to the disease that has ravaged him over the past few years. I found it to be quite inspiring. I do follow Roger on Twitter (of all things) and he is a huge presence – constantly posting. If you’d like to read his eloquent and frank reaction to the article on him, check out his blog entry here.

Ebert was the first film critic to win the Pulitzer Prize. I, like many, know him from Siskel & Ebert. I grew up watching that show. Usually on Saturdays around 5:30 p.m. or 6 o’clock. Especially when I was in grade school, my Mom and I would watch it. My Dad usually reading, glancing up at certain reviews. In the winter, on Sylvandale, the fire would crackle and pop as the Thumbs would deliver the verdict back and forth.

While in Chicago, one  summer evening, I was down in the Loop, walking down a side street, probably towards the Washington El stop where I could catch the Blue Line back to Wicker Park. My side of the street was empty. I came upon State and was about to turn, when Roger Ebert walked right past me, all alone and in a Tuxedo. He hadn’t lost any of the weight yet. He was moving fast. I stopped. I remember wanting to say something, but not being able to get the words out. He was gone in a flash. I was left standing on the street corner.  Definitely regret not saying “Thank You” to him that night for his love of the movies and how he shared it with the world so tirelessly.

Okay, so some very introspective posts lately. Which is all well and good. But, it’s Valentine’s Day and I’m taking the WHOLE day off. I think. Every time I say I’m going to take a day off, as soon as the words leave my mouth or the thought my brain, another voice pops up and starts laughing and says “yeah, right.”  Hmmmmm. Might have to work on that.

Onward and Upward!

For Jason and his sister Jessica, both true shark connoisseurs, plus any and all of you out there who appreciate a true b movie, I give you:

SHARKTOPUS  THE MOVIE!!!!!

I’ve got three words for you:  A. MAH. ZING. Sometimes you just have to cut loose and go there.

Yes, people get paid to think this stuff up.

This is been on my mind the past few days. It was part of the randoms post last night, but I cut it out and set it aside one more night to think on it some more. The thoughts involved are meant to be some general clarity on the early entry “Inner Playwright.”I think maybe that part of that post, in proclaiming my joy over playwriting, made it seem like I had lost the love for the projects I am working on; and that, until playwriting, everything had turned into this joyless slog that I found difficult to be fundamentally creative in. Quite the contrary! I think this stems from my look at the professionally pressure free atmosphere of playwriting versus the more currently supercharged professional pressure of, say, television writing. Like, I had become stuck writing other people’s ideas or something, because I needed a career and I had no ideas anymore of my own, possibly.

In looking back at the post, I can see how it reads like that. In ruminating on it and my working headspace here, nearing the end of the UCLA experience, these thoughts developed. To be clear, I only write what I am intrigued or engaged with when it comes to a project or idea. Sure, it may not be so obvious on the surface or at first; but this is professional writing and I find it and cultivate that connection. If I don’t see that personal glimmer or spark in there, then there’s no point in doing the project. Not at this stage at least, and  never really if you think it through. The trick is to remember that when they’re backing up the Brinks truck or you’ve run out of unemployment and your stomach’s rumbling a little too loudly. You see engaging with the project or idea, in a personal or emotional way, is part of the development process. If you don’t have that, the idea or project will usually run you over and become a mess.

In conjunction with that, I live in a constant flow of creativity. It’s a pretty incredible existence. Literally, my wildest dream come true. Now, if I could just get paid a few bucks! But, that’ll come. I worry less and less about that. I have faith. This is not a secure path. No matter how much I wish that it would be, it won’t ever be. It’s just not meant to be. So, if I accept that and accept failure as a crucial part of the process, I should be in constant flow, steady movement. Which is right where I want to be. I don’t want to slow down. This train has left the station.

Now, that constant flow of creativity is not a trickle, like it was in Chicago. It’s not a weekend and after work thing; or hanging out at the bar talking about it, wouldn’t it be cool thing. In L.A., and UCLA, it is an eyes open to eyes closed, non-stop, eight days a week, total immersion, roaring, rain swollen, flood waters kind of thing. I might’ve pretended it was this way in Chicago, but it wasn’t even close. Now this crazy rushing version of the writer’s life  just so happens to be how I like it. Much to my team of doctor’s chagrin. Sure, I get tired. Everyone does. Talk to Brett Favre about that. To whit, I could probably write for the next fifty years and probably not cover all the ideas I have. That’s what happens when you’re this plugged in. The imagination becomes Olympic class (as a working set of muscles.) If it doesn’t you burn out or quit. I’ve seen it happen with really talented individuals. You also get much better at focusing on the root thrill of the whole endeavor – entertaining someone or a group of someones. Getting that gasp, inducing those chills, hearing them chuckle, drawing a tear or two. Wanting that kind of feedback is what drew me in as sixth  grader, in Ms. White’s english class at St. Joe’s, when I pillaged Agatha Christie and Love Boat and a play I had just seen at the Children’s Theater to craft my first play, a chilling murder-mystery. It was 45 pages (or so)  long and hand written. I wish I had a copy somewhere.

Also, I have realized, that I don’t write because it’s fun or cool. Well, not anymore at least. Wait. That’s not entirely fair, I do a bit. I mean who would spend all that time, working hard,  if it wasn’t fun? But it doesn’t always  have to be. That’s the distinction. It’s beyond that finally. Way beyond that. I sit down every day just about and ply my craft.

I wish we could come up with different words besides craft and art. I really don’t like art, in particular Anybody got any thoughts, leave them in the comments page. I don’t have any desire to be an “artist” and never have. What I’ve dedicated my life to – about twenty-five years or so  now since that first play, is not that glamorous and mystical. It’s more of a hammer and nails sort of deal, trust me. I make stories. I see things. I feel things. Then I make stories out of those materials. Largely about identity for some reason. The stories are in my DNA. It’s who I am. It’s not who I want to be anymore. I’m there. Full on. That’s a powerful statement when you stop to look at it. (At least to me.) Ultimately, I can safely say UCLA gave me the confidence and skill to say that about myself. To say and know that I am a professional writer. I am a skilled craftsman. The funny thing is that I feel like writing picked me, I didn’t pick it. In fact, I wonder if any professional writers feel like they picked writing, or it just picked them? I guess what I’m getting at is that this isn’t a hobby or passion anymore, it’s a way of life now. It’s muscle memory now. It’s second nature. It’s breathing.

(Well, early Saturday morning actually)

Don’t quite have a full post in me. Just bits and pieces.

- Got a new trainer today at the gym. Not quite sure how I feel about it yet. He wants me to come twice a week and while I am committed to my health right now, that’s a tall order. Don’t know what happened to my old trainer. I’m getting the odd feeling he was fired, though everyone says he’s on vacation. I wanted to wait for him to get back and the head trainer wouldn’t let me. I was enjoying the gym before, achieving some nice consistent results. My old Trainer never felt the need to overwhelm me and he would keep track of when I was coming in on my own which kept me honest and on track. This new guy and the head trainer believe in making you hurt for days after. Not my style.

- Found out this week that I’m supposed to meet with Michael Nozik again at HWY 61. He’s Paul Haggis’ partner in the company. I had hoped that I would get a chance to meet with Paul, too; but he’s still in New York for the time being, probably working on the cut of his next film, The Next Three Days. It’s still a great development, though. Michael’s a great guy, and an big time producer. I’m not quite sure what we’re going to talk about – I thought that we were on hold for the next big TV pitch window in July.

- Read this blog by Mr. Latshaw. Go down to Number Four in particular. Two words – UNDERWATER ROLLERCOASTER. I’m not even a fan of rollercoasters and I want to see this happen. Why hasn’t it? They put a rollercoaster on a rooftop in Vegas and one in the Mall of America. This should happen, right?

-My dear friend, and a truly gifted playwright, Tiffany Antone is departing L.A. for Arizona for what we’re all hoping is an extended sabbatical. I’m personally quite sad. Though I know Tiff is feeling the change, so that’s good. Still sad!

- Saw An Education. It should win best picture, but it won’t. You should see it as soon as possible.

That’s all I’ve got for now. Take care of yourself. Do something sweet for someone else.

Spring Training starts MONDAY!