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I saw these videos yesterday and couldn’t stop laughing.

First, Suzi Barrett’s “I Hate L.A.”…

But not to be outdone, Darwyn Metzger decided to respond with his video “Sh*t People From Colorado Think But Don’t Say When They Live In Hollywood”…

For those that don’t know, both of these videos are poking fun at the current “Shit People [insert description here] Say.” The whole meme was funny when it started, but as with most memes burned out it’s welcome extremely fast.

Anyway, it helps that both Suzi and Darwyn are actually funny.

Keep writing,
-Steve

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I came across this article about producer Lindsay Doran a week or two ago. I remember reading it and thinking that Lindsay was super smart, had some great perspective and insight, and I wanted to post about it on the blog. But then I sort of forgot about the article. This morning while listening to this week’s Scriptnotes podcast, John and Craig brought up the article and talked about it a little bit. So I figured it’s probably a good idea to share it.

After reading the book “Flourish,” by Martin E. P. Seligman, a catalyst of the positive-psychology movement, she began rewatching films through the lens of what Dr. Seligman identifies as the five essential elements of well-being: positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning and accomplishment. (He refers to these elements collectively as perma.)

The results surprised her. And they inspired a stealth campaign to reverse the Hollywood superstitions that a “movie is only art if it ends badly, and that you’ll only win an Academy Award if you write or direct a movie about misery or play someone miserable,” as she put it.

Lindsay’s main argument is that, as a a veteran market researcher told her, “What makes an audience happy is not the moment of victory but the moment afterwards when the winners shares that victory with someone they love.”

Think about that for a moment. Think about your favorite movie. The one that makes you feel all giddy inside. The one you can watch over and over. Think of the next two or there down the list. How many of them have the protagonist sharing their victory with someone they love. And I don’t mean love in only the man/woman sense, I mean in an emotional sense. Think Red walking up the beach to see Andy Dufresne in “The Shawshank Redemption.” I realized, she’s totally right.

The article as a whole is a great, and fast, read. It helped give me some new perspective into how I look at my screenplays, and hopefully it will give you some additional insight as well.

Keep writing,
-Steve

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I’m a big Denzel fan. “Man on Fire” is one of my favorite movies. “Training Day” is another one. I’ll even pop in “Devil in a Blue Dress” on occasion. So I was pumped when I saw the trailer for “Safe House” while I was waiting for “Haywire” to start.

Denzel, yes!

Reynolds, eh… if I have to deal with him to watch Denzel beat people up, so be it.

I’m checking out “The Grey” this weekend, but am already looking forward to catching “Safe House” next weekend.

Keep writing,
-Steve

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As writers we come up with ideas all the time. But not all of those ideas are enough to turn into a story.

I’ve been working on one such idea the last few weeks. It’s still early in the process, but it’s an idea I’ve had for a long time. Right now I’m in the process of gaming things out to see if this idea has enough meat to turn into a screenplay.

It’s a weird process. You take this idea and you start to throw a few darts at it. Maybe you have a strong idea for a character. Maybe you just have a strong hook. Maybe you just have this awesome scene you know has to be in the middle. Whatever it is, you’ve got something, and now you’re trying to see if you can stick anything else to it.

I have a bunch of exercises that I play around with. I’ll explore the various theories on the best ways to structure a screenplay. I’ll revisit the things I’ve read from Field, Snyder, and Gulino, each time learning a little bit more about the story I’m going to tell.

But sometimes, and unfortunately more often than not, I’ll hit a point where I realize I don’t have enough. I can’t make it work. There isn’t enough to turn this idea into a 100 page screenplay. And I walk away and try again with another idea.

It’s all part of the process. You need to know when to walk away as much as you need to know when to keep pushing through. I don’t believe in writing a script for the sake of writing. If I can’t put together a solid outline I’m excited about, I’m not going to be able to write something of any consequence.

Fortunately, I think with my current idea I’ve got something. I’m not there yet, but I can taste it. The signs are all there. The story beats are falling into place. The characters are coming along. But it’s still not quite ready. That’s going to take some more work.

But for those curious, here’s the title and logline:

The Time Tourist — When a meek computer programmer from the future travels back in time for vacation and gets stuck, she only has 72 hours to find a way to get home.

There’s far more to the idea than the log line, but the concept I want to get across is that in the future people use a form of time travel to go on short vacations. I think the title and logline both get this across pretty well.

The idea that hit me was as simple as “what if in the future people use time travel to go on vacation, and one of them gets stuck in the past.” It’s big. It’s broad. And it can basically go anywhere.

That’s as high level as many of my ideas start. From there I figure out characters, a narrative, a perspective, and whether or not I can evolve this idea into something broader. I’m almost there with this one, but I guess only time will tell*.

Keep writing,
-Steve

* Yes, that pun was as painful to write as it is to read.

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Caught Haywire today. Written by Lem Dobbs (The Score, Dark City), and directed by Steven Soderbergh (Traffic, Ocean’s Eleven), Haywire is the story of how private mercenary Mallory Kane (Gina Carano making her film debut) is double crossed in what appears to be a Federal Government coverup of some sorts, and her quest to find answers and get revenge.

The concept didn’t sound like anything new, and frankly it wasn’t. I mean, how many times have we seen the old “double cross/set-up” routine in thrillers. Even the concept of the Mallory Kane character was a bit cliche, an ex-marine working for a private contractor that offers mercenaries to do government dirty work. Nope, what interested me in this flick was Gina Carano.

How often have we seen an actin film with a female lead that we just couldn’t buy. Angelina Jolie beating people up? Please. Zoe Saldana shooting bad guys? Whatever. Keira Knightley as a bounty hunter? You’re killing me. I can’t buy any of them. All three weigh 100 pounds and would shatter on impact if punched hard enough. But Carano? She’s different. She’s legit. Why? Because she a professional fighter for Christ sake.

This woman beats people up for real. That’s her job. When you see her punch someone, she actually knows what she’s doing. When you see her snap on a key lock submission hold, she didn’t need to be taught how to do that, SHE ALREADY KNOWS! Basically, it’s one less thing you need to suspend disbelief about.

But, can she act? That’s the big question.

The answer, she acts well enough to get the job done. The script, smartly, keeps her range limited to the traditional tough girl role. There’s not a lot of emotional variance. We see her walk about being tough, because that’s her character. Some lines of dialog are a bit rough, there’s a few awkward looks here and there, but otherwise I thought it was a perfectly fine performance. I’ll tell you, there was one scene I thought that stood out, where Gina showed she has some potential as an actress. While undercover, she has to act like “arm candy” for another male agent she’s with. In a tight spot, worried about her cover being blown, she plays the “ditzy drunk” seamlessly, to the point where it really stood out. It didn’t seem forced. It seemed natural. We knew her character was “acting,” but it worked. Little things, a slight change in her voice, a different smile, mannerisms that were a little sloppy, it’s weird but it was enough to show me that she’s can make a go of this action movie thing.

The supporting cast, Michael Fassbender (in too short a role), Channing Tatum, Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas, Ewan McGregor, and BILL FUCKING PAXTON!!!!, was excellent, which is good because the script didn’t give them much to work with. Their characters were a little hollow and stereotyped, but not enough to bother me by any means. I actually liked Antonio Banderas quite a bit, and Ewan McGregor played a smarmy management type excellently.

The directing wasn’t really noticeable, at least in any manner that stood out. Soderbergh didn’t take any big risks, but didn’t do anything stupid either. The action was well done, and the camera kept back enough so you could actually watch and appreciate the fight choreography. None of this shaky cam bullshit where you can’t see anything. You could follow everything going on and know who was hitting who. The musical score was interesting, sounding at times like a classic spy film which seemed out of place on occasion, but otherwise got the job done. There were many moments where there was no score at all, and most if not all of the action sequences let the gunshots and punches provide all the soundtrack that was needed, which was a refreshing change.

Haywire is a fun film. You’re not going to get anything ground breaking, but at a running time of (before the credits) about an hour and twenty six minutes, even if you hate it you’re not going to be out a huge chunk of your day. I’m looking forward to seeing what Carano decides to do next, and whether or not this film does well at the box office. If you like action thrillers check it out.

Keep writing,
-Steve

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You wrote a screenplay. Congrats!

You managed to sell a spec script. Double congrats!!

A production company actually gave your script the green light. Triple congrats!!!

But wait, you say they’re having someone else do a rewrite? What does that mean? Will you still get a writing credit? Is a bigger writing name going to push you out of the way for the sake of marketing? What will you do?!

Most of us will never reach any of these scenarios. I know, heartbreaking, right? However, that doesn’t mean none of us wonder what would happen. Fortunately, the nice folks at Scriptnotes (and by folks I mean John August and Craig Mazin) have us covered.

Their most recent entry goes pretty in-depth into how writing credits are determined, the history of writing credits, how arbitration works, who does the arbitrating, and a bunch of other details around the whole process. Craig really knows his stuff when it comes to this area, and John offers some fun commentary and personal experiences as well. If you’re lucky enough to sell a spec to a WGA signee studio or production company, this is all stuff that will eventually impact you.

You can check out the show here.

And if you don’t already, I’d encourage you to check out John’s blog and subscribe to the Scriptnotes podcast in iTunes. It’s a nice and informative resource for aspiring writers to listen to, if only to hear Craig rail on so called “script experts” from time to time.

Keep writing,
-Steve

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Gina Carano is hot. She’s also legit tough. Whether or not she can act is yet to be seen. However, there is a MASSIVE need for a legit woman action star, because we’re just not buying Angelina and Zoe.

I’m looking forward to watching Ms. Carano kick some ass.

The supporting cast looks good too: Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender, Michael Douglas, and Antonio Banderas? I hope Banderas is a bad guy. He just sounds so cool when he talks.

IS THAT BILL PAXTON!?! SHIT YEAH!

Keep writing,
-Steve

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We got the prognosis for my father on Wednesday… stage one, type one, thyroid cancer. One of the most treatable cancers there are. It’s estimated that over thirty percent of all people have some form of thyroid cancer when they die. So basically, more people die with thyroid cancer than from thyroid cancer.

The prognosis for my father is excellent. He will be going in for surgery on the 24th to have the tumor and his thyroid removed. A few weeks later, he’ll undergo an special radioactive iodine treatment to remove any remaining cancer cells that might be left.

However, the best news was that the thyroid cancer was unrelated to his CLL, and the surgery and treatment shouldn’t aggravate it at all.

It’s weird though… as much as I’m glad that my father, for lack of a better term, will be fine, this whole scenario really brought home the reality that one day he won’t be there anymore. One day he will die. One day I won’t have a father anymore.

It’s a very unsettling feeling. All I can do is accept it, and do the things I want to do, so that when that enviable day comes, I’m not left saying, “I wish we’d just been able to…”

I don’t ever want to have that feeling.

Keep writing,
-Steve

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I’m really hoping this is good. Seriously. I think the story could be fantastic. However, seeing the Lucas name attached has be cautious. It’s a shame really… back in the day, seeing Lucas as part of a project let me know if was something I’d enjoy. Now, I see it and get worried I might cringe.

I don’t need this to be great, simply good enough is fine with me.

Keep writing,
-Steve

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My father was diagnosed with a form of cancer called Chronic lymphocytic leukemia about seven years ago. The 5 year survival rate is about 75%, which as you can see my father has met and surpassed. CCL is relatively treatable, but not curable. Many people can live a long time with CLL and remain active and relatively healthy until the very end. If you had to choose a type of leukemia to get, this would be the one you’d choose.

Eventually my father will die from CLL. He knows it. We know it. That’s just reality. But it’s not a thought that’s constantly in the back of our minds. It’s a ways off. And when things start in that direction we’ll know and have plenty of time to prepare. Until then, there’s no reason to worry about it, since life will continue on pretty much as it does every day. Or that’s what we thought…

On a routine visit to his doctor, they discovered a lump near my father’s thyroid. Last week he went in for a biopsy to determine if it is malignant. We expected the results to come on Friday, hence my last post. However, they didn’t and we had to wait all weekend to find out what the lab results were.

This afternoon, my father was informed the lab results were… inconclusive, but highly suspicious. Evidently, for this type of tumor this outcome for an initial biopsy isn’t that uncommon. A follow up with his normal oncologist is set for Wednesday.

A malignant tumor on your thyroid isn’t the death sentence that some cancers can be. Of the four types of thyroid cancer, 3 of them have a five year survival rate of 100% if caught in stage one. Even when they get to stage three, those same three still have a five year survival rate of over 70%. Normally, while this would be cause for concern, it’s an extremely treatable cancer. But as I mentioned, that’s normally.

My father isn’t normal. He already has one type of cancer. Now he’s potentially facing a second.

If this growth does turn out to be malignant, it complicates his CLL treatment. Things will need to be changed. Doctors will need to decide on a strategy to fight not one, but two cancers, without upsetting the delicate balance that my father’s body currently operates in. Depending on treatment outcomes, hard choices about quality of life will need to be made.

I spent a lot of time crying this weekend. I’m not going to shy away from that. I think anyone with a healthy, or even unhealthy, relationship with their father would feel much the same way I did. Father’s are our first heroes. They seem invincible. Able to accomplish feats that we can only dream of as children.

As we get older we begin to see them not as the myth our childhoods made them out to be, but as a real person. A man, plain and simple. Conversations change. Impressions change. Life changes. But that relationship, for better or worse, will always be there between a father and his child. They will always be connected.

As you can probably tell, I was lucky enough to have a great father. His only real fault was his smoking, and some years when he probably worked too hard and missed some things in our lives I’m sure he regrets. But other than that, I can’t really think of anything I wish he did better. He was intelligent. Encouraged us to explore books, art, and music. Show my brother’s and I that being big and strong doesn’t mean you get to be a bully. He never spoke of women as objects, and thus my brothers and I never looked at them that way. He loved to talk philosophy over some good wine.

Even with all that, I was lucky. Statistics say things shouldn’t have turned out this way. My father grew up poor. And I’m not talking politician’s story poor, I mean the real poor. The kind where there isn’t food. Where your brother’s and sisters don’t go to the doctor because you can’t afford it. There aren’t always clothes. You get kicked out of your house. That kind of poor. Detroit is a rough city, and my father was in the roughest parts.

He kicked his own alcoholic dad out of the house when he was sixteen. My father was built like an ox. And he knew how to handle himself. His dad had no choice but to leave. But the damage was done. Alcoholism runs rampant on my father’s side. Somehow, he managed to escape that cycle. The beatings that my father endured growing up were never reciprocated onto me. My father was the only member of his family to graduate high school. He was an all state linebacker. He went on to have a 30+ year career in IT. He did everything the statistics said he shouldn’t have been able to do. Maybe he can pull off that feat again.

Why share this? Why put this up on a blog for complete strangers to read? Because when I type it, and I click “Publish,” it’s real. I’m left with a marker that I’ve agreed to. A reality that I’m forcing myself to face. If I don’t say anything, I can live in denial. Ignoring what inevitability lies ahead. And I don’t want to go down that road. I’ve got plenty of time to say the things I’ve always wanted to do. I don’t want to be left with any “what ifs.” And the only way to prevent that is to start as soon as possible.

Keep writing,
-Steve