Posts Tagged ‘Terminator’

 

2009 Midyear Update – 4. July, 2009

Six months into 2009, I think it’s time to check in with those goals I set for myself back in January.

Getting Back in the Directing Chair – Sadly, I haven’t directed anything since I wrapped my film at the end of last year. I was hoping to direct a web series I’d been developing with a troupe of actors but that fell through. I’d like to get something under my belt before the end of the year, maybe a spec spot or a short doc, but at this point…

Write Two Features and One Teleplay – There is cause to celebrate here. I finally finished my TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES spec.

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Once I broke the story, the script came easily. And I gotta say I kinda enjoyed it. I really think I might give it another go later this year with a FRINGE spec.

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Oh, and for those wondering what I do with a T:SCC spec, so far I’ve submitted to the Austin Film Festival Teleplay Competition and the Disney/ABC Television Writing Fellowship and soon I’ll be sending it to the Warner Brothers Writers Workshop.

As for writing a new feature script, I always have to consider what I’ll direct next. I have a few ideas simmering. Basically, I’m deciding between a sequel to the film I just shot, a zombie flick, a coming-of-age comedy and a twist on the bromance movie. Of the ideas I just listed, each one gets increasingly bigger and I think that affects my ability to set them up as my next directing gig. I’m also working on a web-series of my own that I can’t talk about (it’s sorta a legal thing).

Network More – I’ve been trying to reach out to folks but there’s plenty of room for improvement. I am also on the verge of re-styling my website and then possibly this blog (more computer stuff to learn).

Work on Pitching – Yeah, I haven’t really worked on that.

As for my other non-film related goals, I haven’t achieved any of them. I’ve been swamped with work since the year started. But I am teaching myself After Effects and I’m learning how to use the Magic Bullet Suite.

Lastly, I hope you have a happy and safe 4th of July.

My First TV Spec – 8. June, 2009

For a while now I’ve wanted to try my hand at writing a television spec but I didn’t really watch TV so I never found a show I was comfortable diving into until I caught TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES.

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Soon after the series kicked off, I had a kernel of an idea for a script but I couldn’t break the story. Everything I hashed out didn’t fit the tone of the series and speccing TV is all about writing with the show’s voice. It was always “on again, off again” until May 12th. That day I received an email from the Austin Film Festival informing me that they’d extended the deadline for their teleplay contest to June 8. Okay, that gives me a deadline but I still hadn’t figured out the story. Then one morning as I was in the shower, BAM–I cracked the story wide open. That was May 17th. May 18th, Fox cancels the show.

This is the point when I should have thrown in the towel. But I kept hearing Brian Peterson saying that “TV writers get 2 weeks to write a script but sometimes they only get 3 days so if you can’t write fast, you don’t belong in television.”

Suddenly I had something to prove to myself.

By May 26th I had a 5-page outline. By June 1st I finished my first draft of the script. I took 4 days for the first rewrite and just 2 for the second. June 8th I rushed down to the WGA to register the script. 15 minutes later I was in line at my local post office.

For a recap:

  • 9 days to a 5-page outline
  • 6 days to a 60-page script
  • 6 days to pound through two rewrites before sending it off
  • I know that isn’t a world record (you all know the ROCKY story, right?) and writing shouldn’t be a race but sometimes it is and it feels damn good to cross the finish line.

    Now, time to sleep.

    No, wait, time to sync hours of footage.

    No, first some sleep.

    Posted in Screenwriting

    Hasta La Vista, TSCC – 18. May, 2009

    Today Fox officially cancelled their TERMINATOR television show.

    Cameron-TSCC.jpg

    So this brings me to my TSCC spec teleplay. I’ve been working on it for a while but hadn’t cracked it until I was in the shower this past weekend. Now, well, the question is this: do I still write it? It’s value as a sample is quickly diminishing but I could use it as an exercise. I could see just how quickly I can pump one of these things out. My deadline should be the Austin Film Festival Teleplay competition deadline (June 8).

    Deep breaths… and “fade in”…

    “Consult This: Getting Started in TV – Writers & Producers” – 9. January, 2009

    This time Film Independent hosted a seminar concentrating on how writers and producers break into hour-long scripted dramas. Brian Peterson (Co-Executive Producer, SMALLVILLE) gave out a few pointers to would be TV spec writers (like me) between dishing on the brutal truth of writing and producing a network show.  A few of the best tips:

  • You have to be a fast writer. Usually you get 2 weeks to script an episode but 3 days isn’t unheard of.
  • Have no more than 3 lines of action ever. If it starts to look like a block quotation, consider a job with Encyclopedia Britannica.
  • It seems like everyone can write decent dialog (Really? I find that hard to believe.) but they all forget the emotion.
  • Focus on the main characters. This isn’t a minor character’s time to shine.
  • Use every location twice. It shows you know the show and can write within the budget.
  • Don’t have more than 2-3 people per scene. More people means more money spent.
  • Don’t save your best hook for the end of the episode; use it at the end of act one.
  • Don’t try to keep ahead of the show’s weekly developments. Couch you episode in the previous season. This shows you can work within their parameters.
  • Honestly, that last one struck the loudest chord in me. If you’ve been following this blog, you know I’ve been trying to write a spec for TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES but have yet to finish it because I’ve been fighting to stay ahead of show. Unfortunately, once I have my spec plotted out, something happens on the show that forces me to alter my structure or my b-story or consider another character or… you get the picture.

    Posted in Education

    New Goals for 2009 – 1. January, 2009

    While I detest the ideas of new year resolutions I do believe that one should always have a goal. I think these are my professional ones (but I’m reserving the right to revise them at a later date):

    Get Back in the Directing Chair – Although I’m posting my first feature as we speak, I haunted by this advice/warning: don’t start your first feature unless you’re committed to finishing your third. Therefore, I should to get back in the directing chair this year. I’m not sure if that would involve a documentary, some webisodes or another feature. Regardless, I do know that the savviest directors get their next directing gigs before their current film debuts. How else could you explain Frank Miller getting to direct BUCK ROGERS when THE SPIRIT sucks so hard?

    Write Two Features and One Teleplay – I once heard Oliver Stone address Stanford university.  After verbally masturbating all over the audience for 90-minutes he managed to toss out one useful bit of advice. He said, “if you want to direct, write two scripts a year.” Okay, but then I have to face my first obstacle: want do I want to write? I’m not sure if I should write my romantic teen comedy, my horror comedy, my low-budget ensemble thriller or a sequel to the film I just shot.  Besides that, I want to write a TV spec. I’m pretty sure I’m writing something for this…

    TSCC-poster_sm.jpg

    … but there’s a chance I’d write a teleplay for this show:

    fringe-poster.jpg

    (honestly, I’d rather direct for the boob tube than write but I might as well give this a shot… let’s see if fate makes me eat those words).

    I Need to Network More – I’m not sure how to go about this exactly but I need to let people know that I’m a director they can trust to get the job done. Maybe I need to revamp my website and then drive more traffic to it. Maybe I need to get more eyes on this blog. Maybe I need to shoot more short stuff and post it on YouTube. Maybe I need to get more involved with… something. I’d really appreciate some advice here.

    I Need to Work on My Pitching – Ever seen BROADCAST NEWS? Remember Albert Brooks when he has to anchor the news? That’s what I’m like when I pitch. I really need to work on that.

    As for non-film related goals, I’d really like to travel outside the country, do something that scares me, take a class outside of my field, take a road trip, read more fiction, take up the guitar (again), save more, get healthier… you know, all the typical bulls#!t people resolve to do at the start of a new year.

    What about you?

    Update: I forgot to mention this show:

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    Easily the most kick ass new show on TV. Once season 2 starts, I’ll see if I can come up with a good idea for a spec episode.

    Where Are You Watching? – 3. December, 2008

    Last week the New York Times had an article on America’s changing viewing habits. Let me sum it up like this: it does not bode well for those of us hoping to theatrically distribute an independent feature film.

    In the tradition of “show me, don’t tell me,” why don’t I illustrate the point with a graphic.

    Viewing-Habits-graphic.jpg

    I can tell you that I watch new episodes of Heroes, Fringe, 30 Rock, The Office, The Simpsons & King of the Hill via Hulu. I watch the new season of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles as well as old episodes of favorite shows on my iPhone. I watch DVDs from Netflix (and from my own collection) on my television and I watch digitally projected feature films for work at work. What about you?

    Posted in Industry

    Judgment Day – 3. October, 2008

    Judgment day might be coming sooner than hoped for the Fox show TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES. Yeah, I know, I know, the purists say judgment day was August 29, 1997 but why don’t we cut the show some slack. Trust me, it’s better than the third movie.

    Why does news of this show’s cancellation bum me out? No, it’s not just because I bought an iTunes season pass. I’ve been working on a spec for the show since the end of last season. So that my work isn’t in vain, why not watch the season 2 opener?

    You can check out more episodes on Hulu.

    Oh, some of you might be wondering why I’m writing a TV spec. First, I wanted to try writing for an established show, see if I could wrap my head around their voice. Maybe it could get me out of my day job. Second, I love robots. Third, I love writing for bad ass teenage girls and damaged women and this show has both. Actually, I’m really good at writing for those two types of characters. You’ll have to trust me on that until I finish my film, when I’ll be able to prove that to you.

    Posted in General

    Hasta La Vista, Stan – 17. June, 2008

    Stan Winston, maestro of visual-effects, passed away today.

    terminator.jpg

    Damn, you made me believe monsters were real.

    Posted in General

    A Key to Better Films – 13. April, 2007

    Stan Winston (special effects guru with credits from THE TERMINATOR to EDWARD SCISSORHANDS to JURASSIC PARK) was recently interviewed for the NPR/KCRW radio program The Business and he dropped a great pearl of wisdom. He was speaking of a deleted scene from James Cameron’s ALIENS. In the scene, the marines have set up two auto guns to protect them from an onslaught of creatures. As the monsters rush towards the small group of survivors, the guns mow them down; every so often, the film cuts to the gun’s ammunition indicator, which runs down fast. Wave after wave of monsters rush towards the viewers and the guns keep cutting them down.

    As a fan of the film, I can tell you that the sequence is thrilling. Even more amazing is that the whole thing was made with a couple of prop guns, a few guys in creature suits, lots of ooze and some great editing and sound effects.

    Stan Winston said that if the film were made today, the studio would want a computer generated effect that would show us a hundred monsters instead of allowing the filmmaking to let us feel them.

    The lesson to be learned: tis better to feel it than to see it.

    Posted in General