Posts Tagged ‘The Complex’

So I Pitched that Project

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

So last week I pitched that multi-platform project… I’m no longer calling it the “T” word because I was recently flooded with spam all related to this other, very similar “T” word.

The pitches went well. Obviously there are a few things I’d do differently but that’s a lesson for me. Let me tell you about a tool that helped me greatly.

I created a 2-page cheat sheet. Here are the sections:

  • Logline – Two sentence that told them about the project.
  • What We’re Offering – We listed what was completed [and how far long it was] and what was immediately on-deck. I didn’t list what we hoped to do here because I wanted to show them that we were serious enough to get the ball rolling on our own.
  • The Audience – We told them exactly who was gonna watch this.
  • The Platforms – As this is a multi-platoform project, I listed each medium and how we were going utilize it. This is where I looked to some cool things we’d like to do in the future (very pie-in-the-sky)
  • Who We Are – This was a quick bio of how we all got together and created this project.
  • The Executives – Not only did I list who they worked for but everything I could find from Google, from hobbies to friends in common.
  • What We’re Looking For – As we were pitching to three different executives, I wanted them to know that 1) we knew exactly who they were and 2) we knew exactly how they could help us.
  • Other Project – I had a logline for one more project in my back pocket.
  • Pitch Structure – As I was pitching with a partner, I broke down who answered what kind of questions, who pitched what and timed it out.

Sorry that I’m not including specifics but my partners want us to play our cards close to the vest, especially as we could still go out and pitch this project.

On an unrelated note, I’m sick again so my blogging this week might be inconsistent.

Also, you’ll notice something new on my sidebar. I’ve listed my PS3 trophies. I know it’s uber-nerd of me but as I’ve started talking about video games here I thought it only right of me to fly that flag. I really wanted the trophy card that showed you the last game I trophied in but that one wouldn’t fit in my sidebar. Solution: redo my blog design.

(I’m embracing my inner nerd)

Good News Then Stress

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

Good news.

That Transmedia pitch DVD worked. It opened a door and now I get to pitch to 4 web/new media executives… but they moved the pitches up by a week… to next week.

Yikes!

Also, a friend is going in to meet with a genre division about directing one of their properties and he wants to take a couple other projects in with him. He asked me for one of my scripts so now I gotta punch that up before he meets with them… next week… the same time I have to do my webseries pitch.

I’ll sleep when I’m dead, right?

Question for ya: what should I prep for a 10-minute webseries pitch? Would love some expert advice.

Pushing Through The Pain

Tuesday, February 16th, 2010

Apologies that I haven’t been blogging. I got the flu and it knocked me out. Hard. Then I had to work because I was the only guy that wasn’t away for the weekend. Yup, I got no wife, no girlfriend, no significant other, so, sick as a dog, I had to trudge into work.

And then I had to prep a DVD pitch of my transmedia project. Thankfully I had a couple of colleagues step up. One put together a great PowerPoint and the other helped me slug through the 6 hours of footage in record time.

Why should you care? Because I now am much closer to having this project up and ready to share with the world. But first I’m getting back in bed so this flu can finish kicking my butt.

But I promise to blog regularly this week.

January 2010 Goal Check

Monday, February 1st, 2010

Okay, time for an exercise in masochism.

At the start of the year I laid out my goals, some professional, some personal. I mentioned the importance of reevaluating them at least annually. Well, how about if I check my progress every month?

Gulp.

Okay, let’s go.

Finishing My Feature – This month I met with my editor and we put together a new schedule that has me looking at a cut soon. I’ll be checking-in with him to make sure we’re still on track to meet our deadline.

Write Another TV Spec – I’ve been consuming episodes of CHUCK (with 7 votes, the clear winner in my online poll which can be viewed on the right of the landing page) but I’ve also been catching up with FRINGE. I’d like to do both specs this year. Also, I’ve added MODERN FAMILY to my Hulu. Why? Cause I’m fucking Colombian and I detest some of the lame Colombian jokes they give Sofia Vergara. Baby, I’m coming to your rescue.

Get Hired to Direct – Yeah, that’s taken a backseat this month.

Get My Transmedia Project Up & Running – I’ve digitized 3 of the tapes we’ve shot and I’ve learned that using “Log & Capture” to convert HDV to ProRes takes 1h45m for every 50 minutes shot.

Develop a TV Pilot – I’ve thought about it.  Had a tiny breakthrough with the webseries idea.

Write a Feature Script – I’ve started outlining this bromance/romcom (can I shoot myself after using those terms?) that’s been brewing for a while. My goal is to start writing the script this month.

As for my other goals, I’m still looking for a sport, a class, a way to defy death, an acoustic guitar, a way to invest but I did pick up GLUE by Irvine Welsh and I’m hoping to finally finish it this month.

New Goals 2010

Monday, January 4th, 2010

I don’t do New Year’s resolutions but I find it important to have goals and reevaluate them at least annually. Last year I had many goals and like a lot of folk I enjoyed some success and some failure. I know that’s not a very American thing to admit but if you work in the entertainment industry rejection is a fact of life. That’s okay. You just have to take another whack at that piñata. Maybe you’ll hit it dead center, maybe you’ll just graze it but you always gotta take another swing. That’s success. Plus it’s important to bite off more than you can chew.

But enough of the aphorisms, let’s get back on topic. What are my goals for the new year?

Write Another TV Spec – Last year I managed to successfully write a TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES spec. It placed in the Austin Teleplay contest, was strongly considered for writing fellowships at both Warners and ABC/Disney and a management company is considering me for representation so only good has come of it (plus it was incredibly fun to write). That’s why I want to write another TV spec. I was planning a DOLLHOUSE but now that it has been canceled I’m down to a couple of options. I feel confident that I could write a strong FRINGE or CHUCK. I have to catch up on watching the 2nd season of both but let me get a show of hands from my readers. As you’ll see on the sidebar of my blog’s homepage, I’ve created a poll asking you which I should write. I’m looking forward to your vote. Also, a free beer to anyone that can draw a tie between those two shows (why is it that I feel I can write either of those particular shows?).

Finish My Feature – It’s embarrassing but my first feature has just been sitting there. Yes, it was a hard 2009 and a personal tragedy late in the year really rocked my world but if I don’t do this I’ll only beat myself up more and that yields no good. Besides, finishing this thing is one of the keys to taking the next big step in my career…

Get Hired to Direct – I don’t care if it’s another person’s project or my own, I gotta make this happen. I have to hustle this up for myself. This is mandatory.

Get My Transmedia Project Up & RunningThis is another project that’s just hung in limbo. I now have the HDD I need so there’ll be few excuses for me to not get editing what we’ve shot… but we also need to set up our web presence and strategize our development, following a model similar to THE GUILD (BTW, using “we” just now was not a mistake).

Write a Feature Script – I’ve been working on an idea for a while, now it’s time to develop the outline and then crack open Final Draft.

Develop a TV Pilot – If I’ll be writing another TV spec, I need to have a strong idea for a new show. Here’s where things get a bit tricky. That feature film idea I just mentioned, I think it’d also work as a television show, maybe even be better as a TV show. Unfortunately, I don’t know anything about developing a TV show treatment/pitch and I feel like I owe it to myself to do the feature version first. And heck, if it doesn’t work then I can revamp it as a show ala GLEE. Maybe I should start with my web series idea and just practice serialized short-form storytelling. Maybe you’re wondering why I don’t develop this into a TV pitch? Because it’s raw, crude, funny and skirts the law. How bad to do you want to see my web series now?

And like the rest of the world, I have a laundry list of personal goals. Last year I was rather vague but how about I get specific? This year I’d like to…

  1. Take up a sport.
  2. Use my passport to leave this hemisphere.
  3. Jump out of a plane.
  4. Take a class that isn’t related to filmmaking or computers.
  5. Buy a new acoustic guitar so I can start playing again.
  6. Read four books that have just been sitting on my shelf.
  7. Invest my savings more aggressivly.
  8. Finally go out with Micki.

I’m sure I’ll come up with more but that should occupy my January.

;)

And you? What are your goals?

Where Is That Webseries?

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009

In a world where the buzzword “transmedia” gets manhandled and tossed around like the proverbial drunk girl at a frat party, every major conglomerate has staked a claim in the digital frontier with a web channel. I’m not talking about reappropriated television shows or their web spin-offs. I’m talking about content created specifically for the web like ANGEL OF DEATH by Crackle or SQUEEGEES by Stage 9.

So why write about Fox and their 15 Gigs? Because of this image:

Ashley-the-Wise-15-Gigs.jpg

It’s from a still-in-development web series from the creator of BURN NOTICE and already I’m dying to see it.  It makes for one hell of a poster but where is the logline and trailer?

But why do I REALLY write this?  I do so because I have a couple of web series ideas but haven’t done much with them. Christ, one idea already has material in the can.

Why tell you? Because I consider public harassment and humiliation a potent form of motivation. Really, it’s inexcusable that we don’t have 1) a website and 2) a PayPal donation button so we can raise the money to buy a RAID so I can edit the stuff we’ve shot. Yeah, that’s all that stands in my way. Lame? Don’t I know it. Am I trying to do something about it? Yes. Therefore, coming soon.

  1. A website
  2. A PayPal donation button
  3. Some videos

Oh, how I love that feeling of pushing myself over the edge. Bring on the gray hairs.

Mini Meetings

Thursday, October 8th, 2009

Wondering about the radio silence? Yes, I am back from all my travels but I’m also attending the Filmmaker Forum by Film Independent this weekend. It’s a 2-day seminar on the current-yet-always-evolving state of independent film.

I know, I know, you’re saying “attending a seminar shouldn’t preclude you from blogging regularly” but I also I signed up for their IndieLink. Normally an IndieLink is a moderated meet-and-greet between two groups of up-and-comping professionals. For example, they regularly have ones where directors and producers get together with composers.

For the Filmmaker Forum, they’re a bit differnt. This time around they’re 10-minute meetings with industry professionals. I sent in my preferences expecting to maybe get one meeting but probably get shutout.

Imagine my surprise when I scored four big meetings. This Saturday, in the space of one hour, I’m meeting with a distributor, a creative executive, an agent and a hybrid distribution consultant.

Therefore, I’ve been doing my homework for the past few days. I’ve been studying up on the kinds of films they package/sell/distribute. I’ve also been trying to figure out how I want to spend my time with them and how to make their time with me, at the very least, pleasant.

In ten minutes, I have to tell them how awesome I am without coming off as an arrogant or clueless jerk. I also have to tell them about one rad project I’m working on, a project that will prove to them that I’m a filmmaker they should want to track.

I think I have a strategy.

  • For the distributor, I can talk about my recently shot feature, ask what kind of distribution is typical for a film of its size and how I can best position my film (as is) for niche distributors.
  • For the hybrid distribution consultant I can also talk about my feature but I also have a multimedium project (aka, transmedia) that I can mention. I’ll be sure to ask about the possibilities/realities of generating revenue for such a project through non-traditional streams, how to maximize social media exposure and the possibilities of sponsorships (I keep thinking Nerve or Match might be a good fit for my feature).
  • As for the CE, I can talk about my feature as well as these two scripts I’m cooking up; one a twist on the bromance genre and the other a haunted house/possession story.
  • As for the agent, I should cover the aforementioned projects while also talking about my recently completed TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES spec and the CHUCK and/or FRINGE spec I’ll write next… but of course I’d rather be directing those shows.
  • I have to engage these people, get their advice and expertise, while pitching myself (and my works, both current and future) without coming off as a desperate creative.

    So, is there something I’m missing? Am I misguided in my logic and approach? What’s your advice?

    My Summer 2009

    Monday, August 31st, 2009

    As the summer of 2009 draws to a close, allow me a few minutes to look back at what I did for my summer vacation.

    Vacation? Bull! I worked my ass off this summer (and I managed to have some fun, too). What did I do this summer?

    1. I wrote my first TV spec for the now canceled TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES.
    2. I found an editor for my feature.
    3. I shot a live-action/stop-motion spec for Amazon.
    4. I went to my first Comic-Con.
    5. I went to my first Tiki Oasis.
    6. I shot the first material for my multi-medium project.
    7. I directed scenes for an actor’s reel.
    8. I saw The Kills, Neko Case, Death Cab for Cutie and Andrew Bird in concert.

    I’d say that’s a pretty damn productive summer.

    Casting a +10 Social Media Spell

    Wednesday, August 26th, 2009

    A few posts ago I mentioned that my weekend vlog shoot was part of a multi-medium project, what’s more popularly referred to as transmedia narrative… ugh, I hate that word. It makes me think of transfat or a knife wielding transsexual… but that’s another story.

    Where was I?

    Oh, the vlog shoot (another word I hate: vlog). You might say we look to Felicia Day and THE GUILD for inspiration… although I’ve never seen an episode of her show so why don’t we?

    Felicia was recently interviewed for a Wall Street Journal article and here’s what I gleaned for my own project.

    1. If she has too many DVDs to mail out, she needs a fulfillment company like Neoflix. I’d go nuts stuffing so many DVD mailers.
    2. She’s selling DVDs and using the funds to finance the show. That’s awesome! I think my own venture needs to think about selling DVDs, Blu-ray, t-shirts, hats, panties, whatever we can because making films, even short ones, costs money.
    3. The music video was a great idea, a very great transmedia idea. I need to start generating ideas for songs, video games, comic books, ARGs, all of that.
    4. Even after Microsoft invested in the show, Felicia can only pay for 2 full-time employees. Bummer… but she must be paying the cast and crew, right?
    5. It’s all about building communities around the work. My colleagues and I need to be better social networkers. We need to set up our website ASAP (with PayPal donation button), as well as start planting flags on Facebook, Twitter, blogs, you name it (and this can be both diegetic and non-diegetic).
    6. Olivia Munn was in Playboy but didn’t get naked. FAIL! PS, when you bite your thumb like that… the most unsexy thing is to force yourself to look sexy. Just be sexy and others will see you as sexy.
    7. Now, I should mention that at least one of my partners on this project isn’t too keen on social media. He’s always saying, “what is that, I don’t get it, it seems like a waste of time” and such. Is he a crotchety old man like the kind the kids would bust at the end of a SCOOBY DOO episode? Yes, but maybe he just hasn’t seen this:

      One more PS, I love this new, evolving definition of “value” but that don’t pay off the student loans.

    Go Vlog Yourself!

    Friday, August 21st, 2009

    I’m directing a series of vlogs this weekend that serve as part of a larger multi-narrative, multi-medium project. I love the overall idea but when I think of a narrative vlog, the one that comes rushing to mind is this:

    FYI, this is the most watched episode from the first season (in fact they’re on their 4th season and this one episode was watched over 3.2 million times).

    As the director, I’m in uncharted waters. This is my first time working in this format (a sort of improvised monolog, if I were classifying) so I’m very excited but also a bit nervous? Nervous about directing? Only as much as I always am. No, I’m more nervous that I’m doing this with no crew. The shoot is textbook simple so not only am I directing but I’m also the cinematographer, the gaffer, the sound mixer and whatever else I can’t delegate to the actors that are just standing around. I suppose it’s a good exercise, it’ll keep me mentally on my toes, but after 2 14-hour days my mental toes will be barking like crazy.  Then again, if Robert Rodriguez could do it (go read his book), so can I.

    Wish me luck.