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Archive for the Category "Motivation"

A Bold New Year Author: Trevor Mayes Jan 02

“Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius and power and magic in it.”
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

A Bold New Year

2010. A new year. A new decade. A new chance to write and sell a screenplay or otherwise break into Hollywood.

But in this new Hollywood where studios are making movies like Battleship — based on a game that was popular back when Disco was still cool — it’s time for some bold new thinking.

The Era of the Pre-sold Franchise

The brilliant screenwriter, William Goldman famously said of Hollywood, “No one knows anything.”

These days that’s never been more true — except a more applicable quote would be: “No one knows anything, so it’s safer to go with a movie based on an existing brand.”

A quick trip over to DoneDealPro.com will tell you that most of the scripts being produced today are based on a book (fiction or non-fiction), a graphic novel, a comic book, a short story, a television show, another movie, or yes, a board game.

The Good News

Question:
What’s the great thing about Hollywood’s desire to embrace pre-sold franchises or brands?

Answer:
It’s now easier than ever to create your own.

With a brilliant script that embraced the limitations of low budget filmmaking, Oren Peli created a box office phenomenon with Paranormal Activity [Amazon | IMDB].

Fede Alvarez created this amazing YouTube short that showed robots taking over Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay. It landed him a 30 million dollar development deal with Sam Raimi’s production company.

Max Barry wrote a page-a-day web novel, Machine Man, using feedback from readers to help shape the story. Now he has a movie deal!

Many such stories are emerging.

Having Credits Helps Sell YOUR Brand

I think the time is ripe for us screenwriters to work together with the creators of new media to bring our own visions to life. It’s time to get creative. It’s time to get bold. It’s time to generate some credits that you can point to when pitching your spec script.

Are there any low budget filmmakers are there who would like to make short viral videos, but just don’t have a knack for writing? Let me know, and I’ll put the word out to the screenwriting community.

What about graphic novel/manga artists? How would you like to link up with some brilliant screenwriters? Get in touch with me. Perhaps we can hold a competition — the winner of which would get their screenplay turned into a graphic novel?

What about a web based graphic novel? This one image was making the rounds a while back, getting lots of attention, and I know that our screenwriting community could come up with something a whole lot better. Maybe that’s an idea for a new web site?

Any other ideas?

What bold steps are you willing to take this year — in addition to continuing to write brilliant spec scripts? Send me a message and let me know! I’d love to hear from you.

Email: trevor[at]scriptwrecked.com

Wishing everyone a successful 2010!

Category: Industry Advice, Motivation  | One Comment
Should you announce your writing goals? Author: Trevor Mayes Dec 03

Keep it to yourselfConventional wisdom tells us that announcing our goals is a good thing — telling people about our plans garners us support and makes us more committed.

According to psychologists at NYU, however, our puny human brains may confuse talking about the goal, with actually achieving the goal — which can demotivate us and result in lackluster or failed attempts.

Here’s an excerpt from the Newsweek article discussing the study:

The study’s author thinks it has to do with sense of identity and wholeness. We all want to be an idealized person, and declaring our intentions to work hard is a symbolic act. It contributes to the goal of completing who we are.

That is, simply stating a strategy for [in the case of the study] becoming a good lawyer made the test subjects feel like they were real lawyers, and this inflated self-image paradoxically made them less hard working. They had become legends in their own minds, and legends don’t have to get down and dirty.

So if your goal is to become an Academy Award-winning screenwriter, you may want to keep that to yourself — at least until you’re ready to thank me in your acceptance speech.

For more information, check out today’s Mental Floss article which drew my attention to this study, or the original Newsweek article.

Category: Motivation  | 2 Comments
The Grouse Grind of Your Script Author: Trevor Mayes Nov 05

The Intimidating Grouse GrindIn Vancouver, British Columbia, the Grouse Grind is a trail that has become infamous among local hikers. Actually it’s not so much a trail as it is a seemingly neverending staircase forged by evil forest gnomes.

Hiking it for the first time can be a truly soul crushing experience — especially when you think you’re nearing the top and you see a sign that says, “1/2 Way Point.”

Writing a script for the first time can be just like that.

You toil and plod along for an interminable period, then you look back on what you’ve written and realize you’re still only somewhere in the middle. It’s enough to make you want to take a break. A long break. Maybe even try another trail. Or worse yet, give up and head back down the mountain.

A couple of years ago, I took a great screenwriting class from Pilar Alessandra. She told the class that we wouldn’t believe how many of her friends have half of the best script ever written. And that’s it.

It doesn’t matter how good the first half of your script is if it isn’t finished.

That lesson always stuck with me. Screenwriting isn’t easy. It takes dedication and steely resolve. But there’s good news. If you’ve properly outlined your script in advance (so you don’t get lost in your second act), writing the last half of the script is usually much easier than writing the first half.

In the second half of your script, you know your characters much better, have settled in to the style of your script, and can actually see the finish line, all of which propels you more quickly to the end.

There’s light at the end of the tunnel.

So if you’ve stalled somewhere in the middle of your screenplay, keep grinding your way up that hill. Before you know it, you’ll be there. And the amazing satisfaction you feel after writing, “FADE OUT” makes all the sweat and effort worthwhile.

Just remember to hit that Save button before you pass out.

Category: General, Motivation  | Leave a Comment