cdgoss

[cdgoss]

BIRDMAN

Before BIRDMAN hit theaters in October of 2014 I was transfixed by the trailer. It resonated with tone that I’d been chasing on several writing projects. It felt…familiar.

Assuming I work till the ripe age of 65, I suppose that puts me at the beginning of my professional journey. How soon into the working world are you supposed to hit your prime? What’s the expectation?

That’s a tough word: EXPECTATION.

It smacks of anxiety, fear, and sometimes, exhilaration. It’s what Birdman is all about. A man feeling the need to live up to, or exceed, the expectation of his celebrity. Yet, in his journey, he discovers his persistence to excel comes at the sacrifice of himself. As his play within play within a play’s character mutters in the climax, “I don’t exist.” Here is a comment on the pursuit of success. The trade of personal identity for meeting society’s expectation.

I fear this.

In the end, this very human man who’s been fooling himself with special powers makes this realization and condemns the expectation (Birdman) to the bathroom…literally.

Success is never enough. As long as there is more money, more celebrity, more unexplored planets in the galaxy, there is room for growth. There is a place to go. It’s the bane of humanity - this built-in drive to do and achieve. And yet, the impossibility of these tasks, our mortality and subsequent failures make it downright depressing.

Daily I’m tasked with letting the present moment define my identity. It doesn’t mean I’m flaky - it simply means I’m aware of the futility of chasing celebrity and in turn want to be fulfilled by the surprise of the unexpected.

Birdman: Or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

Easier said than done, but worth the effort.

[cdgoss]

EXPERTISE

I've been thinking about:

Expertise. 

Dedicate livelihood to the perfection of a specific craft.  Monetize that craft. Develop a career to support said livelihood.

In today’s professional market, the dependence on singular expertise appears to be in flux - or so I’ve been told - or so I convince myself whenever I look at my resume and see a small multitude of indirection.

Big business of tomorrow is attracted to fluid talent. People capable of knowing just enough on a certain topic to be dangerous. Dangerous good, that is. 

Some say this has to do with being able to replace two/three/four employees with one. $$$.

I beg to differ. 

This should have more to do with smart businesses understanding change management. Leaders need staff who’ll willingly jump on new trends with little direction and jump off outdated practices with little disgruntlement.

...all paired with good people skills. 

Diplomacy.  Communication.  Honesty. 

...together with an array of talent - largely stemming from technology with a capital T - and perhaps you’ve got the current grade A employee ready and willing to move your company forward.

If tech trends scare you - don’t run and hide. 

You don’t have to be an expert.  You don’t have to know everything.  That’s what the internet is for. 

Know enough to speak the language and help facilitate decision making. 

Be innovative. 

By its definition, that doesn't require expertise. It does however, require curiosity.

[cdgoss]

VIOLENCE IN MEDIA

Movies aren't going anywhere -- complain all you want about how they romanticize violence, objectify sensuality, and fuel stereotypical inequalities rampant in human culture -- movies are here to stay.

Why?

Movies are human and humans are fallible. We are selfish, judgmental, curious, scared, protective and egotistical. Most importantly to movies, we are entertaining. Unless we suddenly abide by a moral code of perfection, movies will continue to embellish our imperfections and we will continue to be entertained by them.

Frankly, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Movies impact culture. You can hate this truth till the cows come home, but it cannot be denied.

Romantic comedies may have lost you the girl back in high school...

Action movies may have fueled backyard squirt-gun fights...

Horror movies may have made you think twice about wandering down by the lake to make-out under the moonlight...

Point is...all of this is life. Everything we do carries an inherent risk. To solely identify movies as a contributing factor of evil is rubbish. Movies are simply a reflection of the imperfect human condition. More importantly, they provide a format of harmless indulgence to safely explore both the dark and the light.

Let's break this down by format...

First -- FEATURE FILMS. We go to a movie house to sit (safely) in the comfort of a dark room packed with strangers to embellish our senses with fictitious fantasy. We pay for this. We work our jobs for this. We get to know people by "taking them to a movie" and then discussing the contents afterwards. Because we've coined this as entertainment we have an expectation to see something we've never yet experienced. For 99.9% of us, we've never experienced a crazed madman wreaking havoc on a campground in a hockey mask, or invading our dreams with a blade of fingers. This is fantasy, an exaggerated experience built around a universal emotion: fear. Yet, this fear is safe. We know we're safe because we're a customer paying for this experience built by (relatively) normal people working to entertain you -- like a roller coaster. You're not going to dive off a twelve-story building into a double-loop -- but you'll pay to get that experience safely at a theme park. Movies are a thrill. Thrill is intense exaggeration of emotion.

Second -- TELEVISION. Arguments are often made that television is universally accessible, thus must tailor to the highest standard of ethical safety. I'd argue that a good imagination is far more accessible than any form of visual media, especially television. I remember at age nine being shown Stephen King's two-part miniseries, "It." The first scene of Pennywise in the rain-gutter was utterly terrifying. Poor Georgie goes from floating a boat in the rain, to an off-screen demise at the hands of a killer clown. You don't see his death. In fact, the whole probability of how he could have actually died from his "fear" in a rain gutter is relatively improbable. But, it's friggin' scary. However, by the end of the series, the clown has transformed into a giant spider and the climatic terror has been ruined by a laughable low-budget arachnid. Point is, imagination is far more terrifying. Better that your child watch to the end than forever think a killer clown is going to pull him/her into a rain gutter. There are more than enough sensors and securities to prevent children from seeing violent media, but their curiosity will always win. It's your job as a parent to control the environment in which they consume that content (to the best of your ability) so they know that they, as the audience, are the good guys.

Third - VIDEO GAMES. Interactivity. Here the consumer takes part in the story by controlling the actions of a digital avatar. You wield the gun, the axe, the bomb. On paper, this all sounds very extreme -- I remember my grandmother being disgusted by Nintendo's "Castlevania." If only she were alive today, the 8-bit chaining of ghouls is quite a contrast from the drug smuggling runs of Grand Theft Auto. There is a keyword here that I think we need to focus on: digital. A combination of zeroes and ones. This means that, quite simply, it's not real. A point we've yet to really touch on. Violence in video games is not real. It may depict real events, but the media itself is as fake as a Halloween superstore. The brutality found in any seventh-grade history book is far more real than any hack-and-slash button masher on Playstation. In real life, entire kingdoms were conquered by the sword and the gun. At home, you're lucky if you can get an hour of gaming in before your wife comes home and tells you she wants to watch Project Runway.

In every instance of media, we must remember that the intention is to entertain. This intention is accomplished because the creators view the consumers as morally upstanding. As mentioned above, the audience is the good guy. We watch knowing right from wrong and can separate our understanding of how actions play out on screen from what we do in our daily lives. However, it should be stated that an inability to understand this separation requires a different level of concern -- just like any disability or disorder. 

I'd rather live in a world where entertainment serves the 99.9%, than panders to the .01%. Call me crazy in my own right, but that .01% (you know, the ones that kill/rape/steal), will forever be the .01% whether "obscene" media exists or not. We cannot deny that humans do and have done bad things. In my opinion, to deny its existence only raises the level of curiosity tied to it -- and that's where things get dangerous. Truth is, it's history -- unfortunate history -- but history, nonetheless. Exploring and exaggerating said history within the safety of a glowing screen is a good thing. Everybody just calm down and enjoy the movie.

View this post and others like it at ScreenCraft.org.

More about me at cdgoss.com.

[cdgoss]

New Everything

I started a new job this week. They say the top three stressers are adding to your family, moving, and starting a new job. I moved in 2012. Tried getting a dog in 2013 (long story). Started a new job in 2014. Bottom line: I have a lot to learn. It's a nice time to remember that a company is made up of people -- meeting them, talking to them, sharing lunch, a drink, a phone call is a good place to start. You can't learn it all in one week. In fact, do everything right and you'll still never learn it all -- always growing, always seeking. You have to enjoy the pursuit, best to do it within an industry that you love.

[cdgoss]

The very best #ChristmasCarol that ever was. #MichaelCaine gives an Oscar worthy performance surrounded by #muppets. It's just the best.

[cdgoss]

Tonight. #HouseCrashers @DIYNetwork Our kitchen gets destroyed and remade in three days. Merry Christmas.

[cdgoss]

EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT THE BLCKLST

I debated this.

I wanted to remain unbiased — perhaps the antithesis of an editorial, but nonetheless my desire. However, as with any piece of writing, opinion creeps in and your voice either for or against your subject shows its true colors. Maybe this happens here, maybe not.

Let’s discuss, “THE BLACK LIST.”

Unless you’re a screenwriter living in a remote rock valley on Tatooine, you’ve been to theblcklst.com. Scour any industry forum — writers, readers, pros and amateurs alike are slinging insults and praise towards its creators. A triumph of social technology abounding in opportunity versus villainous, carrot-dangling, snake oil looking to drain your pocketbooks. In short, it’s got everyone talking.

Before I launch into my attempt at weighing what this website provides, I’ll disclose that I have patronized its services. I hosted one script for one month, and purchased one review. Yes, I know the suggested retail consumption is to purchase three reviews but I did not want to spend nearly two-hundred dollars on a trial run. I’ll leave my own personal experience at the end for not wanting to puff the bulk of this piece with one example of one submission.

Let’s keep it simple…

PROS. It’s a service that actually supports the discovery and advertisement of unknown, unproduced screenplays from writers across the globe. This means that if you’ve got a great script and zero industry connections, you can get noticed. Something in Hollywood that actually puts talent first. Second, a service that aids both writers and producers and/or studio execs. Producers are inundated with terrible scripts – so many bad scripts that they have to hire readers to wade through the sea of mediocrity and garbage to find something worthy of time. Have whatever opinion you will about the value of Hollywood royalty, but nobody likes to read a bad script. The Black List puts the best scripts into a list, making them easily accessible across any device connected to the internet. That’s everything, everywhere. Genius.

The web design is stellar – excellent branding, excellent execution. Heathcare.gov should have hired the design team behind The Black List. It’s beautiful.

The Black List is built by people who understand this business. Anybody can offer paid services to read scripts. The Black List finds readers – real Hollywood readers – to review the material. I’m unsure as to what their payscale is, but based on the transparency of their business practices thus far I could probably find out.

Which brings me to my next point…customer service. Healthcare.gov should hire the customer service team behind The Black List. They stand true to their word and are always willing to listen. As mentioned above, screenwriting forums are ruthless in anonymity. Franklin Leonard, the service creator, offers full and complete disclosure, as no one other than Franklin Leonard. Sure, everyone loves [Mystery Executive], but Leonard candidly addresses praise and criticism personally. Unless there are a handful of Franklin Leonards, he’s not hiding behind the snark of an anonymous Twitter handle.

Lastly, you get SOMETHING in return. Most competitions offer “you didn’t win” boilerplate emails five months after you’ve paid the entry-fee. This doesn’t help you refine your script. Granted, a competition and a screenwriting service are two different things. Know what you’re getting yourself into.

CONS. It costs money.

That’s it.

Oh, wait, that’s important. Dang.

Most aspiring writers are not at the top of the financial food chain. They know this. Everyone knows this. However, having a ton of money will give you a leg up on the competition. You can feed the machine as much as possible until you get that one reader that will like your script. Money is money. No matter the industry, the more you have, the better your chances. It’s the sad truth and The Black List can’t escape this. The greatest downfall is the prospect that the popularity of The Black List will create an exclusive pay-to-play marketplace for writers. Meaning, let’s say the industry starts to exclusively rely on sourcing new material from The Black List (doubtful, but it has proven VERY popular). This means unless you have the finances to freely pour into the service, your script has no chance of being discovered. This then creates another hurdle to jump in order to land that golden script deal. Flawed logic, but a concern.

Some people like to get on their soapbox and say that if you were serious about your craft, you’d spend every dollar to your name on opportunities. I flat out disagree. You have to support yourself. Life in Hollywood is hard, you don’t need to live on the streets just to write a good script. Sure, money well-invested is smart – but don’t live beyond your means. This writing career thing is a marathon, burn out early and you’ll be both broke and unhappy.

Other people claim any service that accepts money to dispel advice is a scam. Well, no, it’s not necessarily a scam. It’s a business. It’s capitalism. It’s how the world turns and people get rich. Every day you partake in this game. Need you really blame entrepreneurs for corning a new market?

In short – there are good financial investment opportunities for writers. Do your research. Learn about your options and invest wisely. In the end, everything costs money. The Black List is transparent in how they run their business – in the working world, this is a clear sign of honesty and good industry ethics.

So…my experience. I chose to submit a mid-budget (commercial, IMHO) action/thriller. It was rated OK. Not great, not terrible. Pretty much as I expected. (Which is key – 90% of the time we know what’s “wrong” with our scripts and are simply hoping somebody likes them enough to look past their faults. Is a review pointing out those weaknesses really that much of a surprise? Time to look inward, stop whining, and fix what we know is wrong.) However, after digesting the contents of the one-page review I did feel the reader skimmed the material. I know the site’s customer service is adamant about advocating feedback – offering free reviews for anyone who feels the reader didn’t take the adequate amount of time. This is top-notch. I didn’t reach out to request a “re-review” because the reader did point out one flaw that I had never considered. This in-turn spawned a rewrite, which made my script better. Even though it did nothing for the success of the script in the market, I believe it was money well spent and didn’t raise issue. If you’re interested in reading the script that I hosted, feel free to contact me – open to thoughts of all shapes and sizes. I can be found at cdgoss.com.

[cdgoss]

Screenwriting Secrets From About Time Writer/Director Richard Curtis

Richard Curtis creates expectations. His films carry his trademark because he writes what he knows. They’re personal — based on lifelong appreciations seen through his eyes only. As such, his criticisms are polarizing, yet his success is nonetheless apparent. He didn’t write his first feature screenplay until age thirty, and discusses the why behind his writings in a lecture presented at the BAFTA and BFI Screenwriters’ Lecture Series of 2013. Disclaimer: He is the reason (as I’m sure many other thirty-something husbands of wives agree) my wife loves movies. Notting Hill. Bridget Jones. Love Actually…

In summary, his presentation hits on several keys points that well-represent the varying viewpoints of the screenwriter.

Nobody knows. Perhaps the single greatest hope and single greatest discouragement about screenwriting. There are no answers, rules, or road maps. It’s like the American dream — available to all who aspire without any instructions for guaranteed success. Each path is unique, so stop comparing yourself to that twenty-six-year-old who just made a seven figure deal with Sony.

His view is entirely his own. It works for him but that’s not to say that it will work for you. As a contributor to ScreenCraft, I can’t stress my agreeance with this enough. Much of what I learn, I learn by doing. It may read like creed to me, and hogwash to you. But through the exploration of our craft — and the sharing of that exploration (ScreenCraft) — we can form a productive dialogue to fuel what matters: writing. It keeps us going.

Write you. An age-old screenwriting-ism. I go back and forth on this. A lot of why I write is because I like to explore that which I don’t, nor will ever, know. It’s escapism in its truest form, from the comfortable seat of my home office. Serial killers don’t write horror films. Aliens don’t write science fiction. Superheroes don’t exist. None of these movies would ever be made if writers stuck to writing solely from their own life experiences. However, nothing is as powerful in film as the true ring of emotional clarity. As such, I believe our task is to combine that which we know, with that which we want to explore. Such a meeting is the pinnacle of creativity and often results in the best material.

Stay involved. Curtis talks about being present throughout the entire filmmaking process and being selective in those who you work with. The cynic in me laughs, as what aspiring writer will ever have that much pull? But the core of his advice rings true. We, as writers, should care about how our films get made. We have a valuable insight and should fight to be heard. This is entirely circumstantial, especially when becoming a successful screenwriter is likened to winning the lottery. In other words, you don’t win the Powerball and then request instead to win the Big Spin — you take the money and run. So, this is tough, and perhaps a point only well-taken with experience. As aspiring writers we fight so hard to get our material into the hands of Hollywood, then suddenly want to tell Hollywood what to do with it? I wish I could say it worked that way… Take a listen to Richard Curtis’s full lecture on Soundcloud. Where do you stand on his points about writing what you know and pushing to be heard?

View this post and others like it at ScreenCraft.org.

More about me at cdgoss.com.

[cdgoss]

I DON'T LIKE YOU IN THAT WAY

  I’ll be the first to admit when I’m struggling on a screenplay.

  I’m struggling.

  I’m on the third pass of one of my favorite projects -- a piece that I’ve plagiarized pages out of the book of my own reality and spun into a fictitious trek of utter exaggeration. It’s a script I hate to love, and by that definition, a tough sell. Especially because the lead character is a narcissistic elderly has-been incapable of fulfilling his moral obligations of a human being -- let alone, a father.

  And...we’re supposed to love him.

  My mind darts right to my favorite Pixar flick, Up. Perhaps it’s those first ten minutes that give Carl Fredrickson, the ultimate curmudgeon, a pass to behave however the filmmakers choose. However, I still can’t get past what that initial pitch must have been met with. A family film led by a widowed senior citizen angry at the world around him. And yet, it worked.

  Protagonist likability is a constant found within pages and pages of screenplay notes across the industry. It’s the fall-back note on material that readers don’t connect with. While everyone reads under their own sensibilities, here are five reasons why readers might not like your character that may not directly relate to your intention as the writer.

  1. There isn’t enough between the lines. Let’s say your character is a loudmouth. Hates everything and everyone and isn’t afraid to voice his/her opinion in all matters. Each string of dialogue screams vulgarity and the entire screenplay is based on his/her ability to creatively expel expletives. In the words of Desi Arnaz, “You’ve got a lot of explaining to do…” And perhaps that’s just it. What can you tell us about the character that will shed some good, angelic light on their dialogue? Novels allow this in abundance, screenplays do not. However, you can give GLIMPSES into the mind of your characters when the action allows for it. Most great screenplays do. Finding the right spots to layer this in will help justify all that naughty talk…

  2. They’re interpreting a hidden agenda. Let’s say your latest screenplay is all about men saving women. The men are big and strong, the women are weak and helpless. At its core, that’s 90% of superhero stories. However, those movies are based on pre-existing IPs and have a built-in audience that understands and accepts the fundamental (flawed) nature of “saving the girl.” Your work is entirely original, and although you may not intend to portray sexist stereotypes, you may be falling victim to them nonetheless. You’ll never be able to please everybody with your screenplay, but you should have an understanding of current social trends. In fact, this is your chance to pave a new path. Sure, a gender swap may be worthwhile, but building stories outside of these (tired) stereotypes can only help in making fans out of your readers. Don’t inadvertently offend by taking the easy way out. Your story will thank you later.

  3. Your voice is mean. This takes us back to grade school, but I’ve read enough screenplays to stake this claim. Some people write mean. They have a cynical snark on the page that immediately subverts the reader to pass that snark onto the story. While your lines of action should be concise, perhaps around 140 characters, your screenplay doesn’t need to read like your Twitter feed. Keep it neutral, ebbing and flowing with the tone of your story.

  4. You’re gratuitous. Superstar comedians -- whether you agree with their humor or not -- have earned enough street cred to “get away” with politically insensitive material. Remember, readers don’t know you. They’ve never heard your inflections nor do they understand your comedic rhythms. As such, you're tasked with doing the impossible -- make your tone crystal clear. Note that I didn’t say crystal CLEAN -- instead, work on your rhetoric so the patterns of your comedy (dirty or otherwise) are understood and accepted from page one. Jarring insults outside of the tone you’ve previously established will derail the flow of the page. The result: readers will close the script.

  5. Your character is just plain bad. There is always a tipping point. Killing a dog is irreversible on the likeness scale. Some actions in life are nearly unforgivable. If you choose to put your character through those paces, it may take a lot longer than 120 pages to redeem them. In fact, some people may choose to hate your characters out of moral obligation in line with their own beliefs. In general, the moral code of good vs. evil is fairly universal. Stepping outside of those bounds can really limit the scope and appeal of your script. Decide before page one if that is something you’re willing to tackle.

  Bottom line: take a pass at your draft while focusing only on the likability of your protagonist. Read for nothing other than the ticks for and against their behaviors, both from the character and said about the character. Make sure that what you intend your audience to think and feel is present on the page. While your moral compass may not align with that of your readers, their power in passing your screenplay forward is undeniable. Consistency and clarity is key. Nail that, and your character can do whatever you want them to, good, bad, or indifferent.

View this post and others like it at ScreenCraft.org.

http://www.screencraft.org/blog/5-keys-making-protagonist-likable/

More about me at cd-goss.com.

[cdgoss]

CHAI WITH A SIDE OF SLUG LINES

I was recently sent an article citing the scientific findings behind why coffee houses draw creative minds. Or rather, how ambient noise can encourage fruitful brainstorming. Click here for more info. While science may support the benefit of white noise, I do not believe that coffee houses and ambient sounds are mutually inclusive. TEST.

Whatever the weather, I always have an oscillating fan running on high. In my work office, in my home office, in my bedroom. The low circulating hum works to drown out the drastic sounds of a slamming door, ringing cell phone, screaming police siren, etc. It’s an audible constant to break the ominous sound of silence.

However, a bustling coffee shop is so much more than just sound. For me, I’ve never grown accustomed to working on my self-proclaimed masterpieces whilst sipping the roasted elixir. Yet here are my thoughts on why some people are drawn to its magical aroma…

Writing requires an intense amount of self-discipline. When you’re alone, it’s easy to allow yourself to get distracted because no one is keeping you accountable. In a public place, your act of writing is on display. You’re forced to engage because people are watching.

Writers never get attention. (But they secretly yearn for it.) Writing in a coffee shop gives you the opportunity to show-off. It’s like running on a treadmill at the gym versus one at home. It’s a nice confidence boaster -- you got off your ass and proved to the world that you can and are writing.

It’s a place to show off that shiny new laptop. If you’re a full-time aspiring writer, you’re probably not rolling around in bundles of cash. As such, plunking down your hard-earned dollar bills on an expensive computer doesn’t come easy. When you finally get that new piece of hardware, where better than to show it off at Starbucks or Coffee Bean – a veritable showroom of portable computing power?

It’s just cool. Coffee has always been a cool trend. How do we know this? Hot trends sell at premium price points. Five dollars for a cup of coffee is a premium cost. The over/under on what it costs to make that cup of coffee versus what the customer pays for it is outrageous. Just like fashion. The trendy names may be made with the same quality of fabric as their lesser-known competitors, but you’ll pay ten times the dollar amount because it’s cool and cool sells.

The view is better than your apartment. Similar to point three. If you’re a full-time aspiring writer, you’re probably not living the home life of luxury. The view from your apartment in North Hollywood is probably just another apartment. The carpet is probably stained, or the floorboards are cracked. Your neighbor’s music doesn’t appeal to you and the thought of writing in between the half-dozen trips to the washer/dryer units in the basement is grueling. As such, the bustling open air of an aromatic pumpkin spice infused coffee shop sounds ideal.

There are two takeaways here. In my mind, the first is a bit more cut-throat. If you can’t write on a consistent basis without the use of a coffee shop locale, you may be doing something wrong. Writing to the brink of success is laborious. It’s a ton of work – non-stop consistency. If you can’t generate ideas in any and all environments, it may take longer for you to drum up that award-winning screenplay. Second, who cares? If a coffee house works for you – invest your 401K in the nearest chain and go to town. Whatever drives your mind to produce that next great story, the world is better for it. Just keep going and don’t stop.

In the meantime, check out coffitivity.com. A site with downloadable audio clips of actual coffee houses that you can loop anytime, anywhere. Ridiculous?

View this post and others like it at ScreenCraft.org.

http://www.screencraft.org/blog/write-best/

More about me at cd-goss.com.

[cdgoss]

JOIN THE CHORUS

I had a Twitter exchange recently with aspiring screenwriter Lauren Jefferson (@laurjeff). I don’t know her, sans what seems like an affiliation with a rather notorious love-him-or-hate-him screenwriting web presence, Carson Reeves (scriptshadow.net). Our exchange centered around the role social media plays in the success and failure of amateur screenwriters.

First, writers are introverts. We have to be completely comfortable -- nay, enthralled by -- sitting alone for hours at a time preoccupied with only our racing minds and the (hopefully) flowing words on a page. We turn off the world around us to allow the characters of our stories to steer our conscience. I, as I’m sure many others, have often wrestled with taking my conscience back at the end of the day while trying to have a meaningful pre-bedtime conversation with the wife. Not easy to do.

Second, writers are psychologists. We have to understand why people make decisions. In both our own lives and in the lives of our characters, we’re faced with the selfish needs of humanity. Our characters’ wants become their fatal flaws, the basic building blocks of conflict. We literally create their failure, often gifting them with a lack of humility so by page seventy-five they can finally see the error of their ways and climax in glorious catharsis.

Writers = Introverted Psychologists who question their every word.

We’re the antithesis of social media. We hide from it. Cower behind our computer screens knowing we’re not yet good enough, not ready to show the world our work, not up-to par with the know-it-alls blasting their praise across the interwebs.

Well, as I discussed with Lauren, I think that needs to change.

I’m the first to encourage discretion.  However, there’s a difference between discretion and silence. The world is changing. Conversations that once took place in a bar on Cahuenga are now rampant over the internet. Just see how many people in a crowded public location are typing into their phones versus communicating with living beings mere steps away. Agree with this change or not, it’s happening and anybody looking to find success anywhere needs to embrace, accept, and assimilate.

Sounds rather dictatorial, yes, but so is every other instructional toolset for success. The key here is to be open and vulnerable to the online you. Just like freshman year’s spring production of Anything Goes, you have to start in the chorus where only your parents and friends pay any attention to you. But just like you did in the back of the fifth row on the left, you give it everything you’ve got as if the world is watching. The hope is that someday, somebody notices and they cast you as Curly McClain in Oklahoma the following year.

No?

Just me?

…

So, what’s the formula?

Nobody knows.  Believe it or not, social media is still within its infancy and open for screenwriters to explore at the ground floor.  But perhaps there is a simple model worth following, likened to the flashy world of posting a photo to Instagram:

TAKE POST/UPDATE/BLOG ENTRY – write it.

FOCUS – support it with a goal and/or target audience.

APPLY HUMILITY FILTER – does it sound like you’re bragging? If so, edit it.

APPLY CONFIDENCE BOOSTER – does it sound like you’re desperate? If so, edit it.

ADD SATURATION – brag a little bit.

PASS SPOUSE/ROOMATE TEST (OPTIONAL) – “Do I look fat in this picture?”

POST

REPEAT – not too often, and weekly (at most) about what you cooked for breakfast.

View this post and others like it at ScreenCraft.org

http://www.screencraft.org/blog/social-media-screenwriting/

[cdgoss]

YOU HAVE TO ADMIT, IT’S GETTING BETTER

When was the last time you cracked open (or cached into a temp folder) a script you wrote three years ago – five years ago – ten years ago? Did you cringe? Did you magically find an abundance of typos that you’d never found before? Did you want to burn it (delete/reformat/destroy the spinning platters) so it never sees the light of day?

If yes – well, you’re doing something right. You’re still writing. After three/five/ten years, you haven’t given up. You finished a script, started another, finished that one, started another one, and finally you feel like you’re getting the hang of it all – until ten more years pass and you’ll cringe then at what you’re writing now. Here’s a question…

Do you think Quentin Tarantino cringes when reading Pulp Fiction, a film that’s coming up on its twentieth birthday?  How about M. Night Shyamalan? Does he compare After Earth with The Sixth Sense and just think, “Damn, how did I get away with writing that stupid script about a dead dude and a mysterious kid? After Earth is dope compared to this!” Does Wes Anderson hate Rushmore? Is Richard Kelly’s Donnie Darko complete crap compared to The Box?

What is it about the requirement of time that this industry finds so essential, when perhaps, the exact opposite often exists in the lives and careers of the rich and famous?

Don’t get me wrong. More than likely your first three to five scripts are complete garbage. Poorly formatted, on-the-nose dialogue, pages of exposition, full of adverbs like “truly”, on and on, etc., etc. But – that’s NOT to say that the idea, the initial spark, shares the same criticism.

A great concept/story can survive a terrible script. But not unless you possess some extraordinary star quality (like your dad is David Bowie) that will make readers read past it. If you fill out a great idea with rookie mistakes, it’ll be a rookie script. Most people simply don’t have the patience to see through your amateur ability to take a risk. The competition is too fierce.

Writers with no credits have to master the art of the screenplay, in all its formatted glory.  This takes a tremendous amount of time. There are shortcuts to fame – equal to winning the lottery. But you have to put in the time, energy, research, and effort to produce a great script if luck isn’t on your side.

However, what’s great about all of those “dead” scripts sitting on your computer is that they can come back to life. A great idea is a great idea regardless of its formatted context. Dusting off that five-year-old project might just be the perfect blend of resurrecting your child-like passion with the learned sensibilities of being a more experienced writer.

After every page, every word, and every cross of the t…you have to admit, you’re getting better.

View this post and others like it at ScreenCraft.org

http://www.screencraft.org/blog/grow-writer/

[cdgoss]

This is a terrible YouTube copy/cut of Conan O'Brien's farewell speech after hosting The Tonight Show for his brief stint in 2009/10. However, what O'Brien says about cynicism has stuck with me since. If you've never heard this, give it a listen. I can't say it better myself and often struggle in my own battle against the temptation to be a cynic.

[cdgoss]

Staff Infected

So you sat there as a kid watching Mary Tyler Moore reruns before first period and thought to yourself, “Wow, these people in this make-believe world…they’re, like, really fun. And funny. And I want to meet them.” Then you stumble upon a photo of Mary Tyler Moore circa present day and cry, thinking, "What happened…I thought that newsroom still existed! Now she looks like grandma." <SAD FACE>

Replace Mary Tyler Moore with Full House, Step-By-Step or Hey Dude. Regardless, you fell in love with TV -- back when you measured time in how many episodes something was equal to.

Flash-forward to graduating college and your heart is set on getting the chance to write your own TV show. So you ask your elders and they explain that all you need to do is write a spec script for an all-time classic like Frasier and get an agent. Simple as that.

They were wrong.

As screenwriters, every story of success comes with a different set of highlights. However, what’s different about writing for features is that TV actually has at least one tried-and-true ladder to success. DISCLAIMER: I don’t write for TV, but I do work in TV and have seen numerous peers both younger and older than I, through a specific course of action, land that first nefarious TV writing job.

THE STAFF WRITER

Here’s the tree (one tree, not the only tree):

COLLEGE > INTERNSHIP > PRE-JOBS > FIRST JOB > YEARS > STAFF WRITER

If you don’t know the differences between a showrunner, a line producer, an associate producer, or a non-writing creative executive producer – learn them. All of these jobs lead to different places, which is what you learn in your “PRE-JOBS” -- the little short-term freelance stints you do to make a couple bucks and get an apartment in North Hollywood.

Most important: THE FIRST JOB.

FIRST JOB (n) def: Not necessarily your first job in the industry, but rather, the first job in which you grow your roots.  The one you’ll spend anywhere from two to ten years in.  Hopefully not ten.

If you want to be a STAFF WRITER, that first job should be as close to a writers’ room as humanly possible. And what I mean by that is, the production office is not close enough. There are two jobs that fall into this category:

Writers’ assistant

Showrunner or creative producer’s assistant

How do you get a job as a writers’ assistant or showrunner’s assistant? You meet people that know when and where these jobs exist. How? By doing the following:

Meeting assistants.

Taking a pre-job that works with assistants.

Networking with assistants online.

Talking to assistants at social gatherings.

Asking an assistant to go to lunch.

Assisting an assistant.

See the trend? Assistants are the gatekeepers to the jobs you want. They are also your peers. They will hire you and fire you in the future. Be cool to them, and they will be cool back. They also know when producers and showrunners are hiring. If they like you, they send your resume on with a recommendation. You get the interview. Impress the hiring manager. Get hired. If the show is a hit, this greatly increases your chances of getting on staff, but not before:

YEARS OF WORK.

And no, you don’t just do the minimum amount of work because what you really want to do is write. No, you do the best damn job you possibly can. You’re smart, quick, innovative and reliable. No task is too small and everything is a priority. Sound grueling? Yes? Then this business isn’t for you.

What you offer as an assistant will create trust. After years of fostering that trust, people in a position of power will do things for you. What are these “things?”

Pitches. Stories. Episodes.

Your break starts with trust.

That’s when you take what you’ve been doing for hours after work and go to town – prove that you’ve got the chops to write equal-to or better-than pro writers. At this point, you should really hope that you can hack it as a writer because this is your shot.

Is this the only way to break onto a staff?  Absolutely not. But it is A WAY and I’ve seen it happen multiple times. Many of my peers have WRITTEN BY and/or STORY BY credits due to years of laborious work in all the right places.  Many of which had nothing to do with their Frasier spec collecting dust on their laptops.

www.cd-goss.com

[cdgoss]

American Horror Storytelling

I posted previously about my affection for the reinvigorated anthology model that the first season of American Horror Story resurrected.  After catching up on last night’s season three, episode two, the affirmation of why this works is stronger than ever. The TV market is completely over-saturated. There simply isn’t enough time to commit to something as huge as six or seven seasons worth of TV.  At forty-two minutes an episode, these twenty-four episode network orders are enormous. Hundreds of hours of storytelling that must meet or exceed motion-picture quality programming. The competition is stiff and cancellations become inevitable. Here’s my take on what American Horror Story has done so well in its first three seasons:

Season One: Murder House – We’re introduced to the formula with a refreshing take on horror for the small screen. The misconceptions of cheap thrills and peek-a-boo scares are lost when the storytelling is grounded in real tragedy. The characters are incredibly diverse, with layers of complexity that rivals the best of classic literature. In short, the horror is real. Exposing a primary character as the mastermind behind a familiar school-shooting is truly terrorizing. I felt ill after watching that episode. Some will dislike the content immediately for its depressing sense of escapism, while others will embrace the raw reality behind trying to make sense of something so incredibly heinous. It’s OK to dislike villains, especially when these villains aren’t set up as such. We know we’re supposed to hate Freddy Krueger and Jason Vorhees – the hockey mask and burned face tells us so.  Murder House presents villains that we must choose how to respond to by watching their choices unfold on screen. Truly terrifying.

Season Two: Asylum – Undoubtedly the weaker of the two previous seasons, but still far more engaging than ninety-percent of current television. It takes an ominous location and exaggerates the “hell” out of it. These thirteen episodes go everywhere. From exorcisms to aliens to mutants, Asylum throws us into a blazing inferno of terrifying imagery. It’s more “fun” than Murder House, yet likes to knock us out with some gut-wrenching twists. The reveal of “Bloody Face” was top notch, probably the strongest episode of the lot. With each episode that aired, anything was possible. There was no set formula – as if the thematic overtones of being insane were laced directly into the narrative.

Season Three: Coven – Wow. Only two episodes in and already the perfect blend of Murder House and Asylum. Here’s where Jessica Lange will win her next Emmy. The chemistry between Taissa Farmiga and Evan Peters is carried over from season one, and is truly some Romeo and Juliet type mastery. These two were born to share the screen. Coven’s marketing was top-notch, network TV take note – that’s how you drum up intrigue and interest. Oh, and these three words: Acting. Acting. Acting. Oh, and these three: Diversity. Diversity. Diversity. Raw, emotionally driven story-telling mixed with unimaginable conflicts of terror makes for great TV. It just does.

American Horror Story breaks all the rules, yet wins every race.

And the main titles are unreal.

[cdgoss]

Open Exclamation of Love

To my wife.

I turned 30 this weekend. I “joked” with her and others about how I wasn’t able to sell a script before hitting this decade milestone. They laughed, some thinking “Oh, you dumb fool, it’s going to take a lot longer than just year 30 to sell a script.” Others thinking, “Wow, you’ve been a dumb foolish writer since post college – what gives?” Both true and adamant thoughts.

Regardless, knowing well-enough about age-turning sensitivities, my wife got creative. She printed the top sheet of seven of my more current projects, asked nonsense trivia questions of our poor party-goers and handed faux cash to anybody with the right answers. Even if their answers were “My Best Friend’s Girl,” staring Dane Cook, Jason Biggs, and Hilary Pingle (one of said party-goers).

Once the trivia had ended, she held an auction (underscored by fellow Disney ranch-hand Denny Moynihan) in which she sold my scripts to the highest bidder. All seven projects got sold. I walked away with a bunch of cash, whilst maintaining the rights to everything. Win-win.

I debated posting about this. I’ve always wrestled with going “social” about artistic work for fear of sounding like a braggart. However, with the saturation of the marketplace at an all-time high, the internet is a necessary tool for self-promotion. Years ago I would have read this post and hated myself and its anti-modest sentiments. “Only the vainest of people would be OK with having their “projects” on display at a party – either out of self-depreciating parody or not.  (Granted – it was a surprise party. Had I heard this was going to take place, I’d of surely raised hell.) But as I’ve been exploring this entire year, I have to embrace the truth – no one is going to push your projects or your work better or harder than you. You CANNOT sit at home, write scripts, and expect people to read them. Your work CANNOT simply live on your hard drive – even if it is a blazing flash SSD utilizing MS Skydrive. You CANNOT rely on the “speaks for itself” mantra. Scripts don’t speak. They don’t magically get discovered in a dumpster somewhere. THEY GOT SOLD.

HUSTLED.

It’s called a PITCH for a reason.

Back to the point. My wife did this to have fun. Plain and simple. I laughed my ass off – perhaps one of only a few to find EVERYTHING funny, but so be it. She did this for me knowing full well about my insecurities. My wife is a champion. She is the first to praise a line of dialogue and the first to criticize it. I have her in my corner, a teammate, a partner, a lover. For that -- for her -- I am so eternally grateful. Nobody really deserves a party for simply getting older. I got one. Because of her. She wanted to do it for me. I have a tough time with sentences like that, too. Different post, perhaps…

TWO LESSONS: 

Everybody get a wife. They are amazing. Try to find one that makes you laugh a lot. Also consider finding one that is your opposite – this is GREAT when you’re a reclusive introvert fatso, who’s more like old Obi-Wan than young Obi-Wan. They will make up for your lack of social graces, push you to get out of the house, and will be hot. Plus they give you the opportunity to be selfless, which is sorely needed in an industry that is anything but. 

Be vulnerable in the “it’s OK to self-promote sense.” Some people just like talking about themselves – it will help and hurt them. Other people don’t like talking about themselves. That helps and hurts them. Find the right balance. You’ll make mistakes – some will see you as a grump, others as a blowhard. That’s where you have to be OK with vulnerability of personal judgment. The journey to artistic success is riddled with a bunch of questions that nobody knows the answers to. Maybe just don’t be a huge asshole or a complete pushover. 

[cdgoss]

Script auction and the "huge" stack of cash that followed.