Michael Jackson Memorial at The Apollo Theater

This afternoon, I sent two of my assistants, who did not know each other well, to the Michael Jackson memorial in Harlem, NY to capture video of the proceedings. On the way there, they realized that they had both been in Harlem for President Obama's inauguration and had a lot in common.

While they were there, capturing images, they found themselves becoming part of the crowd. Craning for celebrities, chatting up the other onlookers and buying merchandise.

As "film people" they both realized the fascinating coincidence that they had been at the same spot - The Apollo Theater - for both the inauguration of the new generation and the silencing of the last.

As an exercise: Consider this for the main character(s) of your own screenplay. Your character arrives at the memorial of a celebrity or icon. Why are they there? Who did they meet? What do they do? What happened? What do they take away from it? What have they learned?

As a bonus: Try to think of a moment in your own screenplay when there is this passing of one generation to make way for another.


UPDATE: CNN asked for my footage.

IT CAN HAPPEN TO YOU: Life imitates art

All life experiences – good and bad – are important for writers because they provide the basis for our screenplays, plays and books. The question we're going to explore is: Should art imitate life?

In my student Adam’s recent wedding sermon, the rabbi likened finding the right person to finding a needle in a haystack, and added that what's amazing is not only that it happened to Adam and Yana, but most importantly, that if it hasn't yet happened for you, it can and will. The proof, as they say, is in the pudding: As you can see from the photos here of Adam and Yana under the chuppah, the traditional Jewish wedding canopy, they have certainly found true love.

In Adam and Yana's case, their first date was set for the day there was a transit strike and Adam was forced to walk 40 blocks to see her.

"It was worth it," he said with a smile on several occasions. You can imagine this scene; art would imitate life with ease.

As it is with movies, so it is in life. And vice versa. In When Harry Met Sally, a favorite movie of Adam's and mine, Harry decides he wants to spend the rest of his life with Sally on New Year's Eve, which in New York can be likened to a transit strike because it's impossible to get a cab. Since the movie came first, so we can safely say this a case where life imitated art, but for us as writers, life is grist for our story mills. So, as you recall your own meet-cute (as the first meeting is called in a romantic comedy), also imagine how it would be experienced if you were watching that experience as a film, and think about where you might use it in your next screenplay. This also works for those of us who have had meet-cutes but it didn't turn out to be with the one.

In my own case, I haven't been so lucky. Having been married twice so far, I am blessed to have two great stories, and hopefully the third will be even better!

I was at a party and met the ex-boyfriend of a friend who’d been complaining about him, and whose side I always took. I warned her that if she didn’t realize how lucky she was, someone else was going to grab him. A year after they broke up, we met – not realizing who the other was – and began to flirt and laugh. By the time we were formally introduced, we were in love.

But when I told a producer friend at a party about the meeting, another friend overheard and said later, "You shouldn't ever pitch that – it's a terrible meet-cute. It sounds so contrived.”

Since it sounded too made up, I never used it. So in the end art didn’t imitate life in this case. But hopefully your own story will make a great scene.

Enjoy the photos, be happy wherever you are and take notes!

The Hurt Locker

I am regularly asked about the difference between "male" and "female" movies. Do you think films like The Hurt Locker (and Lioness before it) are anomalies or is war a genre now available to female filmmakers?

Here's what our friends at Jezebel.com have to say about The Hurt Locker.

High Concept CD by Steve Kaire

In an earlier post, I discussed teaching The Four Magic Questions of Screenwriting during a panel at The Great American PitchFest. It was a wonderful experience and I had the good fortune of meeting Steve Kaire.

Steve has sold/optioned 8 projects to the major studios including Columbia, Warner Bros. & United Artists without representation. They were sold on the strength of his ideas, pitching skills and effective methods of reaching decision makers. His CD is the sum total of his 30 years experience as a Screenwriter/Pitchman. It's been described as an informational bible that can cut years off a writer's selling time.

The CD, "High Concept - How to Create, Pitch & Sell to Hollywood" goes into depth on the following subjects:

High Concept- What the 5 Requirements Are, Advantages of High Concept, Easiest Genres to Sell, Brainstorming Techniques, Examples of High Concept Films, How to Reach Producers, How to Pitch & Protect Your Material, Dealmaking, Reaching Agents, Managers & Attorneys and Writer's Resources.

Each month, his website features a new, original article as well as screenwriting contests, writing fellowships & pitch festival information.

For this month's article and contact information on the contests & fellowship, visit www.ScriptwritingCD.com.

www.ChaoticSequence.com

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to produce a micro-budget feature called Caleb's Door a few years ago and have noticed that more and more filmmakers are finding alternate routes to production. Unfortunately, there's not a lot of resources available to independent filmmakers.

If you'd like more information about the production side of film making, you might want to consider www.ChaoticSequence.com. Recently revamped and relaunched, and run by Arthur Vincie, it features a film making blog and invaluable information about line producing.

For more info, CLICK HERE.

Noa & Order: Missing Zebra Book Unit

As a homework assignment, I asked my students to produce a short using only the footage they had on their Flip cameras. One of my students made this short, a Law & Order spoof entitled Noa & Order, using footage of a little girl she babysits. I was particularly pleased to see that my writing system - The Four Magic Questions of Screenwriting - was applied to the process.

The questions (and my student's answers) are:

Magic Question #1 - What is your character's dream? Noa wants to find her missing zebra book.

Magic Question #2 - What is your character's nightmare? Noa is worried she will never find the zebra book.

Magic Question #3 - Who or what will your character "die" for? Noa will risk it all to bring the perpetrator to justice.

Magic Question #4 - Does your character realize their dream or go on a new adventure? Noa realizes that even though she has safely recovered her zebra book, she's a different person now, and more interested in her Elmo balloon.

For more information about how you can make your own films, visit www.ScreenplayClass.com.

For more information about The Four Magic Questions of Screenwriting, visit www.FourMagicQuestions.com.

Considering Farrah Fawcett & Michael Jackson when writing your screenplay

Woody Allen Walking Tour

My Brampton, Ontario-raised assistant has been raving about Toronto film critic Richard Crouse. Here is his take on a Woody Allen walking tour:

http://www.metronews.ca/toronto/live/article/250821--seeing-new-york-city-through-the-eyes-of-woody-allen

Which sites would you add to your own Woody Allen list?

www.ScreenplayClass.com

A number of people have asked me the best way to keep up with the classes, seminars and teleseminars I run. As a result, I have put-together www.ScreenplayClass.com. I'm always interested in offering classes that will help you with your process. Please let me know which subjects you would enjoy.

Mermaid Parade at Coney Island

As an experiment, one of my students was sent to The Mermaid Parade in Coney Island with nothing but a digital still camera and told to tell a story using only photos and music. This short, entitled "Mermaid Parade" was the result.

For more information about how you can make your own films, visit http://www.ScreenplayClass.com.

Here's how the good people at ConeyIsland.com describe The Mermaid Parade:

A completely original creation of Coney Island USA, the Mermaid Parade is the nation's largest art parade and one of New York City's greatest summer events. The parade is proud to have some incredible sponsors. Click here for answers to common questions.

Founded in 1983 by Coney Island USA, the not-for-profit arts organization that also produces the Coney island Circus Sideshow, the Mermaid Parade pays homage to Coney Island's forgotten Mardi Gras which lasted from 1903 to 1954, and draws from a host of other sources resulting in a wonderful and wacky event that is unique to Coney Island.

The Mermaid Parade celebrates the sand, the sea, the salt air and the beginning of summer, as well as the history and mythology of Coney Island, Coney Island pride, and artistic self-expression. The Parade is characterized by participants dressed in hand-made costumes as Mermaids, Neptunes, various sea creatures, the occasional wandering lighthouse, Coney Island post card or amusement ride, as well as antique cars, marching bands, drill teams, and the odd yacht pulled on flatbed.

Each year, a different celebrity King Neptune and Queen Mermaid rule over the proceedings, riding in the Parade and assisting in the opening of the Ocean for the summer swimming season by marching down the Beach from the Boardwalk, cutting through Ribbons representing the seasons, and tossing fruit into the Atlantic to appease the Sea Gods. In the past, David Byrne, Queen Latifah, Ron Kuby, Curtis Sliwa, Moby, and David Johansen have graced our shores, presiding over the assembled masses.

The Parade is followed by the Mermaid Parade Ball, a post-parade gathering where costumed parade participants can get together with each other and parade spectators to listen to live music, purchase raffle tickets, and watch burlesque and sideshow acts performed by some of New York City's hottest burlesque stars.

Come on out and join us on one of Coney Island's best days of the summer! We can't wait to see you there!

Annie Jennings Interview

If you missed my interview with Annie Jennings, you can access the full audio file here.

Vote for Circumstance!

My friend Maryam Keshavarz's wonderful film Circumstance is competiting for the Netflix Find Your Voice Film Competition. Voting only takes a few seconds (really!) and it could be the difference between a talented filmmaker getting funding or not.

Please CLICK HERE and vote for Maryam Keshavarz/ CIRCUMSTANCE!

The Proposal

Sometimes the stories behind the scripts are even better than the scripts themselves.

http://www.movieline.com/2009/06/peter-chiarelli.php

PitchFest

I got a chance to escape the dreary New York June this weekend to speak at The Great American PitchFest and screenwriting conference.

Not only did I have the opportunity to soak up some L.A. sun, but also got to count myself in the lucky company of some extremely talented writers and teachers. Here are some of the highlights from their very accomplished careers:

Christopher Vogler is a Hollywood development executive best known for his guide for screenwriters called The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure For Writers. He created a now-legendary seven-page company memo for Hollywood screenwriters, A Practical Guide to The Hero With a Thousand Faces, which he developed into book in the late-1990s.
Vogler has worked for Disney studios, Fox 2000 pictures and Warner Bros. in the development department. He has also taught in the USC School of Cinema-Television, Division of Animation and Digital Arts as well as at UCLA extension. He is president of Storytech Literary Consulting.

Steve Kaire has sold/optioned eight projects to the majors including Warners, Columbia, United Artists and Interscope without representation. He’s been featured in various industry publications and is a sought after speaker on the lecture circuit. He’s also taught writing classes at the American Film Institute. Steve’s new audio CD High Concept: How to Create, Pitch & Sell to Hollywood is an informational bible for film and TV writers.

Dr. Melody Jackson founded Smart Girls Productions in 1992 as a marketing and consulting firm for actors and screenwriters. Smart Girls' unique position as a mom-and-pop, hands-on shop dedicated to marketing actors and screenwriters
She has developed proprietary SmartStudio™ specialized software for tracking who's who in the industry (agents, managers, producers, casting directors) and then being able to select the best people for you to market to. She uses her tech savvy to support her clients in using the latest, hip and trendy websites to promote their careers in addition to the tried and true traditional marketing methods, which are vital for actors and screenwriters.
Before starting Smart Girls, Melody was a successful sales and marketing exec for film and television distribution accounting software.

Deadline!

If only all deadlines were this inspiring.

When Is Your Screenplay a Movie?

When is your screenplay a movie? One way to get your story fast is to create an imaginary trailer for your film before you write it. This trailer is not for a movie that actually exists! But after seeing it, we want to see the film.

Watching the trailer convinces us that it's already been made. Describe the clips in prose form as if you are telling a blind person what you are seeing. Writing an imaginary trailer gives you a clear bulllseye to aim for and will help you feel that you are closer to achieving your goal.

TweetAMovie

I've been working on fun Twitter project with friends and students. At TweetAMovie, we're trying to write a short film 140 characters at a time. We're really excited about the progress and would love more voices to tweet us.

If you can help us out, please send a direct message to TweetAMovie. (We'll repost what you send, but I've found that it cuts down on lots of confusion if we can have all the lines in one place.)

Here's the summary so far:

Mysterious men have plucked newlywed Joe from the luxury cruise ship he’s honeymooning on. In the dead of night, his new bride, Mira, searches for him as the kidnappers make their getaway with Joe in a small boat. Joe is taken to a secret location while Mira is questioned by the ship’s officials. She swears she knows nothing that would have lead to Joe’s disappearance.
Mira flashes back to her first meeting with Joe, her mind reeling about what she doesn’t know about her husband.

Who’s behind Joe’s disappearance? Does Mira know more than she’s telling? What events led up to the kidnapping?


Joe – An alias of a recently kidnapped newlywed. He was taken by masked men while on his honeymoon cruise. Why was he taken? What does he know? Who was behind the kidnapping?

Mira – Joe’s seemingly distraught new wife. Questioned in his disappearance by a suspicious guard. Tough cookie, but this night is testing her resolve. Or is it all just an act?

Guards – Interrogated Mira on the ship. One looks a lot like Joe. Are very suspicious of Mira.



Ext. Luxury cruise ship deck – Night
A distraught young bride frantically searches for her husband.
She finds his jacket caught around one of the rails on the port side. The arms of the jacket flapping eerily out towards the sea. Off the port bow in the shadows of the hull of the large vessel floats a small group of pirates who hold him bloodied and bound. 
 



INT. Luxury Cruise Liner - Cargo room
A stowaway is pacing. His eyes are filled with lust and murder

Ext. Deck – Continuous
From behind, a moving SHADOW passes over her shoulder. She spins and SHRIEKS. Joe sees what's happening but can't help her. His boat of pirates takes off into the black darkness.
A radio squawks.

RADIO
We got him.

The stowaway steps into light, smiles. He looks just like
Joe.

INT. ROOM ON THE SHIP - Boat security questions Mira

SECURITY GUARD
Ma'am, when did you
last see your husband?

MIRA
Two hours ago.
We had just come
back from the ballroom.
We're on our honeymoon.

The security guard who looks just like Joe glances at his security detail.

SECURITY GUARD
Your honeymoon?

MIRA
Uh, yeah. You know,
that vacation you
take together
after the wedding?

The guard slams his fist on the table, close enough to Mira that she feels the air move. Mira doesn't flinch. The guard paces the windowless room.

GUARD
You'd think you'd watch
your tongue if you
wanted your husband back. 



MIRA
Holding my tongue
is what put Joe's
life in danger
in the first place.

She bursts into tears.

MIRA
Why are you yelling at me? 






The guard silently pulls out a file labeled Robert Harrison.

MIRA
My husband's name was Joe

.

The guards look at each other.

GUARD
Everybody's named Joe.
Sometimes, they got
other names, too.

He opens the file.

GUARD
Is this your Joe? Or this?

MIRA
Can I see that file?
The Guard hesitates.

She pours over the file, staring at Joe's face, his outfit.

MIRA
That's us in Venice. That's
Joe in Paris, on business.
That's impossible. I know
a Photoshop when I see it. 



Mira pauses to collect herself.

MIRA (Cont.)
I saw him after dinner.
We were looking at the moon.
He said... we said
goodbye. I should've known.

GUARD #1
That name is familiar.

GUARD #2
He's a VIP on this boat.
He's seated at the
captain's table tonight.


MIRA
No, no, no!

She slams files to the floor, noticing a dufflebag tucked away in a corner. Stenciled on it, the name JOE.

She gasps but tries to stay calm.

MIRA
Can I go, please?
My husband’s missing
and I need to make some
phone calls and go sleep.

GUARD #2
Just one more question.
You said “was”.

MIRA
What?

GUARD #2
You said a minute ago
that his name “was” Joe.
Family of missing people
usually refer to loved
ones in present tense.

Int. Cafe - One year earlier

Mira waits for her computer to start up. She impatiently makes circles with the cursor. Joe, waiting for his coffee, watches her intensely.

Joe
There are two kinds
of people in the world.

Mira
I'm sorry?

Joe
People who wait
for things to happen and
people who make circles
with their cursors.

Mira
Sorry, I just have
so much to get
done this morning.

Joe
You realize the first
two things you said
to me were both "sorry"?

Mira
The first two things?
Will there be more
I say to you?

He considers that for a moment. Suddenly Mira's computer comes to life, finally done loading.

Mira
Sorry. Back to work.

Joe smiles.