Saturday, December 24, 2011

Happy Holidays, Everyone

Lotsa good news/bad news this year. The good: the spec market came back with a vengeance, thereby creating vitality in the industry and making people want to read and discover new writing voices again. The bad: we lost both screenwriting magazines--Script and Creative Screenwriting--not to mention the CS Weekly, The Screenwriting Expo, the AAA and Expo contests and the Cyberspace Open. All of which kind of blows.

As we head into 2012, I'm scratching my head because my Magic 8-Ball is coming up hazy. The brave new world we're entering (or "New World Order," to quote George H.W. Bush) has no room for print magazines and newspapers; and while more people can make movies now than ever thanks to cheap filmmaking tech, meaningful distribution is harder to land than ever. On the other hand, the internet means people around the world can view your short film instantly and if enough people see it, it can create a buzz which gets you meetings and could eventually result in you getting hired. In fact, there's more opportunity out there for writers and filmmakers than ever before.

So it should be an interesting year. Hopefully the ride will be a little less bumpy, assuming we don't start any more wars. Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Awesome Eid, Quirky Kwanzaa, and of course, a festive Festivus to all.

Jim C.

PS: Best example yet of why you need to use direct address commas: BIG difference between these two sentences: "Don't blow this, dude" and "Don't blow this dude." What a difference punctuation makes! Direct address commas--USE 'EM.

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey all ,

We are all here at Starbucks with our writinggroup called "Mrs Action Screenwriters". Fun bunch, I bet. Yes we are freaking how hard this business of screenwriting is. So this year we are only sticking with our group. And saying good bye for eroding blogs scripts - senior citizen script forums, yuppy, those film site operated by heavy metal guys.

It's such a gambling this screenwriting biz dom that the more we waste time(lots) with script bloggers and forums and guru scripts (a la John August post ;)) the more we will not sell.

Lynn

Anonymous said...

I'm a member/admin staff(v) of Lynn's Mrs. Action Screenwriters", and big yesie yesie,HA HA, .. Writers write to sell, not fart on blogs ad forums and emails, duh? we decided to write everyday for four hours, we are duhs" before coffee hit us. But do math, 4 page, lead to great many pages. Write, forget these movie,disg.as script forums blog twitter sites No twitter is allowed here

Joasia
Administrator for Mrs. Action Screenwriters

Anonymous said...

Representing, all spec sales to all of us and more.

Michele

Anonymous said...

We are currently reading Bourne scripts. All three, first two has amazing formatting style. Meat and potato, of course, that's all we need.

We blocked all the script waste of time sites from our server. Thanks guy.

Terri

Anonymous said...

"The artists who want to be writers, read the reviews "("and don't read script forums); the artists who want to write, (don't read film forums and blog like everyday with "nothingnesses"" Lynn"".")"
- William Faulkner

Keep writing!
Lynn

Anonymous said...

MOST SCRIPT FORUMS ARE BULLSHIT, I PAID THEM $24. AND I FIND ALL THESE SCRIPT FORUMS TALK ABOUT MOVIES AND MOVIES AND MOVIES. NOTHING ABOUT SCREENWRITING LIKE JOHN AUGUST AND SCRIPT SHADOW, YOU KNOW LADIES. IF THOSE GUYS ON SCRIPT FORUMS WANT TO TALK ABOUT MOVIES, GO TO A FUC******* MOVIE FORUMS. FU***** JOKE ON THESE LAZY FORUMS. WRITING IS SO HARD AND GUYS(MOST ARE DEAD BEAT MALES) ON FORUMS ARE NOT WRITING BECAUSE WRITING IS FU***** HARD AND THEY DON'T WANT TO DO IT.
LAZY GUYS@!!
MARIA

Anonymous said...

Damn, the truth, speaking it sister. Maria Maria!, nice. So true.
Lynn

Anonymous said...

Yup, talk about movies somewhere else. Don't buzz around in script forums. The biz of screenwriting is sooo complicated, why talk about films releasing this week. Lazy guys! :0)

LOL XoX

Joasia

Anonymous said...

Why are there so many dead beat guys in script forums and blogging 24-7? Don't they write? Why are guys not writing selling scripts anymore? Why are they fuc***** around on forums and blogs?

Anonymous said...

Anonymous,
Some GUYS are taking over one whole hour or two to post on forums and blogs. And I looked at one of my past email, some "lazy guy"(lol) is going around spending days on a blog article and twitter post and posting their long CRAP on blogs. I agree wholeheartedly with you. Guys writers cannot be trusted. They cheat themselves in screenwriting.
Lynn

Anonymous said...

Jim, happy holidays, lots of challenges in front of us. I leave you with this quote from a famous movie producer. Have a great holiday Jim.

"We make a lot of shitty movies… Every one of them breaks my heart… We set out to make good ones. One of the worst movies we ever made was Wolfman..."

Lordmanji Paradis

Anonymous said...

Jim,
Here is a holiday gift for your contest coordinator staff:
"The Secrets Of Action Screenwriting" by Bill Martell, Kindle and Nook, starting around 10.00.

Dean

Anonymous said...

Dean,
Just read the original.

Marylin

Anonymous said...

omg is this the same Marylin, who use pick on Zenplato from Done Deal Pro? Bullies "must be this time of the month" pathetic

Dean

Anonymous said...

Sure are a LOT of people here babbling on about how they don't believe in script blogging/forum sites and don't read them.

HELLO...! Where do you think you are now?

Anonymous said...

Jim,

We( M.A.S) are really fed up with all these blogs and forums where amateurs are talking to amateurs. Why would you talk about movies on a script forums.

I paid $24.00 dollars and now I have to read on some amateur guy (one or two) who keeps posting about movies on the damn forum. Movies are for film forums. Screenplay forums should be intense.

My sources tell us that there is one guy at the script forum bay who opened 14 accounts. So he has 14 user names and he is posting over and over at these screenplay forums. Each time with different registered names. It's just one ,two guys posting under different names.

So fake and useless these script forums and blogs operated by idiots who brag about their simple close to zero accomplishments!

Lynn
Owner - MAS

NOTE- one day we will own and control the screenplay blogs and forums and get rid of these dead-beat guys

Jim C, said...

Hmm, I've actually heard about this one guy who posts constantly on all the boards under an assumed name. he also emails me personally constantly with very basica and often kinda dumb observations and questions. But the thing here is, why are you paying? I mean, Talentville, sure, that's probably worth it, and imdbPro, but all the other sites of any value to writers are all free.

JC

Anonymous said...

Jim,
What is so good about Talentville?
List five things good about talentville? Who is operating this shop? Why should we go there?

Lynn

Anonymous said...

Jim,

I was told to check out your amazing blog. :)))*
An agent asked me to sign, not big a deal, but okay, been in hell for 15 years living like a beggar.

I don't read contracts but will when I get to it. Q- Usually how long do they sign me for and is it automatically renewed on a yearly basis? Do agents drop you without notice? Do they spend time only with the big actors and writers?

Michael

Anonymous said...

Hey Hey, Fat Albert in the house...
Two guys called ScriptDuck and Script Dude(check out their moock-documentary on the script business on yu tube) said that that talent is what you need. No UCLA, no books, not script gurus or narcistic blogs will ride you to bling bling bank accounts. Talent dude, talent dude.

Find your talent. It's out there, you will find it, acting, writing, directing etc etc tect

Write on! Speak it!

Anonymous said...

To owner of blog,
I saw this lady here at starbucks posting on your blog. She's kind of remind me of this actress, but can't figure it out? Do you know her name?

Just thought you would like to know. The staff at Starbucks said she is well know in a TV show, but the manager said not to reveal anymore info. So nothing yet.

I sneaked behind while she was typing. And her home page has a beverlly hills domain, I got it but can't reveal it. She is wearing a very expensive watch and perfume is very cool.

? ( no name), just she is a great tipper, she tips $50 ever afternoon.

Famous or not, autographs can be worthwhile.