Neverland 720p from Alex Albrecht on Vimeo.

This was my first script, picked up by Alex Albrecht. I think the execution could be a bit better and some major scenes were not captured in my writer's eye, but overall a great first attempt by debut director, Alex.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

The night before the burial of her husband 2nd Lt. James Cathey of the United States Marine Corps, killed in Iraq, Katherine Cathey refused to leave the casket, asking to sleep next to his body for the last time. The Marines made a bed for her, tucking in the sheets below the flag. Before she fell asleep, she opened her laptop computer and played songs that reminded her of "Cat", and one of the Marines asked if she wanted them to continue standing watch as she slept.
"I think it would be kind of nice if you kept doing it" she said.
"I think that's what he would have wanted".

I'm not sure what is more honorable: Being married to this faithful wife to the end or the Marine standing next to the casket watching over them both.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Check it out >>>

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Well, I turned 37.

That's ok, I still feel pretty young for my age, and what makes it even better.... my wife and kids.

When I stepped out of my truck after a long day at the office, this is what I was greeted with on the front door. At first, I was scared, but it only got better from there.

Stepping inside, I was met in the foyer by running, smiling children. Hugs, "I love you"s and the smell of food... and still, it only got better.

Bailey and Aiden had set the table and laid out a myriad of cards and drawings they had created for me - really sweet stuff, see...

Then Amy dropped the bomb....

My favorite pizza, all jalapenoed up just the way I like it.

We enjoyed a nice dinner at the table and chatted about our day. Afterword, we played a game of idioms - where we make drawings on a large sketchpad and try to guess the phrase or expression first (I like to draw.)

Then I got confused. Amy went to the counter, fixed a plate and brought me this...

Two desserts! So either she is being really nice, or she is plotting to kill me. I'll give her the benefit of the doubt.

After a relaxing dessert and winding down with funny stories and just enjoying each others company, things got serious.

We started bowling.

A trademark of our family - no, not stubborness, is competitiveness. We all fight fiercely for first place, to be the best, to have the highest ranking score/title/whatever, and nothing brings out the war-faces like bowling. The Wii kicked on. The smell of plastic and ether kicked up in the air. Each of us maticulously selected our bowling order. Strategy ruled.

Needless to say, we all fought for every pin, but in the end...

BOOSH!  Happy Birthday, indeed. I haven't seen that many strikes since the Writer's Guild of America, circa 2007.

...and if that wasn't enough, I trashed Amy's training record of 519 with a 524. IN YOUR FACE!!!!

Whew.

Well, as I close, the kids are down for bed and Amy has one more present for me. I'm ecstatic, of course...

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

This is Dan from The Totally Rad Show. Nicely done.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Mark your calendars - 11/5/2011.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Pretty cool Sci-fi Action film headed our way and written by one of my favorite screenwriters (whom I study), Jon Spaihts of Passengers and Shadow 19 fame.

Enjoy.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

See the full gallery on Posterous

I am an insane fan of the works and imagination of H.P. Lovecraft, one of the forefathers of modern horror as we know it. His stories have both thrilled and frightened me for years. His body of work has been a huge influence on my own writing.

Recently, while I was browsing the local book store, I stumbled up this treasure on the clearance table - they didn't know what they were selling. Of course, I couldn't pass it up. 

And then today, I found Yog-Blogsoth, a visual interpretation of every creature H.P. Lovecraft ever dreamt of and breathed life into, or unlife, within the pages of his life's work. Naturally, I couldn't be happier. Thank you Mr. Bukowski. You made my year.

Enjoy.

WARNING: SOME IMAGES ARE NSFW

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

If you know me at all, you know I am a big fan of paranoid fiction and sci-fi thrillers. I have to say, Deus Ex's setting gives me chills. ...

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Working on the final pages of what I hope will be an epic supernatural thriller. For that I need epic music. 

Thank you  Nick Phoenix and Thomas J. Bergersen

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

It used to be that summer was the season for blockbuster movies. Now it’s a year-round phenomenon. Hollywood is in the business of selling films to a worldwide audience, which means they are always looking for a script with blockbuster potential.

Most screenwriters think a blockbuster is simply a film that does really well at the box office. Technically speaking, that’s true. But the reality is that a script with blockbuster potential is a very special kind of script, with a number of story elements that studio executives are looking for.

I’d like to point out five of the most important blockbuster script elements, out of about forty that we consistently see in the top money-making films.

Technique 1: The Myth Genre

The first blockbuster story element has to do with the genre you use to tell your story. A genre is a particular kind of story, like detective, action or comedy. When Hollywood was selling primarily to an American audience, executives thought that movie stars were the key to a hit film. But in the last ten to fifteen years, the vast majority of blockbuster films have had no movie stars.

Instead the emphasis has changed to genre films with great stories. For a film to reach a worldwide audience, it must be popular in over 100 different cultures and nationalities. Story forms are instantly recognizable anywhere in the world.

But you can’t just choose any genre if you want to write a script with blockbuster potential. Most writers don’t know that some genres travel well while others don’t. For example, comedies based mostly on funny dialogue don’t travel.

Ironically, the story that travels best is the oldest genre of all, the myth form. Myth is found in more blockbusters than any other genre by far. Add up the box office for the following myth-based movies: Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, Lord of the Rings, Shrek, Star Wars and Avatar.

The reason myth transcends national and cultural boundaries so well is that the form tracks archetypal characters and archetypal life situations. These are fundamental character types that everyone knows, and life experiences everyone passes through from birth to death.

Like any genre, myth has a number of unique story beats you must learn, and include, if you want to tell the form well. And remember: in blockbusters, myth is almost always combined with one or two other genres, such as action, fantasy and science fiction, that serve to update and unify the myth story for a young audience.

Technique 2: The Hero’s Goal

The single most important element in an international blockbuster is narrative drive, the ability of the story to propel forward at an increasing rate. Narrative drive comes primarily from the hero’s desire line. Desire is one of the seven major story structure steps, and provides you with the all-important spine on which you hang all characters, plot, symbol, theme and dialogue.

Average writers tend to make at least one of the following mistakes when coming up with the desire line: their hero has no clear goal, he/she accomplishes the goal too quickly, or the hero reaches the goal by taking only a few action steps.

There are three keys to a good desire line. First, make it specific; the more specific the better. Second, extend the goal as close to the end as possible. Third, make sure the hero is obsessed with it. Above all, intensify the desire.

Technique 3: The Opponent

As screenwriters, we are taught to focus on the hero, since this character drives the story. That’s sound advice. But in blockbuster films, the opponent may be even more important. One of the great principles in all storytelling is that the hero is only as good as the person he fights. Also, the opponent is the key to plot. And in the last ten years, blockbusters have become more plot heavy.

When writing your script, first make sure you have one main opponent to focus and build the conflict. Then look for ways to intensify the central opposition. Make your main opponent bigger, smarter, more aggressive, more passionate. In writing Batman Begins, Christopher Nolan said, “What was important to me in creating an incredible frightening villain is that everything he says is true and at some level reasonable and also makes sense.” Nolan then used this same approach in The Dark Knight when he created The Joker, one of the all-time great opponents and probably the key element in that film’s huge success.

Once you’re clear about the main opponent, try to come up with one or two secondary opponents, with at least one of them hidden from the hero and the audience.

Technique 4: The Scam

The emphasis blockbuster films place on plot leads to another story technique. And it’s designed to solve a problem that plagues almost all screenwriters: how do you create maximum plot in the middle, where 90% of scripts fail? In blockbuster movies, the hero’s plan is often a scam, or a plan that involves deception.

The trick here is to make the plan more deceptive for both hero and main opponent. When the hero scams, he becomes a trickster character, which audiences love. When the opponent scams, it gives you more plot and makes him/her a more challenging foe.

Technique 5: The Story World

The rise of the videogame along with the ability of special effects artists to realize wholly imaginary worlds has made the story world one of the three or four crucial elements in a blockbuster film. As little as a decade ago, Hollywood didn’t care about story world, because it slows down narrative drive. Special effects were designed primarily to heighten heroic action.

But videogames showed Hollywood the power that comes from having viewers immerse themselves and explore a world in all its facets. And there’s no medium that can do that better than the big screen film medium.

Many screenwriters believe that this aspect of the film is the responsibility of the director and the special effects artists. Wrong. A good story world is written into the script, and it is intimately organic to the story. That’s why you must make sure that every visual element contributes to the story. In other words every element should have story meaning embedded within it.

How you do that is a major story skill right up there with character, plot, dialogue and rewrite. All of the major techniques for creating a rich story world are found in my Blockbuster story development software. The first step is to define a distinct and recognizable arena. Then create a map of the world, with as much detail as you can provide, especially when depicting the central community within which the story takes place. Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and Avatar were all written by masters of the story world.

If you are serious about succeeding as a professional screenwriter, start with these five techniques and you will be well on the path to writing a script that Hollywood is eager to buy.

CREDIT: John Truby, Writers Strore

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Pt. 1 - Listen Here

Pt. 2 - Listen Here

Pt. 3 - Listen Here

Pt. 4 - Listen Here

Pt. 5 - Listen Here

Pt. 6 - Listen Here

via The History of Rome by Mike Duncan

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

GOT GAME?, a short comedy script and innovative concept of mine and my writing partner, Zach Herring, recieved an Honorable Mention (read Top 10) from Scripped.com and Break.com in their recent search for the next great comedy web serial. Writer/Actor/Director Edward Burns and legendary Screenscribe Steven de Souza were the judges.

Epic right? I know.

GOT GAME? was actually a very brave and ambitious submission. Zach and I proposed the internet's first crowd-sourced film script - each scene written and submitted by Break Media fans and followers, selected and artfully joined by Zach and myself, to be shot exclusively by Break Media's Creative Lab.

Our concept told the story of [Story prompt purposefully omitted]

In the end, they didn't bite... but we did get the Honorable Mention.  Which is still cool just to be recognized.

Too bold? Too technically scary? I don't know, but it would be a load of fun, and a marketing event for the ages. An original social experiment aiming to create a mutual crowd-sourced campaign that rewards the fans and followers of the media outlet involved; a caption contest x 10, a 'which-way' book for the modern age.

If you read this, and are interested in knowing more about how we see the series working and getting in on the story prompt, contact me. This could be the next great marketing event for some lucky web serial site.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Starting today!

Some of you may be shocked, others may ridicule me, but I'm taking a holiday from Facebook for 30 days.

Why?

Well, I tend to sit and look at the site for far too long and far too many times a day. Yes, I enjoy keeping up with family and friends, especially the long-distance ones I miss and the old friends newly rediscovered, but I find that I waste a large portion of my evenings staring at it, checking it, wittily responding to it, and it's time to moderate, repurpose and maximize that lost time in a positive fashion.

No Facebook means more time with my wife and kids, more time in the Word, more time working on writing and research. It means focusing on my health, my heart, my mind and my soul - not how many coffees my friends bought, pooping cat puppets and music videos from the 1970s. It means more attention to my personal blog, a higher awareness of world news rather than buzz feeds, and really engaging people in ways beyond a "like" button.

I'll push news via this blog - which autoposts to Facebook and Twitter, for those of you using it, but if you want to dialog with me...

• Call or Text me
• Email
• IM 
• Comment on my blog
• Let's go have a coffee

Can it be done? We'll see. If you support this, let me know by posting in the comments. Maybe you should take 30 Days off too.

Later.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »