Otherwise Known As Kevin Miller (XI)

Lights, camera... wardrobe: a preview from my upcoming short film "Drop Gun"

This was supposed to be my directorial debut, a war story set in Afghanistan. But shortly after I got the idea, Magnus Persson, who served as director of photography and editor on With God On Our Side, contacted me to say he was looking for a script to shoot for his film school thesis project.

Realizing the chances of me pulling this project together over the next few months--much less doing a good job of it--were slim to none, I pitched him the idea. He liked it, so we have spent the last couple of months developing it together.

Which leads to the photo below. That's Magnus in the uniform. He's preparing to shoot a camera test this week that will help him get things set up for the actual production, which will take place shortly after Christmas.

It's only a small step, but this is one of my greatest pleasures as a screenwriter--seeing the vision I dreamed about in my head begin to take shape in the real world. It never ceases to amaze me when a team of people are willing to rally around an idea and see it to fruition, but I'm always glad when they do.

Who has it worse--actors or screenwriters?

As someone who has both acted and written for the screen, I'd definitely say actors have it worse. Way worse. At its best, a writer's life is typified by endless rejection punctuated by brief moments of despair. But acting has to be one of the most demeaning professions I can imagine.

Unless you're one of two dozen A-listers in Hollywood, you're nothing but a slab of meat. You have no control over the material you're given, you have to humiliate yourself in a thousand different ways just to get a part--a part that you probably don't want but you have to take in order to pay your rent and get another notch on your resume in the hope that one day you might actually get a part that you really do want. And if you're not exactly what they're looking for, you're gone.

Apparently, writer/producer Rob Long agrees with me. I laughed when I read this recent piece, in which he debates the merits of acting vs. writing, especially this part:

Actors, at least with each other, are also kinder. I have seen actors waiting to audition for the same role genuinely wish each other well. “Break a leg, man,” they’ll say to each other, and you know they mean it because they’re wearing that mentally-exhausted expression actors wear when they’ve said something unscripted.

Writers, of course, loathe each other. Writers are enemies-list makers and gossip-spreaders, score-settlers and secret drinkers. Sure, the business makes us angry and bitter. But we’re writers. We were angry and bitter before we got into this business.

In other words, when writers tell each other to "break a leg," what they really mean is, "Break a leg or I'll hire someone to break it for you."

I don't think I'm that bitter, but I do confess to pangs of jealousy when writers I know experience any modicum of success. In fact, sometimes I feel the same way about writers I don't know. And I'd be lying if I said I didn't sneak a secret drink now and again. But then again, I've never actually gone out and ordered a hit on anyone. At least not yet...

Do writers have the right to strike?

"I'm thinking of calling a general strike of all writers until mankind finally comes to its sense. Would you support it?"

    "Do writers have a right to strike? That would be like the police or firemen walking out."

    "Or the college professors."

    "Or the college professors," I agreed. I shook my head. "No, I don't think my conscience would let me support a strike like that. When a man becomes a writer, I think he takes on a sacred obligation to produce beauty and enlightenment and comfort at top speed."

    "I just can't help thinking what a real shakeup it would give people if, all of a sudden, there were no new books, new plays, new histories, new poems..."

    "And how proud would you be when people started dying like flies?" I demanded.

    "They'd die more like mad dogs, I think--snarling and snapping at each other and biting their own tails."

    I turned to Castle and the elder. "Sir, how does a man die when he's deprived of the consolations of literature?"

    "In one of two ways," he said, " petrescence of the heart or sympathy of the nervous system."

    "Neither one very pleasant, I expect."

 

Good news for screenwriters -- Recent films prove that good concepts trump star power at the box office

From a recent article in the Hollywood Reporter:

Hollywood studios are now thinking twice about splurging on A-list movie stars and costly productions in reaction to the poor economy, but also because of the surprising success of recent films with unknown actors.

After buddy comedy "The Hangover," a movie with a little-known cast, made $459 million at the global boxo office this past summer, several films have shown that a great concept or story can trump star appeal when it comes to luring fans.

"District 9," a low-budget movie in which the biggest stars were space aliens treated like refugees and the lead actor was South African Sharlto Copley, made $200 million. Thriller "Paranormal Activity," starring Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat, has cash registers ringing to the tune of $100 million.

This is good news for screenwriters and independent filmmakers who have lots of good ideas but who  are struggling to finance their story and character-driven projects.

Case in point: Recently, I was involved in trying to raise money and secure distribution for an independent film I co-wrote (No Saints for Sinners) which was shot this summer. Most of the sales reps I spoke with liked the sound of the project, but they wouldn't touch it unless we had X,Y or Z actor attached. This creates a Catch-22 for independent filmmakers, because in order to get X, Y or Z, you need a whole lotta $.

Things weren't always this way. For a brief period back in the late 1960s and early 1970s, story truly was king in Hollywood. (This era is chronicled in Peter Biskind's excellent book Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex-Drugs-and-Rock 'N' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood). The studio system was bloated and reeling, completely out of touch with the public, and losing scads of money. Then along came a band of irreverent young filmmakers with last names like Scorsese, Coppola, Hopper, Bogdanovich, Friedkin, Altman and Lucas who completely reinvented the industry with gritty, personal films peopled with relatively unknown actors.

As we know all too well, a few of these filmmakers eventually put Hollywood back on the track toward bloat and excess, which lasted another 15 years or so. But then in the early 1990s, another group of filmmakers -- Tarantino, Soderbergh, Thornton, Rodriguez and others -- showed Hollywood once again that story and character reign supreme. (Biskind documents this period as well in Down and Dirty Pictures: Miramax, Sundance, and the Rise of Independent Film.)

Unfortunately, that era is long past, and we're once again facing new extremes in bloat and excess, with perhaps no better example than Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen -- a $200 million, 2.5 hour toy commercial. Unfortunately, audiences rewarded it with $833 million at the box office. But with the economy struggling to recover and more and more big name, big budget movies under-performing, could we be on the verge of another insurrection where quality and substance wins out over shock and awe?

I certainly hope so. And if it happens, I plan on being part of the revolution.

Another perk of joining the WGA

The FedEx guy just showed up with a free copy of the new film It's Complicated, starring Meryl Streep, Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin. The package contained nothing but a DVD and a brief one-sheet telling me where I can download the screenplay for free. This sort of thing has never happened before, so I can only assume it has something to do with my recent entrance into the WGA.

The film opens on Christmas Day, and apparently it's vying for Academy Award consideration for best original screenplay, among other things. So I guess that's why they want screenwriters like me to watch/read it. If that's the case, hopefully that means several more free movies in the days to come.

The end of screenwriting as we know it?

I got a little giddy this morning when I read Earl Newton's rant about how screenwriters have to stop being the schmucks whose work gets tromped on by directors, producers and the like, and start taking charge of how the the finished product turns out. Here's a little taste to whet your appetite:

I’m not sure if I have a resounding thesis statement to make, as much as an expression of anger.  I’m very tired of the idea that the director’s vision trumps the screenplay.  I’m saying this as a director myself.  Having a great visual imagination doesn’t qualify you to weigh in on story.  Yet it’s not uncommon for a script to be tossed out and completely reworked by a director, sometimes at the last minute, to support their “vision.”  Is there any other industry where a leader can come in, completely shred years of work and research, and “follow his vision?”

That's not to say screenwriters don't make mistakes or that the input of directors or producers is always negative. Far from it. But ultimately, if all you can do is write, there's a point at which you're relegated to the sidelines while the REAL filmmakers do their thing. It's a helpless and often frustrating feeling, especially when the finished product turns out to be nothing like you originally envisioned it.

So if you're an aspiring screenwriter, take Newton's advice to heart. Develop some additional skills. Even if you never become a director, editor or producer, the more you learn about how that rest of the film making process works, the more fully realized your vision will be on the page--and the less likely it will be altered or corrupted later on.

Tales from the Script -- A New Documentary About Screenwriting

Someone just brought this film to my attention. I haven't seen it yet, but it looks like a keeper. It features a number of well known screenwriters, including Shane Black, Paul Schrader, William Goldman, Frank Darabont, David Hayter and many others telling war stories and sharing life lessons. You can learn more about the film here. I can't wait to see it.

Closing in on a "first" draft...

Life is pretty exciting right now. After several days of intense work (and several more days yet to come), I just earned myself a writing credit on a feature-length documentary called "With God On Our Side." I'll post more news about the film as I'm allowed. For now, I can say we're looking at picture lock in mid-May, an official web site up shortly thereafter and a proposed release date sometime this fall.

In other news, I'm collaborating with David L. Cunningham on another original pitch of mine, this time set in Hawaii (one of my favorite places on earth). I've worked with David on two other films: the docudrama Hakani and on my first feature, After... David shot a teaser trailer for the Hawaii film last week. I just saw some photos from the shoot, and I wish I were free to post some of them here, because they look amazing. As for the story, all I'll say for now is that you should be able to bring the whole family to see this one. I'm working on my fourth revision of the "first" draft right now.

Incidentally, I'm also heading over to the Big Island later this month to meet with David and to volunteer a week of my time at the University of the Nations' School of Digital Filmmaking. Looking forward to it!

Cold-calling is for suckers, and I just proved it again yesterday

There I was in the final stretch on a new script when my phone rang. I checked the call display. An LA number. I didn't recognize it, but I decided to interrupt my flow anyway. I've been pitching a lot of projects to a lot of people lately, so it was probably one of them getting back to me.

When I clicked the talk button, I was greeted by a man with a British accent who stated his name and said he was returning my call. I was caught flat-footed for a second, b/c his name didn't register. When I told him that, he pretty much spat up a lung. "Oh, not another one!" Then he hung up.

Thinking I had been mistaken for a telemarketer, I called him right back and apologized for my gaffe. Would he mind telling me the company for whom he worked? Mistake number two. He didn't work for the company, he co-owned it with his wife, and if I'm going to go around leaving messages for people, I should at least remember their names! After this little hissy fit, he finally told me who he was.

Immediately, cold realization flooded my veins. This was the production company for a well known actress that I had contacted b/c I knew she had an affinity for the subject matter of a film I've been developing. Turns out the man on the phone was her husband, a far lesser known actor who co-owned the company with her. 

I apologized again for my mistake, saying that I had left a message for their head of development and that I never imagined he or his wife would get back to me instead. He told me the person I named as their head of development left the company over a year ago and that I should have known that.

"Not according to IMDBPro," I responded. 

"Well, their information is out of date," he said, as if I should have known that, too.

Once his lecture was over, I tried to regroup and explain briefly why I was calling. But let me tell you: the odds of you selling your script in Hollywood are already extremely low. And when your sales pitch begins with a hang-up and an extended lecture, they're pretty much bouncing along the bottom. After listening to my pitch with teeth firmly clenched, he told me they weren't even remotely interested in the project (and I got the sense I should have known that as well). 

To his credit, he ended the call by apologizing. He didn't mean to get angry. It's just that they get a lot of cranks leaving messages on their machine. I told him I understood all too well. (I could just imagine the message he would have left on MY machine...) Then we went our separate ways.

So, what can you learn from my experience?

1. Cold-calling is for suckers. Unless you have absolutely no connections to the industry, never, ever call someone without getting a referral first. I knew that before I called these folks, but for some reason I thought I could get away with it this time.

2. Do your homework. Through some miracle, I was able to recall the name of their head of development during the call, and I'd never forget the name of this actress. But this guy was right: I hadn't even bothered to learn who he was. If I had done even a little bit of research, instead of getting an angry hang-up, when he told me his name I could have immediately flattered his actor's ego by a) recognizing his name and b) complimenting him on a recent performance. I still don't think he would have considered my project, but I'm sure he would have at least given me a decent referral.

3. Keep good records. Normally, I'm pretty organized. But lately I've been managing so many projects that a few details are slipping off the table. Don't make this mistake. When you make a phone call, note the date and time, the person to whom you talked (or left a message for), what you discussed and the person's phone number. Then keep this info handy so when you see an unfamiliar number on the call display, you won't get chewed out like I did.

Great Q & A with some of today's top screenwriters

Whether you're an aspiring screenwriter who would like to learn more about the craft or simply a fan who wants to hear how your favorite films came together, you'll want to check out Creative Screenwriting Senior Editor Jeff Goldsmith's podcasts with some of today's leading screenwriters.

Recent interviews include David Hayter and Alex Tse (The Watchmen), Robert D. Siegel (The Wrestler) and my friend Grant Nieporte (Seven Pounds).