Tag: filmmaking

Learn to Write a Screenplay at ScriptDC

screenplay sample

Tired of the same old Hollywood formula? The treacly love stories, the gross-out horror flicks, the not really funny bromances? Think that you can do something better?

Now’s your chance to learn how to write a screenplay at ScriptDC. This three day event takes place downtown on October 15-17. It’s sponsored by local filmmaking organizations, including the DC Film Alliance and Women in Film and Video. ScriptDC features a full slate of speakers and events designed for aspiring filmmakers.

The highlights include:

  • A Friday night film screening and speaker.
  • A full day of speakers on Saturday, including Ed Burns (The Wire), Claudia Myers (Kettle of Fish), Mike Million (Tenure), Kelley Baker (The Angry Filmmaker), Jon Gann (DC Shorts) and Megan Holley (Sunshine Cleaning).
  • The finals of the DC Shorts Screenwriting Competition, where you can pick the winner of this live screenplay reading featuring local actors.
  • Sunday morning pitch sessions, where you’ll have a chance to sell your screenplay idea to producers.
  • Script critique sessions where the first five pages of your script will be evaluated.

ScriptDC is the largest conference of its kind in the mid-Atlantic. What’s unique about it is its broad approach. Not only can you learn about how to write a screenplay, you can see scripts acted out live, and meet producers and filmmakers who have been successful.

I’m going to be at the screenplay reading on Saturday night – I was a judge for the contest, helping to select the finalists. Looking forward to seeing the scripts read live.

Use discount code DCSHORTS when registering for Script DC and save $75 on registration! http://scriptdc.com

DC Shorts Mini-Review: Corner Plot

For anyone who lives in the sprawling metropolis of Washington, Corner Plot is a fascinating documentary.  Would you believe that someone owns a one-acre farm in the middle of Silver Spring? Charlie Koiner does. He’s 89-years-old and produces a cornucopia of produce from his tiny plot of land, just blocks from the Metro.

Corner Plot is a really effective short work because the filmmakers paid attention to the story of Koiner, showing how farming has kept him young and engaged with the community. More strident documentarians would’ve taken the occasion to lecture the audience on environmental themes but Ian Cook and Andrew Dahlman are smart enough to let their subject do most of the talking. They allow they audience to come to the conclusion that local farms are critical to community life, vital to people like Koiner and the people of Silver Spring.

Corner Plot won for Outstanding Local Film at the DC Shorts Film Festival. You can see it for free on September 23 at Little Miss Whiskey’s. Look for more screenings throughout the year.

DC Shorts Mini-Review: Touch

A scene from Touch

Here’s another mini-review of one of the many great films that were a part of the DC Shorts Film Festival.

Despite our affluence, Americans suffer from record levels of depression. People feel disconnected from life, even in the midst of busy urban environments.

What’s missing? Jen McGowan examines this problem in her film, Touch. It’s a simple setup – two women on a train platform. Lily Knight’s performance in this short is amazing. The camera is close on her face for nearly the entire film and she communicates incredible suffering, nearly wordlessly.

We never learn why she is in pain. But, following a chance encounter with a stranger, we discover what she has come to the train platform to do.

In the Q&A session following the screening of Touch, director McGowan explained that finding her lead actor was the hardest part in making this movie. She looked for months until she saw Knight, who had a bit part in another film.

Touch is a beautiful short that demonstrates the power a simple act of kindness can have on someone’s life.

Looking for Actors? Try Stonehenge

You can’t make a movie without actors. Whether you’re making a short or a feature, you need talented performers to bring your story to life.

One easy way to find a bunch of them is Stonehenge, a “speed-casting” event. In it, actors perform a short monologue before an audience of filmmakers. Monologues are filmed so you can see what the actors look like on camera. They are also required to bring in headshots so that you can contact them afterwards.

I attended Stonehenge several years ago. I was part of a 48 Hour Film team looking for actors. We sat in the audience like Hollywood bigshots as a new actor came in every fifteen minutes and performed their monologue. We selected people for our film, as did other 48 Hour teams.

During this all-day casting event, you can see up to 100 actors. The event is open to independent producers and student filmmakers so it’s a great way to find the perfect actor for your production.

Registration for filmmakers is open now; registration for actors starts on August 28.

There Are No Rock Stars

You do not need to take a class with a “rock star” to be creative. This faith in the magical ability of experts to transform lives is ironic in our secular  society. Gurus, rock stars, life coaches, Oprah – they can make you change. Most people don’t go to a priest for career advice yet believe that taking the workshop of a famous person will cure their creative funk.

I was thinking about this after reading comments by a talented photographer friend of mine, Mary Kate McKenna. She was writing about “rock star” wedding photographers and their high-priced workshops:

REALLY tired of newbie photogs (I still consider myself a newbie in the industry!) doing workshops for other professionals, charging a lot of money, with no real business skills and embellishing the amount of money they make in the industry. Before attending a “rockstar” workshop, do your research. Continue reading “There Are No Rock Stars”

2009 Highlights

steps

It’s the end of the year, and the end of a decade. What were my favorite projects of 2009? What did I have the most fun working on?

Murder in Ocean Hall

I can’t help myself, I like to write fiction. People have asked me how I could leave my job and then spend countless hours alone, in a coffee shop, writing a novel. I’ve offered advice on setting a schedule and being committed, but the truth is that writing a book is a huge sacrifice and something that you must really, really want to do. And something that you must enjoy doing more then anything else. Continue reading “2009 Highlights”

The Disintermediation Moment

With the advent of the Barnes and Noble Nook e-reader and the growing acceptance of e-books among readers and writers, it’s safe to say that we’ve reached what I’d call the Disintermediation Moment. This is the time when industries collapse, driven by changes in consumer behavior and expectations. Technology offers new solutions, eagerly adopted by ordinary people, but resisted by middlemen and gatekeepers who want to retain their status, control and income. Continue reading “The Disintermediation Moment”

Behind the Scenes at a Screenplay Reading

Now in it’s sixth year, DC Shorts has been named by MovieMaker Magazine as “one of the nation’s leading short film festivals.” The festival features 100 films from across the country and around the world. What’s unique about DC Shorts is its focus on the filmmaker, many of whom will be in attendance this year.

I’ve been involved in DC Shorts almost since the beginning. I volunteered with Jon Gann, founder of the festival, and  was a film judge for a couple years. Me and other volunteers watched and rated the hundreds of submissions that came in. We used a clever online system to do so. One key trait about DC Shorts is how professional and well organized it is, from top to bottom. Continue reading “Behind the Scenes at a Screenplay Reading”

Murder in Ocean Hall – Where'd the Idea Come From?

Since I finished writing Murder in Ocean Hall, I’ve gotten questions from friends and family regarding the book. Creating something from nothing seems enough of a magical act to inspire some questioning. The question I’ve gotten most is:

Where’d you get the idea from?

I originally planned to write a much different book, something much more serious and literary. It’s a manuscript that I’ve worked on for three or four years and exists on my laptop as a mix of disparate scenes and ideas that have never quite come together. The novel that I had in mind was a much grimmer story, about DC during the summer before 9/11. The book is about people chasing success, unaware that their world is about to be undone.

Finishing that big serious book was my plan. It’s why I decided to leave my government contractor job. Continue reading “Murder in Ocean Hall – Where'd the Idea Come From?”