Excuse me being MIA…

There’s a good excuse.

Two Weeks of Fun + Caffeine

My caffeine consumption will make a sharp jump over the next two weeks.

I will be steadily working on the current script I’m rewriting (a script that is STILL untitled, damn it) plus a rewrite of Super Ted, with the intention of submitting both to the Nicholl’s Screenwriting Fellowship, due on May 2.

While that major deadline is sticking out its tongue and mocking me, over the next two weeks I’ll also be involved in the San Francisco International Film Festival (SFIFF), attending events and writing up articles on my experiences. The SFIFF kicks off on Thursday, and I get to be there on Opening Night as Ewan McGregor and Mike Mills attend to present their new film, Beginners.

I’ll also be trying to find a way to maintain my freelance workload and keep my sanity by fitting in some workouts.

I get to work on my scripts and attend a boatload of movies for two weeks. Oh, shucks.

2011 Spring Cyberspace Open Score & Feedback

I had found out earlier in the week that I wasn’t selected as one of the 100 finalists to make it to round two of the 2011 Cyberspace Open (you can read my round one entry here).

Here is my score and the specific feedback given by the reader:

The feedback immediately tells me that I didn’t do an adequate job of conveying that the teenage boy in the story isn’t interested in “going to the party” with Arnelle because he’s gay. Yes, they’re talking about sex, but it’s really about him trying to express to her that he’s not interested in females at all.

I agree with nearly everything the judge pointed out, except that younger kids are likely to be more upfront.

Anybody have any additional thoughts?

Note: If you entered the CS Open and are looking to find your score, you can use your order number and find it here.

Thankful Friday 3/25

You may or may not have noticed that the frequency of my posts has decreased slightly. It’s all part of my attempt to limit my daily focus so that I can put forth my best effort in everything I do… which includes the content that I provide here on the site.

I have some exciting things in the works, including an entire site revamp and some more visually-driven reviews on movies I’ve seen recently.

I was handed a bit of disappointing news this afternoon, as the 2011 Cyberspace Open released a list of their Top 100 finalists who will move onto round two of the contest. Unfortunately, I wasn’t included in those 100 individuals who will advance. I wasn’t jumping up for joy with my entry, but after doing pretty well last year, needless to say, this was an absolute shot to my gut.

With that said, it is just one contest. Congrats to the 100 who did make it, including Elizabeth Ditty, who rocked her scene and absolutely deserved to move on.

This week, I’m thankful for the following:

+ Finished and submitted the rewrite of an article I’ve been busting my butt on for my internship.

+ More freelance writing opportunities have popped up. I love being able to buy groceries.

+ Progress was made on the script rewrite.

+ Ran in the rain twice in the last seven days… was miserable and yet awesome.

This weekend is going to be a busy one. On Saturday I’m going to be a little sponge, trying to soak up as much information as possible during a writing workshop, which will be led by the incredible Julie Gray. And finally, the 12 week training running program will come to an end as my friend and I will participate in the Oakland Running Festival Half Marathon on Sunday.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Back Working Towards Contest Season

After the week-long break, it’s time to get back at it. Unfortunately for my bank account, there aren’t many freelance article assignments to write this week as of yet, so instead I’ll be focusing on rewriting my script for the upcoming contest season.

The contests I plan on entering this year include:

*Austin Film Festival Screenwriting Contest – Final Deadline 6/1

* Nicholl Fellowship – Deadline 5/2

* Just Effing Screenwriting Contest – Final Deadline 6/1

Besides that, I need to catch up on life a bit. The vehicles need oil changes and the house needs a thorough cleaning. In addition, I’m working on a visual recap of my trip, so stay tuned.

My entry for the 2011 Spring Cyberspace Open

Out of the three Cyberspace Opens that I’ve participated in (two online and one at the Expo), this one was the most difficult. It kicked my ass. With a 9 am deadline on Monday looming, I went to bed on Sunday night after only having three-quarters of a page of crap written.

Part of the prompt required the utilization of subtext, so I first focused on finding a situation in which these two love birds would have to speak in subtext. I wanted there to be an actual reason why they weren’t able to speak freely. I spent Friday night with a notebook, brainstorming some possible circumstances:

And that’s where my progress stalled until Sunday afternoon. I wasn’t happy with any of my ideas, but by that time decided I had better just choose one and go with it if I was going to have something to submit.

The thought of actually letting the deadline pass without submitting something crossed my mind for a moment, but then I quickly realized I would hate myself forever.

I picked an idea and started writing. It was about an elderly couple making their way through airport security and all the while trying to make their flight in time, the husband was so angry, he had to have it out with his wife then and there, but doing so would risk red flagging security.

I wasn’t happy with it. And like I said, after a minor emotional breakdown, I decided to go to bed and set the alarm for 5 am the next morning, giving myself a few hours to give it a final go.

I went with a completely different idea. The scene is not my favorite piece of work. Actually, I’m not the biggest fan of it at all. But, it’s much better than bowing out like a wimp.

Hit the jump to read my round one entry in 2011′s Spring Cyberspace Open. We’ll see what happens– scores are expected to be released March 21-24. Per usual, I appreciate your thoughts and comments.

Read more →

Cyberspace Open Spring 2011: Let’s Get It Started (no Black Eyed Peas)

Well, the time is here.

At 5:00 on the dot as promised, the Creative Screenwriting Cyberspace Open crew released the prompt for round one of this year’s short scene competition.

The Premise:
Your PROTAGONIST and his or her LOVE INTEREST are at odds. One of the protagonist’s schemes has gone terribly awry, and the love interest has had it. Write a scene in which they have it out – but in an unconventional way. Their words seem measured and reasonable; but the subtext says another thing entirely. You may use additional characters other than the ones specified.

Note From Contest Management:
This is going to take some crafty, non-on the nose writing here. For example, they can talk about boiling water, but it’s clear they’re really talking about something else. Use sarcasm or body language or timing or other means to convey your true meaning.

The goal tonight is to have at least my overall idea and a rough outline down. The three to five page scene is due at 9am PST Monday morning. Per usual, I’ll post my scene after the deadline has passed. (You can view my entries from when I made the top 12 in last Spring’s CS Open here: Round 1 & Round 2, with the final results here).

CS Open delayed… and the clovers wept

After adjusting my schedule and getting mentally prepared for the CS Open this weekend, instead it looks like I’ll have more time to do house chores.

Got this email yesterday:

We are very excited about the new 2010-2011 Cyberspace Open.

However, a combination of circumstances beyond our control has made it necessary to extend the entry deadline and contest start date.  The new contest entry deadline is midnight, February 13, 2011, and the premise will be posted February 18.

This is the third CS Open I will be participating in, and the third time they’ve had some type of snafu.  But, it’ll be okay.  I’m disappointed, but not as much as the clover weeds trying to take over my back yard will be.

Tuesday Links 12/28

Short but sweet.  Here are my choices for this week’s collection for Tuesday Links.

* The Story Bodyguard is running their “First Ten Pages” contest.  Only the first ten pages of your script will be judged.  You can win $500.  Submit your entry by midnight on January 15th.

* Total Film put together their top 100 behind the scenes photos.

* My wife and I are in the early pre-production stages of creating our own short film.  This piece, though random, got me fired up.

* The wittiness and creativity of the writing in this piece is incredible… so incredible that makes me feel bad about my own talents. You have to watch, “My Blackberry Is Not Working”.

Tuesday Links 12/21

Good morning.  Here is this week’s collection of goodies for my Tuesday Links.  There are some good ones in here, so grab some coffee, kick back, and enjoy.

* Julie Gray is running another contest, this time asking you to come up with the best premise line using a few set guidelines.  Due on New Years Eve.  While you’re on her site, check out her heartfelt post about the ups and down she experienced throughout the past year. 

* BAFTA released a new video series which features six lectures on screenwriting, lead by writers Aline Brosh, Christopher Hampton, Simon Beaufoy, David Hare, Ronald Harwood, and Peter Morgan.

* Roger Ebert gives us his best feature films of 2010.

* Jason Fried discusses why people don’t get anything done while they’re at work (lecture featured on TED).

* Go see The Fighter… immediately.  And before you go, check out this video of Christian Bale and Mark Wahlberg taking a break to sing while out on their press rounds.

* Adele gives an acoustic performance of her new single, “Rolling In The Deep”, while in Hollywood recently.