Spontaneously Combustible Girl

NPR's Three-Minute Fiction contest

2010-09-12T07:44:00.001-07:00

Here's a contest I wanted to share. It's NPR's Three Minute Fiction contest.

The rules are simple. Write a scene of 600 words or less that begins with the line, "Some people swore that the house was haunted." It must end with, "Nothing was ever the same again after that." Simple enough.

It reminds me of the 24- or 48-Hour Film Projects, or the CS Open Writing Tournament (now known as the Cyberspace Open in that you're given a prompt and asked to fill out a story around the idea.

There's no entry fee, so there's nothing to be lost. And, who knows, you may just write the spark of a bigger project!

WTF?!

2010-07-11T17:06:00.000-07:00

Since I've been in Orlando, surrounded at work by creative types, I've started to feel the overwhelming urge to shoot something...pedestrians, drivers, a film project.

One of my mentor meetings from being a finalist in the Script Pipeline TV Writing Competition got me thinking of shooting a season of web eps of Obnoxious Older Sister as a supplement to my pilot. Which was a great idea! Except, I just moved cross country and am completely broke.

Then this week I happened upon Kickstarter. It's a fundraising website for creative projects. You set a goal for how much money you need to fund a creative endeavor, like making a film, and the site enables people to donate to your project. It's like asking your social circle to all chip in a dollar so you can have your production budget. You only receive the funds if you meet your goal, and I'm sure there are probably a couple of other provisions.

Still, what a great idea!

So if you've been wondering, WTF (Where's the Funding?), now you know. Now, go out there and get your films funded so you can shoot something that won't land you in jail!

Obnoxious Younger Sister's Big Fat, "I Told You So!"

2010-06-30T20:31:00.001-07:00

During my recent period of unemployment in which I quit my job in L.A. and moved back to Michigan to spend some time writing while I waited for the right film job to come along, I decided to work on a project that had been gnawing at me ever since my little sister, Patti, had turned thirteen while I was living the span of the country away from her. I remember wanting to give her a meaningful present, but feeling sad that I wasn't going to be around for her on a daily basis with big sisterly advice about coping with her teens. That's when I came up with the idea for a story, Obnoxious Older Sister's Know-it-All Guide to Your Teens.

Six years later, I finally had the chance to spend some time working on it. I finished up a draft around Christmas. It was VERY dark humor - so VERY my style. But it wasn't quite there yet, so I did some retooling and found the basic premise and style were more suited to an ABC Family-type script. At first, I shuddered at the thought. Seriously. Have you seen The Secret Life of the American Teenager? OMG - the worst writing I've ever seen on non-reality TV. This is a real line of dialogue from the show. "You had sex, and now our dad is dead." I'm not shitting you.

But guess who LOVES that show. Patti. Guess who once auditioned one of the lead actors on that show for a PSA she did. Moi. So I went with it. And it didn't turn out half bad. It's got the prerequisite ABC Family dose of cheese and a long ass title. It's certainly marketable, unlike some of my other ideas.

Patti certainly approved. I wasn't entirely sure, but her vote's worth a million bucks.

I got a call yesterday from Matt over at Script Pipeline that Obnoxious Older Sister's Know-it-All Guide to Your Teens had made the finals of their TV Writing Competition. Woo Hoo! Prize money = still getting to claim I'm a screenwriter on my taxes! I was a finalist a few years ago in their Feature Writing Competition for my script, The Well.

On our call, Matt said, "Now don't be offended, but-"

I interrupted, "It's ABC Family, right?"

"How did you know that's what I was going to say?"

Because I'm the obnoxious older sister and a know-it-all.

The epiphany...

2010-04-24T06:29:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I've been in Orlando almost a month or how quickly the time has passed. It's hard being an inherently shy person in a new city. I love the job and everyone's been super friendly. I even had a "date". I use that term loosely. But Orlando's not L.A.

This week, an email from someone inspired an epiphany.

L.A. was like a certain guy I fell for at first sight and chased, ridiculously for several years until the stars finally aligned. He was everything I ever wanted. I adored, respected, and admired him and cherished his conversation. I actually started thinking about the future. But the truth of the matter was, he never felt the same way back. He never had to. In our relationship, I did all the work.

In all that time I spent in L.A., I made amazing friends, had some wonderful adventures, and amazed at the beauty and opportunity living there afforded. But, in those seven years, I also nearly died my first week living there. Week one was spent living out of a room at St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank rather than my apartment. I collectively spent at least a year's salary on medical bills. I had several car accidents. I gained a bulging disc and another herniated disc in my neck. The city was sending me a signal.

The truth of the matter is that L.A. never loved me. It liked me. Sometimes.

So I'm here now. With Orlando. Wearing my bruised heart on my sleeve. Feeling tentative and slightly judgmental, but open to a new relationship with Orlando. It might not be the romantic love I felt for L.A., but maybe this one will feel real.

-scg

Research

2010-04-04T19:10:00.000-07:00

The last week and a half has been a blur. In that time I got a job, bought a car, moved to Florida where I'm staying with my brother temporarily, started said new job, recorded videos for the online Literary Research class I'm teaching, started apartment hunting for a permanent place to stay, and drove to Rockledge to visit a friend.

People have been asking, "aren't you excited for your new job?" My general feeling on it is that I've been relieved. I'm relieved to not have to look for work anymore, to not have to worry about money, etc.

What I've learned in the last week:
- I work with really nice people.
- My job is awesome.
- Florida bugs still suck, especially when they leave stains on my pretty new car.
- There actually are some pretty neighborhoods in the Orlando vicinity that don't look like a tourist strip or a dodgy concrete mini-version of the San Fernando Valley's less aesthetically pleasing areas.
and
- I need my own apartment.

All these revelations in mind, one could call it my 'research', I've come to start feeling more than just relief at being here...but excited. Excited for my class to start in May. Excited for my own apartment. Excited to plant some roots and flower here.

The seeds have been sown. I'm ready.

Flashbacks

2010-03-28T06:30:00.000-07:00

As I pack my new car, headed for a new adventure in Florida, I can't help but to have a bit of deja vu. Ten years ago I embarked on a similar journey - a solo road trip to Florida to start a new venture in the world of filmmaking and storytelling. It's impossible not to note the similarities - an interview at a school called FSU, followed by days of waiting, sheer excitement when I got the call, treating myself to a new vehicle for the journey, a road trip to Florida, and a stop to see my Grandma before I left, and one to visit my cousin Kirsten along the way.

But it's also impossible not to note the differences in this time around -

The Vehicle - last time, a 2000 Red GMC Sonoma pickup - this time, a 2010 White Nissan Altima SL (which may not sound as dramatic as it actually is, but I think the vehicle you choose says a lot about how you see yourself. To me, the difference in the two is that the former belonged to a girl who wanted something that would haul every single thing she owned so she'd never have to look back - a girl who wanted to feel tough and a vehicle that would signify that. Whereas 2010 White Altima Julie doesn't need to prove she's tough anymore. In fact, she knows she's not. Rather, she's resilient and needs a car that reflects her need for comfort, safety and that possesses some of the accoutrement she feels, no, knows she deserves after ten years of busting ass). She's looked back several times and can see how far she's come.

Soundtrack
One song remains the same - "Running Down a Dream" by Tom Petty. It's the best road trip song ever. But this time, instead of "Wide Open Spaces" by The Dixie Chicks it's a whole bunch of Psapp, Elliott Smith, Death Cab for Cutie and a couple of awesome Pandora mixes.

The Reason
Ten years ago, my road trip to Tallahassee was to start my MFA in Film at Florida State University. It took me three years to get accepted and finally getting in and making the move to Florida meant the first step in a career toward film. Now, it's a move to Orlando to teach others in the Creative Writing MFA program at Full Sail University. And I'm a completely different person now. Previously a student, now a teacher. All the things I was excited about for the first FSU had to do with learning filmmaking, and the possibilities in the career and childhood dream fulfillment that lay just beyond that. I've had many of those adventures. And, while I still dream for more to come from them, the second FSU represents something I haven't had since I left my Mom's house ten years ago - something that has the potential for stability.

While being single and having my life completely uprootable has afforded me so many opportunities in my life and career, it's also created a huge, gaping void in my soul - that being the stability a having chosen instead a long-term relationship, starting a family, or that planting roots somewhere would have provided. And, while I don't know I'm quite ready to start buying a house, or if I'll ever want kids, or will find someone I dig as much as 'the one that got away,' I do completely long for the stability a real, grown-up job provides. Especially when it's one that feels like a culmination of all the time, effort and experience I've gained by foregoing the aforementioned steady relationship, family or roots. And, while it's not completely unfathomable that I could still find these in L.A., the 7 1/2 years there hadn't done it yet. So, while this trip is a little tainted by the fact I'm headed South, not West toward where my friends, favorite hike, amazing sushi, and frequent episodes of Broke and Fabulous occur, I'm going to give Orlando a shot and find a new adventure.

2010-03-24T08:41:00.000-07:00

I've fallen a little behind in my goal to read 30 Scripts in 30 Days, but today's plan is to catch up since I'm caught up on my freelance work and am stuck playing the waiting game on a job opportunity I'm completely stoked about.

(brief pause while I check to make sure my cell phone's on. It is.)

I got behind after getting stuck on a script analysis. There was plenty of room for constructive critique, but yet I found myself having a hard time articulating what would be most helpful to focus the writer on, since there were so many areas that needed more attention than could be addressed in my allotted pages for critique. Ultimately, I was able to finish and send what I'm confident were constructive, helpful notes.

Sometimes we, as writers and readers, are in the position to know something's not working, but not be able to articulate exactly what it is or what we need to do to fix it. Here's a link to a great post at SlashFilm.com. It's a re-post of a letter written by David Mamet a few years back to the writing staff of The Unit. Check it out here.

(pause to check battery levels on the iPhone. Yep. Still running.)

Hope to have some good news to post soon.

Until then...happy reading!

Script Challenge - Day 5

2010-03-16T10:41:00.000-07:00

I'm doing pretty good with my script challenge, I must say. The freelance story analyst gig has kept me busy, and I've managed to squeeze in 4 episodes of the show I'm spec'ing. This morning, I read the Oscar-nominated script, "The Messenger." I literally FLEW through the read. It was engaging, efficient and an amazing read.

I will grant that the reading, while a necessary component of writing, feels a bit like procrastination. I wonder if other writers feel the same.

Scripped TV

2010-03-12T06:52:00.000-08:00

Here's an interesting competition I discovered for those with original TV pilots with no home. Storyboard TV. I don't know anything about the contest beyond just the basic facts of it, so if any of you have entered before or enter this year, definitely let us know how it pans out for you.

Perks: Low entry fee
Prize: Top 10 get industry feedback / Top 3 get staged readings in NYC / Top 1 gets a $5000 option

Possible pitfall: If you have a great pilot spec and haven't had anyone (ie: agents, managers, someone who could help get it into the right hands) read it yet, you'd be entering a contest where someone is getting the rights to your project and you're capped with the $5000 if you win. BUT, if you don't have that Hollywood connection and are writing from your Mom's basement in, say, Cow Country, Michigan, this might be a way to get your name seen and your foot in the door. Just do your research!

Good luck!

Script Challenge - Day 1

2010-03-11T07:18:00.000-08:00

Day 1 of my 30 Scripts in 30 Days challenge went well. I read an episode of a TV show I'm writing a spec script of for the ABC/Disney TV Writing Fellowship. I spent the rest of the afternoon dissecting the script for structure.

As promised, here's something brilliant I pulled from the pages.

CHARACTER 1
How often do people get killed in neighborhoods like this?

CHARACTER 2
Same as anywhere. Just the once.

Loved it.

Today's reading: A script for my freelance gig as a story analyst. I will, likely, not be posting anything specific from the script. But if I find an interesting question it poses, I will be sure to share.

30 Scripts in 30 Days

2010-03-09T14:27:00.000-08:00

A large portion of writing is research. Not just researching facts for your own writing, but watching films and reading scripts. When I was a Development Assistant, I read mostly novels. Occasionally there was a script or two or three in the mix in a given week, but the bulk of my work was reading galleys and unpublished manuscripts. This meant that reading screenplays became something I had to do on my own time, in addition to the mass of reading I was doing.

I've gotten a little lazy lately with reading scripts. So I've set a challenge for myself - 30 scripts in 30 days. Some are produced films, a few are TV show episodes, others from the infamous Black List, and the rest just specs that came highly recommended. And, while I won't be posting the names of the scripts or the writers, I will be posting whatever interesting discoveries I encounter while reading -- be they beautiful moments, an enviable story structure, or things that just didn't work.

Should you care to join me in my venture, here are some links to help you find scripts to read.
TV Scripts
link to The Writers Store and their collection of published scripts

And here's a tasty treat! Links courtesy of the Blue Cat Screenwriting Competition Newsletter
Free Downloads of this year's Oscar-winning screenplays!
The Hurt Locker and Precious

And the results are in...

2010-03-08T10:45:00.000-08:00

I still stink at Oscar pools.

While Kathryn Bigelow did fulfill my hopes and expectations with taking home the Oscar for best director, I failed MISERABLY in most other categories - including both writing awards. Seriously. My Mom picked both. And I was wrong. Ouch.

Overall, the telecast was pretty entertaining, save the original score dancers. WTF? And, while I loved Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin as hosts, did we really need to see 45 seconds of them sleeping in a bed together?

I slept well, though, soothed by the echoes of shattered glass falling like raindrops onto the stage of the Kodak Theatre that rang in my ears as I headed to bed, dreaming of possibilities.

Oscar Predictions

2010-03-07T07:32:00.000-08:00

I'm notoriously HORRID in Oscar pools, so I've hesitated to post my Oscar predictions because it's an important year. If you hadn't heard (and I can't imagine you couldn't have), Kathryn Bigelow is nominated for Best Director for THE HURT LOCKER. Not only is she nominated, but she stands a chance of winning. Which would make her the first woman to win for directing

I've been a HUGE fan of Bigelow's since POINT BREAK. Say what you will, but it's an entertaining film. I first saw it when I was 13. It was the same week I saw the ocean for the first time. So even with eColi brain damage, I remember it vividly. Especially seeing a woman's name at the helm. I don't remember finding it strange a woman had directed the film at the time, even though I'm pretty sure it was the first time I'd ever seen a woman's name as a director, but I do remember thinking how cool it was that woman had directed an action film. How that symbolized for me that an action film didn't have to be a "guy" film. Guys direct "chick" flicks all the time. And I LOVE action and suspense films. It was important to me, and still is, that telling a good story, regardless of genre, is gender neutral. Seeing her name on a "guy" film meant it wasn't a "guy" film. It meant to me that it was an action film for everybody. I don't care that POINT BREAK had one female character and that THE HURT LOCKER had one, even less significant female character. To be honest, and sad to say, I think if they had it might demean the fact that these films were directed by a woman. Bigelow's not trying to change perceptions of gender stereotypes in cinematic portrayals, she's just doing a job - directing. And I think that's really, really cool.

Rant aside, and hoping my prediction here won't spoil the outcome. (SponComGirl, being the slightly superstitious woman she is...) Here are my predictions for the 2010 Oscars:

BEST PICTURE: “Avatar” James Cameron and Jon Landau, Producers (Not my favorite story of the year, but overall best - especially for its pioneering of new techniques)

BEST DIRECTOR: “The Hurt Locker” Kathryn Bigelow

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: “Up”

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: “Food, Inc.” Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: “The White Ribbon (Das Weisse Band)” Germany

BEST ACTOR: Jeff Bridges in “Crazy Heart”

BEST ACTRESS: Sandra Bullock in “The Blind Side” (NOTE: I didn't get to see THE LAST STATION or AN EDUCATION, so I might be wrong here)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Christoph Waltz in “Inglourious Basterds”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Mo’Nique in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: “Inglourious Basterds” Written by Quentin Tarantino

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: “An Education” Screenplay by Nick Hornby ("Up in the Air" will win, but I was only really impressed by Anna Kendrick in that film)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: “The Hurt Locker” Barry Ackroyd

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS: “Avatar” Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones

BEST FILM EDITING: “The Hurt Locker” Bob Murawski and Chris Innis

BEST SOUND EDITING: “Inglourious Basterds” Wylie Stateman (feel inept to pick this category, so I picked Wylie for the very technical reason - because I've met him.)

BEST SOUND MIXING: “Inglourious Basterds” Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti and Mark Ulano

BEST ART DIRECTION: “Sherlock Holmes” Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer

BEST COSUME DESIGN: “Bright Star” Janet Patterson

BEST MAKEUP: “Star Trek” Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE: “Avatar” James Horner

BEST ORIGINAL SONG: “The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)” from “Crazy Heart” Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT: “The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant” Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert

BEST SHORT FILM: “Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty” Nicky Phelan and Darragh O’Connell (Though I haven't seen any)

BEST SHORT FILM (ANIMATED): “The New Tenants” Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson

Crossing my fingers that the evening will end with the melodic sounds of shattering glass showering down on Hollywood Boulevard.

UNKNOWN SENDER Script Competition

2010-03-05T07:56:00.000-08:00

Here's a new competition through Scripped.com. It's to write a 4-7 page script for an episode of the web series, UNKNOWN SENDER, the brainchild of Steven de Souza (screenwriter of the best action film ever made - DIE HARD)

I don't know much about Scripped.com other than that they have free scriptwriting software and sponsor occasional writing contests.

This seems like a doable competition - low time investment, but way to show of your writing chops and a low entry fee.

Thought I'd share.
http://scripped.com/submissions/unknownsender?affiliate=mainpage

My Bloody Wonderful Adventures in Teaser Poster Shoots

2010-03-04T07:35:00.000-08:00

In December, we shot a teaser poster for the web series I wrote and optioned to Epic Level Entertainment - MY BLOODY AWFUL ADVENTURES WITH AUNT FLO. Here's the end result:

Special thanks to all those involved:

Co-Director, Liz Rizzo -
The Amazingly Talented Photography and Lighting Duo
Kevin McShane -
CJ Julian -
and our Wonderfully Photogenic Talent
Alyssa Price -
Check out Alyssa's own Web Series, Life With Babs
Dave Beaudrie -
and DonnaAnn Ward -

THE MYTH OF THE AMERICAN SLEEPOVER

2010-03-03T15:46:00.000-08:00

I'm one of a privileged few who've seen early cuts of David Robert Mitchell's debut feature, THE MYTH OF THE AMERICAN SLEEPOVER, and I'm so proud of my friend, former Florida State University Graduate Film School classmate, and fellow Michigander's accomplishment.

While our Michigan backgrounds are so different that we may as well have been raised in different states, (Mitchell is from the suburbs of Detroit, while I was raised in rural farm country) there's an authenticity to the film that extends to everyone and connects to the human experience we've all had adolescent moments that stick with you for the rest of your life.

It's getting great reviews so far, and I wish the filmmakers all the very best.

Check the trailer here:
THE MYTH OF THE AMERICAN SLEEPOVER premieres at the 2010 SXSW FILM FESTIVAL.

HBO/DGA Directing Fellowship

2010-03-03T08:02:00.001-08:00

While I still wait to see if my own recommendation letters come through in time for this, thought I'd share just in case any of you hadn't seen this new program yet.

A bit like the ABC/DGA Directing Fellowship, I think this program is only in its 2nd year. $50K stipend and shadowing directors on HBO shows...priceless.

Application deadline is this coming Monday, March 8th. Good luck!

(This link also has info on the ABC fellowship, but the deadline for this year has already passed)

http://www.dga.org/

Long Time, No See

2010-03-03T06:20:00.000-08:00

Wow. It's March. My last post was in October. Bad Blogger!

So what has SponComGirl been up to? For starters, I completely reconceived and rewrote my pilot for OBNOXIOUS OLDER SISTER'S KNOW-IT-ALL GUIDE TO YOUR TEENS. It's getting better. And did another revision. I still have a bit of work to do before it'll be ready to send out, but I'm confident it'll get done. (I'm just going to keep saying it until I believe it!)

But will it actually get done?

I got back to Michigan at the end of October and wrote solid for the month of November and first few weeks of December, culminating in a draft I thought was pretty good. So I sent it out to a few trusted writer friends for notes, culminating in a draft I thought was complete shit.

Truth is, it was likely somewhere in the middle. There's a thing about asking a friend for notes you have to keep in mind, especially if they are a writer - everyone's got an opinion. Another writer would not write your story the same exact way. Ever. That's what makes you the unique factor in the equation. So some of another writer's comments (even a layperson's) will arise from that fact.

You also have to keep in mind that, although you may disagree about a criticism of your script, criticism comes from somewhere. If someone tells you they hate your 1st Act break but you know it's solid, perhaps they weren't connected enough with your main character to want to follow them into the 2nd Act. Don't go wild at deflecting comments to other parts of your story, either. My point here is simply that criticism must be taken gently.

I got tripped up when my friend commented about things that would've required completely overhauling the structure of my whole script. Seeing the validity in what he was saying, I tried for weeks to figure out how to implement what he'd suggested, and got wholly sick of the entire script.

So I put it down for the month of January. I took a freelance gig overseeing end of year inventory for my old day job. I was doing physical labor and dealing with numbers. You know, the stuff I'm innately good at. None of that writing business!

I got back to Michigan and my writing just over a week ago. I hadn't picked up my script for a while. The brilliant thing was I was able to see it with fresh eyes. In some regards, I was able to see the glaring ways in which my friend's notes were completely right. In others, where he could possibly have been smoking crack and just looking for something to say that made him sound smart.

And now it's back to getting on a writing schedule, which is going to be a challenge because of the time I spent away, because I'm still in search of the elusive day job, and my little sister'll be home from college on Spring Break next week. But I can do it! I just need to set the schedule and adhere to it, allowing for time to enjoy myself as well.

Until the next post... See ya!

Screenwriting Expo Review - Days 1 + 2

2009-10-16T12:53:00.000-07:00

Each Fall in Los Angeles, Creative Screenwriting magazine sponsors a 4 day Screenwriting Expo. This is my fifth year attending and already I've found the Australian men. That's a windy personal story, and a post for another day.

Today, though, as a seasoned Expo-goer, I thought it might be useful to post reviews and summaries of the Expo and the sessions I've been attending so that anyone out there who's been on the fence about attending can check out my experience and see if the Expo is right for them.

Please note that, since I've been to many Expos, I've already been to a number of sessions before. So I've tried to gear this year's Expo sessions to what I'm currently focusing my attention on - TV writing and pitching. In past years it's been dialogue, character development and feature film writing. If anyone desires my take on those sessions from years past, please post a comment and I'll be happy to write a post just on those.

This year's expo is being held at a new venue, The Wilshire Grand Hotel in Downtown LA. The first few years I attended were at the LA Convention Center and, after moving to the cramped and rushed hustle between a bunch of hotels near LAX, I'm happy to say the Expo organizers heeded advice and brought the convention back downtown.

I've lived in LA for over 7 years (well collectively, if you don't count my "quit my day job and move back in with Mom" writing sabbaticals.) Anyway, as someone who's been here this long, the Expo is sadly one of the only reasons I've ever had to come downtown.

So...I'm glad to be back amidst the skyscrapers and concrete.

That said, Day One of the expo was a short day. I knew it would be. Just registration, a couple of pitching workshops and the Expo Awards + Welcome Ceremony. But, upon showing up to attend one of said pitching workshops, I was told that the Gold Pass did not guarantee you getting in. Rather than wait around for seven hours for the ceremony, I headed home sans parking fees. NOT A GOOD START PEEPS!

I was not the only person who didn't have the information when they drove downtown and paid to park. So, sorry Expo, that's IRK #1 for this time around.

Day Two (Friday 10/16) got off to a much better start. Check in was easy. All of my stuff was in order and my NAME WAS SPELLED CORRECTLY! Thank you, Expo! That's PRAISE #1.

The first session I attended was "TV Writing: Making it funny from the ground up," with speaker Evan Smith. Mr. Smith was a fairly engaging speaker, plugged his book a little more than I'd have liked but not to the point of overkill. He had some good pointers about Premise-Driven Comedies, Escalating Series' of Predicaments, Character Profiles, and Comedy Styles. My only annoyance with this seminar was that he several times deviated with examples from Features, not TV, and from Dramas, not comedies.

It could've been more specific toward TV writing, but I wouldn't say it was a waste. His discussion was all outlined on overhead projections, so note taking was easy but took your attention off of him. It was just a more broad discussion that I'd hoped for. Overall: 3 of 5 stars.

The second session was "Pitching to Sell with Karl Iglesias." Karl's one of my FAVORITE speakers from Expos past. The only thing I used to dislike with his sessions from Expos past was the speed at which he blew through info. So I was very pleased when this session allowed me to keep up with note taking and listening. Karl tends to read from his power point presentations VERBATIM, so you don't necessarily have to listen so hard. But the information was good. He gave some great logline templates and lists of tips for pitches. It's rudimentary stuff, so was probably most helpful for someone who's never pitched a script before.

It's worth sharing, though.

KARL IGLESIAS'S COMPELLING LOGLINE TEMPLATE
(TITLE) is a (GENRE) about a (DESCRIPTION OF HERO/INE) who, after (INCITING EVENT), wants to (OUTER GOAL) by (PLAN OF ACTION). This becomes increasingly difficult because (OBSTACLES and COMPLICATIONS).

For Action films, here's another template he offered.
(TITLE) is a (GENRE) about a (DESCRIPTION OF HERO/INE) who must (OUTER GOAL) or else (SOMETHING DIRE WILL HAPPEN).

KARL IGLESIAS' PITCHING TIPS
* Give the title
* Identify the genre
* Pitch your logline
* Narrate the basic story (which must answer)
- Who it's about
- Where's the hero at the beginning (physically + emotionally / describing his/her ordinary world)
- What happens to hero (Inciting Event)
- What the hero does (I think this was supposed to be specific to hero's goal)
- What's at stake
- What conflicts (internal + external) the hero faces
- Where does the hero end up?
- Hero's crisis decision
- How does hero change in a significant way.

KARL'S OTHER USEFUL PITCHING TIPS
- Have a pitch buddy and try pitching each other's scripts instead of your own.
- Save your favorite executive for last (when you're pitching to a bunch in a row - allows you to get warmed up)
- Before starting, find out what they're looking for and tailor your pitch
- Listen to key words they say when talking about what they're looking for and use them in your pitch.
- Don't tell too much about yourself
- Be brief
- Be enthusiastic and confident
- Don't worry about being nervous
- Don't read from notes
- If they don't grasp your story, use two successful and recent films that are similar
- Don't waste their time, be polite and leave when it's time to leave.
- Don't tell the story
and, his one tip that I don't completely agree with...
- Don't explain how you came to write the story. I disagree if you can do it in a line or two and it's RELEVANT to setting up the comedy of your pitch. I have better luck pitching my zombie comedy when I tell the story of how I got the idea.

Overall, I'll give him 4 of 5 stars for this session.

To pull a Jane Espenson, lunch today was an egg salad sandwich and Southern Blend Iced Tea from Coffee Bean.

---

As the day progressed, I began to discover that the Expo had really done a lot to curb one of my biggest pet peeves of expos past...speakers plugging their books or consulting businesses.

One of the afternoon speakers, in fact, mentioned they were only allowed one plug. Not all the speakers stuck to this, which was a little irritating when considering they'd been TOLD not to keep going back to their plugs. But, overall, there was much less of this than in years past.

DAY TWO AFTERNOON SESSIONS

"Creating and Pitching Series Ideas for TV" w/ Erik Bork

Didn't really get to the "pitching" part of the conversation, but if you read his book... (yeah)

Here's a summary of the useful info gleaned:

Biggest Mistake when approaching creating a TV Series - Not vetting the concept enough

How to avoid this -
Consider
1) Who are the characters and what do they want - it should be ongoing and have endless episodes deriving from this.
2) What's the story engine? It needs to be a template you can fill every week

4 Elements of a Good Idea
CURE
C - Must be COMPELLING
U - UNIQUE
R - REAL - Characters must be believable
E - and... they must be ENTERTAINING

Types of Stories for TV
1) Most scenes about someone trying to convince someone else to do something they don't want to do.
2) Hero trying to save someone (24)
3) Someone trying to fulfill ego desires (ie: Sitcoms/Soaps)

Common Mistakes in Spec Pilots
1) Wrong Format - not applying the best format (1/2 hour or hour) to your idea.
2) Contrived/Fantastic Situations - ("Mumbo Jumbo") Combining too much into your story that it becomes convoluted

Overall, Mr. Bork was a fair speaker.

The next session I attended was "Career Guidance" with Jen Grissanti

I really liked this session. The best part was that Ms. Grissanti gave everyone a PACKET with all the notes she was going over so that you could actually LISTEN! However, this means my notes were mostly personal ideas for my own writing, so I didn't write down much to share. And, sorry guys and gals, I'm not going to retype the entire packet. One tip I did write down was: "Keep a journal of what writing you like and make note of the writer." I highly recommend Ms. Grissanti as an Expo speaker. Well done.

My final session of the day was "8 Passes You Must Take Before You're Done," a rewriting class with Paul Chitlik

I thought this was a fairly useful class and stayed on topic. Here are the 8 types of "passes" Chitlik says you must take when rewriting a script.

1) Structure - in the largest sense. Must stick to structure - (my best book recommendation for structure - The Writer's Journey by Christopher Vogler)

2) Conflict - Every scene has to have conflict. If not, take it out.
Even Flashbacks must have conflict.

3) Description
-Cut out any words you can.
-Shorten descriptions
-Avoid inner thoughts
-Use indicatives (ie: "chews" instead of "is chewing")
-Avoid passive expressions
-Stay terse
-Take out screen directions (ie: CUT TO:, "we see...")
-Don't use voice-over to tell the story.

4) Dialogue
-Consider the following for your characters: Education, Place in family, occupation, hometown, race, social register, status
-Exercise for dialogue: Print out your script and x out all but a character's dialogue. Make sure it's consistent and all in the same voice. Do it again for each character.

5) Protagonist's Dialogue
-Needs to have a defining line - the character must say, "I, me, or mine."
(In Tootsie, Michael says, "I'm a better man as a woman than I was as a man."0
-Cut out words you don't need.
-Condense and abbreviate dialogue

6) Supporting Characters' Dialogue
-They should all support the premise

7) Cuts Pass
-Make sure the scene needs to be there and that it advances the story and has conflict.
-Cut heads and tails off of scenes. Come in at the latest possible point and get out quickly. (You can cut out the ending by showing the result)

8) PUNCTUATION, GRAMMAR, + SPELLING
My biggest pet peeve. Not just because I was in the National Spelling Bee, but because it's LAZY WRITING. Do a friggin' spell check! Let a friend whom you trust take a look and give you notes. (NOTE: My blog posts throw grammar to the wind, so don't bother commenting about it. However, if you catch a spelling error, I will humbly acknowledge your keen eye and toss you a shout out) What we're talking about here, though, is your product - your script. THE THING YOU'RE TRYING TO SELL!

Recently, I had a producer ask me to try to get a script he's very passionate about to a particular actress I know. He gave me a draft and it failed not only #8, but many of the problems with #3. The writer lost track of the names of her characters at one point, directed the actors with dialogue written in vernacular, and had FAR too many parenthetical references. So he had her "fix" these and gave it back to me to read again. Still caught spelling errors. He's a good friend. Chances are you won't get a second read. Sadly, he's not getting a third. And there's no way I'm giving a script that has such visible problems my seal of approval, no matter how "important" the story may be to tell. You still have to tell it well.

My rant over. This was a useful session, and ended the day well.

I had a gold pass, so I attended the networking party afterward and was not impressed. The food was okay, but we were given tiny little plates that you couldn't really fit the type of food they served on. BOO! Not only that, but there weren't nearly enough places to sit, so you had to hold your tiny little plate standing up. Not cool. BOO!! I stayed 5 minutes and left.

More reviews of Days 3 and 4 later.

Mission: Accomplished

2009-09-29T10:28:00.000-07:00

I did it. I finished the first draft of my TV pilot, Obnoxious Older Sister's Know-it-All Guide To Your Teens. It's a first draft, so it'll need some work, but I'm proud of it. I don't feel embarrassed to send it out to my trusted network for notes.

And the energy bar now has charged a level. I wouldn't say I'm "excited" to go back to LA, but I'm not dreading it. An accomplishment was made here.

I still have a week and a half left. That's time for notes, a little bit of work on other projects, and some job stuff.

It's interesting how we measure our accomplishments by landmarks, but not by the day-to-day markers. Looking at the bigger picture of that concept and how it applies to life in general, not just writing, maybe I need to be thinking of life that way. Trying not to only let myself feel proud of the landmark accomplishments, but the day-to-day steps toward them.

Time Management

2009-09-22T23:45:00.000-07:00

As I sit on the couch at 2:46 a.m. starting a blog post, I've realized my major problem is time management. I've never been great at balancing. Anything.

My checkbook? HA! I'm a whiz with numbers. But can I tabulate them in the simplest, yet most essential place I need to? Of course not?

Balancing work? I'm always writing...and checking emails every five minutes.

Or life? You mean there's something outside of work and checking emails?

Okay, so clearly this won't be a blog to come to looking for relationship advice. Perhaps down the road there'll be a dating don't or two, but let's focus on today's topic of choice - BLATANT DISREGARD FOR MANAGING TIME.

Let's start by examining how I spent my day.

10 a.m. - late start. I blame it on still recuperating from this crappy flu. No way it's my lazy streak rearing it's ugly head.

11:20 a.m. - hit the gym with my Mom. This was an anomaly. Normally, I forgo exercise because I get anxious I haven't spent enough time writing or that, if I work out, I'll cut into my ambitious time when I could be writing.

12:15 p.m. - Lunch + shower. Cheddar bay biscuits are not good reheated. Bumblebee soup is.

12:45-1:45 p.m. - devoured in the vortex of the space/time continuum

1:45-7 p.m. "writing" time. All in all, about 3 or 4 total hours of work with 5 pages written. Actually one of the most productive days back in MI yet.

7-8 p.m. - Dinner

8-10 p.m. - CRAPPY ASS MOVIE, "A Simple Twist of Fate" - written by Steve Martin. Dude. I loved Shopgirl. But DAMN! Thank GOD you're Steve Martin or you would definitely not have gotten to make another film after that.

10-11 p.m - New TV show research - "The Forgotten". SponComGirl says: Not awful, but it'll be a mid-season cancellation and be replaced with something else.

Now here's where it gets interesting

11 p.m. - I get a bug in my ass to make a pot of coffe, get online and do an online video pitch for Pitchq.com because I found a craigslist ad with a promo code to do one for free.

So I go to the site, start to fill in all the info and then realize my pitch is okay, but I need to work on the synopsis. So I spend 2 hours working on the synopsis (which actually made some huge improvements), put on makeup and recorded the pitch, and tried to upload it to the site.

Of course, I had upload issues, so I gave up...

...and started a blog post.

So bodes the question:

Would the better use of my time have been to go to bed at a decent hour, get up early, do all that stuff in the morning during my allotted "writing time"? Or is it better to allow oneself to work in a way that comes more naturally?

I have to discipline myself with the daytime business because I need to be working during the day on things. But in the mornings and at night, my brain can focus. I can sit down and write for a four hour stint without checking emails.

So do I give in to the beast? Or do I try to tame it? Try to make it work a schedule?

Time is so precious. I get so worked up about not having enough of it that I'm skipping important steps like making sure I've gotten a really solid treatment (yeah, cause I actually write those, yeah...umm) and outline before I start writing.

Especially now when I'm in the position to have time to write. It won't always be like this, and I'm starting to feel the urgent pull to figure some pressing life questions out. Do I try to whip the beast into submission? Or let it come purring to me when it decides?

I'll continue to let you know what works for me.

WEEK ONE: Oh Crap!

2009-09-13T15:15:00.000-07:00

Today marks week one of my time in Michigan to "write." I've discovered a couple of things.

1) My legs are pastier than most Michiganders
2) There are secondary and tertiary levels of anxiety
and
3) It's quite possible I've hit irreparable burn-out

Maybe I'm not being patient enough. For some reason, I thought the wide open spaces, the cusp of autumn, the arson fire-free air would all serve to instantly ignite the flame and the writing would take off.

Instead, I think someone forgot to pay the gas bill. I'm out of fuel. I still want to write. I'm just burnt. Spent. It was such an ordeal just to escape how miserable I was before, I've forgotten how to just be.

Even here, there's so much pressure to figure it out. To achieve in this month of "freedom". To figure out where I'm going after this. To have a game plan. And it's not just an implied pressure I'm putting on myself. It's a real pressure. I have so much less money than I thought I did. Barely enough for a security deposit and to get started were I fortunate enough to find a job within a week of deciding I was going to go back to LA.

It sucks to be in this place, but it'll be interesting to see how I come through it - whether there's a point at which adrenaline kicks in, the anxiety wears off, hope shines through or I just let go and let the Goddess.

I'll let you know.

I QUIT MY JOB! (now what?)

2009-08-01T14:33:00.000-07:00

I did it. I made up my mind to quit my job and I did it. It was instant and utter relief. And, a testament to the awesomeness of the women I've worked with for the last two years, work has been very supportive of my decision and have really made the process quite painless.

That may be, in part, because I gave them over a month's notice, which may seem a lot, but this next month is certain to be the most stressful of my life. Deciding to quit, though a huge relief, was only temporary. I still need to do the actual quitting, and to be prepared so that I don't blow this opportunity I'm giving myself.

I'm still not decided on where I'll be a month from now, I'm going to have to move again (if not twice), I've got to find and train my replacement while creating SOPs for all the work I do that no one in the office knows but me, and (an added zinger bomb dropped on me Friday) need to fix end of year financials for the company from 2008. Oh, and to try and find time to work on my pilot that the new manager is eagerly awaiting. That's all. Oh, and I need a new car. And to complete physical therapy. But I digress.

I'm still not decided between the options two and three of whether to stay in LA and try to implement my writing full-time plan, or whether I'll skirt back to Michigan for a few months. Still leaning toward the latter, but we'll see what the next month brings.

I have a few simple goals to get me started this weekend of prepping for my new life:

1) To get my apartment picked up. A cluttered home breeds a cluttered mind.
2) To get some bit of exercise. I need to make sure I'm breathing.
and
3) To start making my lists of To Dos.

Onward Ho!

Options

2009-07-18T19:23:00.001-07:00

I recently got my first project optioned. A web series. And only for a dollar. But I'm attached to direct some of the episodes and get a percentage if it gets financed. And I've had some legitimate interest from some producers and managers in my writing. They love my samples, but don't think anything's salable. So they're waiting for the next thing I do.

Which is why I've made the commitment to quitting my job. But it leaves me to ponder another kind of "option." I made the list of breaking down three different possibilities.

Option One involves taking a job I'm up for in Baltimore teaching screenwriting at a university. Pros - A new adventure, teaching and inspiring students of a subject I'm passionate about, and a paycheck. Cons - It's not likely to give me any more time to write than I already have, I don't know anyone in Baltimore, I'd feel like a hack for teaching something I still haven't broken into in any real way myself, and if an opportunity arose for me to direct the web series I'm attached to, or to take an actual paid writing job, I wouldn't be able to do it.

Option Two was to stay in LA and focus on my writing. Pros are obvious - it's LA! Sunshine, finally a chance to be here and be writing exclusively, access to networking and taking meetings, having friends around, and being available to jump at opportunities at a moment's notice. Cons - I have to be truthful with myself...part of me is burned out on the city of unfulfillment. I don't trust myself entirely to not get off task and wind up still too unfocused. And it's expensive as hell. I couldn't borrow enough to do it for very long and I'd likely be spending most of that time trying to write, but feeling the clock ticking of when I have to start looking for another job.

So it's looking like Option Three might be the best temporary solution. This means getting my stuff into a storage unit and pulling a SponComGirl move circa 2006. Mom's already said I could spend some time at home and she'd help me out. Pros - being back around the people and places that inspired me to be a filmmaker in the first place, and which generated one of my best scripts the last time I moved home; there'd be just Mom and me, so distractions wouldn't be as prevalent; She's got to have surgery in the fall, so she'd need a hand around the house anyway; I wouldn't be as big of a financial burden there as I would in LA; I'd have the space and time to decompress; and it could be for just as long as I need or want it to be - time enough to finish my TV pilot and a spec, or more - LA would be a quick flight away, and I'd be available to return easily enough should the web series I wrote and am attached to direct get financing from the production company that optioned it.

Cons - it's Michigan. In the Autumn. And my blood has thinned.

Even Maya Angelou had to move home with her family once in her adult life. For me it'll be twice. But I'm hoping my creative soul will finally get some nurturing, some time devoted to it's recovery, and a rebirth to hope.

Things have finally started seeming to break for me in my career. I can't wait to recharge and be ready when they take off.

Re-direct

2009-07-17T22:32:00.001-07:00

Today I decided to quit my job. I'm 32. I drive a crappy ass truck that needs replaced. I don't have any money saved. And I live in one of the most expensive places in the country. And we're in recession. California has an 11% unemployment rate. So what the hell am I thinking?

I'm a writer. And for 7 years I've been trying to actualize a writing career, but never able to have it be my "day job." I've put the rest of my life on hold all this time to pursue a dream that seems, finally, within reach...if only I had time to devote to climbing that last hump.

I've had plenty of people - writers, managers, my Mom - say I'm talented. And I believe in myself. So what am I scared of? What's the worst that could happen? I quit my day job, which isn't even in my field, to finally give 100% to believing in myself and the beauty and validity in my dreams? I won't regret it. Not ever. Not even if I wind up having to move home again.

I can do it. I'm scared - nervous - defying the rational, responsible side of myself. But if I don't believe in myself, how could I ever expect anyone else to. I'm ready. I'm open. Bring it on.

The Seven Best iPhone Applications for Writers/Directors

2009-04-11T09:44:00.000-07:00

I like to joke that my iPhone is my new boyfriend. He sleeps in bed with me, but we're strictly platonic. But he can do things that absolutely THRILL me!

Here's my list of the seven must have FREE iPhone applications for writers and directors (7 because I'm still learning about these).

(in no particular order)

As a writer, I'm always looking for music to write to or for music my characters would listen to. It's fine to make your own playlist, but often you're limited by the constraints of what's in your iTunes library. I can find that I sometimes get distracted by music I know too well. So I've picked the first two applications because both open a world of new music.

1) SHAZAM
Shazam is that amazing app we've all seen on the iPhone commercials where someone hears a song and holds up their iPhone and it figures out the name of the song and the artist. Brilliant. It doesn't always work - especially if I'm driving around in Ernie the Bitch Ass Truck listening to KCRW. (I pull over first...really!) But overall, this application works more than not, and has identified some tunes I'll definitely be rocking for the next script.

2) PANDORA
The coolest internet radio application ever! You just put in the name of an artist you like and Pandora will make a playlist for you of music by that artist and others it thinks you may enjoy. As you listen and give thumbs up to things you do or don't like, it gets smarter and plays more of what you do like. My only beef with it is that its a bit sexist. Every time I've put in an artist, the only songs it comes back to me with in their playlist are 95% by artists of the same gender. To be fair, I almost always like the artists it selects, but I would appreciate some variety. Nevertheless, whether listening to Pandora while writing (or shot designing, I'd imagine) or to find songs for a future writing playlist, Pandora's the bomb.

3) YOUTUBE
I've been using YouTube to watch webisodes for research the last few weeks. And Flight of the Conchords videos. I keep checking out their Sugalumps.

4) VARIETY
If you're like me, you have a day job outside the industry and can't afford to subscribe to the trades. With the iPhone's Variety application, you can read the headlines from the industry trade magazine and stay up on what reality shows are going to be exploiting people with no jobs in our sucky economy, or see reviews of this week's releases, or watch trailers. There are still a few bugs with the application, and it's annoying it often crashes on me. But it's free, so...

5) PHONEFLIX
The iPhone version of Netflix. You can find new films and update your queue. Pretty simple. Now to find out who hacked your phone to put Gigli in your queue. ('Cause you'd never be researching the works of Jennifer Lopez...umm...no!)

6) THE URBAN SPOON
This may seem an odd choice but, for the chronically indecisive like me, The Urban Spoon can be a savior. Say you've got a lunch meeting with a producer, agent, manager, psycho Facebook stalker who wants to meet up with you. They ask where you'd like to meet. With The Urban Spoon, you can select your city, select the type of cuisine (even coffee), how much you want to spend and then you "shake". It'll come back to you with a suggestion. You can then get all the information on it, including how many reviewers liked it. You can read reviews and even link to the map of the location. The only thing that irritates me about it is, once you click on the map to, say, see if it's walkable distance - there's no link back into the program without relaunching it. It's not a 100% life saver, but can help when you're stumped for ideas.

7) BUMP
Bump is a cool app for sharing contact information with other people. You simply launch the program and (holding your iPhone) lightly bump hands with the other iPhone owner's hand. (NOTE: You don't have to bump iPhones together). The drawback to this application - obviously, the other person has to have an iPhone and, frankly, not everyone is that cool.

Runner Up...

8) FLIXSTER
Frankly, the only reason Flixster made the list is because I've yet to discover a cooler app to replace it. Flixster shows you what's out at theatres, what's opening this week, top box office, the percentage of positive responses, etc. It can help you find showtimes and even let you see the trailers. My big beef with it is that the trailer quality sucks worse than the ability of studios to come up with inventive titles for their sequels. (Fast and Furious? Really? That's the best you can do?!)

Worth mentioning...

I've also discovered there's a colored index card program called SUPER INDEX CARDS for $4.99. I don't need it enough to buy it, but it might be worth checking out for those of you who don't carry a notebook or laptop with you wherever you go.

Also, iFILMMAKER PRO is a $4.99 program that's a research and quiz program about editing, directing, screenwriting, acting and cinematography. Doesn't look super promising from the screen captures.

They really need...

An IMDB application

A director's viewfinder

Final Draft or Movie Magic Screenwriter.

A girl can dream.

Only moments after posting this, I discovered that someone had already compiled a list of Filmmaking apps for the iPhone. Theirs are much better targeted at actual production tools. So, I've left my post in tact, because I think there's still some validity to my critique of the apps I mentioned, but for a more comprehensive list of actual "filmmaking" iPhone applications, check out these two blog posts at

http://www.selfreliantfilm.com/?p=339
http://www.thedeltree.org/blog/2008/08/20/iphone-20-apps-for-filmmakers/

Newton's Law of Motion

2009-04-08T15:53:00.000-07:00

"An object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force."

It's a fairly simple concept, but one that becomes especially relevant when considering one's goals. Spontaneously Combustible Girl has just escaped the funk that was her last six months and is noticing the reversal of motion that's changed her life of late.

Which brings SCG to the purposes of rekindling her blog.

First, and foremost, she is a writer. When not writing, she is not being a writer or moving with the motion that will keep her a writer and heading her toward her goal of becoming a writer full-time.

Second, it's hard to escape a funk. Having successfully defeated her funk, SponComGirl knows its important to have help - an unbalanced force that can act upon the funk direction and divert her and her allies back toward reaching their filmmaking goals. So, she's committing her blog to being that unbalanced force (she is spontaneously combustible after all) for herself and for others on the same path.

This blog will hopefully be a tool for all aspiring screenwriters and directors to use for ideas, inspiration and tools to keep them funk-free, nurturing their delusions of grandeur, and moving toward their goals.

"Whatever you are, be a good one" - Abraham Lincoln