Scripts

Working on finishing Life for Death and getting the outline done for The Game.

Ah the time where does it go?

Congrats to Screenwriter Roger Oliphant

Screenwriter Roger Oliphant (ProSeries 14) had his romantic comedy screenplay, BALD KNOB optioned by DKZ Films.

4 shorts in one month

I was thinking of doing 4 shorts of 25 pages in the month of Nov. It would be one short a week. Or basically just to get those shorts down by the end of Nov.

I would love if anyone would like to join me on this adventure in Nov. I know several do Nanowrimo that month, but thought it would be fun for us not doing that this year to try something similar before April rolls around for Script Frenzy.

If you want to participate, just post below and say I'm in. We can keep daily or weekly page counts if you like and at the end actually say how much we got done.

It can be of any genre for all 4.

I think this will be fun! I'm going to set the goal dates from Nov 1st 2011 to Nov 30th 2011.

Hope you join me!

Congrats to Don Macnab-Stark!

Screenwriter Don Macnab-Stark (ProSeries 6) has been hired by Camanol Film Productions Limited to write the
script "Dangerous Days."

The director is Kirsten Cavendish (Scooterman) and
producers include Michael Deeley (Blade Runner; The
Italian Job; The Deerhunter) and David Wicht (The Last
House on the Left, Starship Troopers 3).

I chat with director and screenwriter of House of Dust, A.D. Calvo

Where did the idea of House of Dust come from?

Back in 2005, a friend handed me a NY Times article about the long forgotten cremains of Oregon's mentally ill. So the story was inspired by true events, if you can believe it. I started thinking about what would happen if someone inhaled those ashes. Would they become "crazy" too? Take on their illnesses? That's how the story was born, out of dust.




What makes House of Dust different than other Horror movies out there?

It's a character-driven ghost story with great performances and lots of classic scares, it's not just filled with blood and gore. There are lots of ghosts, lots of jumps, and hair raising atmosphere. It's also about the engagement of seeing characters transform and take on the debilitating illnesses of these former mental patients...the madness of it all. Remember the way Jack Nicholson's character arcs in The Shining? That kind of thing happens to a few of the characters in House of Dust. There's also a serial killer running around in there somewhere.



What many people don't know is it takes time to make a movie and the stuff behind the scenes they don't know about. Did you experience any problems getting House of Dust working?

House of Dust has been in the making for a few years...it's undergone numerous rewrites by myself and a major rewrite by two writers we brought on to amp up the thriller aspects, story structure, and overall pacing. The locations were well researched and they took a while to lock down. The State of Connecticut was very supportive and helped us gain access to a former psychiatric hospital. What better place to shoot this, right? Honestly, there's a band of folks that made this film possible. In the end, it's a co-production between Budderfly Entertainment, Goodnight Film (my production company) with Slater Brothers Entertainment, Monolith Pictures, and Kelli Lerner Casting. We're lucky to have a great team.



What are you hoping will be people's reaction when they see House of Dust?

I hope we made a ghost story people will remember. Something original in a sea of "been there done that" and gore porn. Not a big fan of that stuff.



When is House of Dust expected to be released?

Hope to have it released in late 2012.



What prompted you to start writing movies?

Not to sound corny but it was something I always wanted to do. As I approached forty I reevaluated and made some significant and difficult changes in my life. It hasn't been easy, and my family has made lots of sacrifices. I hope people will take a good hard look at House of Dust and realize I'm here to stay and I'm still growing as a director, with each and every film. I wasn't a Sundance baby, nothing came easy for me, that's for sure. But that's okay because that has made me tougher.



Do you find it easier to direct something that you have written or do you prefer someone else to direct?

This is the first screenplay that I had rewritten. My first two (The Other Side of the Tracks and The Melancholy Fantastic) I wrote on my own. With House of Dust I had more willingness to collaborate and deviate from the plan. In the end it's a business, and not everything has to be "art for art's sake." Flexibility is important and there's entertainment value to consider. I think that, as a director, I'm more willing to "let go" if it's not a piece that I'm too married to -- which is a healthier attitude for filmmaking. House of Dust is a film born out of that spirit, collaboration.



What advice would you give to a budding screenwriter?

Every year read all the Oscar-nominees for Best Screenwriting. That's my advice.



Where can people find out more about House of Dust and you?


http://www.houseofdustmovie.com

Congrats to Francis Presley

Francis Presley (ProSeries 32) has signed with Beverly Hills Manager Bettina Viviano. And this happened with her first script. Francis achieved this success after two important milestones -- optioning book rights, and writing the screenplay in the ProSeries.

Frances accomplished the deal through networking. She had written an article about civil rights history and received an email from Bettina over two years ago. That began their relationship.

After securing the rights to the book, "Daddy King And Me" by Murray Silver, Frances joined ProSeries 32 to write the script. Upon completing the ProSeries, she got feedback from a few sources, then mentioned the script to Bettina.

A few weeks later, Bettina called Francis to say she wanted to represent her. She also commented, saying that she was amazed that the script had “such professional quality.”

Frances says "I feel confident that my accomplishment in such a short period of time is due entirely to the Hal's stellar guidance and superbly crafted PS course."

My review of Jem and the Holograms

http://www.toonopolis.com/2011/08/31/jem-the-holograms-a-review/

Congrats to these two!

Aly and Nevada originally met at a ProSeries event in Los Angeles and remained friends over the years, giving feedback to one another, openly sharing contacts and networking. Their friendship paid off when they began writing THE KILL, which has two of the top managers in town circling the project.

Nevada, referred by a producer who had optioned one of her scripts, was introduced to HOUSE OF DUST’S producer/director A.D. Calvo and the connection was made. Nevada Grey invited Aly to co-write the assignment with her. After meeting with the director and pitching their ideas based on A.D.’s original script/concept, it was determined they'd commit to a page one rewrite, and the process began.

Nevada and Aly were able to combine their collective as well as individual strengths, Nevada well versed in character and Aly specializing in action, and together they created a unique and exciting take on the premise with the blessing of the director.

The film is a horror-thriller, and will begin principal photography this summer. It’s currently casting and has already had over 1,800 submissions from some of the top agencies for the lead character’s role alone.