I hate job hunting. I've applied and/or called over a dozen places so far without much of a response. I've hit up Half Price Books, Lone Star Comics, Movie Trading Company, the Independent School District (as a substitute), and various other places. A flew places are looking for summer help, but I'm sure they'd rather higher a high school kid or a young college student that will take minimum wage without much of a fuss. Though at this point, I wouldn't put up much of a fuss either. We'll see how it goes.
I'm probably going to enter Slamdance's screenplay competition... if I can't scrounge up the $40 to apply.
Saw Baby Mama and Iron Man this last week. Baby Mama was the Mother's Day movie. I really wanted it to be funny, but it just wasn't. All the best moments are in the trailer. Hopefully Tina Fey and Amy Poehler will get better material to work with in the future. Can't really say anything bad about Iron Man. I really enjoyed it. I thought Robert Downey, Jr. did a great job. And if you haven't seen it yet, stay until the end of the credits to get an extra chance to nerd out.
Picked up an application to the Rave while I was there.
Had some Pho Ga at a new-ish Vietnamese place just outside Ridgemar Mall. I think it's called Pho Little Saigon. Good stuff, and the staff was really friendly. They don't have as many options as some other places, but they have the basics. I recommend it.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Friday, May 9, 2008
Jammin' on the one!
A lot going on. I'll try to catch you up.
Leading up to the 29th, I was finally getting a lot of feedback from the few people I gave my script to. After the first person put their notes out there, it created a snowball effect. I'm so thankful to everyone that took the time to do so. All the notes were really helpful and I know I have a better script for it.
April 29 -- Spent the day finalizing my script. Last second modifications, checking for spelling errors, grammar, etc. That night I went to buy paper to print out copies of the script for competitions. I also picked up some card stock for the covers and envelopes for the mail-outs. What I didn't buy were brass fasteners/brads because I already had a box...
We also went to the final screening of the Green Eyed Monster movie tour. Kim, a couple of friends, and I met up with Gabe at the Studio Movie Grill in Addison. Our friends hadn't seen the film before. They dug it. Gabe talks more about it on his blog. Speaking of which, if you haven't noticed (can't remember if I've mentioned it), there are links to other relevant blogs and websites in the column on the right for easy access.
April 30 -- Woke up and did one last polish of the script then started printing everything out. That's when I noticed it. The brads I had were brass-PLATED. Not solid brass. And they had pointed ends, not ROUNDED. Fuck! What to do? What to do? Time was ticking away. It was already close to 5PM. The postmark deadline was May 1st, so I decided to hold off sending and try to find the right brads. But I did register my script with the WGA.
May 1 -- My gf called every office supply store in the area... Not a one carried SOLID brass brads. They only had brass-plated. What to do? What to do? I just needed two! I was applying for the Nicholl Fellowship and the Sundance Institutes's Screenwriters Lab. Only Nicholl required a full script. Then I remembered that a couple of screenplays I bought were bound with brads. I pulled out a couple and put my script together. I had another copy to send to the U.S. Copyright Office, but I just used the brass-plated brads for that one since it didn't matter. It felt good to see my script printed out, with cover, and bound together. When I print out drafts, they're usually two per page, doubled-sided, so it's not the same. My gf helped me address the envelopes and get everything ready. We hit the post office and mailed everything off.
There was a bit of a relief after that. Now it's just a waiting game. But I wasn't quite done. I still had to enter the Austin Film Festival's Screenwriting Competition and Final Draft's Big Break contest. Final Draft wanted a digital copy, so no worries about printing one out. AFF wanted a hard copy, but I still didn't have the right brads. The deadline is the 15th, so that gave me more time. I went online and found that Office Depot had them (online only). The last few things I've read say to get Acco Brand #5 or #6. You'd be surprised how hard it is to find them. Most of these major chain stores have their own brands now. So I ordered them. $5 for one box, $6 for the other. The kicker was that with tax and shipping, it cost over $20. Good thing they'll probably last me a long time.
I got the brads a couple of days ago. There was one HUGE box and one small box. When I opened up the big box, it was loaded with paper and packing material. The brads were in a tiny box in the corner. Seemed like a waste. They could have put both boxes of brads in the little box. I'll try and post a picture of the ridiculousness later.
During all of this, I was also looking for a job. I went to a bunch of places, picking up applications. It's hard to explain that I've been working as a freelance filmmaker the last two years that's why there's a hole in my work history. We'll see how it goes.
So yesterday I mailed off my entry to AFF. That one could be interesting if I win. They have a bonus award that could mean a production company offer to make your script into a film. I also digitally sent my entry to Final Draft. In total that's four competitions. I'll keep everyone posted.
In other news, Kim and I were both selected to be contestants on Whatta Ya Think?! Kim does her show on June 8th, and mine is June 21st. Should be fun.
I went to a table reading of the play "The Boxer and the Blonde" by Rob Bosquez. It's a play that incorporates video segments. I was "hired" to edit the videos. I say "hired" but it's more of a volunteer job. It's being put on by the Butterfly Connection. Everyone there seemed cool. The director Adam Dietrich is the one that contacted me about it. The writer wasn't there tonight though. His material is interesting so I look forward to meeting him. I think he's acting in a play at the Rose Marine Theater this weekend called Lincoln Heights. Kim and I might go.
I guess that's it for now. A few other things in the air. I'll write more about those soon. Keep checking in. I'll try and update more frequently.
Leading up to the 29th, I was finally getting a lot of feedback from the few people I gave my script to. After the first person put their notes out there, it created a snowball effect. I'm so thankful to everyone that took the time to do so. All the notes were really helpful and I know I have a better script for it.
April 29 -- Spent the day finalizing my script. Last second modifications, checking for spelling errors, grammar, etc. That night I went to buy paper to print out copies of the script for competitions. I also picked up some card stock for the covers and envelopes for the mail-outs. What I didn't buy were brass fasteners/brads because I already had a box...
I have to add this here. When you're writing a screenplay at this level -- trying to get an agent or sell your script -- there are a lot of rules you have to play by. Your script has to be nearly perfect. And not just the words you write, but how you write them. And even beyond that, how you present it. You have to show that you at the very least know the proper way to bind a script. The proper way being three holes with two or three solid brass brads, 1.25 inches to 1.5 inches depending on the length of your script. You're not supposed to give a reader any excuse to not like your script before they even open it up.
We also went to the final screening of the Green Eyed Monster movie tour. Kim, a couple of friends, and I met up with Gabe at the Studio Movie Grill in Addison. Our friends hadn't seen the film before. They dug it. Gabe talks more about it on his blog. Speaking of which, if you haven't noticed (can't remember if I've mentioned it), there are links to other relevant blogs and websites in the column on the right for easy access.
April 30 -- Woke up and did one last polish of the script then started printing everything out. That's when I noticed it. The brads I had were brass-PLATED. Not solid brass. And they had pointed ends, not ROUNDED. Fuck! What to do? What to do? Time was ticking away. It was already close to 5PM. The postmark deadline was May 1st, so I decided to hold off sending and try to find the right brads. But I did register my script with the WGA.
May 1 -- My gf called every office supply store in the area... Not a one carried SOLID brass brads. They only had brass-plated. What to do? What to do? I just needed two! I was applying for the Nicholl Fellowship and the Sundance Institutes's Screenwriters Lab. Only Nicholl required a full script. Then I remembered that a couple of screenplays I bought were bound with brads. I pulled out a couple and put my script together. I had another copy to send to the U.S. Copyright Office, but I just used the brass-plated brads for that one since it didn't matter. It felt good to see my script printed out, with cover, and bound together. When I print out drafts, they're usually two per page, doubled-sided, so it's not the same. My gf helped me address the envelopes and get everything ready. We hit the post office and mailed everything off.
I have to mention how much stress I was under. If it was just the script I had to worry about, I might have been fine, but there was much more than that. Sundance only wanted the first five pages of the script, but they also wanted a cover letter, resume, bio, and 2-page synopsis. You can imagine how much work I put into those. They judge you more on those attachments than your script. I know I don't have the most impressive resumes, so I tried my best to highlight some of my more unique projects -- The GEM Tour being one of them. Thanks to VJ for her help with all the paperwork.
There was a bit of a relief after that. Now it's just a waiting game. But I wasn't quite done. I still had to enter the Austin Film Festival's Screenwriting Competition and Final Draft's Big Break contest. Final Draft wanted a digital copy, so no worries about printing one out. AFF wanted a hard copy, but I still didn't have the right brads. The deadline is the 15th, so that gave me more time. I went online and found that Office Depot had them (online only). The last few things I've read say to get Acco Brand #5 or #6. You'd be surprised how hard it is to find them. Most of these major chain stores have their own brands now. So I ordered them. $5 for one box, $6 for the other. The kicker was that with tax and shipping, it cost over $20. Good thing they'll probably last me a long time.
I got the brads a couple of days ago. There was one HUGE box and one small box. When I opened up the big box, it was loaded with paper and packing material. The brads were in a tiny box in the corner. Seemed like a waste. They could have put both boxes of brads in the little box. I'll try and post a picture of the ridiculousness later.
During all of this, I was also looking for a job. I went to a bunch of places, picking up applications. It's hard to explain that I've been working as a freelance filmmaker the last two years that's why there's a hole in my work history. We'll see how it goes.
So yesterday I mailed off my entry to AFF. That one could be interesting if I win. They have a bonus award that could mean a production company offer to make your script into a film. I also digitally sent my entry to Final Draft. In total that's four competitions. I'll keep everyone posted.
In other news, Kim and I were both selected to be contestants on Whatta Ya Think?! Kim does her show on June 8th, and mine is June 21st. Should be fun.
I went to a table reading of the play "The Boxer and the Blonde" by Rob Bosquez. It's a play that incorporates video segments. I was "hired" to edit the videos. I say "hired" but it's more of a volunteer job. It's being put on by the Butterfly Connection. Everyone there seemed cool. The director Adam Dietrich is the one that contacted me about it. The writer wasn't there tonight though. His material is interesting so I look forward to meeting him. I think he's acting in a play at the Rose Marine Theater this weekend called Lincoln Heights. Kim and I might go.
I guess that's it for now. A few other things in the air. I'll write more about those soon. Keep checking in. I'll try and update more frequently.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
