FAST FILMS in 48

Every October, Vancouver is host to one of my favorite fast film contest - the Bloodshots 48 Hr Horror competition.  If there is any fast film contest, this is it!

Now, firstly you may ask, why pay a fee to make a film and add to the cost of your production? Or you may not, but I have. 
1) This contest gives you a guaranteed screening with every other team which means a lot of people will see your film. 
2) Every year there is a panel of guest judges (I've been one) of some notoriety in the industry.
3) Every year, the top two films (Audience Choice and Best Film winners) go on to a celebrity guest judge.
The year I did JACK we had Dan O'Bannon and to get an email from him saying how much he enjoyed our film was a career highlight for sure!
4) It's FUN!

As for the money - these things cost the organizers and they need to cover their costs, including shipping, prizes and more.  No one is getting rich off of it, trust me.

How it works?
You sign up with Kier-La Janisse (Check the link for all details, rules, etc)
Once you are registered start compiling your team.  Realize that you will likely not sleep very much so my first hint is to get rest the week leading up to it.

Now I have been on both sides of this, and I have to say, judging is REALLY hard. First because there are so many reasons a film is good, second because I hated not being on the creative side of it having fun and thirdly, knowing how hard it is to do and you really want everyone to leave happy.

Now you can go into the contest just for the sheer bloody fun of it all, but I can be a bit competitive as I LOVE horror so I like to win.

While Bloodshots has awarded me 2 'Best Script' awards, I wanted to win BEST DEATH.  Luckily, my pumpkin revenge script, JACK, executed by my great director, Kryshan Randel, amazing team including make up artist extraodinaire, Amy Diedrich, and of course, the Stubbs family for letting us corrupt their barely born daughter's mind by having killer pumpkins attack her. (We did promise to try and cover any future psychological problems - but considering they went did the Bloodshots the following year again with her, I wipe my hands clean.)

The prizes awarded are the following (Although frequently judges have created a category when someone's project is great and deserves it's own recognition)

BEST SCRIPT
BEST ACTING
BEST DEATH
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
BEST ART DIRECTION
BEST COSTUMES
BEST MAKEUP/FX
BEST SOUND DESIGN/ORIGINAL SCORE
BEST USE OF PROP OR DIALOGUE
MOST SUBVERSIVE USE OF GENRE

Now, really you should be doing it for the fun but if you've done this before and really want to go after one of these coveted prizes, here's my helpful hints:

1) Know Your Genres: Look at the past films - Giallo (check out Argento's Susperia), Rape Revenge, HP Lovecraft, Nature's Revenge
2) Story: Even a short should have 3 'acts' - set up, conflict, resolution.
3) Do NOT, I repeat, DO NOT cheat your death scenes (unless you can do so in a suspenseful way). I love the genre so if you're going to go with a gruesome kill, don't set it up then show me blood. Work with your DOP, your production designer and your make up artist and figure out a way to 'show' the death. Showing a guy holding a weapon then showing a pool of blood is not scary. This is a horror contest. Make it horrifying. Or at least funny. What's the most twisted our mind can go? One winner had an iron up the tookus, another year it was a cement cinder block to the head.
Now, not saying you have to do it for REAL. Talk to your team on how to shoot it so it LOOKS like it's real. But do let your editor get some sleep as he's gonna pull an all nighter. If you can have two editors to tag team even better.
4) Let's talk timelines.
i) So you get your package at 6:30PM on Friday. In this package you will have a
GENRE, WEAPON, PROP, LINE OF DIALOGUE
Now the person picking up the package should not be your writer - they need every second.
ii) Have someone pick up the package and call the team (or whoever is going to be involved at this point)
iii) Have post its or index cards and write down what the four items are (Visuals help)
iv) Now if you have a team input for the script, have a brainstorm board ready (or index cards and tape).
v) While people do prepare ideas beforehand, I can say that a good film usually will throw these out as the genre can drastically change things.
Note: You can say your going to write the script before and 'add' these in but trust me, its obvious to the judges and really not in the sport of it all. Part of the fun is challenging yourself to create under pressure.

Now GO!

5) Don't keep your team too late. Let your writer work and let your team get rest as tomorrow will be a long day.
6) While you can start shooting Friday, these are usually the films that have weak story - but if you have an awesome idea and you want another award and don't care about story, then of course that's your choice. I'm a writer so I want to flush it out. Plus, both my Bloodshots film started off as completely different scripts at the beginning of the night and by 6 am were something very different.
7) You can have your editor on set if they are up for it. If you can shoot linear then it definitely helps with the time crunch. I realize it's not always possible though. It's also good to have a couple of editors who can tag team as they may be up all night. Make sure they have lots of coffee.
8) On this, realize that you have to drop off at 6:30PM Sunday IN PERSON. Try and find an editing space close to the drop off. Why lose time driving?
i) Also, there's always room for error on tech so plan for this. I can't tell you the amount of teams discounted for being late for rendering or output problems. It sucks. (Note though, will you will be discounted for awards, you will still have your film screened so get something in!)
9) Please get someone who knows sound. It's hard to see your hard work ruined by poor sound.
10) For the love of god, do not do a film about making a film or film yourselves trying to come up with the idea. It's been done. And many times not well.
11) And finally, DO NOT get mad if you don't win. This is a fast contest so not everything is going to be great and it's hard to award everyone. Most of the time the judges will debate on every one but with so little time to debate, it's fast decisions. It's never clear cut answers and trust me, it's hard when you feel really strongly about a film and the other judges are just as passionate about another one.

Now some friends weighed in on their fast film experience so I thought I'd post so that it's not all just me :)

A) Think outside the box. What hasn't been done! Find ways to set your film apart from previous years.
B) Know your team. Egos out the window.
C) Be clear about who your leader/producer is-- give that person carte blanche; when time is a factor, it's important to have someone who has the power to say moving on.
(I'll add to this, a 1st AD who can keep your team on schedule is a blessed thing to have!)
D) Don't try and take on something way too big, or too difficult; sometimes smaller done really, really, really well is better. A small, tight, good looking film with a good story is better than a big sloppy spectacle.
E) If there's a team number limit, make sure you have all positions covered, and then some. No one should ever be idle.By "and then some", I mean choose people who can do more than one thing. I didn't mean cheat. :)
F) A phrase that must be fully understood and embraced: Artistic Triage.
G) AND, my favorite advice Chocolate is the answer. The question is pretty much irrelevant. (although for the contest, coffee may be the answer but I'd be good with chocolate!)

The film can be a great opportunity past this contest!!

Our last film JACK has been doing the festival rounds for TWO years! We've been invited to so many international films and each one seems to spur another invite.
And I guess this is a great time to announce, we just signed a deal with SHORTS INTERNATIONAL and will be on TV's and an  iTunes store near you soon!

I'd also love to give a shout out to our co-winner two years ago (okay we won different prizes but I still think of us as co-winners) who created CHLOE and ATTIE. They've had amazing success as well and who are in the process of turning the film into a feature!! I'm so excited for them as it's a great short with the fabulous Jacqueline and Joyce Robbins, who, if you ever meet, you will adore them as much as I do. They're a hoot!  

Check out their page, the short and meet the twins, and if you can, please support them as the entire team is amazing.  
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/scooter-corkle/chloe-and-attie-the-feature-film

Wish I was there this year to see all the great films you're going to make.
And most of all, Have a BLOODY good time!

Adventures in Cons

Wow already failing at this blogging thing. In my defense, I've been super busy writing - well okay and a month holiday in Cuba.

Right before I headed out for three weeks of rejuvenation, I went to the Produced By Conference.

Friday night was the opening party, which was a lot of fun. I met up with Tracey Mack and Robyn Weiner from Vancouver and we toured around looking for other people to chat with. Funny enough, met other Vancouverites. Small world.

So overall, the conference was good and I'm glad I went, but not sure I'd go again. I had expected a higher level of producers and more expecting producers with some experience that wanted to make the leap into more studio driven productions. Forums and conferences can be a big hit and miss. Sometimes it's the topics, the speaker or even the moderator. I get that there are people who are starting out and this is a way to start getting some knowledge but for the love of god do some research. My forum rules:

- Do your research. Learn who your speakers are, watch their films and learn about the business.

- Be clear and concise in Q&A. (Okay, my question did not come out right and did not sound intelligent but I have a huge fear of public speaking so standing up in front of the entire audience to ask questions makes me blank and fumble. So, if your like me, you are excused).  I’ve also seen people try and ‘hit on’ the panelist. You are an idiot. Nuff said. 

- The biggest no-no and if you do this AFTER a moderator expressly says not to, you will be boo'ed and hissed at... DO NOT pitch during your question.

I wish I could remember the moderator for Larry Gordon's panel, but he put it best. You are wasting everyone's time in the room, from the panelist to the attendees, you put people in a liability position (most people do NOT take unsolicited pitches) and it's plain RUDE.  So don't do it. Do not say, "but I have an Oscar potential winning screenplay!" because everyone has a potential everything - until you don't. 

I've also talked to panelists that have said the most common question is 'how do I get an agent'. They hate it. Why? Because there are so many ways. The sure way? Sell your screenplay and phone an agency and say, I've got a deal but I need an agent to close it. You will get one. Otherwise, do your research. Talk to other people and ask if they like their agent (note; people who work, like their agent, people who don't, obviously aren't happy with their agent. It's not always the agents fault. Take this with a grain of salt). Find people who are with an agency you like. It's easier to get in if you are recommended. The other way is to write a kickass screenplay or win awards at your craft and become 'in demand'. 

If you don't want to do the work, give up now. This industry is all about hard work. 

I have to say I'm so tired of people who keep asking me for advice and never take it because it's too much work.

Now onto the fun stuff.

This year I finally attended COMIC-CON in San Diego. How awesome is that! I can't believe how utterly exhausted I was at the end. My brother warned me and I thought I was well prepared but it's so tiring (he's also the reason I got to go as he was a 'professional' attendee so he rocks as well!).  But the costumes and panels are so amazing that it's worth standing in line (provided you get in) and seeing it all.

So we arrived and got our passes and our awesome WB bags (Zach unfortunately got Vampire Diaries and none of us found the elusive Thundercats).  Went to a screening of Alcatraz (and Supernatural the Anime but had to leave as it was unbearable). Alcatraz was very interesting but I'm not sure how they will sustain it. We'll see where it goes. Went for the sneak peak at the exhibition hall.  I was so overwhelmed when I stepped in. Like a kid in a candy store. 

I'm so glad I have a great brother and boyfriend that both are excited over the same things I am. Makes Comic-Con much more enjoyable.  I was only sad when both of them had awesome stories about surprise appearances in their panels as I waited in line for hours on a panel I did not get in to.   My brother warned me about the lines, I had no idea that people were crazy enough to be at the hall at 6am to get into a panel (except twihards that lined up 4 DAYS early). The rule is once you're in, you can come and go so people will get in then get bathroom passes to leave or just stay through the panels they don't want just to make sure they are in the ones they want. Sucks for the people who get there at 8 and find out at 11 there is no room. There must be a better way. Yes it happened to me. Did not get into Walking Dead panel after 4 hrs of waiting in line - but got into the Robert Kirkman panel in 10min. So I guess people are there for the shows/cast and not the comic creators?

I recently became obsessed with Game of Thrones. I love the characters in this show and yes, as most people know, am a bit infatuated with Jason Momoa. Brilliantly cast, each episode leaves on a cliffhanger, which gets more and more intense as the show goes on. Absolutely love this show. 

Went to a few Apocalypse panels, my favorite genre. Do you have an apocalypse plan? My boyfriend and I do.  I thought we were weird until a friend divulged that her and her husband do as well.  It's fun to plan.  I'll wrap this up on my favorite panel of the weekend - The Batman 45th Anniversary with Adam West, Burt Ward and Julie Newmar. Julie Newmar walked in with cat ears and long red gloves, showing she still is the first and only cat woman. It is absolutely amazing to watch this cast, people I grew up with, not only reminisce about the show, but see them enjoy watching old clips with as much enthusiasm as the audience. It’s a rare camaraderie that few shows achieve. 

I will definitely attend Comic-Con again but I want to be rich to afford the $400/night room at a hotel right beside the convention so I can get there early. And I want a kickass costume that will get me more geek points (Like getting geek points when I knew who Robert Kirkman was. The surprise on the guys face next to me was priceless!)

Hope I didn’t lose you halfway through! I promise to write more frequently so they are shorter! Til next time….

Giving up the 'U'

Met some awesome Canuck writers here. Makes me feel less alone.
I miss my Ink Canada groupies. It's nice as a writer to get out once in awhile.

So, during the game that bumped the Canucks into the final round (yay), we had a discussion about the differences between Americans and Canadians, esp in the film world.

One woman vowed she would not give up her 'u' which I loved.

As a writer, how much do you conform, or is this our little way of being patriotic. I wonder if a reader would flag 'neighbour' or 'colour' on your script as a mistake.

Then we joked about the words Americans THINK we say (I swear we DON'T say Aboot!) and words we actually say different. IE: Drama (Draw-ma vs DrA-ma, Foy-yay vs Fo-yer) and it was interesting to see that since we covered, east/west coast and prairies words we actually each say differently.

We do say ZED though - and as Zach kept trying to spell with a 'Z' we realized it's a fast way to confuse Americans.  The phone tech took awhile to catch on but every time Zach would say 'Zed', he'd repeat 'Zee'...just to let us know. 

So, what I took away is this, I'm going to need a lot more practice and relearn my dialogue.
How about it, would you give up your 'U'? 

Getting close....

So I tried to set things up on Wordpress but it’s too technical for me. I couldn’t get it to look nice. So then I moved here. It didn’t work at first but I think I’ve finally got things figured out but bear with me as I get it exactly where it should be!

I’ll also keep things more up to date now and not so lengthy.

I will also try not to brag about the sun, my amazing driving that is improving each day as my confidence of maneuvering on the freeway grows.  I have just over a week to be an expert before my friend Tracey arrives and I’m driving everywhere (including Disneyland! Yay).  

It helps to have Darth Vader on my TomTom (that’s TomTom, the gps, not a Ton Ton, just to clarify) telling me on each drive that I’ve overcome my fears. Of course I’m sure the empire is tired of waiting by now as every trip Darth reminds me every few minutes of this!

The perks....

So far one of the best things has been seeing tons of movies for free, which, considering how much we spend a year on movies, is definitely a perk.  Zach is a member of the WGA and as his ‘spousal equivalent’ we can go to their screenings, which are free for members. Most of the movies are in theatres now and sometimes the writers even give a Q&A. Then there are the agency invites, thankfully at least one of us is repped.  Unfortunately, it’s not me.  Well not in LA…yet.

We’ve seen Your Highness (funnier than I would’ve thought), Insidious (disappointing), and Bang Bang Club thanks to WGA. 

Zach also is rubbing shoulders with film fanatic bloggers who get to go to press screenings so he’s been able to see Attack the Block and Tree of Life.

And then some films are worth paying for. After years of hearing about the Arclight, I finally got to check out this amazing theatre for Hanna, to support Vancouver screenwriter, Seth Lochhead.

So far things have been very good. Getting used to driving here. Trying to remember to read and decipher each parking sign and curb color so that I don’t get towed one day. 

I also tried the famous In and Out burger – probably not as impressed as meat eaters. Their idea of a veggie burger was lettuce on a bun. Considering the place had a (car) line up around the block and more than full inside, I was hoping my fries would be at least somewhat warm.

I need to get in gear and write more but it’s hard when it’s so sunny and I just want to run outside!  But I’m so inspired by so many things around me. I’ll get too it soon!

Writer's Bootcamp Breakfast

I did it. I drove on the freeway.  It’s been my biggest fear of moving here.  Well besides failing miserably.  

So yes, I drove. I got my ass out of bed at 6:45 this morning to attend the Writer’s Boot Camp in Santa Monica to hear Tim McNeal VP for ABC/Disney Development & Diversity, talk about their year long, paid (yes, they pay YOU) programs and his journey up the ranks. I love hearing those stories. 

He worked with John Hughes for two years – John Hughes! If you don’t know who that was you were probably born in the 80’s, not so much growing up in them when John Hughes where everyone was a brain, an athlete, a princess, a basketcase and a criminal. 

Tim gave some great advice for people trying to make it in Hollywood – move to the Palisades.  Apparently that’s where everyone who’s anyone lives there. Well I can’t do that yet so thankfully he had more to say. 

There were so many things that I’ve believed, stressed to others and have had stressed to me and so many people dismiss these things as trivial so it’s great when an executive stresses the same things.  You only get one chance to make a first impression – so make sure it’s a good one.  Most common mistakes and huge red flags – my friend and former teacher Joyce Thierry will love this one – improperly formatted scripts and TYPO’S! I once read a script that had hand written corrections on the page and I just kept thinking that there had to be some saving grace to the script – there wasn’t.  It’s hard enough to keep an exec entertained without giving them a reason to say no.

Tim also talked about making your own path and having initiative. So many people are looking for a handout – why should he help you? It’s your job to sell him and prove what you have to offer him so that when he bets on you, he can back it up. This is something that holds everywhere. Telefilm told me the same thing. It’s about building trust and making them believe that you are going to make them look good. Create your own projects, be an assistant, pay your dues and make the LA move and commit to living in the industry.

Tim’s advice on specs vs pilots – spec 2-3 shows and have at least one pilot. Many people have been advising against specs recently but as Tim pointed out, if you’re going to work in a room you need to show that you can write someone else’s voice.

I’ll end this on my favorite story of the day though was him talking about being the assistant to Ari Emanuel. There were a few snickers when he asked if we knew who Ari was – if you don’t, do your research as Ari is one of the most successful agents in Hollywood. Founder of Endeavor which merged with William Morris last year.  Tim said that ‘he wasn’t looking for a pat on the back’, he just wanted Ari to know he was getting the job done.   My friends wrote a the “Fuck Sorry Manifesto” which is basically about how we, as Canadians, tend to congratulate each other just on getting a job done and don’t even care if it was done well.  I’ve always said, I never want to be hired for any other reason (my ethnicity, my gender, etc) other than I’m good at my job.  I still don’t know if I’m a good writer but it’s the only thing I can do.  And even if I’m not the best out there, I’m going to do the best that I can.  And hopefully someone will give me a chance to make them look good.

We have arrived!

Wow! Already two weeks since we arrived in sunny Los Angeles, after forsaking the rainy pacific northwest – which has been my home for 14 years, after leaving the bitter prairie winters and floods.

There was a point where I couldn’t ever imagine leaving Vancouver – the fresh air, amazing hikes within 20min of the city, scenery to die for – I was in love.  It was in Vancouver I discovered that I could actually make a career out of writing and found some amazing like-minded people who helped me make some really great projects.  But, after a tumultuous few years, I found myself gazing south.

I've made a few visits over the last few years.  Each time feeling more and more at home with meeting some amazing people.

So after finally convincing my partner, Zach Lipovsky, we decided to pack our meager belongings into a small plywood storage, pack as much as we could into my little Hyundai along with my cats, a full bottle of anxiety medication for them and we were off to see what if we could be one of the few that ‘made it’ in Hollywood.

The first few days were spent unpacking and recovering from what's been a hectic few months. We decided in December we were going to move, had to give notice and pack everything up for January, as Zach had a project that would take him out of town for two months, and lucky me, I got to join him in an undisclosed heavenly location.  We were almost ready to leave and Zach got a call to shadow on a tv series, but this time I had to stay home and watch the cats.  But since we had no home, it was really living in my cousin's basement (Thanks Trish!) way longer than she probably wanted.

So we finally arrived.  Zach's already been hitting the pavement and meeting up with his agent, manager, and previous contacts, being social.  I’m napping and catching up on some much needed sleep but almost ready to hit the ground running.  Almost.

I don't know who has it harder, writer's or director's.  I was inspired to come down here after reading some scripts that had some big names attached and thinking - I can do better! I don't really know that I can though because they got theirs in front of someone who was willing to take a chance and that's a really hard thing to do.  Zach has so many people ready to help him out and give him a shot - as soon as he gets a feature notch under his belt. So how do you jump that first high hurdle? Luckily, Zach's got so many irons in the fire that once his first is done he'll have about 9 more to go.  Me on the other hand, I've been so used to trying to do it on my own that I have no idea how to stop being a producer and hand my scripts to my Canadian agent and let him do his job.  I'm so used to this system that I have no idea how to approach an agent or a manager in LA, how their personal preferences dictate who they sign on and whether or not my Canadian-esque themes, including culturally significant stories told in mainstream formats, will even work in LA.  I may need to reexamine what I've been writing and ensure that I've got some good specs and mainstream features in my backpocket.

So we'll be here until Zach's visa runs out and he gets kicked out of the country or until his Canadian feature (which will be EPIC) that's in development goes into prep in Canada.  I vow to network as much as I can, grow as much as I can as a writer and get a script sold – okay maybe I’ll be happy with having it read…and maybe an option agreement.

I have no idea what the next few months will hold for us but hopefully we’ll meet as many people who are as passionate as we are about what we do.  I've had a rough four years, as we all have, with the economy, unsupportive governments (having our arts/film industry government run is a blessing and a curse) and of course I've had a few hard knock lessons in producing which have kicked me in the ass to get out there and find producers who enjoy what they do and may want to work with me on a fun script and take over the hard work so I can just be creative.

So, here's to a new adventure. Hope that this blog will someday end well!