#holylwood

[wiccan-shitposting]

[johnphilipcharles]

Name one person on this list who isn't awful (except maybe Joan Rivers):

http://www.zimbio.com/Famous+Republicans

[storynotesfromhell-blog-blog]

Revolutionary Road is about two people who argue for two hours and then one of them dies.

Writer friend who really hated Revolutionary Road

[storynotesfromhell-blog-blog]

Legends in the lead

Not long ago I was pitching a spec script to an executive (who is now a producer) about two old friends who reunite on a road trip to Vegas.

Executive:  Okay, have you thought about who would play these roles?

Me:  Yes. . .

Executive:  Who do you see in the lead?

Me:  I would love to see Paul Newman and Robert Redford play these characters.

Executive:  Nobody wants to work with them!

Me:  Really?!  (looking away in disbelief)

[storynotesfromhell-blog-blog]

This is worse than Inception

I have been writing scripts on and off since the late 90s. About a year ago, I handed in a spec script to a well-known and respected producer in town. The script was a sci-fi action thriller, dealing with parallel universes. He read it and completely tore it apart over the phone. Here's how it began:

Producer: Remember Inception? It took them 40 minutes to explain the rules of the game and set the story up. Which left them with no time to develop characters, that's why the film was populated by a bunch of cardboard cutouts.

Me: Well--

Producer: This is worse than Inception. You spend 35 pages setting it up, and the way you do it, it's gonna end up being 45 minutes on screen. And it's gonna feel like an hour.

Me: How do I--

Producer: Do the opposite: set it up in 10 pages or less, then spend more time on character development. You can weave in the other shit throughout the story, but don't make people read 35 pages just to set the rules of the game.

He went on for an hour, completely destroying the script, destroying my self-confidence, and destroying my pre-conceived notion that Inception was an awesome film. (they do spend a lot of time explaining everything. And the characters are weak).

[storynotesfromhell-blog-blog]

Just make sure the writer's Jewish

As a producer, a few years ago I optioned a book with a fellow producer who brought on the money. We needed to hire a writer to adapt it, and I knew a few talented ones. The other producer had only this to add:

Producer: Just make sure the writer's Jewish.

Me: Okay. I dunno if they're Jewish or not. They're very talented--

Producer: I'm serious. We wanna work with our own kind.

Me: (pause, trying to process this)

Producer: It's a messed up town, you gotta work with your own kind of you want things done. Honestly, I don't trust anyone else.

[searollsanddeathtolls]

i'm obsessed with the mess that's america.