nice mention in the trades

Got a nice mention in the Hollywood Reporter, which named all the FIND Project:Involve fellows and their area of concentration, and Variety, which didn't.

i've been writing

I received some great news last month - I was named a Film Independent Project:Involve Screenwriting Fellow, Class of 2010. You probably already know Film Independent (FIND) as the fine folks who bring you the Independent Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival, this is one of their talent development programs. From their website:

Project:Involve is Film Independent's signature diversity program, dedicated to increasing cultural diversity in the film industry by cultivating the careers of under-represented filmmakers. The program, which runs from October through June, selects filmmakers from culturally diverse backgrounds and filmmaking tracks. The Fellows are paired one-on-one with a mentor from the film industry. In addition to the mentorship, the Fellows also attend filmmaking workshops, community screenings, and receive career development assistance.

Since my orientation is scheduled for later today, I guess today is the first official day of my fellowship. Tomorrow, I meet and mingle with the rest of the FIND staff, the P:I Class of 2009, and my class at a reception. Friday, I'm doing this thing at Universal. Additionally, I've optioned a screenplay I'd like to produce and I'm waiting to hear whether I made it into the FIND Producers Lab. In addition to whatever mentorship FIND arranges, I'll resume weekly meetings with BigShot Producer (my producing mentor) starting next week. This may be the last you hear of me for a couple of months, but I am hoping that I'll blog more often and chronicle all the wackiness that will likely ensue.

my two sides went to war

I sat in my Wednesday night film financing class at UCLA, listening to Big Shot Producer lecture about the many ways to lower a screenwriter's quote, how to negotiate with writers and lessen our risk, how to not pay a writer and get away with it, etc. It was nothing new to me, nothing I hadn't heard from him before, and as a fledgling producer, something I thought I had to learn. I looked around the room at the many hopeful producers-in-training as they nodded sagely and scribbled notes furiously. Depression immediately followed the realization - everyone in the room would not hesitate one second to screw me. That feeling wasn't new to me, I've been in those rooms before. But this time there were 50+ people in the room. Even I wanted to screw me. I was conflicted, I was resolute, "Patty, Anna, Patty, Anna". It was a little overwhelming.

Since that night I've been extremely irritable. Some might even say bitchy. But mostly I was depressed. That hasn't helped me with my writing deadlines. And now, in this disastrous economy, I am tasked with raising $11 million in P&A financing for our third film project. All I wanted to do was lie down until this feeling went away. Then, thanks to Kevin at LA Observed, I read "Screenwriting in Hollywood: A Modest Proposal" and felt a little better. Here's an excerpt:

Novelists, playwrights and poets are not rewritten by other writers. Even journalists do the deed pretty much alone. But screenwriters not only routinely and eagerly replace each other, they are tactical in their competitive quest for credit, credit that is not only emotionally gratifying but financially existent. Without credit, future opportunity, immediate and contingent compensation, dissolve. All that hard work to get beyond base camp, undone. Back to square none. Meaning - what do you tell your family, friends, former classmates, neighbors, and people you’ve yet to meet - that you did work on something glamorous for possibly years even, but in the end, your name didn’t scroll by?

And the other question that will not leave your mind is the calculation of cash you didn’t get and residuals you will never see.

This belief and its subsequent practice of multiple screen authorship is a unifying principle that not only does not serve its community of believers, but actually endangers its members from achieving prosperity in a scarce economy.

I've come to the realization that producing is a necessary evil for me and I need to just get over it. Conquering the written word is still what makes me truly happy, but if I have to produce to protect my work or another writer's words and vision, then I'll take that battle on. A long time ago, someone once suggested to me that, "It won't hurt if you don't clench." I didn't buy it then, I don't think I'll buy it now. I think I'll try it my way. The picture I have in my head of the kind of producer I want to be is a little bit clearer now.

what does a strike mean to me?

The WGA strike is on, I'm reading Shawn Ryan's reasons for striking on Nikki Finke's blog (I heart you Shawn Ryan), and I'm trying hard to not be annoyed by the Fox production that's shooting on location below my window. The phone rings, it's our location rep asking if they can send a location scout over this afternoon to look at our loft. My husband Jim asks me if we'd rent out our space to a prodco that's shooting a scripted production. I finish chewing my bagel and calmly say, "Hell to the no." My puppy Wonton stretches out on the sofa beside me and yawns in solidarity. Jim nods in agreement.

I've had friends and strangers ask how and if this strike affects me. I'm not yet a member of the WGA. The producer who optioned my screenplay and has been developing it for the past year is a WGA signatory. He won't go forward and shoot this without a writer on the set, so the project has been effectively derailed until the strike is over. This project would've made me eligible to join the guild, it would've put me in the game. It would've also put a decent production bonus in our bank account and paid for Wonton's eye surgery. Do I support the strike? You bet I do.

I attended Creative Screenwriting's Expo the other week and was amazed at how few attendees understood the issues and what's at stake. If you haven't been following the WGA strike and the ramp-up to it, John August writes a short summary of the situation here and Nikki Finke's DHD has the best coverage. I heard that in addition to picketing the studios and the signatory companies, the WGA will also be striking at location shoots. If so, may I suggest using the Downtown Locations Filming Map as a resource? And if you will be picketing at any downtown filming locations, please let me know so I can 1) offer my support and 2) blog about it so that my readers who support the strike can also offer their support.

Here's a list of the picketing locations and schedule, a list of struck companies (WGA signatories), and again, the Downtown Locations Filming Map.

so much going on tonight

I wish I could be in several places at once, there are so many things going on tonight and through the weekend. I'll be attending Creative Screenwriting's Screenwriting Expo, which kicks off tonight and wraps up Sunday evening. This event used to take place at the Convention Center, but last year they moved it to the LAX Marriott and another adjacent hotel. I think the venue sucks and would love to woo them back to downtown. Brady, can you work your magic and make this come back downtown?

Jim and I were scheduled to attend a screening tonight of THE NAMESAKE (and I was really looking forward to it), followed by a Q&A with director Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding, Vanity Fair). But I have to go pick up my expo passes and attend a kick-off networking party. Yeah, that'll be a barrel of laughs, everyone in a group worryfest about the impending WGA strike. Drink, please!

Closer to home, we're missing Niche LA's screening of Hideo Nakata's RINGU tonight at 7:30pm:

"In honor of Halloween, we present the film that started the J-horror movement. An investigative reporter looks into the mysterious deaths of seemingly healthy people and hears rumors of a strange videotape with a particular curse -- anyone who watches it will die in exactly one week. Forget the Hollywood remake which took the rough (and arguably scarier) edges off the story. This is the original and still the best. You'll never look at a TV screen in the same way again."

WHAT: Free Wednesday Night Film Screening of RINGU (1998, Runtime: 96 mins)

WHEN: October 24th @ 7:30PM

WHERE: Niche.LA Video Art
Spring Arts Tower
453 S. Spring St. #443
Los Angeles, CA 90013 (corner of 5th and Spring in Downtown LA).
Space is limited, so please RSVP via email or call/text (213) 247-0002.
Click here for info on parking/directions.

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So what are you doing tonight?