Screenwriters World Conference and Other Adventures

I feel like things are now really rolling, my friends. I said a long time ago that I wanted to do a pitch fest as a part of my No MFA Project… well, it’s happening on Jan. 21^st. I’ll be attending the Screenwriter’s World Conference in NYC.

Half of the day will be spent pitching my script to agents and producers. Each meeting is 5 minutes total – with the first 90 seconds for my pitch, the remaining 3 and a half minutes for their feedback. In a worse case scenario, they give advice on how to improve the pitch. Pitching isn’t my strong suit, so it’s advice that will be very welcome. In a best case scenario, writers may find representation or even option their scripts.

The other half of the day is spent sitting in on seminars on topics like finding an agent, selling your script, etc.

It is a little pricey - $299 – but for this kind of thing, that really isn’t so bad. The education gained off of even making failed pitches would be, I think, worth it. Besides, even with another $299 added to my current No MFA bill, I’m still $96,700 better off than I would have been getting my dramatic writing MFA at Tisch.

Check out the conference if you’re interested. Maybe I’ll see you there. ;)

http://www.writersstore.com/screenwriters-world-conference

Also, to add to the excitement of finally moving into the script-pitching stage of things, I learned about Specbank today. If TV commercial scripts are your thing, this is a completely free website for writers to upload their scripts. The site is a resource for directors looking for scripts to shoot to help grow their reel. While they grow their reel, you can grow your writing resume.

www.specbank.com

Final update of the day, I’m holding my auditions for my short film at the DFA tomorrow. I have 16 actors and actresses scheduled from 2 to 7. Sure to be an exhausting but amazing day!

And one more note to actors....

Now that I've just finished going through all my applications (finally coming in at about 300) I have one more note to add - put your resumes into the body of the email if possible! Opening attachments sucks up time and some attachments don't always open. (For example, I have an older version of word, so a .doc opens, but the newer .docx does not. Since I don't have time to email all the .docxs senders and ask them to resend as a doc or pdf, they just get cut out of the running by default.)

Out of about 300 applications, I wound up with 42 in my "Group A," best of the best file.... Now to trim that number down to somewhere between 10-20.

A Note to Actors!

Not being an actor myself, the rumors about how difficult it is have always been just that: rumors. Now having posted an actual casting call, both to craigslist and on the professional industry site Mandy.com, I see just what it is actors are up against.

I posted my casting call about a week ago. I have received approximately 250 interested applicants. That’s 250 people vying for 2 roles – in an unpaid student film! And many of them have incredibly impressive experience.

I’ve begun the arduous task of sorting through all these hopefuls, and figured that I should share some of what I’m figuring out about what makes an actor’s request for an audition great. This is not just for those of you looking to cast your own projects in the future, but also for the benefit of all you actors out there, so that you may better “apply” yourselves, so to speak.

1. This is obvious, but reply to the actual casting call that was posted. I don’t just mean hit reply and apply for the job – but actually reply to what you see in the post. I’m looking for dramatic actors in their 20s who are non-union, and am surprised to have received several applications from dancers (who only write about their dancing experience), folks way beyond their 20s, and stand-up comedians. Also, actors who are in unions. It’s a pain in the butt for me, and a waste of their time to apply. The moral: only apply for what actually fits you.
2. Along those same lines, I’m more drawn to people who have submitted a photo or reel that show the same emotion I’m looking for in my character. For instance, my female character, Jenna, is pretty but insecure, longing for approval. I was more likely to move applicants with somewhat shy expressions on their headshots into my “Audition” file. The moral: as actors, it’s a good idea to have a few headshots, showing different emotions, available, so you can submit the best one for the job at hand. I gave character descriptions on my post.
3. Reels! I loved anyone who sent a reel since I could just watch and get a sense of whether or not they’d work in my project without even really needing to look at anything else. It’s way harder to judge someone from a headshot and resume. The moral: put together a reel!
4. Resumes. Just to give you an idea how I read these: first, I quickly scan to see if you’ve acted for any company that is “known.” Unpaid student film notwithstanding, I still got actors who had worked for NBC, CBS, Discover Channel, and more. If there was nothing like that, then I looked to see if they at least worked for real companies, as opposed to only working in high school plays. The company didn’t need to be famous – I’m sure a lot of these ‘production companies’ are little film school operations, like me – but it still looks better than school plays (unless it’s a famous acting school or you’re earning an advanced acting degree). Finally, what roles were they given? I searched for plays I was familiar with to judge what they’d done. The moral: highlight any impressive companies you worked for. If you can, leave the high school plays off, since they’re not impressive. (Listing good acting schools is ok.) If worse comes to worse and you don’t have any experience with legit companies, put together a reel so we can see you’re not a flake.
5. Write me something! I don’t want anything huge, because it would be a pain to read it all – but a few lines, at least, preferably about why my project interests you. I was waaaaay less likely to be interested in anyone who emailed me a resume and headshot alone, leaving the body of the email blank. The moral: write a personal message pertaining to the project.

There are my thoughts on applying for acting jobs, although I might come up with more as I continue this process. I’m back to sorting through my many applicants (and in the time it took to write this post, I got 5 more.) Hopefully by next week, I’ll be ready to call in my top picks – I’m aiming to pick just 20 to audition out of 250 and counting.

Happy auditioning!

My Backup Plan and My Casting Post

Now that I’ve raved about the DFA, I do have one other admission… part of why I’ve been so busy this past month is that I am also applying for Ph.D programs in Literature, and Film. Before the horror sinks in that, despite my blog, I’m considering going back to school, I’ll explain my reasoning…

First of all, and in keeping with the No MFA philosophy, I decided a long time ago never to pay another dime for a degree. The vast majority of Ph.D. programs are fully funded, and I’m not applying to any programs that wouldn’t give me a free ride if accepted. Furthermore, I'm not applying to any Ph.D. programs that don't in some way tie into my goals. All the programs I've looked at, while they focus primarily on literature and writing, also give the option of a concentration in film/drama.

Second, my reasons for wanting a Ph.D., even though I’m trying to make it with my writing. Writing is still my dream and my goal, and I’m incredibly lucky in that I have this next half year or so to focus just on my writing and my dreams. But, as you all know, it’s a risky business. I’m going to be giving it my all and, hopefully, through the DFA, may even get freelance film work that could sustain me for however long I choose to go that route. However, if September rolls around and I still haven’t seen a lot of progress, I’d like to create other options for myself which could still give me a lifestyle that would allow me to pursue writing, while also offering more stability. My publishing job made it impossible to pursue anything else. A professor job, however, would make it fully possible to spend at least summers writing. You know the old saying, shoot for the moon because even if you miss you land among the stars? I’m shooting for a screenwriting career, but if I miss, I want a backup plan that, unlike my disastrous turn in publishing, gives me close proximity to the things I love and the flexibility to never stop pursuing the dream. For creative careers especially, I think it's important not to put all your eggs in one basket.

Now that you're all up-to-date on that, I want you to know that, as of this morning, I have put out my casting call for my short DFA film. I posted both on mandy.com, a good for-free site for all you student directors/producers out there, and also craigslist, even though the results from there are sometimes hit or miss. The Mandy post will be visible once approved, but in the meantime, here's the craigslist ad:

http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/tlg/2770783294.html

Feel free to send any amazing actors you know my way. :)

Living and Loving the DFA

You’d think that since leaving my job, I’d have more time to be posting, wouldn’t you? Well, my classes at the DFA are only part of why I’ve been pretty short on time… the other part of the equation I’ll get to in a future post.

First, the DFA. Classes started on November 21^st and typically take up 9-12 hours per week. What can I say about this program except that I absolutely love it? The school is unlike any other I’ve experienced.

For starters, I’m one in a class of 4, which means a lot of participation and hands-on learning. We learn literally all aspects of the film business, rotating between screenwriting, producing, directing, camera equipment, and lighting. Also, we’ll soon be getting to sound and editing. The professors are absolutely packed with knowledge and load us up with industry tips and advice. What’s also a huge, huge bonus - my other classmates.

Everyone in the class is serious about learning all there is to know about filmmaking. Another student, like me, started out as a writer, and has a feature script he’s determined to shoot this summer. Being a small group, we’ve really bonded, and all plan to partner together on one project after the next. Soon, we’ll be into our ‘finals’ – and each one of us will need to complete a short film with our class as our crew. I think that, already, we all trust each other to help us all achieve great results.

Another great thing about the DFA is that, once enrolled, you have a year-long membership to use all their equipment, and they try to hook you up with freelance jobs you can complete on their premises. This is just icing on the cake.

One last note, to any of you considering taking courses like these, another student in the class had taken a similar program at the New York Film Academy, and warned that their classes are so stuffed with students that he didn't always even get into classes (which, even with being enrolled, might fill up before you get there.) It's also more money than the DFA. I strongly recommend the DFA!

Right now, I’m finalizing my script for my short film project and will be putting out a casting call within the next few days… can’t wait to keep you posted!

The Digital Film Academy

I mentioned it once before on this blog: the DFA (Digital Film Academy.) While searching for affordable film-making courses, I discovered they give one of the best for the money in New York City.

In particular, there’s a twelve-week course that covers all the basics of the craft and also grants the course-taker with one full year of access to editing, film, and sound equipment following ‘graduation.’ To top it off, there’s a career services center that will monitor students during this one year and hook them up with paying jobs. The price-tag on the 12-week, with one-year equipment access and career services help, is $3k, which, all things considered, I think is actually a pretty great deal (and a hell of a lot better than $100k!)

With my newfound freedom, I finally have the time and mental space to do something like this – and so I went for an admissions interview! The DFA was all a-buzz with excitement while I was there; one of their students had just won the New York International Film Festival this past weekend with the short he’d done during his stint in the12-week course. (Over the course of twelve weeks, all students complete a short film project (from writing through editing) which has been one of the big goals of my No MFA Project since the beginning.)

The next 12-week course starts on November 21^st, and I’m going to be a part of it. I registered at the end of my interview, after both meeting the very-impressive founder, Patrick (a true DIY-type who built his first theater with his own two hands back in the eighties, and whose theatre career eventually led him to film) and also viewing three surprisingly good student films.

As we watched the films and talked, Patrick made me think of things I hadn’t previously considered. For example: the importance of expression over dialogue, and how film-making isn’t just about mastering equipment, but also learning how to read faces and what the response in a human brain will be to certain facial expressions. I began to get the feeling that I’ll be learning about both film-making and people.

I QUIT!!!

There have been plenty of upheavals in my life lately. Surgery, getting married… and now the latest: I QUIT MY JOB!

This was not by any means an easy decision, especially in the current economy. But (aside from some unsettling things going on in the company) the knowledge that what I was doing had nothing to do with my hopes, goals, or passions started to become more and more difficult to ignore. My head would be filled with ideas, my heart would be filled with things I wanted to learn – but my days would be jammed with tedious tasks, all intended to make someone else rich while the years of my life just kept ticking by.

I had enough.

It certainly feels a little scary. My last day was November 1^st, and since then, I’ve definitely had a few moments of wondering whether or not it was the right choice. But, overwhelmingly, I feel that it was. And one clear thought keeps ringing through my mind: This will be the best thing that ever happened to me, because I will make it the best thing that ever happened to me.

Now I can see what happens to my MFA Project when I’m really able to give it all the time and effort it deserves. Which brings me to…

ONE MORE YEAR! I actually decided quite a while ago to keep the project rolling on for one more year. After all, MFA programs are typically 2 yrs, right? So why should mine be any different?