Fat Guy, Hot Wife has been getting some attention!

Here’s the backstory: this summer I attended an alumni event for folks in the entertainment industry, and one of the guys I met there asked me to punch up a script that he and his writing partner had created. I did, they liked it, they asked for samples, I sent them, I heard nothing. When I finished FGHW, I e-mailed it as another writing sample, just because. Suddenly they wanted to meet ASAP. They were working on converting their script to a sitcom pilot, and wanted to meet with me about the idea. I think I had reminded them I was out there. Long story short, we’ve been working on that project, and it’s going well. I enjoy working with both of these guys, and when we work together, pages come out fast.

Meanwhile, when I met the second fellow, I pitched FGHW, just as part of introducing myself. He made an off-handed comment that we should shoot it. I wasn’t sure how seriously he meant it; people in L.A. say a lot of things. But he brought it up again later, so I sent him the script, mentioning that I was contemplating doing a reading (I sorta was) and meanwhile he was perfect for one of the parts.

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This last weekend I attended the Screenwriting Expo. It was my third in a row, though my first with a Los Angeles name tag. I might not have attended, except that I now live 25 minutes from the site, plus I received free admission (for making the finals in the CS Open at last year’s Expo.) That being said, I’m very happy to have gone.

First things first: the location moved this year. The last two were at the Convention Center downtown. This was at a pair of hotels by the airport, no doubt to save some money and attract more out-of-towners. Overall, it gave the Expo a bit more of a casual feel. It was easier to get to (at least for me; this was a point of contention with my carpool partner.) There was better access to reasonable places to eat than at the Convention Center. Any of these small advantages, however, was horribly outweighed by one big disadvantage: uncomfortably small rooms.

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“A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.” –Richard Bach

They say it takes an average of about seven years to become a writer. If that’s true, the good news is that I’m about due. The bad news is that at no point during those (almost) seven years have I felt the tiniest bit patient about it. And a thought troubles me. If it takes an AVERAGE of seven years to become a writer, it must take some people more. Here’s hoping I’m average.

I had the good fortune/foresight to put together a sketch comedy troupe back in 1999, and we played together for nearly five years. It was the kind of experience you don’t want to repeat and yet you are infinitely happy to have gone through. (Like circumcision.) Want to know if your writing is robust? Stand on stage and try to get laughs with it. Live. You will learn to make your dialogue sharp and vigorous. And short. Do this with several other people, all with different styles, and you’ve got yourself free grad school.

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A brand-new blog is born!

I’ve taken a cowardly route, selecting a safe, cushion-y first posting topic. See, instead of putting forth my list of BEST movies, or even the ones I think have the Best Writing or Best Use of a Talking Rat in Act Three, I’m offering my FAVORITES. I’m hiding behind a technicality. These are the films I enjoy most, especially upon repeated viewing, rather than I find most skillfully made. There’s a difference.

So, before all of you film nerds come screaming about The Godfather and Citizen Kane, remember that I’m not selecting the ones I think are the BEST. That’s another list.

Don’t worry. We’ll argue about chiaroscuro and mise en scène some other day. Meanwhile, these are the movies from which I constantly quote, to the annoyance of my friends. These are the kind of movies I hope I can create some day.

#10

Good Will Hunting–For all the stories our culture tells of protagonists battling external foes, the conflict that is most often the truest and most compelling is a hero’s internal struggle. Of course, that’s a much, much tougher story to tell. But here’s a movie that handles internal conflict so very artfully as to seem effortless. It’s nice to know that great filmmaking can be this simple. Start with a clear yet sharp premise. Draw a handful of characters thoroughly and compellingly. From there the story just flows. Robin Williams was making great films in this era, and there’s a reason that this is the one for which he wins an Oscar. Matt Damon and even Ben Affleck are great, and it’s for this performance (and perhaps Gross Point Blank) that Minnie Driver deserves the fact that we know her name.

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ScreenwriterGuy’s practice of trying to average a movie a day, in effort to avoid a repeat of the Streisand Incident