I received a letter recently.
It was brief but direct, and most pleasant.
I'm one of the quarter finalists of the 2008 PAGE International Screenplay Contest.
PAGE, and the Nicholl Fellowship, are the two most important and prestigious screenplay contests in the world.
There were over 5000 contestants this year, and I'm between the 1/4 that made it to the next stage, wining over more than 4,000 submitted screenplays.
So, no matter the final result, I'm already a winner!
More happy ego, more...
FADE TO
Thursday, July 31, 2008
FLYING COLORS WITH DAVID TROTTIER
This week I finished a screenwriting format course with David Trottier.
For those who don't know who this guy is, well, he's also known as "Dr. Format", the most authorized word in screenplays format in the USA cinema Industry.
The course was extremely good, really formative and informative. Trottier answers your questions in the good screenwriters way: lean and clean.
Every week we (the students) had assignments and he was very direct, sharp and clear with his feedback.
I was honored with his words congratulating me for my "homework" but specially honored as he asked me if he can use my last course assignment in future courses as an example.
It was David Trottier, nothing less, asking me for that.
I said yes, of course.
His last words to me at the end of the course were also very encouraging "congratulations for finishing the course with flying colors."
Yeah, my ego is on the skies :)
CUT TO
For those who don't know who this guy is, well, he's also known as "Dr. Format", the most authorized word in screenplays format in the USA cinema Industry.
The course was extremely good, really formative and informative. Trottier answers your questions in the good screenwriters way: lean and clean.
Every week we (the students) had assignments and he was very direct, sharp and clear with his feedback.
I was honored with his words congratulating me for my "homework" but specially honored as he asked me if he can use my last course assignment in future courses as an example.
It was David Trottier, nothing less, asking me for that.
I said yes, of course.
His last words to me at the end of the course were also very encouraging "congratulations for finishing the course with flying colors."
Yeah, my ego is on the skies :)
CUT TO
Sunday, July 6, 2008
RAVEL, Pre-Production started
Just a few weeks ago, and with a bit over two weeks before start shootings in locations.
Ravel is a short film, my goal is not to make it over 12 minutes in length, 10 should be ideal, but you never know.
It's also my first shooting in New York City and a retake of directing after almost 10 years.
I can't detail the content of the story here, but as usual, it came in a dream.
This is something that almost always happens to me: i dream screenplays.
Yeah, I know, many people dream stories, we all do it. But I dream full length screenplays, knowing while I dream them that is a story to be told with a camera.
That's why I have not one but two notepads and lots of pens in my bedside table, ready for that 4-5 am jump to write before everything fades.
Now, here goes another part of Ravel that many people would never believe it:
The main character is a young guy, who plays an instrument along the movie. He communicates loneliness, peace, transcendence.
As I was not sure about getting the right guy to play this character I made some changes to the screenplay.
Then, one afternoon, a week and a half ago I went to take the subway, in a hurry (as usual) to work in the screenplay alone.
When I get into the station - west 116th street - I heard music coming from there, beautiful, a mix of sadness and joy; it was played on a Cello.
There he was, a guy playing the Cello: and he was exactly as my character for the film.
The Subway arrived, I didn't know what to do, to stay and wait for the guy to finish playing and speak to him, to take the subway...
I noticed that he had some CDs on sale there with his name: Valentine Ash.
I took the subway thinking "I'm going to google him and find his phone or email."
I did it: nothing! The guy doesn't exist for the Web, anywhere, he's like a ghost.
So, I'm still trying to find him, and if I succeed, and he accept to play the role, well, I'll have the film exactly as it was literally dreamed.
FADE TO
Ravel is a short film, my goal is not to make it over 12 minutes in length, 10 should be ideal, but you never know.
It's also my first shooting in New York City and a retake of directing after almost 10 years.
I can't detail the content of the story here, but as usual, it came in a dream.
This is something that almost always happens to me: i dream screenplays.
Yeah, I know, many people dream stories, we all do it. But I dream full length screenplays, knowing while I dream them that is a story to be told with a camera.
That's why I have not one but two notepads and lots of pens in my bedside table, ready for that 4-5 am jump to write before everything fades.
Now, here goes another part of Ravel that many people would never believe it:
The main character is a young guy, who plays an instrument along the movie. He communicates loneliness, peace, transcendence.
As I was not sure about getting the right guy to play this character I made some changes to the screenplay.
Then, one afternoon, a week and a half ago I went to take the subway, in a hurry (as usual) to work in the screenplay alone.
When I get into the station - west 116th street - I heard music coming from there, beautiful, a mix of sadness and joy; it was played on a Cello.
There he was, a guy playing the Cello: and he was exactly as my character for the film.
The Subway arrived, I didn't know what to do, to stay and wait for the guy to finish playing and speak to him, to take the subway...
I noticed that he had some CDs on sale there with his name: Valentine Ash.
I took the subway thinking "I'm going to google him and find his phone or email."
I did it: nothing! The guy doesn't exist for the Web, anywhere, he's like a ghost.
So, I'm still trying to find him, and if I succeed, and he accept to play the role, well, I'll have the film exactly as it was literally dreamed.
FADE TO
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