It's Log! It’s Log! It's better than bad, it's good!*
It began with about a dozen loglines I worked up and emailed to my manager in search of my next spec idea. For various reasons, none were The One.
After another week of mental gymnastics (oh, okay, origami), I sent him a log and brief synopsis of another idea. He wasn’t jazzed. Not enough to encourage me to write it.
(Note: I’m fully aware that I am the employer in this relationship. I wouldn’t write an idea I’m not excited about just ‘cause he is, however, I don’t see the point of writing something my manager isn’t excited to sell.)
I pitched him a couple of unjelled ideas over the phone, both of which he felt had potential, so I spent a week playing with them to see if they might wanna grow up to become movies. One of them, we later agreed, was more compelling than the other.
A couple days ago, I sent him loglines of eight different takes on that one premise. Happily, there was one log and a couple fragments of others he liked, so now I’ll finesse ‘em all into a beat outline and see if it resembles a movie.
I’m not gonna share any details of the story here, except that I may have found “Bill” a home.
I’m itching to start writing again. Percolating is necessary, of course, and sometimes fun, but I miss tangible work product I can read and touch and tear into frustration confetti.
In POOL BOY news, we must be getting closer to production, because I was just sent a final contract to sign and return to my attorney (oh yeah – my kickass manager got me a likewise kickass attorney). I’m told we have our first actor attachment – a recognizable character actor for whom I’d written a cameo role. (I’ll disclose his name once I’m certain he’s really in.) I’m not so much in the production loop, but I hope to have news as to locations and casting soon.
But for now, I’m off to work on my outline…
*Title was borrowed from THE REN & STIMPY SHOW:
After another week of mental gymnastics (oh, okay, origami), I sent him a log and brief synopsis of another idea. He wasn’t jazzed. Not enough to encourage me to write it.
(Note: I’m fully aware that I am the employer in this relationship. I wouldn’t write an idea I’m not excited about just ‘cause he is, however, I don’t see the point of writing something my manager isn’t excited to sell.)
I pitched him a couple of unjelled ideas over the phone, both of which he felt had potential, so I spent a week playing with them to see if they might wanna grow up to become movies. One of them, we later agreed, was more compelling than the other.
A couple days ago, I sent him loglines of eight different takes on that one premise. Happily, there was one log and a couple fragments of others he liked, so now I’ll finesse ‘em all into a beat outline and see if it resembles a movie.
I’m not gonna share any details of the story here, except that I may have found “Bill” a home.
I’m itching to start writing again. Percolating is necessary, of course, and sometimes fun, but I miss tangible work product I can read and touch and tear into frustration confetti.
In POOL BOY news, we must be getting closer to production, because I was just sent a final contract to sign and return to my attorney (oh yeah – my kickass manager got me a likewise kickass attorney). I’m told we have our first actor attachment – a recognizable character actor for whom I’d written a cameo role. (I’ll disclose his name once I’m certain he’s really in.) I’m not so much in the production loop, but I hope to have news as to locations and casting soon.
But for now, I’m off to work on my outline…
*Title was borrowed from THE REN & STIMPY SHOW:
"The Log Song"
What rolls down stairs
alone or in pairs,
and over your neighbor's dog?
What's great for a snack,
And fits on your back?
It's log, log, log!
It's log, it's log!
It's big, it's heavy, it's wood.
It's log, it's log, it's better than bad, it's good.
Everyone wants a log
You're gonna love it, log
Come on and get your log
Everyone needs a log
log log log
*whistle*
LOG FROM BLAMMO!
(You're singing it now, aren't you?)
posted by Julie O'Hora at 8:43 PM
7 Comments:
A "recognizable character actor for whom I’d written a cameo role"?
DUSTIN DIAMOND is in the hizzie?
Excellent.
.
.
.
B
I'm thinking Rodney Allen Rippy.
I dont know, ive done some writing myself and the fact is that while id like to write commercially, and it seems that asking your manager is for exactly the purpose of spending your time writing commercially, what are you going to lose by only writing commercially. What about the ideas that you can't lose that aren't commercial? I hope your manager is as wonderful as you say (and perhaps he/she is) but if not, I hope you don't lose the next About Schmidt or The Hours because they don't pitch well to a person who likely spendings 80 percent of his time on the phone listening to what one studio exec or another said was the flavor of the week at Fox or WB or Uni or wherever.
BTW, I like your blog a bunch, and have linked to you. Hope thats OK (lemme know if it isnt).
g
Hey Grumpy -- Thanks for the link. I'm honored and flattered.
Oddly enough, my manager loves my voice which, in the perfect world of my hopes and dreams, falls somewhere in the neighborhood of Cameron Crowe, Jim Brooks, Nora Ephron and Steve Conrad, if you played him in a major key.
IOW, my manager, while studio-connected and young, gets that my best work isn't going to be very broad. In fact, he discouraged me from writing a broad comedy idea I fiddled with about a month ago, because he knows that's not the kind of writing I want to build my career on.
He's my first (and hopefully, last) manager, but I don't imagine this is typical of most reps. I'm lucky to have him.
final contracts...a good thing.
singing...can't stop...singing
I think there is another project Pool Boy in preproduction, to be directed by Michael Schutz. Michael is doing a film a friend of mine is producing and I happened across the IMDB listing, saw Pool Boy and thought of you. But its a different pool.
Okay, okay, I'll go out with him. How about we double? Dinner's on me!
Post a Comment
<< Home