Manuscript to Script

Just a quick note. You may be wondering, why do a novel? Why not just go straight to script? The answer is twofold. First, not everything has to become a screenplay or teleplay nor is it meant to be. It's healthy to write in many forms. The question is, can you write in different forms? Most writers favor one or another and find their niche even within a particular genre. As a musician, I would describe writing in different forms as being akin to working your chops. It makes you better and more flexible as an artist.

As a literary analyst for Universal for 5 years, I have also developed a healthy respect for the manuscript and its growing significance in the marketplace. Right after 9/11 I was hired (back, actually - after being several years at CBS and Warner Bros.) to work exclusively on books that came in to the feature film division through a literary agent in New York. The studios are actively combing through pre-pub manuscripts and are increasingly interested in acquiring them because in this form the story gives THEM more flexibility.

Something to think about. There is a kind of snobbery around writing the script as well. It's a very specific form and relatively few people do it well. Even those who don't do it well often assume this air of superiority. If you're serious about writing, drop all that. A novel has as much chance, if not more in the current environment, of selling as an intellectual property as a spec script. Really.

Finally, the manuscript/novel also gives the writer the option of adapting that well developed story and group of characters into the screenplay later on. In this sense, you can think of the novel less like a distinctly different animal and more as a thorough treatment for the screenplay. They aren't mutually exclusive at all.

The mouth of the cave

This summer I reread Julia Cameron's trilogy on creativity (The Artist's Way). Everyday I have faithfully written my morning pages, gone for daily walks and published a new edition of my book. Of course I always walk - I'm a big walker. But I agree with Julia, the morning pages and the walks are an enormous support to any writer or any creative soul, especially when combined with adventure. It's been a terrifically productive year.

..and it's about to get even more juicy. On Monday I officially begin work on my novel as part of the annual Nanowrimo madness. What a relief to be done with the non-fiction piece (it was far more demanding than one might imagine). I'm very excited about working in earnest on a fantasy. And no, I can't talk about what I'm going to write. The rule is write first. Talk about it when it's done.

The dog downstairs is barking again. New neighbors always bring surprises. This one brought a shitzu. Anyway, the rules to NaNo are somewhat arbitrary. Nobody is around to see if you actually start on November 1 or that you start something fresh and not submit an old manuscript that's been laying around half a century. Of course, that doesn't really matter either. The point is to finish a novel in 30 days. Who cares if you started it in kindergarten? Good for you if you breathe life into an abandoned project. That's reason to celebrate!

I love the NaNo exercise because it's a sort of game and I'm collectively in it with hundreds of thousands of others around the world - even if I never meet a single one of them. In the spirit of the game, I choose to start something new and to hold off the actual writing until Monday. Then for 30 days, write as fast and as well as possible to reach the minimum of 50,000 words - at which time I will upload and be declared a winner (anyone who finishes, by the way, is a winner). Of course, telling you all also puts me firmly on the hook.

This set of conditions has led right to the mouth of the cave. There's no turning back. It's a great place to be. Preparations have begun in earnest. This is what I have so far...

an idea
pencils & pens
3X5 cards
paper
access to the Internet
a rough outline
chocolate graham crackers
tentative contact with the muses
coffee
a quiet place to write
some good walking shoes

Julia talks about being "in-work" on a project as going "into the tunnel". It's an excellent analogy. You surely can't be blah, blahing all your energy away. Some people will take a partner and still others will meet in groups to egg each other on. All great support but we will still be going on a journey and for those of us writing solo that means going alone.

I'm a little scared. What if that amorphous tale eludes me? I have been summoning the muses for a week now and have received many signs and inspirational ideas. Fear wears a dark mask and whispers in my ear. "The road may lead to a dead end. Or worse, you may learn you have nothing interesting to say." And yet I will go.

*The painting is by Carlos Parada. Follow the "muses" link above or the ones immediately following to find Parada and his book The Geneaological Guide to Greek Mythology that talks about Mnemosyne (the great goddess of memory) and her daughters, the muses. If you love mythology, you may also enjoy Parada's Internet database (he shares credit with Maicar Forlag), Greek Mythology Link.

A Writer's Guide to Hollywood

The book is now available in paperback and eBook form on Amazon.com in the U.S. The Kindle version is also now in the Amazon store in the U.K. It's written as a guidebook for authors and new screenwriters with the metaphorical landscape of Hollywood depicted (as lovingly as possible) as a jungle. Each chapter covers a stop along the path or a tribal camp (like the studios, the networks or feature animation). It comes from many years of work in story and script development for the studios. I sincerely hope people find it useful. Here are the links:

U.S. Kindle version
U.S. Paperback
U.K. Kindle version

Transmedia 2.0 and Story Development

This is another slide show/share project from Scott Walker who has an interesting site that talks transmedia and demonstrates it by leading you into a labyrinth of ideas and media and invites participation in a developing story online. In fact, participatory entertainment is the name of the game. Thanks Scott for the use of this slide show. I look forward to your comments on my book too:)

Transmedia 2.0 - Participatory Entertainment

View more presentations from Scott Walker.

Robert Pratten of Zen Films has made several great slide shows on transmedia. This one is specifically about story development. To check it out on his website, go here. Or you can also view it below. Pratten is involved in creating a crime fiction transmedia project and is very generous with his process. This slide show is narrated, so it's like a mini-lesson.

Transmedia Story Development

View more webinars from Zen Films.

I hope you take the time to watch/listen to these. I feel a little guilty, like the teacher who brings in a film for the day instead of delivering the lecture herself. On the other hand, those were my favorite days. More later from yours truly.

The new Sherlock rocks

If you live in the U.S. like me, last night's debut of the new SHERLOCK on PBS' Masterpiece Theatre was the first time you got to see the BBC mini-series. I don't normally feel moved to do a review but in this case... writer/producers Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss (the creatives behind DR. WHO) and Hartswood Films have done a fantastic job of bringing Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's characters into the 21st century. It was inevitable really but this truly is exceptional. Actors Benedict Cumberbatch (Holmes) and Martin Freeman (Watson - and soon to portray Bilbo Baggins in THE HOBBIT) are pitch perfect in this fast-paced, funny, tech-assisted world of British sleuthing.



One of the things I really love about the show is that it's written so brilliantly. The sets are spare and ordinary (relative to an American mini-series and certainly compared to a feature film) and, in some instances, look intentionally flatly unreal (in a good way). In last night's episode A STUDY IN PINK, for example, the scene with Dr. Watson and Mycroft in the parking garage is weirdly "off" - like the background is supposed to look like a flat photo of a background.

The production calls attention to itself in many ways, not the least of which are those that get plot points across. But what strikes me most is that these communication tools (graphs and phrases superimposed or inserted into the narrative) shift the paradigm and noticeably separate simultaneous, parallel realities. It makes you cock your head and it left me, at least, riveted to the screen. The whole show is eccentrically stylized in a low brow way. I found myself laughing out loud in several spots.



And we have a little transmedia action going here as well. Both Watson and Holmes have sites in cyberspace. While that may sound really silly, these are a pair of characters we actually want to spend more time with between shows. Holmes has a website - where he hangs out his shingle as a professional crime consultant (and asks for your assistance in solving some cases) and Watson keeps a blog (on the advice of his therapist) where he documents his "feelings" about the experiences he's having (post-traumatic-stress diagnosed Afghanistan war vet that he is) as Sherlock's "accidental" assistant.

Whether you go in for the interactive effort or not, this rendition of Sherlock is a must see. From the reviews I've read almost everybody is mad about the show and eagerly waiting for the next ones. If you miss it on PBS, the first batch of episodes is out on DVD/Blu-Ray. Word is also out that the BBC has ordered at least another batch of 3X90 minute episodes, so we'll get to see more of this youthful daring duo as time goes by.

Will Middle-Earth remain in New Zealand?

UPDATE: 10/29 - Warner Bros prevails and New Zealand amends labor laws to allow fulltime employees on The Hobbit movies to receive less than standard salaried benefits. Sorry to hear it but not at all surprised. That's why I declined MGM's offer. Have second guessed myself many times since. Times are tough.

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Will Warner Bros. decide to keep filming THE HOBBIT movies in New Zealand? The stalled production has suffered some very public set-backs - lawsuits with the estate of J.R.R. Tolkien, Guillermo del Toro ankling his post there earlier this year; MGM (who is in partnership with New Line and Warner Bros. on the project) putting things on hold while it irons out its financial woes and then the guilds protesting against the shoot. This has brought about more delays and bad p.r. But I wonder if the old adage isn't true (there is no such thing as bad p.r.).

Indeed, there's plenty of buzz around the film - considering the fact that it's not even actively filming yet. According to a Deadline Hollywood report, key Warner Bros. executives will officially meet in New Zealand tomorrow to discuss the fate of the famous movie-in-waiting. Meanwhile, Prime Minister John Key and thousands of locals are staging a rallying cry around keeping director Peter Jackson and middle-earth in New Zealand.



Back in March of 2008, if you recall, Mary Parent asked me back to MGM (I had worked for her at Universal when she and Scott Stuber were co-heads of the feature film division) to work on developing the script for the Hobbit (among other things) with their new creative team. Management ultimately went with a producer from New Line and I left MGM after only a week on the story staff. Sometimes that's how it goes. Here we are two and a half years later and the company and production is still in limbo. In the meantime, I was able to care for my mother until her death (a choice I'll never regret) and write a new, expanded edition of my book. Next week I start my first novel. So you never know. A decision that seems wrong may turn out right.

Sunday Morning Silliness

Simon Tofield has graced us with another episode of Simon's Cat. If you haven't seen my favorite cyber kitty (and there's a good chance you have) and especially if you have, here's the latest from Simon's Cat. As I've mentioned in an earlier post, this series has spawned a successful book franchise as well. Most people feel that Tofield totally captures "catness". Happy Sunday :)

Fringe Ideas

I have been following my bliss, into the mysteries and symbology of ancient Egypt, and stumbled on this marvelous interview with Graham Hancock. It's out-of-the-box stuff - goes against the mainstream and is quite long. No, it's not J.J. Abrams fictional brew but I'm willing to bet he has at least dipped his big toe into this research. There's some fascinating stuff in here. This overview/interview is an inspirational gift.

In this candid discussion with fellow "fringe science" writer/lecturer David Wilcock (again, not affiliated with J.J. Abrams' TV series Fringe) Hancock's discussion incorporates archaeology, astrology, astronomy, history and other affiliated fields in countries around the world. A former foreign correspondent for the Economist, Hancock builds his research on his own explorations and collaborations with other writers including Robert Bauval , Christopher Dunn and John Anthony West, whose documentary MYSTERY OF THE SPHINX for NBC (1993) won an Emmy.

Hancock's latest book (his first novel, btw), ENTANGLED, is just out in the U.S.

A Novel in 30 Days

You may have seen the odd word collage/acronym NaNoWriMo around the Internet. Ever wonder what it means? Maybe you're a participant. To find out what NaNoWriMo is, click here. Or, if you prefer the nutshell approach (which is way faster) go here. There's a whole website and non-profit waiting to tell you all about it.

Here's the basic idea. Way back in 1999, some inventive folks in the San Francisco Bay area decided that November would henceforth be known as National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). A decade later, an official non-profit status, a giga-computer and many published novels and press kits later, November IS National Novel Writing Month. You've gotta love that.

The idea is to cast fate to the wind and write the damn book - with the support of knowing that others are attempting the same thing at the same time. It began with 21 brave souls and has grown to hundreds of thousands all over the world who choose to write an entire novel in 30 days. In fact, based on the growing orbs on my Geo Visitor Map, there's a good chance some of you are doing NaNoWriMo too. If you are, check in and say hello. I'll blog some NaNo updates throughout November.

It's a grand quest - as well as an opportunity to connect with other writers all over the globe. There are forums on the nanowrimo website as well as other fun and encouraging things (like an entire archive of pep talks from best-selling authors like Meg Cabot, Sara Gruen and Neil Gaiman). Okay, so I'm in - as of yesterday. The idea is to go to the website and register. Stop worrying and start writing.

Having just finished a massive rewrite of my non-fiction book SCRIPT: A WRITER'S GUIDE TO THE HOLLYWOOD JUNGLE which will be available October 22, 2010 in the U.S. and the U.K. as an eBook and a paperback from Amazon.com, this seems like a good time to start a new project. I've written several short stories and adapted a book into script form but have never done the novel. So this will be fun.

I had some wild and very oddly "fertile" dreams last night. My inner writer is pretty jazzed. Here's a participant from last year's NaNo.



Although this year's en-masse writing doesn't officially begin until November 1, it's fair play to work from an outline, which (as far as I'm concerned) is a must. So today I'm selecting between 5 stories that I've been meaning to write but haven't and am going to start on an outline. Alexandra Sokoloff (she's on my blogroll) is doing a series on NaNoWriMo prep. It's well worth checking out.

While part of the NaNo exercise is to silence the inner critic and write in spite of everything that otherwise stops you and to accept the fact that what comes out may be utter crap - I'm all in favor of prep. Why not make that time as productive as possible? At least the editing won't be as painful in the aftermath. The minimum word count is 50,000 words or approximately 175 pages. This is actually very doable. Just write 5-6 pages a day and you're home free.

P.S. It turns out NaNo has also started something called Script Frenzy - the screenwriting equivalent of the November novel writing challenge. That one takes place in April.

Diagram of Transmedia Storytelling

UPDATE: Thanks to a comment, I've learned that this diagram originated with Robert Pratten of Zen Films. Now we're all clear.

I came across this wonderful graphic that pretty much says it all in terms of how transmedia (the unified model on the bottom) is different from the old cross-media model (the fragmented shapes you see on the top) to expand a story franchise, deepen the experience and maximize profits. It doesn't "talk" about anything, which is a huge relief.

Nevertheless, I'll explain just a tiny bit. The transmedia model, on the bottom, represents a story told using three platforms: book, game, movie. They all fit together and the combination makes a more rewarding experience - but they all stand alone. Interactivity on the part of the consumer is implicit. Of course, there's nothing here to indicate how to plan a multi-platform roll-out but still. I love the elegant simplicity of this graphic. I haven't given attribution because I don't know who created it. Thank you whoever you are.

In fact, since the original post of the diagram only, I've done a little research and found another wonderful presentation from Robert Pratten, who has created an entire transmedia storyteller engine to help content creators generate the multi-platform projects of their dreams. Here's a slide-show that tells all about it:

Transmedia Storyteller

View more presentations from Zen Films.

My purpose here is not to do a commercial for Robert Pratten. This is just wonderful information. In practice, I suspect, things will play out a little differently. No matter how theoretically clever we are, life and the public are not that predictable.

Morning Meditation

As above, so below. A phrase thought to have originated with the ancient Egyptians. I ran across this video today and thought it was a beautiful meditation. Love the musical track but don't know who is playing. Happy Sunday or Sabbath or whatever spiritual path you follow and practice.

RED hot at Box Office

UPDATE: 10/24/2010 RED is in its second weekend and is still holding its own at the box office. Predicted cume for the end of this weekend is 43.6M - in third place behind PARANORMAL ACTIVITY and JACKASS 3D. That's awesome. Hollywood executives are no doubt taking notice that the over 40 crowd is not only underfed but will pay to see a quality movie at the cineplex. They aren't the only ones going to see this movie either. I'm calling that a victory for the "mature" talent in our midst (myself included).

RED, which debuted yesterday in 3,255 theatres in the U.S. surprised Hollywood (but not some of us:)) by coming in second at the box office this weekend. According to Nikki Finke, every studio passed on this "adult" starring actioner when it was making the rounds. Now they're probably kicking themselves for being so short-sighted. It may take more than one successful film starring talent that's old enough to have a few decades of experience under their belts to get their attention, but this is fantastic news for mature actors everywhere.

Red is based on a series of three DC comics by Warren Ellis and artist Cully Hamner and has a stellar cast, including Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich and Helen Mirren (see my blog post from Thursday for more about it). If you ask me, Summit Entertainment (the independent who produced the film) is filling a gap that no-one else is bothering to serve - the 50+ crowd. And they're the ones with the most money. RED took in an estimated 8.5 million yesterday and has an estimated 25 million for the weekend. Outstanding!

Tim Kring's Conspiracy for Good

Executive TV producer Tim Kring's latest transmedia project CONSPIRACY FOR GOOD is a joint venture with Nokia - turns out to be something very positive and very interesting. He's exploring the new multi-platform media paradigm (that I've been talking about in fits and starts for a couple of months now) with a blog, chatroom, forum and webisodes in hopes of promoting interactivity for the cause of good. How can that be a bad thing? Here's Tim, talking about the project in his very own words.



This is not just a fiction for profit enterprise. It always pays to dig deeper. Kring's Conspiracy for Good was a catalyst for change in London in August. Kring's organization collaborated with Read International to send text books to children in East Africa. It was called, The London Book Run.



There is a gaming aspect to this whole project. Kring weaves fictional backstories into the mix to make the cause for good experience exciting. Consummers got actively involved in solving a corporate "crime" by using their laptops, video cameras and cellphones. The heart of the whole enterprise is The List a location on the Conspiracy for Good site that allows people to add their "cause" for good (known as "the resistance"). That's fun. Another London-based project included improving trolley's to feed the homeless.

It seems to me that Kring (who calls this a pilot program) is engaging in "open source" lab experiments in how to make this transmedia thing fun, profitable and beneficial to all. Sorry to say though that when I visited his site today, there haven't been any new clips or active projects since mid-August. Maybe the experiment is over.

CSI goes Transmedia with Dark Prophecy

Crime Scene Investigation's creator/executive producer Anthony Zuiker linked his digi-novel Dark Prophecy with the TV series last night, via the novel's serial killer Sqweegel (a forensics-proof killer who wears a body condom). The viewing audience for CSI: Las Vegas (featuring Squeegel) was up 15% in the ratings last night . It marks the first mainstream (by that I mean not a commercial)transmedia campaign involving books and the Internet to intersect with broadcast TV in history.

Actually, that's not quite true. Executive TV producer Tim Kring implemented a transmedia campaign for HEROES, the recently cancelled serial drama for NBC. Kring went on record in June to promote his latest transmedia enterprise CONSPIRACY FOR GOOD, which utilizes a blog, webisodes, clues in the real world, etc. This one does NOT tread into broadcast TV territory though. To learn more about Conspiracy For Good (whose villain is, according to Kring, worldwide corporate greed) go here.

Zuiker's transmedia campaign follows a fairly predictable pattern. The book is released as the primary platform. Within the text, every forty pages or so it prompts readers to visit the Level26 website and enter a special code to view a "cyberbridge" Internet episode, which tells another aspect of the continuing story of the haunted detective Steve Dark. Dark is from the Dark Origins sequel, Dark Prophecy. This story is a stand-alone production but it enhances the storyworld that Zuiker and his co-writer Duane Swierczynski have created. There are cell phone apps and Tarot card clues planted in various blogs and websites to explore & enjoy. And yes, there are comic books, a cable TV show and maybe even a feature film in the development future.

The following clip is the first of a series of cyber-bridges, the totality of which make up a stand-alone movie. It's creepy stuff (although not nearly as creepy as the original book, which featured snuff porn) - all done in association with the book publisher, Penguin. The transmedia model, so I'm told, is what all publishers are looking for these days. And if this first "digi-novel" is any indication, it is very good for the TV series, the iPhone apps and the book sales that are related to it. In an interview with Wired.com, Zuiker explained that pretty soon they'll all be on iPad anyway.

Back to the Future is Back to the Present

The clock is ticking. And yes, it's still standing, even after that awful fire that ripped through Universal's backlot in June, 2008. November 5, fans of BACK TO THE FUTURE are invited to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the popular sci-fi/comedy film franchise. Fun and games are going to be staged all over town. All proceeds for this event will go to Team Fox to help research Parkinson's disease, which afflicted one of the stars of that movie, Michael J. Fox some years ago. Team Fox is, in fact, Michael's fundraising non-profit. This event is endorsed by producer Bob Gale and the official BTTF website. There will be lots of swag, cool Deloreans and celebrities there.

Even better, Back to the Future was recently rereleased theatrically in the U.K. and Ireland. Rumor has it that Universal plans to rerelease the film in the United States in late October. I haven't seen anything in the standard theatrical release schedules to verify this but AMC is, in fact, planning to rerelease the theatrical on October 23 in the U.S. That's just 8 days from today. Here's what AMC Theatres says:

To help celebrate this classic film’s anniversary, AMC Theatres is bringing back the film for 2 special screenings on Saturday October 23rd at 12:30PM and Monday October 25th at 7:00PM (the weekend Marty McFly made his time travel journey) on 158 screens in over 40 cities! All guests will receive a full-sized poster commemorating the 25th anniversary limited release of the movie with their ticket purchase, while supplies last. Each theatre will also have special movie-related giveaways prior to the movie as a part of the experience. We’re excited to bring this digitally remastered film back for a new generation to see the film as it was intended.

So far, no luck finding out which theatres or which cities. Maybe that's all a part of the surprise. It seems like lousy planning but is all a part of the stunt promotional. The digital Blue-Ray DVD is poised for release October 26. So if you miss the theatrical re-release (and most of us will) you can buy the DVD.

Retired Extremely Dangerous

YES! Finally, somebody has the chutzpah to make a movie with "mature" actors. Leave it to Summit Entertainment to break the decades long tradition of only making films that star 20 or 30somethings. RED is based on 3 issues of "cult" DC comics written by Warren Ellis and artist Cully Hamner and is about a group of top, retired CIA operatives that someone in the CIA has labeled RED (Retired Extremely Dangerous) and need to be taken out.

Well that's not going to happen. These "old farts" still have what it takes and aren't going to sit around waiting to get whacked. So the old gang (John Malkovich, Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren and Morgan Freeman) join forces to infiltrate the CIA, find out what the f**k is going on and put a stop to it, with the help of Karl Urban and Mary-Louise Parker. I guess you've got to have a few young ones to keep things kosher. There are quite a few other movie star cameos sprinkled throughout, including Ernest Borgnine and Richard Dreyfuss.

RED is a broad action comedy/thriller, directed by Robert Schwentke. Schwentke is probably best known for the Bruce Joel Rubin adaptation of the romantic drama, THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE (2009) and for the American TV series LIE TO ME. According to Willis, who was first to sign on the project, the star-studded cast kind of snowballed, turning into a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work with all these great talents.

Kudos to Summit for having the guts to make a movie that dares to populate a mainstream Hollywood film with older talent. May it be just the beginning of a new tradition of movies that honor the seasoned actors of our industry. There's no shortage of available "mature" actors out there willing to work. And if this movie makes money at the box office, you can bet the studios will follow suit.



The movie premiered at a special screening in Los Angeles Monday and opens wide this weekend (October 15) in 3,000 domestic theatres - the widest release of any new film opening in the U.S. tomorrow.

Catfish - the other social network movie

The biopic, David Fincher directed big studio Facebook movie THE SOCIAL NETWORK has moved back into first place in the U.S. box office race this week after being briefly dethroned by LIFE AS WE KNOW IT but there's another social network story out there on the big screen. It's called CATFISH.

Catfish is this year's low budget indie "thriller" (coming in at an alleged $2,000 in original production costs) but not at all in the same vein as Paranormal Activity. This one is a real documentary, distributed by Rogue Pictures. Catfish is about a twisted cyber romance . It began seemingly innocently enough on MySpace - but was, in fact, propagated by bored middle-aged housewife Angela Wesselman.

What transpired between "Angela" (who pretended to be a number of people in the same family but never herself) and Nev Schulman was documented by New York director Henry Joost and Nev's filmmaker older brother Ariel Schulman as the real life drama unfolded. You can't make up stories like this. Catfish was released two weeks ahead of Fincher's social network movie but was initially only in 12 theatres, so it didn't stand a competitive chance at the box office.

The growing popularity of Catfish (which shows the darker side of social networking) amongst art house movie goers has netted an expanded release that brings it up to 143 theatres in the U.S. Most of us will have to wait for the DVD or VOD to see it. Here's a brief clip with Henry, Ariel and Nev - talking about how it got started and became a feature film.



Although they made this film spontaneously, using small inexpensive digital videocameras (the kind anyone can buy in stores like Best Buy), they edited more than 200 hours of digital video and tranferred it to 35mm. Then another journey transpired, getting accepted as an entry at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, where it was picked up for distribution by Universal's specialty label, Rogue Pictures (now owned by Ryan Kavanaugh's Relativity Media). It's a pretty incredible story all the way around. Here's the trailer.



ABC's 20/20 has an entire show based on interviews with the real life people involved in this bizarre story. Things aren't always what they seem. Catfish may lack slick Hollywood production values and a polished script but it makes a terrific cautionary tale and another great success story about independent filmmakers finding a way.

Egyptian Archetypes - A Return to the Sacred

I am, after many years, returning to a study of the Egyptian archetypes, which are symbolized and embodied in the Egyptian gods and goddesses of the pre-Christian era. It’s a body of knowledge full of myth and mystery – enough to last several lifetimes. So, as my college choir director once said to me, you don’t have to worry about running out of material.

It is obvious to most writers that a study of the archetypes can greatly enhance and deepen their stories - giving them power and authority that is not available from any other source. Carl Jung, of course, is the great man everyone thinks of (in the west anyway) when the word archetype crops up. But most people, myself included, have a tenuous grasp of the archetypes and their various manifestations in world culture. You could pick any cosmology and study the archetypes within it and mine great inspiration. I have a special affinity for all things Egyptian.

Today I happened to come across a 5 part video series that documents the interpretations of the Temple of Luxor by 20th century archaeologist R. A. Schwaller de Lubicz - which he revealed in his landmark book The Temple in Man. If you are at all interested in Egyptology, I highly recommend the book and, now, this series. I’ve embedded parts one and two here (the real meat of the material begins with part 2) but all five are well worth the 50 minutes of time.

Part 1


Part 2


If this work is of interest, you may also enjoy reading Her-bak: Egyptian Initiate written by R.A.’s wife, Isha Schwaller de Lubicz. It’s a fictional story inspired by and partially based on her husband’s work - about the upbringing of a common Egyptian boy at the feet of the Pharoah’s own Sage. Isha is a wonderful storyteller, bringing to life the mysteries of this great culture. There is nothing quite like drama because it invites us in and offers us an experience of ideas.

The dramatic arts, we now know (according to behavioral psychologist Albert Bandura) are more profoundly useful to the viewer/audience in proposing answers to life's problems. Why? Drama develops conflict up to and through catharsis. By identifying with the characters in a "play" we are carried along on that journey emotionally and are given the gift of that catharsis. Gotta love that.

"... we must be able to transcribe what is in us into our mental and objective consciousness, by establishing a relationship between the life in us and observation of that life in Nature. This we find supremely well expressed by the ancient Egyptians. It is a knowledge of magic, pure and sane, which can lead rapidly toward the spiritual goal of our lives, owing to the fact that we can evoke, by means of the sympathy of analogues in our surroundings, the consciousness of the heart latent in us."

from "The Temple of Man"

KCET Goes Independent

What? Yesterday, KCET (which currently carries public broadcast network programming known as PBS) announced it is cutting itself loose from the national brand and going independent at the end of this year. While initial speculation from consumers is negative (based on comments on the KCET.org site), this could provide a new distribution opportunity for independent film and TV producers and the writers that create the content.

Here's what KCET's CEO Al Jerome said about it today, in response to one of the comments on the KCET site that expressed the fear that now there won't be any PBS programming available in L.A.

Ironically, it is the existence of four PBS stations in our market that is partly the cause of our problem. KCET has been the only full-time station and the three other stations carry only part of the PBS schedule.

We have been trying to work out a plan that would enable all four stations to cooperatively program and cross promote PBS series, and we intend to continue working with them. The problem is that KCET pays three times the PBS dues of the other three stations combined and we just can’t continue along that path. Our dues went up 40% over four years because of an incredibly successful fundraising program to support preschool caregiver outreach connected to A Place of Our Own/Los Niños en Su Casa. That money was restricted and not available to pay to PBS. Our dues were frozen at the highest point in the station’s history just as the economy tumbled. Despite months of negotiations with PBS, we were unable to reach an agreement about reducing our dues, which is why with the unanimous support of our board we decided to become an independent station.

We are confident that PBS will continue to make its national programming available here in Southern California and we hope you will support KCET’s effort to provide a platform for new and diverse creative voices as we move forward.

Movies I'd Like to See (this week)

Blockbuster season is over (at least until the holidays get here) so we can look forward to some smaller more thoughtful films, boutique films, foreign gems and what I call blue chips(movies with medium budgets starring actors doing what they do best). There are a total of 11 new movies opening in theatres this weekend.

This weekend Warner Bros. is releasing LIFE AS WE KNOW IT - which looks like THREE MEN AND A BABY meets BABY BOOM, rehashed as a rom com. Cute, but I'll wait for the video, thanks. It will probably get decent box office numbers because it stars Katherine Heigl and Josh Dushamel and has the widest release of all the films out this weekend (3,100+ theatres)in the U.S.

This weekend brings us yet another "mainstream" horror entry (last weekend's 39 and Let Me In didn't fare so well and are already fading out) MY SOUL TO TAKE . This one is from Universal and it has some pedigree because it comes from Wes Craven. The trailer is pretty good but, again, pass. Maybe the non-gamer teen and under 25 crowd will go see it but the new HALO is out and school is in so, good luck with that one.

If you ask me, Uni's specialty label, Focus Features, is likely to win more young souls at the box office this weekend with the offbeat comedy A KIND OF FUNNY STORY (based on the book by Ned Vizzini). This is one of my picks for the weekend. A depressed teen checks into a psych ward and finds some really nice people of like mind:) You've gotta love the premise. A Funny Kind of Story is in limited release (like 8 of the 11) so you may have to get creative to see it. If it develops legs, then it will expand.



Another limited release (this one is from India) is IT'S A WONDERFUL AFTERLIFE - a romantic comedy of supernatural proportions (described as My Big Fat Greek Wedding meets Shaun of the Dead). I love Indian films (although I haven't seen nearly enough of them). This one is from Gurinder Chadha, the director of BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM - another female "underdog" who beats the odds and gets her dream come true. This could be another breakout hit and yes, it does look Capraesque. Available for the first time in the U.S.



My next pick is INSIDE JOB, a documentary from Sony Pictures Classics directed by Charles Ferguson and narrated by Matt Damon - both sterling elements to be sure. It's about the white collar Wall Street crime that devastated the world financial markets. This one is deceptively quiet and is in limited release until October 15. This is almost sure to develop legs and cross continents - at least in the DVD/VOD market. Most of us are mad as hell about the mortgage crisis. Thanks to Obama's recent pocket veto, the "allegedly" fraudulently notarized foreclosures have been halted and BofA has announced it is putting a hold on foreclosures in all 50 states.

Inside Job



Then my favorite mainstream American film for the week, the Disney sports drama SECRETARIAT, starring Diane Lane and John Malkovich. May the force be with you. I love a good underdog story and so, I believe, does everyone else. Being a biopic, Secretariat is based on the true story behind the 1973 Triple Crown winner. One of the things that stands out to me is that the unlikely owner is another strong female. Long live doing the impossible! The last great race horse story was SEABISCUIT from Universal.

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

The trailer for Guillermo del Toro's remake of the 1973 TV movie by the same name just came out. This reboot of Don't Be Afraid of the Dark is co-written by Matthew Robbins and directed by Canadian comic scribbler Troy Nixey and takes major cues from the success of Oren Peli's Paranormal Activity by depending on off-screen sound effects. In this case, the recurring off-screen sounds involve the collective whispering of goblins/malevolent toothy creatures who haunt an old house Guy Pearce and Katie Holmes are renovating.

Although you really can't credit Oren Peli with inventing the standard tricks of the genre. We're in the territory of the classic haunted house . A couple/family moves into an old house, or a house with a horrific past (or both) and get way more than they bargain for. There are usually kids in danger too. In this case the child-in-jeopardy, is played by the talented young Bailee Madison. The movie is due out in theatres January 21, 2011.



Another haunted house story The Woman in Black is also on its way, starring Daniel Radcliffe in his first picture since his decade long stint as Harry Potter. This much anticipated remake of The Woman in Black (based on the classic book by Susan Hill) was adapted for the screen by Jane Goldman and is being directed by James Watkins (now in production in the U.K.) It's being produced by British horror producer Hammer Films. Here's a little window into that one...



Watch out for Hammer Films. They've got a rich history of classic horror and a lot going into development these days thanks to new investment money, including a brand new book deal with Arrow Books (a division of Random House). Smart move although I'm wondering if it wasn't Arrow who sought Hammer out and not the other way around. Publishers are bleeding ink and if they want to survive they need to partner with other media platforms.

And, of couse, Paranormal 2 will be out October 21, 2010 just in time for Halloween. This time it's co-written by Oren Peli and Michael J. Perry. You'll have a hard time finding any credits on imdb.com for Mr. Perry but you will find him on the 2009 Black List - Hollywood's annual "A" list of promising writers and unproduced scripts (according to the collective opinions of 300+ Hollywood development executives). P2 is being directed by Tod Williams.