Genre vs. Mainstream...

For me at least, there is a distinct desire to avoid being labeled as anything one thing when it comes to writing/acting. Judd Apatow is a great writer/director (although I do think that the majority of the best stuff in his movies comes from Rogen and the others improving) but he has strictly worked in the realm of comedy.

JJ Abrams, on the other hand, works solely in the "genre" arena.

Both of these men have made huge impacts on film recently and on me as a both a fan and a filmmaker and I would love to be in either one of their shoes in their respective genres...but the quest is: is it possible to do not only one, but both?

Could someone be the kind of writer/actor/director that could have one foot firmly in the mainstream, making comedies and heavy indie dramas while at the same time writing and producing and staring in sci fi flicks, horror movies, and the like?

Tarantino is one of those that can seemingly do it. He's made straight up crime flicks, blood soaked samurai revenge flicks, and is now making a war movie. He's yet to set his sights on anything that could be described as mainstream but still, he's one of those that can seemingly do anything they want and pull it off.

The question is: can anyone else?

I think not...

Is it wrong that I'm seriously digging The Veronicas and the new Lily Allen? That's pop for you, man. They know how to getcha.

Projects...

So:

- The Rascal King: Still only page 60. This is taking far too long.
- Horror spec: I really dig the opening and I know just how I want the whole thing to go.
- Black Jesus: Almost there, I really am.

and

- The web series: I've got a good bead on what I want to see. Hopefully, others will want to see it too.

That's all. Get back to work, sinners.

And right now I'm listening to David Bowie as I write. I love Bowie and so should you.

Screenwriter's Market...

Just picked up the 2009 edition. It's invaluable and I highly recommend that you all (and by that I mean the none of you that read this) run right out and pick it up. It's got listings for both agents that are looking for new talent, production companies, and there's a truck load of info for playwrights.

It's a good read and I'm willing to bet that the info contained therein will still good a year from now. It's a sweet investment for only thirty bucks.

So...go buy it.

Dark Days...

Just a bit of self doubt, really. I've never been one of those that can just spew out any crap on the page and think it's gold. It may be simply because I tend to over analyze the things that I write and I let that get the better of me but, hey, I wanna be great. Note: not good, great.

I never want to be one of those guys who just sits there and puts just anything on the page. I want what I write to stick with people, to entertain them. To take them away from whatever crap is going on in their life and, for just a little bit of time, make everything better again.

It always astounds me when people put out stuff that's garbage, and they know it's garbage, and they don't understand that why it never took them to unparalleled levels of success and fame and fortune. And then they blame it on everyone else: the audience didn't get it, the company didn't do enough to push it, blah blah blah.

Well, did you ever think that maybe it wasn't that good to begin with?

I know that I'm not the best writer in the world but I'm certainly not the worst. I know that I can put out good product, no matter what it is. And more than anything, I never want to be the kind of guy who just never understood why their career never took off.

Now, if I could just bottle Warren Ellis' work ethic, everything would be back to neat.

Later Days

Same Vision, Different Visionaries

I don't know how anyone else might feel, I'm doing my best lately not to speak for others, but I'm a little iffy on the whole "similar story, different writer" thing. The most recent example of that could be Kevin Smith and "Zack and Miri make a porno". Basic Premise: Two cash strapped friends decide to make a skin flick to get themselves out of debt. A similar movie is called "The Amateurs" with Ted Danson and Jeff Bridges, only this time the whole of the small town in the story comes together to make the porno.

Another example would be "Go" from Doug Limon and John August, which, to this day, is referred to as "Pulp Fiction Jr."

Could it be that I'm reading too much into things and it all comes down to personal vision? I know that different people can tell the same story but I guess that, for me at least, I would like to try and do something a little more original.

It's true these days that most of the best stories have been told and now it's down to how and with whom you tell it.

Still though, coming up with something that's new and fresh, that's one daunting task.

Quick Update...

So, as of right now, I'm working on three things: Kurly's script ( I know I should have it done by now, Kurly, please don't kill me), The Rascal King, and a crime script.

It feels good to be writing again but I'm ACHING to get back into actual production on something. I'm going to the Light Thorn meeting with Mike West on the 21st so hopefully that can lead to something and I'm definitely going to see what Chris and the others are up on saturday night.

Hopefully, that will lead to something too.

Later Days