26 Screenplays

After much paperwork and emailing, the book, 26 Short Screenplays for Independent Filmmakers, is available on Amazon.com.

This should make for much easier for ordering.

Here is the link.

The purchasing links on the website will be updated with the Amazon listing shortly.

Thanks for your support!

In an effort to market the book, I have this reluctance to post chapter samples or other pieces of content for free on the website. Because the book is centered around a generous Creative Commons license, the contents are very close to public domain. Because of this, I live in the fear that making electronic versions available for free will cut into some of the book revenue.

However, the concepts behind the book, the idea and the structure of it are adaptable to a variety of scripts. With that in mind, I plan to spend 2010 writing and publishing (for free) 26 Fake Trailer screenplays on the website. These scripts use the format of the book and give people an idea of what to expect for their $26.00.

I am posting these on the 26 Screenplays message board in the Fake Trailer section. The first one – The Exploitation Film Trailer – is up now and can be downloaded here.

When all 26 of these are completed, they will be collected into a free eBook available on the site. This eBook should give people an idea of what they’re getting into when they buy the book.

One of the whole idea about Creative Commons or other alternatives to traditional copyright is that people assume they don’t make money.

Because they don’t.

Not directly, that is.

To make money, there needs to be a alternative source of income that is reinforced by the internet.

Take for example Sita Sings the Blues and Rip: A Remix Manifesto. Both of these films are available from their creators for free on the internet.

Both of these websites have stores that offer T-shirts, DVDs, and other accompanying products. The films also allow people to contact the directors for public appearances or speaking engagements. Through merchandise and speaking fees, the filmmakers are able to generate some income off of the films.

It is important to note that neither of these directors are pursuing the traditional Hollywood filmmaker career. They are blazing their own artistic trails. For them, money was not the goal of the project. The idea was to entertain or to convey a message, not primarily to make money. As a creator, it is up to you to decide why you are making your film. Is it for experience, fame, or money?

Why would a filmmaker want to buy a book of screenplays that other filmmakers can use? Isn’t the whole point of making a film to have an original thought?

Yes, but each director has his or her own unique style and approach to the material. No two films are going to be the same, even if they have the same script. Two examples of this artistic experimentation leap to mind – Hal Hartley’s Flirt (which consists of three wildly different short films made with the same script), and Gus van Sant’s Psycho (which does nothing except demonstrate why people should study Alfred Hitchcock).

A director focus on tone and pacing, not necessarily creating a performance or visual experience, but instead shaping and guiding it. To do this, a director needs to interact with the material on a fundamental level. Because we are all fundamentally different -  our passions, strengths, and weaknesses differ wildly – the art we create will be different, even if we have the same building blocks.

This goes back to the 26 Screenplays book. If a class of twenty film students took a single script from the book and made twenty films, they would all be different. We enjoy watching different actors play the same roles in Shakespeare. Compare Lawrence Olivier’s Hamlet to Mel Gibson’s Hamlet; no one gets upset because someone has already interpreted a performance of Hamlet. Instead we approach the new interpretation with a curiosity. Let’s see what this person can do with this material. It should be the same with directors and film making.

In terms of web video and short films, a mastery of cinematic language seems to be more important than telling a coherent story. The following two internet videos demonstrate how the cinematic language of spy/action films can be co-opted for different uses. In the first example, the action film cinematic language hooks the viewer into thinking about art and design. In the second example, the same cinematic language raises awareness of a product. Same cinematic language, wildly different interpretations.

Blu Dot Real Good Experiment from Real Good Chair on Vimeo.

Office 2010: The Movie

The essence of filmmaking is work. A great performance, an iconic image, a thrilling montage all take work.

Which is why a blog about the work behind filmmaking is so special.

There are lots of websites devoted to reviewing films, rating them and telling you what is good and what is bad. There are not very many websites about how to make a good film cheaply and efficiently.

The 1000 Dollar Film Blog is a great way to learn quick and dirty tips about sound design, directing low budget actors, and how to get a good director of photography.

It is astounding how much sound, practical advice is available on the internet for free. This is one of the better blogs out there, so take advantage of it.

The Radiolab podcast featured this video.

I have no idea what makes videos go viral. Usually the ones that dominate the internet have something interesting about them, but they do not necessarily show the craftsmanship of filmmaking the way this one does.

This film is a beautiful example of the cinematic language. The images do not have an inherent narrative to them. Only by the juxtaposition of the images through editing does something larger emerge. There is a question at the beginning, “What is a moment?” a failed attempt to answer it with words, and then an attempt to capture the power of a moment with images.

There is a rhythm and a pacing to this film. The screen strobes through a series of images and then lulls the mind into a meditative state by lingering on certain images. Few of these images are in and of themselves remarkable, but when they are stung together, they form a greater context that celebrates the ordinary moment and becomes both wonderful and heartbreaking all at once.

I wish more videos like this go viral.

I am proud to announce that my book, 26 Short Screenplays for Independent Filmmakers, is available now exclusively from the website www.26screenplays.com. The book is a collection of Creative Commons screenplays that filmmakers can use to make their own films. Each screenplay is tied to a type of film project. For example, there is a project called “The Meet Cute Scene” and it consists of two characters meeting in a really cute way. Other projects include “The Car Chase,” “Pseudo-Documentary Style,” and “The Horror Short.” The idea is that an independent filmmaker can use these scripts to develop a portfolio showing his or her versatility.

I know everyone who reads this blog wants to support the book in whatever way possible, so here is a list of things you can do to show your support.

1. Buy the book. I know it is stating the obvious, but the more people who buy the book the more money I make. And I like having money. www.26screenplays.com

2. Tell people about the book. To the best of my knowledge, there isn’t a book like this out there. There are a lot of “how to make your film” books and “so you want to be an independent filmmaker” books, but there aren’t any other “screenplay cookbooks” out there. And feel free to mention the website. www.26screenplays.com

3. There are snarky T-Shirts on the website, too. Thanks to the power of Cafe Press, they cost more than the book. But, hey, T-shirts are cool and cool is priceless.

4. Make a short film using one of the screenplays and send it along. Every film made from one of the scripts gets featured on the www.26screenplays.com website.

I know some people are not made of money and don’t feel comfortable sending hard earned cash to an exciting and vibrant website. Not a problem, because there are things people can do to support the book for free.

1. Follow the blog at blog.26screenplays.com. I will use this as a bully pulpit to talk about films, screenplays, and intellectual property law.

2. Follow the Twitter stream at www.twitter.com/26screenplays. This will be like the blog, but more fine tuned for those of us with ADD.

3. Follow the 26 Screenplays YouTube channel www.youtube.com/26screenplays. Everyone who submits a short film from one of the screenplays will be featured here.

So there you go. This is why I haven’t been writing on this blog as much as I wanted to and why I probably owe you an email. Thanks for your interest and I hope you become as excited about this new book as I am.

I wanted to see how the voice software took words like “Lylab” and “centaur.” Turns out, it handled them nicely.

Xtranormal is a website that allows you to create your own short videos out of a script.

As a screenwriter, this is a great way to test the readability of your script. The computer actors are not very good and will not add much in terms of gravitas and inflection, but the performance will let you know the general cadence of the language.

Anyway, here is the video:

OBLIGATORY COMPANY LOGOS

FADE IN:

EXT – HILLSIDE – DAY

CLOSE-UP KID EYES

A kid puts on some goggles.

A set of furry arms wraps around the kid.

TEXT

From the director of Watchmen and 300…

…comes the greatest comic adaptation of all time.

EXT – HILLSIDE – DAY

POV from the wagon going down the hill.

The grassy hillside rushes past as a wagon races down the hill. The two voices make kind of a “who-o-o-a-a-a-a” noise as they bounce along.

POV looking at the wagon.

A boy and a tiger hit a rock in slow motion. Their velocity and force launch them into the air. They scream.

Techno music begins to blare.

As the two fly through the air in slow motion, screaming, images strobe.

SUSIE DERKINS, setting up a tea party.

THE MOM, preparing a grotesque dinner.

ROSELYN, rolling up her sleeves.

THE DAD, gritting his teeth because his car is blocked by DEFORMED SNOWMEN.

MRS. WORMWOOD, passing out a test.

SPACEMAN SPIFF, fighting for his life.

A DINOSAUR roars.

Darkness.

LOGO – Zach Snyder’s Calvin and Hobbes.

EXT – HILLSIDE – DAY

The wagon crashes into the ground, spilling the passengers everywhere.

FADE TO BLACK.