4 of a Kind- The Kickstarter Campaign

Final Numbers:

Total Backers: 809

Total Pledged: $64,515

Average pledge per backer: $79

Highest pledge: $2,500

Dollars pledged from Kickstarter website (search, discover): $4,957

Total backers and the amount pledged referred from Twitter: 238 backers who contributed $11,112

Total amount pledged referred from Facebook: $17,541

I’ve never been one to say “things happen for a reason” because I don’t believe they do. People only say that when bad things happen. It’s never said about something positive. So, the Kickstarter didn’t work out, none of which had anything to do with pre-determination or fate or whatever. I’ll go into a very long post below. Seriously, it’s definitely a TLDR (Too long Didn’t read) type of post.

This post and the preceding 39 blog entries were meant as a useful guide to future Kickstarter creators. While I may have been too honest at some points which turned some people off as to my…

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MY BLANK PAGE

The novelist has been around for a long time enduring criticism, rejection and failure, but the screenwriter is a modern vocation dating back to the 1900’s and the silent era of filmmaking.  The screenplay is an ever-changing, almost “live” document that is the blueprint of a motion picture.   As you journey deeper into your screenwriting adventure, you’ll learn that everything you write in the script is vulnerable to changes.  This is why filmmaking is truly a collaborative art form with hundreds of craftspeople giving their input into a finished motion picture—but it all starts with your script. You must fight against the forces of procrastination because this destructive habit will sink your plans every time. It comes from your fear.  I completely understand the thinking: If you put off writing it, then you’ll never be judged or criticized.  Seems logical.  You’ll never have to face the hard fact that it…

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Your hero’s development

Screenwrite.org

“Your hero’s development depends on what beliefs he starts with, how he challenges them, and how they have changed by the end of the story. This is one of the ways you can make the story uniquely yours.”

– John Truby, Anatomy of Story, p81

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Steph Olivieri Bourbon ~Screenwriter & Author

Did everyone catch last night’s summer finale of Suits? Man I love that show. I didn’t think that I would but it has quickly made its way up the ladder into my top 5. Honestly, this show is GREAT.

I am going to blog about Louis, Harvey and Mike on my other blog page because they are phenomenal characters who really need to be examined more closely, but over all I can say that this show delivers in every sense of the words.

Story: Strong running storyline in every episode with smaller stories also present.

Characters: Great character development and great dialogue.

This show brings it every week. If you haven’t watched it, you need to. It’s fantastic.

Here is the best review of the last episode that I have seen today. I can’t really say it any better, so here you are. Written by C. Charles.

C. Charles is a…

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Gideon's Screenwriting Tips: Now You're a Screenwriter

Good dialogue in your screenwriting is subjective, but bad dialogue is obvious. Ouch!

What Film Genre?

Movie dialogue must capture the mood of your genre. It you’re writing a comedy, say something funny. If you’re writing a horror film, say something scary. Do this from page 1 in your screenplay. Sure there can be moments of levity in a heavy drama movie or a scary moment in a comedy, but the backbone should be determined early on.

If I’m on page 5 and your comedy hasn’t made me chuckle yet, I’m not reading page 6. If you wrote a thriller or horror and I’m not wondering what’s going to happen next or I don’t have the feeling I’m about to jump in my chair, your dialogue isn’t setting the right tone. If you are writing an emotional drama and I don’t connect with any of your characters by page 10, I’m…

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LA Screenwriter

Danny Manus of No BullScript Consulting has written a new list, 50 signs of an amateur screenwriter. As he puts it,

There are probably hundreds of signs that the writer of that script I’m screaming at is an amateur. But today, I’d like to give a mere 50. Most of these may seem like common sense, yet you’d be amazed at the sheer number of projects plagued with these issues. Some of them may make you worry about your own work. But hey, at least you’ll know for next time and you’ll be one step closer to making sure your work is at the highest of professional standards.

The following is in NO particular order and covers a broad range of script issues.

1. Writing CUT TOs, FADE TOs, FADE OUTs, or any other Transition between every scene.
2. Telling us instead of Showing us.
3. Description is in past tense instead of present…

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LA Screenwriter

Jenna Avery of Script Magazine has written a helpful article about approaching rewriting with the right mindset — a mindset that is capable of cutting your favorite scenes, even restructuring your entire story, to make your script work.

She writes:

As I embarked recently on a major rewrite of a feature script, I bumped into a big wall of resistance. While I didn’t think my script was necessarily perfect, I was attached to my story in its then-current form. So even though I was getting feedback about the need for significant structural changes, I was struggling with the idea of letting go of much (okay, anything!) of the story.

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Hollywood University

A reader asks:

So I have been calling a lot of studios and following up with my resume. A lot of them keep telling me they are fully staffed. I know on occasion they will need Day PA for bigger shoots which is what I’m hoping they will then call me for. Do you think I am better off trying to focus on stuff that is in Active Development? It’s hard to determine in the projects that are just in development how far along they are to know if they are even hiring at the time. I’m just trying to figure out the best way to increase my odds of getting a call back.

Thanks for your help!

My advice: Apply to shows in Pre-Production and Production. Here’s a breakdown of the terms:

PRODUCTION: The show is currently shooting.

PRE-PRODUCTION: The show is currently hiring assistants, writers, and crew…

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