Catch Up Day
Because of freak rain and thunderstorms we canceled a week back. So now we are in catch up mode.
Last 5 Pages are now due next class.
See you there!
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Catch Up Day
7-22-10
Catch Up Day
Because of freak rain and thunderstorms we canceled a week back. So now we are in catch up mode.
Last 5 Pages are now due next class.
See you there!
Catch Up Day
Because of freak rain and thunderstorms we canceled a week back. So now we are in catch up mode.
Last 5 Pages are now due next class.
See you there!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Sunday, July 4, 2010
One Location Script
Due: 07-08-10
One Location Script
The reason why this is a one location script is because we are going to use it for the actual cinematography workshop coming up. So keep that in mind when you are writing it.
The first 5 pages will be due July 8th and the final 5 pages will be due July 15th.
Script Parameters
This can be about anything you want as long as it takes place in only one location. Specifically Vera’s house.
10 Pages: No more, no less.
Any Genre: But if you pick musical a beating will follow.
1 Location: Vera’s house is a private residence so only members of the class will get the actual address.
Multiple Scenes: Be it night, day, golden hour, 1967, alternate universe, or whatever you like just make sure the scenes work well together.
2 Characters: As long as they fit the gender and the age it’s all good.
1 Male 18-25: Going to be using real actors for this so make sure they have decent lines.
1 Female 18-25: So don’t make it too tough for them.
Restrictions:
No crazy lighting. Meaning natural.
No crazy special FX.
NO CGI.
Don’t worry we will get to all of that later. No need to overwhelm you just yet.
This message will self destruct in 30 seconds… Might want to step away from your computer now.
One Location Script
The reason why this is a one location script is because we are going to use it for the actual cinematography workshop coming up. So keep that in mind when you are writing it.
The first 5 pages will be due July 8th and the final 5 pages will be due July 15th.
Script Parameters
This can be about anything you want as long as it takes place in only one location. Specifically Vera’s house.
10 Pages: No more, no less.
Any Genre: But if you pick musical a beating will follow.
1 Location: Vera’s house is a private residence so only members of the class will get the actual address.
Multiple Scenes: Be it night, day, golden hour, 1967, alternate universe, or whatever you like just make sure the scenes work well together.
2 Characters: As long as they fit the gender and the age it’s all good.
1 Male 18-25: Going to be using real actors for this so make sure they have decent lines.
1 Female 18-25: So don’t make it too tough for them.
Restrictions:
No crazy lighting. Meaning natural.
No crazy special FX.
NO CGI.
Don’t worry we will get to all of that later. No need to overwhelm you just yet.
This message will self destruct in 30 seconds… Might want to step away from your computer now.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Ending Fix Part 2
Due: 07-01-10
Ending Fix Part 2
So you’ve fixed the ending to a film. Now you are going to have to fix one of the films your peers selected and you have to do a better job than they did. Naturally they are going to fix yours.
When you actually go for a job in scriptwriting a large part of it is competing against other writers, just like any other job, so get use to it.
So your homework is to watch the film you are assigned and then fix the ending.
Good luck!
Below is a list of films that were selected with a link to the entire film chopped up into sequential parts courtesy of the YouTube community.
Kassandre - A.I. Artifical Inteligence
Iden - Law Abiding Citizen
Vera - Minority Report
Ryan - The Mist
Ending Fix Part 2
So you’ve fixed the ending to a film. Now you are going to have to fix one of the films your peers selected and you have to do a better job than they did. Naturally they are going to fix yours.
When you actually go for a job in scriptwriting a large part of it is competing against other writers, just like any other job, so get use to it.
So your homework is to watch the film you are assigned and then fix the ending.
Good luck!
Below is a list of films that were selected with a link to the entire film chopped up into sequential parts courtesy of the YouTube community.
Kassandre - A.I. Artifical Inteligence
Iden - Law Abiding Citizen
Vera - Minority Report
Ryan - The Mist
Friday, June 18, 2010
Research for Script
Due: 06-24-10
Research for Script
The goal of this is to learn how to first research a unique topic that you know nothing about and second to incorporate it into a five page short script of your creation. I’ll give you an example.
One night many years ago I got a call from a friend who had just gotten a short contract to be one of the writers on a “Like Water for Chocolate” American version rip off. It’s based on a Mexican novel about a girl that is such an amazing cook that when people taste her food it brings tears to their eyes.
Now my friend, who is a good writer, unfortunately knew absolutely nothing about cooking and in this day and age not knowing how to cook is like not knowing how to fuck. My humble opinion at least.
So I got the call at about 2 AM and she frantically confesses she doesn’t know anything about even the simplest of dishes accept that some things taste better than others. The next day she needed to have a small 2-page scene on how to make an omelet, which of course was something she had never done.
Easiest recipe you can start with. Take 3 eggs, add a splash of milk or whipping cream, grind a dash of pepper into it and toss a sprinkle of salt on top. Beat vigorously for 3 minutes at least. Set your stove top to medium low, grease the bottom of a pan with a stick of butter, pour the mixture over the butter, once it foams, place a lid on. Then grind some cheese, shred some thin sliced sandwich meat, add to one side of the omelet, and cover with a lid. Once it looks cooked through and the cheese is melted, spank the pan on the burner to loosen the bottom of it while slide it around a bit. Flip one side, let seal for a few seconds and then serve. Garnish as you wish. Simple enough.
She makes one mistake though. She uses olive oil instead of milk. Disaster ensues and she looses her contract for that project later the next day. Her contract was for two weeks but she lost it about two days in. Not a bad person, not a bad writer, but she just didn’t do her homework and the sad thing is she had about a month to get ready for it. It’s not like she had to become Julia Child overnight. She just didn’t put in that extra bit of effort and that two week job, ten days total actually, was worth $5,000. In the end she only got a $1,000 from it. Way it is…
So learn how to do this now. Take one of the three choices you selected in class and run with it.
Good luck!
Derek:
1.) Fly Fishing
2.) Car Maintenance
3.) Football Play Calls
Iden:
1.) Backgammon
2.) Proper Military Lingo
3.) Wilderness Survival
Jeanette:
1.) Build a Dog House
2.) How to Build Theater Sets
3.) Internet Radio Broadcasting
Kassandre:
1.) History of Halo
2.) Stock Market
3.) How a Car Engine Works
Vera:
1.) Canning Food
2.) Baccarat
3.) How Close Captioning Works
Top places to do research:
http://www.wikipedia.org/
http://www.howstuffworks.com/
Research for Script
The goal of this is to learn how to first research a unique topic that you know nothing about and second to incorporate it into a five page short script of your creation. I’ll give you an example.
One night many years ago I got a call from a friend who had just gotten a short contract to be one of the writers on a “Like Water for Chocolate” American version rip off. It’s based on a Mexican novel about a girl that is such an amazing cook that when people taste her food it brings tears to their eyes.
Now my friend, who is a good writer, unfortunately knew absolutely nothing about cooking and in this day and age not knowing how to cook is like not knowing how to fuck. My humble opinion at least.
So I got the call at about 2 AM and she frantically confesses she doesn’t know anything about even the simplest of dishes accept that some things taste better than others. The next day she needed to have a small 2-page scene on how to make an omelet, which of course was something she had never done.
Easiest recipe you can start with. Take 3 eggs, add a splash of milk or whipping cream, grind a dash of pepper into it and toss a sprinkle of salt on top. Beat vigorously for 3 minutes at least. Set your stove top to medium low, grease the bottom of a pan with a stick of butter, pour the mixture over the butter, once it foams, place a lid on. Then grind some cheese, shred some thin sliced sandwich meat, add to one side of the omelet, and cover with a lid. Once it looks cooked through and the cheese is melted, spank the pan on the burner to loosen the bottom of it while slide it around a bit. Flip one side, let seal for a few seconds and then serve. Garnish as you wish. Simple enough.
She makes one mistake though. She uses olive oil instead of milk. Disaster ensues and she looses her contract for that project later the next day. Her contract was for two weeks but she lost it about two days in. Not a bad person, not a bad writer, but she just didn’t do her homework and the sad thing is she had about a month to get ready for it. It’s not like she had to become Julia Child overnight. She just didn’t put in that extra bit of effort and that two week job, ten days total actually, was worth $5,000. In the end she only got a $1,000 from it. Way it is…
So learn how to do this now. Take one of the three choices you selected in class and run with it.
Good luck!
Derek:
1.) Fly Fishing
2.) Car Maintenance
3.) Football Play Calls
Iden:
1.) Backgammon
2.) Proper Military Lingo
3.) Wilderness Survival
Jeanette:
1.) Build a Dog House
2.) How to Build Theater Sets
3.) Internet Radio Broadcasting
Kassandre:
1.) History of Halo
2.) Stock Market
3.) How a Car Engine Works
Vera:
1.) Canning Food
2.) Baccarat
3.) How Close Captioning Works
Top places to do research:
http://www.wikipedia.org/
http://www.howstuffworks.com/
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Ending Fix
Due: 06-17-10
Ending Fix
Have you ever seen a movie that was awesome except for the last 5 minutes when it just goes to complete shit? You probably sat there, pissed off, wondering what the hell the makers were thinking. Perhaps you were so mad you even wanted to change the ending yourself.
This is your chance to actually do that.
Vera for instance is going to rewrite the ending of The Mist which is a solid choice on her part. That ending was one of the most fucked ones I ever saw in my life. Hell I almost picked it but she beat me to it.
So here is your homework for Thursday. Pick a movie that needs a better ending. You can only fix 5 pages towards the end. No more, no less.
Good luck and see you on Thursday!
Peace,
-Ryan
P.S. Go ahead and sound off below in the comments on the worst movie endings ever… I'm going with Knowing.
Ending Fix
Have you ever seen a movie that was awesome except for the last 5 minutes when it just goes to complete shit? You probably sat there, pissed off, wondering what the hell the makers were thinking. Perhaps you were so mad you even wanted to change the ending yourself.
This is your chance to actually do that.
Vera for instance is going to rewrite the ending of The Mist which is a solid choice on her part. That ending was one of the most fucked ones I ever saw in my life. Hell I almost picked it but she beat me to it.
So here is your homework for Thursday. Pick a movie that needs a better ending. You can only fix 5 pages towards the end. No more, no less.
Good luck and see you on Thursday!
Peace,
-Ryan
P.S. Go ahead and sound off below in the comments on the worst movie endings ever… I'm going with Knowing.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
FREE SCRIPTWRITING WORKSHOP
FREE SCRIPTWRITING WORKSHOP
Hello,
So the four week scriptwriting workshop at Goldfish Tea went well and we have decided to keep it going as a weekly event. However we decided to change the day and time to Thursday nights from 8-10 PM.
Print off a copy of what you would like to work on and get ready for a critique.
We will also be doing a few optional experiments and exercises along the way.
Once the pieces have taken shape and been polished we will begin the process of helping the members secure representation for their finished scripts.
All the other basic info is below.
Hope to see you there!
Adios,
-Ryan Munevar
SCRIPTWRITING WORKSHOP
Who:
CinemaGrid is hosting a Film Scriptwriting Workshop run by Ryan Munevar, Vera Ashford and Ed Ruedemann.
What:
A Weekly Scriptwriting Workshop to help writers network and refine their work.
Where:
Royal Oak – Goldfish Tea on Main Street and 4th.
When:
Every Thursday Night from 8-10 starting May 13th.
Why:
To give people in and around the Detroit area a chance to learn how to first format and then refine a film script.
How:
The charity and curiosity of a few interested parties back in Los Angeles and the owners of Goldfish Tea in Royal Oak.
Eligibility:
Open to anyone regardless of experience as long as they are willing to learn.
Sponsored by…
Goldfish Tea
117 West 4th Street
Royal Oak
(248) 541-5252
www.goldfishtea.com
CinemaGrid LLC
(949) 702-1637
cinemagrid@gmail.com
www.cinemagrid.com
www.meetup.com/CinemaGrid
Hello,
So the four week scriptwriting workshop at Goldfish Tea went well and we have decided to keep it going as a weekly event. However we decided to change the day and time to Thursday nights from 8-10 PM.
Print off a copy of what you would like to work on and get ready for a critique.
We will also be doing a few optional experiments and exercises along the way.
Once the pieces have taken shape and been polished we will begin the process of helping the members secure representation for their finished scripts.
All the other basic info is below.
Hope to see you there!
Adios,
-Ryan Munevar
SCRIPTWRITING WORKSHOP
Who:
CinemaGrid is hosting a Film Scriptwriting Workshop run by Ryan Munevar, Vera Ashford and Ed Ruedemann.
What:
A Weekly Scriptwriting Workshop to help writers network and refine their work.
Where:
Royal Oak – Goldfish Tea on Main Street and 4th.
When:
Every Thursday Night from 8-10 starting May 13th.
Why:
To give people in and around the Detroit area a chance to learn how to first format and then refine a film script.
How:
The charity and curiosity of a few interested parties back in Los Angeles and the owners of Goldfish Tea in Royal Oak.
Eligibility:
Open to anyone regardless of experience as long as they are willing to learn.
Sponsored by…
Goldfish Tea
117 West 4th Street
Royal Oak
(248) 541-5252
www.goldfishtea.com
CinemaGrid LLC
(949) 702-1637
cinemagrid@gmail.com
www.cinemagrid.com
www.meetup.com/CinemaGrid
Sunday, March 21, 2010
CinemaGrid's 1st Michigan Short Film Script Writing Contest
CONTEST GUIDELINES
Title:
CinemaGrid’s 10 Page Short Film Script Contest for Michigan Writers Only
Time Line for Submitting:
Submissions begin on April 1st and end on May 31st.
No scripts will be considered after that deadline regardless of the reason.
Winners will be announced June 15th, 2010 and prize checks will be mailed out 2 weeks after the announcement.
Prizes:
One 1st prizewinner will win $250.
Two 2nd prizewinners will each win $100.
Three 3rd prizewinners will each win $50.
Aesthetic Criteria:
Would you like to see how we actually judge these scripts? Then check out the following link to get a .pdf copy of our critique form.
CinemaGrid Contest Critique Form.pdf
Short Film Script Contest Rules:
1.) Writer(s) must be at least 18 years of age.
2.) Only open to Michigan residents.
3.) Multiple script submissions are allowed. No limit.
4.) Script must be the original work of the writer or writing team. Cannot be an adapted work from a different writer unless written consent is given and included with the submission.
5.) The core script must not exceed 10 pages. A title page must also be included but does not count as one of the pages.
6.) Any genre or hybrid genre will be considered.
7.) Script must be formatted properly. Refer to the book The Hollywood Standard, 2nd Edition, by Christopher Riley, if you don’t know what proper formatting is.
8.) WGA registration is not required. We will not retain the rights to your script, which means you can submit it anywhere else that you want to during or after the competition.
If Submitting Multiple Scripts:
1.) Make sure each script has a signed submission form attached to it.
2.) Each additional script will require an additional $10 entry fee.
Before you mail anything make sure to include the following:
1.) A completed copy of the CinemaGrid Contest Submission Form.pdf
2.) Copy of the Script. (10 Pages Max + 1 Title Page).
3.) Check for $10 Payable to CinemaGrid LLC for each submitted script, plus an additional $5 for each Critique. Make sure it is in the form of one combined check if submitting multiple scripts with critiques.
Send to:
ATTN: Ryan Munevar
CinemaGrid LLC
31184 Misty Pines Dr.
Farmington Hills, MI 48336
(No drop offs. Mail delivery only.)
Title:
CinemaGrid’s 10 Page Short Film Script Contest for Michigan Writers Only
Time Line for Submitting:
Submissions begin on April 1st and end on May 31st.
No scripts will be considered after that deadline regardless of the reason.
Winners will be announced June 15th, 2010 and prize checks will be mailed out 2 weeks after the announcement.
Prizes:
One 1st prizewinner will win $250.
Two 2nd prizewinners will each win $100.
Three 3rd prizewinners will each win $50.
Aesthetic Criteria:
Would you like to see how we actually judge these scripts? Then check out the following link to get a .pdf copy of our critique form.
CinemaGrid Contest Critique Form.pdf
Short Film Script Contest Rules:
1.) Writer(s) must be at least 18 years of age.
2.) Only open to Michigan residents.
3.) Multiple script submissions are allowed. No limit.
4.) Script must be the original work of the writer or writing team. Cannot be an adapted work from a different writer unless written consent is given and included with the submission.
5.) The core script must not exceed 10 pages. A title page must also be included but does not count as one of the pages.
6.) Any genre or hybrid genre will be considered.
7.) Script must be formatted properly. Refer to the book The Hollywood Standard, 2nd Edition, by Christopher Riley, if you don’t know what proper formatting is.
8.) WGA registration is not required. We will not retain the rights to your script, which means you can submit it anywhere else that you want to during or after the competition.
If Submitting Multiple Scripts:
1.) Make sure each script has a signed submission form attached to it.
2.) Each additional script will require an additional $10 entry fee.
Before you mail anything make sure to include the following:
1.) A completed copy of the CinemaGrid Contest Submission Form.pdf
2.) Copy of the Script. (10 Pages Max + 1 Title Page).
3.) Check for $10 Payable to CinemaGrid LLC for each submitted script, plus an additional $5 for each Critique. Make sure it is in the form of one combined check if submitting multiple scripts with critiques.
Send to:
ATTN: Ryan Munevar
CinemaGrid LLC
31184 Misty Pines Dr.
Farmington Hills, MI 48336
(No drop offs. Mail delivery only.)
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
First Major Project: A Documentary on Canabis in the State of Michigan.
Project 420 Michigan is up and running.
Two weeks in and three major interviews down. Went to the 1st Annual Caregivers Cup in Ypsilanti, Michigan, interviewed a gentleman who wrote a book called "Pot" published back in 1967. The man was arrested and did 7 months and 10 days in jail for it. Interviewed the fist patient to get a legal prescription for it in the state of Michigan because of her Multiple Sclerosis.
Things are moving along at a decent pace.
Two weeks in and three major interviews down. Went to the 1st Annual Caregivers Cup in Ypsilanti, Michigan, interviewed a gentleman who wrote a book called "Pot" published back in 1967. The man was arrested and did 7 months and 10 days in jail for it. Interviewed the fist patient to get a legal prescription for it in the state of Michigan because of her Multiple Sclerosis.
Things are moving along at a decent pace.
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