I found a plug-in for Wordpress that allows you to write a blog entry in screenplay format. This will come in handy for the screenplay challenge I currently have with Jay. Check this out:
EXT. POOL – DAY
DELANOR, a freakishly tall, angular-faced buffoon whose age and sex are impossible to determine sits across a patio table from RUDY, an overweight droopy-faced man with a waxed mustache.
RUDY
I discovered an app that allows me to blog in screenplay format.
DELANOR
(scoffs)
Big Deal! There’s an app for everything nowadays.
RUDY
You could at least pretend to care.
DELANOR
I don’t love you anymore.
Pretty cool, huh? Unfortunately, all it does is format. I’m still waiting for the app that actually does the writing for you. C’mon Apple! If anyone can do it, you can!
This is cross-posted from Dangerlion, the blog of FBTR executive producer Jay Rosenkrantz:
“Ryan Firpo (the director of From Busto to Robusto) challenged me recently to NaNoWrIMo. Loser buys the winner the Blu-Ray of his choice on Amazon.
I went back at him with this: Hmmmm, I’m not so sure about a novel but I’d be willing to wager a first draft of a screenplay… Start November 1 must finish by November 30…
The response: Fine, book it. Most pages on 11/30 wins. But the pages have to represent a continuous story. You can’t just write 200 pages of nonsense (this obviously calls for a certain degree of peer judgment). I already know what I’m going to write. Doubt I’ll make it past 25 pages, unfortunately (got a very complex documentary to edit). May the fastest, most disciplined scribe win.
I already know what I’m going to write, too. Time to fire up Final Draft. That blu-ray is mine. More soon.”
What Blu-ray do you guys think I should get? Jay stands no chance, obviously.
Great news! From Busto to Robuso: Captain Zeebo was recently accepted into the 18th Annual Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival. We know what you’re thinking: Hot Springs, Arkansas? Filmmaking? Well, you should know the HSDFF is the only festival in the country dedicated solely to documentary filmmaking and, at seventeen years old, is also the oldest one of its kind worldwide, behind Amsterdam. The HSDFF receives an average of 1,000 + entries each year and is recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (aka the Oscar guys) as one of only seven national Academy Award qualifying venues. We’re honored to participate in such an esteemed, well-run and well-established festival and are going to do our damndest to make an appearance. FBTR: Captain Zeebo will play on Saturday, October 17th at 4:30pm. If we have any fans in Arkansas, please come out and show your support.
One month without an update: hope this doesn’t become a habit. It’s been a busy month. Here’s a run-down on the latest 918 FILMS happenings:
1) We spent five days in “The Meadows” shooting another segment for FBTR: Episode Two. The whole crew was out there (save for Ted, who’s shooting something in South Africa) and much was accomplished. We’re really excited to release this episode because it’s so completely different from Episode One. We were exposed to a side of Sin City that not many people get to see. More updates coming soon…
2) We’ve putting the finishing touches on the script for Episode One of The System, a narrative web-series about EMS Workers in Alameda County. We start location scouting and casting later this week, and are aiming for an early November Shoot and late November release of episode one.
3) Ryan recently finished a first draft of The Wrong Rabbit, a sci-fi, film-noir feature film based in Oakland about a private detective who uncovers the secret world of lepufology while investigating a murder. We plan to shoot a short trailer for fund-raising purposes in late October. More on that coming soon…
A few months ago, Mike shot a music video for the SF-based, indie-pop band Loquat. The edit has finally been completed and it looks fantastic. Big Key, Little Door is the second video from Loquat’s latest album, Secrets of the Sea, and was directed by Tuan Le and Jack Birmingham at Rabbitwerks. Watch it here and show your support in the comments.
Shameless plug alert: If you enjoyed our online poker documentary From Busto to Robusto: Captain Zeebo then be sure to check out 2 Months, 2 Million, a new reality show about four online poker professionals and their goal to collectively earn $2M in two months playing poker. It features executive producer Jay Rosenkrantz as one of the leads, as well as cameos by many other online pros highlighted in the FBTR series. It airs every Sunday at 9pm on the G4 network. For more info, go here: http://g4tv.com/2m2mm
This week we officially began production on From Busto to Robusto: Episode Two. It features a well-known online pro (to remain unnamed, for the moment) who leads a drastically different life than Captain Zeebo. We’ve just returned from an undisclosed location where we spent three days shooting the first of two segments. We can’t disclose the location, because it would make our subject too obvious for those die-hards in the online poker community (our #1 fans – we love you!). Shooting went better than we could have hoped, but in a documentary, you never know what you really have until you get into the editing room. We head out to Las Vegas in early September to shoot the second segment. We’re all really excited about this one. It shows a completely different side of the online poker world, one we think a non-poker audience will find even more fascinating. Look for Episode Two to be released through Deucescracked some time in late November.
I booked my first official gig as a paid screenwriter this month. I was hired by a local business man turned film producer to write a feature-length screenplay for $1M-$3M independent film to be shot in late 2010. The details are top secret, but I can say the story is like nothing I’ve written before. I was given a deadline of five weeks from start to finish – which would be faster than any other feature I’ve written so far. The pressure is on, but that’s where I thrive…or fold. Guess I’ll know in five weeks!
So for those of you who don’t know, San Francisco finally has a new network series shooting in the area (to the relief of all the local creative types out here). It’s called TRAUMA – think ‘First Response’ meets ‘Die Hard’ – and I got to shoot an episode last week. In short, it was a blast. My role: Drunk Boyfriend. Yup. Drunk, Abusive Boyfriend. Which basically means I got paid to act completely belligerent in the middle of Columbus Avenue, scream at my girlfriend, get tackled by the cops and thrown into the back of a police cruiser as hundreds of confused and slightly frightened tourists looked on. An actor can’t ask for much more. Not to mention getting to work director Jeffery Rainer of ‘Friday Night Lights,’ series regulars Anastasia Griffith and Taylor Kinney, and local actress Alisha Beckum – all of whom were great.
I wasn’t allowed to take any pictures but I’ll keep y’all updated about an air date. The show premieres on NBC starting in September; I believe I’ll be in Episode 2. In the meantime, check out the promos and behind the scenes footage at NBC’s website.
I recently completed an edit on a two-minute trailer for Drowning, a short film about a Chinese-American family and their struggles adapting to life in the States. Drowning was written and directed by local actor/producer/director James Z. Feng. The film features stunning photography from the HVX200 and stellar performances from the entire cast. You can see the entire short on James’ personal site. In the meantime, check out the trailer:
