Tuesday, March 31, 2009

the new new revised re-revised plan

Write down all the possible careers I am thinking about doing on slips of paper, put them in a hat, close my eyes and pick one.

baseball

Just got back from the Cal Poly vs. USC baseball game. We won by the way, 7-5. I sat in the fourth row behind home plate, and a scout from the Giants was sitting right in front of me. Then I thought about how awesome it would to get paid to watch baseball games and realized I shouldn't count out the life of a sports agent or general manager, because after all that was my first passion.

Monday, March 30, 2009

crashing the third quarter

Today I attempted to crash the first classes of my college career... and realized I'm the world's worst crasher of classes. O for 2.

Looking back to spring break, it turned out to be alright. I should have done more, maybe should've gone to New York (but that's what summer's for), should have definitely read more and written more, which turned out to be zero productivity.

This quarter I need to focus more on school work and what I can currently control instead of what I cannot control. Last quarter turned out to be pretty bad. I realized I may want to not major in business anymore and may have spent more time thinking up new ideas for future writing projects than I did studying for my classes.

But then when I think about it, grades are not solely what college is about because I have probably grown up more in the last six months than I had in the previous six years, and that is what it is all about.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

I'm back

It's been quite an unproductive first few days of spring break, but isn't that what spring break is for?

Anyways moving on...

The reason for the unproductivity, (is that a word? I don't think so, and yep spell check just underlined it with the infamous red line (maybe I just spelled it wrong), but a great writer use to make up words all the time... um Dr. Seuss anyone? So I think I'll keep the word as is, and yes I used parentheses inside of parentheses, you'll just have deal with it.), is because my computer has been broken for about four or five days. So that means no watching Netflix, no keeping up with news (and by news I mean film industry news only), no writing, and no teaching myself any new songs on the piano from youtube videos.

So I guess now that my computer is all fixed and good as new (well it's still a DELL, so how good can it be right?) I have work to do because...

"THERE IS FUN TO BE DONE!"

(and yes that was a Dr. Seuss quote)

(and yes parentheses are awesome)

that is all

Saturday, March 21, 2009

two thirds

Finals are done and the second quarter of my first year is over. I'll be back home in a few hours, but as of right now I am still in the dorms and one of the only persons left on my floor.

Last night I was able to watch two movies: Dead Man's Shoes and Ratatouille. Quite different films to say the least, but both were pretty good.

It was a scary few days grades-wise. I'm pretty sure my econ professor made a mistake so he'll be getting a nice review on polyratings from me. My GPA didn't turn out quite the way I wanted it to, but I did pass STATS 2 so that means I'm only one more quarter away from being done with math entirely. Next quarter I'll hopefully be able to get into an English class (since I've only written two actually papers in two quarters of college) and the Intro to Theater class that way I can see what it's all about, but as of right now I only have three more business classes when I didn't want to take any.

This quarter brought so many new things, who knows what the next quarter will bring...

Monday, March 16, 2009

finals

It's finals week therefore there will be few posts this week but probably a lot of new ideas for shorts and features because that's just what seems to always happen.

Saturday, March 14, 2009

remember this

Note to self:
Remember how good you feel today about what you want to do with your future. Keep going, keep learning whatever you can and never give up.

the tipping point is here

And to think it only took 3 miles to walk to.

After listening and talking to James Cromwell, Peter DeAnello, and a panel of independent filmmakers (which included Joe Morton and many others) I realize this is one of the most fulfilling days of my life.

My mind has been packed with so much new information from just those 5 short hours being around these people that I know I will never forget this day because I do not think my life will ever be the same after it.

Yeah finals start next week, but this was WAY more important to my life than any test will EVER be. I learned more from what these people said today than I have ever learned or taught myself and that was truly invigorating. I feel right now whatever I can to increase what I know or can do for my future as a writer or actor is far more important than anything I can learn in the business classroom.

It is no longer I want to be a writer and an actor.

It is now I am going to be a writer and an actor.

It is only a matter of time until the "I am going to be" simply becomes "I am."

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

future?

I just read an article about Kenneth Branagh meeting with actor Alexander Skarsgard for the role of Thor

I mentioned his name on this site a long time ago for the role of Capt America (but people were saying "you can't cast a European for the role of Capt AMERICA, to which I respond with well Batman is Welsh and that seems to be working fine) but I digress, that's not what this post is about (even if it's rumored that Sam Worthington might replace Bale for the third film, but they won't do that).

But I digress again...

So then I mentioned on the website Get the Big Picture, Skarsgard's name for Thor a few weeks ago and its spawned many (good) comments on the subject. Now about a month since I've posted his name as a good candidate for the Thor role Branagh has lunch with him.

Coincidence?

I think not. I'd like to think that the Hollywood elite saw my post and thought this 19 year old college student may actually know something about casting.

Maybe I shouldn't yet give up on my former dream of becoming a talent agent for swapping it with the writer's chair...

Maybe?

Monday, March 9, 2009

backing up

I backed up all my script files today because my computer's been acting loony lately, and I have a feeling I'll soon be switching over and typing these posts and writing more script ideas on a mac soon. It took way longer than I thought, possibly because I have thirty-two scripts/screenplays currently out on the page!

YES! 3! 2!

And yes I am only 2/3 done with my first year of college. That is a crazy amount of ideas I just realized. Most screenwriters never write, let alone sell 32 projects in their careers.

My plate is full.

Sunday, March 8, 2009

today

have a stats assignment to do by tomorrow at 8

review my notes from the court case

maybe watch a movie

maybe write something

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

possible documentary

Came up with this idea tonight at dinner while talking to some people:

The Search of the Cal Poly Wolf-Boy

a short break used...wisely?

Today during a short break between classes I found myself at the library skimming over the row of books, scratch that two shelves of books devoted to screenwriting. I watched as my hand pulled out a few different books then watched again as that same hand put them back. I finally decided to read a little bit of a book about SELLING your screenplay. It talked about how all writers should have to take a course while in college about marketing your screenplay, because sure writing and finishing a screenplay is hard enough but selling it and being discovered is just as hard if not more. Reading it made me realize that selling the screenplay may have been harder than I thought. But I guess that's a good thing I'm majoring in Marketing and minoring in Psychology.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

my story

INT. CAL POLY DORM ROOM -- NIGHT

ERIC sits at his desk, laptop open, headphones on, totally immersed in what is happening before him on his computer screen. A NETFLIX web page is up and the documentary THE PIXAR STORY is playing. Images of DISNEYLAND, PIXAR STUDIOS, STEVE JOBS, JOHN LASSETER, WOODY, BUZZ LIGHTYEAR, ETC. race across the film as we see in the screen the reflection of Eric's face as he moves closer to the screen in everlasting excitment.


This was me about 1 hour ago. Watching this documentary and listening to Lasseter's story and of Pixar was just so thrilling in finding out how everything came together. I had no idea the backstory of probably the most successful animation studio of all time, and it was such a great story. Lasseter knew right when he saw that animation book what he wanted to do with his life, and that point in my life may have been my junior year of high school with LOST LIT. However, it definitely was a growing process to that moment. Film has always been a part of my life and from a very early age too. Probably starting even more than ten years ago, whether it be watching movies over and over again on weekend mornings and getting one last showing in Sunday morning before I would actually have to start my homework, that was due Monday morning for school the next day. Or going to Wal -Mart nearly every weekend with my dad, picking out a different movie to get, and then going home and watching it. We had nearly every film I could ever need as a kid growing up. The John Wayne westerns and war movies, EVERY James Bond film, the endless collection of Clint Eastwood movies, The Fugtive, Speed, Heat, Goodfellas, and so so many more. I was surrounded by these great movies and didn't even realize it. The funny thing is I've also pretty much been acting at home my entire life doing what kids do, just we never had a camera so nobody was recording. So this is it, this is where it begins...

My Story

by

_________________

Sunday, March 1, 2009

week nine

Haven't been able to write anything in a while. Had a crazy week of midterms, then the weekend, said I was going to write the Lost Lit screenplay this weekend but didn't, now week nine starts tomorrow...