07:55
Faizan
Professional scriptwriting consultants and coaches bear the burden of being kept inside a lot just like scriptwriters are. Do you write? If you said "yes" then you know what I mean. Wonderful things can happen when you "get out of the house" -
For example:
Recently I had the pleasure of speaking to Jada Pinkett Smith. She's lovely - so animated - so passionate. She shared lots of tidbits about her life -
- that she got her SAG card by working on Cagney & Lacey as a prostitute with one line.
"I'm a comic book geek"
"... my grandmother was an oil painter."
"... my son's quite a poet."
Jada to her mom: "... we can go to LA or I can go to law school... "
Mom to Jada: "... we're going to LA."
"I got through the door because of Keenan Ivory Wayans" - she called agent Nancy Rainford after she met Keenan and said "I'm a good friend of Keenan Wayans and he told me to call... " Nancy brought her in - like her - signed her. Jada's got balls. You need them in this town.
"Baltimore taught me how to hustle."
"I auditioned for the girlfriend on Fresh Prince of Belair and the casting director said "you're just too short for Will." - She said she felt if she had gotten the part they wouldn't have ever gotten married. (I say "See - things go wrong to go right.") Her husband Will Smith called after her as she was leaving the audition "hey, shortie" - he eventually pursued her and won her over. I enjoy what they have together and the family that binds them.
- regarding Taraji P. Henson on Empire "..she's kicked the door open for women of color."
"I was told because I was black and a female I couldn't do Metal." She definitely did do Metal. Her band is Wicked Wisdom -
She said Channing Tatum called her about Magic Mike #2 and said "... I know it was written for a guy, but we want you to play the role." - I say thank you so much Channing and Reid Carolin for gender-flipping that role - I bet she'll be great.
She shared that playing Fish Mooney in Gotham "helped me bring back the love of acting."
It's good for scriptwriters, no matter where in the world they live, to be around actors who love the craft. Writers should take acting classes, observe acting classes as well as be a 'people watcher & listener' because it will help you gain depth in the emotional needs of your characters - "Get out of the house"
Many writers start out as actors. Actors need to get a SAG card and join the union to be taken seriously. I got mine on a non-union Pepsi commercial at 6am on a Saturday out in Simi Valley at a Ralphs store. The legendary commercial director, Joe Pytka, kept me on camera just long enough - I think it's like 2-ish seconds - and the editors kept it in and BBDO had to send me a contract, pay me $$ and Taft-Hartley me into the Union. The moral to the story is - I could have said "F-it - I'm not getting up on a Saturday morning at 6a to be an extra for $60." If you're just starting out, say yes and have an open mind - later on, you should say "no" - you'll know when the time is right to do that.
You should find a love for what you do. Working with so many committed writers who often struggle to complete their writing assignments and even new writers just wanting to get "in" - can't wait around and put in twenty years to get experience. All writers need professional help to get to a professional level, and finding someone with the skill and mastery level of helping you create and develop a movie or TV concept down to a manageable level is what you must use as your guide. Besides creative development expertise finding someone who can work with you on an intuitive empathy level will come in handy. That kind of help, where someone can hear/perceive what is not conscious to you will really come in handy as you find your script's "ah-ha" moments. You need someone who can shorten the learning curve. Someone who has more skill than just format and coaching writers - working on a lot of movie sets helps a writer understand the industry and expands their network. You'll have access to the full range of people that bring a movie script to life. Look into your local film commission to see what movies are filming in your area. For some writers, getting help is a luxury item, but its worth every penny a writer invests in themselves and every sacrifice they make, to pursue their passion and bring their dreams into reality.
For example:
Recently I had the pleasure of speaking to Jada Pinkett Smith. She's lovely - so animated - so passionate. She shared lots of tidbits about her life -
- that she got her SAG card by working on Cagney & Lacey as a prostitute with one line.
"I'm a comic book geek"
"... my grandmother was an oil painter."
"... my son's quite a poet."
Jada to her mom: "... we can go to LA or I can go to law school... "
Mom to Jada: "... we're going to LA."
"I got through the door because of Keenan Ivory Wayans" - she called agent Nancy Rainford after she met Keenan and said "I'm a good friend of Keenan Wayans and he told me to call... " Nancy brought her in - like her - signed her. Jada's got balls. You need them in this town.
"Baltimore taught me how to hustle."
"I auditioned for the girlfriend on Fresh Prince of Belair and the casting director said "you're just too short for Will." - She said she felt if she had gotten the part they wouldn't have ever gotten married. (I say "See - things go wrong to go right.") Her husband Will Smith called after her as she was leaving the audition "hey, shortie" - he eventually pursued her and won her over. I enjoy what they have together and the family that binds them.
- regarding Taraji P. Henson on Empire "..she's kicked the door open for women of color."
"I was told because I was black and a female I couldn't do Metal." She definitely did do Metal. Her band is Wicked Wisdom -
She said Channing Tatum called her about Magic Mike #2 and said "... I know it was written for a guy, but we want you to play the role." - I say thank you so much Channing and Reid Carolin for gender-flipping that role - I bet she'll be great.
She shared that playing Fish Mooney in Gotham "helped me bring back the love of acting."
It's good for scriptwriters, no matter where in the world they live, to be around actors who love the craft. Writers should take acting classes, observe acting classes as well as be a 'people watcher & listener' because it will help you gain depth in the emotional needs of your characters - "Get out of the house"
Many writers start out as actors. Actors need to get a SAG card and join the union to be taken seriously. I got mine on a non-union Pepsi commercial at 6am on a Saturday out in Simi Valley at a Ralphs store. The legendary commercial director, Joe Pytka, kept me on camera just long enough - I think it's like 2-ish seconds - and the editors kept it in and BBDO had to send me a contract, pay me $$ and Taft-Hartley me into the Union. The moral to the story is - I could have said "F-it - I'm not getting up on a Saturday morning at 6a to be an extra for $60." If you're just starting out, say yes and have an open mind - later on, you should say "no" - you'll know when the time is right to do that.
You should find a love for what you do. Working with so many committed writers who often struggle to complete their writing assignments and even new writers just wanting to get "in" - can't wait around and put in twenty years to get experience. All writers need professional help to get to a professional level, and finding someone with the skill and mastery level of helping you create and develop a movie or TV concept down to a manageable level is what you must use as your guide. Besides creative development expertise finding someone who can work with you on an intuitive empathy level will come in handy. That kind of help, where someone can hear/perceive what is not conscious to you will really come in handy as you find your script's "ah-ha" moments. You need someone who can shorten the learning curve. Someone who has more skill than just format and coaching writers - working on a lot of movie sets helps a writer understand the industry and expands their network. You'll have access to the full range of people that bring a movie script to life. Look into your local film commission to see what movies are filming in your area. For some writers, getting help is a luxury item, but its worth every penny a writer invests in themselves and every sacrifice they make, to pursue their passion and bring their dreams into reality.
Posted in: arts
