Another month passed, i didn´t blog a lot since i´ve been abroad for some time, hopefully April will be better. Anyway, here my monthly list of read-worthy articles…

Screenwriting Structure part 12 – The Inciting Incident by The Unknown Screenwriter

Another part of the Screenwriting Structure series.

The Diablo Cody Backlash by Mystery Man on Film

So much buzz about a screenwriter (just because she has been a stripper?), Myster Man writes a great post about all the people who attack Diablo without a reason (rather than envy?).

Concept is King: Why Juno worked by Christina

Another post about Juno, it pretty much sums it up why it won the Oscar.

What Spec means by Alex Epstein

Alex answers a question of a reader and states what writing a spec really means.

How to explain quantum mechanics by John August

How to address a highly difficult topic in a screenplay, what does the audience really need to know?

Case against Character Arcs by Mystery Man on Film

Some examples where the inner character arc seems not that important.

Columbo Always Showed Up Late by Jane Espenson

When is the right time to introduce your main protagonist?

What does Copyright Protect by Alex Epstein

Alex answers a readers question whether it´s possible to copyright a character (like Superman).

If Major Studio Gave Notes on Juno by Ken Levine

A hilarious post: what would a major studio respond if Diablo sent in her screenplay rather than produce it the indy way.

Yes Virginia, there is a Nudity Clause by Alex Epstein

There are problems that you could run in if your movie / series screenplay contains nudity, not so much problems with the audience, rather with the actors.

No, I said, “Pitching” by Jane Espenson

Jane´s thoughts about how to pitch a project.

When to Stop Writing by Ken Levine

Most of the time screenwriters struggle with starting to write, but when is the right time to stop?

Shot an indie pilot. What´s next? by John August

A very good post about what to do with your indie pilot.

Rethinking Motivation by John August

Some hints about character motivation. What does the character want? What does the character need?

Well, the first month of the new year is over, and here are the posts i´ve found most valuable.

Should Authors Get a Percentage of Used Book Sales? by Lee Goldberg

Lee writes about residuals when a book is sold second hand. It´s an interesting topic i haven´t thought about yet, but then again, it doesn´t really affect me.

Your first 10 pages and the hook by The Unknown Screenwriter

This is part 10 of the series “Screenwriting Structure” from Unk, he discusses the important first 10 pages of a screenplay.

$400 filmmaking course on DVD by Alex Epstein

Alex answers a question from a reader of his blog whether to spend $400 on an filmmaking DVD or rather buy something else (like a camera).

Story2Oh! by Jill Golick

Jill started a very interesting project with a different approach to storytelling than writing a screenplay. I wrote about that project in an earlier post.

Originality Doesn’t Make Great Drama by Clive

Clive doesn´t blog very often, but when he posts an article it is absolutely worth reading. In this article he writes about the desire of indie filmmakers to create something “new and original”, and that this approach might not be the best all the time.

Your first 10 pages and the Ordinary World by The Unknown Screenwriter

Part 11 of the series “Screenwriting Structure” is about the ordinary world of the protagonist and therefore the setting of the movie itself.

Internet “Screenwriting” Searches by Matt Hader

Matt answers a few questions like “What are the chances of selling my spec?”, “Screenwriter’s starting pay?”, “Page to minute ratio?”, etc.

The Nines on BitTorrent and More on the torrents by John August

John writes about his exceptional opinion about downloading movies, this is a very interesting post since he speaks as a writer / director as well as producer.

Writing For Actors – part 1 by Clive

Another great article from Clive where he writes about some screenwriting mistakes indie filmmakers are willing to make when writing the first few scripts.

A revised first draft walks into a bar by Alex Epstein

A very interesting article about the producer / writer business relationship and the writing of revisions. It´s important for writers to have some kind of business safety net, Alex provides some tips.

Top Ten Format Mistakes by The Mystery Man on Film

Based on a screenplay someone sent to the Mystery Man for reading through he points out the top ten format mistakes.

The Nines on DVD by John August

An interesting post from John about what the DVD of his movie The Nines will contain (specials, interviews, etc.) and the compromises he had to make.

So there have been quite some interesting posts this month, and another great piece of news spread through the internet: Guillermo del Toro will (most likely) direct the Hobbit movies that Peter Jackson is about to produce. The full piece of news can be found here.

In my opinion way too many people are unhappy in their job, the SOLE reason they work is money and day after day they don´t have the feeling that they are doing something with a meaning for them. In our civilization the main reason for not doing the job you would like to is laziness. That fact may seem a little bit harsh and of course this statement is exaggerated, but for most of the people it is true.

The only thing you ever wanted to be was a doctor but you think you didn’t have the opportunity to study? When “opportunity” means that you didn’t get any financial backup of your parents it certainly is harder to study, but it’s possible nevertheless. When it comes down to the bottom line the main reason why you are not “living your dream” is laziness, because you can earn your money easier, because starting over again means to cut back, because you are afraid of change or because you don’t believe in yourself.

Please note that by talking about “our civilization” i mean the so called first world situation, and not people who are struggling to survive and don’t know when they will have something to eat in the near future.

My situation

Why especially i am writing about this topic? Because i am living it, during the past few years i am on my way to get a foot into film and theater business. I have not yet reached my goal, but i´m on my way and i can tell you that despite all the downsides i really like it.
When i was a teenager my dream job was to be a programmer, sitting in my little office and code hours for hours. It was completly obvious to me that i would attend an IT college right after army service, and later on i decided to study Software Engineering. During my study i got interested in movies more and more, and after some time i realized that watching movies is not enough for me, i missed something. I started to read books about screenwriting and also started to work on my first screenplay (which by the way i read last week or so and was really shocked how crappy it is…).

Is it too late for that decision?

Besides the “it is never too late” phrase it has to be noted that it gets more complicated the older you are. Your job, experience and also your living circumstances change when you get older, so apparently it gets harder to take a step back (as well financially as your position), but nevertheless, if you are willing to sacrifice some of your earned luxury for a fulfilling job you should take your chance.

You may say that any other person who knew from the beginning that he/she wants to be in movie business deserves an opportunity more than me, well, i don´t know. I think everyone who works hard on it and is desperate to work in that business deserves a chance, and for sure it doesn´t mean that the job would be done better by somone else. Life is constantly changing, and some know from the beginning what their way is, others have to figure it out, but before i drift of to a philosphy discussion i better get back on topic.

My first steps

Right, so i recognized that my way has to change, it was not enough to make movies just as a hobby, i had to take steps in my life into the right direction. The first thing that was clear to me was that i would not study any further after my bachelor, i could have done a master study in about two years, but i knew that such a study wouldn´t bring me any further to my dream, so i finished the bachelor and quit.

I worked as a part time programmer to make some money and got my first few shorts into production. After three years of working that way i felt it was time for another change, just doing shorts was not enough anymore, so i decided to also quit that job and focus fully on my career as filmmaker. I´m presenting these facts as if it has not been a hard decision, but believe me, it was not and still isn´t. I have got job offers where i could have made about 3000€ – 4000€ a month, thats a good salary, i could have a nice life with that.

But could i really? I would have to work at least more than forty years and spend my time with stuff i don´t care about, and if you ask me, thats not worth it, no money on earth is worth spending your life in a hated job where the first thing in the morning is a crappy feeling that you have to get there again, day after day, year after year. Life is just too short and valuable for that…

Well, during the last years i am working on my career, i don´t say that i´ve always done right, you also learn from mistakes you make. I think i have got some experience by now and i can give some tips, but don´t take anything for granted, anyone has different premises and each situation is different, but i think there will be some points that could help.

Another little disclaimer: i am talking about my personal experiences, and i am trying to get into movie business, so probably not everything in this article will be of help in other businesses, but i am trying to bring it down to a common denominator, so my tips might be of value even if you are trying to do something completely different.

So lets get started, my small list of (at least) ten things you should consider if you want to live your dream…
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