Well, its Wednesday and time for an update on the adventures of Scrubbing Bubble our Geek adrift in Hollywood's dangerous waters seeking fame, the mostly empty cup floating just out of reach on the crest of the next big wave. Staying power is what it takes to stay afloat and grab the grail, that and luck. Let's hope our Hero has enough of both to see him through to the finish, but for now...
THE CRYSTAL SHIP PART THREE
There are three kinds of people in LA.
Male. Female. And WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?!?
Since moving into a hostel off of Hollywood Blvd., Piet and I have seen quite a bit of WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?!?
That's right, a hostel. These are cool places for folks, young folks especially, just arriving in LA. Usually, three to six people share a room for like fifteen bucks a piece a night. Because of the DIABLO thing, Piet and I are doing a little better financially than these people. So we got our own room. It costs us a little over a hundred a piece for a week. The place is a lot like a college dorm. There's lots of kids our age. Most of them aren't from America. Germans, chicks from Brazil, Mexicans. Hostels are melting pots. There's a bar upstairs. You can see the Hollywood sign from our window.
Right around the corner is the coolest Script/Movie Poster shop in the world. The owner tells me that Harry himself has frequented the place with Moriarty in tow. Of course, he also tells me that Benecio Del Toro shops there too. You never know, right?
Father Geek note we were in this place back at the end of November, looking for treasure.
I like the pad. I feel relatively safe here. But there's no phone in the rooms. You have to use a pay phone downstairs. That's enough to set us looking for another place. Luckily, the guy who owns the joint also has another spot down the street. The other one is more like an apartment, with a flat monthly rent, a phone jack, etc. Hopefully, we'll be moving in on Thursday.
Speaking of Thursday, I have a meeting that morning. Nibblebox.com. Cool web site. with neat shorts and cartoons. I e-mailed some pitches to them and went back and forth with one of the gals who works there. She liked my ideas and read SIX MONTHS as a writing sample. Who knows? Maybe I'll get paid for creative writing for the very first time. So keep your fingers crossed for me.
What else?
I spoke with Janna this week. Still no work from Greg Berlanti or Gary Fleder. MTV Films passed on SIX MONTHS. No surprise there. We're still waiting to hear back from the others.
Janna and my agent are both telling me that they need a new script. I work well under pressure and deadlines. Two people telling you to produce works wonders.
I've been toying with an idea for months and it feels like its time to go ahead and write it.
Everyone works differently, but for me I usually write for specific actors. It doesn't matter if they never end up seeing the script. It's just for me to put a face to my characters.
The script is called TIME OF THE SEASON and I'm writing it for a few of my favorite actors. Jeff Bridges, David Duchovny, Andie MacDowell and Sarah Polley. I love actors. I love sitting down and just dreaming up roles that I think they would be fantastic playing. Nothing makes me happier than hanging over my laptop, a cigarette burning in my mouth, my fingers slamming the keys harder than necessary. The dreaming is the best part. Its the part where the movie is already cast. The actors have all signed. They want to make your movie. It doesn't matter that its all in your head. It's real when you're writing it.
First drafts come quickly if I've done my homework. All that means is that I know where I'm going. It's like taking a cab. Would you get in if the driver didn't know where the hell he was taking you or how to get there. I'm going to try and finish a draft in about three weeks. Then I'll spend another week or two revising.
Then what?
Then I send a draft to Janna and one to my agent. I'll also query production companies that I think would be interested in the script. All this can be done over the computer via e-mail.
Then I'll forget about everyone I sent the script to and start working on another one. This way, I don't sit around doing nada while waiting for something to happen.
So our work on DIABLO is almost over. Then it's over to MGM to work on FIREFLIES. This time it will be in a production office for preproduction then I guess we'll jump to the set as PAs once they start shooting.
That's about it for now.
Hollywood Blvd. is fantastic during the day. It's scary as shit at night. I'm talking REALLY scary. Creeps the hell out of me. Freaks run rampant at night. Beware.
I'm on a time crunch this week. Since we have no phone until next week, I'm stuck on a pay-computer downstairs. That means I pop a buck in the machine and I get ten minutes online. Sucks ass, right?
So more next week. I'll tell you about the meeting and some other things.
In the meantime...
Stick a fork in me.
