Take a Hold of Your Destiny

You gotta take hold of your destiny. Family members and friends may look down at you for wanting to pursue your passion. Instead of convincing them to see why your purpose matters, just go silent and start doing some work. They don’t need to know what you are working on.

Mostly all stores and restaurants close early. The pandemic changed business practices, where even fast food restaurants are only operating their drive-thru to minimize customer contact. We can complain nonstop of not having a creative space to partake in screenwriting. I’m done getting angry about what is not working in my life.

I’ve been disappointed with my lack of support. It’s obvious the people in my circle have zero interest in giving me feedback and showing support for what makes me happy. The worst part is that I can barely get on my computer to focus on one particular screenplay. When you are requested to do other things, this disrupts your work flow.

No matter what I have done to give so much to everyone, I can’t receive a fraction of this effort in return. I finally just let go…

I’m committing myself to engage in screenwriting. If we wait for a better time, freedom, creative space or an ideal financial situation, we will never finish anything. Our dream will never come true in this lifetime. Unless you have DP, editing, animation or sound design to contribute to projects, you will be sitting on the sidelines without a script, samples and previous works.

Nobody cares what ideas you have in your mind. The story must be written in a screenplay, formatted and structured to demonstrate your understanding of screenwriting. As much as you communicate in Facebook forums, or talk with everyone you encounter about your dream, you will not move forward unless you take a hold of your destiny yourself.

People don’t care if you can’t pay your bills. They don’t care what degrees you have earned, even if you attended prestigious film schools such as UCLA, USC or NYU. They don’t care if you accomplish your dreams.

If you believe you have plenty of support to live your dream, then you are one of the rare screenwriters. Ask yourself how many people ask about your projects? Do they give you feedback? Are they offering a helping hand without you sharing your projects?

Truth is, people barely ask how you are doing without you contacting them first. It is not up to other people to show support, it is up to you to do the work. Forget celebrating the highlights and getting validation from strangers. Throw that meaningless attention away in the trash. Temporary acknowledgment will sink your production and shift your attention to receive compliments.

I decided to take my screenwriting into my car. Nobody will disrupt my research and writing there. I can listen to any music I choose. Moreover, I won’t be requested to do something else. Screenwriting is already a difficult craft, so the people who contribute the least and critiquing/criticizing/judging the most must be pushed aside.

If you don’t take the serious steps to create, you may as well just quit today. Your frustration and anger will eventually turn into cynicism, negativity and regret. Save yourself future pain and suffering; make immediate adjustments in your daily routines/habits to improve your future outlook.

My luxury SUV is super comfortable. I have plenty of space to stretch out. It is about time that I finally committed myself to do what I am destined to do. There are no excuses! I won’t fake it to make it. While attending college, I completed so many screenplays and didn’t have to seek permission from anyone. When people see me down and out, they enjoy taking jabs at my dream to remind me of past mistakes and bad decisions.

I don’t need my dream to be happy. It is what I choose to do because I am confident in my storytelling abilities. I’ve held a few writing jobs that made me good money. However, I haven’t fully applied all my skills, experience and education to finish a passion project. After reaching the cross-roads once again, and dealing with the inner desire to keep creating, I am now being proactive to just do it.

Commitment is everything! Starting anything is taking a step in the right direction. Don’t worry about perfection, just release your profound stories. You’ll have plenty of time to revise your screenplay. Develop a system that is effective for you. Stop regretting the past, overthinking about the future that hasn’t happened yet. Follow your life purpose and start screenwriting right now!

Happy Screenwriting!

Feature Films Shot on the iPhone

Smartphones have now integrated 4K resolution into their video technology. Since the introduction of the first iPhone on June 29, 2007, only two feature films were shot on the iPhone with a FilmicPro app in 4K. Unfortunately, there are no other attempts to make a Hollywood feature film entirely on an iPhone. 

A wide range of film cameras are available to shoot Hollywood movies. The cost to purchase and/or rent any of these high-end cameras can cut deep into your film budget. Whether pride is involved, or studio reputation is at stake, the iPhone is rarely considered an alternative to making feature films. 

Only two Hollywood feature films were shot on iPhone cameras. Sean Baker's Tangerine (2015) and Steven Soderbergh's Unsane (2018) are feature films shot on iPhones. Tangerine's production budget cost $100,000 and generated $702,354 in the US box office and $828,874 (US & worldwide combined). On a $1.5 million production budget, Unsane unleashed a crazy $14,293,601 in the worldwide box office (including US box office) and $7,732,899 in the US box office. 

Do you want to be innovative? Expand your creativity? Take a risk to shoot your next feature film on an iPhone. Don't be afraid to be different because you will never know the outcome until you try something new. Your dream can come true shooting a feature film on an iPhone.

Happy Screenwriting!  

Cobra Kai Season 3 Premiere on January 1, 2021

Netflix's Cobra Kai Season 3 premiered on January 1, 2021. Episode 1 revisited Season 2, Episode 10: The school fight that rocked the Valley. Miguel Diaz still remains in a coma after Robby Keene kicked him off the second floor, causing Cobra Kai's star pupil to sustain a terrible neck injury accompanied with paralysis. Robby is on the run following his direct role in causing Miguel's tragic injury. With their differences and past grudges still intact, Daniel and Johnny go on a mission to locate the troubled teenager on the run before the police find him first. 

Samantha now struggles with PTSD after the controversial school fight that rocked the Valley. Flashbacks of John Kreese's Vietnam tour clearly convey his motivation to start Cobra Kai. John's desire to punish his enemies through showing no mercy is explained in its entirety. Daniel returns back to Tomi Village in Okinawa, the site of The Karate Kid II, to reclaim his lost focus and rekindle past relationships. Season 3 features many unique surprises, further delving into the mysteries pitting the past up against the present.   

Cobra Kai is an extremely well written series that instantly grabbed my attention upon my first initial viewing: I binge-watched Season 1 and Season 2 on Netflix. This former YouTube series has done a great job integrating "The Karate Kid" films into its storyline. There are many personal growth teachings that teach us to evolve, such as the wisdom Miyagi ingrained into Daniel's mind, body and soul. 

There is newfound empathy to understand Johnny Lawrence's character; we see his broken childhood and how karate gave him guidance. The fallout of losing the All-Valley Karate tournament kept Johnny living in the past. His inability to come to terms with the 80's restricts his character arc. Despite protecting his tough guy image, letting his defense down actually helps him become a humble character with moral values.  

Daniel adopted identical character traits that made Johnny unlikeable in The Karate Kid. Clashing with Johnny created conflict in his posh life. His wife reminded him to return back to the man she first met.  For the most part, Daniel's love for karate reconnected him with valuable life lessons. He self-reflects on Mr. Miyagi's teachings, focusing on karate as defense and focus. Concentrating on Miyagi's passion-first advice is what keeps Daniel living a rich life full of blessings. Nevertheless, karate represents Daniel's true calling to make a difference in his community. Perhaps karate is the main reason Daniel is who he is today; it serves as the foundation to his personal, family and business life. 

Binge watching Cobra Kai Season 3 gave me a nostalgic experience: These empowering episodes reconnected me with my childhood. My brothers and I would do karate after watching The Karate Kid movies! Whenever I feel disappointed, I remember the carefree times where I lived in the moment. Living in the moment keeps me in the present, reminding me to not take life so seriously. Life is too short to waste time on regrets, resentments, grudges and failures. We must learn to appreciate who we are, the life we lived and what we can become with hard work, effort and passion. If you want your dream, you are all the support you need. 

Until Cobra Kai Season 4 arrives, stay safe and healthy. Most importantly, keep writing the stories you want to see at the movies. Do it for yourself, not for attention, money and popularity. 

Happy Screenwriting! 

  

Establish Emotional Connection With Characters

Writing creative stories can stimulate our minds to feel a dopamine rush--the high level of excitement capable of multiplying our interest tenfold. For example, people who are addicted to social media undergo an adrenaline rush whenever likes and comments arrive after posts and captions are uploaded. They measure their self-worth based on acceptance, attention and positive encouragement. In contrast, sharing the truth is somehow viewed as negative criticism aimed at hurting other people. Honest people fail to establish emotional connections, so being reserved and concealing the truth will make someone a mystery.  

Mostly all followers leave positive compliments and overpraise page owners to stroke egos and attract attention. Sadly, some of these people become desperate, needy and clingy to feel self-important. They want their online friends and/or crushes to consider them as someone special, someone important, someone worthwhile. Just think about the real motivation behind people giving so much of their attention to strangers and what they expect in return. Believe it or not; there is usually a big want attached to compliments, attention and praises.  

What mostly gets lost is learning the truth. We may keep repeating the same actions to waste time, ruin opportunities, make excuses and self-sabotage following mistakes. Overly kind people may hurt our chances to grow our dream. We must hear the truth to make something better. Expecting positive feedback will keep us in the dark and block our personal growth. What we felt comfortable doing before is now an afterthought. We can learn life lessons to stop acting weak-minded, out of control and out of touch. injecting real life emotions into our movie characters can/will create strong connections among the reader(s) and moviegoer(s). Establishing emotional connections humanize characters to strengthen bonds.        

Nevertheless, our purpose in life and dreams are shaped with time and effort. If we take the right steps, we should be confident taking risks and making sacrifices. We must always remember that we control our own luck. Activating our creativity will help us  find solace telling compelling stories with powerful themes. If we create conflicting characters that resemble real life situations, people will feel emotionally connected because the subject matter hits close to home. As a result of this, humanizing characters uncover truths that inject originality into our screenplays. 

Watch end-of-the-world movies and pay close attention to character development. Writers begin with conflict, influence characters to respond and resolve their problems in the end. In the Knowing movie, Nicholas Cage's character loses his wife in a hotel fire. He refuses to believe in God but a chain of events reveal the truth. Opening his mind and heart to see past coincidences as random events renews his trust. 

Delve further into building an emotional structure that humanizes your characters. The closer the connection, the better the reception. 

Happy Screenwriting! 

Patience and Perseverance

Thousands of aspiring screenwriters dream of writing the next hot script that is made into a popular movie. There are film industry players and prolific screenwriters who have already taken this journey numerous times. Nevertheless, thousands of writers spend countless hours in screenwriting forums chatting about their current/past stories, popular films they like, creative ideas that excite them, and famous screenwriters they admire. They are motivated to make industry connections, form new friendships and build meaningful relationships. Hundreds of Instagram page owners post content sharing personal script projects, screenwriting contests, potential story ideas and script pages to their personal screenplays. True screenwriters hold passion for creating compelling stories. Patience and perseverance hold the key to making your screenwriting dream a lucrative career.

If we wish our screenplay will eventually be optioned, we are putting our dream on a pedestal. Making Hollywood appear unattainable is giving the film industry way too much credit for our future happiness. It is possible to write a good screenplay capable of winning screenwriting competitions.

Your script can move past gatekeepers to get optioned. Your script can be made into a Netflix movie. Your script can become a blockbuster movie. Visualize what you want and apply yourself to go get it. 

We must believe in our creative adventures. Don't worry about what people think. You are not selfish for desiring to live your dream. If you put forth the effort, you deserve to live a better life.  

Writers have many goals in sight. Looking in the rearview mirror can/will block progress. Discipline, time management and passion will keep your screenwriting dream moving forward. We must keep writing pages, research what studios want/need, listen to podcasts featuring successful screenwriters, study great screenwriters, learn about the business of movies and build our stories into profound movies. When I mention scripts, I mean we must complete several scripts to increase our chances in getting noticed. 

One script can connect us with the right people who want to view our writing portfolio. It's possible this individual, that studio or those group of people may not have interest in optioning our only script. However, our writing talents may attract the attention of industry-connected people. They may ask us what other projects we have stored in our script arsenal. Don't sell yourself short by investing your entire farm into only one script idea, unless you are confident in this story to sacrifice everything.  

This is where your patience and perseverance come into play. No matter what obstacles and challenges stand in your way, you must be confident in your creation(s). Pet projects usually create intense excitement because these stories hit close to home. These projects hold a deeper meaning-- they fulfill our inner desires. They can go back to our childhood, where we enjoyed watching science fiction movies such as E.T. and Star Wars. Emotional connections can take us down memory lane. 

The most powerful filmmakers in Hollywood had to wait their turn. Christopher Nolan directed Memento, Insomnia, Batman Begins, The Prestige and The Dark Knight to earn his chance at making Inception. The Dark Knight Rises, Interstellar, Dunkirk and Tenet followed Inception. Given Nolan's track record, he is one of most successful directors working in Hollywood.  

Good things happen to those who are patient is a flawed saying. It should be good things happen to those who work hard while being patient for opportunities. Staying confident to continue working on your script project(s) hold(s) immense power over your dreams and goals.    

Most of the time, we must prove our value before we take a stab at prized projects. For the most part, we will likely have to pay our dues working on projects with no creative value. Reality television is a perfect example of aspiring filmmakers going to film school and accepting high paying jobs working on uncreative ventures to climb up that industry ladder. Never judge professional work that rewards you with valuable experience. If you get paid to perform your talents, you are moving in the right direction.

Many writers get stuck listening to what writing books tell them to write. They follow Save The Cat, Kate Wright's sequences, A Hero With A Thousand Faces, Story and other books that instruct writers what must happen at what time with careful attention to the author's thoughts and theories. Following this approach turns a screenplay into a cliched piece of unoriginal work. Even though our scripts are fictional pieces of work, we have no obligation to mimic past screenplays. 

The human condition and emotions connect the audience with characters who may have similar traits that resemble theirs. How do people behave in a pre-apocalyptic world? What will people do to protect a secret? What fears block them? What regrets do they have? What is stopping them from talking to their true love? End of the world movies convey real actions of real life people. 

Truth is, we waste too much time living in the past instead of planning for our future. We don't do enough to live our dream. We need constant attention to feel self-worth. We focus on what other people are doing. We stay on the sidelines, being afraid of looking bad in front of people who we don't know. We postpone making decisions to avoid rejection. We obsess over small things that have no impact on the bigger picture.

We let years pass us by without responding to what we want. We allow true love to slip away. We don't take personal responsibility. We blame other peole for our mistakes. We don't show we care about our dream to be taken seriously. We need people to validate us. We envy others for living the dream we think we are better at doing but do nothing to make it happen. We are to blame for our own life. Nobody is responsible for our failures. The moment we can accept personal responsibility, there will be hope for us to achieve greatness. 

If you don’t give your dream any attention, you are guaranteed to fail what you want most in this life. 

Happy Screenwriting! 

        

Do The Work And Stop Listening to Others

Successful screenwriters write daily, read scripts and watch movies. There is always room to learn something new. Most of the time we don't know the entire story ahead of new script projects. Therefore, we must perform research to fill in the pieces that turn our story into a completed puzzle.

Embrace the screenwriting process. Be proud that you are a storyteller. It is a gift to make worlds come to life with words. Imagining your creative ideas going from script to screen is an amazing dream.

Never complain about living a dream. Writing movies is a gift we should celebrate daily. Do the work: Don't allow others to discourage you from living your dream.

Happy Screenwriting!

Lack of Effort To Build Dreams: Faking It And Never Making It

Some people are quick to share their dreams with perfect strangers. They are not afraid to reveal that they want to become a Hollywood actor, a director, a producer, a screenwriter, a singer, a YouTube star and an Instagram influencer. They can trick their audience into believing they are living the dream life. For some unknown reason, they enjoy getting high off of attention. They feed off of daily compliments to feel happy. They rely on daily engagement to boost their moods. Truth is, some creative artists rarely invest the right amount of effort to live their dreams.

Making excuses, constant complaining, excessive whining, self-doubting, overthinking, self-pitying, obsessing on insecurities, exposing vulnerabilities, lacking confidence, suffering with self-esteem, being self-destructive, self-sabotaging, fixating on problems and failing to confront unresolved issues get far more play time than investing time and energy into living dreams. Getting attention to feel valuable replaces hard work and discipline.

Accomplishing a realistic dream is highly possible... Unfortunately, some people are more excited about receiving attention than making a real difference in this world. They want to be told they are pretty and or handsome. They need people to validate their self worth. They desire success to love who they are in this life. So many dreams are lost to wasting time on social media, day-in, day-out.

Recurring failures somehow disrupt the small steps that grow dreams. Some people rarely take personal responsibility to admit fault after making mistakes: People automatically think their value, identity and worth are put into question. They need reassurance to know they matter.

Confidence is everything. If we focus on the competition, we will get jealous and envy others. Negative emotions can prevent people from living a positive life.

What if we just focus on what resources we need to pursue our dream? We may actually live our dream...

Actors and actresses should consider exercising their acting muscles. Taking acting classes, rehearsing scenes, making acting reels, acting in short films and volunteering for script table readings are positive actions to increase exposure. Having supreme confidence as a movie performer is pulling from the past to collaborate with the future. Do the work behind the scenes to build your acting career.

Directors can watch famous Hollywood directors reveal their tricks of the trade on Master Class. They can practice making storyboards, interpret screenplays and study past films. They can perform assembly actions to rearrange scenes and retell stories. Furthermore, they can work with actors to prepare for future directing jobs.  

Writers can read screenplays, write action-based stories, master dialogue, inject their stories with real life experiences, listen to podcasts, read blogs, write short scripts, work as an uncredited paid writer and collaborate with other writers to receive real feedback and perform script coverage. Writing every day is not enough to become a great writer. There are many steps to evolve as a writer. Conflict and resolution are critical components to write profound screenplays.

Learning the truth is extremely important. However, people are too weak minded to accept the truth. They get offended, feel judged, claim their boundaries are being crossed and even accuse others of controlling them. These people attack the people who care about them. They embrace people who give them fake attention.

As we see on social media, there are toxic people lurking around to shame others. They criticize people who do not fall align with their thoughts and beliefs. The same people return to leave fake compliments and praises. Meanwhile, the page owners are dealing with internal pain that is left untreated. Wasting time on social media is the single biggest factor that will stall dreams. If we want to impress people, we will become obsessed with posting content, making stories, producing likes and receiving comments.

Honing your draft relies on giving effort. Staying disciplined can keep us on the right track to grow our dreams. Doing things that we love to do will make us happy. Infusing our projects with what we know best will retain our focus. We can control our effort to build our dreams...

Happy Screenwriting!

Applying Talent To Get Work Done

Screenwriting is a craft we can develop. If you remember the saying, practice makes perfect, you will recognize that becoming better at what we love to do can improve our lifestyle. Good habits deliver consistent results. Rewarding effort motivates us to spend time on projects, jobs and tasks.

Applying our writing talent to make a difference is the first step to push our screenwriting forward. We need to be writing, writing, writing! Withholding our talents/gifts for financial gain can/will influence our passion. Spending countless hours on social media to discuss screenwriting delays production.

The fear to finish a script is connected to uncomfortable change. People who lack confidence worry about criticism. They feel unworthy without attention. They stress out watching other people get ahead. Sometimes, these people just need someone to complain to so they don't feel alone--even worthless. Insecurities can block us from climbing up that tall mountain. Overthinking is full of self-doubts that delay our production and stall progress.

What talented artists forget is that they possess what many people lack: A gift. People who are not as talented must work harder to make an impact. For some ungodly reason, talented artists are uninspired to apply their gifts. There is a big reason people never accomplish their dreams. They have unresolved issues originating from childhood that manifest into mental disorders. If left untreated, these internal problems put these people in inferior roles. They accept poor treatment because they believe it is deserved. Their sense of worth is extremely low. Nevertheless, they believe people look down on them.

No matter how much time we spend to help someone succeed, they can keep coming back with the same exact problems. They never apply what we teach them. They self-sabotage daily. They follow a self-destructive path. They put themselves down. Working hard to confront internal challenges will help us overcome setbacks.

How to gain a competitive advantage:

• Apply yourself to increase luck. 
• Work hard to get your work out there. 
• Stay humble to avoid overvaluing your worth. 
• Be patient. 
• Balance is everything.

Happy screenwriting!

Be Committed To Your Screenwriting/Film/Life Dream

"Life will only change when you become more committed to your dreams than to your comfort zone" -Filmtrepreneur Podcast with Alex Ferrari.

Dreams will not manifest out of thin air. Wanting to accomplish a dream without taking serious actions to move forward is basically living in a fantasy. We should never get rewarded for complaining about successful people. Positive people walking the walk deserve credit for investing their energy, effort and time into advancing their dreams. Instead of envying, we should practice respecting.

Envy is dangerous. If we resent what other people earn, we will believe we are entitled to get what we believe we deserve. Judging people for getting ahead can make us cynical. This is a major problem that resides deep down in our core. Jealously is such a negative emotion that creates so much hatred. Blaming other people for what we're not doing will turn us into negative people. Don't live your life having regrets. It is no one's fault that your dream sits on ice.

We must change the way we think to make progress. Allowing comfort to become a mainstay in our daily lives can sink everything. Placing comfort on a pedestal is a dream buster. Complacency is a confidence killer. The moment we fail, we will fall apart. Given this widespread problem, we have to shift our focus away from comfortability to boost our confidence.

Knowing our true identity can unlock everything. Why do we do what we do? Do we have passion? What makes us wake up in the morning? What do we want to accomplish in this life? What will we do to get there? Are we making progress? Is this dream a good fit for us?

Truth is, time is definitely not on our side. Time does not care to wait for us. The world will move ahead without us. If we empower our time, we can transform this life into something truly amazing.

Waking up every day with a purpose to make a true difference in this world can give us a competitive edge. Our heart must be into our dream. Passion and drive must remain constant. Maintaining discipline, determination, resilience, consistency, integrity, persistence and patience will move us closer to our dream life. Committing our time and energy to fuel our dream will put comfort to rest.

Happy screenwriting!

The End. Closure in Your Script

The end of anything good is never fun. Reaching the end of something bad can give us great relief. Sometimes we are not ready to leave our past just yet. We need extra time to heal our hearts and minds: Closure. If you are a screenwriter, “The End” represents a powerful moment to celebrate.

“The End” of many ends... Draft after draft... Sleepless nights.... Many creative thoughts... Lack of support... Criticism... Eventually, there is an end to your screenplay. Screenwriters ponder on that last moment to finish their screenplays. The ending is so important because it can leave an everlasting impression on viewers.

How will you end your masterpiece? What is a good movie ending? Cliffhanger? Happy ending? Sad ending? Bittersweet ending? Redemption ending? The ending is the resolution that ties your story together.

The Third Act should be impactful. Reward the audience. Make “The End” count. The Green Mile has a tearjerking ending. We remember emotional movies that touch our souls.

Spend extra time on the ending. Think of clever ways to close your script. However you choose to end your screenplay, just know “The End” can make or break your story.

The End.

Happy Screenwriting! 

Write What You Already Know

It is no secret that writing about what you know will increase your excitement to create. Many people assume they have a story to tell, so they try to become that person who will convince writers their lives can make a fortune. When writers ask them to help with the writing process, they say they don't have time. What these people really want is to ride the wave of success without doing any work. Write what you know, not what others want you to do.

We don't have any time to waste. 

Reflect back to all the moments you could have completed screenplays. I'm sure there are many lost opportunities. The past is a common psychological tool that prevents us from living life with peace and happiness. Talking about screenwriting as if we are already working writers in Hollywood will make us appear as faking it until we make it. Don't be one of these people in real life. Writing about someone who is fake in public to protect their true identity in their private life is a good story. Sharing your personal experiences with these fake people, which I have had many in my past, will bring life to your screenwriting to create a compelling screenplay.

Just imagine every situation your dream has created in your life.

Write about the life you lived over the dream you want. Without your dream, you would be living a different life. Maybe this normal life will give you a less stressful lifestyle. However, you would never know what it's like to accomplish a dream. The trap of viewing success as easy instead of understanding the hardship it takes is something to consider in your future scripts.

What events happened along the way? Did you laugh? Get sad? Get angry? Did you lose love? There are so many events in your life that can make good storytelling. We don't have to write these events as is. We all know that true life stories are modified for creative impact.

Get creative with your life stories.

We don't have to write our screenplays as real life experiences. We should use our life as inspiration to create fictional character who maneuver through our life. Teach people important lessons that you learned about your life.

Instead of looking at negative outcomes, focus on what you learned to grow into a better human being.

Tell people about your life. What are you about? Who are you as a screenwriter? What type of stories do you like to tell? What is your message to the world? Write these stories. Share your creative energy. If you learn something new about yourself after writing a script, you did your job perfectly right. Make screenwriting a transformation process. Writing what you already know will light a flame that can help your creativity burn brighter.

Please share your screenwriting experiences in the comment section below. 

Happy screenwriting!

Be specialized in a genre to get Hollywood work

Being that specialized screenwriter is better than being a screenwriter who has written a script for every genre. Jumping around genre-to-genre is unimpressive. Instead of being known as that horror, thriller, comedy and/or science fiction, which your manager can market you as that screenwriter to land you paid jobs, you will fall into the "spread yourself way too thin" category to lose good opportunities.

Becoming specialized in a particular genre or sub-genre can give you a creative edge. Whenever movie studios need a screenwriter for comedy movies, and you are great at writing these type of movies, your manager can pitch your specialized skill to attract these paid assignments.

Keep in mind: Movie studios do need writers to revise other writer's screenplays to make these stories work better. If you are that writer, you may be considered to revise a completed comedy, thriller, horror and/or science fiction screenplay.

Losing focus doing your main passion can happen, especially if you concentrate on being good at everything. Labeling yourself a jack-of-all-trades and a master of none can delay your screenwriting goals. Truth is, we should view screenwriting as a goal. Never allow the fear of living your dream to hold you back.

Discipline yourself to be specialized as a genre writer. Visit FilmSite.org to view a list of genres and sub-genres. Watch my Vlog on spreading yourself too thin to find out more information about spreading yourself too thin. Please like and subscribe to Positive Life.

And remember, write the raw pages to flush out your creativity. Happy writing!

Focus on yourself to grow your screenwriting career

Screenwriting is all about you. You represent the one person who can make a screenplay really good. 

Focus on yourself. Grow as a writer. Find your writing voice. Notice your value. Don't be desperate. Don't chase unless this is happening in your script. 

Be confident to write and pitch. Know your characters, plot and theme. Compare your script to past projects.

If we focus on all aspects of filmmaking, we will be better equipped to navigate through the film industry. Focusing on helping others to get what you want can take away valuable time from your dream. 

Guiding people to find success is a good thing; however, there are some people with immoral intentions to take advantage. When their dream becomes more important than yours, you will delay your success. 

Don't lose time and energy on the wrong people. Protect your dream. Nobody will love your dream as much as you love it.  

Prepare yourself to be more than just a screenwriter. Screenwriters should think like producers. 

Remember to write the raw pages to flush out your creativity. 

Sylvester Stallone quotes that are powerful

Sylvester Stallone was interviewed by People for his Rocky Balboa movie in 2006. This sixth Rocky movie challenged Stallone, as the writer he created major obstacles to challenge Rocky to reach deep inside his heart to continue on. Under distress, this historical character had a greater purpose to get back into the ring again.

As the screenwriter, director and main character, Stallone has always had a huge hand in Rocky's journey. One major event took place in this movie to change this protagonist's direction.

Watch this Rocky Balboa movie and see what event inspires Rocky to box.

Sylvester Stallone answered several questions on screenwriting. Two quotes, one about writing and another reflecting on the passing of the torch, sums up screenwriting and Hollywood.

The following two quotes from Sylvester Stallone's 2006 People interview are available below:

 "I can never understand those people who spend two years trying to get the perfect script one time out. That's not writing, that's waiting."
"You reach that crossroads and society basically has deemed you passé. You've had your chance; now they expect you to just move aside for the next generation. "

Many Hollywood stars face the "passing of time" obstacle. When is a good time to quit? How can perfection affect writing? In the screenwriting world, writers age to perfection. However, movie actors and actresses who age encounter an uphill battle to stay relevant.

Staying on top and falling to the bottom have an adverse impact on Hollywood performers. In order to be relevant, movie stars must sacrifice their private lives and accept constant criticism at the expense of their mental health. When reaching the bottom, the perils of surviving the industry continue to wane until movie roles evaporate like a dry well.

Screenwriters must keep reinventing their writing. They can't rely on time to be kind. A screenwriter may write a hit in 2014 and lose their luster in 2018. It can happen that fast.

Focus on mastering several genres, even the smallest of genres. Consider writing a few original scripts, so when Hollywood requests original ideas, you will be ready to engage.

Keep writing and be passionate.

Source: People
  

Producer Gavin Polone writer's quote

Producer Gavin Polone has done it all in Hollywood. He is also different from most Hollywood bigwigs; he is the Hollywood worker's choice - the freethinker who is not afraid to speak his mind.

Gavin shared one quote in a tell-all interview about his reasoning and thought-process in the movie world. In this interview on Creative Screenwriting, Gavin doesn't hold back. He suggests that Hollywood needs more originality and that Marvel is leading most current movies (lets say revenue is the driving force).

As a screenwriting now ready to return back to the dream road, I took Gavin's quote about screenwriters to heart and this statement makes many screenwriters out there smile.

Gavin Polone quote: "You have to start with the script, so the writer is inherently the most important person in the process" (CreativeScreenwriting). Read this short, but great article covering Hollywood producer Gavin Polone.

There's actually a voice out there that cares about screenwriters and their uber creations. 5 stars Gavin Polone for representing screenwriters and television writers. You're right, writers convey the essence of movies.

Source: Creative Screenwriting

What genres do you master?

GENRES

Movie genres that attract the most box office business are action, science fiction, horror, comedy, adventure and war movies. Sub-genres of horror and comic book movies are highly popular among moviegoers. Hollywood banks on kids movies because this entertainment translates into large ticket sales. Typically, parents attend movie showings along with their children. Unfortunately, original movies are not as relevant as they once were in the past few decades. What genres do you master as a screenwriter?

People may ask screenwriters what type of movies they enjoy writing. Therefore, answering this question and knowing the types of genres you write best can make a name for yourself. Movie fans can identify you as a horror writer, or as a sci-fi adventure writer. 

Horror movies such as The Conjuring, Insidious Chapter II, The Purge, The Sixth Sense, The Possession all have something in common; these movies entertain our greatest fears. People love to watch scary movies that put them on edge. It is those jump scares that set off chills during these unexpected and terrifying moments. The high rush of getting scared packs movie theaters on opening night. The funnest experience is going to watch horror movies on a Friday night where teenagers provide secondary screams to amp up this chill fest. 

Horror movies cost less money to make and return a nice profit on this small investment. Screenwriters can break into the movie business by writing a good horror script. Science fiction horror movies are even better to write and produce because there is already a built-in fan base. Combining the two major genres together may attract fans from these two groups. 

Marvel has a huge grasp on the comic book movie business. They own the rights to most of their comic books and many characters within them, but there are characters (Marvel sold the rights to some of them) that other movie studios own. The Walt Disney Company is the parent company to Marvel Studios. However, Sony Entertainment owns the rights to Spiderman and Warner Bros. has creative control over Batman. Screenwriters not affiliated with these studios and don't have a hand in these comic books are cautioned to not write such movies. 

Spiderman is possibly the most lucrative Marvel character ever. It is this comic book character who spawned a billion dollar movie empire, worldwide. 20th Century Fox owns their fair share of comic book rights. They can make any movies on Wolverine, Fantastic Four,  and the X-Men. Iron Man has taken in massive box office business, where three movies earned nearly $1 billion in domestic ticket sales. 

Screenwriters and directors can write their own comic book. Director James Wan recently got optioned for his graphic novel, Malignant Man, which Fox now owns and can make a movie on this character. During the beginning of his Hollywood adventure, James probably never expected to be directing Fast and Furious movies or two two horror movies that went on to open at $40+ million in their opening weekends in the same year. 

Great screenwriters are in high demand. Hollywood needs more awesome scripts to make into profitable movies. Think commercial first, and then write creative later. 

What genres do you master? Are you a comedy writer like Tina Fey? A horror writer like Leigh Whannell? Science fiction writer? Crime movies? Pick your genre or genres and master them.

Visit AMC's FilmSite to view a list of genres here