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sometimes we cant see what's right before our eyes

posted 14 years ago by LTUM
19 replies | jump to latest

im about 30 minutes into this, and paused it to make this post.

first, yes i agree with the other poster, that these three people seem fatefully doomed (in their big dreams, not life itself).

the other thing that screams out at me is that they seem so intent on playing the role of the hurt puppy dog, waiting hopefully for someone else to offer a big break. well, maybe that's the state of the business these days, the lay of the land, but even so, it doesn't help their causes one bit. also, i am forced to wonder what the scripts are like, regarding structure. if the scripts are good, they shouldn't have that much trouble. this doc eerily reminds me of the greenlight series, and the pre-doomed wishes of those writers who gave everything to try to break into the system.

screw the system. rodriguez had the right idea. take the wheel in your own hands.

but i do suspect that these scripts are boring, or else these 3 writers wouldn't have to perform that many machinations just to try to get a phone call with someone of power.

also, the long hair guy (i think his name is joe) seemed so, i dunno, for some reason he bothered me. too feminine and whiney and weak, just like the winpy white guy people make cliches about. the word crybaby comes to mind. i found it ironic that his story is about appalachia, since he seems the furthest thing from a southern male.

and the buddist chick, what's up with showing her doing those chants? i didnt want to see that and it had nothing to do with the writing doc. was that supposed to impress or something? to me it just made her look lame. they shouldn't put her private life on front street like that. if that had been a Christian writer praying at her bed before starting her day, most viewers would likely think 'what?' ....see that is what i mean: they're attention whores, with a lust for praise..... so what i'm saying is, these 3 people are in it for the wrong reason in the first place, which is to get attention from people, to make them feel better about themselves. they need external validation to feel successful, instead of doing it for themselves, for their own edification.

basically i guess i'm saying that the three writers seem boring, so it's likely that their scripts are boring too.

but i like the doc. i like the snippets with desouza and james l brooks.... and the peek into the business, even if it was depressing for the writers. actually it had a sortof foreboding tone overall, kinda like a funeral.

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"Where.... can I put my ash?"

[–] LTUM 14 years ago

more thoughts:

okay, whats up with the pizza? is that all they eat in LA? seemed like a poorly concealed plug.

and why did the cinematographer run the camera down that guy's legs, several times, and hold still on the guy's ankle tattoo? is the cinemaographer gay and had a woodie for that surfer guy? i don't want to see that surfer guy's cheezy ankle tattoo. moreover, i thought ankle tattoos were a girl thing. W T F

more on joe, the illegitimate son of ed begley Jr. .....he's such a woos.

what do these people really want? to be liked? to be loved? to walk down the red carpet? (one of them actually said that)

even if a writer does get to walk the carpet, it's not gonna be llike it is for an actor..... because the spectators won't know who the writer is, likely. just a dude working on the film

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"Where.... can I put my ash?"

[–] filmbuff1974 14 years ago

Good starting post to a new thread. It touched on many areas that need attention. But I'll just comment on this one:

"...the other thing that screams out at me is that they seem so intent on playing the role of the hurt puppy dog, waiting hopefully for someone else to offer a big break. well, maybe that's the state of the business these days, the lay of the land, but even so, it doesn't help their causes one bit. also, i am forced to wonder what the scripts are like, regarding structure. if the scripts are good, they shouldn't have that much trouble. this doc eerily reminds me of the Greenlight series, and the pre-doomed wishes of those writers who gave everything to try to break into the system. "--LTUM

I have the Greenlight series (at least the available seasons. It always astonished me how individuals who surmounted so many hurdles to get into an enviable position would drop the ball with such mediocre efforts. Not everything can be blamed on the "Hollywood system of things". There seemed to be a lot of self sabotage documented in the Greenlight series. But, it's rather easy of me to notice it as a viewer. I'd probably do just as bad despite myself.

But getting to this particular documentary and the three writers featured in it. Yeah, I think they probably were not good writers and thought that just by presenting a completed product (the screenplay), everything would just take care of itself. Hollywood does NOT work that way and you don't have to be an "insider" to know this.

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[–] LTUM 14 years ago

how did you get greenlight? and, is it vhs or dvd?

i would like to know where i can buy this

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"Where.... can I put my ash?"

[–] LTUM 14 years ago

okay, now the director is also focusing ed begley III's feet, too. what the hay? this definitely has some odd undertones.

i do not wanna see film footage of dudes' bare feet. YUCK

another hollywood gene pool echo moment: the surfer guy looks like the professor from gilligan's island. LMAO (the real series, not the film)

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"Where.... can I put my ash?"

[–] LTUM 14 years ago

the interviews with the writers are excellent. the whole disc is worth seeing this 30 minute segment

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"Where.... can I put my ash?"

[–] Renaldo Matlin 12 years ago

The OP wrote "but i do suspect that these scripts are boring, or else these 3 writers wouldn't have to perform that many machinations just to try to get a phone call with someone of power."

Assuming this without having read their scripts? Also one of the people sold and had one of his scripts produced during the documentary. The end result is "Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon", which has been hailed as one of the more original and refreshing horror movies in a long time. It was still a low budget film (starring people like Robert Englund), but despite this it has garnered quite a following among horror fans so I'm gonna bet this is largely thanks to a good screenplay.

Also, if you think a script has to be boring for the writers being forced to "perform that many machinations just to try to get a phone call with someone of power", then you come off as ignorant on the entire reality of trying to make it in Hollywood. There are tens of thousands of aspiring screenwriters in America alone. Only a small percentage of them ever get in serious contact with "someone of power", and out of those an even smaller part end up selling their scripts. Out of those again, only a few scripts end up being produced. So the fact one of the participants in this movie made it all the way to a finished film is incredible.

The subject of aspiring screenwriters is one filled with so many weird and tough survival stories, that I was somewhat disappointed with this documentary. As a screenwriter myself I found the end result a bit boring. One of the many reasons for this could be how the three subjects of the documentary are perceived on the screen, but mainly this again is the result of the director/filmmaker not doing a good enough job. It's an okay film, and should be seen by all aspiring screenwriters, but the subject deserved something even better.

And as far as the pizza-remark goes and the weird notion that the filmmakers are trying to plug some pizza delivery place: welcome to the media world. If you're not a millionaire producer sitting in a big studio board room, pizza is like the #1 choice food for any meeting and gathering. If I had a dollar everytime I've had pizza in the office of a tv station, in the home of a filmmaker etc, I'd be a millionaire by now. Why? Because you can't go wrong with pizza, everybody likes it and most importantly, it's cheap!

The best documentary on this subject is still "Tales from the Script" (2009).

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] Renaldo Matlin 12 years ago

The fact that one of the scripts made it all the way into becoming a film, and among horror fans a successful one at that, destroys your claim that "the scripts must have been pretty bad." Clearly one of them wasn't "pretty bad". I have read a handful of good screenplays that was never sold, for different reasons. The main reason being that it's not a film *HOLLYWOOD* is interested in making, as Hollywood seem to concentrate 99 percent of its energy on "genre movies". And in recent years it has gotten far worse, now the big studios seem to just focus on remakes or updates of old tv shows, comic books, sequels or prequels. It's tragic to watch.

This is why I think two of the participants in this documentary should have tried to target producers outside Hollywood/California. Am I saying their scripts were great? No. But you can't say that ALL these scripts were pretty bad when one of them made it into a finished film so popular that a prequel/sequel (sigh) is in the works.

The only one who seemed to "get it" was the guy who wrote a horror-film, and not surprisingly he is the only one who got to see it realized on the big screen with horror stars like Robert Englund appearing in it. Unlike the Ed Begley-weirdo and the crying Buddhist he understood that Horror SELLS.

P.S. If you want to read one of the earlier drafts of BEHIND THE MASK it is available online in the Horror Screenplay Archive.

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] archyteckie08 12 years ago

The problem with "getting a break in Hollywood" is that it is not reliant on talent at all. Let's face it. The biggest grossing movies aren't the ones that are high on technical achievement. The general public, bless their hearts, just want to be entertained. Being so, does it really matter if the movie has anything beyond a decent screenplay, competent director, or likable actors? So why go through the hassle of finding the best when all you need is someone who is decent.

Since talent doesn't matter than how does Hollywood decide who to hire? They hire their friends, friends of friends, or those endorsed by a huge Hollywood player. This is why the most successful in Hollywood tend to be the ones with the most social intelligence, charisma, born to a well connected person, or at least lucky enough to be a friend of a friend to a movie exec. Being an extremely talented person is a plus but not really necessary to make it. This is where all these documentaries on Hollywood fail to show. They focus more on socially awkward people who believe its all about the script, the look, or the vision. When its really all about being charismatic and competent.

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] 12 years ago

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[–] LTUM 11 years ago

tales from the script is much better, if you havent seen it

"rage to exist..." http://tinyurl.com/c9ush3z

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] LTUM 11 years ago

yeah i do. do you mean, on the film biz?

"cutting edge: the magic of movie editing" is very good

"american movie" is a must see. funny and thought provoking

"overnight" is about troy duffy's rise and fall, and will glue you to your seat

"cinematographer style" and "visions of light" are both about camerawork

the series "decade under the influence" is really good, but it was a ten hour series in IFC. i do recommend it, but it's long

whatever you do, please avoid "we the screenwriter" lol .....that one has great writers and great comments but it's shot and edited in a way that makes it unwatchable. i got it because shane black is featured in it, then i never got halfway through because the shakycam and editing just suck.

i assume you wanted titles on films? if you are interested in docs in GENERAL let me know, i have a whole list. :)

"rage to exist..." http://tinyurl.com/c9ush3z

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] LTUM 11 years ago

yes i do make my own films, but so far not professionally. PM me for more information

"rage to exist..." http://tinyurl.com/c9ush3z

[–] LTUM 11 years ago

here's my full list of docs i endorse.

http://www.imdb.com/list/hcaKCPF0320/

bear in mind these are ones which speak to me, personally. there are some acclaimed one i did NOT add to my list, because they (for some reason) hit me as flat or boring. (like... dreams on spec? lmao)

been good talking to you. please let's stay in touch, if you want to

"rage to exist..." http://tinyurl.com/c9ush3z

[–] LTUM 11 years ago

PS if you caught tales on netflix, you missed the extras. on the dvd there are extras which are very good also. (FYI) :)

"rage to exist..." http://tinyurl.com/c9ush3z