I was most pleased to get my royalty statement for my books. CRAFTY TV has sold 11,500 copies. CRAFTY SCREENWRITING has sold 15,500. But what really tickled me is that the deal has gone through for the Chinese rights. Nice to think that there will be a Chinese translation of my first book.
Especially on a day when I got an email from a German publisher contemplating translating my novel!
Showing posts with label Alex. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alex. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
12 Ways to Say I'm Sorry
At last on the small screen, my 2007 short "12 Ways to Say I'm Sorry," in which we examine what Canadians mean by the expression, "I'm sorry."
Guess what it doesn't mean?
Guess what it doesn't mean?
Wednesday, November 09, 2011
Walter's Christmas!
We just saw Le Noël de Walter et Tandoori, a 3D animated kids' movie Lisa and I co-wrote. Weirdly they are releasing it first in French, mais c'est ça le marché Québecois.
Anyway, we loved it! What fun seeing our words turned into goofy moving pictures. Especially the Bollywood number. Catch it ce weekend in theatres in Québec.
Anyway, we loved it! What fun seeing our words turned into goofy moving pictures. Especially the Bollywood number. Catch it ce weekend in theatres in Québec.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Sorry, Tiny
I didn't see this -- my 6 minute short film, 12 WAYS TO SAY I'M SORRY, was on Metacafe in October:
12 Ways to Say I'm Sorry - The most popular videos are here
The picture quality leaves something to be desired. One of these days I have to upload it to YouTube in HQ, but I'm not sure my distribution contract allows that.
12 Ways to Say I'm Sorry - The most popular videos are here
The picture quality leaves something to be desired. One of these days I have to upload it to YouTube in HQ, but I'm not sure my distribution contract allows that.
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Got a Feeling 2010 is Gonna Be A Good Year
It's the week of Christmas parties, so it's perfect that there's a foot of snow scheduled for today. This is the time of year that we trade experiences and realize that, wow, everyone else had a terrible year, too. Which is reassuring. If you're not making your nut in a good year, either you're no good, or no one likes you, or no one knows you exist. If you talk to some of your extremely accomplished friends, all in various corners of the biz, and they made a quarter as much this year as last year, then you're in good company, and it will probably get better next year.
There's been a lot of talk about whether the Canadian networks would manage to sink the last few Cancon requirements and gut Canadian-made TV entirely. (Because why does Canada protect them from US competition, if not so that they can buy as many US series as possible?) It was reassuring to hear that Konrad von Finckenstein, Chairman of the CRTC, thinks the 1999 decision to dilute Cancon requirements (which turned 12 homemade dramas a year into 2) was a "mistake." So I'm feeling reasonably sanguine that there will still be jobs in my local industry next year, and I won't have to move back to LA.
I'm also feeling reasonably sanguine because Lisa and I wrote a pilot for an American cable channel this year, and we have a bunch of projects being pitched to studios right now, one with a Big Name Showrunner attached. Come to think of it, pretty much every TV project I have out there currently has a US component. That's the direction things seem to be going. Which is mostly a good thing, I think.
Next year I'm also hoping to branch out a bit. I'm directing another short, and if all goes well a romantic comedy feature. I'm also hoping to do some more work on videogames. That's fun work, and it lets me use all my sf and fantasy and mythological thoughts that are way out of budget range for any of the TV or feature producers I work with. Of course if one of my series goes, then that's what I'll be doing. It's all about irons in the fire, and keeping the fire stoked.
I hope you survived the year in good shape, and are enjoying your own Christmas parties. (Some of you I'll see you at the WGC party in Toronto tomorrow.) Next year's going to be a good one, God willing.
There's been a lot of talk about whether the Canadian networks would manage to sink the last few Cancon requirements and gut Canadian-made TV entirely. (Because why does Canada protect them from US competition, if not so that they can buy as many US series as possible?) It was reassuring to hear that Konrad von Finckenstein, Chairman of the CRTC, thinks the 1999 decision to dilute Cancon requirements (which turned 12 homemade dramas a year into 2) was a "mistake." So I'm feeling reasonably sanguine that there will still be jobs in my local industry next year, and I won't have to move back to LA.
I'm also feeling reasonably sanguine because Lisa and I wrote a pilot for an American cable channel this year, and we have a bunch of projects being pitched to studios right now, one with a Big Name Showrunner attached. Come to think of it, pretty much every TV project I have out there currently has a US component. That's the direction things seem to be going. Which is mostly a good thing, I think.
Next year I'm also hoping to branch out a bit. I'm directing another short, and if all goes well a romantic comedy feature. I'm also hoping to do some more work on videogames. That's fun work, and it lets me use all my sf and fantasy and mythological thoughts that are way out of budget range for any of the TV or feature producers I work with. Of course if one of my series goes, then that's what I'll be doing. It's all about irons in the fire, and keeping the fire stoked.
I hope you survived the year in good shape, and are enjoying your own Christmas parties. (Some of you I'll see you at the WGC party in Toronto tomorrow.) Next year's going to be a good one, God willing.
Monday, July 13, 2009
In Which I Am Interviewed
Gordon Rogerson was kind enough to interview me for his blog The Greenlight.Com. Check it out!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Toot, Toot
Come shoot your show here.
MONTREAL -- Quebec now offers film producers one of the best tax incentives in North America. All production costs, not just labor expenses, are now eligible for a 25% tax credit.Or, you know, come shoot my show here. Just sayin.
"I think it's extraordinary. It's really big. The phones have started to ring," says Michel Trudel, who co-owns the equipment rental company Locations Michel Trudel with Mel Hoppenheim of Quebec's La Cité du Cineacute;ma studio. "This is what we needed to get the Americans to come again."
The provincial government said Friday it's increasing the tax credit for foreign filming from 25% of labor expenses to 25% of all spending.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Bringing the Darkness
I'm watching the pilot to ZOS, about which I'll blog more in a bit. But there's a scene in it which is so effective, and so dark, I had to stop the DVD and go help my daughter play with her new dollhouse for a bit.
A lot of the best shows on cable seem drawn to the darkness. SOPRANOS, SIX FEET UNDER, THE WIRE, even MAD MEN seem disinclined to give us too much to be hopeful for in life. Even BATTLESTAR GALACTICA treats hope and faith and redemption as a French chef might treat sugar: it has its place, sure, but it's hardly artful to use it in more than a couple of dishes.
I appreciate the attraction to the darkness. But as a writer, you risk losing a big chunk of the audience. You may be able to stomach scenes in which children are killed, but Lisa won't watch shows that do that. A lot of people, including me, put the script down or turn off the television, when we see animals being hurt onscreen.
I guess darkness is like sex or bad language. All are undeniably effective, and attractive to many. But go too far, and they run the risk of throwing some of the audience out of the picture, or the series. I think you have to ask yourself if the darkness is a necessary part of your story, or if you're just doing it because you can. I think Ron Moore felt that he couldn't do justice to a series about humanity being chased by genocidal robots without bringing the darkness; how do you bring the comedy after most of humanity has been A-bombed to death? He was willing for BSG to pay that price.
And, obviously, David Milch felt he couldn't do justice to DEADWOOD without his particular style of poetically obscene dialogue.
But in other shows, the darkness seems to go farther than the story requires. Did DURHAM COUNTY need to be quite so bleak? Was that crucial to the truth of the story Laurie Finstad is telling? I don't know, because I couldn't watch the otherwise excellent series through. Too dark.
ZOS is a show about peacekeepers in former Yugoslavia. It's a tough show about convincing characters in an atrocious situation, and it goes deeper into the darkness than, say, OVER THERE, another strong show which wasn't easy to watch.
When you're trying to do that, it's a tough call. There were atrocities there -- kids getting blown up by mines, rape used as a policy of terrorism, genocide. So how do you avoid showing that? On the other hand, how do you sit and watch that? I find ZOS to be both effective drama, and hard to watch.
Is there a point at which showing the whole truth makes for a less effective drama, because the audience starts tuning it out? I heard the opinion of one concentration camp survivor of SCHINDLER'S LIST: "It was good, but he only showed the nice parts." Spielberg didn't go as dark as he could have. But would the audience have followed him further into the darkness -- both literally, into the movie theater, and also emotionally, once they were sitting in the darkness?
I feel that there's a point at which darkness becomes spectacle, not storytelling. That's the point at which you're showing more darkness than you need to show us the story. There are ways of conveying the truth that are more effective for showing less. Quint's story of the sharks eating the survivors of the USS Indianapolis arguably conveys more of the horror than actually seeing a historical flashback on the screen -- because it doesn't throw you out of the picture.
My personal favorite in both the darkness and sex departments is ROME. ROME was a seriously cruel show, with lots of sex and shocking language. But it was not a bleak show. Almost all of the violent characters were trying their best to do the right thing; I can't think of any violence that didn't have a point to it. And the sex scenes were pretty much all character scenes. Clausewitz called war "a continuation of diplomacy by other means." In ROME, sex is a continuation of dialogue by other means.
My feeling is, show only as much of the darkness as you need to tell the story. Beyond that, you're indulging yourself.
At least, if my pay cable series goes, that's the standard I hope to apply.
UPDATE: To be clear, calling ZoS "hard to watch" isn't to say they've crossed the line into spectacle. I don't think they do. And if you don't find this stuff hard to watch, you're probably not watching with your heart.
A lot of the best shows on cable seem drawn to the darkness. SOPRANOS, SIX FEET UNDER, THE WIRE, even MAD MEN seem disinclined to give us too much to be hopeful for in life. Even BATTLESTAR GALACTICA treats hope and faith and redemption as a French chef might treat sugar: it has its place, sure, but it's hardly artful to use it in more than a couple of dishes.
I appreciate the attraction to the darkness. But as a writer, you risk losing a big chunk of the audience. You may be able to stomach scenes in which children are killed, but Lisa won't watch shows that do that. A lot of people, including me, put the script down or turn off the television, when we see animals being hurt onscreen.
I guess darkness is like sex or bad language. All are undeniably effective, and attractive to many. But go too far, and they run the risk of throwing some of the audience out of the picture, or the series. I think you have to ask yourself if the darkness is a necessary part of your story, or if you're just doing it because you can. I think Ron Moore felt that he couldn't do justice to a series about humanity being chased by genocidal robots without bringing the darkness; how do you bring the comedy after most of humanity has been A-bombed to death? He was willing for BSG to pay that price.
And, obviously, David Milch felt he couldn't do justice to DEADWOOD without his particular style of poetically obscene dialogue.
But in other shows, the darkness seems to go farther than the story requires. Did DURHAM COUNTY need to be quite so bleak? Was that crucial to the truth of the story Laurie Finstad is telling? I don't know, because I couldn't watch the otherwise excellent series through. Too dark.
ZOS is a show about peacekeepers in former Yugoslavia. It's a tough show about convincing characters in an atrocious situation, and it goes deeper into the darkness than, say, OVER THERE, another strong show which wasn't easy to watch.
When you're trying to do that, it's a tough call. There were atrocities there -- kids getting blown up by mines, rape used as a policy of terrorism, genocide. So how do you avoid showing that? On the other hand, how do you sit and watch that? I find ZOS to be both effective drama, and hard to watch.
Is there a point at which showing the whole truth makes for a less effective drama, because the audience starts tuning it out? I heard the opinion of one concentration camp survivor of SCHINDLER'S LIST: "It was good, but he only showed the nice parts." Spielberg didn't go as dark as he could have. But would the audience have followed him further into the darkness -- both literally, into the movie theater, and also emotionally, once they were sitting in the darkness?
I feel that there's a point at which darkness becomes spectacle, not storytelling. That's the point at which you're showing more darkness than you need to show us the story. There are ways of conveying the truth that are more effective for showing less. Quint's story of the sharks eating the survivors of the USS Indianapolis arguably conveys more of the horror than actually seeing a historical flashback on the screen -- because it doesn't throw you out of the picture.
My personal favorite in both the darkness and sex departments is ROME. ROME was a seriously cruel show, with lots of sex and shocking language. But it was not a bleak show. Almost all of the violent characters were trying their best to do the right thing; I can't think of any violence that didn't have a point to it. And the sex scenes were pretty much all character scenes. Clausewitz called war "a continuation of diplomacy by other means." In ROME, sex is a continuation of dialogue by other means.
My feeling is, show only as much of the darkness as you need to tell the story. Beyond that, you're indulging yourself.
At least, if my pay cable series goes, that's the standard I hope to apply.
UPDATE: To be clear, calling ZoS "hard to watch" isn't to say they've crossed the line into spectacle. I don't think they do. And if you don't find this stuff hard to watch, you're probably not watching with your heart.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Alex on the Air
I'm taping a slew of CBC drive time shows this morning, talking about the state of showbiz during the recession.
I'll be on in Corner Brook, Ottawa, Yellowknife, Victoria, Labrador City, Calgary, Kelowna and Quebec City.
By the time we get to Quebec City, I should sound like I know what I'm talking about.
I'll be on in Corner Brook, Ottawa, Yellowknife, Victoria, Labrador City, Calgary, Kelowna and Quebec City.
By the time we get to Quebec City, I should sound like I know what I'm talking about.
Friday, December 05, 2008
Why We Don't Live In New York, For Example
Our loft is in Apartment Therapy.
I'm very proud of Lisa, who has done an amazing job of turning our loft into an Old Hollywood Craftsman bungalow.
Now if we could just figure out where to put the palm tree and the barbecue.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Happy Thanksgiving Y'all
Show business is not full of contented people. Aspiring writers long to be pro writers. Emerging writers yearn to be staff writers, or produced feature writers. Veteran writers wish their show would go. Showrunners wish their show had a better time slot, and that their network executives would just love every script the way it is. When someone kicks over your castle, it's easy to forget to be thankful that they pay you to play in the sandbox in the first place.
Today's a good day to remember all the reasons we're lucky.
I am incredibly thankful that I get paid to write for a living. I have trouble believing sometimes that I am being paid to develop my own metaphysical drama for pay cable. If it actually goes, I, gosh, don't even know what I'll do.
(I'm grateful for my family's love, and all sorts of good things that happened to us this year, but this is not that kind of blog.)
Weirdly, show business turned out to be a safe industry. When I was in school, banking, real estate, and insurance seemed like the safe industries. Wow, I'm glad I went into showbiz! And no one is outsourcing screenwriters to Bangalore. And in a recession, people watch more TV. And there are more and more outlets needing shows. That may mean smaller budgets, but it means more writing.
I hope you all have a terrific Thanksgiving. Don't forget to be thankful for all your blessings!
Today's a good day to remember all the reasons we're lucky.
I am incredibly thankful that I get paid to write for a living. I have trouble believing sometimes that I am being paid to develop my own metaphysical drama for pay cable. If it actually goes, I, gosh, don't even know what I'll do.
(I'm grateful for my family's love, and all sorts of good things that happened to us this year, but this is not that kind of blog.)
Weirdly, show business turned out to be a safe industry. When I was in school, banking, real estate, and insurance seemed like the safe industries. Wow, I'm glad I went into showbiz! And no one is outsourcing screenwriters to Bangalore. And in a recession, people watch more TV. And there are more and more outlets needing shows. That may mean smaller budgets, but it means more writing.
I hope you all have a terrific Thanksgiving. Don't forget to be thankful for all your blessings!
Friday, November 07, 2008
Another Fun Schmooze at Hurley's
If you're in Montreal on Monday, I'm throwing another one of my irregular get-togethers for professionals in the biz. It's at Hurley's starting at 7. We usually have a fun crowd. Come on by and say hi!
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Starships On Fire, Off the Shoulder of Orion
There are some things you only get to do in spec fiction. I have a very, very old character who hails from a certain port city in Egypt once known for its lighthouse. Today I got to write:
Incidentally, my producers tell me we got a lot of interest in my metaphysical drama for pay cable at MIP. So you might actually get to see him say that.
- CHAZ
- I was in the city, you know. When they burned the Great Library.
Incidentally, my producers tell me we got a lot of interest in my metaphysical drama for pay cable at MIP. So you might actually get to see him say that.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Richard Porter Interviews Me at PopCritics
There's some fun behind-the-scenes stuff in Richard Porter's interview with me about my experiences writing CHARLIE JADE in South Africa, at PopCritics. Check it out!
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Aha! SORRY Available On Hulu, Vuze, Moviola
Aha! I just found out that you can see my 6 minute comedy short, TWELVE WAYS TO SAY I'M SORRY, on Hulu.com and Vuze.com.
Hulu seems easier to use -- you have to download a player to use Vuze. However, Hulu won't stream to Canada.
UPDATE: You can now see SORRY on the Moviola.ca site. MUCH easier than Vuze, which requires a pain in the butt installation.
Check it out and let me know what you think!
Hulu seems easier to use -- you have to download a player to use Vuze. However, Hulu won't stream to Canada.
UPDATE: You can now see SORRY on the Moviola.ca site. MUCH easier than Vuze, which requires a pain in the butt installation.
Check it out and let me know what you think!
Air Dates for "Sorry"
My short film, "12 WAYS TO SAY 'I'M SORRY'," will air the following dates and times on Movieola:
July 03, 2008 at 14:06:24
July 05, 2008 at 14:06:24
July 06, 2008 at 08:06:24
July 09, 2008 at 20:47:27
July 10, 2008 at 02:47:27
July 10, 2008 at 08:47:27
July 11, 2008 at 14:47:27
July 12, 2008 at 08:47:27
July 13, 2008 at 14:47:27
July 24, 2008 at 20:47:06
If anyone sees it this way, please let me know how the viewing experience was!
UPDATE: See next post for simpler viewing options.
July 03, 2008 at 14:06:24
July 05, 2008 at 14:06:24
July 06, 2008 at 08:06:24
July 09, 2008 at 20:47:27
July 10, 2008 at 02:47:27
July 10, 2008 at 08:47:27
July 11, 2008 at 14:47:27
July 12, 2008 at 08:47:27
July 13, 2008 at 14:47:27
July 24, 2008 at 20:47:06
If anyone sees it this way, please let me know how the viewing experience was!
UPDATE: See next post for simpler viewing options.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Coming Soon to a Website Near You
My short film TWELVE WAYS TO SAY "I'M SORRY" is now airing from time to time on Movieola.ca.
Apparently the films are being semi-streamed, so you can only watch the short at certain times -- use the search feature on the site to find out when it's on. This strikes me as not the most convenient way to air shorts on the Internet -- it's like a film festival rather than like a library. But you can see it with a bit of effort.
In celebration of Canada Day, Movieola is proud to present 24-hours of Canadian short films! Beginning at 6am on Tuesday July 1st, it’s all-Canuck, all-the-time as we showcase the stunning filmmaking talents of Canada’s best directors. Original, hilarious, heart-breaking and engaging, these short films run the gamut of storytelling from A to Zed.Check them out at Movieola.ca. The other highlights are two films about Alzheimer's and one about "The Saddest Boy in the World." So come prepared to laugh your socks off.
Highlights of the lineup include: [snip]
12 Ways to Say I’m Sorry (Alex Epstein, Canada, 06:06, 2007)
Alex Epstein, co-writer of the award-winning feature film Bon Cop Bad Cop, brings us the story of Will Ferguson (or someone claiming to be him), who introduces you to the twelve meanings of the phrase “I'm Sorry” -- almost none of which express actual regret. July 1st, 8:45pm EST
Apparently the films are being semi-streamed, so you can only watch the short at certain times -- use the search feature on the site to find out when it's on. This strikes me as not the most convenient way to air shorts on the Internet -- it's like a film festival rather than like a library. But you can see it with a bit of effort.
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Whoo Hoo! Charlie Jade on Sci Fi
CHARLIE JADE, the show I worked on in Cape Town, is coming to the Sci Fi Channel beginning this Friday. It is a strange, impressionistic, dark SF series about a detective from a parallel universe who is blasted to our universe by an industrial accident. Complications ensue.
My team came on board beginning with episode 9 ("Betrayal"), but we (Denis McGrath, Sean Carley and I) didn't really hit our writing stride until episode 12 ("Charade"). I'm particularly proud of eps 17 ("Spin") through 20 ("Ourobouros"), where I think we finally delivered on the vision that showrunner Bob Wertheimer was asking us for. Check'em out!
If you don't get Sci Fi, I believe the episodes will be streaming on their site as well.
UPDATE: RA Porter has a nice bit on the show at Popcritics.
Oh, and... Way to go Obama! Oh, Noes, McCain!
My team came on board beginning with episode 9 ("Betrayal"), but we (Denis McGrath, Sean Carley and I) didn't really hit our writing stride until episode 12 ("Charade"). I'm particularly proud of eps 17 ("Spin") through 20 ("Ourobouros"), where I think we finally delivered on the vision that showrunner Bob Wertheimer was asking us for. Check'em out!
If you don't get Sci Fi, I believe the episodes will be streaming on their site as well.
UPDATE: RA Porter has a nice bit on the show at Popcritics.
Oh, and... Way to go Obama! Oh, Noes, McCain!
Saturday, May 10, 2008
I'm Going to Be on KPFK
I'm going to be jabbering away on KPFK 90.7 FM Los Angeles tomorrow, Sunday, from 2-3 PM PST. I'm appearing on SAMM BROWN'S FOR THE RECORD and talking about "The Craft of Film and Television."
I'll be appearing with former movie exec Rob Tobin, who wrote John McTiernan's upcoming CAMEL WARS, and has a bunch of DVD's and books on screenwriting.
If you're out of town, you can listen to the show online at KPFK's site. You can also listen to it on audio archives for the next 90 days.
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