Wheelchair Werewolf has been nominated for Best Short Film in this year’s Midwest Independent Film Fest. Please take a moment to visit their site and vote!

VOTE WHEELCHAIR WEREWOLF! BEST SHORT 2009!!!

I’m pleased to announce that our shot film Gazillion Dollar Sausage won the 2009 Chicago 48 Hour Film Fest! We had a blast making it, and thank everyone who gave up their Saturday to help out!

For the challenge, we were assigned:

Genre: Silent Film
Prop: Apple
Line: ‘How much money are we talking about?”
Main character: Louis Grimes, who works for the city.

I’m done with the second draft. Now I’m going to give the script to certain readers for feedback. I’ve kicked around this thing for over a month, and I’m ‘in too deep’. Some fresh outsider perspective, and time off, will be perfect to get me out of my writing doldrums.

Who to give it to and why

Various readers have been confirmed. They will be introduced to you along with their feedback once I get it. When picking your reader(s) there are some important tips I want to hip you to.

Your ideal reader should have all or most of these qualities:

• understands the writing craft
• knows the writing language
• familiar with script formatting
• not in the film (or doesn’t know it yet)
• you respect their work, and therefore, their opinion
• they want to see you do better
• they have the decency to be honest

Top of the list: you’ll want readers who understand the writing craft. Doesn’t need to be a millionaire novelist or cutthroat publicist. Find someone who writes, has written, knows the process of writing, and the importance of readers. Non-writers lacking the understanding of the craft won’t have the insight as to what you need from them.

You’ll need someone who knows the language of writing. Some one familiar with story structure, character, plot development, etc. and can carry on a conversation about it.

They need to be familiar with the formatting of a script. A script is not a book. There is much less detail, it’s dialog heavy and sometimes includes shot instructions. It’s difficult to get into a script the first time you read one, especially for a movie that you haven’t seen. I think the clunky nature of a script formatting could turn a lot of people off.

Don’t use your parents. They love you. That’s great. But what you need now is honesty. Criticism. Loved ones will skew their feedback in an effort to (hopefully) make you feel good. It’s sweet, but won’t help your script. Same goes for your girlfriend/boyfriend/husband/wife/lover.*

Potential actors in the film could work, but only if you have yet to assign them a part. If you give your lead the script to review, most of the notes you get back will have less to do with the story and more to do with what cool shit he/she could also do.

Do not give your draft away expecting praise. Furthermore, when you hand it over, don’t add your neurotic notes:
I know the 2nd act needs work.
The main character isn’t fully developed yet.
I’m going to cut some of the scenes, I promise.

Relax. If these things are a problem, your reader will pick up on it. That’s their job.

Give them a few days. When they finish, engage your reader in a discussion about the script. Bring a tape recorder. Actually, a digital one would be better. Keep the meeting loose. It should feel more like a conversation about the script than an interview. Pay very close attention to what stuck with the reader, and what they didn’t talk about. Good or bad. These readers are like a pre-test audience for your film. Be respectful to their opinion. Don’t take anything personally!

Finally, when it’s over, you get to choose which elements of their notes you will incorporate into your next draft. You don’t have to listen to everything they say, but outside input can be just what you were looking for to make this motherfucker dynamite. That’s right.

Joe

*Steven King uses his wife as his reader, so what the fuck do I know?

The Midwest Independent Film Fest was last night. Futurecop 2010 and Wheelchair Werewolf were on the bill along with Paul Thomas’s Tighty Whiteys and a bunch from Steve Delahoyde. Both incredibly nice and funny guys.

After the shorts, the directors had a little Q&A with the audience. I was asked, of course, how much did it cost? I told them $40 for the wolf mask and the wheelchair was free because I lied to a retirement home in Arlington Hts. and said it was for my grandma. This got a pretty good laugh. And it’s true! A place in my hometown called the Nurse’s Closet will lend you a wheelchair for free to anyone who needs it. Just tell them it’s for your grandma or aunt.
Wheelchairs are perfect for tracking shots, or any shot that will require movement. A desk chair works great too.
There’s your film making tip for the day: Take advantage of the charity of others. Especially the elderly.

Awesome view from the very front row.

View from the director’s Q&A.

Fellow Futurecopper Joe DeJulius

Scatterbrained placed second in last year’s Second City Film festival! We’re even on their web site.

Some jerk named Logan Hall got first… Just kidding! He’s cool.