Is Summer already Over?

I feel like the summer is moving pretty fast, what do you think?

Summer Lovin': The Screenwriting Classes part 1

My summer classes are coming to a close. It's been fun but really intense, especially in my "The Plot Thickens" Class.

In this class, we had to take our finished scripts from last year and try to "sell" them to the market. We created a query letter, developed a pitch and on Monday we will actually pitch our movies to real agents.

But the big scare was this past Wednesday. Me and other student had to go through a board meeting. This is when production companies take a script apart to see if it's interesting, watchable and marketable. Everyone in the room talks about characters, plot, story and theme.

The guy before me didn't have it so good. His script was good, but the story just didn't come together. And by the end of the discussion, everyone (except me) passed on the movie. My teacher, who owns a production company, said he would pass on it as well.

Then came my script for Shadow Boy. I was nervous, because for 30 minutes I couldn't say anything. I had to listen to all of their views and opinions. In a nutshell, they liked it. However, the straight guys wouldn't see it (gay characters) but the girl and my teacher would. My teacher said it would be a tough sell to major companies, but it could possibly be the next big thing.

He asked me if its a gay movie or a movie with gay characters. I said it's both, leaning more towards a movie with gay characters. None of them are stereotypical (no Glee gays). In fact, the guys in the class didn't realized they were gay until 20 pages in.

I also got notes from the class for Shadow Boy, here are some examples:

The concept behind SHADOW BOY is its greatest strength. Franchises such as TWILIGHT have capitalized on the intersection of the love story with the supernatural thriller, but Victor takes the genre mash-up in a new direction by featuring an extremely unique protagonist—a comic book-obsessed, gay male living in the South—who must also confront magical forces set against him. By telling the story of a unique protagonist in a more or less common setup, SHADOW BOY combines a number of conflicts—social, political, moral—in new ways.

SHADOW BOY is a compelling story with a great combination of primal and supernatural elements (survival and love with powers and shadows). A re-write to enhance the format, the characters (and their specific arcs) and the last act would reinforce this unique concept.

I felt pretty good about my review. My teacher thought of my movie as a popcorn film that could draw multiple crowds. I think I could pull the Glee/Twilight/TrueBlood crowd. Perhaps a panel at Comic Con? 

Anywho, I was happy that I wasn't a "pass". Maybe I can do this writing after all.

What will be my TV Pilot idea for Class?

I'm signing up for summer classes in the Cinema School and I'm freaking out. In one course, I will have to create a pilot for a TV series. I'm trying to get stared now, but I'm lost.

I have a lot thoughts, characters and ideas, however I can't decide what to focus on. Here are some of my ideas so far:

• After a failed attempt to set his school on fire, a gay teen is forced to go to an alternative school. Turns out it is an all Gay High School.
•  A Gay Guy's final year in college proves to be full of drama as his love life, secret past and post-college plans collide.
• After her kids are grown and our their own, a mother starts the second leg of her life.
• A Former Circuit boy decides to change his life by taking his Grandmother's old house and turning it into a foster home for LGBT youth.
• A man's boyfriend was murdered by a cult. His lost turns into rage and begins seeking revenge on this group. But on his journey, he learns that his bf was into something far more dark and deadly than he could ever imagine.

Oh this is hard, y'all. What do think? Are these ideas too crazy? Silly? Let me know.

USC Cinema Summer Program part 2

I'm in the USC Cinema School again this summer. I'm taking Advanced Screenwriting with David Balkan, who is great BTW.

In this course, we are working on a full feature script. I'm using my idea for Shadow Boy, a gay supernatural movie. We have already created a synopsis for our movies and now we are working on our script outlines. And since I know what I want to do for a movie, the outline is coming along. I hope to have my movie in great shape by the end of the course. And maybe... I'll share it with y'all.

There's only 6 of us in the class, but I like the intimacy and creativity of the group. I think we will we turn out great scripts.

So wish me luck, I hope to pull an "A" or at "B" in this course.

See District 9!

Finally, we got another SAM, A Smart Action Movie.

District 9 was a great Sci-Fi movie that really made sense. It wasn't stupid or filled with cheesy one liners, it was a smartly written and produced film.

I will be very, very vague about the plot. The story follows Wikus Van De Merwe, a mid-level manager in the alien affairs office, as he learns the truth about the aliens and the failures of our own humanity. Yes, I know, very vague.

Please see this movie! It is so good, one of the best this summer.