Predicting The Future: Screenwriting

Welcome to the first ever installment of Predicting The Future. I imagine these posts will be random and sporadic… Like the future!

I had a conversation with my friend about screenwriting. I said, “Remember when people didn’t have the internet or computers to write screenplays? 

I proceeded to think about the time and effort that once went into researching screenplays. I bitch and moan when my internet is running slow or the batteries to my keyboard are low. After that I poured a little out for the trailblazers who used pen to paper or fingers to typewriter. 

A second after that I started to think about the future. There will probably be a future-ish me thinking, “Man, remember when they had computers and had to type everything out to write screenplays?” (Hopefully future-ish me will pour a little out). I got to thinking about how I think screenwriting may evolve, and this is what I got… 

Future screenwriting programs will be able to understand what is being typed, and based off of just the little bit that is typed, an algorithm will kick in and the program will generate thousands of options regarding where a story can go. Meaning, I write my first act and my program will then say: 

“Josh here is the options for the next 10 pages…15 pages…. 30 pages….” 

Essentially the computer becomes the writer in some regards. I imagine there will be different options as to how far this could go. Does the computer generate the entire story? Does it get a sense of how you write and then take over? Does it tell you what is most marketable? Does it tell you what is least obvious? The possibilities are scary.

Also, the other obvious prediction for writing screenplays is eliminating the writing altogether so you’re speaking screenplays. I wonder if this period of time is the last hurrah before “writing” is actually eliminated? The machines are taking over. I just poured a little out. 

Inevitable Wisconsin Reflection.

As I sit in my bed at my mom’s house in Greendale, Wisconsin I realize that I haven’t lived in this state for nearly ten years. I almost can’t comprehend that. Wow, time flies, it really does. People always told me things would go fast, I sort of believed it, but “sort of” is now 100% gone, there is no doubt. The reflection of how fast time moves opens up a waterfall of thought about how I should utilize time, how I should be living life, treating others, treating myself, if I’m living the right way, if I’m happy, and what kind of strides I’m making in my life.

Uh oh, the obvious life-reflection-when-I-come-home moment is in full force. Well, it’s necessary. Sometimes you need to take stock of your life and how you’re growing as a person…or not growing. On the flip, maybe it isn’t normal to reflect as much as I am? Sometimes too much reflection can lead to doubt, for me at least.  The ideal case is that reflection leads to growth, but that isn’t always the case.

The beauty of having a small town like Greendale is that it’s always a reminder of where I’m from. It’s a simple reminder of who I was, and to an even larger extent, how I got to be who I am. I wonder if that’s the case for everyone when they return to their hometown?

The things written above is a stream of thought that I’ve had many times in past. My personal conclusion inevitable. However, now I tell myself to get there faster. I try to avoid the rabbit hole of emotion that comes with reflection. Also, time is flying, life is short, lets just conclude…

Live often, and live fast but do it slowly because life is short. And to echo a mantra that isn’t mine: “seek and find.” 

Sportscenter and Breaking Bad.

I sort of feel brain dead right now. It was a long weekend. Maybe it was because my lady was out of town and I proceeded to eat frozen pizza, drink beer, watch TV, and eat more pizza. Maybe it was because I was anticipating the Breaking Bad finale and felt emotionally drained. Maybe it’s because I’ve been staring at a computer screen all day and my emotions were poltergeisted from me and sucked into my laptop. Or, maybe it’s all of the above. It’s all of the above.

Somewhere in the fog and pizza I managed to come to two very important conclusions this weekend that (I think) have an impact on any human who likes either sports or watching narrative programs. I’m banking on one of these two things appealing to you.

Conclusion 1: I was really trying to avoid being the guy who talks about Breaking Bad. I’m not going to get into how great Breaking Bad is, we already know that, the finale was great. The show was great, it’s storytelling at its finest.  What I am going to get into is how great Breaking Bad was at marketing to its fans. I kind of think it may have been a game changer.

Breaking Bad knew exactly what it was as a show and fed into it. It knew that we as fans loved Heisenberg saying, “Say My Name” or “Tread Lightly” and Pinkman saying, “Bitch.” It was so aware of what it was doing that it didn’t over think itself. But rather, it fed itself, and in turn, fed us. It created hashtags that weren’t generic, and created novelty items (meth lab Lego set).

I don’t think there’s ever been a show of this caliber that played to its strengths in regard to communicating with fans. There was no forcing the Breaking Bad slogans, they saw what was trending and moved with it… Which is a great lesson for just about everything in the entire world.

Conclusion 2: Sportscenter is never not on.

What. The. Fuck. Seriously, Sportscenter is always on. I have Time Warner which has 3 ESPN channels – ESPN, ESPN2, and some 3^rd ESPN station that I literally have no clue about… ESPNews maybe?

I was staring at my cable guide and noticed that as one Sportscenter would end on ESPN it begin on ESPN2 then end and then begin on the 3^rd station - and continue, over and over and over and over. The weird part is, is that these were all different Sportcenters talking about the same thing, sort of, but with different people. Then when a certain time came, ESPN just looped the original Sportcenter!

In my slumped over fat guy weekend mode I searched forward to find out if this was just a weekend thing, it isn’t! ESPN legitimately loops Sportscenter.  This is horrible. I love Sportscenter as much as anyone but this is not right. The main reason being is because Sportscenter now releases so much content they’re talking about non-stories and bullshit that shouldn’t warrant a conversation. I don’t give a flying fuck what LeBron said on Twitter or the Instagram of him and his wife, I don’t need you to tell me, that’s why I have Twitter and a Instagram account.

Sportscenter talked about Dwayne Wade and Kevin Durant’s minor words back and forth like they had a KG / Carmelo exchange.  The ironic part is, having this oversaturation of Sportscenter being there 24.5 hours a day makes me tune out and allows me to appreciate the Internet’s a la carte style along with good writing from sites like Grantland.

Eh, bitter old man talking. Whatever, Breaking Bad was great. I’m off to read about sports. 

LA Lakers: Observations & Predictions

- The Lakers seem like they’re a team that needs a moment where they all are going to have to play scrubs on Venice beach and have an 80’s bonding montage some time during the mid season just to give themselves confidence.

- This is the first time in the history of life that fans know more than the coaches. We all see the inevitable fall of Mike Brown’s questionable offense. He’s somehow made one of the greatest point guards of all time a non-factor.

- This year could be a year that blows up the franchise. Mike Brown will kill Dwight Howard’s thoughts of signing an extension, which will result in him leaving. Brown will get fired. Nash will retire early.

- The Lakers are going to have a players only meeting after their Venice beach fun and say, “fuck it, lets do what we want.”

- Princeton offense is gone.

- Derrick Fisher signs with the Lakers. Where is D. Fish?

- Lakers somehow make it to the NBA finals.

Writers and Online Video: The Merger

I just took a look at my blog and it took me a minute to register that it’s been a few days since I’ve posted anything. Let me take you through my train of thought so you know how I got to where I am right now…

After I realized that it’s been a while since I’ve had a post I digested how time flies and realized that I’m not getting any younger, then stopped thinking about this because this is an entire conversation in itself.

Then-

I asked myself why I haven’t put anything on my blog, what have I been doing? My blog is an extension of me. I feel like I need to post.

Then-

Asked myself why do I feel this way? Is it because I want people to read and look at the things I release? Yes. Truthfully, yes. I have this feeling that if I’m not being proactive in my posting than what’s the point of anyone ever coming back to read or look at what I have to say.

Then-

Asked myself the question I originally avoided: what have I been doing? That’s an easy answer; I’ve been occupying all of my writing time to writing a script I’m working on. I told myself that I wouldn’t work on anything else until I’m at a point where I feel good about my script. I suppose I feel that the Internet can force me to procrastinate more than I’d like. It’s like a magic spell and I’m occasionally too weak to fight it off. The best way to avoid procrastination is to stay away from the Internet.

Then-

I asked myself what else have I not been doing that I typically do? Specifically, I haven’t been working on a new video to post, which I know I should be doing. Side note: for those who don’t know, I also make videos at www.thebigshoe.tv side note 2: Shameless F-ing plug.

Then-

The real deep thought started to take place. I started to think about why I have this need to release content so often. Also, something that a guy said about one of my videos has been lingering in my head. In a video I released I stated that I was a writer and a guy made a sarcastic comment: “Writers are the opposite of kids, to be heard from, not seen.”

Well, let me state something I genuinely feel – this guy was trying to be clever and I could tear this comment to shreds if I was being a nit picky asshole (and stubborn). However, the truth is, the comment got under my skin. I started to think about videos and writing and how I’m currently trying to balance both worlds.

Which brings me to where I am now: Can the writing world and the video world co exist? I say yes. But we should clear a few things up and get them into the open.

A few stigmas are attached to writers – they’re introverts, loners, alcoholics, people who want to pull a Kerouac, and people who want to act as ninjas; silent while their words ripple through the world to make a difference. True? Yes.

Then we have the stigma of people who are on camera creating videos – loud, obnoxious, insecure, want attention, pull a Kerouac while filming it (shameless plug 2), and people who are saying LOOK AT MEEEEE. True? Yes.

You can see how there is a conflict of interest, right? Two different worlds are colliding and I don’t know if people want this, at least, writing purists don’t. Guy who wrote that comment above, he’s a purist.

The reason I think both worlds can exist is because I need them to exist, I’ll make them exist, and that’s the truth. I look at online video as somewhere that people (me) can compliment their writing and boost whatever they’re doing. Online video is an area to breed creativity and get instant feedback. And it’s also a way to stay sane in a writing world where you have to wait days/weeks/months for feedback.

We’ve reached the point where everything co exists and we’re constantly branding ourselves. Any interaction on facebook, twitter, tumblr, blogger, youtube, TV, newspaper… fucking anything, you’re branding yourself. The second you un-tag yourself, change your photo, or update your feed you’ve branded what you want people to think about you.

Of course there are people who don’t care and are actually on a social networking site to stay in touch with relatives but I’d wager that the majority of people are past that level.

The truth is, is that online and analog is crossing over when it comes to writing and video. In a way both can help you in whatever you’re pursuing. In my super perfect world I’d have the freedom to actively create video content while writing screenplays. In just my perfect world I’d be paid to write, and if that meant sacrificing online videos, so be it… but if I occasionally created videos it wouldn’t hurt. Why? It’s branding, that’s why. If a writer creates positive online videos and builds a following how does that hurt what they write?

Some novelists and screenwriters have blogs, some make videos, some are on twitter, some do all, and there is nothing wrong with that. We’re brands now. If you’re not established than what’s the harm?

I’m looking forward to the day (in my case) for video and writing to officially cross over each other and I’m making a successful living off of them. Anyone else who wants to do the same – don’t be afraid to do it, embrace it. That’s what content is all about.

I should probably note that since I sat down to write this I’ve polished off half a bottle of wine, sat in the corner, and have ignored everything my girlfriend has said to me… I’ve gone in writer mode… But it’s for my blog…

Thank God I’ve updated this blog. I needed content.

"Creative Block" ramble

At some point in the last few years I’ve adopted and stuck to the belief that when it comes to decisions there is nothing bigger than the small ones, and there is nothing more impactful than any decision you make. I’ve been trying to grasp how important they are, and for whatever reason a few years ago when I read “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho something clicked. There was a line that stated, “Whenever you make a decision you’re thrust in a different flow of life” (hope I didn’t fuck that up too much). What Paulo was saying is that the decision you make puts you in a stream that takes you somewhere, who knows where, but it’s somewhere. Paulo is right – when you decide something, you are then going to a new area of life.

I should stop now and mention that this kind of writing is typically saved for my personal journal but the truth is I don’t feel like writing by hand, I feel like typing, and this is my blog so screw it… I’m running forward with a little more of an expressive blog. Be prepared for a random stream of consciousness, I’m 197 words in and I don’t know where I’m going with this…

I’m experiencing some sort of creative block and I’m having a problem holding a thought… I’m having a problem making a decision. I’m always told, “writers, write.” So, I’m writing. I’m trying to figure out why I’m so scrambled and wondering if anyone else gets like this and I’m also curious if there really is a thing as “writers block” or a “creative block.”

Logic tells me that you can push through these things, I kind of feel that only the weak minded should settle for anything that’s associated with a “block” and I feel like there are ways around it – change of scenery, music, food, sleep, etc… But is that true, and why am I calling myself weak minded? I feel that writing this is somehow going to help me out and help me focus a bit, I just need a kick-start to my brain.

Getting back to decisions for a minute: Why are they so important? When dealing with myself, my issue at this moment in time is that I cannot make a decision. I cannot settle on exactly what I want to work on and there are many variables going into these lack of decisions. I haven’t really made a proactive decision in 2 days and in turn I ended up doing basically nothing, and I think that’s important because it’s clearly a mirror to something much bigger.

I always think about the small decisions in life and at times I’m obsessed with the origin of situations. When talking to my friends I’m always curious as to how someone got to the point they’re currently at because it’s always interesting to pinpoint those few decisions that made someone enter their specific world. Sometimes it’s scary to think about what would have been had you chose X over Z, but that’s life, and it’s something that I think is a tad bit underrated.

(If you’re still reading - congratulations… I’m almost done… I know this is all confusing but I hope it’s going somewhere… *hope)

The key to decisions is your confidence and if you truly made it. Did you get bullied or peer pressured into deciding something? Are you making a decision based off of social standards? Do you feel unsure of your decision? Someone should never feel unsure of his or her decision… right?

The more I digest all of this, aside from health, I think that decision and direction are the two most important things for anyone. Direction = What you want. Decision = How you’ll get it. Just be specific and confident and the rest will fall in place.

A wise man once said “I shall seek and I shall find” I find this to be incredibly important, those 7 words sum up everything that (I think) people should be about. Seeking and finding what they want… just make the right decisions getting there.

That’s it, no mas, now that I just attempted to ramble myself into working and making a decision I need to concentrate. I hope that somehow I related to at least one person, I would hate to think I’m in this sort of creative blocked journey on my own.

Enjoy whatever the next small decision is that you make… it may be the biggest thing of your life.