PitchFest by Text, Day 3

(I’m on Twitter and Facebook, but not from my phone. So instead, to tell the tale of my L.A. adventure, I have here assembled the texts I sent to my sister and friends during the weekend of the PitchFest.)

“Hi, I’m David, and I’m here to tell you a ghost story.”

My opening line came to me about two minutes before my first pitch. You’d think I’d have had that scripted out a long time before. It wasn’t that I was unprepared, but sometimes the stress of the moment produces unexpected inspiration.

Over one-hundred companies had come to the Great American PitchFest this year. Representatives from agents, managers, and studios big and small filled the ballroom at the Marriott Burbank Hotel and Convention Center, each with a big printed number standing over their table. Outside the ballroom, some 500 writers stood in line behind their chosen numbers, waiting their turn to pitch their stories.

 

PitchFest by Text, Day 2

(I’m on Twitter and Facebook, but not from my phone. So instead, to tell the tale of my L.A. adventure, I have here assembled the texts I sent to my sister and friends during the weekend of the PitchFest.)

June 26, 1:10am

from: Brynne

I set my alarm for 7:45 so we can leave a little after 8 to be there a little before 9. See you in the morning.

Brynne was clever enough to text me while I was asleep so that I’d get her message once I woke up. Fortunately, she’d guessed right about the time, so by 8 o’clock or so, she and Richard and I were in the car headed for Burbank. This time we got to see another cool landmark—the tunnel they used in Who Framed Roger Rabbit as the entrance to Toon Town.

No cheery animated critters greeted our passage, though, so we continued on to Burbank.

Today was the day I’d meet a couple of my screenwriting mentors, Pilar Alessandra and Karl Iglesias. I’d ponied up an extra fee to take their Master Classes, and was looking forward to them almost more than the PitchFest itself.

 

PitchFest by Text, Day 1

(I’m on Twitter and Facebook, but not from my phone. So instead, to tell the tale of my L.A. adventure, I have here assembled the texts I sent to my sister and friends during the weekend of the PitchFest.)

June 25, 12:10am

to: Johanna

I definitely name-dropped Darrin already. I’ll have to throw in that I was an intern. I’m screwed on the microbrew.

I never sleep the night before I travel. Even if everything’s packed, I’m usually all wound up. In this case, I was still binding copies of my writing samples, and wondering if I was going to spend the weekend in L.A. homeless.

I’d lost contact with my friend Brynne and wasn’t sure if she knew I was coming. While my roommate Adam generously donated his points to get me a hotel room for Saturday and Sunday, I had, as of the night before my departure, no place to stay for Friday night.

Johanna, my friend and former fellow intern from my church, was helping me track down a sister church in L.A. that might be able to help. She was mocking my lack of taste for beer, since microbrews and other trendy stuff are popular amongst the guys in our church network (called Acts 29).

Mentioning Darrin, our pastor, seemed like a good idea, but if I didn’t smoke cigars and enjoy Death Cab For Cutie, I could be in trouble (check out fellow WordPress blog Stuff Reformers Like for more on that inside joke).

12:16am

from: Johanna

Then ur Xianity may b n question ;) Or maybe just ur Acts29-ity. Hope u find a great host and good luck pitching the s.p.!

 

A Bump in the Road Home

(I know, you’re not supposed to have your cell phone on during takeoff. But this shot of our wing, with the Marriott Hotel where the Pitch Fest took place, was worth it.)

After an exhilarating, exhausting weekend at the Pitch Fest, I was eager to get home, hang out around the backyard fire pit, and regal my friends with tales of my L.A. adventures.

It was a huge challenge getting to and around L.A this weekend. I had no idea it was going to be even harder getting back to St. Louis.

 

Weekend News: Working Hiatus

If you didn’t notice by the lack of Randomness and News, I’m taking a bit of a break from the blog. The PitchFest is less than two weeks away, and I want to be sure to have my script in solid form before I go. So all my writing time is going to that.

I did watch The Princess Bride this weekend, and it was even better than I’d remembered from the past, and I’d love to write about it as soon as I’m back. With all the remakes, reboots, re-imaginings, and revived sequels going around these days, I think my generation is going through a massive bout of nostalgia. Looking back at a classic like Bride would make for good reflection on that topic.

And then there’s Toy Story 3 coming out soon! Gotta see that. Winter’s Bone, too, was released in New York and L.A. this past weekend, and I need to check for when it’s released nationwide. The Creative Screenwriting podcast interview with director Debra Granik from the Kansas City FilmFest just came out, and I’m holding myself back from listening to it until I see the film.

So, plenty of movies to talk about when I get back, plus a full report from the PitchFest!

(BTW, if anyone knows anybody in L.A. who lives near the Marriott Burbank Hotel and wouldn’t mind a friendly stranger crashing on their couch for the weekend of June 25-28th, drop me a line.)

original image © Gina Smith – Fotolia.com

 

Weekend News: End of An Hair-a

Me and My Pigtail Buddy Nicole at work

I postponed my usual Friday News post to wait until after I got my hair cut yesterday.

On Friday, I wore my hair in pigtails, because…well, I could. It was my last full day with long hair, and I thought it would be fun. Strangely, very few people aside from my co-workers commented on it, but perhaps the fact that I noticed this means I just wanted attention (I am blogging, after all).

On Saturday, in the middle of a packed day that included digging a ditch in my friend’s backyard, attending a promising job interview/workshop, celebrating my niece’s 2nd birthday, closing the cafe for the night, and playing Wii Bowling with my co-workers afterwards, I got my hair cut.

I gotta thank Mel, my hairstylist for the day, and Shawna and David, at Studio Altius, the masterminds behind the event—especially David, who took my picture afterward. I don’t have exact numbers, but when I left, they’d collected about 13 feet of hair for Locks of Love. From my head they pulled four ponytails of 11″ each. My baby sister Chrissy even got into the act (I don’t have her picture here, but she looks great).

My new Short-Haired Headshot over here to the right is a picture of a picture, until I buy the digital negative, but I bought a nice print-out for my folks to hang in their hallway and replace the shot of me in my Tony Stark Halloween costume.

Meanwhile…I bought my pass to the Great American Pitch Fest! I’m Bronze Level, which was all I could afford, but I threw in a couple of classes, too—one with Pilar Alessandra and one with Karl Iglesias. I still have to buy my plane tickets—that happens tomorrow after I get my tips from work—and find a place to crash for that weekend (anyone reading this in L.A. who lives near the Marriott Burbank Hotel?).

But other than that, I’m all spiffed up and ready to go.

Oh yeah, gotta finish that rewrite (I’m over halfway, and feeling good about it)!

Catch you tomorrow with thoughts on the movie Legion.

Yes, Legion.

 

Special Edition: Laura Goes to the Kansas City FilmFest

In this Special Edition of the StroogieBlog, I talk to my twin sister, aspiring actress Laura Strugar-Smith, in Kansas City, and get her report on the Kansas City FilmFest 2010.

How are you doing this morning, twin sis?

I’m good, twin brother, how are you?

I’m doing well.  I got some sleep.  Did you?

Um, about six hours.

Oh, good for you, I think that was about an hour more than I did.  I hope we had good reasons to be up that late.

Very good reasons.  I was schmoozing.

Schmoozing is good.  So, the Kansas City Film Festival started Wednesday, correct?  Wednesday the 14th?

Correct.  April 14th, and it goes thru tomorrow, Sunday, April 18th.

How did you get connected with the FilmFest?

I’m part of a local film group, the Independent Filmmakers’ Coalition of Kansas City—the IFC-KC.  A couple of the board members of the FilmFest regularly go to the IFC, so they kept us up to date.

Very cool.  So did you have any duties at the FilmFest?