The Hungry Hungry Writer

How appropriate that Dale, Nhat and I are working on a horror script.

I’m not really spooked by the whole Friday the 13th lore, but I have to admit it crosses my mind. Knowing its Friday the 13th triggers an ‘oh shit’ feeling and as that feeling comes along it goes away.

The other night I was spooked though. Dale was dropping me off at home after a long development meeting on said horror script and he told me a story that freaked me out. He was asleep in his car ‘guarding’ our equipment truck during the filming of “TAG” when a pickup truck drove up behind with their lights off. He was frozen, leaning back in his chair, and he just watched them through the rear view mirror. He doesn’t know why they left, maybe they saw him, but they just looked at each other, then backed down the driveway and went away. This was in the middle of the night – maybe 3AM.

So I’m a little spooked by the whole thing – he really made the story freaky – I was like, can you watch me till I get to my door? - NO, I didn’t say that but I thought it! So I moved to my front door faster than normal so that he’d still be on the street while I got in my house safely. Whew.

Then I get in bed and see this shadow move across my bedroom window. I have NEVER noticed that shadow – ever! I figured it was the tree right by the window. And sure enough, it was.

There’s a light that illuminates from the neighbor’s back yard. It then casts shadows on my window. EVERY NIGHT. But for some reason, on this night, the wind was calmly blowing the tree branches and it literally would look like someone quickly moving past my bedroom window.

And yeah, I was satisfied after I looked outside BUT… as I lay there in bed it happened again. And I HAD TO CHECK ONE MORE TIME!

That’s how freaked out I was. Just to make sure. Just to make sure that I didn’t miss something. My fear was that I’d look again and sure enough, there’d be someone there - his face pressed against the window, watching me and saying, “I’M GOING TO KILL YOU GLENN!!!!”

I made sure the curtains were covering the window completely so nobody could see in.

I watched the window for a while and it happened every so often and I just got chills so I turned on the TV and fell asleep with the TV on.

Freaky.

Anyway, what’s your favorite horror movie? I don’t really have one that stands out but I do consider “Requiem for a Dream” a horror film and yeah, that could be my favorite. But on the lines of ‘true’ horror, “The Ring” is my favorite I guess. Talk about sending chills up my spine. I can’t even watch it again. The first time was the best.

So Dale, Nhat and I have developed a horror/thriller story. I’ve written 10 pages of the script and we have a solid story that I could probably finish the script in a week. Dale has researched pitching, loglines and synopsis and is obsessed by it - thank god someone in our team is! I forgot everything I’ve learned about pitching. I even took a class on pitching. I hate pitching! Dale reminded me of everything I forgot so listening to Dale was like a refresher course. I hate loglines and synopsis’. They just don’t tell the story, give enough character and more importantly, ‘my voice’ that can be found on the page. At least I can’t seem to make write them so they do. Its something I have to work on more. BUT… I love to write – scripts and freeform – and that’s what I do best. Now I have to write a treatment. Nhat has been working hard on story and character – and together the three of us make an awesome team.

Here’s our final logline: “Roamers is a horror/thriller about five friends bound by a tragic past who reunite on a remote tropical island. Things turn deadly as their past comes back to haunt them. They band together to fight for their lives and escape a vicious and merciless killer.”

Yeah so?

We used it in our pitch for a big time producer. Followed by a line, “In the vain of I Know What You Did Last Summer with touches of the surfing movie Blue Crush and the Television Show Lost”. Then with visual aides we showed the weapon and some awesome boogie boarding pictures.

The producer, who, by the way, seems like a really great guy was receptive, full of great stories and ideas and a positive attitude. It was a pitch meeting just like any book says its like. We wait, we meet, the producer gets several calls, he leaves us for a few minutes, we continue and there’s that awkward moment of what happens next. We expected a, “Keep on writing” or “It’s not what we’re looking for right now” or something like that.

Well, a writers agreement is being drafted as we shook on a deal.

It was more of Nhat’s charm and ‘our team’ that was sold and the story was “interesting”.

He told us about taking risks on people. He told us about people letting him down but sometimes its a success story. He told us not to let him down and we all spoke up - WE WON’T!

So yeah, we basically agreed on a deal.

Nice.

We celebrated with Thai food in Hollywood, a few pictures by the waitress to remember the moment, and then we all probably settled down from our high and got on with our lives. I did - with an attempt of sleep.

Next week - more hard work - a beat sheet and a 10 page Treatment.

Now, how do you write a beat sheet again? And yep, just like pitches, loglines and synopsis… I hate treatments!

Life as a writer. Hopefully though, I won’t be Hungry Hungry… just “Hungry”.