#1 Reason Why People Fail In Hollywood

#1 Reason Why People Fail In Hollywood

#1 Reason Why People Fail In Hollywood

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Stage 32 Staff - Julie

Stage 32 Staff - Julie

Director, Screenwriter, Editor

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4 Comments on Stage 32's Article

Brian Shell
Author, Musician, Screenwriter, Director, Editor
BTW RB, does that red t-shit you're wearing in all these video interviews have "Coors" emblazoned on it? Just a bit of curiosity killing this Detroit alley cat on a fine Friday here near Ann Arbor. Cheers!
10 years ago
Richard RB Botto
Actor, Producer, Screenwriter, Voice Artist
Quite the story, Bri!
10 years ago
Brian Shell
Author, Musician, Screenwriter, Director, Editor
Thanks RB. I got on that set by walking past the Santa Monica vehicle holding lot almost every night and chatting with the night guard about my first screenplay that I really, really wanted to get to DreamWorks (and ALMOST FAMOUS was a DreamWorks project). When those conversations happened, the film was still named "Untitled.". At the time, I was homeless and would often sleep in the area since my storage bin (on Olympic Blvd) was nearby... as was the gym where I'd take showers and wash up... so at first, the guard was leery. But when I told him why I was so interested, he realized I wasn't a threat and didn't want to steal one of the cool classic cars or one of the film's two identical tour buses they had... but that I had a great movie script concept that (I felt) Spielberg would love (supernatural), that Geffen could get the soundtrack for (I made the cool soundtrack before I finished the first draft), and that Katzenberg needed at the time in 1999 (since its concept could tentpole a studio with sequels). So he referred me to the costume people a few buildings away, and they got me on the film set as an extra since my hair was still very long (at the time). Since I wanted John Toll to be my cinematographer for my supernatural script, it was cool speaking with him on the ALMOST FAMOUS set (since he was DP there). Since the night of the 2nd best date of my life, I watched JERRY MAGUIRE and cried my eyes out (and that 1997 date)... and then related that story to Cameron Crowe on the ALMOST FAMOUS set, I thought I was a sure thing to get my supernatural suspense drama script noticed by DreamWorks. No such luck back then... and a few months later, I'd find myself back in Detroit... disillusioned and almost out of hope. For what it's worth, I felt like all those interactions inspired the title of the flick... an inside joke to me... and my megalomania on the set... where I felt like telling them all "Don't you know who I am!?!" (incredulously) at the time... since I had such a great script in my backpocket while on the set... that none of them really knew about or believed. Also, since I'm a drummer who was practicing with my drumsticks and air-guitaring all day on set in the off moments, I felt like the drummer's line when the band's airplane was in the storm... might have been an F.U. to me showing off in front of the actors what (I felt) a real musician really looks like... hoping to get a bigger role than just as an extra... and hoping to get attention to get a meeting with DreamWorks for my tentpole supernatural script All these years later, I now say, "Oh well... water under da bridge." As at the time, I was really just another wannabe troll under that bridge... eh, paisan?
10 years ago
Preston Poulter
Screenwriter, Producer
I friend of mine is leaving LA next week for good. If he had worked harder on making connections and learning his chosen craft, then it might have been different.
10 years ago
Richard RB Botto
Actor, Producer, Screenwriter, Voice Artist
Oh man...Hate seeing that happen to a screenwriter. A slave to the so-called Screenwriting Bible books. Your last line should be chiseled in stone.
10 years ago
Preston Poulter
Screenwriter, Producer
@Richard Yes. And he really made himself a slave to these imaginary "things you can't do" in a screenplay. My script would have lines conveying tone or, sometimes, explaining a historical tidbit behind why something had to be a certain way in a script and he would always view it negatively. "It's unfilmable!" Well, yes and no. But I would explain to him that I at times would insert lines I knew to be unfilmable it it conveyed tone or answered some common reader question that would otherwise nag at them, make them think I hadn't done my homework, or take them out of the story. That is, of course, a stylistic decision on my part, but it seemed to reveal more about his mindset of all the things that could not be done because... I feel it's hard to create the more you put yourself in a box.
10 years ago
Jorge J Prieto
Actor, Screenwriter
Excellent advice. Great analogy, ten years a lot has changed. You're right there nothing like breaking out of this fourth wall, called internet and having that face to face interaction. Thanks for taking the time, RB.
10 years ago
Richard RB Botto
Actor, Producer, Screenwriter, Voice Artist
Changes, seemingly, by the day, Jorge. Those who embrace and adapt will succeed. Thanks for watching and commenting, my friend.
10 years ago
Another excellent clip Thank you Lauren
10 years ago
Richard RB Botto
Actor, Producer, Screenwriter, Voice Artist
Thanks for the note and the support, Lauren!
10 years ago
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