Anything Goes

My last producer call I mentioned one comedy show I created called Pawn To The Stars where human looking ETs run a pawn shop and take Earth “junk” to various ET traders .. he said “write that” .. it’s a kind of reboot of 3rd Rock … and Lithgow could do a reprise … the end of every episode is a dark backyard, the garage in back, a flash of light … as our characters head out with a fresh load of old lawn mowers (human agricultural equipment), tools, small appliances…

Because this lounge says "anything goes"... I felt compelled to share.

I got feedback today on a pitch I submitted, and honestly it wasn’t helpful at all. It left me feeling like maybe my pitch came across weaker than it really is. The show is about a washed-up Hollywood star who can’t get hired anymore and ends up taking a job at the post office.

But the note I got was basically: “Either make a show about a has-been star, or make a show about the post office.”

Which is frustrating, because the whole creativity of the concept is the collision of those two worlds. It feels like Hollywood has lost the imagination it used to have — the ability to see how a weird, unexpected combination can actually be the engine of a great series.

Or maybe I'm just another delusional writer seeing a dream only I can see.

Got that out of my system -- thank you. With regards to the ghost poster -- maybe he goes around posting hate comments on people. Like "you suck"... or "you're gay". Feels empowered since he's not doing it in real life -- but masked behind his online identity. Till one day he gets a knock on the door...

David Kane man, I empathize with you so much. I have felt so similarly so many times. And the pieces of art that really move to me are sometimes the more unusual pieces by an artist. On the other hand, I am trying to understand what draws a Producer in. That 'Hook'. My favorite art is music and has been since I was 6 years old. I have understood 'the hook' reference since I was a dumb kid and it dawned on me after about 5 months of trying to get interest in my project that my vision works well for me but not nearly as well for most. However, there is a story I am wanting to tell that does also have a hook, I just have to massage it in a way that satisfies me artistically and also meets a commerce objective. It can actually be fun to think of how creative I can get to make that balance successful.

‘But the note I got was basically: “Either make a show about a has-been star, or make a show about the post office.”’

This

https://open.substack.com/pub/alexlemay/p/how-hollywood-drove-itself-to-...

Hello Tom Schaefer,

I’m a new author in the UK, enjoying my new venture after I retired from work early. I joined this platform just a week ago, having had surprising success with my first novel. Still finding my way around the site - and pleased with myself that I managed to pitch a script for TV to an executive today. (Didn’t use ‘Logline’ for a heading, as I’m unfamiliar with this term - oh well). I have emailed the Success Team several times and been inundated with replies and marketing. It’s all very impressive, but I’m far from wealthy, and it concerns me that everything I need to do costs more money. Having committed to a TV pitch today, I now worry that I will be stranded and unable to progress, due to costs. I see there are ways of funding if needed, but I’m uncomfortable with this.

Just wanted to touch base as a newbie - and hope that my books can progress to a TV drama series. Wish me luck

Beverly

Tom Schaefer "Secondly no real contributions to read unless we pay." There are a lot of members like me who've had success on here by using the free resources.

"No real mentoring because you’re all afraid of something - probably the fear that if someone else gets good information, they’re gonna get a sale so why contribute to this group if it contributes to someone else making a sale I see people hiding in fear looking for tidbits of information but nothing’s really coming through unless you pay. " The Stage 32 Team and members teach, help, and support others all the time on here.

"People seem afraid to post on this site which seems to have lot of industry people here …. Seems callous to pitch struggling artists with fees from gatekeepers at every turn." The main purpose of the Pitch Sessions is to get feedback to improve your pitch, but sometimes the executives, managers, etc. will request scripts, sign writers, etc. (www.stage32.com/scriptservices/success-stories).

I read your comments on other posts. They're negative. No one wants to work with someone who's constantly negative. I suggest networking/building relationships by being positive, supportive, and encouraging. I hope this helps you get people to interact with you and find opportunities on here!

Hey thanks Beverly and Maurice for actually engaging! It's unfortunate but small talk and quiet seem to get little engagement. I'm not a negative person, and thanks for the primer.

Darrell thanks for responding! You have an impressive resume on your own in the industry, and it's good see that you are getting that engagement with this site.

Oh yes, I know networking!

My Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

All I got is my trip to Hollywood in 1979. Me and my twin brother and his buddy - all three of us got into a beat up VW in StLouis and headed from StLouis, to LA. - which took us about 3 days. me, just out of the Navy, my brother, AWOL, his buddy AWOL.

Got some unusual help from - well we'll save that for the movie ...

Stayed in Hotel Hastings on Hwd Blvd. Looking out the windows - it was like a B movie, looking out the window over the blvd.

All three of us worked for a film lab, workin for some guy named Cal, I processed film next to guy who was AWOL from the Venezuelan army as we processed 8mm porn, right there on N Seward Ave. That 35mm was special perforations so it could be slit into 8mm and spun into cartridges ... They processed not just porn but that was a huge piece of it ... I saw clips for Superman and other films, canisters from apartment shooters "Joe Ltd" as much as "ABC Studios" etc.

They had another windowless lab across town with nothing but illegals procssing film ... Worked for the Rosenthal brothers at Ametron at Santa Monica and vine in my role as the 20yr old kid working in their rentals dept. selling vaccum tubes to every studio in town ... even had some celebs come in - Telly Savalas, Ned Beatty, Jodie Foster in a costume to look like an old lady - or so I was told that was her would love to confirm that story, and met the guy who was the yacht captain in Cuckoo's Nest ...

Wandered right up to the barricades as Fleetwood Mac got their star installed on Hwd Blvd, releasing Tusk with the marching band from one of the universities .. my brother got some great shots ...

Living at the El Marathon Apartments on Valentino Place. Oblath's Cafe. (all of that is now a parking lot) The El Marathon was for us like walking into a time machine - the murphy beds, the stucco, the smell, it was like living in a Hwd museum, knowing that the number of actors / industry people who had lived there ...

My first unpaid acting job: Riding a bicycle through the Paramount gate like I worked there. Waving my hand "hey buddy!" as he waved me on through ... Drove around a bit, took a peek at some sets and got tf out ... ;) ... Got free tickets to see an episode of Taxi filmed there on Gower at Melrose, I was the last guy in ... ate at Lucy's El Adobe, Nick'ODells', 'Astro Burger numeorus times ...

Our buddy Chuck would cruise walking the streets with a plan to hook up with someone who could take him back to NJ. That plan had a stage gun he bought at some pawn shop. No he never pulled it off, we talked him out of it. One night he is walking back to the apt and sees a limo parked at the Winchells there at Melrose and Vine which is now some other donut shop ... in the limo is Muhamed Ali ... he gets autograph and a story ...

I did network quite bit, met other young travelers from all over, young filmaker and his wife, had a close friend from work was an amazing guitarist ... standing on the roof, we could look over to Paramount and dream right there ... I met a guy who had one of those El Marathon apts all setup as a Happy Days collab writer's room ...

We did meet this one guy who had some kind of theatre actors classes up on HwdBlvd who had us reading some script he wanted us to join his classes ...

My brother was up on Sunset one afternoon and Brian Wilson picked him and his gf up and invited them to his house but they declined as he didn't recognize who he was riding with ... my brother severla months later would wind up getting arrested and set back to DC ... Chuck disappeared with his gf, and my brother and I wound up getting contacted by long lost family - which is what ultimately pulled us back to the world ... my brother was actually working for Stuart Baird / Altered States ...

That was my once upon a time in Hwd.

Attached photo from the roof of the El Marathon ... Paramount was having a fire drill.

A few more:

https://tommyshutter.com/page.php?p=once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood

You’re welcome, Tom Schaefer. Yeah, I don’t think you’re a negative person. I’ve talked to you on here in the past. It’s just your recent comments are negative. Being active in the Lounges is what really helped me get engagement on here. Sometimes other members will message me saying they saw how active I was in the Lounges, and it leads to opportunities like jobs sometimes.

All very interesting, and negative vibes are not always unproductive. I’m happy to chat - but perhaps lacking in substance on this current subject. I just love writing my books to the best of my ability. So far, so good.

Hey, Kevin Hager. Yeah, this week's blog is up. www.stage32.com/blog/november-write-club-week-3-how-to-make-a-strong-fir...

Sounds interesting, Michael Dzurak. What's this?

A meme version of one of my previous comments:

https://www.stage32.com/post/3936061331865610482

And so meme-level proof that Stage32 is a better run organization than Bond-universe supervillains.

How does that help?

So what’s your point?

Seems like the platform and it’s runners are still in 1998

I was not a fan of the story being positioned as it was. In fairness, I stopped watching after an hour and did not finish it. For my personal tastes, the monster became a super hero and wasn't vulnerable in the way I was expecting so it just did not resonate with me personally.

Maurice Vaughan absolutely! I'm a huge Jacob Elordi fan and I was really impressed with his portrayal of the creature. I'm used to his acting in Euphoria and Priscilla, so it was nice to see a more complex role from him.

Darrell Pennington I can understand that. Everyone has their own taste. How do you think you would've written the creature. Would you tailor it more towards Mary Shelley's book or would you try to add your own version like Del Toro did?

I really enjoyed the Kenneth Branagh directed (and staring as Victor )version - Mary Shelley's Frankenstine. Likely because of my age and being exposed to it when I was.

This was my first time seeing Jacob act, Raveness Thorne. I need to check out the other movies and shows he's in.

Frankenstein looks amazing! The shots, places, and colors.

I read on social media that Frankenstein's monster became more human throughout the movie, and Frankenstein became more of a monster. I didn't realize that when I watched the movie, but it's true.

Hey, Autumn Carpenter. I’m a Stage 32 Lounge Moderator. I wanted to let you know I moved your post from the Introduce Yourself Lounge to the Anything Goes Lounge. The Anything Goes Lounge is for discussion about the industry, movies, shows, plays, etc. You can talk about this in your introduction post, but you need to introduce/reintroduce yourself to the community. Let me know if you have any questions

I find directors of brilliant documentaries bond with the subject on an organic visceral level. They don’t merely show/tell/report. Their approach adds verisimilitude, an open mind & ask they questions to involve the audience. Also, we might see a topic from a different POV entirely, & our prior knowledge & expectations are subverted. The good documentary mines, explores & is not afraid to challenge existing beliefs. Many documentary types; Eg Animal kingdom, political, governments, social etc. Whatever the type, a fresh eyes and unique take with a revelation we don’t already know. Agree, budget does not make it, either good or bad. Footage on i phone can be ground breaking. Studios can film the mediocre but it’s how well the documentary is crafted/structured, the personality of interviewee, & their heightened union with the subject.

Debbie, this a great insight. Thank You!

I agree Darrell with all of yours!

Ugo, Nat King Cole...yes!

Darrell Pennington you have all the space below to list your forbidden desires for a music biopic :))

Sydney S hoping to see one in the future !!!

Ugo Cavallo haha, yes that is true. I can be a bit verbose so just not trying to outstay my welcome haha!