Cupcakes in Heaven

My friend and my mentor Blake Snyder, author of the seminal screenwriting book Save the Cat passed away suddenly today of a cardiac arrest. Blake was 57 years old. As I write this, tears come to my eyes because Blake was one of my earliest and most powerful mentors. We were simpatico; we shared the same philosophy. I learned a lot from Blake about the importance of being passionate and loving what you do. He was such a tall, elegant, peaceful soul. I'll miss his kindness and his advice and his presence in this community.

This is how I first met Blake. I was at the premiere party in Beverly Hills for the newly launched Script Magazine. I saw this very tall man sort of standing there awkwardly. Being the social gal that I am, I figured I'd go say hi and alleviate his apparent solitude. I sashayed over with my drink. Hi, I'm Julie, what's your name? Blake smiled a secret smile. Blake Snyder. I turned beet red. What an idiot to not know him. I don't remember what I said by way of trying to regain my dignity but I do remember that he laughed graciously, never made me feel stupid for my blunder, and went on to ask me all about myself in such a way that I soon forgot my earlier embarrassment. That typified Blake. He was a true gentleman.

Last year, he met Hilary Graham, our Silver Screenwriting winner, and me at the Chateau Marmont for a drink. He was so dapper in his black turtleneck and black slacks. He ordered nothing but water, I remember. He was so kind to Hilary, asking her about her writing and offering her anecdotes and advice and delighting in her ideas and her success. He stayed as long as he was needed and then some. He never asked anything in return.

The last time I saw Blake was a few weeks ago at the Great American Pitch Fest. I introduced him to my daughter, the Mini-W (who had taken his class earlier that day). Though he was surrounded by people wanting to say hello, he took a moment, shifted all the things he was holding in his arms, shook my daughter's hand and gave her that winning smile of his. Hope you liked my class, he said.

I'll miss you Blake. You set the example that I follow every day. You were passionate about story, you loved writers and you did it all with joy in every step and a smile on your face that I will never forget. Thank you for being my mentor. Thank you for being my friend.

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Key Largo, Montego...

The tune. It's stuck in your head now, right? Ha! Ha, ha, I say! (bonus points: What Tennessee Williams-penned movie starring Marlon Brando features that dialogue?) Just letting all you loyal Wavers know that I am not abandoning you, I am going to Key West for a week for a much needed, long-awaited, well-deserved vacation with the Mini-W. I shall return the first week of August with all sorts of fun plans for The Rouge Wave including an interview with a writers' assistant on "Scrubs." LEARN how he got the job, SEE what it's like and FIND OUT how he plans to use the position to leverage himself up using the experience!

Have a lovely week upcoming, Wavers - I won't be around to approve/publish comments until I return, but don't let that stop or discourage you. Meanwhile you can picture me sitting on the beach sipping a pina colada and planning tours of Ernest Hemingway's house. Ahhhhh...!

Aruba, Jamaica ooh I wanna take ya
To Bermuda, Bahama come on pretty mama
Key Largo, Montego baby why don't we go
Jamaica
off the Florida Keys
There's a place called Kokomo
That's where you wanna go to get away from it all

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Are You a "Creative?"

Today I am proud to announce what I hope will be a regular column here on The Rouge Wave. (You guys know the blog is shortly to be moved and renamed, right? Don't freak out; there will be breadcrumbs. I drink your milkshake!) But before I introduce Libby Barnes, life coach to those who work in the entertainment industry - or aspire to - I must remind you all that you are weird. Well - so am I.

"Creatives," as those poor souls like us are known, who write, act, direct, sculpt, photograph and otherwise sing a song back to life, are gifted with abilities that the masses could only dream of having. But with those creative gifts comes a lot of doubt and yes, I'll say it - neuroses. I try to address that here on The Rouge Wave but I am not a qualified professional. I just get it because I am you. When I heard about Libby Barnes, who does life coaching and workshops specifically for creatives, I thought wow! I must get her to write for The Rouge Wave! And she was kind enough to do so.

In addition, Libby will be on an upcoming teleclass (details TBA) taking your questions about the peaks, valleys and swollen rivers you encounter as you carry the gift and the burden of dreams of being "a creative" like some crazy scene from FITZCARRALDO. Without further ramblings, here is Libby's inaugural post:

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As a life and career coach for the entertainment industry, I often work with writers on ways to increase their self motivation and productivity. For many of them, there are no 9 a.m. meetings, no bosses to please and no deadlines to meet. Bottom line: There’s no structure. And most writers thrive on structure, so they have to create it themselves. One of the most effective strategies I like to suggest is what John F. Kennedy once referred to as “throwing your hat over the fence.” If you throw your hat over the fence, you will HAVE to climb over the fence to get it. You’re committed. To metaphorically “throw your hat” means you announce what you’re going to do and when you’re going to do it, preferably to people who matter to your career. This, in turn, propels you into action because there’s no going back and you don’t want to fail in front of them.

As a writer myself, I’m always looking for ways to create that accountability and commitment. Recently, I was working on the fourth draft of a screenplay that I felt had great marketability. But I kept putting it down and losing motivation. So, I decided to set a date to do a staged reading of it. I booked the theater, made the announcement and prayed that my creative juices would flow. And they did. Knowing that my work – good or bad – was going to be read out loud to an audience was productive pressure at its best. I completed the final draft and had a fantastic reading that opened a lot of doors for me.

How can you throw the proverbial hat? It may be as simple as signing up for a class or joining a writers' group where you have to share your pages. Better yet, start a group yourself. Being a leader and needing to set an example for others will inspire you to rise to the occasion. Or you could schedule a table reading in your home, book a meeting with your agent or tell an industry contact the date you’ll be sending him your script. The possibilities are endless.

Whatever you choose to do, you want it to be realistic so that you’re setting yourself up for success, but also challenging, so you’re compelled to get to work. And it can’t be easy to take back, like promising your mom you’ll finish your first draft by next month when you know that, even if you don’t, she’ll love you anyway. You want to announce your intentions to people who may NOT love you anyway if you don’t get it done. By making this commitment before your work is ready (and especially because your work isn’t ready), you’ll be creating that structure and accountability that can often be the key to a writer’s success.

One great outcome from my staged reading was that a producer liked my comedic style and wanted to collaborate on my next project. I emailed him a couple days ago asking if he’d like to meet on Thursday to go over the completed outline of my new script. Guess what? Right now, I don’t have a completed outline of my new script, but I can promise you that by Thursday I will. I have thrown my hat and now I must follow.

Libby Barnes is originally from Virginia, where she received a Master's degree in Counseling. She moved to L.A. in 1998 to pursue acting and writing. She is now a life and career coach for the entertainment industry and is working on her fourth script. To schedule a complimentary life coaching session with her or to find out about the next Passion Into Action workshop, visit her website or call 310-721-7028.

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The Mini-W Reviews: HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE

There have been few fantasy phenomena as big as the Harry Potter series. As wildly popular books, drawing a big box office profit out of a film adaptation is easy. But do the films live up to their literary twins? HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE, the sixth of the Harry Potter film adaptations, does not. However, it possesses (because of budget) many great components to create a good looking and entertaining film.

Directed by David Yates (who also directed the previous film, HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX), the film may not be the best from an Academy point of view, but as a blockbuster, it sure as heck keeps your attention. And let's face it - what do the audiences want? They want to be entertained. Yates accomplishes this mission, and more with an action packed, romance charged flick that gives your average American exactly what they paid for: two-and-a-half hours of a good time.

As a movie lover, however, we must look past what the average Joe wants. What’s interesting about the Harry Potter films is that, at first, with original director Chris Columbus, the films took an intriguing yet light tone. They worked for not only adults but children, too. But as the films progressed, director Alfonso Cuaron (THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN), set a new, darker tone. Suddenly the films became weirder, more disturbing, the images more cryptic, and they began to frighten children, who, mind you, are half the audience. THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE is definitely an attempt (at some producer’s request because his daughter got scared) to draw the films back into a family range. Yates, however, was not too successful with this task. In fact, my nine-year-old cousin, with whom I saw the film, was terrified of the movie's images. He clung to my arm during much of the film.

Now another huge drawback to this newest installment is how incredibly hard to follow it is. I have seen all the Harry Potter films at least once, yet the twisted plot providing no guidance as to what was happening baffled me. And then I thought, what if I had seen none of the films? I’d be so completely lost I probably wouldn’t even know which characters were which. And so another fault of Yates’ prevails. Confusion.

Overall, HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE is worth the ticket if you, like me, are at all interested in the cinematography, or eye candy. However, a more intense Potter fan (perhaps one who has read the books), may be disappointed. Do not watch this film expecting greatness, and you’ll love it.

I give it 3 out of 5 jellybeans.

*A lifelong fan of the cinema (her favorite film at age five was SUNSET BOULEVARD), the Mini-W is soon to turn 16. She just completed a digital filmmaking summer camp at UCLA and is the proud cinematographer of a four-minute short. When not tending to her pet tortoise or her numerous studies, the Mini-W is an avid fan of The Rouge Wave and all things effing entertaining.

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500 Days of Summer

Once in awhile you see a movie that makes you wish to hell you'd written it yourself. 500 DAYS OF SUMMER, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt, is one such film. It epitomizes "the same but different." Very different. It's all in the execution. The film doesn't say much about love that is new, particularly. Or about relationships, exactly. It's not the what - it's the how. What I loved about the movie is that it is clever but not self-consciously so - in other words, it's not another hipster semi-bored nod to love and friends and shit. I can say with confidence that 500 DAYS is the most fun I've had seeing a movie in some time. The Hall & Oates sequence is worth the price of admission. If you've seen it, you just smiled at the memory of that sequence - you know what I'm talking about. Great writing, direction, art direction, performances and above all - a simple story with complex characters. This is the kind of movie that reminds me why I love movies. If you get a chance and it's playing near you, Wavers, please do get out to support the film. Look at what a long way great writing can go to elevate a relationship and a heartbreak into something universal, funny and artfully told. This is not regular writing - this is super writing. This is what we all strive for.

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It's the Little Things

So the other day I was felled by a spider. A tiny, unseen spider bit me and three days, two doctors and six medications later, I am beginning to feel better. Who knew that such a tiny little being could wreak such havoc? I am sad to report that I have no super powers but I sure am humbled. I am also reminded that we writers need to look sky high but also beneath every rock and pebble for our story ideas; what started as a simple spider bite could become a thriller, horror or even a romcom, couldn't it? What chain of events might be set off by something so seemingly insignificant?

I am also humbled by the success of my teleclass and by the great questions asked by listeners. The feedback I have received has been nothing but positive and I am certainly inspired to schedule more teleclasses covering all sorts of screenwriting topics of interest. One idea I had was to feature a guest who is "That Guy" - a screenwriter who is doing everything right and who is about to break in - wouldn't it be interesting to learn from one of your peers about how to more effectively network, or how many hours a day you should be writing or what events or infolists you may be missing out on? I am open to suggestions - what topics are you interested in?

Last week's teleclass will be converted to an MP3 and available for purchase later in August when I reveal my new micro-site, to which The Rouge Wave will be migrating. What the what? Did you read that right? Yes, you did. TRW will be migrating to a different address come this fall. I'm very excited; the blog will have more to offer and a whole new look. Elves are working day and night to make the transition a smooth one. No need to worry or do anything different; this URL will have a redirect.

In the meantime, here is a website that I've known about for awhile but neglected to post here on TRW. Jeff Gund's infolist is just chock-a-block with great information so take your time and really look this site over for class and job listings that may be of interest. One does need to keep abreast of such things, right?

Have a lovely weekend, Wavers, and please, avoid those arachnid cousins of ours - they are just plain cranky enough to bite and it's no fun, believe you me.

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Last Chance: Teleclass Sign Up

Thanks, everybody, for the interest in the class! We've had quite a number of signups! For administrative purposes, we've got to have a cut-off time so that's 5pm Pacific time today.

Any signups, please email me directly and I'll walk you through how to register. It's quick and easy. Don't forget our special guest who will come on to answer a few questions during the last half hour, Gary W. Goldstein, my friend and mentor and the producer of PRETTY WOMAN.

So that's from 7pm tonight, July 14th, (pacific time) to 8:30pm. The cost is $25 and yes, the call will be recorded and available at a later date. REGISTER HERE.

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Gersh Agency Reinvention

This just in from Hollywood Wiretap: The Gersh Agency has renamed, rebranded and relocated entirely. This is very interesting news, guys. Why? Because Gersh is opening up the playing field for everyone and becoming a serious threat to some of the other agencies by modeling themselves after more holistic businesses like Mosaic Media and BenderSpink - mini-studios, if you will, repping writers, actors, directors and dipping into production as well. I see this as an industry-specific economic stimulus package. If you've been feeling gloomy about the recession and what it may mean for your chances as an aspiring writer - take heart. Yes the market has been slow, yes the competition among writers has been quite tough, but this move by Gersh highlights the growing horizon of entertainment. Nobody invests 30 million dollars into an entertainment company that ISN'T gonna make that money back and how. So for all you screenwriters out there, the industry for which you are writing is alive and well, trust me on this.

So for your reading pleasure, here is the whole article:

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As of today the Gersh Agency has new digs, a new name, $30 million in financing for a move into production -- and its first co-financed movie project, according to Deadline Hollywood Daily, the Hollywood Reporter and Variety.

The venerable 60-year-old agency has rebranded itself as simply Gersh, with a new logo and 35,000 square feet of office space at 9465 Wilshire Blvd. in Beverly Hills (where else).

As part of what Gersh co-president David Gersh described as continuing "a very planned and steady growth over the last 10 years," Carolyn Sibitz joined the agency, making her the fourth hire from the fallout of the Endeavor-William Morris merger.

Addtionally, a third-generation Gersh also recently came aboard -- Steve Gersh, 26, is an alumnus of the highly regarded USC film school Peter Stark Producing Program, Deadline Hollywood Daily noted.

Gersh also tapped producer Jay Cohen in April to run its new Film Financing and Packaging division, DHD and Variety said, and Morris agent Roland Scahill is heading a Theatrical Tour Booking division out of the New York office. Endeavor agent Daisy Wu also joined its talent department.

The indie film funding comes from Queen Nefertari Prods. CEO Cynthia Stafford and producer Jeff Kalligheri. They will be producers on the associated projects, and actor-producer Lanre' Idewu will serve as consulting producer.

First up under the new fund is the comedy "Adrenaline," scripted by Gersh client Justin Ware. It is produced by Kirkland Tibbels of Hollywood Farms Production Co., Matthew Lillard and Kerry Barden.

Promoting internally, Gersh also recently elevated Abram Nalibotsky to partner and named Alex Yarosh head its talent department. Six assistants also were promoted to agents.

Taking a different path than CAA and William Morris Endeavor, managing partner Leslie Siebert noted that those percenteries "have made it very clear that they only want to represent the top 2% of the business." But "our goal is to represent top talent in every area -- filmmakers, writers, producers, actors ... with a personal managerial approach."

"We don't want 2,000 clients.," co-president Bob Gersh added. "We don't think you can best service those clients. ... We're competitive in that we do a great job on behalf of the client."

Steve Gersh, meanwhile, is already busy with up-and-comers such as Shawn Ashmore ("X-Men") and Autumn Reeser ("Entourage").

He's the grandson of founder Phil Gersh and son of current agency co-head David Gersh.

With 65 agents, Gersh anticipates its revamped company and newly remodeled digs -- which were formerly home to The Firm and just happen to be nextdoor to WME's under-construction new home -- will encourage potential clients to see it as a serious, competitive alternative to the big agencies as well as to ICM, UTA and Paradigm.

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Teleclass July 14th, 7pm PST

Hey everybody! Just a reminder that my first ever teleclass, Top 10 Things Readers Hate is Tuesday, July 14th at 7pm PST. As an added bonus, my friend and colleague, Gary W. Goldstein will be jumping on the call in the last 30 minutes to answer your industry-related questions. Gary is a fountain of information and, take it from me, a prince among men. He has produced a couple of movies you may have seen - oh, say, PRETTY WOMAN and UNDER SIEGE to name just a couple.

The cost for this 90-minute class is a mere $25. The class will be recorded and available for purchase down the line when I figure out the nuts and bolts of that.

The class covers a lot of ground, starting with what the lives and jobs of readers are really like. Many screenwriters really don't have a clear picture of just who these gatekeepers of Hollywood are. Next, we discuss the top 10 list. Actually, our list goes to 11. Natch. We review the list of crazy-making no-nos and how to avoid them.

For information on how to register, please email my assistant Chaia, who will be happy to help you.

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Trailers: The Experts Speak

Hello, Wavers! I tell ya, it's a good feeling when TRW has a profile such that I get emails and requests from industry professionals. Just the other day, a young man working with a massively successful producer* called, asking for scripts that I think are great for possible new projects. It was fun going through my client list and pitching projects that I think might be a fit. Talk about pitching on the fly! It's easier when it's not your own material, lemme tell ya. When it's you, you look like Albert Brooks in BROADCAST NEWS...

*...and I mean massively successful. Usually when people give me a name and say they are successful or well known, I roll my eyes a little - yeah, right. But I pulled up this guy's information on Studio System while we were on the phone and almost choked on my afternoon espresso shot.

So anyway, I heard from IFC about a follow-up to their post about the top 50 best movie trailers of all time and thought I'd link that here today for your enjoyment.

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When we humbly submitted our list of the 50 Greatest Movie Trailers the other week, we knew it would be controversial. There was internal debate about old versus new, blockbusters versus low-budget films, comedies versus dramas, teasers versus full-length trailers...and at the end of the day, we agree with Dan Asma, who defined a great trailer as one that leaves an audience saying to themselves, "whoa, I've got to see this movie."

Click HERE to read the rest!

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Should I Get a Job in the Industry?

Dear Rouge Wave:

Would you advise an aspiring screenwriter to get a day job as an office manager/administrative assistant for a film production company?

Yes.

Let's say that I didn't need the money, would it be worth it just for the relationship building? And to learn about producing and how prodcos work? (I think I could see myself becoming a writer/producer some day.)

Yes.

If I do apply, should I tell them that I'm an aspiring screenwriter? Is that a conflict of interest? I don't want them to think that I would not be dedicated to my day job.

Yes. But not in a weird, needy, please-do-stuff-for-me way. Just be casual. Be honest. They won't be surprised that you're into screenwriting and/or the business.

Also... If I do tell them about my aspirations, when is the best time? In my cover letter? At the interview? or not until after I've been there a while and gotten to know people? I know I would never ask anyone to read my script until that point.

Yes. Oh sorry, I was on auto-pilot there for a minute. No, these are great questions and I think this is a great opportunity for you. Mention your interests in your interview, of course, just don't make the interview all about you. You are applying to work for them, right? So the interview is mostly about how you'll do a great job in that capacity. That you have an interest in and talent for storytelling and film surely makes you a better employee, as you GET what they do there. Just be very cool about asking for any favors, reads or connections for some time. You have to earn that. Give it several weeks if not a few months of dedicated, loyal, great work ethic before you go there.

So complicated...

Not really. I think this is going to be great for you. Good luck!

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