Thursday, May 24, 2012

How to write a screenplay and get in your creative zone





Click the link below:

It will take you to my Word on the street movie review podcast where I do a show about screenwriting, it's very nuts and bolts I give you the foundation to writing a terrific screenplay.

http://wordonthestreet.podomatic.com/entry/2012-05-24T12_12_31-07_00

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Facebook creates fake people



A GENERATION-Y ENTREPRENEUR ON BEING LOST, LIVING OUT OF YOUR CAR, WORK-LIFE BALANCE, AND GOD

1 Comment 18 April 2012
I recently interviewed Jeff Widman, the founder of PageLever. PageLever is a funded, Y-Combinator start-up that specializes in Facebook Analytics and Facebook Insights.
I wanted to interview him because he is 2009 college graduate like myself, seems to be more successful than most of our peers, and because I thought he’d have excellent insights and advice for Generation-Y.
Our conversation was fascinating and I spent quite a bit of time thinking about the best way to put it into a blog post. I decided to outline the various themes of our interview and post relevant “sound bytes” by Jeff under those themes. I also highlighted sound bytes that are pieces of actionable advice.
On Being Lost and Comparing Yourself to you Peers
Much of my conversation with Jeff was spent talking about how he figured out what he “wanted to do” and how he compared himself to his peers. I know from personal experience that many recent college graduates feel they’re not doing as well as they should be relative to some of their more successful friends. Facebook encourages constant comparison between you and your network and gives an inaccurate representation of how everyone is doing. I wanted to find out if Jeff ever worried about this type of thing and if so, how he dealt with it.
“I think I worried about that [feeling behind] more in college. Most of my peers would take different internships in various industries and I chose to spend my summer volunteering at a boys camp in the middle of North Dakota. I felt like I was missing out on all this stuff.”
“I remember being scared coming out of college. I knew people who graduated and spent 6 to 9 months living with their parents and I thought “I’m not going to be that guy, I’m going to have a job waiting for me when I graduate.” I felt like I was way behind.
“People only post the most interesting stuff on FB and you get this world of fake lives and you think everyone else has it better than me. It’s a lie!”
“I’ve been warped since childhood as far as comparing myself to peers. I was home schooled and most of the people who I know that were home schooled are a little weird, including myself. I grew up going to play sports at the public schools and it would always be like “I was the different kid.” Certainly I could get along with them and they were my friends but I was still different and I was very used to it and comfortable with it.”
On Hustle, Networking, and Living out of your Car
Learning to hustle and network is not something they teach in college. At best, you are encouraged to join a few cubs and attend alumni networking events.  After graduation, many of my peers sent out resumes to no avail. Jeff started with some internships in college, but then did something that many people are afraid to do: move somewhere new and live out of your car.
“I had an internship in manufacturing and what I noticed was that people worked very hard in manufacturing, they had a high work ethic, but a low change ethic.
I just decided that I wanted to work on a team of smart, intense people that worked hard, and had a high change ethic. I wanted a small team internally so I could be good friends with them. Externally, I wanted to meet a lot of new and interesting people.
I didn’t know anything beyond that and I was on a search to find it.”
“I finished up at TechCrunch and strung together a string of three to four,1-3 month internships. I highly recommend it if you can afford it. I think I had negative cash flow and pretty much lived out of my car and lived very, very cheaply, but I saw not just different products, but different cultures (company cultures), different locations, and I learned a lot. 
“Find the people who are the absolute best at whatever you want to do, and convince them by hook or by crook to let you spend time with them.”
“I made a list of people in Silicon Valley and contacted them through various means and none of them would hire me!”
“I was at dinner at Mint.com and said ‘I needed a job so I could pay rent!’ They said, ‘Hey why don’t you do our Facebook or YouTube marketing.’
Looking back that was a great decision but it was totally accidental. I did well at it and I got more and more clients and before I knew, I had a small marketing agency and a few employees. It wasn’t premeditated in the least. I just kept moving forward and trying to perform very well and it worked out.”
“I see a lot of people exiting college and they’re not quite sure what they want to do. They go back and live with their parents and while it’s not a bad thing, if you’re not sure what you want to do, sitting around won’t help that problem. Go get a job and if you’re frustrated by it, at least you’ll know what you don’t want to do. You’ll probably say ‘here’s a few things I liked and here’s a few things I didn’t like. How can I get a job that moves more towards what I like and away from what I don’t like.’”
“Just bouncing around and getting some knocks and bruises is extremely helpful.”
“It’s also just being humble enough to do jobs that may not appeal to you at first.”
Work-Life Balance
Start-ups have a reputation of working crazy hours. Frankly, I think that’s unsustainable and think it’s strange that many start-up founders revel in it. I was curious to hear how Jeff allocated his time as a start-up founder, husband, and friend. Turns out Jeff works long hours but still makes time for himself and others.
“I spent a tremendous amount of time working, I don’t spend as much as my co-founder.
Now is the time that I want to work very hard. later on in life I want to be able to retire a bit more. If I work 150% harder now, I will maybe get 300-500% in returns.”
“I spent time volunteering at a nursing home and I’d ask the people there ‘what were you really glad you spent time on.’ They all said ‘family and friends’ and that’s something I think a lot about.
I try to make sure I have a date night every week with my wife and have dinner with her. I also make time to spend with friends. I have a list of 6-10 guy friends who I try to call once every 1-2 months and spend time with them. 
I also spend one night a week volunteering with a youth group.  Every time I do that it reminds me I’m just so privileged. Serving benefits you more than the people you are serving.”
“Many people have this idea that a well-balanced life is like a bento box, with a little time spent doing this, a little time spent doing that.
I don’t look at it as work is here, family is here, and friends are here, and my Christian beliefs are over there. I see them as connected. I see the work as I do as a direct result of trying to glorify God. I see it as a direct result of attempting to make a difference in the lives of people I work with.”
Dealing with Highs and Lows
Entrepreneurship is an emotional roller coaster. I think you can mitigate some of the more extreme dips if you become more process focused and not outcome focused, but it’s not completely avoidable. Jeff knows firsthand what that’s like and shared some of his thoughts on subject.
“The highs are wonderful! I love adventure, and I get a lot of adventure from my work. Business can be very, very exciting!
People have a romantic view of entrepreneurship, but sometimes it sucks! It’s such an emotional roller coaster. Even if you like what you do it can be boring and rough and it’s not glamorous. 
I have two co-founders. I have a co-founder in life, my wife. She has been very stable when things have been tough. We’ll go for a walk and talk it out. She is super stabilizing.It’s great to have someone to talk things through with.
With my business co-founder, David and I we’ll encourage each other when things suck. From David, I need more of the emotional cheerleader. Sometimes he needs me to say ‘take some time off and get a little distance’.
You can’t do it alone.
Identity and Faith
For a long time I wanted to be a Navy SEAL. There was no ambiguity until I realized that was something I didn’t want to do. I can’t say that I have a coherent “identity” quite yet but I’m working on it. I asked Jeff if he felt as pulled together as he looked. I was surprised to learn that his primary identity is as a Christian. I thought of tech start-up founders as spiritual but religiously agnostic (this was not based on any facts or data).  Jeff is definitelynot in the midst of a quarter-life crisis.
“My identity comes from my faith as a Christian. That’s the big picture for me. It’s the lense I use to look at the rest of my life.”
“Identity is partially a choice, and partially intrinsic personality traits that you become aware of as time goes on.” 
“My wife told me once, ‘You know Jeff when you started the company you were so confident, and now you’re not less confident but you know so much more and you say you know so much less.’”
Definition of Success
I wrote before that the definition of success is simply “achieving your goals.” Not everyone’s goals are the same. I wanted to find out what Jeff’s goals were and how he defined success.
“For business, it’d be great to make some money. We took some outside investment and I made a commitment to deliver a return on their investment.
At the end of the day, money is validating as a form of “hey you picked something that makes a difference in people’s lives (generally).”
I want my investors to say “Hey I got a great return.” I want my employees to say “Hey I’d work for Jeff again because he’s a leader that cares about me even if it costs him something.” My family would say “Jeff didn’t put the business before us” and my customers to say Jeff didn’t sell us snake oil and he solved some of our problems
Am I going to look at the end of my life and say I served my God and that I lived humbly and I loved my wife and friends and family. And not just love where they feel cared for but actively loved. Not just to make memories but to challenge them a bit, especially my friends. True friends challenge each other.
Book Recommendation
I read. A lot. I figure it’s good practice to read what successful people read. I asked Jeff if he had any recommendations.
The best book I ever read is called “The Goal.” It’s about the theory of restraints. There are a lot of things you can work on at any given point in time. What Goldratts’ book shows is that it’s so easy to work on the wrong things. The first thing you should do is fix the bottleneck. The first step to fixing the bottleneck is to identity the bottleneck.
That mentality is incredibly useful when applied to the rest of life.
Final Dale Thoughts 
I really enjoyed talking with Jeff. More importantly, he is relatable. I think many people assume that tech start-up founders are mythical entities who have an innate X-Factor that they don’t have.

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Former WWE super star Chyna doing porn.... she must need the $$$ bad!

Its interesting seeing what people will do for money.  I'm not against Chyna doing porn cause honestly I have a thing for body building chicks.  This is evidence that all the glitters ain't gold in Hollywood.  Hollywood is a land of opportunity for those willing to work hard.  Real players create opportunity.  Sitting around sulking about why you don't have this why you don't have that is a waste of time.  I haven't seen the actual porno in its entirety but I will say it is rather disturbing. 

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Prometheus-revisting the Xenomorph


The 2012 trailer for "Prometheus" feels like vintage Ridley Scott.  It feels like a different direction and I'm cool with that.  It's like they're saying there are other things horrible things out there.  I love the Xenomorph alien because there is so much you can do with it.

I always thought they were biological weapons because of the alien's eerily manufactured nature.  These things are super adaptable, they're the ultimate cockroaches.

I've never cared for the so called Space Jockey but it is an interesting design.  H.G. Giger's influence is all over it very biomechanical in ts look.  I speculate the aliens transform the hosts from the inside out at the molecular level which would be cool but I hope its something far more sinister.  


Sunday, May 13, 2012

Living out of your car to save money to make your film.



Lets face it your not James Cameron your not Spike Lee your not a famous filmmaker take a minute to let that sink in.  You have student loan debt and bills keep piling up.  Maybe you've written a screenplay but you are a nobody in the game.  No one is going to give you money.  You've read countless books; watched many making of documentaries.  You turn 30.  The world hits you in the face with the message you gotta get yours.  Do you give up?  Do you decide to take that job have a family put your passion on the shelf?  If you got heart hopefully you said hell no!  There are many ways to achieve a dream just as long as you know exactly what that dream is.  The world gives us what we really want but if you cant zero in on that one thing your like a dog chasing its own tail.


Let me be more specific when you decide to live out of your car you are taking a risk.  You've played the game you pay your bills apply for internships no one in the business is returning your calls you feel your dream slipping away.  A career in film is a very costly ambition you need to live in LA if your serious.  You need to make product you need the tools to do it.  Above all else you need to have a voice you need to tell entertaining stories.  No one will help you and the monies got to come from somewhere.  Paying rent, cell phone, insurance, food, car repairs etc.



Honestly deciding to do this extreme maneuver is actually pretty smart.  I did this for six months there was a trial and error period at first I'm going to give you the game there isn't a manual for this you just have to do it but here is the game if you really want raise funds quickly to make that film.


My first day living out of my car was very interesting the first thing I noticed was the importance of daylight and once the sun goes down you cant see shit.  Its extremely important to know where everything is at all times in your car because you don't have time to look for it in the dark.  You'll be surprised how quickly you can lose things.  Next you have to find somewhere safe to park.  You need to park somewhere different every night.  I had a 12 spot rotation.  You need to park around other cars DO NOT STAND OUT!  TINT YOUR WINDOWS AS DARK AS POSSIBLE! BUY A FULL SIZE SPARE TIRE AND DOUGHNUT! STAY ON TOP OF YOUR MAINTENANCE! (easy now since your not paying rent) you will spend about $120.00 on gasoline download gas buddy app to help you save on petrol.  BUY A WINDSHIELD HEAT SHIELD! for privacy. 


YOU CAN ONLY LIVE OUT OF YOUR CAR ONLY IF YOUR CAR ACTUALLY RUNS DON'T DRIVE A HOOPTIE BECAUSE YOU CANNOT PARK IN DECENT NEIGHBORHOODS WITHOUT ATTRACTING ATTENTION!


Best Parking Locations:
College campus
Suburban streets
Hotel parking lots
Hospital Parking Structures
Malls
Rest areas


Okay lets talk about something vital personal hygiene.  Get a gym membership at 24 Hour fitness because they're open 24 hours and you can use the facility to shower don't stand out don't blow your cover keep your situation on the down low.  Why you ask?  Because you already have enough on your mind you don't need people who don't understand your situation trying to dismantle what your trying to build.

Now lets talk about keeping that job.  How do you keep your uniform or suits ironed?  Hard to do that living out of car.  One method is to iron all your cloths at a motel (very $$$) or friends house another way is to put your already dry cloths in the drier for 15 minutes to knock the wrinkles out.  Carefully fold your uniform put into a suitcase plan out exactly what your going to wear for the work week.

Don't become a fat ass you'll be eating out 98% of the time have you seen "Super Size Me" that shit will kill you so eat subway eat lean oven roasted subs with no cheese and lay off the soda.  Drink water remember the ultimate goal save money for that Speilberg Edition HD camera!  Once you've achieved that get out of this game.  You will develop street smarts.  This lifestyle will become easy keeping your mental game up will be the challenge.  If you dwell on the negative you could become depressed or worse.

From a gender standpoint this could only work for a guy because woman have allot going on body wise... I wont go there!



Successfully living out your car takes balls.  It is intended for people who already have a full time job with benefits not for people who are jobless living on unemployment.  Keep your sanity intact by working out every day,  join a meetup group.  Spend more time outside of your car during the day.  Loiter at the cafe.  Work on your screenplays, hustle and stack your doe!

Living out of your car is not for people who have a mortgage, kids, pets, child support payments, a girlfriend, wife, whatever.  Remember at the end of the day your bills will be paid.  You'll have extra money in the bank and it will continue to accumulate as long as you don't spend more than you make be careful because spending will screw up what your trying to build.



                      GOOD LUCK AND MAKE YOUR MOVIE!!!!!

Thursday, May 10, 2012

The Avengers movie review

Not knowing much about the film or expecting anything amazing this film reminded me of what a really good movie can be.  The film could have been a mess with all its complicated characters arcs.  One thing that strikes me is how user friendly this film is.  For someone like me who is not familiar with the comic book it introduces the characters in a palatable way.

We begin at S.H.E.L.D. headquarters and quickly establish the crisis and villain then we slowly start calling everyone up and then we get them in a room together.  We watch how they interact and then we get into the action.  Incredible set pieces and pacing.  I don't like the marketing machine behind The Avengers because I don't like being bombarded with merchandise and tie ins before I've even had a chance to see the film alas filmmakers don't make movies studios do.

I love the judicious use of modern gadgetry in this hybrid sci-fi, fantasy, action film

A+

Think like a man versus, The Game and Leykis 101


 

Pursing the love of a woman is a subject that is a old as Adam and Eve.  In 2012 the technology has changed but the game has not.  Its all about need versus want.  Think like a man is a romantic comedy film based on the best selling book by author/comedian/actor Steve Harvey.  Clearly written from a christian perspective it's geared toward woman.

The selling point is you learn what men really want so a woman can adjust their game accordingly.  I'm not going to hate on an author creating material people want to read but I do have issues with people giving away the game because they've already got what the want out of it.  The film version of the book is about a group of 30 somethings looking to connect with each other in a sexually fulfilling way.  The differences is that woman are said to date with the intention of marriage without being upfront about it.  Dating in my opinion is like a job interview you put on your best face on in order to get what you want and lets face it we all present our best selves at an interview.  Women have the power they got the cookie according to Harvey.

Writer of the pickup artist book The Game by Neil Strauss gives us a window into his world.  For him it's about getting into the head of a woman and presenting yourself in a way that gets you laid.  This methodology is a carefully crafted persona that takes into account what it takes to create a personality that makes female come to you by created perceived value.  I read The Game I think its an interesting concept but it's not really applicable to the real world because you run the risk of being phoney in which Think like a man highlights.

Another methodology I respect is Leykis 101 by radio shock jock Tom Leykis.  In this he reasons that marriage doesn't have any intrinsic value for a man thus men should not get married or have children because its too costly in the end.  If a man is divorced without a prenuptial agreement he risks losing all he's worked for in life and pay for the lifestyle of a spouse that will use his court ordered alimony to attract a younger sexual partner.  Leykis 101 emphasizes investing in yourself, achieving what you want to achieve in life and marrying after you've bedded all the woman you can possibly get.  Leykis goes so far to incorporate the Hail Mary which is a last ditch attempt to convince a woman to get an abortion.

Think like a man should be taken as a christian endorsed approach whereas the The Game and Leykis 101 is more cynical and gets the job done my only problem about Think like a man is that it's biased against men who have made a choice to stay single and presents them as social misfits which is a gross generalization.  If your not looking for marriage your a waste of time according to Harvey whereas Leykis and Strauss can be considered crude for not incorporating family building into their advice.  Love and sex is equally important for a healthy relationship but it all starts with being true to yourself and knowing exactly what you want.

Saturday, May 5, 2012

STAR TREK: TITAN [The televison series that could be]

 
 
Working on a pilot for a new Star Trek series featuring the adventures of the USS Titan under Willam Riker's command who should the antagonist be? The Dominion, Q, Romulans, Klingions, Cardasians the Breen have a killer outline looking for some opinions.