Folks in the screenwriting community are always warning each other about the potential of being scammed by cash-grab screenplay contests. I've always ignored those warnings, assuming that I was smart enough to spot a bad competition long before I was dumb enough to plunk down my money for an entry fee. As so often happens, … Continue reading They warned me but would I listen?

When I think of gritty cinematic streets and alleys, I think most of New York city and the Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, area where The French Connection car chase scene was filmed. [Check out Gene Hackman in action here] Even better are places like Big Apple's Cortlandt Alley, used to shoot segments of Men in Black, one … Continue reading Looking for L.A.’s seediest alley

Has it really been nearly three months? I've been so far down Ye Olde Scribe's Underground Bunker™ I had to check my calendar. It's been a bit of a whirlwind since December, when I met an indie filmmaker from Los Angeles looking for a cool new project to shoot. He dug some of my earlier … Continue reading One of my screenplays is in preproduction!

One of my many many many little brothers charged me with scribbling some thoughts on self-publishing a couple years back. This afternoon I stumbled upon it while googling myself—oh, the unmitigated narcissism—and was reminded just how acerbic and generally on target it was. I know, I know. I'm supposed to pretend my own writing never … Continue reading The worst (best) writing advice you’ll ever get … from me … this week … maybe

At the heart of the story I submitted to this year's Austin Film Festival screenplay competition is a man taking on difficult and morally questionable work in order to fund the medical needs of a dying loved one. Nothing new under the sun, right? My big twists are the bizarre ways he makes the money, … Continue reading Pleasantly surprised by my 2022 Austin Film Festival screenplay notes