Screenwriter Merton Swank (Mr. Felony, The Warm Breath of Strangers) answers your questions about writing in, for and in spite of Hollywood. Questions should be submitted to
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Q: Which is the best way to submit a concept-- a treatment or a synopsis?
Frank T. Van Nuys, CA
Every modern screenwriter has struggled with this question, Frank. Executives generally demand a submission to have a fully plotted story, fully rendered characters and a clearly established tone. But executives also want a submission that does not bore them with the details. These people are highly intelligent, extremely intuitive and very easily distracted by shiny objects. A submission that requires too much focus it is just as likely to be rejected as a submission that doesn't make them laugh, cry and learn a little bit about the power of dreams. Treatments are comprehensive but dense. Synopses are attention deficit friendly but lack heart. Screenwriters, it seemed, were doomed to die without ever knowing whether it was the content or the submission format that sank their surfing porcupines concept. Until the year 2003. That's when a saucy young screenwriter by the name of Merton Swank introduced a third and better option called the haiku pitch, which has since become the industry standard for submissions.
UMEC'er and former Michigan gymnast Calli Ryals has a small role in Stick It, Disney's new movie about competitive gymnastics. The movie tells the story of a rebellious teenager who is forced to return to the competitive gymnastics world. Ryals plays Gloria Javier, a former teammate with an unusual hairdo. Calli was working as a stunt double on the television series Veronica Mars when she was cast for the role. Stick It opened this past weekend.
Thanks to Webmaster Dan Patterson and UMEC NY Vice President Shrihari Sathe, the first UMEC video podcast is now available. The podcast is of UMEC New York's recent panel discussion "The Entertainment of Fashion". Guests included Constance White, (Style Director at eBay), John Mincarelli (Asst. Dean, Graduate Studies F.I.T./Chair for Global Fashion Management), Joan Abraham (President of StyleBranding, Inc.) and Ian Schafer (CEO Deep-Focus).
All UMEC podcasts are exclusive content for UMEC members only. To check them out, long into your UMEC account and click "Podcasts" link on the member menu. You can either download the files directly from the UMEC website, or set up an RSS feed into your Itunes account for this and future UMEC podcasts. We should have the first set of UMEC audio interviews available for podcast in the next few weeks.
UMEC'er Candace Tenbrink is producing The Hollow Tree, 35mm short, live-action children's film about a brother and sister who lose their way in a haunted forest, and a boy who finds his way in life when he listens to their tale.
The film will shoot in NYC and the Allentown, PA area during July 10-24.
She needs:
Casting Director (experienced) Art Department (various roles) Make-up/Hair (some film experience required)
Casting Director must cast in NYC. Casting to begin mid-May. There are three major roles for kids (ages 11-16) and three primary adult roles.
Art Department needs to be in NYC and PA July 10th-24th. There are a variety of roles: set dressing, props, construction.
Make-up must have some experience with creating bruises and scrapes.
Experience with children is a plus.
Patrick Steward, the director, just wrapped his first full-length documentary, Cherry Valley, and is a graduate of NYU. Pay is low to none as this is a low-budget labor of love. Contact Candace with your resumé and a line on your desired position. Her email is:
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M Alum and UMEC booster Gary Rubin is distributing two of the big hits from this year's SilverLake Film Festival, Edmond and The Great New Wonderful, though his comany First Independent Pictures. Edmond was the festival's opening night film, while The Great New Wonderful was the festival's centerpiece gala. Edmond plays the Malibu Film Festival on April 7th. Both films play the Newport Beach Film Festival in late April. On the east coast, both films play the International Boston Flm Festival in Late April. The Great New Wonderful opens in New York on June 23rd at the Angelika and Edmond opens in New York at the Quad on July 14th.
In the compelling Edmond, written by David Mamet and starring William H. Macy, the title character begins his descent into a horrifying modern urban hell after an encounter with a fortune teller. The ecounter causes Edmond to confront the emptiness of his life and marriage. His wife (Rebecca Pidgeon) complains that the maid broke a lamp, prompting him to flee the safe boredom of his home for the vortex of the dark streets of Los Angeles, tilting him into a free-fall that he mistakes for liberation, although he certainly now feels alive. As Edmond spirals on towards personal disintegration, his racism and homophobia emerges – and he freely expresses it. "Every fear hides a wish,” he discovers.
The Great New Wonderful weaves an extraordinary cast into five darkly comic and deeply human stories woven against the backdrop of an anxious and uncertain 21st century New York City.
UMEC'er Tom Runquist and his team and are looking for crew and extras to help out on the production of their AFI Thesis film, Onion Underwater. Onion Underwater is a surreal, sci-fi short film about Tara, a woman with no memory whose friends lead her on a journey into self-discovery and uninhibited love.
They are currently looking for production assistants, grips and gaffers for the camera/lighting department, sound mixers, boom operators, as well as location managers/scouts. Because we're basically poor student filmmakers, we can only afford to budget for key positions such as sound, so most positions are unpaid. However, AFI thesis projects get a fair amount of exposure, so it's a great opportunity to get screen credit.
They are also looking for extras to appear in the film, particularly for a scene set at a nightclub rave, so if you also happen to be into raves, please let them know. They'd love to get the set packed with as many people as we safely can and hopefully do something special in return for everyone who shows up.
The film is scheduled to shoot from May 18 to May 25, with one day off.
Anyone interested in helping out the production, however possible, can find out more by going to www.onionunderwater.com or by contacting Tom Runquist at .
Screenwriter Merton Swank (Mr. Felony, The Warm Breath of Strangers) answers your questions about writing in, for and in spite of Hollywood. Questions should be submitted to
.
UMEC'er and former Michigan gymnast Calli Ryals has a small role in 
In the compelling Edmond, written by David Mamet and starring William H. Macy, the title character begins his descent into a horrifying modern urban hell after an encounter with a fortune teller. The ecounter causes Edmond to confront the emptiness of his life and marriage. His wife (Rebecca Pidgeon) complains that the maid broke a lamp, prompting him to flee the safe boredom of his home for the vortex of the dark streets of Los Angeles, tilting him into a free-fall that he mistakes for liberation, although he certainly now feels alive. As Edmond spirals on towards personal disintegration, his racism and homophobia emerges – and he freely expresses it. "Every fear hides a wish,” he discovers.
The Great New Wonderful weaves an extraordinary cast into five darkly comic and deeply human stories woven against the backdrop of an anxious and uncertain 21st century New York City.