A blog about screenwriting active from 2008 to 2017, but it is currently used in conjunction with with classes taught at The School of Cinematic Arts at USC.
For the current projects of "Breckenridge Hood," please visit UNDERGRIDS.COM.
For all of you interested in writing TV or developing TV, this is a very interesting development from Roy Price and Amazon.com. What would happen if all networks and premium cable allowed their audiences to choose their pilots? Would that be a good thing? How would you feel if YOUR pilot was chosen by an audience instead of executives and focus groups?
Amazon has recently released 14 new pilot episodes on its website created by its Amazon Studios unit and the e-commerce site wants viewers to choose which previews the company should turn into full-on, season-long shows. The 14 offerings range from well-known Hollywood entities, like the Sony spin-off Zombieland, to lesser-known creations a la the comedy Those Who Can't, which was generated from an online submission entry.
What's the creative process behind these pilots? How did ideas get the green light? How has response been so far? Listen to Roy Price, director of Amazon Studios: HERE
Haunting Melissa is a new kind of viewing experience. It's not a film (although it was created by the producer of Mulholland Drive and The Ring.) It's not a TV series (although it is serialized, appearing over the course of days, weeks and months.) And, it certainly is not a bundle of webisodes (though it is delivered by an app made exclusively for the I-pad and I-phone.) Watching Haunting Melissa doesn't feel quite like any of these things. It's something innovative, exciting... and very, very scary.
As a friend, collaborator and filmmaker with a burning interest in new technologies and new distribution models, I had a chance to observe Neal Eddlestein conceive, create and deliver Haunting Melissa. Over the next couple days I will be interviewing Neal, and blogging about what this project could mean for independent filmmakers looking for new ways to tell stories, reach audiences and monetize their content.
As a fan of the uncanny tone and intensity of David Lynch as well as the surreal supernatural horror of The Ring, I couldn't be more drawn to the story itself. I was able to get a sneak peak at some of the later sequences, and they truly have the unsettling quality of both a hazy nightmare and a decent into madness.
Interviews, discussion and analysis to come. Stay tuned...
This could very well be a brand new storytelling medium, and an opportunity for both film and TV writers/producers/directors to reach audiences in an entirely new way. My friend, collaborator, and fellow Quora contributor Neal Edelstein is leading the revolution. Check out the link below...
