How to stop remakes and reboots from ruining your day

Not a day goes by where I don't get asked the question "Why do Hollywood keep making reboots and remakes, do they not have original material?" I always respond with "Do you go see these movies?" and the answer is usually "Yes."

Here's the thing, if people simply stopped going to see these movies then they would not get made anymore.

Just let that sink in... Think about it, why do studios make movies? Is it to entertain you? No. Is it to teach you something? No. Is it so that we have something to do on date night? No. Movies are about making money, at least on the studio level they are, and reboot and remakes are pretty much guaranteed to make a lot of money. Do they care that you or I post on facebook or twitter that we're sick of remakes and would like some original fare? No, because you keep giving them your money for the thing you don't want.

I'm not suggesting that everyone stops watching movies, I'm suggesting that you consider what you watch and if you want good, entertaining stories that are original and fresh and star great actors and actresses who care about it being a great movie then simply  check out the independent movie section on Netflix or iTunes, or wherever you get your movies.

The reason I'm suggesting this is that thats where all the stuff you're saying you want is, fresh, original content by people who care what  you think. Every line of dialogue is carefully considered, not mangled by too many people trying to get a residuals check.

Indie movies, true indie movies are usually made on very tight budgets, these people cannot afford to make silly choices so everything in the movie is carefully considered and thought out. The films are usually made with more passion than money, the actors are doing their own make up, the director is also the DP, the sound guy has a million other jobs, someones mom and dad made the sandwiches that were eaten on set. It's small time but the end result is almost always miles better than the trash you see coming from Hollywood.

Now don't get me wrong, Hollywood has made some great movies and given the chance I'd jump into directing a movie for the studios tomorrow if an offer came. I just feel that people should split their movie going/watching time between the big boys and the little guys.

So one week watch Fast and the Furious 310 but when you're cruising Netflix a few days later watch The Giant Mechanical Man or Nobody Walks or anything that you like the look of. You'll still find some "famous" actors, but more importantly you'll find great stories and artists, people who are really trying to entertain and impress you. People who simply give a damn and people whose day you can make by simply watching their movie.

And why not take it a step further? Check out Kickstarter or Indiegogo and help someone make a movie, you'd be surprised how much a $5 donation can mean, especially if it's the only donation that person gets that day. If every one of my facebook fans (just an example) was to give a $5 donation to an indie movie every Friday then the movie would  get about $2,500. That's a big difference to an indie filmmaker, so even if you give $5 you are making a huge difference to someone and becoming a part of a film. How cool is that?

Obviously the more you give a project the more you get back but it is entirely possible to build a credible career as an "associate producer" by simply donating money to a film on one of the crowdfunding sites. And even better, you know that you're doing something to help people avoid another god damn remake of something from the 80s.

Personally I love indie films, I rarely actually visit the cinema anymore and instead would rather watch something small budget and fun instead of coming out of a movie disappointed and bored (I'm looking at you Broken City!!). I'm lucky in that I know a lot of indie filmmakers personally, I know actors who are making great movies, I know some really awesome writers (and a lot of bad ones!) and we are all focusing on creating awesome, fun, entertaining stories that make original, fresh and entertaining movies. All you have to do as an audience member is give indie film a chance and watch the good stuff.

It's kind of like eating at McDonalds when you have a nice piece of steak ready to eat.

So I encourage you to give indie film a chance, I can guarantee that you'll find some great movies that you'll want to share with everyone.

See you at the Premiere!

Dave

90% of writers are not writers

Read the title again. Read it again. Are you a writer? Or maybe you're one of the phonies... the problem, not the messiah? What am I even talking about?

I have been a writer my whole life, I started when I'd make up stories about how I was late home from school because a dragon had blocked the pathway and I had to battle him to the death... definitely not that I was playing football. Throughout my life I've read books, ever since I could read I read the newspaper everyday and now that I make a living as a writer/director I read a lot of bad scripts AND I'VE HAD ENOUGH.

I've found that about 10 percent of the scripts I read are even close to being good, I read a lot of scripts and the majority of them are pure 100% stinky, horrid pieces of shit. I've had migraines evolve because it was less painful than continuing to read a script... That's not a joke. Of course somewhere out there are the people who write these steaming piles of excrement. The "writer" who will clog the toilet which is the way for a new writer to be discovered with their rancid work. The writer who "saw a bad movie and thought, I can write a better script than that." and who thinks that this crappy script I'm reading is amazeballs.

If you watch a "bad" movie and think you write a better script, and that is the reason you began writing then "FUCK YOU". You think it's easy writing a story about complex relationships with engaging dialogue, endearing characters who resonate and feel like old friends? You think you can just snap your knuckles and win a fucking Oscar? FUCK YOU.

The bottom line is that screenwriting, any writing which is fictional is not a skill. It's not something that you can learn. Fiction writing is a talent, YOU CANNOT LEARN TALENT. You can learn skills, but without the talent skills are useless. Sure, a skilled writer can write a script which may not induce head shrinking migraines, HOWEVER, follow up reading that script with one by a talented writer who has taken the time to learn the skills. WOW, it'll blow your mind. It's as if the talented writer can tell a story right there on the page.

Crazy!

Imagine if you will that I could press a button on my keyboard and all of the talentless writers in the film business were instantly vaporized (I'm pressing buttons hoping that it's working), now with 90% of the "writers" gone who are left? Talented storytellers. THESE ARE THE REAL WRITERS. Writing is about telling stories, not about getting massive paychecks and going to Hollywood parties (although I like a good party!).

There is another problem though, 90% of what's left are writing the wrong thing! Why? Because they're trying to write what will sell instead of what they want to write. If you're not writing from the heart then you're doing it wrong.

I belong to several writer groups, some of them good, some of them just awful and some of them becoming too diluted for my liking. Throughout all of them though there is a common occurrence, there's always a few loud mouth idiots telling everyone how to do things... the wrong way. These people are not trying to be bad news, they think they're helping, they're just not supposed to be writers... they're probably producers, those guys haven't got a clue!! (Before any gets angry, I'm a producer too!).

I see conversations where people argue over whether they should buy Final Draft or continue to use CeltX. Good question, there is but one answer: Professional writers use Final Draft (or that movie magic or whatever it's called). Should I buy a macbook to write my masterpiece on? Well if you need a macbook buy one, if not you can get FD for PC (I love my mac btw, but if you're only writing then get a cheap laptop and spend the cash on PROFESSIONAL software instead).

Regardless of if you write with CeltX, Final Draft or the other one on an ipad, macbook, pc, laptop, iphone, android phone, fridge magnet, WHATEVER, if you don't instinctively know how to tell a frickin' story then you'll never be a professional writer. Sadly about 90% of "writers" don't know how to write stories, they know the skills required to write a script and that means jack shit when I'm reading scripts guys.

I have already rambled and blabbed on for too long so I will leave you with my lists of reasons to be a screenwriter and my list of reasons you should not think make you a screenwriter a screenwriter and I'll write more about this subject later this week.

REASONS YOU SHOULD NOT THINK MAKE YOU A SCREENWRITER:

1: You saw a bad movie and you know you can do better than that -- FUCK YOU
2: You want to be rich and writing a script is easy money -- FUCK YOU
3: You want to work in the movies and writer is the easiest job -- DOUBLE FUCK YOU
4: Your friends all think you're funny so you're going to write the best comedy ever -- FUCK YOU
5: You've seen a million movies, how hard can it be? -- FUCK YOU
6: You are the greatest writer in the world, without doubt -- FUCK YOU (this one is jealousy!)
7: You want to meet movie stars so you need a script to present -- FUCK YOU
8: You heard that writing a script is easy -- FUCK YOU
9: Money, Money Money -- OMFG FUCK YOU
10: Kevin Smith did it -- Fuck you, Kevin Smith is a talented mofo. Seriously.

REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD BE A SCREENWRITER:
1: You have stories burning you up from the inside that you need to tell cinematically.
2: See number one, there is no other valid reason other than you need to tell stories because that is your number one talent and it is the most important thing to you in the whole entire world. You'd do it for free if it meant that you could do it... you might even pay to do it because you love it so much. It's a passion in your belly that you need to satisfy by WRITING.

OH and just before anyone has a little "who the fuck are you to say that about writers?" kind of attack at me:

My name is Dave McGlone, I write and direct movies. I've been award nominated, I've been told that my dialogue sucked, I've been told that I was the freshest voice in writing for decades (thanks, Mom). I've made three short films and one feature film. None of them have had a bad review. I write because I love it, it is a burning passion within me and I love it. Would I write a script for free? YES. Would I pay to be allowed to write? YES.

Check out my movie ALL OR NOTHING @ www.facebook.com/dervanprod

Have a nice day and...

Write On... except for you 90 percenters!

Dave