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17 West Productions Independent Film Toronto

There is nothing more exciting to me than developing a new story to be crafted into a screenplay.

New projects are always exciting as they challenge you to evolve as a screenwriter.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, this new project is NOT my idea.  Normally, I’m used to coming up with a concept and developing it myself.

This time, it’s Producer/Director Eric’s concept.

So we got together and spent a lot of time working out what the story should be.  Eric already had a rough outline done so we focused mostly on details.  This is my favorite part of developing a story.  It’s the time when you really work out what the world will be like, who the characters are and the overall style of the movie.

I’m extremely happy with the results.  This new tale we are developing is certainly ambitious but what excites me is that I’ll be writing in a genre I’ve never attempted before.  It’s a completely different type of story than I’m used to which makes it equal parts intimidating and fun.

The idea is to chip away at the script throughout the next few months and hopefully have a workable draft by the end of the year.

It will be one of 3 projects we are developing in addition to Strings which we are co-producing.

From there it’s all about planning, scheduling and budgeting. 

To quote one of my favorite movies:

“The board is set.  The pieces are moving.”

I’m loving our new direction of planning for multiple projects.  We don’t have any solid plans to shoot anything soon but that doesn’t mean we can’t put in the work.

At the end of the day, it’s all about creating entertaining films that people will enjoy.  You won’t get anywhere unless you put in the effort and meetings like today are a part of that dedication.

It also helps that I love movies, screenwriting and independent film.

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The Athletic Nerd Screenwriting Blog

This week, I’ll be meeting with 17 West Producer/Director Eric Gamache to go over ideas for one of our newest projects.

The story details will remain a secret for now but I will tell you it is dark and involves an island that looks something like this:

17 West Productions Location Scout Short Film

It will become my first screenplay adapted from someone else’s idea.

This frightens me.

However, I’m actually excited to tackle someone else’s story.

There is a certain level of comfort when you are working on your own concepts and developing your own scripts.

I think screenwriting isn’t as fun if you don’t step out of your comfort zone every now and then. 

How else are you going to keep things fresh and interesting?

You’ve got to challenge yourself.

So I’ll be taking notes and listening intently to my “client” during the meeting.  I want to make sure I truly understand what he wants and what kind of story he wants to tell.

I’m curious to see how it turns out in the end.

We’ve spent the last few weeks tweaking another project and the results have been amazing.  It’s a fantastic working relationship.

This new idea has all the makings of something fun and entertaining.

I’m looking forward to getting started.

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4 Stops Short Film 17 West Productions

4 Stops

One man riding a subway has a limited time to talk to a beautiful woman without being creepy. Can he achieve the impossible?

You can check out some feedback we got at the WILDsound festival below:

 

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17 West Productions Independent Film Toronto

17 West Productions is about to get a big boost in the coming months.

You might say that things appear to be quiet these days.  Today, I’d like to explain why.

Updates have been few throughout the summer but that doesn’t mean we aren’t working hard behind the scenes

Everything will make sense before 2010 wraps up.

Essentially, we are gearing up for a ‘relaunch‘ of sorts this winter with a ton of updates on the way.

It will begin with:

17west.ca

A complete redesign is in the works and construction got underway a few weeks ago. Preliminary designs are looking sweet and I can’t wait to show off our flagship site’s new look.  I’m pretty excited as the current design is well over 2 years old.

Those who have been keeping track on this blog have probably noticed that I began migrating all of the articles and features from 17west.ca to The Athletic Nerd.  The blog will serve as the central source of information for 17 West’s projects.

The new design incorporates the blog everywhere so you’ll always be up to date on our latest films.

The new look features a brighter and cleaner design with better graphics and a lot more functionality.

However, the redesign doesn’t stop there…

17 West Productions

Our Twitter, Facebook and YouTube pages are also scheduled for upgrades to reflect the new look of 17west.ca.

One network.  One style.  Tons of work.

Why the redesign?

New movies!

The new design is due to go live around the same time we announce our next short film.  For now, I’ll simply call it Eric Gamache’s dark tale.

We are hard at work developing the script and getting pitch materials together for the impending search for funds.  The new film is truly going to raise the bar for us.  Eric is a talented director and the material we are working on has us both pumped to move forward.

What else?

I’m also hoping to unleash the first trailer for The Climb, our latest short film we shot back in May.  Post production will continue into the winter and I’m hoping to have the film completed and ready to go in Spring 2011.  Why so long?  I’m handling all the post myself.  (Basically what I’m saying is, I have a lot to do.)

However, I still plan to have a trailer and possibly a clip or two ready for the relaunch of the site.

In the mean time,  check out the poster we unveiled a few weeks back.  Thoughts?

The Climb Short Film 17 West Productions

We will also be upping our coverage of Strings.  A project we are co-producing in Sudbury, Ontario. Strings has been quiet lately but I assure you it’s on the way and we’re all excited and eager to proceed with the music/love story.

We are also beginning to develop our future projects to keep this momentum going once every thing launches in a few months.

To summarize, we are coming back in a big way!

Looking for updates?

Keep checking The Athletic Nerd for complete coverage on each of these projects.  You’ll find all the details here with daily updates and original features.  I’m also preparing for the Nerd’s 1 year anniversary with an entire week of posts dedicated to the milestone.  I’ll also be previewing what you can expect as the site evolves in the future.

Back to work.

The Athletic Nerd Movies Screenwriting Independent Film Blog

17 West Productions Toronto

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Producing Short Films

17 West is currently developing a few short films in different stages of production.

Some have completed screenplays already while others are awaiting funding.

Recently, I spent some time up north at a cottage with my family.  While I was there, I couldn’t stop thinking about one of our new projects that’s still in it’s infancy.

The thriller takes place on an island so small you could throw a rock from one end to the other.

Scouting Locations for a short film

We’re keeping the details secret until I finish the screenplay but that didn’t stop my imagination from racing as I found myself on a boat surrounded by tiny islands.

My family rented a pontoon boat and as I sat there, beer in hand, it occurred to me that some of the islands around me might be perfect for our new short film.

READ: A Screenwriter’s holiday isn’t really a holiday at all is it?

So I borrowed my sister’s camera and snapped about two dozen images of the beautiful scenery.

These images immediately got forwarded to Producer/Director Eric.  Now we have some pics to look at while we continue to develop the story.

You never know when you’re going to come across something useful like a contact or location.

Scouting Locations Short Film

It’s important to bank as much information as possible when it comes to locations. So I made sure to write down addresses and phone numbers just in case we need to return someday.

Whether we use the location or not, it’s nice to know something suitable exists.

It’s also nice to have new images to Photoshop and enhance.

17 West Productions Location Scout Short Film

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