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The Athletic Nerd | The Screenwriting Spark Volume 1

The Screenwriting Spark is my way of pointing people to the blogs and articles that inspire me to sit down and write screenplays.

Sometimes, it can become incredibly difficult to summon the motivation needed to stare down the blank pages free of intimidation.

Sometimes creativity needs a SPARK to ignite.

It’s up to you to keep the fire going but it’s nice to have a few tricks to remain focused on the story you are developing.

My first trick is to watch a movie that inspires me.

If that doesn’t work I move on to screenwriting books and online blogs.  It doesn’t take long before the fire gets going again.

Volume 1

Twitter Sparks:

Recommended Follow: @thescriptlab

The Screenwriter as Benign Dictator – The Script Lab

Screenwriting Back to Basics, Day 2: Protagonist Metamorphosis Arc – Go Into The Story

Screenwriting for success: Ten mistakes to avoid when writing your screenplay – Glenn Magas (Helium)

The New 10 Commandments of Writing Screenplays – Screenwriting U

Movie Scene Structure – Screenwriting Foxhole

The Blatant Truth About Screenwriting – Hal Croasmun

Adding Emotional Depth to a Plot Via a Subplot – FilmmakerIQ

When the Characters Out-Write the Writer – Niya’s Place (Everything Screenwriting)

The importance of character names – Go Into The Story

Never Ever Sell Yourself Short – The Story Department

On The Blogs:

Featured: Daily Screenwriter
Inspiration, Motivation

This is a site I found recently that updates a few times a week with simple and short posts to get your brain moving.  There are definitely sites out there that offer more in depth information but I featured this site because of it’s main focus of inspiration.

Robert McKee — Worth Watching – The Unknown Screenwriter (Video)

Writing better dialogue – John August (Video)

Professional Writing and the Rise of the Amateur – John August (Video)

Setting Up Story and Character – Syd Field (Audio) Screenwriter’s Corner

Screenwriting with passion! Why screenwriters write… – The Screenwriter’s Place

Featured NERD Post: Is My Screenplay Ready For Competitions?

Submit your screenwriting post or article

Bonus Book Review:

How NOT To Write A Screenplay: 101 Common Mistakes Most Screenwriters Make (Nerd)

Easily one of the best screenwriting books I’ve ever read.  I’m constantly flipping through the pages to pick up some quick tips and inspiration.  Highly recommended.

FADE IN:

As Volume 1 of The Screenwriting Spark comes to a close, I wanted to use this first edition of FADE IN to ask what inspires you to write?

For most it will likely be one of the usual suspects:

  • Watching Movies
  • Reading Books
  • Reading Screenplays

What fascinates me are the wild cards unique to each individual screenwriter out there.  We all have strange ways to motivate ourselves.  I’m no exception.  I tend to move all my furniture around before I begin a new script. It makes my office feel new and it’s an atmosphere I love.

What are your unique methods to help inspire your imagination?

FADE OUT.

The Screenwriting Spark Volume 1

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Filmmakers. Fans. Independent Film

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Thomas James Longley, one of the stars of the upcoming indie horror film Sparrow.

The low budget feature was shot in Poland and is set for release this Halloween.  It was directed by Shaun Troke and written by Matthew Mosley.

Here is the synopsis from the IMDB page:

Six teenage friends take a camping trip to a forest which is the site of a presumed historic murder. But their disbelief in this urban legend is soon changed when strange happenings begin to occur to each of them.

Sparrow Movie 2010 Horror

I’ve always been a fan of  indie horror films so I was excited to find out how the film intends to stand out.

“It’s simplicity.  It doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not and I think because of that it can never fall into the trap that so many horrors have done before.  It’s just meant to be scary, a bit jumpy….  Hopefully the fans will respond to that.”

I couldn’t agree more.  Sometimes, all a horror fan needs is a straight forward thrill ride full of scares and when it comes to low budget features, simplicity is also a great way to keep costs down.

Sparrow Movie 2010 Horror

Another great way to keep costs down these days is to use Social Media tools to your advantage. In addition to the usual suspects like Facebook, the filmmakers decided to approach film blogs individually to get the word out.  (That’s how this post came to be.) It’s a lot of work but in the end it’s a great way to get the word out.

Longley credits producer Wojciech Stuchlik for the creative approach.

“A Facebook page and official site were set up, and Flickr I think too.  Of course these mediums really allow for the film to to get some kind of immediate exposure/interest which naturally helps.”

Years ago, one could never have imagined connecting an independent horror production in Poland with a Toronto based film blog but that’s what makes this an exciting time.  Not only can indie filmmakers network easier than ever but you can also generate a lot of buzz for your project for next to nothing.

Speaking personally, it’s great to hear from fellow filmmakers.

Sparrow Movie 2010 Horror

Sparrow is currently in post production and Longley says the film’s release is on schedule and hopes to see it accepted into festivals worldwide.

Check out the film’s official site here.

Best of luck Sparrow team!

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The Athletic Nerd is a LAMB!

March 8th, 2010 | Posted by jasonmckinnon in Movies | Web - (0 Comments)

The Athletic Nerd by Jason McKinnon

I stumbled across a terrific website about a month ago called The Large Association Of Movie Blogs or LAMB.

I was very excited to be included on such a unique site so I submitted my blog and today it was posted so you can officially refer to The Athletic Nerd as a fellow LAMB. 

I’m officially LAMB #457

Click here to check out the post.

I highly recommend you check out the blog and the other bloggers listed as their are a lot of talented and unique voices out there discussing films.

I’ll be posting a permanent link very soon to support this group!

Thanks again for the post!

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Milestone: My 144th Post

February 15th, 2010 | Posted by jasonmckinnon in Design | Web - (0 Comments)

Since I began blogging seriously in September, I’ve been slowly developping an identity for The Athletic Nerd.

The overall vision is to post 6 days a week about various topics relating to movies, television, technology and 17 West Productions.  What you’ll get is an honest look at how much filmmaking and working in television means to me.

Today I want to talk about the milestone I reached today.  It’s my 144th post!

I don’t celebrate the big events yet because this is still a young blog.  Ultimately, I want to create a blog where you can find quality content on a daily basis.

So for my 144th post, I wanted to solidify the idea that content comes first.

The one thing I’ve learned throughout my blogging journey is how important it is to appreciate the medium.  (No one told me so much research and development would be involved!)  Writing posts everyday is one thing but I also spend a lot of time enhancing my blogging knowledge through websites like Pro Blogger and Blogging Tips.  I’m constantly thinking and planning the look and direction I want to take The Athletic Nerd as I continue to push forward.

I’m always looking for ways to become a better blogger.

I can’t imagine firing off 5 or 6 posts a day.  It would be too rushed and the content would suffer.  Instead, why not write one post that means something every day?

They say you have to know your goals and who your audience is.  You have to know where you want to take your blog long before the traffic rolls in.

The Athletic Nerd will continue to evolve and you can bet it will keep getting better and better!

Thanks for reading.  Tell your friends.

Jason.

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Confessions Of A Nerd

January 27th, 2010 | Posted by jasonmckinnon in Technology - (0 Comments)

Oh Apple.  Thanks for being awesome…

The speculation is over and the iPad is finally here!

I can’t wait to get my hands on one of these things!

Currently, I’ve got about 12 brower windows open with various LIVE blogs updating constantly.  In a separate window, I’m rocking news services for every ounce of breaking news I can find.

I have to give points to GDGT for having a live stream that refreshes automatically.  Switching windows and hitting F5 can get irritating!

I love gadgets!

More to come!

PS: Many more exclamation marks as well!!!

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