The First Cut is the Deepest

BY JIM YOAKUM

writer bio 

Congratulations, your script has been produced, filmed and edited. Now comes the heartbreak – you get to see the first rough cut. Well, first consider yourself lucky that you’re even seeing this. Usually writers are written out of the picture the minute you sign the option, but (for some reason) you’ve been invited to look at your baby newly-born, freshly-scrubbed and all dolled-up in pink (or blue, blue usually reserved for action scripts) projected on the silver screen (actually a TV monitor). The lights go down and you wonder: “Will the baby look like daddy or mommy?” Unfortunately, the baby usually ends-up looking more like one of those cute orphans Angelina Jolie likes to adopt. It’s a baby alright, just not the one you expected to see.  What happened to that scene, you ask, the one with all the clever dialogue set in the coffee shop? Cut. What about that scene where we show the main characters angst by - Snipped. What about…. The list goes on.

That’s the moment you realize that your baby, your script, is no longer yours. She grew-up, married a toothless mechanic from Arkansas and yet still wants to call you daddy (or mamma as the case may be) and name their two-headed baby after you. Now you’re confronted with an issue: do you claim this wayward child, welcome it back to your bosom - or do you cut it off, give it a pamphlet about incest and wish them well?

I’ve been lucky in that my experiences in film have not excluded me, I’ve been very involved in all aspects of post-production, but I know plenty of other writers who have gone through this Jerry Springer-like (“We have the DNA evidence!”) experience. I’ve mopped the tears off my sodden shoulder and the best advice I have is, seeing as how, whatever you decide, this monster will still bear your name (i.e. in the credits), the smart choice is to smile, buck-up, and hope it gets into a good college. Talk to the editor, make the editor your friend; explain to them how you (the writer) and they (the editor) are really the alpha and omega of the process. If that doesn’t work, change your name. 

TO CONTROL OR NOT TO CONTROL

BY JODIE BENTLEY

writer bio for Jodie Bentley & Kevin Urban (The Savvy Actor)

One day it’s 80 degrees and the next it’s 40! It is spring and it should be 60 degrees. I don't know about you, but first of all that freaks me out a bit. It also it makes me feel…well…. out of control. (Because I never know what to wear.) 

It’s the same thing in our careers. One day we feel on top of our game as actors and the next we don't. That can feel disempowering and chaotic. What you thought isn't so... or is it?

Control. This word can mean a lot. Actors either want to control their careers or they feel completely out of control.  Some actors feel they aren't in control at all, especially when casting directors are viewed as gate-keepers and agents as the answer. They give their power away and look at everyone else as an authority figure, and forget to look at themselves.

For other actors, control means always trying to fit a mold and giving people what they think they want. They lose themselves in the process and seem to work REALLY hard. They’re forcing things to happen and shutting people out in the process.

In sports they say great players let the game come to them. Mistakes happen when athletes try to force a shot or a throw. The same holds true for actors. I see actors consistently self-sabotaging themselves as they try to make their career happen or listen to everyone else’s ideas about their career. 

So how do you feel in control of your career but not controlled by your career?  How do you allow for your career to happen and play the game but bring some of your own rules?

How about trusting in this.

1. Owning who you are and what is uniquely you.
2. Believing that you are enough.
3. Accepting it’s never going to be ‘perfect’.
4. Knowing what you value in your life.
5. Letting go of the result.

Here’s the thing, ultimately, there is no control. All we can do is put ourselves in a position to be ready when the opportunities present themselves. To have done the market research and all the goal work to get where you want to go and to know what is special about you in this business –  then let it go. And trust.

The result will be better than what you ever envisioned. Or what you were trying to control in the first place.

THE TOP 10 WORDS/PHRASES THAT SHOULD BE REMOVED FROM THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE...or at least not included in your next script

BY DANI FAITH LEONARD

writer bio

#10 – “We gotta get out of here.”  – A friend of mine pointed out that this is the mark of a disappointing horror film.  Only use this phrase if you desire to be campy!  (People like campy, as long as you meant it.)  Also in this category is when the young, sexy blonde actress says, “Did you hear that?”  and then proceeds to search said sound in her underwear.

#9 – LOL – I have no problem when someone uses abbreviations like LOL in emails, texts, IMs, etc.  I am a frequent user.  However, if your characters say it out loud, they better be under the age of 15 or a flamboyantly gay man.

#8 – The same thing goes for OMG, BF, presh and adorbs.

#7 – Amazing – I can’t think of a more overused word than amazing.  How many of the things that you call amazing are actually amazing?  I had no idea how many people are easily amazed by everything.  Let’s save this word for things that actually amaze you and also reintroduce words like fantastic and fabulous.

#6 – Literally – I can’t think of a more misused word than literally.  “I was literally over the moon.”  Really?  I doubt it.

#5 – Shtup – The un-sexiest word for sex must be retired permanently.  Eighty-year-old Yiddish-speaking grandparents can shtup, but not me.  I hope you don’t shtup either.  It sounds gross and conjures up images of old floppy skin.  (I feel the same way about fornication and nookie).

#4 – Good/Bad – How boring can one be?  When you or a character you are writing describes something as good or bad, it comes across as completely apathetic.  Which is more interesting?

WOMAN: It felt really good to get out last night, even though the music at the club was pretty bad.

-Or-

WOMAN: It felt awesome to get out last night, even though the music at the club was completely shiteous.

#3 – Jackass and Asshole – These old insult words need to be retired.  It’s not that they aren’t fun to say.  It’s just that they no longer hold any weight.  It’s time to move on!  I personally like toolbag, jackhole and asshat.

#2 – “It’s not rocket science.”  – Thanks.  I am aware that whatever it is that I was talking about is not rocket science.  Stop being a jackhole and wipe that smirk off your face.

#1 – VAJAYJAY – Oh, boy.  I don’t even know where to begin.  I can’t stand when women refer to their own vaginas as their “vajayjay.”  If you ever refer to my beautiful lady parts as a “vajayjay” in bed, you will immediately be ejected.  Women are beautiful!  Stop making my glorious nether-regions sound like a big, fat lady!  (“Beaver”,  “bajingo”, “cooter”, and “snatch” will also grant you a ticket out of town.)

Have any words to add?  Leave a comment!