Black Americana

Raising Hell And Writing Screenplays

I was hanging out a local pub waiting on inspiration to happen for my next screenplay. Everyone has their own way of clearing their mind to brainstorm. People do yoga, meditation, exercise, or other activities to help ideas flow. I chose to go down a different road.

At this point in my life I was in a serious writing funk not feeling too good about my filmmaking dreams. My creative process at that time was to have a few cold beers and raise a little hell in this pub with a live bunch. It had a great jukebox (80’s classics), cheap happy hour, and free freshly made popcorn.

The pub was a hangout for people from all walks of life. There were a cast of regulars who had ideas to do this and that but things had not quite panned out for them yet.

There was one guy who was a fan of the author Hunter S. Thompson who said he would only write his forthcoming novel on an old typewriter. He had not found the right typewriter yet so that was causing a delay in writing his epic novel. The place was a true “Slice Of Americana”, the name I now use for my indie film production company.

I spent more time at this pub then working on a screenplay. I had become a regular before too long. Over a beer, I got into an interesting discussion with the bartender about a screenwriter that used to come into the same place to jot down notes over tequila shots, no lemon, no lime, no salt.

He wrote an indie movie I had heard of and liked. I was telling the bartender about my script. All he said was, “you’ve written only one script?” I gave him the excuse that good ideas were hard to come by blah blah blah. Basically, I was being defensive about my lack of progress. The bartender was right; one script does not cut it.

I walked away from this pub with an idea for a movie I believed in inspired by some of the people I had met there (I still remain friends with many people I met, but that’s a whole different story). Banging away at my computer writing like a man possessed was a catharsis for me as a screenwriter. I felt a release of tension as each line and scene hit the page.

Three months later the movie script The Roach was completed. Having stopped going to screenwriting workshops, the only people who could offer feedback immediately were friends I had known since High School. I gave them all copies. They thought it was pretty good. My friends are a brutally honest bunch, but you can only put so much stock into what friends or family say about your writing.

Living in the Inland Empire, roughly 60 miles outside of Los Angeles, I wasn’t in the loop to network at hip places where the movie crowd hung out. I had no hook ups or connections in the industry on any level. Then by luck, through a friend, I was able to get my script in the hands of a real producer.

Who cares if it was a music producer that knew me through a friend of a friend, he was in the entertainment business. He read it, liked it, and referred me to a contact he had at The William Morris Agency (now William Morris Endeavor Entertainment), an elite talent agency. His contact sent my script to get coverage from the literary department. The comments came a few weeks later. They passed on me as a client. My ego was slightly bruised at having a script I wrote from the heart rejected.

Then I read the coverage notes. “Sharp dialogue”, “engaging characters”, “well paced”, and other positive lingo they use when covering a script in the literary department. The reader’s final comments were they recommended passing because the story was too small for their market and the title was a turn off.

It wasn’t “high-concept” enough for a studio film. They were 100% right and the title did suck. It was a character driven script that was more art house film fare or better suited as a stage play than a mainstream movie. That’s when I decided I was going to write scripts that I could make into movies myself. I have never looked back going on to write, produce, and direct entertainment that is available domestically and internationally. You can to, just keep your dream alive by doing the work. This is indie filmmaker Sid Kali typing FADE TO BLACK:

 

About the Author

Sid Kali takes you inside his life as a filmmaker. Get the scoop on screenwriting, producing, directing, and movie distribution. Visit his blog Slice of Americana FilmsAlso check out Movie Biz Coach a crisp way to learn the ins and outs of the movie business.

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