Last Monday, I realized my life will never be fulfilled if one of my scripts never gets made into a film. Years ago, I suffered a heartbreaking wake up call when I realized my film, The Arts of Chaos, was actually a disaster. It really was. I never gave up. I hate quitters. I got back up and wrote.
Since then, I have written two scripts I consider my magnum opera: Under Canvas Skies (more on that soon) and Chameleon (more on that soon). The only problem is that these two scripts are sweeping epics. I needed a smaller film. Nobody is going to give me a huge budget. I need to wait and rewrite. With Mesmerized by Confusion, I submitted a sample seven page script about a criminal psychologist studying four deranged female criminals who have turned their backs on authority and civilization. Together the women defy the law and uphold an anarchist regime.
Sounds simple, right? Many complimented it as a female Fight Club meets V for Vendetta.
Edward Norton, The Narrator, (right)
Hugo Weaving and Natalie Portman
I submitted my sample script at a comedy competition for Lionsgate and Massify. Although I got complimentary reviews on the script, [see here at http://www.massify.com/projects/mesmerizedbyconfusion, http://www.massify.com/partnerships/lionsgate/makingcomedy/concept/entry/mesmerizedbyconfusion] it was obvious my film didn't fit the comedy mold. I was getting that although my script would make an amazing high concept thriller, it’s not a comedy! Quite frankly I'm not a good comedic writer. Actually, I'm quite terrible. Yet, I can act comedy well. My forte is physical comedy.
Needless to say, I lost the competition. No hurt feelings. People still loved the script. The girl who won, Barbara Gray, had a timely script called The Wrong Guys for the Job. The sample was a brilliant piece about two buddies helping worthy job applicants find jobs by applying and blowing their interviews and in the process, helping the more qualified applicants get hired. Guess what it is? It's a comedy and a damn good one at that [check it out: http://www.massify.com/projects/thewrongguysforthejob]! Last Monday, I had euphony. I spoke to my friend and asked, “How can I find investors who are willing to fund my independent debut?” He told me about product placement. Restaurants, cars dealerships, artillery, anything that I will use in the film! I think that's brilliant. Three years ago I wrote a thorough business plan for my failed script that was well loved. Eighty-two pages of dissecting the power of a failed script! Well last Tuesday, precisely at midnight, I posted jobs for the massify crew to come and audition for my film. By six o'clock that evening, as I waited for MJSBIGBLOG to post the song spoilers on American Idol, yes I watch American Idol but if I have to put the blame on someone a-la Rita Hayworth in Gilda [see the caption below] I wholeheartedly blame David Cook, season 7 winner for his breathtaking performances.
Still from Gilda (1946): The most beautiful movie starlet of all time, Rita Hayworth, singing "Put the Blame on Mame"
David Cook, thanks man for turning me into a fan of the largest glorified karaoke show on Earth, but in your defense, "you can sing the phonebook" among other things. That does take talent. Anyways, I'm getting distracting. For now on, blame him! I was utterly shocked that in less than one day, I had eight incredibly gifted independent directors sent me submissions to direct my script. It's been a week and I have fourteen director submissions, three Ethan submissions, five Ethan submissions-in-waiting, two Kirsten submissions-in-waiting, three Leslie submissions, two Leslie submissions-in-waiting, and two sound production assistant submissions! WOW! Their resumes are amazing. I guess Mesmerized by Confusion is a good thing. I also submitted my project for funding at Indiegogo. I present the links and yes, I'll keep you guys posted on my project. We can make events. Word of mouth is the way to go. The internet is your friend.
Spread the word around! It needs your love!This Mesmerized by Confusion plot and logline:
Logline:
A psychiatrist studies four deranged girls who terrorize a city. The girls turn their backs on civilization and juncture an anarchist regime.
Synopsis:
Outside his ideal world in the asphalt jungles, Ethan Donovan dwells among the vultures he once denounced. A former vagabond, he has become a bureaucrat working for the right side of the law. Ethan is a noted criminal psychiatrist and journalist. The FBI enlists in Donovan’s expertise to solve the breakout crimes of four notorious female assassins. The bright-eyed articulate man takes the case that changes the course his life.
Quickly, Ethan submerges himself in the case. As he studies the different women, he realizes their sole purpose for the city’s crime sprees. The four female assassins take a grasp at the world of the powerful and corrupt. They are out to weaken them as a way to prove that our society can be easily bought. They want to eradicate the rules, the orders, the systems, and the hypocrisies. Their message is anarchy among the corrupt and the gullible. Ethan’s obsession leads him to stalk them. He will stop at nothing to bring the women down.
How far can Ethan go without realizing his sympathies for the beautiful women transcend in his loyalty to his criminal past, a past that intertwines him to criminal mastermind Vanessa Millian and Kirsten James. Together, they tie him to a schizophrenic assassin, Jacqueline Evans, and a sly silent killer name Leslie Adams.
Spread the word around! It needs your love!
If you want to read the sample come here:
If you want to audition, come over here: http://www.massify.com/job/manage
Help make Mesmerized by Confusion happen at http://www.indiegogo.com/Mesmerized-by-Confusion
Thanks... Let's blame Cook when this film happens. The soon-to-be MBC fans need someone to blame. I'm kidding. He's a wonderful singer. I watched American Idol because I wanted to but again, in my defense, he's a breathtaking singer and quite a looker. Mesmerized by Confusion is a possible dream and I need your help. I'll do whatever it takes to make it work. We'll all fight together.
Calvin Coolidge once said, “Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”
I belive in that quote. The script's core theme is "Press On." Let's "Press On" with Mesmerized by Confusion together.
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