Collaborating with Artists From "Somewhere Else"

Also published on Vancouver Film School's blog (Wednesday, May 2, 2012)

There are two things I discovered early at VFS: I'd have to work with others to get stuff done, and most of the people I'd be working with had come from "somewhere else" in the world.

Collaboration. It's the name of the game at VFS. Whether a massive school project or a seemingly small piece for a students's personal portfolio, absolutely nothing gets created, produced or promoted in a vacuum. This is no surprise for people who already get the value and importance of working together with other creative types. But for those used to doing things solo, it can come as a bit of a shock.

"You mean I'm going to have to let others see my work and give me their opinions? What if they hate it? What if they laugh or simply don't get it? What if I discover I'm really no good, or don't have what it takes to make it in the industry?" 

In the words of Marty McFly's dad in Back to the Future, they're just not sure they can take that kind of rejection! 

Cast & Crew of "Final Verdict"

By the way, "they" are us. More precisely, "they" were me for a good share of term one! It's bloody unnerving to jot down what you think is good, dramatic stuff - a solid premise, a compelling character, a great knock-em-dead joke - then bring it to class and watch it get analyzed, criticized, vandalized, and possibly euthenized. It's the psycho-emotional equivalent of stripping down in front of strangers. Granted, some people are into that kind of thing, but it was a bit of stretch for me at first. I mean, I can get goofy in a crowd and say a whack of totally inappropriate things, but that's different somehow. Seriously sharing your creative ideas - letting others hold your "babies", as it were - can be scary, nerve-wracking stuff.  Just speaking in front of others is, for some, a trauma beyond words.

Christian (right) with
animator Stefano
Marrone on
"The Flowers"

Great thing is, you get over it pretty quick. The skin gets thick, you learn to listen less with less emotion, and the value of others' input (twelve heads are often better than one) becomes clearer by the day. Eventually, you even come to crave the feedback of others, finding it an indispensable part of your creative process. Fact is, becoming a successful artist seems to mean finding that weird, tricky middle ground between trusting your gut with an almost arrogant confidence and being deeply suspicious of your own final judgment on an idea.  

Personally, I love working with others - even if my occasional insecurities or "case of the Mondays" don't always feel like it. But I'll also admit, collaboration at this level, and to this degree, took a little getting used to. But of course, there is simply no way to work in the film industry without it. It's just the way it is. The best strategy is to get used to it, and as quickly as possible!

Cast & Crew of "The Flowers" for VFS Compendium VI

VFS's Global Village. The really exciting part has been discovering how much talent and how many eager filmmakers there are around the globe. This isn't any big surprise; I just haven't had that many opportunities to collaborate with international artists. But the whole world is literally hanging out at VFS: fact is, almost all of us are from somewhere else!

For example, I've had the chance so far to story-edit for students from China, Malaysia, and Syria, in departments from Entertainment Business Management, Film Production, and Digital Design. I've written scripts for productions with partners from Ecuador, Peru, Italy, England. I've composed music for commercials and films (including VFS's Compendium VI) with teams so broadly international, it would be ponderous to list the countries they all come from.

Sketch Comedy rehearsals

Of course, we've all had (and will continue to have) experiences like this at VFS. My fellow writing compadres have similarly honed their chops and spread their wings with students from various departments and different countries. The benefits are mostly obvious - being exposed to different cultural perspectives, discovering unique approaches to filmmaking, tapping into an increasingly global industry -, but real chances to collaborate with international artists can be like finding a needle in a haystack.

Enter Vancouver Film School.    

One thing I'm certain of: we may never find a pool so full of eager and varied voices again. Now is the time to dive in start swimmin'!

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Spring Break with the Kids

Four months rush madly by and we're back in Alberta with the kids again. Woosh! Thank you, Spring Break!

After much phoning, texting, Skype-seshing, and Facebookery since Christmas, we flew into Calgary, settled into Brandi and Steve's, and booked it to Airdrie to grab James, Jenni and Ricky - the "Titanic Trio" - for a week of good times, catching up, and too-long-denied hugs, cuddles and arm punches.

James is now roughly eight feet tall (give or take), bench-presses Toyotas between Visalus shakes, and yet is vulnerable enough to admit that he loved The Hunger Games. This guy!

Jenni is donning a smart, new lip ring, looks great in pink dubstep gear, kicks ass at frisbee, all the while managing to maintain her "greatest daughter in the world" status, now fifteen years running!

And then there's Ricky. Holy. The kid's turning into a small tree! For sure he'll be my height by fall, and with an optimistic, "the-world-is-my-oyster" outlook to match. Must come with turning twelve! 

Day 1 (Saturday):
After hours of ping pong at friend Tara's, a ton o' laughs, and the inevitable Call of Duty sesh with Steve, it was BBQ time!

Day 2 (Sunday):
After football in the park, it was off to the mall at CrossIron Mills, where we feasted and celebrated Ricky's twelfth birthday at Boston Pizza before a refreshing bout of shopping, and a final stop at le cinema to enjoy The Hunger Games.

Day 3 (Monday):
The big surprise arrives: Grandad, bearing gifts for. . .everyone! And also primed and ready for an afternoon of frisbee (mainly with Jenni - a.k.a. "Das Fer"), pet store hopping and, finally, cruising for chicks. Not really, but that's what it felt like with three generations of Donnett boys in the car. (We attempted Wrath of the Titans, but the theatre's 3D decided to pooch out and we asked for a refund. Probably just a well.)

Day 4 (Tuesday):
No trip to Calgary is complete without a long stroll down Kensington Road. Too much culture, history, and general coolness to miss. After an afternoon filled with goodies from the Red Bush Candy Store, a group reading on the steps of Pages, cupcakes at Crave, toy inspections at Livingstone & Cavell, and the multi-cultural and aromatic delights Manana, it was off to le cinema once again for Titanic in 3D. Worth it, by the way!

Day 5 (Wednesday):
An early rise and off to celebrate an enduring family tradition: breakfast at McDonald's. Then a last drive around town before more hugs, cuddles, arm punches and heart-filled goodbyes.

It was so great to be with them again. And, wow, did everyone ever get along! (Maturity abounded. . .well, sort of.) We may talk lots on the phone, but it's never the same as seeing them, holding them, hearing and watching them tell us about what's new in their lives with friends, school, work, "growing-up" stuff. It was the fix we all need. I still hate living so far away from them and we talked a lot about "what's next" - i.e. after I'm done school. But the talk was always positive, and even though we haven't figure it all out just yet, it was encouraging to see how well they were doing, and that they were making things happen in their lives in the meantime.

Love 'em to death!

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1000 Views on YouTube!

I promised Mel we'd go out for dinner once my YouTube channel hit 1000 views.

On April 5, 2012, I finished recording the third of three original scores for films by Vancouver Film School students, including one of VFS's sixth annual Compendium productions, The Flowers. (The others were Jason Chan's Final Verdict and Nicholas Humphries Forgiveness.) Posting Flowers and Verdict to YouTube (Forgiveness is en route) pushed the views to the ceiling.

So. . .Fish House at Stanley Park, here we come!

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On The Film Score Front

I've been so focused on the screenwriting front, I've somehow managed to miss blogging about that other thing I've been up to at VFS.

When I first arrived back in August to study writing, I decided this wasn't the time to be shy about another aspect of filmmaking that woke me up in the morning: scoring the music. Composing since a wee lad, I'd been a big fan of sweeping, orchestral scores since my grandad sent me to the land of Nod with old Mantovani records. Yeah, I listened to AC/DC when my friends were around, but in private, i threw on John Williams' Star Wars, Jerry Goldsmith's Alien, and on those warm, early-May afternoons, Stravinsky's Rite of Spring.

I was a freak, I admit, but in a good way (he told himself, convincingly). Then, at 14, I decided I was tired of just listening to movie music and started writing it.

28 years (yikes!) and many compositions later, I'm walking into a lecture by VFS instructor (and former Polygram exec), Ken Ashdown, on the realities of entertainment business law and thinking, this is it. Now's the time! So I introduced myself to Ken, hand him a copy of my most recent CD, get some business cards made, create a YouTube channel, and set about promoting my wares.

As most things are, it was slow going at first - setting up, getting known, staying focused on school work, and then actually writing music. But five months later, I've got one commercial under my belt (ASEM Mozambique), am currently writing music for three short film (Roy Hater's "The Flowers", Jason Chan's "Final Verdict", and Nick Humphries' "Forgiveness"), and am setting up for two more.

Then I call the kids in Alberta and, lo and behold, Jenni's just written a sweet new tune on the geetar, James is cranking out Zeppelin on his new strat or The Dubliners on his tin whistle, and Ricky's rocking a concerto at the piano. These are the days you look back later on when all else is dark and say, "Life is pretty damned sweet, after all!"

Meanwhile, thank you VFS for helping yet another dream come true. May it also be so with these three fine young cannibals! (Don't worry, kids, just one of dad's 80s references. Just go with it.)

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The Big Question: Film or TV?

Ivan & Mike @ the unofficial End-of-Term-3 Partay! (Feb 25)

Two weeks before the end of term 3, department head, Michael Baser, and trusty sidekick Dionne rustled us into the writing theatre, closed the door, and asked us a question we all knew was coming: "Film or television?"

No, not which did we prefer to watch that afternoon, but rather, after six months of general exposure to both, which of the two streams did we want to specialize in for the remainder of the year?

Some of us (myself included) had been agonizing for weeks over this one. On the one hand, it didn't seem fair that we had to choose; on the other hand, it made perfect sense. To get really good, we had to zero in and become a master of one. Ask any five teachers to sell you on the benefits of either (a ritual I strongly recommend), and you'll, of course, get different answers. Some championed film with bells and whistles, others pointed to TV as the no-brainer, hands-down way to go.

Evan & Matt

For some of us, there was no debate or inner turmoil: we knew already. The challenge for me was that I'd come in to VFS with my heart set on film. That's where my experience, interest and, most importantly, my heart was.

But over the course of three terms, I'd come to love television writing and the frenetic pace and fury of the writer's room - the instant feedback, the constant workshopping, the all-heads-together generation of ideas. As I presented my dilemma to my instructors and fellow students, the question often came back, "Do you prefer writing alone or as part of a group?" - suggesting that loners belonged in film, extroverts in TV. Though an admitted generalization, it wasn't a bad point. However, I was equally comfortable working alone or with others. So that wasn't my issue.

Mel & Kate

The next question that came back was, "Which medium do you want to pursue as a career?" For me, that was also easy. Film. But based on the course outlines I saw coming for both streams, I felt I had more to gain academically (script formatting, how the industry works, etc.) by chasing after the TV curriculum. Plus, from everything I'd been hearing, chances were my first jobs after VFS would be in TV, if only as a production assistant. One more check in the box for TV.

"Eyeballs" Elberson

Then I had a few questions for myself, that applied uniquely to me. How does being 41 with three kids factor in?  Not unimportant details. I mean, I knew this going into the program and the future's still very bright, but there's no denying that I'm limited in some ways that other students aren't. Bills to pay, mouths to feed, perceptions to fight. And hey, I'm totally cool with that. I get it. Nonetheless, TV comedy, say, is probably not an option. (Apparently the industry doesn't have much use for comedy writers over 27. Not "hip" or "fresh" enough. Yeah, I know, but that's just the way it works. Besides, I intend to help prove that little bit of bullshit untrue in my own way down the road. . .)

In the end, I reconciled my heart with reality and opted for television. It just makes sense. But that doesn't mean I`ve changed my mind about wanting to write for film. I fully intend on exhausting myself with every film elective I can squeeze into my schedule, continue working on my feature script, and scheduling mentoring sessions with first-rate film gurus like Rudy Thauberger and Rodger Cove.

And of course, either way, we're not making career decisions here. We're just focusing on a study path while in school. The future is still ours to carve out, as always. Nothing's in stone.

Here we come, Term 4!

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Half-Way There! (Milestones To-Date)

First Screenplay (1st draft) - "Can We Meet?"

Half-way through my program at VFS, and already a whack of milestones (both personal and school-based) achieved!

Goals I've dreamed about nailing for years. Who knew that all I needed was a little academic structure, professional encouragement, friendly competition and deadlines to make it happen?

Okay, we all knew that. Here's to you, VFS. Never could have done it without you!

Milestones hit so far:

1. Feature screenplay (1st draft) - "Can We Meet?"

2. TV spec script (1st draft) - Big Bang Theory

3. 2 comedy sketches - "Orphuk the Omnisicient", "Freddy & Hank's Day Out" (Produced/performed live)

First TV spec script (1st draft) - Big Bang Theory

4. Animated spec script (1st draft) - Kid vs. Kat

5. Original animated series concept - "Street Bosses"

6. 2 short stories - "Howard", "A Date Interrupted"

7. 2 short scripts - "From the Bench", "Enveloped"

8. 5 short scripts for "Alice in Wasteland" - VFS Compendium VI (Unproduced, but completed!)

9. Short script - "Double Booked" (produced by Christian Acosta. In pre-production)

10. Original song - "Little Mozambique" for ASEM infographic (produced by Saadi Alkouatli)

11. My YouTube channel! - started January 19, 2012 (597 views a/o Feb. 26)

Watch out, Term 4 - here we come!

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We Are Magicians!

Term 3 Sketch Comedy class

Who knows precisely why a particular chord in a song, or scene in film, or passage in a book moves a person to tears? Or outrage? Or sober reflection? Or laughter?

We can analyze it, break it down, map out patterns, build lists of rules, construct rules of usage and principles of composition, draw circles around plausible motivations, and deduce psychological processes. That's all fine and good, and for professionals, also necessary. But whatever the magic recipe, the fact is that any time we create something that evokes a certain emotion, we're performing a bit of magic. And I find that very cool!

On the set of "The Flowers"
(VFS Compendium VI)

The old schoolyard self-help chant, "sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me" may offer some small comfort at the time, but in the end, we all know it's bullshit. Words can create pain that hits much deeper and lasts way longer. But they can also turn the worst day of our lives into a rebirth. They can drive a person to suicide or inspire that same person to a rediscovery of life's true beauty and purpose. (Or at the very least, lighten the mood!) That's why history's brutes and bone-breakers love to ban books and squelch free speech; they know nothing is as powerful as a word - spoken or printed - that stirs a person's soul, changes a mind, re-directs a life.

The same is true for music. Or painting. Or theatre. Or film. In a nutshell, art. That's the power we have, we writers and poets, musicians and filmmakers, sculptors and painters. That's not smug or presumptuous; it's a fact. So while wielding our magic wisely, let's be proud of this thing we do and, above all, HAVE SOME FUN!

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VFS Progress Report #3: Term Three!

My brain is soup.  

I've never done so much writing in my life, all at once. And these teachers, they’re relentless!  Every week they’re asking me, “Have you finished your pages? Are you quality-checking your formatting? Have you prepared your feedback for your fellow writers?” I mean, who do these people think they are??  (Oh, wait a tick, I paid them twenty grand to do that. My bad.)

If VFS (and, I'm assuming, any decent film school) could be compared to horseback riding, it would go something like this: 

• Term 1 was a two-month long walk around the acreage, learning the names and personalities of all the "horses" in the stable (i.e. writing fundamentals like genre studies, style, dialogue, character, pitch, etc). 
• Term 2 was our time to pick our favourite story ideas, then wash ‘em (build outlines), groom ‘em (write beat sheets), and saddle ‘em up (workshop in groups).
• Term 3, apparently, is when we put our boots in the stirrups, yell giddy up and realize there’s still a lot to learn about riding one of these things, all the while hoping to hell we don't fall off!  

But we’re on the move, and that's what matters. Writing, collaborating, workshopping, sweating profusely, hoping we're good enough, realizing we're not yet, making peace with that, and pushing forward in our quest to become professionals. Above all, we’re learning how to stay on top of our horse, even when it sometimes becomes a nerve-wracking, sleep-depriving pain in the ass! (Which is still an infinitely better place to be than at home in our basements, dreaming of how great it would be to be a writer someday, one day.)

Term 3 curriculum: 

1) Complete 1 full feature screenplay (first draft, beginning to end), to be workshopped in group and summarily beaten up, massaged, ripped apart, re-assembled and made as perfect as possible.

2) Complete 1 TV spec script (first draft, beginning to end) to be similarly assaulted, twisted and polished.

3) Comedy sketches - Scripts based around comedic situations, comic characters, the "rule of 3", etc.

4) Other regular class assignments

My various antidotes, vitamin pills:

• An amazingly patient, creative, enthusiastic (and ssssexy!) wife
• Yoga
• This blog
• Great friends and colleagues
• A mini-fridge full of beer and Riesling at all times
• And a pocket full o' dreams

Paying Attention to What's Not on the Curriculum

It's what not on the curriculum, though, that really deserves special attention.  I'm talking about those flyers on the walls of your department floor, those emails, those hints and whispers in the air of imminent collaborations, seminars and projects. Those informal opportunities we'll probably never get again to work with other students and departments, as well as on projects and with filmmakers outside of VFS.  I'm talking about those things that no one will necessarily tell you about from the front of a classroom, and which you'll never know about unless it happens to show up on the wall, in your inbox or in lunchroom conversation. 

It might seem unfair that such opportunities aren't formally announced, but guess what? That's the way it works in the real world! Hollywood doesn't come to you because they heard what a wonderful and funny and gifted artist you are. Like it or not, it's our job to look, to investigate, to vigilantly pursue those opportunities, to constantly put ourselves out there, make ourselves known and available, and basically never say no unless there's a really, really good reason.  

Everything else pretty much chalks up to hard work, ability and passion. I mean, how badly do you want to tell stories and make movies? That's the bottom line: what are you really passionate about, and what are you willing to do to acquire it? 

Trust me, the older you get, the more everything else doesn't matter more than that.

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Christmas with the Kids

Always in the background of our experience at Vancouver Film School is the fact that my kids are a thousand miles away.  Seems like just yesterday we were all saying goodbye, Christmas feeling like an eternity into the future.

Then, boom: four and a half months have passed, we're on a plane back to Calgary, and I'm wondering where the time went!

It hasn't exactly been a pleasure cruise for any of us, being apart this way.  There have been a lot of goofy Skype sessions, long-distance phone updates, emotional texts, and even a few angry Facebook inbox messages.  Yet we've managed to collectively keep the communication alive and the relationships tight.

James is paving a brilliant future for himself, both at school (Mr. Sovan's assistant in the kitchen) and in his new job (chef's assistant @ Chopstix).

Jenni is establishing herself as an independent working woman with wicked business sense (@ Amato Gelato).

And Ricky is killing it at school, nailing great grades and carrying himself with a confidence, kind heart, and sense of humour that makes this guy one proud papa.

In our many conversations over the past few months, it's been exciting to hear about their experiences at school, at home, with friends, and now with their first official jobs.  Books read, music discovered, friends helped, spelling bees entered, milestones achieved.  They call and ask for help on their resumes.  Now they're telling me about the people they work with.  Now they're telling me about the latest shenanigans with their buds. And underneath it all, the unmistakable sound of them growing up, coming into their own, taking responsibility for their futures, and having fun doing it.  What more could a parent want?  I don't know if they'll ever realize how proud they make me, but I think they get the idea.  Simply put, they frickin' amaze me.  Anybody would be lucky to have kids like these!

Day 1 - We land at the Calgary airport on the night of December 15, where Jenni and the ever-hospitable Brandi Flynn meet us.  Long, four-month-in-waiting hugs (and a couple of tears) abound.  In the back seat I put my arm around Jen and hear all the latest news.  She's even more beautiful than the last time I saw her, if that's possible, and I soak up every word.  Back at Brandi and Steve's place, James and Ricky are firmly ensconced in a couch playing Modern Warfare 3.  I expected nothing less.  More hugs and kisses, and this early Christmas weekend has officially begun.


Day 2 - After a busy day of movies, more games, and general tomfoolery, I pick up a rental car and Jenni and I make our way to the Olive Garden, one of our fave spots.  She has bruschetta, I have a chicken caesar salad.  We top it off with a ridiculously tasty chocolate cheesecake filled with mousse and topped with chocolate chips, et cetera, et cetera.  Full of sugar, we make up for lost time, talking about everything from music to love to drugs and other things - you know, typically father/daughter chit chat. It's wonderful. Neither of us wants it to end.  So we stretch it out and go mall hopping before heading back home, singing and laughing all the way.  A truly magical night!  After the kids go to bed, Mel and I disappear for some last minute shopping and are up till three a.m. wrapping presents.  Tomorrow morning will be our own personal Christmas.

Day 3 ("Christmas") - As per tradition, the kids are up before we are. Bleary-eyed, we make our way to the living room and the ceremonies begin!  It's chocolate!  It's a book!  It's a movie!  It's make-up!  It's more chocolate!  Grandad arrives just in time and more presents are opened.  Guitars come out and are played. It's a ton of laughter and bally-hoo.  And then, it's a nap.  Z-z-z-z-z-z-z.  And then we're off to Aunt Stacey's for Turkey dinner.  She goes waaaay out of her way to make sure everyone is warmly welcomed, entertained and summarily stuffed.  We cap the night with a two-hour game of charades before slipping into tryptophan- and laughter-induced comas for the night.  

Day 4 - From Stacey's, we head off to Indigo Books at the Cross Iron Mills mall where each of the kids has $33.33 to spend, care of Aunty Barb.  Six books later, Jenni and Ricky disappear with Mel to visit Tara and Randy in Airdrie, while Grandad, James and I make our way to A&W for burgers, root beer and a deeply political discussion about the future of Western civilization.  You know, standard guys-out convo.  It's great to get this time with James, and having Grandad is a wicked bonus!  Then it's back to Tara's to play some game I've never seen before that tests our ability to dance and willingness to completely embarrass ourselves.  (I take enough pictures to implicate everyone.)  Grandad says his goodbyes and we wish him a safe trip back to Edmonton.  En route back to Calgary, we all stop at Jenni's new place of work (Amato Gelato) before Ricky and I separate for our one-on-one time at Petland.  Twenty budgies, one cat and several fish later, we head to Future Shop where Ricky drops some of his Christmas money on the latest "Harry Potter" Blu-Ray.  He's a little short (financially, I mean) and I slip him five bucks to complete the sale.  He offers a back massage as repayment.  And that's why we have kids!

Day 5 - Our plane doesn't leave till three so we pack in as much as we can together.  Gathering our wares from Brandi's basement, we travel back to Airdrie where we watch Ricky compete in his school spelling bee, take a tour of the Bert Church High School kitchen where James proudly works, and then jet to Amato Gelato one more time to finally sample the seventy thousand or so flavours they have there.  Mmm mmm good!  Then, wishing it wasn't so, we drive the kids back home and say our goodbyes.  It's been a truly spectacular weekend, more full and fun than we'd even imagined!

Let's be honest, none of us like the fact that we're not living in the same town.  This was always going to feel weird, no matter how good the reasons.  But as a wise friend who's been through this himself once told me would happen, we've found a way to make it work.  Bottom line: if the love is there and the relationships are strong, time and geography don't have to change that.  So long as they're nurtured in the spaces between, family bonds and true friendships never fade.  If anything, in some ways, they get stronger.

I can't wait to be close to them again.  But in the meantime, as this Christmas proved, we're never really that far away in our hearts.  Turns out, the best cliches are true!

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VFS Progress Report #2: The First Three Months

Four days shy of month three.

In some ways, the time seems to have passed by like a Japanese bullet train at rush hour, just like some said it would.  In other ways, it feels like the days and weeks have followed one another at a pace that my sage grandmother, when discussing the passage of time in her own life at 87, called "just right".

If time is, at least in part, a measuring stick of what we have and haven't accomplished in life, VFS has helped us make extraordinarily good use of it.  On Orientation day (August 22), I blogged my strong belief that VFS couldn't be expected to work miracles, that I had to grab every opportunity to write or network when it strolled by, and that ultimately, my VFS experience would be as good as I made it.

Was I right? Here's how it has gone down so far:

1. "VFS can't be expected to work miracles." 

By miracles, I mean the magical ability to turn me into a brilliant, award-winning writer, or the bestowal of a long, satisfying career upon completion of my program.  No school has that kind of power and no one at VFS ever pretended it did.  Having said that, I've been blown away by what VFS has managed to pull off so far.  Time and experience have clearly helped the departmental powers that be to build a solid, low-fat, high-output program.  Compressing a two-year program into one, we're definitely stretched, but it never feels like too much, partly because all the classes fit together in such a clearly integrated, "wax-on-wax-off" kind of way, and partly because the assignments are just so much darned fun and targeted to help us build a kick-ass portfolio. 

Plus, the instructors are ridiculously invested in students.  And let's be honest, they could easily half-mile it if they wanted to.  These are successful, busy writers in their own right - i.e. they've got shit to do.  A few nods here and there wrapped in feigned interest might pass with a good number of students.  But this crew steadfastly refuses to take the easy way out.  No matter how many story ideas or pitches they listen to, no matter how many synopses, outlines, beat sheets, or scripts they read, they keep coming to class and workshop fresh and as committed to our work as we are.  I've been to two universities and half a dozen other post-secondary programs, and I've never seen instructors go above and beyond like this.

And I haven't even talked about the constant stream of mentorships, guest speakers, contests and events VFS offers, none of it window dressing.  If we don't walk out of here significantly better (and better-connected) writers than when we came, it's won't be VFS's fault.  So miracles, no.  Ridiculous opportunity and development - hell, ya!

2. "I have to grab every opportunity to write and network that comes my way."
The great thing about having theoretically lived half my life already is that I've discovered how rare certain opportunities tend to be.  I mean, when else am I going to spend a full year surrounded by other writers, story editors, and writing mentors, many of whom have been writing successfully for years and are actively connected to industry - all freely and constantly available to talk and workshop with, give feedback, and help me build my chops and confidence?  When else am I going to be able to write all day long, month after month, building skill and a body of work, free from the encumbrances of "normal life"?  When else am I going to get to collaborate not only with other writers, but with directors, producers, visual and sound designers, and actors on projects with virtually no creative limitations, in an environment designed to help us make our cinematic dreams come true?  The correct answer is, "Probably never".

So I decided from the beginning to keep my ears and eyes open to every email, poster, or whisper in the wind announcing that an opportunity to write or collaborate was near, and then jump on it in a full-body choke-hold.  Whether it's VFS's regular Compendium production, private student productions, open pitch sessions, opportunities to hear and meet guest speakers (regardless of the department hosting them), regularly-offered elective classes or chances to score music, I'm on it.

Yes, I am trying to be a hero: the hero of my own life, thank you very much, Mr. Campbell! I paid twenty grand to be here and it's all I've ever wanted to do!  I'm going to miss out on a chance to get better and meet the right people because I'm a little tired?  Somebody call a wahmbulance, but not for me.  It's for the guy sitting next to me who plans on crying into his beer ten years from now, whining about what "could have been".    

J.J. Abrams' new series, "Alcatraz", in production outside VFS

3. "Ultimately, my VFS experience will be as good as I make it."

To succeed at VFS, paying attention, building relationships, and meeting deadlines are critical.  Early on, I developed tools and a process that would streamline everything, from plot and beat sheet creation to character development to pitching. No point in re-inventing the wheel with each assignment. 

At the start of each term, I've clarified the objectives and outcomes of each class to avoid getting lost in a sea of "to-dos" and to make sure assignments get to teachers on time. 

And there's no replacement for building strong, genuine, relatively ego-free relationships with everybody.  And by everybody, I mean everybody - students, teachers, people from different departments, guests, and the lady who cleans the bathroom.  I don't think I need to explain why that's so important.

Beyond those chestnuts, it's about quality and volume.  Generating a lot of ideas, throwing them against the wall to see which ones stick, and then producing like a freakin' rabbit.  "Write well, write lots," has become my mantra.  Lucky for us, VFS throws us so many assignments, we couldn't end the year with a meagre portfolio if we tried.  To date, between class assignments and extracurricular projects, I've completed or am working on:

1. Four feature screenplay outlines, one in development ("Can We Meet?", "Full Circle", "World On Fire", "Early Retirement")
2. One original short screenplay ("From the Bench")
3. One adapted short screenplay ("Enveloped", based on a story by fellow student Nicole Jerick)
4. One TV spec teleplay ("Big Bang Theory")
5. One animated spec teleplay ("Kid vs. Kat")
6. One original animated series treatment ("Street Bosses")
7. Two short stories ("Howard", "A Date Interrupted")
8. Five VFS Compendium short screenplays ("The T Party", "Beating the Beast", Split Decision", "Facing the Queen", "The Garden of Eaten")
9. One original short screenplay for a student film (in production)
10. A second original short screenplay for a student film (in development)

That's fourteen working concepts or finished products in less than three months.  And I was worried about whether I'd come out of VFS with enough on my resume.  But we've all got a story like that.  All of us are going to walk out of here with a suitcase full of surprises when we're done. How many suprises, and how well they help set us up for the future, is our call.

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