Archive for the 'Scripts' Category

“The number 13 was no accident.”

Published on August 30, 2010 in Childhood, Films and Scripts. Closed Tags: .

When I was a kid my dad would take me to a time capsule of a barber shop in Machesney Park, IL. It may have been the late 1980′s, but the shop looked like it could be a set from the Andy Griffith show. It had it all, right down to the old worn barber chairs, concrete floor, group of old guys hanging around smoking and gabbing about this and that, and stacks of LIFE magazines from as far back as the fifties.

My favorite part about going there was looking through those magazines. One day I came across the April 16, 1965 issue with the Larry Burrows “One Ride With Yankee Papa 13″ photo essay. It was one of the most powerful and fascinating things I had seen up to that point in my first 12 years. It remains so in my 35th year.

Besides the YP13 essay I began to study and seek out other essays and research the entire career of Burrows. His compilation book of his years in Vietnam is a great read and includes some of the most iconic images of the war.

Besides being a fan of his photography I’ve always thought that his life would make a great film. It would of course tell his interesting life story, but it would also be commenting on the nature of the war photographer and their need to capture the truth of the moments they see. From his days working in the London office of LIFE during the WWII blitz, to his untimely death covering the war in Vietnam, it would be a fascinating study of his character and work. Below is a clip of Burrows being interviewed during his years in Vietnam for just a sample of who he was personally. (It is taken from the beginning of the 1999 Patrick Chauvel film “Reporters de Guerre”.)

His son has since commented on the YP13 essay and gave this quote which appears on the LIFE site, “Everything associated with the number — the bad luck, the symbolism — he was aware of that. He made very conscious decisions. The number 13 was no accident.” I was thinking of this again today because LIFE has just published some never-before-seen photos from that Yankee Papa 13 series on-line, here’s the link:

Never-Seen: Larry Burrows in Vietnam – 1965

If you haven’t seen the original I recommend it and the link is attached below. But besides the link I also attach this warning: When you turn the unblinking eye of a talented photographer’s camera towards war – what it sees tends not to be only powerful, but graphic.

One Ride With Yankee Papa 13

Best,
- Jer

“Ever up and onward.”

Published on June 15, 2010 in College, Films, Scripts and Uncategorized. Closed Tags: .

I just wrapped a 4 year production called grad school. After Sunday’s graduation from DePaul with my M.F.A. the above quote and motto of the late, great Billy Strayhorn seems appropriate.

Everyday, for four years, I had been working on something for school. Sometimes entire days on multiple projects. And as the school I attended was 2 hours away from my home, the commute was no picnic. Dedication to the task was the most important asset. You have to have the perseverance to see it through when every little obstacle could be a reason to quit. You have to stay positive and leave nothing you could control to chance.

It meant alot for me to attempt and succeed at the goal I had set out for myself back in 2006 and learn all that I have. The program and instructors at DePaul are some of the best I’ve had and I can certainly say I made the right choice. They helped me as a student to already become a better teacher. I’ve used the great lessons I’ve learned there and applied them to my own style of teaching classes. I’ve also made some lifelong friends as well, and hope to keep working with them in the future.

That said, it’s time to take a quick breath and move on.

We at The CNS CO. are currently in negotiations on two fantastic novels which we’ll be adapting. One has a well-known director attached and would make for an exhilarating epic project set during WWII. The other is a thriller that we’ve had our eye on for years and feel now is the time to approach the author.

On the original screenplay front we are working mostly on 3 feature scripts; a comedy, a horror/comedy, and a science-fiction drama (the long developing project entitled “The Waves”.) Our goal is to develop and finance and/or sell one or more of these projects in the upcoming months. We’ll hopefully still make the occasional short – but as we move into this bigger writing and producing market, while moving towards our larger goals, the time just won’t be there too often.

As for other things, I am still teaching and truly enjoy it. The mentoring is my favorite part and in a lot of ways I think it’s the most important part.

It’s like being a coach. Every year you get a team of players with varying levels of talent, desire, and ability. You teach the fundamentals to all and that will help most players get better, but they have to have self-initiative to do so. Some are too immature or lazy to actually work at it, and they never progress. (This happens all too often.) Some players will come to you with very little or no talent, but they tend to have a strong desire to make it, so they work really hard and they get much better. And sometimes, on those rare occasions, you just get someone who has that natural ability and talent to be great. And you realize you can help them develop that correctly through mentoring and instruction so they achieve their great potential. I have seen this only a handful of times, but it means quite a bit when they actually reach those heights they deserve.

So keep checking back as we move on with these new projects. It’s fun to be at this level right now and I can’t wait to see what happens in the near future as we continue to move “ever up and onward.”

- Jer

Anthem for Doomed Youth

Published on November 7, 2008 in Scripts. Closed



I read Wilfred Owen’s “Anthem for Doomed Youth” in college after a friend recommended it. It’s a wonderful piece and after researching Owen’s life I started to work a script idea. However so much was unknown of who he was personally, besides the writings he left behind.

Then this story was on the BBC website and I realized I should get back to work on it. Much more of his life has come to light in recent years and a more accurate story could now be told.

Maybe after the thesis…

Research

Published on October 16, 2008 in Scripts and Thesis. Closed



More research for the next film.
(All for the effort needed to avoid the numerous pitfalls of my favorite genre.)