Okay, Pom Wonderful...where's MY check?
Ah, I kid I kid. Let's see, what's new...outlining my new spec, but the mood struck and I actually wrote the first draft of the first act, so that’s good…just need to buckle down and focus on actually finishing the outline before I get too far along writing scenes or I know I’ll get stuck later.
In other news, I obviously saw the new Morgan Spurlock film, The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, and found it really funny and enjoyable. That being said, I don’t think it said anything new or amazing that most people don’t already know/assume…yes, product placement happens…a lot...yes, it can be funny... yes, it can be necessary to make money/finance films and TV shows... yes, you should take advantage of that and take the money but try not to "sell out."
One of my favorite parts of the movie that was not entirely related to the overall point of the movie was a scene where Morgan had to identify his “brand.” I actually mentioned this idea of "brand" last Friday and I’ve alluded to it before when I talked about streamlining the genres/types of pilots, specs, and screenplays you write.
So yeah, think about your “brand” so people will "get" who you are as a writer. I know it’s hard for a baby writer and I struggle with it ALL THE TIME. I want to be a special little snowflake and write all sorts of stuff in different genres, or I read a new book/see a new show/watch a cool movie and feel all inspired to try something like what I’ve seen. I guess growing as a writer is about learning to balance that urge to stretch/try new things, and perfecting a specific style.
On a slightly related note, Idol did another “express yourself” themed show last night and the Idol wannabes got one of their best chances to show their “brand” as it was "Songs of the 21st Century Night." I think some Idol winners have struggled with “brand” in the past. You win the show by essentially being an awesome karaoke singer and singing songs in a bunch of genres, some of which haven’t been Top 40 popular for 20, 30, even 40 years, and then you’re expected to be a current artist…it’s tough.
Speaking of expressing yourself what was with all the Lady Gaga drama this week? If I’m all caught up, here’s where things stand: no, she did not rip off Madonna's Express Yourself when she wrote Born This Way, and no, she didn’t tell Weird Al not to parody her (by the way, I happen to enjoy Gaga AND Weird Al, and Perform This Way is fantastic...even if it does sound suspiciously like Madonna's Express Yourself).
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