More Bricks - Less Straw...

Excuse me sir - by law I am guaranteed a 15 minute break every four-

CRACK!

Still hard at work - and today is D-day.

We have to get everything we can together today because tomorrow they start filming. Somehow in the next two days, they will shoot three commercials. I am really looking forward to being on the set and watching this guy go - because the story boards are not that impressive - but they sure are spending a lot of money.

When I was producing the show for Discovery last year - I directed parts of 7 or 8 of the episodes... But once or twice I went out on the set of the show I was just producing and watched another director do his stuff. It is funny - cause since I have been directing - I am only on my sets. It makes sense - I don't go to the set unless I am hired - and 95% of the time - I am producing and directing. So it's not like I've had that many opportunities.

So there was something interesting to being on set and not having any of the creative responsibilities of where the camera goes, how the shot should look, what the actors are doing, what we are doing next - all the things I am normally in the middle of - I let go of and just watched. And it was nice.

Sometimes it's great to even watch a complete idiot.

When I first got out of film school - I had made a film that won a lot of awards. But it didn't get me any work. So I gripped for a year. Then I worked the Art Department for a year. And on every one of those shoots, I got a chance to watch the directors - seeing what they did for good and for bad. And you try to learn from their mistakes.

It is always easy to judge someone on the set for why they do what they do - but there is always a million things going on behind the scenes that most of the crew doesn't even know. One of the reasons that I got paid to be a producer/director was not because I am the most talented - but because I have seen so many problems and either failed or solved them - and my experience is what gets me jobs. I know how to avoid those things in the future.

This can be said for writing as well. Maybe more so.

It is easy to get locked in and isolated with what we do.

Sitting at home - alone - slaving over our ideas - trying to put a good spin on our stories.

Sometimes it is good to visit someone else's set. Or in our case - read someone else's script. Vocalize with that person what works and what doesn't. The more you learn to recognize problems in others scripts - cause its so obvious - then you can begin to recognize problems in your own.

The more you expose yourself to how others are doing things - the more you can see places to improve your script.

The ways you see others write around situations in their scripts can help you with yours.

Same as with a writers group.

None of us are perfect - and we can all learn from each other. Get out there and continue the process of making yourself better - and stop complaining.

That's why they call it a job.

And now - it's time to make more bricks...