MY non-existant career as a Hollywood writer...
It seems I gave some very good advice to a young man struggling to write a screenplay. I met him here in Seattle, at the 2004 SIFF (Seattle International Film Festival). We talked for about an hour, in the lobby of The Pacific Place Theater. I gave him some advice, and he was wise enough to take it...
It seems he wanted to write a story illustrating the horrors of pushing little girls into beauty pagents, as seen in the then-recent news story of the JonBonet Ramsey murder investigation. I advised him to approach it as a black comedy, and thus the seeds to "Little Miss Sunshine" were planted...
I'm serious: I met writer Michael Arndt so early on in his script's development, he wanted to write a drama. I convinced him the story would play much better as a dark comedy. I then proceeded to give him some great tips on comedy and how it worked. Tips he was obviously wise enough to take, and he has since won an OSCAR for best original screenplay!
Am I jealous? NO. Not at all. I gave him advice, and he took it. When he asked me if he could use the material I gave him, I told him "YES". Yes with a small string attached: that he give credit where credit was due, in the off chance that the thing was successful. Now I find myself in the awkward position wanting to write to him to have him fulfill our gentleman's agreement.
REALLY -- I don't want or expect a single penny of the $100,000 he sold the screenplay for -- as he did the work writing it. So what if it wasn't ALL his creative material. I was a creative consultant on his work. I freely gave a young man advice, which he took, and I am happy for him. I feel the right to tell the story is worth it's weight in GOLD -- and I'm hoping he will step up and do the right thing, by telling the TRUTH to corroborate my claim.
It seems he wanted to write a story illustrating the horrors of pushing little girls into beauty pagents, as seen in the then-recent news story of the JonBonet Ramsey murder investigation. I advised him to approach it as a black comedy, and thus the seeds to "Little Miss Sunshine" were planted...
I'm serious: I met writer Michael Arndt so early on in his script's development, he wanted to write a drama. I convinced him the story would play much better as a dark comedy. I then proceeded to give him some great tips on comedy and how it worked. Tips he was obviously wise enough to take, and he has since won an OSCAR for best original screenplay!
Am I jealous? NO. Not at all. I gave him advice, and he took it. When he asked me if he could use the material I gave him, I told him "YES". Yes with a small string attached: that he give credit where credit was due, in the off chance that the thing was successful. Now I find myself in the awkward position wanting to write to him to have him fulfill our gentleman's agreement.
REALLY -- I don't want or expect a single penny of the $100,000 he sold the screenplay for -- as he did the work writing it. So what if it wasn't ALL his creative material. I was a creative consultant on his work. I freely gave a young man advice, which he took, and I am happy for him. I feel the right to tell the story is worth it's weight in GOLD -- and I'm hoping he will step up and do the right thing, by telling the TRUTH to corroborate my claim.