Check out my new article “It’s Okay To Say No” that’s up over at screenwriting magazine The Story Department

Back in May, I had the opportunity to meet with comedian Tom Green at his home / studio and talk about his web TV show  Tom Green’s House Tonight.

The article, for a pro-audio/video industry mag, talks about the unique production considerations for running a broadcast style talk show on the web. (Article copy below / High Quality PDF )

Imagine if you will, you’re at the helm of a live internet TV show with high production values that bucks
the precise ratings driven format of television. The show is streamed in real time on the web, celebrity guests chat on a couch, a band performs and most certainly hundreds of callers Skype video chat with you. Oh, and it happens at a flip of the switch, all from the comfort of your living room.

If you’re Tom Green, that’s a reality. Quietly (and not so quietly) over the last five years, Tom Green has amassed an impressive internet following with Tom Green’s House Tonight one of the first, and longest running internet-call-in shows. One only needs to Google “Tom Green and Xzibit Freestyle Rap battle” and take a look at the nearly 3.4 million YouTube hits to see his reality is well watched.

Armed with the mantra “content over form,” Green makes a show on his terms. He calls it Guerrilla TV. But that doesn’t mean sound or production become afterthoughts. Guests are mic’d with Lectrosonics wireless lavalieres and surrounded by nine HD cameras, all set to various shot lengths and placed everywhere from the living room, front door, bookcase and even the refrigerator.

The before air set-up for Tom Green’s House Tonight resembles a pre-flight check. The control system of such an advantageous set-up looks a bit like the cockpit of a Boeing 747. At the center, a Yamaha 01V 96 VCM mixing console. Unique, are three Apple Mac computers each running a separate instance of Skype, and each running audio out through M-Audio Fast Track boxes into the board. In real time, director and web producer, Tony Corella, uses a Panasonic AG-MX70 video switcher to swap from various sources, and cues on-screen text from yet another computer, this one running Newtek VT[5].

When a band visits the studio, Green’s team rolls out a second Yamaha 01V 96 VCM and a second engineer. Just take a look at the previous show guests.  And no, that isn’t a laugh track you hear, the studio is equipped with bleachers to house twenty-some people to see the show in action.

That’s part of the fun of Tom Green’s House Tonight; two way interaction. Green wants to give unprecedented access and his viewers respond in kind. This attitude is reflected in just about everything he does. “I’m looking for good people to come out, have a little fun, and help run the show,” says Green. Feel like you have what it takes to run the rig at Tom Green’s house? If you’d like to get involved, post to the forum at TomGreen.com.

When the show comes together, the result is impressive. A live band jams, then switch on-the-fly to a Skype call, cut to the front door as guests arrive, then back to the couch. All seamless, all with the great care all direct to your computer in a show that could last twenty minutes of 4 hours.

But the action isn’t limited to inside of Tom Green’s teched and decked-out home. For high quality audio on the go, he uses a DXA-SLR active DSLR Adapter along with a MixPre Field Mixer and with two Sennheiser wireless lavs, turning his Canon EOS 5D Mark II into a formidable mobile sound package.

Ultimately, Tom Green’s House Tonight has built something unheard of in the world of internet entertainment; consistent, well-produced content that doesn’t sacrifice quality. So, when are you making a house call?

Tom Green is currently on tour, and will be performing  at the DC Improv on July 30th/August 1st. Stay tuned for more articles from me on screenwriting, filmmaking, editing, and more. They’re just around the corner, as soon as the dust from good ol’ Comicon settles!

Hey folks, a quick note. I have some excellent articles to share in the near future. In the mean time check out Xandy Sussan’s Six Deadly Script Sins Part 2 – Writing Edition.

Now, some great news the new Screenwriter Karaoke website is up! We’ve landed some awesome sponsors for next month’s appearance at The Great American Pitch Fest. (Final Draft and Script Mag to name a few.)

Just in time for tomorrow night! And don’t forget to follow the Screenwriter Karaoke Twitter account @SWKaraoke.

Thursday May 20th, 2010 at 8:30 PM
Sardo’s Grill and Lounge
259 N. PASS AVE.
BURBANK, CA 91505

Driving directions: Here NOTE: THE DETOUR!

So many exciting things are on the horizon.

Let’s start with the big news! I am very happy to announce that Screenwriter Karaoke will be making an appearance at the Great American Pitch Fest & Screenwriting Conference on Saturday, June 26th at the Marriott Burbank Hotel & Convention Center. More details as they come! Check out the sponsors.

In other news, partner Xandy Sussan and I, were recently interviewed for a web publication about the new DOUBLE FEATURE story analysis services we are providing through CoverMyScript.com. Big shout out to Jenn over at Allfreelancewriting.com. For those who are unfamiliar with the Double Feature service it is a set story analysis and development packages that leverage two professional story analysts simultaneously, complete with video conference calls for notes.

And lastly, an article I wrote for my site two years ago, has seen new life in syndication via the website The Film Crusade. Check out the newly retitled “Reveling in the Reveal” is now live. Full with video examples of different types of reveal shots in cinema.

And don’t forget the next Screenwriter Karaoke in 1 week!

Thursday March, 22th, 2010 at 8:30 PM
Sardo’s Grill and Lounge
259 N. PASS AVE.
BURBANK, CA 91505

This weekend I was glad to be a part of the ongoing and ever-growing Script Chat as a guest for their professional reader panel. In the past year, I’ve watched this small twitter chat go from real life colleagues and friends, and then sky rocket into six degrees of Twitter.

Twitter chats aren’t new, just take a look at the long list of Twitter chats about writing compiled by @inkyelbows and you’ll see what I mean. I entered the Twitter chat pool as a participant of #WriteChat but found the discourse was specific to fiction novel writing. I even lazily maintain my own chat #ScreenwritingSaturday. It’s an informal hash tag for causal weekend discussion. (Stop by!)

I have many peers that scoff at the idea of using Twitter. They complain they don’t care what I eat for breakfast.  But to be clear, I’ve staffed projects, met people, and received work through the magic of Twitter. I just smile when someone is excessively pessimistic about such things.

Community is important. I started Screenwriter Karaoke for this very reason. We, collectively, as a new era of filmmakers are carving out the attitudes and business models of tomorrow. It starts in the ground floor of dedicated professionals who are striving to make their work shine. It starts in communities like Script Chat.

My appearance as a panelist on Script Chat culminated with a special announcement — Double Feature: a new joint venture with CoverMyScript.com owner Xandy Sussan. We have harnessed our years of experience to provide simultaneous coverage and development services at a value to our clients. It is only with the support community can we try such enterprising things. So, thanks!

Last year, I spent a good portion of my time doing production work on CIA Confidential for National Geographic. I’ve since moved onto other documentary work for television and film in addition to my screenwriting and development duties elsewhere.

Doc work experience was a great for me. In fact, every screenwriter should work on at least one documentary. Documentary film structure and other requirements for non-fiction are integral to building accurate, succinct, compelling and entertaining stories. And my screenwriting is better for it.

Back in 2002 I was studying to be an audio engineer at The Sheffield Institute for the Recording Arts. I reasoned that since I fancied myself a musician, it was an important step to learn how to produce my own music.

I further studied and later re-directed my focus on production and post-production for film. It was an excellent choice which gave me an important educational foundation to move onto and pursue rewarding work.

So, it is very exciting to share that nearly eight years after I graduated from Sheffield that I’ve been featured in their Alumni online magazine. Check it out!

Back in September, I was invited to speak on a panel about different aspects of short filmmaking at Roberta Munroe’s “Best Short Film Workshop Ever.” It was a great workshop, filled with wonderful discussion about writing, production and distribution of short film. (You can read my notes on the workshop, and notes from Roberta Munroe’s other events.)

Leah Meyerhoff

On the panel was Slava Rubin co-founder of IndieGoGo.com and filmmaker Leah Meyerhoff. Leah’s film Twitch won the grand jury prize at Slamdance in  2007. Twitch went on to show at over 100 festivals and received many awards and was her first foray into the film festival circuit.

Leah has been gracious enough to share a bit of her insight on her short filmmaking and how it has prepared her for her first feature length film. So, let’s get into it!

Merrel Davis: What were the circumstances surrounding the production of Twitch? When you set out to make Twitch did you have a particular endgame in mind, like getting distribution or simply visibility?

Leah Meyerhoff: I made Twitch while I was studying at NYU. I’ve always thought it best when filmmakers “write what they know” so I began with a very personal story and then expanded out from there. My mother was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis shortly before I was born and was in a wheelchair by the time I was learning to walk. My parents divorced soon after and I was left having to take care of my mother while I was still a child. I have always been interested in making a film about this mother/daughter role reversal and the complexities and challenges of growing up with a parent who was sick. Thus Twitch tells the story of a teenage girl torn between caring for her disabled mother and escaping into the world of adolescence with her new boyfriend. After many unsatisfying auditions in NY, I decided to cast my real mother as the mother character in the film, which meant that I needed to return to SF for the shoot. Around the same time, I was approached by a reality show called “Film School” who wanted to document the process of making Twitch for a program on the Independent Film Channel (IFC). Although in retrospect, it probably wasn’t worth the headache, at the time it seemed like an easy way to finance the film as well as secure a certain level of visibility. Although I didn’t have a set distribution strategy in mind, I knew that I wanted as many people as possible to see the film and a showcase on IFC seemed like a good opportunity. We shot Twitch on Super16mm over the course of three days with a small crew comprised of many of my classmates from film school. Afterward I edited the film on an Avid and began sending it out to festivals. [Merrel Note: If you want to see part of Leah's process, there are many clips available on Youtube of the "Film School" series.]

MD: Much short film seeks to mimic the style and pacing of television. I increasingly see “all flash, no substance” short films that feel very impressed with themselves. After traveling the festival circuit promoting your various projects and music videos, do you see any emerging trends?

LM: I agree that many short filmmakers seem more interested in making calling cards than telling a story, but at the same time I think there is a counter movement towards smaller, more performance driven work. Some of my recent favorites are films like Man, Lady Margaret, Antonio’s Breakfast, In the Morning and The Execution of Solomon Harris which don’t try to cram an entire feature into a short, but rather focus on conveying the emotional truth of a particular moment in a character’s life.

MD: At the Boston Underground Film Festival, you talked a little bit about your original career aspirations, you said you wanted to be a marine biologist. How has that skillset come in handy as a filmmaker?

LM: Although I had different interests in high school, by the time I attended Brown University I ended up majoring in Art-Semiotics, which is basically a combination of film theory, art history, postmodern thought and film production. This skillset has informed my filmmaking by provoking me to consider the meaning behind each shot in addition to the visual effect. Similarly, I am able to watch films with a more critical eye and take away specific lessons which I then apply to my work. At the same time, I think too much theory can be dangerous because the emotional truth of the story has to come first.

MD: Can you talk a little bit about your first feature Unicorns? Has your introduction to the short film and festival world been helpful?

LM: Unicorns portrays an awkward teenage girl who escapes to a fantasy world when her first romantic relationship becomes increasingly abusive.  Through a combination of social and magical realism, I hope to create an intimate, honest, performance-driven film that allows us to get inside the character’s head as well as her heart. I began writing the script as my thesis at NYU and simultaneously started fundraising as I traveled the festival circuit with my short Twitch. In fact, I would not be in the place I am at now were it not for my prior experiences in the short film and festival worlds.

MD: How did the production of Unicorns come about?

LM: I met most of the people who are currently working on Unicorns through the festival circuit. Our executive producer Allison Anders had recently mentored a film I saw at the Sarasota Film Festival as well as directed several amazing films of her own. I met producers Alexis Fish and Heather Rae through the Sundance Film Festival (where Heather’s previous film Frozen River won the Grand Jury Prize). Our casting directors Judy Henderson, Meg Morman and Sunday Boling were recommended by other filmmakers I met on the festival circuit and I initially had seen many of the actors we ended up casting in festival films as well. Similarly, many of the other crew members we ended up hiring were originally introduced to us through the festival world.

MD: Do you feel filmmakers should embark on short film projects before attempting to begin their first feature? In what ways did it prepare you?

LM: I absolutely recommend that filmmakers make several shorts before they try to tackle a feature. Not only did making shorts allow me to hone my skills as a director (how to work with actors, where to place the camera, etc.) but traveling the film festival circuit prepared me for the reality of the distribution landscape. It makes much more sense to learn the system with a short, plus you are able to make amazing connections along the way!

MD: Now that you’ve navigated the waters of the festival circuit. Do you have any advice to new filmmakers looking to embark down this path? What would you do again and what would you do differently?

LM: My advice is to plan out a festival strategy at least a year in advance. Figure out where you want to premiere, how many submission fees you can afford, where you want to travel, which festivals treat filmmakers well and so on. Compile a master database of everywhere you want to submit and then tackle each group of submissions one month at a time. Although this requires extra effort in the beginning, by the end you will have saved yourself a lot of time and trouble. Though I was lucky with Twitch (premiering at Clermont-Ferrand and Slamdance) I wish I had spent more time making a strategy in advance because there definitely were deadlines I missed or festivals I was disqualified from because I had already premiered elsewhere. Also, I can’t emphasize enough not to neglect the smaller festivals. Not only are you more likely to win awards there, but regional festivals tend to treat filmmakers really well and you are more likely to reach an audience that otherwise would never be able to see your film.

MD: Leah, thank you so much for taking the time to share your knowledge with other filmmakers. Do you have any take aways, or thoughts?

LM: Independent filmmaking is a long and difficult path, so the more we can help each other out and build a community the better off all of us will be!

MD: Amen! I’d like to end by sharing Twtich in its entirety.

LINKS:
Official Twitch Site
Official Unicorns Site
Leah Meyerhoff’s Blog
Leah Meyerhoff’s IMDB
Leah Meyerhoff’s Twitter
Unicorns Twitter

Just a quick note. I’m officially in Los Angeles. It was a grueling 4 day, 3000 mile trek, but I’m here. Recovering. You can check out my twitter account for pictures I’ve tweeted along the way.

I have some exciting projects and events on the horizon. Too soon to speak about, but suffice it to say, I’m already busy!

Now! To unpack!

Big things over at the Merrel Davis camp. Chiefly, I’m moving to Los Angeles. It was a long time in the making. I’ve positioned myself in a good place, and I’m heading out.

Life in New York City is great. I’ve done a lot of good work here, connected with great television and filmmakers. New York led me to my first work on a documentary. New York led me to work on the Olympics. New York and I saw the production of several short films, more seminars and workshops than I can count, and the genesis of “Screenwriter Karaoke.”

But worry not! I won’t be a stranger, and I suspect work will bring me back around here soon enough. Oh, and to be clear Screenwriter Karaoke in New York City is not dead. In fact, it has just grown into a bi-coastal endeavor.

So What’s the Plan?
Well,  I’m selling off my dead weight. And by dead weight I mean loads of dvds and video games. I just can’t take them with me, So if you would, check out my for sale list. I’d be delighted if you bought something from me.

After that, it’s a cross country drive from New York to California. I plan to regularly tweet and twitpic (from my iphone) as I travel from state to state. So stay tuned for next month when I get on the road!

It is quite possible that you’ve landed on my blog and you aren’t aware that I also organize a filmmaking network event called Screenwriter Karaoke. Right now the events are NYC based, but I hope soon to have an LA counterpart.

What is Screenwriter Karaoke? Think of it as a way to let your hair down, step up, wail on Super Tramp’s “The Long Way Home,” and then talk about your latest romantic comedy script. Looking for a collaborative writing partner with a knack for 17th Century English? You just might find one at Screenwriter Karaoke.

The event aims to be an informal way to meet your writing and filmmaking peers. Sometimes network events are just awkward, so why not try to loosen up have a couple of drinks and sing?

When: October 15, 2009 8:00 PM
Where:
Baby Grand
161 Lafayette Street at Grand
New York, NY 10013
212.219.8110

Please RSVP: http://www.meetup.com/Screenwriter-Karaoke/

To prove there is nothing to be afraid of, here I am on the right, rocking out to some Build me up Buttercup!

Good news folks! I’ve been invited as a special guest to Roberta Munroe’s Best Short Film Workshop Ever, this weekend September 26th in NYC. I will be speaking with Roberta about short film script structure, things like how to creating characters that are immediately engaging.

You may recall Roberta put on a great workshop at DCTV last March, Please check out my detailed recap of the event if you haven’t, it is chock full of goodness

If you are a short filmmaker come out to this event. Roberta is a sharp filmmaker who has judged over 15,000 films for large festivals like Sundance. The workshop will cover:

• Story
• Structure
• Production Distribution
• Film Festival Circuit
• How To Actually Make Money From Your Short Film

See you there!

Since February, I’ve been working various production duties for an Emmy and Peabody award winning documentary production company. I came in just as pre-production had ended and it was full steam ahead on the production of “CIA Confidential.”

This week marks the culmination of the hard work of everyone involved. I’m happy to announce that this Sunday June 21 CIA Confidential: Hunt for Bin Laden and CIA Confidential: Pakistan Undercover will air on the National Geographic Channel.

I encourage everyone to catch it and check out some clips from the show

Oh no, here comes another life update!

Since February, I’ve been doing production work on two hours of documentary television which will air next month on the National Geographic channel. I’m excited, as this will be my first on screen television credit. I’ll post more details about the program as the air date nears, it’s going to be a good one.

I’m finishing up a “very special” romantic comedy script with a writing partner. First draft will be done in the next two weeks. We have an “internal” table read lined up for revising purposes before it goes out to people who expressed interest in the project (Some of whom I met at United Filmmakers & Actors.)

Still working as a script reader. As I’ve mentioned before, it is a great crash course for any screenwriter.   The quality of scripts vary greatly, but writing other people’s synopsis’ and coverage helps you stay sharp for when you send your own projects around. Plus it’s a chance to look critically at your peers work.

I’m gearing up for a major revision of my untitled project (which actually has a title, as of this week.)

Since January, the script has gone through three revisions. After putting it in the drawer for a month and some very detailed notes and discussions with a mentor of mine; I’m ready to take a stab at it again.

Stay tuned for some meaty announcements!

-Merrel

Keeping in line with the aesthetic of my site, I made up some business cards. Like my splash page, I conjured up my graphic design prowess and hand drew the design.

Purdy, eh? I tested the waters with them over at the IFP Script to Screen conference last week. They were a hit.

So, what’s going on in Merrel-land? Quite a bit actually.

I sent my first draft and revisions of my screenplay to a select few close friends and mentors. The screenplay is still untitled, I’ve jokingly tossed the title Anybody Besides Merrel? But it seems too playful given the darker subject matter. Anyway, the first round of feedback seems to be that Act II isn’t strong. So, I’ll revisit that. I’m waiting for some more feedback before I take it out of the drawer.

My production internship at the documentary company has been great. The people are smart, driven and know how to tell a story. It’s a great environment. I had a reprieve this week as the core crew was overseas for six days shooting re-enactments for an upcoming National Geographic documentary.  They are back this week, so I anticipate to have some super crazy days later in the week. They’ll be transcribing and encoding around 50 DVCPRO tapes of footage.

Work as a script reader has proved fruitful as well.  I read and write coverage for about two to three scripts a week. I’m learning how to critically deconstruct a screenplay. It is interesting to view things from this side of screenwriting. I’m just packing away a wealth of knowledge. I’ll probably touch in greater detail in a separate post about the role of a script reader and its benefits.

I have three “floating” writing projects. One is a romantic comedy which I’m working with a classmate from the NYFA screenwriting workshop. The writing partner has a very specific dialogue driven spark. Which adds a great element to the writing.  I’m also working with a NYFA filmmaking student to re-work his thesis short script. Lastly a couple of other friends from the film academy have gotten together and we are working on a dialogue-heavy yet surreal table scene (ala Reservoir Dogs “Do you tip?”)At this rate there isn’t a day that goes by that I’m not reading or writing a script.