Cameron Chapman's Blog

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I’ve been running this site since 2009. It’s gone through a few iterations since then, but I’ve rarely taken it seriously as a business or as a way to brand myself. It was just sort of my “home” on the internet.

I’m changing that. For nearly a decade I’ve been pursuing my creative dreams, earning a living as a writer, and learning a ton about how to be successful as a creative. And I want to share everything I’ve learned with others in a much more deliberate way.

Every day I hear from friends, colleagues, and strangers that they wish they could earn a living with their art/writing/music/etc. but they don’t know how. Or they don’t even think it’s possible. Or I hear about teenagers who are told that “you can’t make money with art” or that “art is just a hobby.” (btw, those of you out there saying these things to teens? STOP IT!)

This change has been a long time coming. And it’s not going to be as simple as a new design. I’m starting from scratch. I’m rewriting and reworking some old content that still holds value, but the archives will mostly disappear. I’ll be posting on a regular basis (at least once a week). I’ll be launching a new newsletter with tips you can’t find on the blog. And, since this is supposed to be a business, I’ll be releasing some premium content in the coming months, too.

I’m looking at a mid-October relaunch at the moment, with a new design and some freebies just for all of you.

I’m super excited about all of this. I’ve been struggling to figure out what to do with this site for a couple of years now, and I’m finally confident in the direction I’ve chosen and what it means for my readers. Stay tuned!

I realize it’s been well over a month since I’ve posted any updates. But that’s because I’ve been hard at work!

The script for the #48hourfeature, officially titled Love & Marriage, is pretty much locked till casting and location are finalized.

Casting has started. I’ve sent an offer to an actor for one of the lead roles, so fingers crossed on that one. (He’s actually inspired a few different characters I’ve written recently.)

I’ve been reaching out to various people for things like location and wardrobe. Dead Skull Apparel, one of my favorite companies on Instagram, is helping out in the wardrobe department (not going to give away more details than that just yet). Go check them out!

The movie now has a Facebook page! Go give it a like if you’re so inclined (I may post more updates there than here, so if you want to follow all the progress on the film, definitely check it out).

I’ll post as I can here with updates, but the coming months are going to be super busy for me, I’m sure. And I’ll definitely update as our crowdfunding campaign gets closer to launch.

I was reading an article the other day about how to make a no-budget (well, $1,000-$10,000 budget) feature film in a weekend. And the more I read, the more I thought to myself “I can totally do this!”

So I’m doing it! I’ve got my concept, I’ve got my treatment about half way done, and I’m starting on the location scouting and other planning. I’ll be doing a crowdfunding campaign to raise a modest budget (it’s looking like around $6,000 right now, though that may go up or down a bit as I get cast and crew on board). I haven’t decided yet whether this is going to be raised via Kickstarter, IndieGoGo, or Seed & Spark. I’ll keep y’all posted on that.

Here’s the preliminary poster I created. I’ll have the website up and running this week, too.

It’s going to be absurdly funny and twisted, and should be a ton of fun. My mantra for this is “GEFN” (Good Enough for Netflix). Is it going to be a masterpiece? Probably not. Is it going to be watchable and entertaining? I sure as hell hope so!

If you want updates on the film, sign up for my email list! Which I will totally start sending emails to one of these days…

We’re two months into 2016 and I’m finding myself in the midst of idea overload. It feels like every other day I come up with some awesome new idea for a feature script, short, pilot, or some other project. It’s getting a little bit crazy.

I have a few ways I’m dealing with this. First of all, I have a spreadsheet for keeping track of all of my screenplay ideas. It lists the title, format, genre, where I have the file(s) (I work in Google Docs, Celtx, and sometimes Adobe Story, so there are multiple places I might be storing a script), the stage I’m in (notes, in progress, draft, etc.), and any notes I want to leave myself. I also have these listed in order of priority, with color-coded sections to  keep things even more organized.

I also keep an idea file in Google Docs that I add to when I get an idea for pretty much anything. Some of those I immediately start fleshing out, while others I just let sit in the file until I someday feel compelled to write them.

But here’s my current tally, project-wise:

7 scripts in various drafts (one is basically locked, I’m just doing a final polish)
9 in-progress scripts  (these all have at least a few scenes written, but have gotten sidelined for various reasons)
5 with detailed notes, beyond just those in my “idea file”
And of course there are the 12 completed scripts I have (including one sold and one produced)

One of the biggest things right now is that I have a feature about to go into pre-production, plus a short that I may be putting into pre very soon (that one will be finished before I get into the real meat of the feature, thankfully).

Staying organized is a key thing for me when it comes to being creative. If I don’t list and prioritize, then I end up pulled in a million different directions, and never get anything done. By being more methodical, I can get a lot more done and stop wasting time.

I’ve suddenly got it in my head that I need to film both of the shorts I’ve been working on this spring.  They’re both pretty straight-forward to film, but one of them requires a lot of animation to be worked into the live action scenes. And while I like to consider myself a Jack (Jill)-of-all-trades when it comes to filming, animation is definitely not in my repertoire.

To that end, I’m looking for an animator to collaborate with! Here are the details on the project:

Film Title: Wildflower

Logline:  When a quirky introvert meets a handsome loner hell bent on breaking down her walls, she must fight to preserve her solitary way of life and lively fantasy world.

Length: ~15 minutes when finished, with roughly 7-8 minutes of animation worked in.

Animation Style: I’m open to ideas! Simple hand-drawn animations, CGI, etc.  The animations are whimsical in nature, so keep that in mind.

Compensation: Dismal to non-existent (same as for everyone else working on the film).  While earning any revenue from a short film is pretty much a pipe dream, I am happy to  offer back-end points on the one-in-a-million chance   it ever earns money. I’m also sure I can scrounge up money to cover expenses.

Timeline: I’d like to get the live action portion filmed   by mid-April and edited into at least a rough cut by early May. I’m flexible on the timeline, though.

Distribution Strategy:  Festivals first. Online later.

So right now you’re probably asking yourself, why the hell would I want to do this? There are a few   reasons:

You’ll get a LOT   of creative control over the animated parts.
I’m committed to creating something awesome.
You’ll get credit in the film (not a big deal if you already have a huge reel, but if you’re a student or just starting out, this could  be really valuable to you).

Plus, I love making films that are fun. I don’t want people to be miserable working on my projects (because it shows in the end product, plus   no one will want to work with me on future projects). So I keep things light, and keep things fun.

Want to apply? Send me an email (thirteen [at] cameronchapman [dot] com) with some examples of your work (links or a reel). Make sure you mention “Wildflower” in the subject line so I don’t miss your email.  Like I’ve said, this is pretty much a no-pay project, but if you absolutely have to get paid  something,  then include a figure  (a range is fine)   in your initial email.

Guys, I’m gonna get real for a sec. With all the talk of diversity in Hollywood and the dismal number of women who direct (and are otherwise involved behind the scenes in) mainstream films, it’s not surprising that there are a ton of articles coming out about how to write female characters, etc. This is especially true since two of the biggest blockbusters to come out in the past year had awesome, amazing female protagonists (Mad Max: Fury Road—which I loved—and Star Wars: The Force Awakens—which I haven’t seen yet).

ScreenCraft just published one such article (written by a woman) on their blog:  5 Tips on How to Write an Awesome Female Protagonist.

Let me say first that I’m happy that the idea of writing better female characters is getting all this attention. Because it’s about freakin’ time. But there are so many things wrong with this that I felt the need to write my own version.

So, here are my tips for  How to Write Kick-Ass Protagonists (Who Might Happen to be Female) [Editor’s note: bonus points for anyone who gets the George Carlin reference in that one].

1. (S)he has a past.

If you want to write amazing characters, you need to think of them as real, live people.  With a past. And a future. They have had experiences that have shaped who they are, and how they act within the world of your screenplay (or novel, etc.).

2. (S)he is a complete person.

Full, realistic characters are well-rounded. I don’t mean that in the college-application-well-rounded way. I mean that sometimes they’re funny. Sometmes they’re serious. Sometimes they succeed. Sometimes they fail. And sometimes they just do really stupid/smart/mediocre/pointless things.

Of course,  the emphasis you place on aspects of their personality will depend on the genre you’re writing. But even in a comedy, your character probably isn’t funny all the time.

3. (S)he isn’t a stereotype.

I don’t care if you’re writing a  male character or a female one. If there’s absolutely zero chance that you could swap the gender of that character without a massive rewrite, then congratulations: you’ve written a completely stereotypical character.

Here’s a tip: don’t do that. Sure,  there are  some subjects and plots that are naturally going to lend themselves to one sex or the other. Obviously if your story is about the front lines of the Civil War, you’re going to have issues with creating a female soldier protagonist. And if your story revolves around breast cancer, making your protagonist male  would give it a completely different slant. But if you can’t pick a random piece of dialogue out of your script and change  the sex of who said it  and have it still make sense, then you should rethink how you’re writing your characters.

4. The Bechdel Test is not the be-all and end-all.

The Bechdel Test  gets a lot of attention. The test consists of three things:

two named female characters
who talk to each other
about something other than a man.

Simple, right? Sure. But there are all kinds of movies that  pass the Bechdel  Test  that don’t have well-rounded female (or other) characters.  And there are certainly movies out there that don’t pass the test that have wonderfully written characters of both sexes.

Here’s the thing: your characters’ conversations should revolve around more than members of the opposite sex. Yes, even if you’re writing a romance. Think  about your daily life. Do you only ever talk about who you’re dating? Hopefully not. You probably talk about ideas, about work, about the errands you don’t want to run, or the family member who’s driving you crazy.

Instead of focusing just on the Bechdel Test and calling it “good”, try focusing on creating characters who are concerned with more than just one thing (that one thing being getting laid).

5. (Wo)men are people.

Your characters are people. Regardless of what they’re doing in your story, they’re whole, real people. They have their own experiences, their own motivations,  their own wants and dreams.  Don’t  write a woman “like she’s human” because  she is human (unless she’s an alien, but I digress).

The same goes for the men in your story. For every woman out there who’s written as a marriage-obsessed bimbo, there’s a guy who’s written as an emotionless macho “man’s man” (whatever the hell that means). Neither one is  true-to-life in most cases. Sure, we all know people who come across like that in our real lives, but there’s more depth beneath the surface; there are reasons  why they’re like that.

 

The point here is that writing male and female protagonists isn’t really that different. Or at least it shouldn’t be. Your goal should always be to write characters who are real, full people within the world you’re creating in your story. The second you start thinking about them as characters is the second you’ll start  veering off course. Think of them as people first and you’ll have a much easier time writing realistic, believable, rich characters.

I mentioned I’m working on a short film script that centers around online dating (I might not have mentioned that last part, but that’s what it’s about). So, to that end, I really want to hear your online dating horror stories! The funny, the creepy, the weird, and the traumatic!

Don’t worry, I have plenty of my own, so no judgment here.

So, leave them in the comments or feel free to email me (13 [at] cameronchapman [dot] com) with them if they’re too embarrassing to announce to the general public.

I’m gonna go on a little rant for a minute here. I’ve gotten to where I am in my career because of one very lucky break nearly a decade ago. But the reason that was such a lucky break was that I had been doing some very hard work for about a year before that opportunity came along. Working an extra couple hours a night (after my full-time job and 45+ minute one-way commute), every night, for at least 8 months.

See, when Mashable advertised for experienced bloggers back in 2007, I had already been running a topic blog about eco-friendly living for close to a year. I was publishing 5-6 blog posts every day, by myself. They were short, but they were consistent. And occasionally I ran longer posts and series. So when I saw the ad from Mashable, I applied. And Pete Cashmore (this was back when he was managing pretty much everything himself) hired me on a trial basis. And Mashable kept growing, which gave me a ton of credibility when I applied elsewhere.

So yes, I was lucky in that I was in the right place at the right time, but it would not have been either of those things if I hadn’t been putting in a whole lot of hard work before that.

This brings me to the concept of privilege. By many standards I’m privileged. I’m white (and live in the US). I was born into a middle-class family in New England that valued education. I have a high IQ (which really just means I have an easier time learning things than people who don’t have such a high IQ). I have no major health concerns. English is my native language (which is only a privilege because of where I live).

At the same time, I have disadvantages. I’m not thin (which is a huge disadvantage in many circles, and less so in others, but maintaining a healthy weight is something I will probably always struggle with due to genetics). I’m short. I’m not wealthy. I’ve had issues with anxiety and depression in the past. I’m divorced (although I consider that one a plus at this point). I have debt.

And there are things that are neutral, or that can be either an advantage or disadvantage based on the circumstances, namely that I’m female. In some circles, that’s a plus. But in others, it’s definitely a hindrance (have you seen the controversy surrounding the lack of female directors in mainstream film?).

The point is, we hall have privileges and we all have disadvantages. What we need to remember is that neither of those things negates the value of hard work. And at the same time, we need to remember that someone who puts in the same amount of work we do may have different results, just because they were more or less privileged than we are.

For example, someone who wasn’t a native English speaker might not have gotten that first job with Mashable. They might have been blogging for a year, putting in the same amount of work I was, but because their English skills weren’t as developed as mine, they wouldn’t have been hired. And while we can cry about that being unfair, in reality, it’s just the way the world works. Mashable is a business with a certain level of quality to maintain. Articles that are hard to read because of grammar issues don’t help their brand, and having to rewrite all the articles submitted to make them adhere to their standards adds a level of cost that may not work for them.

Here’s the thing: play to your strengths. Virtually all of us have things that we are good at. Stop putting insane amounts of effort into things you’re not good at, year after year, when you’re seeing no progress. (This is different than putting effort into something you love that you’re not good at yet but are making progress at.) If after 6 months or a year you’re in the same place as when you started, it may be time to reevaluate. If you love it, keep plugging away, but come to terms with the fact that it might never be something you’re good at. (I love to sing. I’m not bad but I’m not great. Therefore, I reserve singing for the shower and other times when I’m alone.)

I feel like I’ve gone off on a tangent here. But the bottom line is this: everyone has privilege in one area or another, even if that privilege comes from things that can be disadvantages in other circumstances. That doesn’t mean hard work isn’t required to be successful. Very, very few people are successful just because of privilege, just like very very few people are successful purely because of hard work.

But can we stop trying to negate the value of the work people have put in, just because they had advantages others have not? And at the same time, can we stop telling people that all they need to do to succeed is “work harder”? Nothing is that clear cut, and when we can stop obsessing over both of those things, maybe we can all actually help each other get ahead.