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Offering Independent Film & Script Consultations

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I've quietly been developing a weird assortment of independent projects with friends and others I have met and talked shop with over the years. Sometimes it's an informal, "hey, man, would you mind giving this a read?" type of thing. More often, it snowballs into staying on into production. I hate clean brands and the way ideas and creative processes can be reduced to an algorithm. To editorialize Jenny Odell a bit, I like live edges and blobbiness and expansion and the way that maintenance can happen when you love something enough to tend to it.  I am part of a small independent film company, Rucksack Films. My good friend, Bill Schlavis and I met, wrote a song together and found we liked collaborating on things. We've made music videos, then wrote scripts and filmed features. I write on my own. I help out on on other people's projects - such is the process.  Through @fromscript2screen I am now officially taking on clients. The goal is to...
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Filmmaking Pop-up in Asbury Park On Saturday, 3/7, there will be an independent filmmaking pop-up in downtown Asbury Park. The seminar will be the first in series. Each seminar will focus on a specific element of the filmmaking process, with the first being an overview of the timeline from inception through production. Later in the series, focus will be on directing/on set, fundraising, and screenwriting. The pop-ups will contain room for networking and one-on-one time so that those interested in moving past information and theory can connect to others looking to get their hands on some film experiences. Those interested in registering for the class should do so early, as space is limited. For additional information and to register, email Rob  rucksackfilms@gmail.com
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Screenwriting: Essential Reads

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   Today I am posting on some essential reads for those interested in developing as screenwriters.                                                         *** Book #1: The Hero With a Thousand Faces , by Joseph Campbell This is the alpha in regard to story - not screenplay focused directly - its focus is on the archetypes that exist in all stories, from the earliest cave paintings and folktales, to high flights of literature and film. Campbell is part cultural anthropologist, part religious studies major - he develops a working monomyth cycle: departure, initiation, and return, as a way of reading and understanding all stories as interrelated based on our cultural and personal needs, desires, and fears. Almost all of the story analysts in Hollywood use some template of his work as a way to screen potential movie concepts...
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Independent film seminar on 3/7

Keeping it very 2008 here... The mothership ( rucksackfilms.com ) has given birth to some babies. This blogspot will serve as an informal space to announce upcoming classes, provide information on our current slate of productions and to offer some links and info that may be helpful to screenwriters and filmmakers. Our Instagram handle, @rucksack_films will keep providing visual content and updates on current films in-house; @fromscript2screen will provide specific info on classes. For this inaugural post, I am focusing on those attempting to, or are in the process of, launching scripts and getting productions underway. I am going to be hosting a series of seminars in Asbury Park during the winter and spring of 2020 focusing on the development of screenplays, pre-production, casting, crew building, fundraising, and finally, working on set. Each seminar will focus on specific filmmaking elements and provide networking to allow for filmmakers to share ideas, build crews, and find ...
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