September 2022 Writer’s Night: Realistic Expectations for Your Screenplay

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“Giant Radioactive Shark” 
or Realistic Expectations for Your Screenplay

“We’ve all scrolled through the guide, seeing titles like ‘Giant Radioactive Shark’ or ‘Outhouse of the Dead’ and think, ‘who writes this stuff?’ or ‘how does this get a budget?’ I’ve worked in this domain for years, the ‘destined for the dollar bin at Wal-Mart’ projects. Turns out it’s hard to say no when someone offers you money to write or direct a movie, so you end up trying to make the best of an unwinnable situation. It’s not like a writer sits around and thinks ‘Another zombie movie will put me on the map!’ Nope, writer’s gotta get paid, though–and when you’re getting paid, you gotta write what the person writing the checks wants. To that end I’ll talk about how to keep your sanity when Hollywood wants you to dumb it down, and how to work within the confines of a formula but enjoy what you’re working on. Mostly, I’ll talk about how to get your screenplay written and made, even if you must film it yourself.”

Presenter: Hank Braxtan

Hank grew up in Fruita and Grand Junction, making home movies throughout school and eventually in the US Army.  After an honorable discharge and short stint in film school, Hank moved to Los Angeles where he descended into the “struggle” for over a decade, eventually writing and directing several movies and episodes of television shows.  After moving with his wife back to Grand Junction in 2018, the couple has produced three feature films on the Western Slope, bringing in talents such as Michael Jai White and Jeff Fahey, while working with the local school curriculum to establish a film hub in Western Colorado.  Hank has been nominated for several Emmy awards (mostly lost) among other awards (that were also mostly lost).

This session WILL NOT be streamed live on Zoom. All live-streaming has been suspended for now.