I am aching to move forward but find myself struggling once again to catch up. In late 2009 my plans shifted from film and screenplay writing to literary pursuits. This began after the Screenwritng Expo that year. After that weekend I felt like I was spinning my wheels with my screenwriting pursuits as they were, and the Expo informed me that I could make advances in other ways. Writer's write to be read, right?
It is only recently that I have realized just how close I was to actually catching some sort of traction around 2009. Had I not shifted focus things might very well have been different. I would never have written Monarch, but I would not still be a relative unknown in the field of screenwriting. Someone pointed this out to me the other day; and because it stuck with me, thus motivating me, I am thankful for this being pointed out. Can't believe that is still the case after all these years, after all that I have done to try and better my skills. Even though there are individuals who know of my skill as a writer, I am again climbing an uphill battle. Like that game on the Price is Right. Yoda-lah-he-who!
Meh, all you can do is keep climbing or go over the edge by having taken things too far?
The better part of five years (2004-2009) was spent trying to carve a niche in the Atlanta Film scene. It drove me bonkers trying to find my place in the community, and I'm still not convinced that there actually is a "quality" film and tv scene except for the tax incentives that bring outside companies here, which is a start. Back then I didn't mind doing the heavy lifting in trying to get projects started, but the sands have always seemed to be shifting beneath my feet, preventing me from establishing myself. That was a driving factor in my writing of Monarch, so that I would have proof of my work that anyone with a computer could read with a click of a mouse.
Something I've learned over the past decade with missteps and great pangs to my ego and confidence: Quality is important above all else. End of discussion. No one, other than loved ones and those who helped make a project, remember positively a shitty product, no matter how much of it is created here at home.
Those of us that were trying to make our way into the Atlanta scene back in 2008 asked, on a former message board that has since closed (no surprise), "Is Atlanta a One Short Town?" And having lived through that experience, which was at once insightful and also maddening, it was clear that the answer was "Yes." Things have changed since then, but as far as I can tell-- and I am a distant observer inching his way back in-- the answer still remains largely the same. There exists the quality people and resources here necessary to elevate Atlanta out of a short town, but for some reason mainly shorts and mediocre films and tv shows are still created locally. Why? Is it money? Is it lack of understanding of talent?
I recently looked at the ratings of the films and tv shows made here by fellow Georgians over the past three years while I was toiling away on the book, and there is only minor marked improvement in the quality-- 1.7 - 6.2 in ratings. That is hardly a passing grade. That does not garner respect, but it passes for experience. To some that is all that matters. It's as if a false belief took root once something was completed. A lesson was not learned. Just because one can create something does not quality make. I admit, I've made utter and total steaming piles before, may do so again. But I have tried to learn from my missteps and mistakes. I have tried to direct and act and edit and produce, and while I may have some modicum of talent in those areas that is not where my energies are best served. My talent lies in my ability to create stories. And I believe more than anything that you have to keep learning no matter what confidence is created by small perceived successes.
Unfortunately, Atlanta is seen as place to take advantage of tax incentives and also the place where Tyler Perry cranks out his product, and that is about it. "The Signal" is still the best film I can think of made here, by those from here, over the past decade, and it's nearly ten years old. Ten years old? And it wasn't even solid the whole way through. Again, I've been out of the loop for a few years so if anyone can think of a film or tv series with real Georgia talent "throughout," please let me know.
We, without a doubt, have great crew here, good creativity, mediocre writing but sub-par execution. There is a lot of lateral movement in the film industry, people doing all sorts of jobs, though the biggies are, and always will be, director, writer and producer. A great creative triumvirate can make something out of nothing, literally. They can elevate warm piles of puppy poo into gold, or at least some sort of watchable and marketable celluloid. Without quality in those three positions you've got mediocrity, no growth and no sales.
While I love my city nestled at the base of the smoky mountains, we need to try and plant something here that will actually be representative of this great city, something the "whole" city can be proud to say is our own. Some may claim Walking Dead, but it is not our own. To those who know, it looks and sounds like Atlanta but smells like Hollywood. While that is a good thing, because I love me some Walking Dead, it is not a homegrown product. You could say the same about a lot of the films and tv shows shot here. Most of them are stuffed with crew members from the southeast and peppered with some local background and acting talent, but the brain trust triumvirate is all Hollywood. That's just the way it is. If we want that to change, we have to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that our talent is on par with what is being imported. We have to change the way we go about things. I know I won't be focusing on acting or directing again any time soon. That doesn't mean I won't ever, it just means I understand my talents are best utilized as a writer at this point in time.
I cannot wait for these quality studios to plant their seeds here over the next few years. God knows it's fertile enough. Whether that will help the homegrown talent that exists here to blossom and allow us to take our place amongst the triumvirate of quality, we shall see. But we have to earn that place by our works, and those works need be of high quality and not the slap dash, wam bam thank you mam variety.
Hopefully, some of us have learned enough so that if we see another poo train coming our way, we know not to stop and take a look, or a whiff, and refuse to climb on board. Instead, we should yield and jump out on ahead, leaving those who would try and peddle their poo behind to stand in that steamy pile of their own creation until they too begin to learn and grow. If we stay up wind and keep improving in the areas of our strengths, then and only then shall we be able to find our place amongst the homegrown triumvirate and make our city truly proud.
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