Brendan Bald

Tag: screenplay writing

  • An Actor’s Excuse to Binge Netflix…

    An Actor’s Excuse to Binge Netflix…

    Listen, I’ve got two words for ya. MARKET RESEARCH!

    Yes. You read that correctly. In almost every field of work, market research absolutely blows.  It’s a fact of life. 

    UNLESS you’re an Actor. 

    “Why? What’s the difference?” You may ask.

    Well it’s quite simple.  

    For an actor, market research means watching loads and loads of movies and TV shows. It’s basically a free pass to spend 12 hours on a Sunday watching Netflix. You can literally call a day filled with two large pizzas, three bags of chips, six diet cokes, and the entire first season of Ozark a “productive” day. 

    Watching movies and TV shows is considered “working.” This is one of the MANY amazing things about acting. Obviously, no one is paying you to do this “work.” BUT you can learn so much and improve your craft by watching movies and television. 

    You’ll discover a plethora of information if you study your favorite actors. You’ll discover what sorts of characters they typically play. You’ll get a sense of their range. You’ll start to notice their ticks. You’ll notice their blocking. You’ll notice everything. And it’s all beneficial. 

    Point being, you can learn A TON by studying the actors you admire. 

    The same holds true if you’re a writer.  

    I recently jumped into the world of screenwriting and now try to either watch the movies or read the screenplays of my favorite writers. 

    Currently my all-time favorite writer is Aaron Sorkin. The way he drafts dialogue is out of this world. I find myself spending many a night binge watching West Wing or re-reading his famous play, A Few Good Men. Any time I write, I tell myself to “channel my inner Sorkin.” I’m not kidding. 😂

    Now that I’m re-reading this blog post, I’m starting to think this may just be one giant justification for my tendency to binge watch so much Netflix. But who cares, right? It’s all done in the name of MARKET RESEARCH!!

  • I’M BACK!! And Dabbling in Screenwriting

    I’M BACK!! And Dabbling in Screenwriting

    This is my first blog post in freakin FOREVER. I’m talkin months – like many many months. Not sure why exactly I stopped in the first place. Probably a time thing if I’m being honest. That’s such a lame excuse though. Whatever I’m making it anyways.  

    I really want to start blogging more and I have a free half hour so here we go…

    I’ll start with a brief little update about what my life has been like the past five or six months. Here’s a tidy list that you can feel free to skip past if you want – I won’t be offended…

    • Acted in two short films and one commercial.
    • Recorded several new podcast episodes for The Millennial Lawyer podcast.
    • Was on a dating show which I lost (sheds tear)
    • Discovered that I live down the street from the best taco stands in Nash, and have been taking full advantage.
    • Directed a short film. 
    • Started giving ghost tours in downtown Nash. 
    • Still working at the lemon
    • Went on a two-month hiatus from Planet Fitness (SMH).
    • Am now back on my Planet Fitness game (#HealthIsWealth).
    • Went to Destin, FL for literally 24 hours (it was well worth it)

    Yup – that about sums it up. 

    Anyways, I recently went on an Amazon Prime book buying binge and started reading all about writing screenplays. I’ve written a few short screenplays in the past but if I’m being honest, they all kinda sucked. I’d give them a solid C+ and that’s being generous. I originally wanted to write a short screenplay that I could produce myself and act in so that I could add the footage to my acting reel. But once I realized that my stories were lacking, the lawyer in me went into research mode and I started combing the web for information. 

    Don’t worry – this won’t be a long boring post about how to write a good screenplay. I wouldn’t even know how to do that.  I’m only two books into the ten I purchased from Amazon.   So yeah basically an expert. 

    This post, on the other hand, is mainly about PREMISE – and how having a solid one is critical to writing a good story. 

    After reading The Art of Dramatic Writing by Lajos Egri, I realized how important it is that every story have a solid premise. None of my screenplays had a good premise. Are you surprised? I already told you they were pretty JV squad. They had cool stories and characters and scenes but no concrete premise.

    The premise of a screenplay is essentially the central idea or theme of the story. AKA what is the point?? Some examples given by Egri are..

    • Foolish generosity leads to false gaiety
    • Ill-temper leads to isolation
    • Dishonesty leads to exposure
    • Egotism leads to loss of friends

    After reading Egri’s book and fully understanding the importance of starting with a premise, I started writing with purpose and towards a goal. I basically just automatically became the next Aaron Sorkin. Just kidding. Sorkin is a legend – mad respect.  Plus, I’ve still got eight books to read. I’ll probably post additional writing epiphanies as I learn more about the craft so be forewarned.

    To sum up this post, I found the brief but important nugget about premise extremely helpful. It was on my mind this morning so I thought I’d share my thoughts. Cheers to my next screenplay being better than my last! Well – hopefully. 

    Have an AMAZING DAY!!

    ~Brendan