I just got off the WGA picket lines and frankly, I’m already missing the camaraderie.
Because for three months we were “all in this together,” as the Writers Guild slogan went. And for people used to sitting all day by themselves, pushing around electrons on a computer monitor, it felt pretty good to be part of something bigger.
So I got this idea. Well, okay, truth be told, I had the idea a long time ago, but the writers’ strike rammed the point home that I would do whatever it took to make this happen. What if, instead of writing by myself, I devised a way to collaborate on a feature film script with… everybody?
What if whoever wanted to participate could keep up with the story online, submit pages whenever he/she felt like it, or just comment on the way things are shaping up so other participants can benefit from the input?
Anyone who’s been part of a writers’ room knows how exhilarating it can be to work with a great team on an exciting project. So picture LAObserved as the room and the whole world as the team. I’ll be the one selecting which pages get included in the script and posting them here each week until the sucker’s done. Poke around the site a little to learn more about the judging criteria, the rules, and the t-shirt you’ll get if your pages make the cut.
As for the story itself, it starts with what I think is a pretty cool premise: an L.A. mayor, Russell Napolitano, hell-bent on reshaping the city by building a transit system. (No, it’s not based on anyone we know. At least not closely.)
I have some ideas about where I want the story to go. First off, it’s going to be a drama, a darkish murder mystery filled with glamour, wit and big dreams, the stuff of life in Southern California. The region, both in real life and as hinted at in the script’s opening pages, is a place on the verge of great change. The tension behind that shift should provide plenty of subtext for our screenplay. But know this: If your vision goes off in an unexpected direction, and you can convince me it works in 1-5 pages, bring it on! This will be a true collaboration.
We posted the first three pages early this first time (beginning next week new pages will show up on Wednesdays), so you can already start thinking about the next segment. I’ll be writing more story notes here, so save this link and check back before you get to work.
Remember, we’re all in this together.
