About Me
A lot of screenwriters end up directing because they’re unhappy with the way their stories are handled. I’m moving in the other direction because I can’t find material I like enough to direct.
I’m a Canadian writer/director living somewhere in southeast Asia. My credentials include a degree in Film Studies and English Literature from Carleton University in Ottawa. In 1998 I directed a student film called The Gary Busey Story. After graduating with honours in 1998, I moved to China and began writing and travelling extensively throughout Asia. In 1999 I visited China’s remote northwest and worked on the documentary Xinjiang is Good. In 2003 I directed my first feature film called Not Much.
Now I spend most of my time moving around Asia and writing screenplays. I quietly churn out about one script a year. Some of my biggest distractions are websites I’ve developed and still operate. Some of the popular ones are Guitar Noise, Music Careers, and Free Chinese Lessons. You can also check out the official website of my first feature film Not Much.
Why I Blog?
One thing I never did before directing my first film was look at a single book on filmmaking. In many ways I’m glad I didn’t. There are quite a few books written on how to direct a first movie; but somebody should really write a book on how to direct a second movie. Most advice in a book isn’t powerful to stop first time filmmakers from learning things the hard way. The hurt that goes with living through those mistakes is one strongest learning tools there is.
After finishing production on my first film, I started reading every book I could find on directing. My research enlightened me to mistakes I wasn’t even aware I had made. When I finished reading just about every book on directing I was still no closer to making a second movie. I was in need of material that I loved, and that turned towards writing my own stories.
I had never thought seriously about screenwriting before. I read scores of books on the subject. But writing is something that doesn’t get better simply by thinking about it. It’s like exercise and it needs doing every day. Writing about film and screenwriting on this blog forces me to think carefully about my ideas. Understanding what I want to say is one thing, knowing how to say it is something else altogether.
