As I write this post, I'm winding down from a very intensive period marked by many journalism assignments, the completion of a film script draft and three conferences, including the Creative Screenwriting Expo in Los Angeles where I am right now.
While I've written many stories since my last posting, and plan on sharing some on this blog in a little bit, right now, the subject that most moves me is a man I met yesterday, the writer/producer Dan Goldberg, whose worked on such comedies as Hangover, Hangover II, Stripes, Meatballs, Due Date, Roadtrip and School for Scoundrels.
As it happened, I'd watched Hangover on my way to L.A., not even realizing I was going to meet Dan and hear his amazing stories about the huge gambles and luck that he's experienced along the way to becoming such a comedy king in Hollywood. While Hangover has grossed over $460 million worldwide and Dan and his pal Todd Phillips are so well known and respected, it was a really tough sell in the beginning. The studios didn't want to make it because it was too expensive, given that it was using the talents of three relatively unknown stars.
"The studio people aren't stupid, but their jobs are on the line," he told us. "With comedy, you can't be nervous. You have to be gutsy."
He advised that small independent production companies are great for comedy because there's not that fear or the same pressure. Which made me very glad that a comedy I've written has captured the interest of a well-respected indie producer.
Even so, I was flummoxed by someone whom I really admired who didn't see the comedy in what I've written -- until recently when a comedy director told me the script was hysterical. To each his own, for sure. But Goldberg gave me a piece of information that clarified the circumstance for me. "It takes a special person to read comedy," he said. "Hangover on the page isn't hilarious. It's all about the character."
For Goldberg there's nothing harder than writing. But what he's learned is that when he dives into it, one of the most important things is not to be afraid. It allows the truly great material can emerge.
The real trick seems to be separating out the good feedback from the bad. As Goldberg said: "A creator's job is not to lose the focus and just use the good ideas."
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