Admitted

I have been accepted into UCLA's Professional Program for Screenwriting. Woo hoo! It is a year long non-accredited but still respected writing program designed for those who work full-time.

There are a couple of reasons I'm excited about this opportunity.

1) The program is taught by the same faculty who teach the MFA program at UCLA, which is one of the best, if not the best, screenwriting programs in the world.

2) It will give me a chance to get feedback and inspiration from other writers.

3) It help me be disciplined to write (by the end of the program I will have written two more complete screenplays).

4) Many of the students who complete the professional program later earn admission to the MFA program, which I still want to do, partly because getting an MFA would allow me to teach.

5) It will help me begin networking, which besides being an original and talented writer, is everything in the entertainment business.

Mirror Mirror on the wall...Who's the fairest facebooker of all?

I can't keep my eyes off of me.

First of all it's natural. Everyone does it. I mean, who hasn't pumped out some pre-flex push-ups and then struck a series of Mr. Universe poses in the bathroom mirror? Or turned a can of mousse into a microphone and belted out Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing" for an imaginary audience of admiring fans?

When you got your yearbook every June, what was the first thing you did? You went through and found every single picture of yourself. Be honest. You know you did.

We're naturally obsessed with ourselves. It takes work to care about others, to really care about what they're saying, what they're up to, what they're feeling.

And Facebook isn't making it any easier. After recently rejoining the burgeoning ranks of the unemployed I've gotten addicted to Facebook. It's cool to be able to keep tabs on all your friends and acquaintances, but that's not the real appeal of Facebook.

Facebook is my opportunity to be on yearbook staff without having to stay after at school, wear skinny jeans and thrift store cardigans, take journalism classes or pretend to be interested in Key Club.

Finally, I can publish my own pics, write my own captions--P.S. Yearbook Staff, would it kill you to learn some tennis terminology?--and generally broadcast my brand around the world.

Last night, I was staring at 24 inches of luscious iMac flat screen and racking my brain to come up with a status update that didn't make me sound like a pop-culture newb...or an over enthusiastic dog owner...or a pathetic unemployed whiner. Finally, I spied my freshly arrived copy of Cook's Illustrated lying by my printer and I started typing: "Paul Boyer...is getting ready to geek out to Cook's Illustrated."

Perfect. Self-depricating, sufficiently odd, and truly me. Plus, you can't beat CI's product reviews. They're the consumer reports of cooking periodicals.

Don't get it? That's all right. I'm a bit of an acquired taste. I'm the indie band you haven't heard of yet. I am the re-emergence of beards. I am bubble tea 5 years ago. And by the time you're scrawling your own update about Cook's Illustrated, I'll have moved on to...wouldn't you like to know?

Point is, I'm not sure all of this self-publishing and self-awareness is entirely healthy. Is it prolonging a period of immaturity that we're supposed to shed after we leave the 'rents house and get real jobs? Methinks this new technology makes for too many chiefs and not enough Indians (Oh, racist sayings of yore).

Maybe there's something healthy about how the boomers did it: get a job, start making babies. It reinforces the "you're not the center of the universe" theme that most of us need to hear more frequently.

If nothing else, all this micro-blogging and status updating sometimes keeps me from being an actual productive member of society. The irony is while I'm seeking to increase my visibility and brand-value, I'm not going out and doing the things that would make me a better more interesting person. Hmmm...

Did you hear about www.urdb.com? It's this rad website where you can post videos of yourself setting very specific world records (i.e. fastest consumption of a 24 oz. bottle of breakfast syrup ). It's the next youtube. Surprised, you didn't know that ;)

P.S. Thx to Sigurd Decroos of Belgium for the cool mirror illustration

Animated Feature Logline

I'm a day behind on my logline a day project. So sue me.

Regal the Beagle...

is an animated adventure about a Beagle named Regal who is born to show dog royalty, but before he can follow in his parents famous footsteps he's dognapped by a jealous contestant and ditched out in the country. Two kindly farmers who run a mom n pop rescue shelter find Regal and take him home with them. There Regal grows into a fun loving teen, but when the farmer's wife comes down with a deadly disease that she can't afford to treat, Regal decides the only way he can save her is by winning the $50,000 Cambridge Cup like those dogs on TV. I guess it's kind of Lion King meets Best in Show.

Talk amongst yeh'selves. Waddeya think?

Two loglines...playin catch up

Already behind the 8-ball on posting daily loglines. So I'm doin 2 today. Don't forget to rate them 1-5 (five is the best), and tell me what you like or don't like about the idea...Oh, and tell me if you've already seen either of these movies. I'm trying to be original.

I Know You Are But What Am I?
A teen comedy about a girl who becomes like every boy she dates, until a friend finally points it out and she vows to take a year off from dating...just before she meets mr. right.

Would this be funnier and reach a broader audience if it was about a guy with the same issue?


In Charm's Way
A comedy about a dangerously charming guy who breaks hearts wherever he goes who unexpectedly falls hard for his flirty female alter ego, only she's not interested in anything serious.

So...about that job

Hey everyone,

So the new job for the window company didn't work out. Turns out I don't have the personality for it. I'll leave it at that. I'm back in the job hunting saddle again, which is discouraging. But I read something in the Bible this morning that encouraged me: 2 Cor. 4.18 reads, "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

That quote brought some much needed perspective. I'm grateful for God right now. I'm glad that over the long run he rewards character. I'm glad that pain is temporary and that he sticks with me through it. So for anyone else who's dealing with economic suckiness, joblessness, etc., there is a God who promises to "never leave us or forsake us." BTW, that last quote specifically has to do with God's willingness to provide for us. So yeah, at least there's that. Also, I'm glad to have a wife and extended family who love me, support me and pray for me. Love you guys.

Thanks for reading,

Paul

P.S. Logline of the day:
Boomeranged...
is a comedy about a young out of work software engineer who has to move back home with his brand new bride to live with his QVC obsessed mom, work weary dad and his video gamed addicted older brother who's never left home. Living in his old bedroom is just the kind of motivation he needs to hit the job hunt hard and his searching leads him to some unexpected places, before he finds the courage to strike out on his own with a crazy business idea that will be a family affair.

A logline a day...keeps the real writing away

Coming up with creative ideas is hard. Communicating them is harder. Knowing if they are any good is the ultimate goal.

To that end, I am going to publish one hopefully original logline a day on my blog. I say "hopefully original" because I haven't seen all the movies in the world and sometimes my mind plays tricks on me.

Here's where you come in. You've gotta tell me 1) if the idea's orignial, 2) if it's any good--I propose a scale of 1-5: 1 being, "Um...I think that would make a great made-for-TV-movie...for public access cable...in Tanasket, WA"; 5 being "You Genius, you're next Speilberg!"--oh, and 3) you've got to tell me why you like or dislike it.

So here's my first logline (a.k.a. brief movie description)...

Novelty Kill
Two bumbling brother's with records as long as your arm, who also hapeen to own a novelty shop specializing in peaceful but clearly anti-government art, purchase a government surplus jeep that unbeknownst to them contains smuggled nuclear materials. When the FBI shows up at their door the fun begins.

Let me know what you think.

My friend is rad

Hey everyone...
If you like interesting videos, you'll like my friend Adam's new blog: www.welcometotheawesome.blogspot.com. He doesn't make the videos. Just posts em. They're not your standard Youtube fare. Hope you like.
God's peace,
Paul

The Verdict

Well, friends and family, the wait is over. Just a week ago I found out I didn't make it into the University of Texas' special funded writing program. So you will not be seeing Rachael and my lovely faces on an Austin City Limits broadcast any time soon. Who knows? Maybe next year. I plan to apply again.

What does this mean? It means that Rachael and I are planning to move, God willing, to the L.A. area sometime this summer or fall depending on our employment situation.

Oh really, you say, and how are you planning to pull this off when unemployment in So-Cal is at 10% and even the Governator can't keep the DMV open for regular hours. Simple. We are looking into some very exciting possibilities in crafting stimulus package legislation. It's all the rage right now.

Seriously though, I have begun applying at various schools (Chapman, Azusa Pacific, UCLA, etc) for Residence Life positions, something with which I have some actual experience. The hope is to get a live-in position that provides benefits, thus allowing us to save lots of moo-lah while we establish our California residency. Meanwhile, I will hopefully be attending UCLA's Professional Program for Screenwriting on Tuesday and Thursday nights. I still have to apply next month, but a writing mentor who happens to be UCLA prof thinks my chances of getting in are good. Even if I don't get in though, we'll be in the general vacinity of what's goin on in the entertainment biz.

Rachael will be looking for ways to make money too. She's considering trying to secure a job in the for-profit sector. More mool-lah again being the operative thought here.

I still want to get my MFA in Screenwriting and even with California residency it will run us about $30 K to get the degree at UCLA, more if I go to USC.

So as usual, we ask for your prayers if you're the praying kind. Also, if you know of any other way to get free/cheap housing in LA that doesn't involve breaking any laws (e.g. we will not become meth lab cooks), we'd be VERY open to hearing from you.

God's peace,

Paul

P.S. Thank you to someone "named" Creationc at http://www.sxc.hu/ for the free pic. You can get all sorts of rad royalty free pics from this website for anyone who's curious.

M'lady's Review

Hey All,

I mentioned in a previous post that my wife, Rachael, has a big part in TLT's production of Arthur Miller's The Crucible. Well, the review is in and Rachael got a positive shout out from the TNT's Alex Clayton. Cut and paste the following to read the review yourself: www.thenewstribune.com/ae/theater/story/632709.html.

God's peace,

Paul

Taxes

I've got a lot of ideas brewin right now. Infact, virtual stickie notes litter the desktop of my Mac, each one contains a logline. My next post will likely involve uploading all my loglines and letting you vote on which logline(s) interest you most. T

But before I can do that I have to finish paying Uncle Sam his allowance. Tax season is eating right into my creative time. Grrr. So...for you praying folks, please pray that God will demystify the tax prep process and give me the will to finish soon so I can get back to writing.

Also, I may need to find a new job. My current one's a bit nuts: I'm on call 19 hrs a day 5 days a week and it might go to 24 hrs a day 6 days a week. Not comfortable with that. So again, my praying peeps, please pray for favor as I explore my options.

Finally, as most of you know, the current plan that Rachael and I have arrived at involves moving over the summer or by September, at the latest, to either the University of Texas at Austin or UCLA. Please pray for favor as we explore our housing options (free or cheap would be great!) and as we both look for jobs in the LA area. We're not as concerned about Austin, since we'll only be moving their if I get a fellowship that pays for living expenses.

We'll find out in about a month whether I made it into the program at UT and, of course, I will post the results on the blog. To sum up, pray! We really want to go to Texas, to be employed in sane and helpful ways and I crave to time to get back to the creative process.

God's peace,

Paul

Update

Please forgive my extremely long hiatus from writing. Turns out I don't multi-task well while I'm writing a script. Here's what has happened over the last 6 months since stepping out from Lighthouse to develop myself as a writer:

I have "completed" two scripts both by the name Spokanistan, both with two totally different stories. My first effort was done sometime in October. I submitted it to the intense critical gaze of a few trusted people (Bette Nordberg, Valerie West, my wife, Rachael and a few others). The feedback was...helpful: the script was too long (145 pages, which is like a 2 1/2 hour movie) and had some plot issues. I let it sit for a month or two and then tackled it again with a fresh idea of where to take the script.

The resulting second effort was much shorter 115 pages and a story I like much more. Yahoo! It was funnier, a bit more, realistic, but still contained a few plot holes. I got more great notes from a screenwriter mentor of mine named Creighton. I polished up this version of my script as best I could and sent it off to the University of Texas at Austin just in time to apply for grad school there. I'll hear back from them in March about whether I made it into their Masters program for writing. Hopefully, I will since that particular program is free for the few who make it in, but it's also highly competitive. Those of you who pray, please pray for favor for me and my application.

If Texas doesn't want me, Rachael and I have decided with much prayer and trepidation to head out to L.A. in the summer or early fall of '09. I'll be applying for an extension program at UCLA that is respected, cheap, and likely to accept me even though I'm just getting started as a screenwriter. Val West, one of the brave readers, of my earlier version, teaches online classes for the same program and she thinks my chances of getting in our good. So either way, it looks change is on the way for the Boyers.

Rachael has been continuing her local acting roles. You can catch her at Elisabeth Proctor in The Crucible starting next weekend at Tacoma Little Theater (www.tacomalittletheater.com). It's a great role for her and a dramatic departure from the plays she's been in over the last two years. Her fate as an actress is somewhat tied to mine as a writer at the moment. If I get in at Texas, we're hoping that Rachael could perhaps enter a masters program for acting. We'll have to play it by ear, but one thing is certain, I can't keep her out of the theater. She absolutely loves it.

For those of you who are wondering how we'll afford to live in L.A. or Austin, we're with you : ) We're saving money as fast as we can for the move. Rachael is in talks with her boss to see if she can keep her position as a writer for World Vision and just work remotely after we relocate. I've been working as a roadside assistance tech (think AAA), but I'm looking for any job that pays a decent wage (12/hr) and would allow me to transfer in 6 months or so. If you know of anything, drop me a line below or at email addy.

For now, my current job allows lots of time for working on my taxes, blogging, and writing. I hope to take one more major pass at my Spokanistan script before I call it good. Meanwhile I'm doing research for my next project, a historical drama/love story about a turn of the century journalist named Jacob Riis.