Author: Donald L. Vasicek

Award-winning writer/filmmaker Donald L. Vasicek studied producing, directing and line producing at the Hollywood Film Institute under the acclaimed Dov Simens and at Robert Redford’s Sundance Institute. He studied screenwriting at The Complete Screenplay, Inc., with Sally Merlin, daughter of the famed Hollywood Merlin family of screenwriters and writers, as his mentor. Don has taught, mentored, and is a script consultant for over 300 writers, directors, producers, actors and production companies. He has also acted in NBC’s “Mystery of Flight 1501”, ABC’s Father Dowling starring Thomas Bosley, and Red-Handed Productions’ “Summer Reunion.” These activities have resulted in his involvement in over 100 movies during the past 23 years, from major studios to independent films including MGM’s $56 million “Warriors of Virtue”, Paramount Classic’s “Racing Lucifer”, American Picture’s “The Lost Heart” and “Born To Kill” starring the Charles Bronson of Korea, Bobby Kim, and his internationally-known brother, Richard, who directed, Incline Productions, Inc.’s “Born To Win”, 20th Century Fox’s “Die Hard II” starring Bruce Willis with Rennie Harlan as director, and Joel Silver as producer, Olympus Films+, LLC’s “Haunted World” with Emmy-nominated PBS Producer Alison Hill, and Olympus Films+, LLC’s “Faces”, “Oh, The Places You Can Go” and the award-winning “The Sand Creek Massacre” documentary film. Don also has written and published over 500 books, short stories and articles. His books include “How To Write, Sell, And Get Your Screenplays Produced” and “The Write Focus.” He has been a guest screenwriting and filmmaking columnist for Hollywood Lit. Sales, Moondance International Film Festival’s e-zine, Screenwriter’s Forum, Screenplace, Screenplayers.Net, Screenwriters.Net, Screenwriters Utopia, Spraka & Kinsla (Swedish), Inkwell Watch, and Ink On the Brain. Writing recognition includes Houston’s WorldFest International Film Festival, Chesterfield’s Writer’s Film Project, Writer’s Digest, The Sundance Institute, The Writer’s Network, and the Rocky Mountain Writer’s Guild, Inc. Don completed producing “The Sand Creek Massacre”, a documentary film project that includes the completed and award-winning documentary short, a book, a classroom video, Interactive Media, a study guide, and a lesson plans. The film is being distributed by Films Media Group. Don is on the board of directors of the American Indian Genocide Museum in Houston. He is the founder and owner of Olympus Films+, LLC, a global writing and filmmaking company and a screenwriting volunteer on AllExperts.com. Don’s screenwriting agent is Robin Kaver of the Robert Freedman Dramatic Agency, Inc., 1501 Broadway, Suite 2301 New York, NY 10036, 212-840-5751.
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Screenwriting Success

Screenwriting is a highly competitive business. In order to enhance your chances for success, you must write a first draft of the screenplay, then a rewrite, or rewrites, and then a polish, before it should be put out in the market.

To get an “in”, you must network, which should include attending  screenwriting seminars, workshops, classes, etc. You should also study movies and screenplays on an on-going basis to pick up on timing, rhythm, tone, mood, and read everything about screenwriting and networking you can get your hands on, etc.

The fine point of succeeding as a screenwriter is to utilize perseverance. It pays off.  So, regardless of what stands up in front of you, you must utilize your passion for your work to overcome every obstacle, no matter how difficult it might be.

So, get out there and get after it!

Passion

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“How to Write a Story”

In every story, there must be a beginning, a middle,
and an end.  It must contain a main theme that holds
everything in the story together.  The story should also
have a main character who has to achieve a goal in
the story.  There should also be an opposing force,
an antagonist, and/or a villain who has the same goal,
but for a different reason and who goes about achieving
the goal in a different way.

Another key element to writing an effective story is
to make sure you are “showing” the story and not
“telling” the story.  The way you accomplish this is
to pay special attention to your verb usage.  Using
passive verbs results in “telling” the story.  Using
action verbs results in “showing” the story.  You
must have the instinct to know when to use
passive verbs and when to use action verbs.  This
will make a big difference in the effectiveness of
your story.

A compelling story always contains these story
elements.  It is in the execution of these elements
that determines how compelling your story will be.

I hope this is of help to you.

Award-Winning Writer/Filmmaker Donald L. Vasicek

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Wyoming Carbon County Higher Education Center Sand Creek Massacre Presentation

 

The Wyoming Carbon County Higher Education Center hosted me on March 3, 2012.  I gave a presentation and screening event of my award-winning documentary film, “The Sand Creek Massacre”, to a standing room only audience.   Questions afterwards were penetrating and abysmal about the atrocities that took place during the massacre. The fine point of my appearance was that racism in America is a cancer. It continues to eat away at the heart of the collective consciousness. Racists/bigots are the cancer. All human beings are equal. Education is a powerful weapon here, and once those who believe they are better than others learn and integrate that into their daily thinking, then, the collective consciousness can become stronger and more vital.