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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“The Protagonist’s Journey”

In Robert Kosberg’s “How to Sell Your Idea to Hollywood”,
he discusses some of Chris Volger’s ideas on Joseph
Campbell’s “The Hero With a Thousand Faces.”

Volger’s outline shows, and what many movie studios
urge their readers to understand, the steps of a
protagonist (the classic Hollywood-hero-type) should
take.

In Act 1:

Step 1, is the protagonist’s ordinary world which will
contrast sharply with the strange new world he/she will
be entering.

Step 2, is the call to adventure where the hero is
presented with a problem or challenge that will
change his/her destiny. This sets up and demands
that he attain a specific goal.

In Step 3, the “reluctant” hero experiences fear
of the unknown or fear of outside forces. The
hero hasn’t completely committed to the
mission. Whatever the fear is, this will land the
hero in a state of no return.

Step 4, is where a mentor gives guidance and
support to the hero. The purpose of the mentor
is to assist the hero in his/her transition to the
other world.

In Step 5, the adventure gets going; the first time
the hero has fully made the decision to accept
the challenge. It is usually the turning point into
Act II.

Step 6 is when new challenges arise as the hero
learns the rules of the other world. He/she
encounters both favorable and unfavorable
consequences of his decision to act.

In Step 7, the hero comes to a dangerous place;
the villain’s den or the arena where he/she will
find the object of his/her quest. This can also
be the hero’s moment of truth.

The Supreme Ordeal is Step 8 where the hero
hits rock bottom and all appears to be lost.
This often marks the second part of Act II and
can be the appearance of what the hero realizes
he/she fears most.

In Step 9, the hero having barely survived, takes
possession of the prize he/she has been seeking. Now,
he/she must apply his/her wisdom or power before he/she can
travel back to safety.

The hero deals with the consequences of having
seized the prize in Step 10. Hostile forces will be
confronted and it is at this stage that the hero
will proclaim his/her desire to bring the journey to an
end and return to the ordinary world.

The resurrection marks Step 11 and Act III where the
evil forces are given one last opportunity before
being defeated. Transformed, the hero will triumph
and return to his/her ordinary life changed by some new
insight.

In coming back, Step 12, he/she brings a token of his
journey, a prize or a lesson or he/she is doomed to repeat
his dangerous adventure. Because of this possession,
the hero’s ordinary world as he once knew it, is
changed by his/her new knowledge.

These steps can be seen in “The African Queen”,
“The Hurt Locker”, “Star Wars”, “Crazy Heart”,
“Raiders of the Lost Ark”, “Chinatown”, “E. T.”,
“Romancing the Stone”, “Witness”, “The Hunt for
Red October”, “Aladdin”, “High Noon”, and a host
other movies.

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“Confessions of a Naked Writer”

Writing a screenplay, book, article, tv commercial, blog, blah, blah, requires the writer to have the ability to tell a story. How does a writer tell a story? For openers, a beginning, a middle, an end, and a main theme that holds everything together like the roots of a tree, opens the door for writers.

What does the writer do next? Find their voice. I repeat, find their voice. Voice? Writing? How does that work?

Read Daniel Quinn’s “Ishmael”, Frank McCourt’s “Angela’s Ashes”, and anything Elmore Leonard has written. Then, listen and read Garrison Keillor. He is the master storyteller. And, you will make discoveries about your writing voice.

Donald L. Vasicek
Writing/Screenwriting Consultant
http://michaelc.nextmp.net/wordpress
dvasicek@earthlink.net

Brrr!!!
Author in Chicago's Millenium Park on Michigan Avenue

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“How to Get Script Readers to Like Your Screenplay”

First, be very careful “directing” when you write. Any direction you do write, should move the story forward, otherwise, don’t use it. The “directions” you write are going to be rewritten any way, by you, or by another writer once your screenplay is optioned/purchased. They will be rewritten because the director will collaborate with the writer on writing the shooting script, which is considerably different than the spec script. Although it’s acceptable, do not break dialogue from one page to the next, for any reason. The reason for this is that those who read your screenplay usually have several screenplays setting on their desk and/or nightstand, in line to be read. Readers must move fast. Many readers skim and don’t read every word. Many readers also look for certain elements in the screenplay without reading the entire script. To have a break in dialogue from one page to the next causes the reader to slow down. It is like hitting a bump in the road with your bicycle. It can jar you and throw off your focus. Always strive to make your screenplays reader friendly. Strive to leave more white on each page than black. If you do this, you enhance your chances of pleasing a reader, and getting your script sent to the next level.

Donald L. Vasicek Olympus Films+, LLC
The Zen of Writing and Filmmaking
http://www.donvasicek
dvasicek@earthlink.net