Donald L. Vasicek

Category: Other Musings

  • The Essence of Natural Beauty

    Nature in its most unaltered form.

    The natural beauty of nature exhibits life in its essence. Embrace this. It will take you on a journey from which you will greatly benefit.

    -Donald L. Vasicek

    Award-Winning Writer/Filmmaker Donald L. Vasicek’s Credits

    Award-Winning Writer/Filmmaker Donald L. Vasicek – Summit-Chief Mountain – Colorado

    Films and Televison:

    “Running Horses”, Actor – Short Film – Angel Street Films

    “Faces”, Writer, Director, Producer – Olympus Films+, LLC

    “Warriors of Virtue”, Feature Film – Writer Consultant – MGM

    “Born to Win”, Screenwriter Story – Incline Productions, Inc.

    “The Lost Heart”, Screenwriter – American Pictures

    “The Sand Creek Massacre”, Writer, Director, Producer – Olympus Films+, LLC

    “Born to Kill”, Screenwriter – Rocky Group, Inc.

    “Die Hard With a Vengeance”, Extra – 20th Century Feature Fox

    “Mystery of Flight 1501”, Extra – ABC Movie of the Week

    “Father Dowling”, Extra – ABC Episodic Series

    Books:

    “The Write Focus”, Author
    Olympus Films+, LLC, Publisher

    “How to Write, Sell and Get Your Screenplays Produced”, Author
    Olympus Films+, LLC, Publisher

    “When We Don’t Remember, A Book About Incest, Writing Consultant
    by
    Lyda W. Hersloff, Ph.D
    Distinctive Publishing, Publisher

    “Urban Wakeup”, Ghostwriter
    by
    Nima Javaheri
    Urban Wakeup, Publisher

    “Me Jane…Not You!”, Writing Consultant
    by
    Lydie Denier
    Magellan Books, Publisher

    “Police-Community Relations”, Writing Consultant
    by
    William A. Snell
    U. S. Department of Housing & Urban Development

    Articles
    Have written and published over 1,000 articles on writing, screenwriting, and filmmaking.

    Donald L. Vasicek

    “Passion”

    The essence of any success resides in the heart. When ignited, the heart emits passion. This passion, then, starts the brain. The brain then does its thing. This passion is a constant reminder to “stay on the path”, particularly when clouds are dark. Weather the storm. Perseverance is the consequence of passion.

    -Donald L. Vasicek

    Passion

  • Islam Awakening Ignites Sand Creek Massacre Writer/Filmmaker Donald L. Vasicek

    Abu Kamel, living in the Arabian Peninsula, commented on the Islamic Awakening Forum about U. S. Marines who urinated on Taliban dead bodies. Using the Sand Creek Massacre as his example, Kamel wrote that “America has no morality.” He references Award-Winning Writer/Filmmaker Donald L. Vasicek’s Sand Creek Massacre website, http://www.sandcreekmassacre.net, in which he says the Sand Creek Massacre was one of America’s “military atrocities”, and ends by writing, “This is America’s legacy to the world.”

    Vasicek said this is a red flag for Americans. Juxtaposing urination on dead bodies to the Sand Creek Massacre shows that America might want to take stock of their values and morals. While urinating on dead bodies is an isolated incident committed by arrogant U. S. marines that show disrespect, which was fear-based, the Sand Creek Massacre was a military attack on people they felt were a threat to them, which was fear-based, both acts were based on ignorance.

    Americans need to come together. This means that all cultures, races, religions, etc. must join together to restore America to a position of respect and knock off the bully and thug image that was exacerbated during the Bush Administration.

    You can read the posting in its entirety at:

    http://forums.islamicawakening.com/f18/low-life-marines-urinate-on-dead-bodies-55076/index3.html#post582409

  • “Selling Your Screenplay”

    Regardless of how talented one might be with respect to
    screenwriting, regardless of how hard one might work to write
    market ready screenplays, regardless of how passionate one
    might be with respect to writing screenplays, the key
    ingredient to success is “perseverance”.

    So, with that, agents and producers are very busy people. Many
    of their offices contain scripts that are stacked in every
    available space. These scripts are waiting to be read. In order
    to get your screenplays noticed by agents and producers, you must
    write a query letter. An article I wrote, “How to Write an Irresistible
    Query Letter” is on my web site at http://michaelc.nextmp.net/wordpress. Or simply
    run a search on Google or you can purchase the book at Walden’s, “How to
    Sell Your Screenplay”, by Joan and Lydia Wilen. These can give you the tips
    you need to write an effective query letter.

    Once you have written the query letter, then do a search on the
    Internet to find agents and producers to whom you can send your query
    letter. InkTip.com is an excellent website where you can post your
    screenplays for sale. Producers and agents come to the site in search
    of screenplays. You can also write a very short “pitch” script with
    which to make cold calls to agents and producers. Here, write the
    pitch so that you can get through the gatekeepers to the director of
    development or story editor or creative director. A key here is to
    make the gatekeepers feel like if they pass you through to whom you
    want to talk, they will benefit by doing this.

    Your chance of selling your screenplays are very low. There are far
    more screenplays “out there” than there are agents and producers. More
    than 5,000 screenplays are registered with the Writer’s Guild of America
    every year (be sure and register yours with them or go to the Library of
    Congress website and take out a copyright on them). Less than 600 movies
    are produced each year that obtain theatrical release.

    The way this works is that if you find an agent or agents and/or a producer
    or producers who are interested in your screenplays, you will send your
    screenplays to them (be sure and enclose a self-addressed, self-stamped
    envelope with the screenplay so that they can send it back of they pass
    on it). They will read them. If they have an interest in any of them, they
    will contact you and tell you that. From that point forward, an agent will
    negotiate a contract with you to represent the screenplay. Do not expect
    an agent to be aggressive with your screenplay. Once you acquire an agent,
    you must continue to market your screenplays on your own. The Internet
    contains a vast resource of markets with which to do that.

    As for a producer who has interest in your screenplay, he/she will offer you
    some sort of contract. It could be an option/purchase contract which means
    they will seek financing until the option runs out. At that point in time,
    they will either renew the option or turn the screenplay back to you. If
    they acquire financing, they will offer you a price for your screenplay.

    At all times, think in terms of hiring an entertainment attorney to help you
    with negotiations with agents and producers and the execution of contracts. I
    can put you in touch with one when you feel that you need one.

    So, you have your work cut out for you. Others have walked the same path
    you are walking. They have succeeded. There is no reason you can’t. If
    you persevere, you will succeed.

    Award-Winning Writer/Filmmaker Donald L. Vasicek