It’s been a long time since I have written anything on here, and that is obviously my fault. I will be working to make this blog more reader friendly and easier to use. I’m hoping to have new and fresh content up here about some of the things I am doing in the world of Screenwriting, Politics, Internet Marketing, and life in general.

I can tell you that I have been promoted to Team Lead over my sales team and I just finished the month as the number one salesman. That’s pretty exciting news for me as I have been trying to get all of this figured out. My websites are taking off, and I am proud to say I’m seeing some extra income from my ecommerce  ventures. All-in-all, life is pretty good and I am looking forward to the next changes that happen to come along.

Please, don’t try to deny it. You know, as well as I, that you have often been watching a movie and thought to yourself ‘Pffff! I could come up with a better story!’. Let us look back to that time where you felt that desire to be a part of the motion picture industry. You know, that time when you wanted to become an alchemist of time, talent, and film in order to present your thoughts and inner desires to the world. Do not worry; we have all been there.

But I still have to think, “What the heck are you thinking Phil? Do you really think that you, of all people, will ever have a chance to live the dream of all men?” You see, there is something that you probably do not know about me: I am a habitual procrastinator and I have the self esteem of a sponge (at least when it comes to things like future success and dating). You would never guess that about me because I am also pretty dang good at putting on a show (I have often considered acting, except for the fact that I smile like a freaking idiot any time a camera is placed in front of my face).

The point I am trying to make here is that I, like you, am afraid to move forward with decisions I know will better my life. That is because I also recognize there is a lot of risk involved in those decisions. However, I implore you to do as I have: Ask yourself, “What do I really have to lose?” Our parents, because they love us, have sheltered us in one form or another. This is not necessarily a bad thing; it just means that in some areas of life we are afraid of rejection.

What is rejection? Another term for what we fear is failure. In my current employment, I do sales. One of the books I was recommended by a mentor is by Tom Hopkins. It’s called “How to Master the Art of Selling.”. In that book Tom Hopkins shares a secret I am striving to apply in my life “I will not be judged by the number of times I fail, but by the number of times I succeed. And the number of times I succeed is in direct proportion to the number of  times I can fail and keep trying.”

I love that. Too often in life we are shunned for being optimists. “The world is cruel,” the pessimist says, and sadly we agree. This year my goal is to achieve success in my chosen field of screenwriting. The entirety of my success will lie solely on my shoulders. This means that I have to take actual steps to succeed. As I continue my journey, I will be frequently updating this site to explain what I learn, how I learned it, and why it is important. I invite you to follow with me.

Now, this all boils down to me actually taking the plunge. What am I going to do to kick start my drive for success? Aside from making you read ridiculous information like this, I have been forced to take action. This last Saturday I read a tweet from someone I have followed from time to time on Twitter: @ScreenwritingU. This tweet may not have seemed like much, but it has had a profound effect on me. It was an invitation to listen to a free teleconference with Hal Croasman, the director of www.screenwritingu.com. I promptly signed up.

I prepared everything, with a downloadable PDF file prepared by Hal it was very simple. What happened next was a 3.5 hour dissertation that taught me more about screenwriting than all of the studying I had done in the previous year, and this was just about rewriting. As I listened to the presentation, I knew that now was the time to take action. I cannot wait another six months to learn how to write a sellable script. So I signed up immediately for his ProSeries that will go over in-depth screenwriting techniques from January 15th until July 15th of this year. And I am excited. My brief glimpse at the program showed me that I couldn’t wait. I had to take action, and I am ever excited to do just that. (He will be repeating that call in February, and I recommend anyone looking to improve their writing skills visit their website and take the course). The ProSeries starts this Saturday, he is offering a $350 discount until tomorrow night, and best of all, they finance if you can’t afford to pay it all up front. If you have ever wanted to write for Hollywood, you owe it to yourself to take this course with me.

If you are hoping to do something to improve your life, and you have thought frequently about that, I invite you to join me this year in taking the plunge. Decide today that you will accomplish the thing you want most, or seriously come closer to it. No one can change your life but you. I look forward to success with you this year.

Sincerely – Phil Hudson

Let me explain in a moment, first off, I just wanted to give this film the review it deserves. Most of you should know the premise of the film, but for those of you who have been under a rock the last few weeks I will explain.

The story is based on an incident that happened several years ago when an unmanned train sped toward a dangerous turn, loaded with toxic materials. With no certain way to stop the train from exploding, two conductors devise a plan to stop the train by catching up to it in reverse and pulling it the other direction.

The beauty of this film, however, is the human level of emotion portrayed by the main actors Denzel Washington, and Chris Pine. Let me just say, we all know the intensity that Denzel Washington can portray. He’s won two Oscars, and been nominated for who knows how many more. The performance I want to speak about it that of Chris Pine. I have enjoyed his work since his portrayal of the Neo Nazi Skinhead in “Smokin’ Aces”, and even more so as Captain James T. Kirk in “Star Trek”.  This movie in my opinion shows a side of Chris Pine I haven’t seen. He plays a struggling twenty something father, trying to make it in a world where he makes mistakes just like the rest of us.

The story is a little played up, and of course that is the job of an adaptation of a real event. However, the realistic roles played by these two actors, and especially the portrayal done by Chris Pine merits viewing this film. It’s entertaining, it will make you laugh, and it will make you wish you knew how to drive a train. I know I was tempted to bust out my old train track and figure out how to join up with the Union Pacific.

In the end, I gave it 3.5/5 stars. It was filmed well, it portrayed a compelling story, and it is a must see of the year.

Now, on to my next point: In that theater, there were probably only about twenty people. What does that tell me? That tells me two important things:

1. As film goers, our perception of a film is too heavily based in the trailer: The reason why I think this is such a big problem is that too many people place their interest, entirely misguidedly, into trailers. They think they can understand the complexities and inner performances of a film based entirely off of a two minute barrage of clips in no specific order. I would like to invite anyone who reads this article, to take a risk the next time they see a movie they dislike just based on the trailer. Go see it. You will most likely be surprised.
2. Our ignorance in understanding the film industry, the writing process, and film production limits our ability to see gems: I can’t tell you how many times I have heard people complain ‘They cut so much out of the book” As I started to study screenwriting as a craft, I stumbled upon many articles that discussed something referred to as “Adaptation”. People don’t understand that the contexts of a novel are completely different than that of a motion picture. You cannot maintain the same story, with everything in detail in the parameters of 120 pages in 12pt Courier. That being said, this is only one of those moments where I have to say a lack of education regarding how films are made can be detrimental to both the viewing experience, and the financial success of a movie.

That is really my main topic of discussion. Because we as humans are too lazy to really try to understand how or why something works. In the end, I feel that we should focus more on context and quality of work, not just qualms we have based on some ridiculous idea of how things should be done in our undereducated minds, myself not excluded.

I wrote the story, filmed, directed and edited this music video. Forster performed and sang, and our lovely actors were my good friends Mike and Nikki Hall. Chris Evans helped me run the shoot as my Assistant Director. It was a good three hour shoot plus an additional two hours of editing. I was happy with it considering we had no tripod, no professional lighting (just two hardware lamps with photo bulbs) and a pressed time schedule. I’m just excited that it’s now on my website theycallmephil.com

• Screenwriter – I have loved watching films since I was a child, they excite me and spark my imagination. They have the ability and capacity to take me to another world and away from the ordinary and quite average life I live.  One day, as a 14 year-old living in a poe-dunk town in Oklahoma, I saw something flash across the end credits of a film: Written By… My mind was blown. I thought, ‘Man, I can do that.‘ A few years prior I had started to write my own short stories and fell in love the ability it gave me to express myself and share my unique view of the world. I’ve always loved the art of film making, however during high school my focus was elsewhere and I never really applied myself to that field. After returning from an LDS mission in 2008 my desire to produce, exhibit, and make my own films was rekindled. That fire, combined with a great friend with a creative mind (Mike Hall) and it’s no wonder why I want to add my own unique touch to the world of film and story telling. That’s why I want to become a screenwriter, director, producer, and film activist.
• Philanthropist – All of us, at some point in our lives, have had someone give us a helping hand. That lever that pulls us to a height we could not have achieved on our own. I love that about human nature. As cruel and selfish as it is portrayed, in the deeper levels of our own conscience we want to help people. I have had those experiences, that’s why I want to do all I can to be that helping hand for other people. I firmly believe that we, as a society, need to do those things in order to achieve the level of mutual respect deserved by all man.
• Entrepreneur – Business is something that has always enthralled me. I’m an American, that means I’ve grown up knowing that this is the ‘land of opportunity’. I can accomplish anything. I can start and build a business with unlimited possibilities. All I need is to push myself, my creativity and my education in order to establish myself as a business owner. Passive income is the key to financial security and independence, which is what we all dream of.
• Politician – Yeah, I know. You just rolled your eyes and moved your mouse to that tiny little X in the top corner. Just hear me out! The older I get, the more I realize how crucial this facet of our lives truly is. We have an obligation as citizens of the free world to actively participate in the political process. The moral lessons, ethical obligations, and family values we have are should be the mold that shapes our laws and their consequences. Sadly, the fact of the matter is, none of us really participate. We should change that and I feel, at some point in my life, I should take whatever steps are available to me to influence the world around me. Especially things that are ever changing, and life altering.

That’s just a bit about me. As of right now, I manage a deli, I help people with internet marketing, and I pretty much stink at getting girls to fall in love with me. But hey, maybe the ravings of a half crazed deli-boy with delusions of grandeur might ignite some form of creative or existentialistic thought in you. If not, oh well. This is more like therapy for a self proclaimed artist.

Let me also just say. Everything contained in this website is my opinion. I mean no offense, malice, or ill will toward any race, religion, country, or people. That being said, feel free to give me a shout out via Twitter and let me know if you like what you’re seeing, or have any suggestions. @phudson