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Friday, January 26, 2007 |
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I Got A Bridge I Can Sell You. |
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Matt Hader recounts what is unfortunately not an uncommon tale in the land of the wannabe scribe.
Can you feel your skin thickening?
- E.
Luck On/Luck Off
I had lunch today with a screenwriting buddy. He’s fairly new to the game and asked me what it’s like to have a well-known production company read/like/and consider taking on something I’ve written. I’ve been fortunate enough to have this type of scenario play out time and time again. He was all bug-eyed with anticipation as he waited for my reply, probably hoping upon hope that I would wax poetically about the feeling of bliss and accomplishment that one can experience --
-- until that “non-deal” falls into oblivion.
It’s not a deal until the check clears, so simply having a production company show interest, while – yes - exciting, is pretty much a fairly common occurrence worthy of nothing more than a passing, “oh, cool,” followed by my daily chores (my beautiful wife is kind of a stickler for vacuumed carpets and Swiffered floors…we’re seeking counseling).
Unfortunately for me, and I’d guess a good number of other screenwriters who’ve been at this for a while, most “potential deals” are really non-deals. You’re led to believe that someone is hot on your screenplay and then the heat fades as quickly as it flared. I’ve learned to react in the same fashion to that non-deal falling apart as I do to the possibility of making a deal – with a calm disposition. If I didn’t level my head, I’d be punching holes in walls, or worse, blogging all the time…
My buddy then asked me how many times I’ve had non-deals become nothing-at-all-deals. I had to think about that for a minute – “in the past year?”
Yeah…it’s happened a bunch.
Maybe it’s me? Maybe it’s my writing? Or maybe it’s the fact that the executive revolving doors in Hollywood spin at such a ferocious pace that you can’t keep track of all the comings and goings. Perhaps it’s a little of all the above?
My screenwriting Bud was surprised that non-deals fall away so quickly after the one championing your cause at a production company makes his/her exit. He never took into consideration that just because one executive at a company likes your screenplay, that the second they leave the employ of said production company, everything they were working on (in most situations) simply goes “poof” into thin air. At least that’s how it’s panned out for me in those instances. Hopefully for you, you’re cranking out the deals left and right regardless of your circumstances…Jealous? Me? Nah…
“But, why wouldn’t that executive take your project to his/her new company?”
Because a lot of times, when he/she does land at a new company, the new employer is looking for a different type of material – and my stuff may not fit in to their corporate vision. And actually in one case, after I asked my agent if the producer would be willing to look at my screenplay at his new place of employment, the answer was not one I fully expected -- “Well, his new job is with a realtor…”
Oh…
They loved it – and left…
I feel so…used…Labels: industry, Matt Hader, screenwriting, Story
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Friday, January 19, 2007 |
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Hart Hanson: Writing Down the "Bones" |
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Will Dixon has an interview up with Hart Hanson, the Executive Producer of "Bones" which I think is a relatively under-rated show.
I'll admit, I do quite like most things the Deschanel sisters are in, but I really enjoy this procedural drama, as it has an interesting twist: who knew anthropologists could be so sexy? :-)
Plus, Hart's a big Led Zeppelin fan. Nice!
In any event, an excerpt from Part 1 is below. You can read the rest of it here.
- E.
Will: You have and have had an overall deal with Fox for a number of years now. How did you get it and can you explain how such a deal works exactly? How much they ‘own’ you as it were (as in, what can or can’t you work on)?
Hart: An overall deal means that the studio owns all my television development. They buy you out of the market for two or three years with an option for a third or fourth. I wrote five pilots for 20th Century Fox, two of which were produced, one of which became the series "Bones". I also ran "Judging Amy" for them. They were very, very kind to loan me out to Sony for "Joan of Arcadia" for 13 episodes.
Will: Here you are pictured with the cast of Bones (and getting a smooch from David Boreanaz...the ladies are swooning) along with Barry Josephson (glasses/ballcap). Who is Barry and what is his relationship to you and the show? Do y'all get along?
Hart: Barry Josephson is an Executive Producer on 'Bones'. He has a production deal with the studio, 20th, with which I have an overall deal. He owned the rights to a documentary on Kathy Reichs which was the genesis of 'Bones'. The studio put me and him together and we made the pilot. His office is across the parking lot from mine. He is still involved in the show in the same way Bruckheimer is involved in HIS shows. Barry is producing movies and other tv shows as well. The studio owns the show and the network "rents" it for a production fee which is a large part of the budget. The studio makes profits on other platforms: ie, DVD. There are always different opinions and attitudes from the studio and the network. It's just part of the minefield the showrunner has to navigate.
Will: Talk a little bit about making that Toronto to L.A. transition when you're not 23. You went down not as a fresh young thing in a business where you're old at 30. And you were Canadian. How did you do it? Was it like starting all over again? Did your Canadian "mystery credits" mean anything at all? How did you make the leap?
Hart: I was old when I came down here. I was 38 and approaching 39 fast. My Canadian credits meant nothing. Luckily for me, Rob Thomas at "Cupid" liked a spec script I wrote for "Ally McBeal". The interview went great and I suspect he liked the idea of having someone on his staff who'd run a show but who didn't look like he intended to take his show away from him. It was a hard decision to leave Canada -- I was ensconced, working with people I really liked, we had a nice house in the Beaches part of Toronto (Toronto's not my favourite place to live, I'm from Vancouver Island, but it was literally the kindest place I've ever been. People really accepted me and my family.) But, when I asked Brigitte if she'd consider moving to LA to try to get work from scrap, she said, "I think we have at least one more adventure in us." The biggest worry was whether LA was a good place to raise kids. It's still our biggest worry and they are almost grown.
Will: Shifting gears, any favourite actors you can’t wait to give your dialogue to because they always take it to another level?
Hart: Tons! Right now, aside from my series regulars who I really, really like (I'm not blowing smoke ... they're good...), I LOVE writing for Stephen Fry. Ryan O'Neal is also a blast. Tyne Daly was a gift. Joe Mantegna was great. Mary Steenburgen. Back on Traders, I loved writing for Patrick McKenna.Labels: characters, industry, scribosphere, Will Dixon
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Wednesday, January 17, 2007 |
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BlueCat Interview! |
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Interview with the founder of BlueCat - Gordy Hoffman
A lot of writers, like you, enter competitions all the time. There are plenty of them, I don't know how many, but a huge amount. Some better than others.
If a competition provides you with something really valuable when you win, that's great. By valuable I mean like a good shot at getting your script produced. Or a lot of money, enough for you to produce it yourself.
Some competitions even give you feedback without winning. Your script can be awful and loose hard, but still get notes on how to improve it. That's not bad, considering it's almost a win-win situation.
One of these competitions is BlueCat. BlueCat began 1998 and is very successful by now. It has a grand prize of $10 000, actually the most of all similar competitions so far. Also, the four finalists get $1500 each, which still is a nice amount of money considering you didn't win.
But enough talking, let's let the man himself, Gordy Hoffman, tell us about it and then some more:
1. What are you looking for in a screenplay?
A compelling story. What makes a story compelling is how deeply personal the writer invests in the work. If you don’t care, we won’t. If you open yourself, we will feel safe and sit down.
2. Is there any particular genre that does better than others, from what you’ve seen so far?
Not our contest. Our 2005 winner was a comedy that made me laugh out loud more than once and our 2006 winner was a drama that I bawled over all the way through. Basically, refer to answer #1.
3. What do you think makes the difference between a good movie and a bad movie?
The lack of audience identification with the experiences of people on screen.
4. What fatal mistakes can a writer do in his/hers script?
Settle for the first idea or choice that comes to their head, whether it’s a line of dialogue or the last scene of the screenplay.
5. How did you get started on writing?
It was a writing assignment in 2nd grade. A very short story. I remember it to this day, the feeling of creative writing.
6. What do you love most about filmmaking. Writing, directing, producing…?
I love collaborating with other people, working with brilliant actors, meeting the audience. It’s so much fun.
7. Why did you start BlueCat and was it hard getting it “out there”?
I guess I thought it would be fun to start a screenplay contest. Little did I know! But eventually I figured out how to handle the circus, and people have discovered us.
8. You think competitions are a good way to get inside the industry walls, and if yes, are all as good?
Some are better than others, and they definitely help with the struggle for attention from Hollywood. I know we have. Our 2005 Winner has recently wrapped production and stars Seann William Scott.
9. Will you consider having your brother sign to act in the winning script as the grand prize sometime?
The day will come, I’m sure! But he’s a bit busy right now.
10. Any projects coming up soon?
The thing I’m writing at 5:30 in the morning.
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Big thanks to Gordy!
//Scribosphere
Categories: [general_] [ideas_] [industry_] [market_]Labels: general, ideas, industry, interview, market, scribosphere
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Monday, January 15, 2007 |
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Sunday, January 07, 2007 |
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$1000 Spielberg - Park Your Ego At The Door |
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Make a No Budget Film - Park Your Ego At The DoorPOSTED BY CLIVE DAVIES OVER AT $1000 Spielberg.
Actually the most important commodity a no budget film maker needs is goodwill. Basically there are only two kinds of movies: movies made with cash and movies made with goodwill. There is a direction relationship between goodwill and money. The less goodwill you have the more money you need to make your film. It goes without saying that a $1000 film maker needs almost infinite amounts of goodwill. I happen to believe that even a film with a budget needs stupendous amounts of goodwill — if you read enough about various film productions, both Hollywood and indie films, you soon realize some films seem blessed with good fortune — the people who work on the project enthuse about the experience, the film becomes a labour of love. On other projects, not even the massive budget can protect the film from the all round bad vibes. For a micro-budget film maker it really helps to understand the things that increase goodwill and the things that piss goodwill away. In truth it’s very simple — the more ego there is connected to a project, the less goodwill there is. The biggest killer of any film is EGO: aloof, assuming, audacious, autocratic, biggety, bossy, bragging, cavalier, cheeky, cocky, cold shoulder, conceited, contemptuous, cool, disdainful, domineering, ego trip, egotistic, haughty, high-handed, imperious, insolent, know-it-all, lordly, overbearing, peremptory, pompous, presumptuous, pretentious, proud, puffed up, scornful, self-important, smarty, smug, sniffy, snippy, snooty, snotty, stuck up, supercilious, superior, swaggering, uppity, vain Ego ruins projects from day one — the first thing it kills is the script. As screenwriters we often carry around the idea that the film is our baby, after all we wrote it. But in order for the script to develop it has to challenged, developed, changed, rewritten. The only way that happens, is when the screenwriter lets go of their ego and allows input from outside. Allowing others into the creative process is the key to creating goodwill. It doesn’t mean running the project by committee, it just means being open to other people’s ideas. This attitude of creative inclusivity is what turns OK projects into great ones, because instead of trying to impose our single ego onto a film, it becomes about collecting the best ideas of everyone involved. Some of the best ideas in my films have come from casual comments from crew members and other collaborators. I remember a time on a night shoot when the boom guy noticed the ways the shadows fell during a fight sequence, he felt comfortable in mentioning it and we picked up the shot. It turned out to be one of the best shots in the film — much stronger than the way we had it story boarded. This attitude to film making, which includes everyone in the creative process, really pays off most when working with actors. If you give actors the opportunity to do work where they feel they are giving of their best, you get exceptional performances. The job of the producer/director in this kind of project is to be able to facilitate this creative process. Like I said before, making film by committee doesn’t work, mainly because it becomes a clash of egos, each trying to take control of the project. A good producer/director therefore listens, keeps an open mind but ultimately decides which direction the project moves in. This isn’t about imposing your ideas, but about inspiring the cast and crew with your choices. Ultimately goodwill is created via inspiration: affect, animate, arouse, carry, cause, commove, elate, embolden, endue, enkindle, enliven, exalt, excite, exhilarate, fire up, galvanize, get, give impetus, hearten, imbue, impress, infect, inflame, influence, inform, infuse, inspirit, instill, invigorate, juice, motivate, occasion, produce, provoke, quicken, reassure, set aglow, set up, spark, spur, start off, stimulate, stir, strike, sway, touch, trigger, urge, work up So, bottom line is this — if you want to make a successful no budget movie, ditch your ego at the door and inspire the people around you to join you in the process of creating a great movie. //Clive Davies
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Categories: [industry_] [action_] [general_]Labels: $1000 Spielberg, action, general, industry
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Wednesday, December 27, 2006 |
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Artful Writer - You Can't Walk Into An Office Building |
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REPRINT: You Can't Walk Into An Office BuildingPOSTED BY CRAIG MAZIN OVER AT The Artful Writer.
Writing is freedom, or so say people who don’t write. We who ply the live action screen trade are all-too-familiar with the concept of restraint. Our limitation is that annoying little aspect of life known as “reality”. I used to think the choke collar of reality would tug the hardest when I was trying to dream big. Hah. Totally wrong. Reality’s endless jabbing annoys the most when I haven’t been dreaming at all. Case in point: you cannot walk into an office building. Try having a character “walk into an office building”. That’s fine for now. It’s fine ten drafts from now. But if you’ve done your job well and the stars align, you’ll find yourself sitting across a table from the 1st Assistant Director in the production offices of the film of your movie, and he’s going to ask you what the hell you mean. “Now, are we talking skyscraper, suburban office complex, three-office law firm type thing, is it nice, run-down, art on the walls, cheeseball, full of doctors or large businesses or crappy accountants, does it have marble on the floors, receptionist, elevator or walk-up, is it imposing, diminished, old, new, light, dark, clean, dusty, crowded, empty…” And no matter what you end up answering, the first answer in your head…the real answer is…”Umm, I don’t know.” Gentlemen and women, the rubber has hit the road. Welcome to production. While it’s true that all the niggling questions of production will ultimately be determined by the director, that doesn’t mean we can’t help guide the director and the production as they create the world of the film. No, I’m not suggesting that we write all of this stuff into a script. That would be awful. What I am suggesting is that before you find yourself face to face with the 1st A.D. (the person who’s really the field marshal of the shooting set), you prepare yourself with the answers. There are lots of ways that we screenwriters can find ourselves disappointed with the rendering of our stories. One of the most common is the “that’s not how I imagined it!” syndrome. Oh? And how did you imagine it? If you imagined it specifically, and by “specifically” I mean that you could have supplied the 1st A.D. or the producer or the director with a document describing in detail your imagined locations, costumes, hair styles, car makes, and all the other tiny flecks of color in your neural painting…then yeah, you get to be disappointed. If you didn’t, then one of two things is true. Either you knew everything but decided not to speak up, in which case…your fault. Or, as is more often the case, you hadn’t really thought it through. I am obsessive about “watching” my scenes before I write them. That’s how I’m able to prattle at length when the 1st A.D. asks me for those details. Still, he catches me every now and then, and I’m forced to say something like, “Dammit.” It’s a scary “dammit”, by the way. It’s like someone asking me where I was yesterday, and there’s a two-hour period I can’t account for. We’re supposed to know our stories inside and out. The point is not that we must do this to prepare for production. We must do this because it’s what makes a screenplay worth producing. No one will make a movie that seems like it could be shot anywhere with anyone wearing anything. The more you know about your world, the more it affects the story you set in that world. Do yourselves a favor. Go through your scripts like they were someone else’s, and your job was to actually go and shoot it. The only information you have is what’s on the page. Make a list of questions. Answer them. And when it’s your time to sit down across the 1st A.D., make me proud, wouldja? //Craig Mazin
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Categories: [industry_] [ideas_]Labels: Artful Writer, ideas, industry
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Tuesday, December 26, 2006 |
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Uninflected Images Juxtaposed - My First Agent... My Second Agent... |
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My First Agent... (or How I got Representation and Didn't Even Know It)
POSTED BY WILL DIXON OVER AT Uninflected Images Juxtaposed.
...digging back into the recesses of the mind, thought this might be interesting post, especially to those living outside the major entertainment centers. A long time ago, I was residing in the middle of nowhere in mid-west Canada - living the life of a filmmaker in a place I had no business trying to live that life...a place that didn't know what a grip or a dolly or what a call sheet was... hell, I barely knew what they were and I'd graduated film school. But I formed a small company with another local, mostly making educational documentaries for government agencies and then repackaging them as a limited/on-going series for a regional tv network - was making a living, sort of. Then timing and good fortune shined down (as it always HAS to do) and we found ourselves near the top of list of companies capable of taking advantage of some regional incentives that needed to be spent by some of the federal film funding agencies we have in Canada. And it was us mostly because there was hardly anyone else around with more experience (I only had a few dramatic shorts to my name). And so with my 'drama expertise', and my partner's financing savvy, we managed to produce and I directed two half hour one off tv dramas, and then I co-wrote and directed a one off hour long family drama...all in the same year. Lucky. Yes. But you still have to deliver when you get your chance. The shows weren't brilliant, but they weren't embarrassing either (one won a Gemini award..Canuck equivilent of Emmy). What was I talking about again? Oh yeah, the first agent... Where I was living and what I was doing, getting an agent wasn't even on my radar. And even if I did think about it, I was sure no agent was going to be interested in me or able to do anything for someone out in the middle of nowhere. So my next project was a tv movie I had in development with one of the pay tv channels in Canada. The writing had gone well and the script had been well received, but then it stalled - it needed something to push it over the top. The year before, I'd met a very good writer from Vancouver (who's now doing very well in LA...see Bones) at the Banff tv festival, and we'd become friends and stayed in touch. I'll never forget a cassette tape (yes, this was back in the day, kiddies) showing up in the mail (also the days pre-internet, file sharing, etc.) from this friend with Pearl Jam's 'Ten' on one side and Motherlovebone on the other...never heard of these Seattle bands before and they blew me away...so I think I introduced him to Nirvana and we were even. Anyway, I asked this friend/writer if he would co-write next draft of the tv movie with me to see if that would help take it to the next level. And I'll never forget his absolute shock, "...no way, this is your baby...it's great the way it is!" But for me, it's always been about getting it made/produced, not just written. So I pushed and pushed and he finally agreed (and it did eventually get made). Oh yeah, the first agent... So around same time I was in charge of putting together workshops for the local film festival/awards...so I came up with idea of bringing in a couple writers (I also knew a fairly successful writer/friend living in Toronto and his agent), and do an Agent/Writer Relationship workshop. I'd been negotiating with the Vancouver friend's agent for the co-write on the movie, so she and him agreed to come out (she was based out of Toronto). And the Toronto friend and his agent agreed to come out. So it was a go. And we had a great weekend of a long late dinner, the workshop, the so-called awards, another dinner, and everyone went back to their respective homes. Monday morning, my phone rings. It's my Vancouver friend's agent in Toronto. We exchange pleasantries and boom...she quickly asks if anyone is representing me. I think I laughed out loud. And then said no. And then asked why would she care (I had no clue). She gets very 'agenty' and says she will fax me an agreement and agree to rep me right now if I'm interested. Now keep in mind she had a good reputation and repped several writers I knew, so there wasn't any sort of issue of credibility. But I remember being a little flabbergasted and said something like..."Sure, whatever." An hour later the deal was done and I had an agent - a pretty decent agent by Canadian standards...and all I really did was answer the phone. So what's my point. Well, I remember asking her some time later why she wanted to rep me, and she said she'd been hearing my name for a couple years, and she'd heard I did good work, and the Vancouver friend endorsed me...but mostly, she said that when she came out for the workshop, I DIDN'T ask her to rep me. It helped convince her that she 'wanted' me, as opposed to me (or anyone for that matter) 'wanting' her...or wanting her as an agent, at any rate. And I've heard that sentiment echoed over the years from a lot of writers: that it's just so much easier if the agent can hear about you not from you, and begin to think about repping you not because you are telling them to...that it's the agent who makes the first move. That isn't to put down cold calling agents and trying to get them to read your material to see if you're worth repping ... get in front of anyone you can ... but if you can have a friend or an agent's client to recommend you to that agent, it can only work to your advantage. And as for my first agent, alas, she's no longer repping me, though we parted amicably for reasons that will be discussed another time. To read about Will's second agent, "My Second Agent...(Or Some Of The Truths About Representation)", follow this link. // Will DixonRead/Post CommentsCategories: [market_] [industry_] Labels: industry, market, Will Dixon
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Monday, December 25, 2006 |
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Artful Writer - The Zaz Comedy Glossary |
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The Zaz Comedy GlossaryPOSTED BY CRAIG MAZIN OVER AT The Artful Writer.
Over at Kung Fu Monkey, John Rogers has a cool post about the jargon TV writers use. It’s worth checking out, especially if you’re an experienced TV hand who can help contribute to his list. That inspired me to share a similar “glossary of terms” developed by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker. I do a lot of work with David these days, and I can vouch for the usefulness of the list. Finding a shorthand (especially in comedy) is a very important part of the self-critical process. Sometimes it seems like we spend all day trying to explain to each other why we’re wrong. A list of established terms helps codify those reasons and legitimize the critique. The following list (copyright David Zucker, reprinted here with permission) is intended for feature comedy writing. Any of you drama guys have something like this?
To see the interesting fun list of terms, follow this link.
//Craig Mazin
Scribosphere: Finally, we can at least act and talk like pros.
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Labels: Artful Writer, general, industry
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Kung Fu Monkey - Writing: Jargon Preservation |
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Writing: Jargon PreservationPOSTED BY JOHN ROGERS OVER AT Kung Fu Monkey.
Had an interesting moment talking to Alex Epstein the other day. We were discussing a script moment, I used a term, and he'd never heard of it. I realized that a.) if you don't apprentice in one of the big writing rooms in LA, you've probably never heard any of these terms, and b.) the older writers who taught we staff newbies these tools are -- especially with the nuclear winter of the half-hour -- not around as much. A valuable sub-cultural tool is fast disappearing. Most movie writers have no experience of this whatsoever.
Not that you need to know these things to be a writer. But it just seems a pity to me that this great oral tradition is dying. One of my favorite moments happened during my first week at Cosby.
Saul Turtletaub (father of director Jon) and Bernie Orenstein had sort of taken me under their wing -- having a stand-up around, rather than a film-school grad, reminded them of the old days of writing. During a run-through, Saul turned to Bernie and asked "Didn't we use that joke on That Girl?"
Beat. "You were on That Girl?"
We then did the math, and realized that Saul and Bernie had started their first writing job together one week before my birth. I was, literally, their career.
Thirty-odd years of solving every script problem -- and more importantly, every practical shooting script problem -- imaginable. Couple that with a ... hmm ... chaotic shooting process, and it was boot camp. One of the best things to come out of staffing was learning that for many, many situations, there was a shorthand to help codify and communicate a problem in the script that was often tantalizingly just out of reach, just at the edge of your writer's "something's ... off" radar.
So, put these in your toolbox. I'll be collecting more as we go. All origins recorded as they were explained to me.
"a Bono": a place in the script that, no matter what joke you put there, it fails.
Sonny Bono once opened a restaraunt up near the studios, called, of course, "Bono's". It failed, quickly. That's unremarkable. But then, every restaraunt that opened on that corner after Bono's also failed. Something like a DOZEN of them, and all flaming out spectacularly in six months. That corner was cursed, and so the script term "a Bono" was born. It's hard to really explain a Bono to you unless you've seen one, but they're real.
To learn more hilarious terms, follow this link.
//John Rogers
Categories: [television_] [industry_] [general_]Labels: general, industry, Kung Fu Monkey, television
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Saturday, December 23, 2006 |
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Write Here, Write Now - My Xmas Reader List |
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My Xmas Reader ListPOSTED BY LUCY VEE OVER AT Write Here, Write Now.
...A satirical gift from me, to you. Following in the footsteps of Dear Writer, here's my look at the "other side" - the different types of Reader and how they can interact with you, the writer. How many have you come across?!
1. First, The Vitriolic Reader. Also known as the "You Suck!", "I'm better than my job but stuck in a rut", "I don't get paid enough for this" and "If I read another 'body swap' script in the style of BIG or FREAKY FRIDAY I will go insane" Reader. Haven't we ALL come across one of these?? 'Nuff sed.
2. The "I've decided what your script is about even though it's not" Reader. Yes, our screenplays might SEEM to be a rip off of something else, but is it so mad to think it might be a homage, or an influence? And who says it HAS to play out the way you say it does? This Reader type often indulges in a spot of number 3, too.
3. The "Teaching your grandmother to suck eggs" Reader. Yes, I've heard of structure before, believe it or not. Yes, the many different types. And what's that? Characterisation? What a novel idea. Any chance you may not have seen what I was doing with the story here? No? Okay, it's obviously me...
4. "The I'm right and you're wrong" Reader. Yes, I must read Joseph Campbell. And Syd Field. And Linda Seger. And everybody in the world who's even written a jot about screenwriting before I'm allowed to argue with you. Sir! (Or Madam - I'm always up for Equal Opps here.)
5. The Format Nazi. What, I had TWO bits of dialogue directly under each other by the same character? There were blank elements?? I even made the margins of Final Draft longer than they were supposed to be to get more in??? OH MY GOD! A thousand hail Marys and self flagellation until next Tuesday!
6. "The Why Haven't You...?" Reader. Primarily short for "Why haven't you set this up?" (when you have), though can also take into account "Why haven't you done this or that with this character, this arena, this whatever." In essence: why haven't you written a better script!!!
7. "The Politically Correct" Reader. A rightRoyal pain in the arse, this reader will want you to cut absolutely every swear word ("But it's a horror/gangster/thriller!"), every sex scene (WTF??) and every moment where people don't act as if they're straight out of Care Bears: The Movie.
8. The Encouraging Reader. This one is a real wolf in sheep's clothing, since they'll encourage you knowing you haven't a hope in hell of ever getting off the ground. For shame!
9. The "You Cannot Be Serious!" Reader. This state of mind describes the Readers who try as hard as they can to find the merit of various pieces, eventually have to pass on them, only to watch, agog, as their respective agent or producer bosses option said scripts anyway. They usually become number 1.
And my personal fave:
10. The "Follow The Rules Or Die Like The Dog You Are" Reader. They open scripts, shut them again. Not enough white on the page. Too much/little dialogue. Page count's over...Whatever. Phew. Hard day at the office.
Have I missed any?! Let us know your reading horror stories...
//Lucy Vee
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Categories: [general_] [industry_]Labels: general, industry, Write Here Write Now
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Wednesday, December 20, 2006 |
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Scriptwriting & Reading in the UK - Note to Producer |
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Note to ProducerPOSTED BY DANNY STACK OVER AT Scriptwriting & Script Reading in the UK.
Back in September, I spoke about the ‘note to reader’ where a script reader’s attention on the script at hand would suddenly be distracted by a line directly aimed at him: “keep an open mind reader, this is unconventional but it works”. This has the opposite effect on readers. Instead of them focusing on your script with an open mind, they’re thinking ‘what a load of presumptuous rubbish’ as they go through page after page.
Writers aren’t the only offenders. No, sir. Producers have a lazy knack of stamping their enthusiastic opinion on their intro letter to the script before you’ve even had a chance to pick it up. This is understandable. The producer has to believe in the project, and wants to pitch it well, and to be fair, the note only appears on the cover letter, not on the script itself.
However, the passionate assertions need to be chosen wisely. Far too often the producer’s opinion of the script will read like false quotes on a movie poster: “One of the most exciting and original scripts I’ve ever read”. “An amazing story, powerful and emotional”. “This has Oscar written all over it.” “We have approached a number of high profile actors for the lead role”. So, just like writers and producers who shouldn’t slip in a discreet ‘note to reader’, here’s a small bit of advice for you: don’t be outlandish in your opinion of the script.
In my script reading spree this month, I read two scripts that, according to the (separate) producers, were the most exciting and original scripts ever written. In reality, one script was well-written but only got a ‘consider’ for the writer (who turned out to be a graduate of some Disney programme, possibly the Nicholl). The other one made me laugh so much (unfortunately, it wasn’t a comedy), it still makes me titter when I think about it now because of its ridiculous premise and story line (written by a D-list actor).
To continue read what producers shouldn't do to readers, follow this link.
//Danny Stack
Categories: [industry_] [general_]Labels: Danny Stack, general, industry
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scribosphere @
4:32 AM |
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Sunday, December 17, 2006 |
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$1000 Spielberg - How To Market Your Film Virally |
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How To Market Your Film VirallyPOSTED BY CLIVE DAVIES OVER AT $1000 Spielberg.
Indie film makers suffer from a serious disorder, that I call “Field of Dreams” syndrome. “If we build it, they will come.” Quite often film makers don’t even think about how they’ll build an audience for their film until they’ve finished post production — and when they think of it at all they tend to think in terms of finding a distributor, rather than finding an audience. The common assumption they make is a distributor will find an audience for their film — all they have to do is make a good film and the distributor will do the rest. It’s a hard lesson for many film makers when they discover that their film has little or no market value, simply because distributors look at their no-name, no-budget movie and say “I can’t take this on, because there is no market for it.” But what a distributor is actually saying when they say “There’s no market,” is it would cost them more to build an audience for the movie, than they would make back in sales. This is because film distributors think in traditional marketing terms, and traditional marketing costs money. They don’t have the time and resources to build an audience for every film that crosses their threshold - so instead they buy safe genre films, they know have the right D2DVD credentials (horror, naked women, blood, martial arts and guns). However, any producer can change the power relationship between themselves and the distributors, simply by creating an audience for their movie before seeking distribution. These days there are lots of opportunities for indie film producers to create audiences for their movies, but what the $1000 film maker really needs to understand it takes more than just throwing up a website and making a few “come see my film” postings on the indie film making forums. The $1000 film maker constantly ask themselves “How are we going to build an audience for this movie?” Viral marketing in essence is just “word of mouth” for the 21st Century. However, to successfully use it, you need to understand the basic principles behind it. I think the basic principles are as follows: * Have a high concept movie idea, one that excites people * Find a niche interest group and target them as your core audience * Create an interesting story about production of the film * Start building your audience before you start your film * Figure out what excites the audience and give it to them in your marketing * Don’t think about marketing as a scam, give the audience value for their money
To continue on this interesting post, follow this link.
//Clive Davies
Categories: [market_] [industry_] [general_] [ideas_]Labels: $1000 Spielberg, general, ideas, industry, market
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scribosphere @
4:31 PM |
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Thursday, December 14, 2006 |
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Monday, December 11, 2006 |
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Saturday, December 09, 2006 |
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Unk - It’s in the stars… |
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It’s in the stars…POSTED BY UNK OVER AT The Unknown Screenwriter.
Back to it… Whether you agree or not, high concept pretty much rules the industry and, whether we like it or not, I think we can all pretty much agree on that. So you’ve busted your ass and wrote a top-notch spec worthy of production… Everyone you give it to agrees… You’re on your way… But nothing happens. Why? Because there are no actors that want to play any of your characters. There, I said it. Let me take you back a couple of years ago to a New Mexico Film Commission seminar held in Albuquerque… I happened to be in Santa Fe at the time and caught a blurb on the NMFilm.com web site. The director of the upcoming film, FIRST SNOW was going to be on stage talking about making the film in New Mexico, working with the New Mexico Film Commission, working with New Mexico film crews, etc. Hmmm. What the fuck? “Sounds like it could be interesting,” I thought. It was. First of all, I had never even heard of FIRST SNOW. I had never heard of the director (also one of the screenwriters). I didn’t even know who was in the damn thing but since I knew I was going to be working with the New Mexico Film Commission, I thought this could be interesting. Did I say that already? It was. First of all, they had plenty of fresh hot coffee. Outstanding. I’m in. They even had huge chocolate chip cookies but I hadn’t eaten dinner yet so I declined. I ALWAYS like to sit in the very back of the class… Been doing it all my life so why stop now? Besides, the fresh hot coffee was sitting right next to me. Think RAPID REFILLS. Ah… The show begins… A very nice lady who then worked at the film commission who no longer works for the film commission handed out New Mexico Film Directories to everyone… Very cool. They had some local actor acting as the host, asking the director and half of the screenwriting team about the filmmaking adventures of First Snow… I watched. I listened. It was okay but I was a little disappointed because it seemed to be more focused as entertainment than information but what the hell… The coffee was FREE and HOT. So there I am… Sitting in the back, listening to the show… Two rows ahead of me is some guy with fairly long hair… Not a big guy… Kinda small. No big deal. I’m sitting there and then this guy leans back in his chair with his hands behind his head – interlocking fingers. What caught my eye here was this guy’s fingernails… They were green. Not a flaming, grassy, or leafy green… A dark, gothic, almost black green. His nails were short – not bitten. Neatly cut but almost black. Gothic Green? Is that a color? Those fucking fingernails wouldn’t let me concentrate on the Q & A that was going on… Something about those fucking nails stabbed at my conscious… Then I remembered. Ahhh. | |
