My apology to professional screenwriters

Craig Weisz made a comment on my blog post (Casting) and asked if I had seen the article below by Josh Olsen:

http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/archives/2009/09/i_will_not_read.php?page=2

I re-read my post (What's the story?) and realized that it came off like I was making writing sound easy.  I meant no disrespect.  In fact, I too am a screenwriter and I KNOW how difficult it is.

Writing a screenplay is hard.  It takes a lot of time and effort to get a first draft.  It takes numerous re-writes to get a draft worth sending out for professional consideration.  And from there, there are numerous re-writes and notes and re-writes.

When you submit a project to an agency it will most likely be read first by a reader who is typically a writer too.  Positive coverage is screenwriter gold.  The reader knows this.  They only forward the best of the best or ones they think has potential (which of course is subjective).

Most people cannot write.  Period.  I do think most of us have a story to tell.  If we are willing to put in the time, we can create something worthwhile.  It may never get made, but that is statistically the norm.

For writers, part of the process is therapeutic.  You dig deep into your soul and pull experiences, emotions and thoughts from the memory bank and use them in shaping your fiction.  Even if you shelve your script once you write it, the process will have set your mind free.

Anyone in the film business has been in the position Josh describes.  Try being the acquisitions executive stalked by a producer who promises "The Matrix" only to show you an unreleasable mess.  Or being the sales agent trying to help a friend get a project off the ground only to have to tell them that the market is not responding despite all their hard work in putting a package together.

It is tough, as Josh says, to get a professional to look at your work when they have their own projects to work on and need to look at projects for pay from  their reps.

It is important for writers to observe etiquette when asking someone to read their work.  If they don't then the person being asked is not obliged to do them any favors.  Can you imagine asking your lawyer to review a legal document for free?  Or your accountant's response to filing your taxes without compensation?

In my post on writing I mentioned there are script analysts that you can pay ($150 to $1000) to review your work.  You could even find an out of  work reader with agency experience and get coverage for $50 to $75.  They will be brutally honest.  They will also critique and guide you to issues you will need to work on.  Some will offer script doctoring services or continued reviews at reduced fees.  I cannot attest to the value of that since I have never gone further than an initial assessment, but these services are available.

Once you use such a service and re-write your script until you get positive feedback from several sources, then and only then is it worth approaching a professional for their valuable opinion.  And when they give it, you will hopefully get a fair shake and be invited to submit future work because you did not waste their time.


What I have learned from my own writing experience is that my taste in material has ultimately improved.  I am much more critical of what I read.  I am also much more appreciative of the writer and his/her craft.  If I gravitate to better material I will make better movies.  And that is the name of the game.

What I want to say in conclusion is this:  It is tough to be a writer.  It is even tougher to be a good writer.  Many good writers never see their work make it off the page.  As much as there are reasons not to read someone's work, there are good reasons to do so.  While the pros don't have to cave in and read a submission just because, we should encourage newcomers to the industry because our industry is changing.  Brilliance lurks just around the corner!

Pre-Production

Pre-production encompasses multiple activities prior to commencement of production.  The "big ticket" activities include breaking down the script, putting together the financing, creating a budget and schedule, casting and finding a director if one is not attached already.

Since my background is sales and marketing I have always used this as my starting point for financing.  Once I have a script that I like and think will fare well in the market, I pre-sell a certain percentage of the budget to distributors or broadcasters throughout the world.  I usually find that if I can pre-sell 30% of the budget I have proven to myself and to potential equity investors that the project is viable.  If I manage to pre-sell 80% of the budget I can borrow the money from a bank.

If you have never pre-sold a film make sure you know what you are doing or hire someone that does. The topic of pre-selling is too important and detailed to try to gloss over it here.  Finding equity is equally as important and detailed and since it can involve the sale of securities it is not a topic to gloss over either.  Both will be discussed in detail at another time in a future post entitled "Financing".

When it comes to casting I believe that money talks.  I am often asked to look at projects with actors attached.  This can be helpful if the actor attached loves the project so much that they are doing it for a reduced rate to help it get made.  Many times, however, I see projects come to me where the filmmaker has attached someone who is charging them "rate card" and the project is vrtuallly unmakeable given the costs already associated with it.

We will come back to casting again later as well.  Here is some food for thought in the meantime.  If I wait until my financing is in place before I start casting, I can hire a casting director who will put the project in the breakdown service which all the agencies read.  From there, not only can I pitch the project to actors I am interested in, but the agents with actors who are available and looking to work on a project in a genre or role similar to what I am making have an opportunity to pitch me on their involvement.

The main point is that you never know who you might attract and you don't waste time on talent that is not available or not interested.  Once you have your financing, you usually also have a start date and it is human nature to be motivated by deadlines.

Equally important for the project is breaking down the script and generating a first pass budget.  I used to hire people to do this until I learned estimating and take-offs for construction in my real estate business.  Even if you ultimately hire someone to do a more thorough budget and breakdown, the fact that you know the project inside and out will ensure that you hire the right people.  Having the wrong production manager or UPM can lead to disaster.

I recommend Planning the Low-Budget Film by Robert Latham Brown for learning the process and for using as a guide while you break down the script.  I also recommend The Budget Book for Film and Television by Robert J. Koster for actually setting up a budget program and doing the data entry UNLESS you have the money to buy one of the great programs already available and which include additional data on labor rates etc.  Entertainment Partners Budgeting is one that despite being expensive is used frequently by many in the industry.  Movie Magic Budgeting has a bundle that also includes scheduling.

I personally do not own the programs.  I feel that if I break down the script and get a general idea of the budget using the tools I recommended, I will then bring on an experienced production manager.  Bear in mind that the cost of having a professional production manager do a full budget for you is usually more than the cost of the program, but they are professional and are a second set of eyes on your project.

Armed with the breakdown and first pass at a budget, it is time to start talking to people.  On one hand you will start talking to directors, distributors, financiers and talent.  On the other hand you will start talking to below the line talent to bring  on board as department heads.

By the way, below I am including a list of the films I have either produced or executive produced.  You do not need to buy them to follow along through the process of this blog.  I may refer to them from time to time, but like I said, you will not need them.

I will make sure my comments are general and anecdotal when I refer to them.  If you do want to buy them, you can link below to Amazon where I am an affiliate.  As an affiliate I will make a tiny bit of money if you buy it there.  If you object to me making money, go to another site or buy it from the distributor.  I can assure you I make NOTHING extra that way!  You could also wait to see them on cable...

My Brother the Pig
Tale of The Mummy
Sabretooth
Beneath Loch Ness
Good Cop Bad Cop
Attack of the Sabretooth
God Sex and Apple Pie

What's the story?

First, let me say that I was wrong.  Not everyone wants to be in the film business these days.  It's all about apps!  It is amazing what is being created in that space, but that's another story.

Speaking of story, filmmaking starts with story.  Period.  If you don't have a good story to tell, then there is no movie to be made.

Stories are being delivered in new forms and formats but at the core, the story  needs to be compelling to attract an audience.

As a screenwriter I have toyed with different ways to develop story.  The first script I wrote I did freestyle - started writing and let if flow.  Big mistake.  I ended up doing countless re-writes and eventually had a mess on my hands.  I eventually got a pretty decent script, but I would have saved myself a lot of heartache if I had planned things out better.

The system that I think works best is this:

Start with a logline and a theme.  Back when TV Guide was big, this was how we chose what to watch.  A catchy one or two line description of the movie.  If you can describe your story in a line or two it is still a meaningful exercise especially if it conveys the central theme of the piece.  You may want to blast the message on Twitter so try to do it in 140 characters or less.

Next, write the synopsis.  This is a longer piece, two or three pages, that conveys the story succinctly.  It also comes in handy if you need to memorize it for your elevator pitch with a studio exec.  The synopsis is a living document.  You will start with the beginning, middle and end but you will eventually fill in additional information and update it constantly as you re-write your screenplay.

I will probably get flack for not crediting the source (mea culpa) but the elements of the synopsis include the "uh oh", "oh no",  "no way!" and "Oh My GOD!" moments that will be the turning points in the story that will make us want to watch.  With each passing act, something must happen that is increasingly difficult for the hero to overcome.  Eventually we are led to the climax.

Once you have the 5 to 7 most important "beats" of the story, you will need to fill in the rest.  That is where the Beat Sheet comes in.  It breaks down the story into minute detail.  Once you have this, you are ready to write the script.  And re-write it and re-write it and re-write it.

A smart person once said that writers don't write, they re-write.  It is hard to take criticism, but if you listen carefully to critiques of your work, you ultimately get a better finished product.

Writing  a script is not hard.  Writing a good one is very hard.  Writing a script that gets bought is rare, and one that gets made is miracle.  That's how tough the business really is.  Here I am speaking of the tradition movie business of studios and agents, networks and distributors.  In the new media realm it is altogether different and we will come back to this later.

Producers and directors do not always write their own scripts.  Most are optioned or commissioned from writers.  Regardless of whether you write your own  or purchase or have one written, you still need one before you can go any further.

Once you have the script, you will turn it into a 10-20 pages prose version of it which is called a treatment.  The period of time it takes to go from idea to script is called Development and it can last a long or short time.  At the end of the period, the filmmaker is ready to enter the next phase of the process armed with a screenplay (which has been re-written, tweeked, sliced and diced and put back together hundreds of times), synopsis, logline and treatment.

Although Development is a pre-production activity, once development is complete, the filmmaker enters Pre-Production.  In this phase the filmmaker will look for money, talent and distribution as well as go into Preparation for production.  All this will be discussed in detail in future posts.

Turning back to story, I can recommend the following books to help you through the process:

The Hero with a Thousand faces

Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting

The Writer's Journey

20 Master Plots

These are all from my personal library.  Other good ones exist so feel free to seek them out.  The one you cannot live without is Hero with a thousand faces.  www.writersstore.com has some great books too.

If you are going to write a screenplay, you should get a good screenwriting software.  I use Final Draft.  Others exist and I am sure are good, but I have never used them.  Most are available by download so it is very easy.

 If you write a screenplay, register it with the Writers Guild of Amarica or the copyright office.  I don't think any explanation is needed for why this should be done.