We all learn from our missteps. These are the lessons we never forget. But to save you the trouble of making all your own mistakes, here are three of my own fumbles made during meetings with producers and studio execs. One – Don’t Forget To Read Your Audience I remember pitching to two young producers at…
I remember having lunch for the first time with my agents at UTA. They kept talking about completely random things and sharing cocktail party anecdotes when all I wanted to know was what they’d heard about my recent meetings with producers. So I eventually tried to steer the conversation that way and asked for any…
style=”mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;”> What is the one thing every script needs to be if it’s going to get produced? style=”mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;”> style=”mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;”> Unique? style=”mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;”> style=”mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;”> Hardly. True originality often hurts more than it…
style=”mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;”> It’s a new year! Hope time! style=”mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;”> style=”mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;”> But this is the screenwriting biz, so it might be the case that things have happened in the past year to temporarily dash your hopes. style=”mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;”>…
style=”mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;”> Screenwriting can be frustrating, no doubt. Rejections. Blown deals. Inexplicable heartbreak. It’s all part of it. But don’t take it all so personally, because there’s something I’ve learned along the way: So many decisions about your precious career have nothing to do with you at all. style=”mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination:…
style=”mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;”> Today I’d like to talk about relationships. style=”mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;”> style=”mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;”> Not real life ones. You’re on your own with those. style=”mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;”> style=”mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;”> I’m talking about relationships between the characters in…
style=”mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;”> When creating a TV series, one of the things you need to decide is how “formulaic” you want the show to be. style=”mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;”> style=”mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;”> When a show is new and still largely unformed, it can feel good to carefully…
style=”mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;”> I recently took on a small but very interesting assignment for a production company I’d worked with before. The assignment was to write the trailer for a movie BEFORE the screenplay was written. The idea was to produce the trailer in order to convince a particular studio to make…
style=”text-align: left;”> I was at the Austin Film Festival pitching a script to an agent at one of the top agencies. The script I was pitching was my baby, a screenplay I’d worked really hard on. I pitched it with energy and heart. I had a feeling I’d nailed it! > > And then she…
style=”text-align: center;”> I’ve read hundreds of first drafts, and I see the same characterization mistakes again and again. Here are three of them: 1. The Many-Sided Monster style=”text-align: center;”> style=”text-align: center;”> I’ll start with a controversial statement. You need to write one-dimensional characters. Yes. You heard me right. Your characters should have one dimension. Let…