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…
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’m trying something new today. For purposes of illustration, I’m writing a logline for this blog entry – a “blogline” I guess. It’s going to contain several common logline mistakes. Here goes: A cantankerous but kind screen-scribe overcomes the interloping of a baneful blog goblin to share some hard-won wisdom about loglines in this hilariously…
First off, let’s address the issue of talent or no talent. Do you have talent at all? Here’s the good news: Most scripts I read show some talent. So yes. You probably have some talent! The bad news is: Even really talented writers have to struggle to write a script that works. And…
A few years ago, I brought a pitch for a feature film to several studios. The pitch played well enough at Fox, Sony and Universal, but DreamWorks was a very different story. The producer I was working with had a name for our meeting at DreamWorks: a “cold room”. It was clear from the…
Wilmer Valderrama is best known for his work as Fez on That 70s Show, but he’s also had considerable success in animation. A few years ago, my agent called with an intriguing opportunity. In light of Wilmer’s hit animated series Handy Manny, Disney wanted to develop another show with Valderrama, and he was looking for…
Screenwriters love to come up with that “big moment” – the kind audiences talk about for years. To use a football metaphor, a big cinematic moment is the equivalent of a sixty-yard Hail Mary pass. It doesn’t work very often, but when it does you score huge points. As screenwriters, we absolutely need to go on…
If you plan to be a screenwriter, in a sustained professional “actual” career, then there’s one thing you just have to get really good at. Coping with the ups and downs. Every screenwriter goes through it, the moments when you ask yourself, why the #$@&% am I still doing this? Maybe somebody gives you great…
Did you ever have a comedic bit in your screenplay not perform as well as you think it should have? It happens to everyone, and it can be really frustrating. Based on my experience reading hundreds of scripts, I’ve put together a list of possible reasons a joke may be missing the mark – a…
The short answer is yes. Here’s the long answer: You should specialize because… Most Professionals Specialize Top-notch practitioners in most professions specialize. Doctors don’t dabble in brain surgery and also try their hands at arthroscopy. Elite law firms divvy up their attorneys into highly specialized practice groups. Even NBA players, as good as they are,…