The Working Screenwriter

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2012-01-04T01:45:00.000-08:00

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Join Katherine Fugate (Valentine's Day, Army Wives), Brent Maddock (Tremors, The Wild Wild West, Short Circuit), John Rogers (The Core), David J. Schow (The Crow, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3), Neal Marshall Stevens (Thirteen Ghosts), Stephen Susco (The Grudge, The Grudge 2) and 10 other talented wordsmiths as they give first-hand insight into why they write, what keeps them motivated, how they got their scripts written—and ultimately optioned and/or sold.

“…highly recommended to any budding screenwriter…"

“…a very instructive yet entertaining read…”

“…filled with great insight and honesty…”

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From David Trottier, author of The Screenwriter’s Bible:

“…I enjoyed reading Q & A: The Working Screenwriter. The content became a discussion in my mind. Years ago when I began my own writing career, it was a book of interviews that inspired me the most. I felt as though established writers were talking to me and giving me their personal advice. I learned from them and improved my craft. The same was true when I read these interviews…”

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If you want to stir your creative juices, bolster your confidence, and gain a better understanding of what it takes to become a working screenwriter in today’s film industry, you’ll find Q & A: The Working Screenwriter essential reading!

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Good meeting...

2011-12-09T13:13:00.000-08:00

I had a good meeting yesterday with two producers and a director (who also happens to be an actor, one that I’m sure many of you know). Everyone agrees that I’ve got a solid, unique script. Now, this is not to say that the script doesn’t need a bit of work (get used to it, boys and girls— scripts always need a modicum of work before they’re ready to go before a camera), but the general consensus is that I’ve already got something special in those 100 pages. OK, so this director, a very passionate, creative fella, spitballed some of his ideas. The two producers and I liked much of what he suggested and feel that, yes, some of those ideas could very well bump the marketability level up a couple of notches. All I gotta do now is see if I’m able to integrate these ideas into my existing script. If I can, we all feel we’ll have a good chance of getting this project off the ground. (Remember: Having a director who’s totally passionate about a script goes a loooong way toward getting a project produced.) Of course, I won’t do any significant physical reworking of the script until somebody comes up with a bit of development money. After all, "No bucks, no Buck Rogers." But in the meantime, I'll rethink certain aspects of the script, see what I can come up with, make some notes, etc.

As always, we’ll see where this little adventure goes. Hopefully it goes far.

* * *

MY BOOK Q & A: The Working Screenwriter IS NOW AVAILABLE AS AN E-BOOK!

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Change your words, change your world...

2011-11-11T13:46:00.000-08:00

Somebody shared a video with me...and now I want to share it with all of you. Check it out...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hzgzim5m7oU

Justin Samuels...Part Two!

2011-09-13T00:20:00.000-07:00

Dear Everyone:

I didn’t intend to do a second part to last month’s interview with NYC screenwriter Justin Samuels, but the reaction to it was overwhelming and I wanted to give Justin a chance to respond to some of the comments and criticisms leveled at him by you readers. And there were a few additional questions I wanted to ask. So, without further ado…

VINES: Well, Justin, it seems our previous interview created a bit of a stir! You certainly took quite a drubbing. How are you holding up?

SAMUELS: Things are perfectly fine with me. I got my share of criticism, but I also got my share of support.

VINES: As you know, there were a lot of comments posted to my blog. I’m going to provide snippets from some of these comments and I’d like you to respond to them.

SAMUELS: Sure…

VINES: Great. Here we go…
READER COMMENT: “I actually think being a minority can OPEN doors for you in Hollywood. There are a bunch of diversity-focused screenwriting fellowships out there. I live in New York, work as a copywriter, and had zero connection in Hollywood. I entered a diversity-focused fellowship and was selected. It's helped me meet a bunch of successful directors, managers, producers and screenwriters, all who want to read my script and are rooting for me to succeed. I'm now setting up a deal with one of those directors to make my very first screenplay. I sometimes think my status as a minority has given me an unfair ADVANTAGE. But it just opened the door. After that, I had to have the talent to back it up."

SAMUELS: The diversity fellowships? I'm not aware of anyone who has written any major blockbuster movie or who has a serious career as a screenwriter breaking in through a so-called diversity fellowship. Could they exist? Sure. But none of the bloggers who are working screenwriters—who have written about me and criticized me—suggested I take this route. I tend to think that means no one really cares about these fellowships....Also, there's the WGA Minority Report for 2011, which shows representation of non-whites slipping.

READER COMMENT: “I’ve read two of his scripts....They are just not good enough....I speak from experience of having been a reader for a mid-sized prodco....Try rewriting one of those scripts for God's sake. There were numerous typos as well as sluglines that were totally out of place! You think that's worth money? If you can't spell or be bothered to learn the form, WHAT THE HELL MAKES YOU THINK YOU'RE ENTITLED TO ANYTHING? Why should people waste their time reading something that's sloppy and thrown together? Anyone can have ideas; it's the execution that's worth money. And that is exactly why you haven't been paid/read.” [Note: Justin assumes this poster read these scripts on Amazon Studios.]

SAMUELS: For what it’s worth, Amazon Studios is a place where you put up screenplays, get user feedback, and then rewrite. Scripts posted on there are not meant to be final drafts. On the first few scripts I posted on Amazon, I got feedback from other writers, listened to them. If I thought it appropriate, I revised or rewrote the script. As for me being entitled, aren't we all entitled to the same opportunities? Or should a few people have far better opportunities than the rest? I think anyone should have the opportunity to be read by the Hollywood talent agencies. In publishing, most agents take unsolicited queries and sample chapters. No reason it can't happen in film as well.

READER COMMENT: “I don't think we've ever met, but just by reading your comments here I can definitively state that your knowledge of the business and how it works is astoundingly obtuse.”

SAMUELS: No offense intended, dude, but there seems to be an infectious disease on the internet called expert-itis. Everyone has wisdom from God on how to make it in the film industry and knows all there is to know about the film industry, even though they're just on the first page of their first draft! I never claimed to be an expert on the business, nor do I want to be an expert in the business. I want to be a working screenwriter, and I, along with any other screenwriter, deserve access to the top firms in the business.

READER COMMENT: “The sad thing is that [Justin] just ruined his name. No one will work with him now; and no talent—considering most of the A-list talent comes from these two top tier agencies— will ever speak his words. He'll have to change his name to work professionally, along with his attitude.”

SAMUELS: This is plain ridiculous. People criticize everything all the time. People can criticize the federal government, and yet some of the same people who criticize the government run for office or work for it in other capacities. What am I getting at? Some people seem to think that the top agencies are somehow beyond reproach. I'd almost get the impression that some people hold an almost religious significance for these agencies. They seem to think that in the United States, where freedom of speech is a part of our constitution, we should not be able to criticize the business practices of these agencies. That's ridiculous. That's the beauty of living in the United States of America.

READER COMMENT: “Justin, there's no magic answer to succeeding except working hard to promote yourself....Stop suing people because they aren't doing what you expect them to do. It is YOUR job to write a script that knocks them on the floor. Good luck getting anything read now. The sad thing is, as a fellow Cornellian, I believe you probably are a good writer. You just received bad advice that will most likely cost you your screenwriting career.”

SAMUELS: I didn't receive bad advice. It was my idea to pursue legal action. Believe it or not, I really am concerned about the disproportionate impact that the industry referrals have on blacks and other non-whites. It’s a cause I believe in. Some of us are concerned about people other than themselves.

READER COMMENT: “As a copywriter, I'm amused to note that Samuels seems pretty sure he can break into New York's advertising/theater/literary orbit pretty much at will.”

SAMUELS: Let’s just say I can get by in my hometown.

READER COMMENT: “Justin, as an African-American writer who works steadily, is repped by one of the agencies named in your suit, went to an Ivy League school and doesn't have a trust fund or rich parents, I can tell you from years of experience that you are right about one thing and one thing only: there is discrimination in Hollywood. Women and minorities face obstacles that white men don't face in this business. However, that discrimination has NOTHING to do with your inability to get read. Studio executives would buy a script from a pelican if they thought the resulting movie would make money. Race has nothing to do with getting read. Yes, it is extremely difficult to gain access as a minority.”

SAMUELS: You and one other poster seem to be flip-flopping. There's discrimination, but there isn't; race isn't a factor in getting read, but it’s extremely difficult to gain access as a minority.

READER COMMENT: “You should be ashamed of yourself, Samuels. This frivolous and moronic lawsuit is going to make it much more difficult for people who actually do face discrimination in Hollywood to fight it. You're perpetuating the myth that prejudice is an illusion. Prejudice is real sometimes, but your suit is a joke.”

SAMUELS: There is discrimination, but because I made accusations of discrimination, I somehow [make it] harder for those in Hollywood who are facing discrimination to defend themselves. The courts would judge those cases independently of mine. Sorry, what you're saying makes no sense.

READER COMMENT: “We writers already get very little respect in the industry. Lawsuits like this only make us look like a bunch of whining sloths who don’t understand the business and can’t handle the challenges of climbing the seemingly endless mountain to success.”

SAMUELS: So I suppose the old writers in the [2002] age discrimination case were whining idiots? The ones who won the settlement from the agencies, networks, and production companies precisely because there had been a pattern of age discrimination against old writers? Obviously there must have been a problem and the law must have been violated for a $70 million settlement to be paid out.

READER COMMENT: “As for the need to be rich, my answer is Twitter. Doesn’t cost me a damn thing to tweet and connect with industry people all over the world.”

SAMUELS: Connect perhaps, but they don't seem to be interested in producing you. Honestly, any major industry person can get massive numbers of people following you on Twitter. This doesn't mean that they are going to take the time out to help you in your career. I remember on Facebook when I would get invitations to non-industry parties and…other non-industry events. I got so many invitations I stopped reading them. I seriously doubt any produced screenwriter suggests Twitter is a substitute for actually having personal contacts that you know and work with (providing you can get a job that allows you to support yourself in the industry). John August talks about the importance of living in Los Angeles—he has a career—yet [the poster of the previous comment], with no career, claims Twitter is all. Ummm, okay. I said rich white males in the industry tend to like to hang out with each other, and that makes it much harder for anyone outside of that group to break in. And since the top agencies do most of the sales, their insistence on an industry referral tends to lock non-whites out.

READER COMMENT: “What Samuels has done, in my opinion, is demean any real cases of discrimination that are indeed happening. To fill the court’s time with false claims from a scorned writer should be criminal.”

SAMUELS: Discrimination happens, but if someone points out that a business practice is discriminatory and attempts to change it they are demeaning real cases of discrimination? How? The courts handle each case and claim individually. One has nothing to do with the other.

READER COMMENT: “You tried for 9 years??? Are you SERIOUS? Not really any contest entries, just a couple handfuls of queries. Wow, you've really worked hard. A previous post suggests changing your name. I agree.”

SAMUELS: Most contests do not launch careers; for the most part, they are irrelevant. Of the few contests that are worthwhile, even they don't guarantee a career in the film industry. And I've not heard one working screenwriter say that contests are the best way to launch a worthwhile film career. I've not come across one book on screenwriting that says this is the best way to launch a career. As for changing my name, I tend to like my name; I'm happy with what I've done, thank you very much.

READER COMMENT: “Do you want to be in the room because you deserve to be there, regardless of what color you are or what you've got in your pants? Or do you want to be in the room because it's required they have diversity? Most every person in that room is there because they earned it. Black, female, white male, whatever....Half the freaking execs I sit across from are women or black. My agent is a woman. A recent producer on one of my projects is a woman. All of them are there not because they're women or black, but because they refused to fail. Fact: If you aren't in a room, it's because your work is not good enough to get in the room [and not] because you are black [or] because you are a woman.”

SAMUELS: I'm not sure what this has to do with my lawsuit or with my saying the current policy of no unsolicited submissions has a disproportionate impact on non-whites. These are anecdotal examples. There are people, for example, who would claim that there's no racism in Mississippi based on their experiences of everyone supposedly loving each other there. And there are others who would strongly disagree with that, [even pointing] out case examples and other evidence.

VINES: Justin, in our previous interview, this is what you said regarding screenwriters who have found success: “How did those people get read? Did they have relatives in the business? Did they live in Los Angeles all their lives? Who supported them and paid their bills when they moved to Los Angeles? You might have a lot more time for networking if you're a trust fund baby.” Then you went on to say something about needing “to be in the right social circles” in order meet the people who can get a script produced. Based on the above comments, I’d like to take a quick peek at four successful screenwriters. I’d like to point out that two of these writers are white, while the other two are African-American. One also happens to be a female.

1.) David Ayer (The Fast and the Furious, Training Day, SWAT), was born in Champaign, Illinois, but grew up in Bloomington, Minnesota and Bethesda, Maryland. When he was a teenager, he was kicked out of the house by his parents. He then move to Los Angeles and lived with a cousin, spending much of his young life on the troubled streets of South Central L.A.

2.) David Koepp (Jurassic Park, Carlito’s Way, Mission: Impossible, Men in Black) was born in Pewaukee, Wisconsin. His mother was a family therapist and his father owned a billboard company.

3.) Antwone Fisher, born in Cleveland, Ohio, grew up in foster homes and was physically, verbally and sexually abused as a child. He wrote his first screenplay, Antwone Fisher, while working as a security guard at Sony Pictures.

4.) Shonda Rhimes (writer and creator of TVs Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice, and screenwriter of Princess Diaries 2 and HBO’s acclaimed movie Introducing Dorothy Dandridge), was born in Chicago, Illinois. Her parents were a university administrator and a college professor. After graduating from USC, Rhimes found herself swimming in the teeming pool of unemployed scriptwriters in Hollywood. To make ends meet, she worked at a variety of day jobs, including as an office administrator, and then as a counselor at a job center that taught mentally ill and homeless people job skills. During this period, Rhimes also worked as research director on the 1995 Peabody Award-winning documentary, Hank Aaron: Chasing the Dream (1995). Rhimes made her directorial debut in 1998 with the short film Blossoms and Veils starring Jada Pinkett-Smith and Jeffrey Wright. [All biographical information culled from IMDb and Wikipedia.]

VINES (cont'd): It doesn’t appear to me that these writers came from terribly auspicious beginnings or, as you mentioned in our previous interview, “the right social circles. No, it sounds like to me like these writers a) had the initial writing talent, b) knew what they want and went after it, and c) worked their rear ends off to find success. These writers had jobs, had school, had their own obstacles to overcome. They hustled, did what they had to do, and MADE IT HAPPEN.

SAMUELS: I really hope you aren't using these four writers to say that working screenwriters are 50% black and 50% white!

VINES: No, of course not. What I'm trying to get across to you is that screenwriters do not have to come from money or a certain upper-class of society to become successful. A writer can find success, whether they're white, black, male or female, if they have the talent and are willing to work to make things happen.

[Justin declined to discuss this issue further.]

VINES: By the way, I was wondering…have you ever considered joining Organization of Black Screenwriters (OBS)? They list their primary function as assisting “screenwriters in the creation of works for television and film and to help them present their work to the industry.”

SAMUELS: I never thought about it. Not that I think it’s a bad thing, I don't know much about them and I don't know if joining would have been beneficial to me or not.

VINES: I’ve done a bit of research regarding your case against CAA and William Morris. Is it true your lawsuit was dismissed by Judge Deborah J. Batts on July 20th, 2011?

SAMUELS: The case was dismissed and I’m filing the appeal. These cases take years because as soon as one side is defeated, the other side appeals.

VINES: If necessary, are you willing to press forward with this discrimination case for "years"?

SAMUELS: Yes, I am.

* * *

Did you know there are other great interviews on this blog? Feel free to check out my three interviews with U.K.screenwriter Darren Howell. He discusses his highs and lows as he gets his first script off the ground with a big prodco here in L.A. It’s quite a roller-coaster ride, believe me!

Interview with Darren Howell, Part 1!

Interview with Darren Howell, Part 2!

Interview with Darren Howell, Part 3!

Thinking of entering a screenwriting competition? If so, you’ll want to read…

Screenplay Competitions

Ten Screenwriters Who Have Entered Competitions

Confessions of a Competition Winner

There’s also a very insightful interview with a Hollywood

lit agent.

And for more interviews with working screenwriters, I’d like to suggest my book Q&A: The Working Screenwriter—An In-the-Trenches Perspective of Writing Movies in Today’s Film Industry. Check it out at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, The Writers Store, etc.

* * *

JANUARY 2012 UPDATE:

MY BOOK Q & A: The Working Screenwriter IS NOW AVAILABLE AS AN E-BOOK!

Q & A: The Working Screenwriter on Kindle! (Only $3.99!)

Q & A: The Working Screenwriter Barnes & Noble NOOK book! (Only $3.19!)

A Conversation with…Justin Samuels

2011-08-12T08:55:00.000-07:00

Mr. Samuels has pending litigation against the William Morris Endeavor Agency and Creative Artist Agency, claiming racial prejudice. Mr. Samuels, an African-American, has been trying to sell his screenplays for 9 years, but claims his race has kept him from making any progress within the film industry. To read more about the lawsuit…

Ultra Hollywood Lawsuit – Screenwriter Justin Samuels Sues CAA & WME!

JV: You say you've been trying to break in for nine years. How many scripts have you written in those nine years—and what were the genres?

JS: Eight screenplays. I've written horror, fantasy, comedy, and mystery.

JV: You live in New York, correct?

JS: Manhattan.

JV: Are you married? Any kids?

JS: Not married. No children.

JV: As I’ve mentioned many times—on my blog, in interviews, etc.—a big part of a screenwriter's success is contingent upon spending “face time” with the powers that be in the filmmaking community. You need to meet these people face to face. You need to network. Do you think you’d have better luck if you lived in Los Angeles?

JS: No. I lived in Los Angeles on and off during 2003-2005. While I did have a couple of marginal entertainment industry jobs, the problem with working to support yourself and pay your bills is it takes a lot of time. I had little or no time to meet people. And I left Los Angeles because ultimately the jobs I got in that time period didn't pay enough to support me on a long term basis. And honestly, I'm established in New York, which is good, as there are other types of writing here. I could go into advertising as a copywriter, go into publishing as a novelist, or go out for other types of writing while I continue to write my screenplays.

JV: Have you ever spoken one-on-one with a producer and/or an agent, and said, “Will you please read my screenplay?” If so, what have been the results?

JS: Actually, at some sort of conference, I did meet an agent. He was there to give a speech, so I didn't have the chance to ask him to read any of my screenplays. Beyond that, no, I haven't spoken to an agent or producer one-on-one

JV: Has anyone—whether it be a secretary, a production assistant, etc.—ever loved one of your scripts enough to say that they’d pass it on to someone who might be able to get the script produced?

JS: Yes.

JV: And what was the result of that?

JS: He said he loved it. A couple of times it got passed to someone else. I never heard back from them though.

JV: So, this person who loved your script, what position in the industry did he have?

JS: An assistant director.

JV: What exactly did he say about your script—and who was he going to send it to?

JS: Supposedly he was to take the script to an actual director, as well as a producer and agent. As for what really happened, I don't know if his contacts were actually willing to read my work or not. People can overestimate their influence in Hollywood.

JV: Do you think these people—the director, the producer, the agent—simply weren’t willing to read your script, or do you think it’s possible that they read it and just didn’t think it a work of any real quality?

JS: I have no idea what really happened and that's a problem with getting read this way. If I had gotten a direct request from someone of note and they never got back to me, or they did and it was a pass, I'd have a direct answer. But going through a third party like this, anything is possible. While they could have read my work and not liked it, I have no proof that this person had the pull to get them to read it. In this particular case, I don't know what happened.

JV: According to the Social Hollywood article, you seem to feel it’s imperative that you get your scripts only to the “major” producers. I tend to think you’d have better results if you submitted to some of the lower-tier producers. In fact, I know quite a few screenwriters—by the way, one is a black man, two others are women—who make a pretty decent living getting their work optioned, sold, and produced by these lower-tier producers.

JS: Well, I did go that route with some lower-tier producers. They read my work and loved it. But then they went broke and went out of the business. Indie producers, at least in my experience, can have a lot of financial problems and are less likely to be able to raise the money to actually see the production of a film through. That's really why I want to go the major producers. If they are interested in your work, at least they have the financial resources to pay the screenwriter and produce the film.

JV: Approximately how many of these “lower-tier” producers have you queried in the last nine years?

JS: I don't recall the number. Some of the lower tier producers went out of the business; others had difficulty raising the money to do films that require decent budgets.

JV: Have you ever entered any of the top-tier screenwriting competitions, such as Nicholl, Final Draft, or Slamdance? If so, how did you fare?

JS: For the most part, I didn't enter contests, with the exception of Amazon Studios, which is still pending. Though one year I did enter the Nicholl. I didn't place.

JV: From what I can gather, it seems like you’re not really willing to get out there and hustle in any substantial way. You have to do far more than just sending out—as you mention in the Social Hollywood magazine article—“hundreds, if not thousands” of query letters. You have to do far more than meet one agent at “some sort of conference.”

JS: You glossed over the point where I had to work in Los Angeles. Work—you know, I do need money to survive—and commuting take up a massive amount of time. Los Angeles landlords are like landlords in any city, rent must be paid at the first of the month. Nobody cares that you want to be in the film industry.

JV: Yes, that’s very true, but I still think that if you can write a marketable script, you’re far better off being here in L.A. than in just about anywhere else.

JS: I've already lived in Los Angeles and living there doesn't give you access in and of itself. While I will always write screenplays, there are other types of writing that are centered in New York, not Los Angeles, and these types of writing are a lot more open. Publishing, theatre, advertising, are all centered in New York, not Los Angeles. So while I have my difficulties in accessing film, it's just better to be here in New York.

JV: You also mention in the Social Hollywood article that you’re a graduate of Cornell University and have a B.A. in history. You also minored in English and “writing classes,” and have “done screenwriting workshops on the side.” In my opinion, this is all fairly irrelevant to your eventual success as a screenwriter. There are plenty of successful screenwriters who have had relatively little education. Sure, maybe they’ve attended a couple screenwriting workshops or seminars, maybe read a few how-to books, but they simply had the innate ability to craft a motion picture screenplay, to tell a story that people would want to pay to see.

JS: How did those people get read? Did they have relatives in the business? Did they live in Los Angeles all their lives? Who supported them and paid their bills when they moved to Los Angeles? You might have a lot more time for networking if you're a trust fund baby. I mentioned my education in the context of if even I have this much difficulty getting read, I know it would be outright impossible for almost all non-whites in this country to break in. Since there would be others who would use the excuse that lack of education and/or talent explains the shortage of non-whites as screenwriters or in other behind the scenes positions.

JV: With regard to the agents and/or producers you’ve queried, how do they even know you’re an African-American screenwriter? I mean, your point of view seems to be: “They know I’m black—they won’t read my script!” Do you mention in your queries that you’re an African-American?

JS: I didn't say that they know I'm African-American. I said since the majors do not even accept queries, this has a disproportionate impact on African-Americans in terms of locking us out of the industry, as we have no access to the people we would need to be read by.

JV: Justin, I’m not saying a certain amount of discrimination doesn’t exist, but I tend to think that a vast majority of producers and lit agents don’t necessarily care if you’re young or old, black or brown, gay or straight, male or female. These producers and agents simply want great material. I really can’t imagine one of these agents or producers—one who has read your script and thinks it would make a great movie—sitting down to meet with you for the first time and saying, “Uh-oh. He’s black. I can’t represent/buy his script.”

JS: But how would I access these producers or lit agents? I'd have to get read in order for them to like my work or not like it. Truthfully, I've had people say that my work is great. Unfortunately for me, they were so far on the fringe it didn't matter. If I had gotten a bunch of reads from major people in the industry, and they didn't like my work…I'd have to deal with that. Basically, I'm saying I have no access, in part because of my race and because I'm not in on the right social circles that would allow me to talk to a producer or agent one-on-one.

JV: C’mon, Justin, you don’t have to be “in the right social circles” in order to talk with producers and/or agents. Again, if you just got out and schmoozed a little, especially here in Los Angeles, you’d be running into film people all the time. See, that’s really one of the keys to all this—meeting people in the film industry…not just producers and agents…and getting them to read your material. If you’re good, if you have a script that could potentially be turned into a movie, you’ll get noticed. Sure, perhaps by a “lowly” Production Assistant at first, but then that P.A. might say, “I really like your script. Can I give this to my boss?” That’s how many careers have started in this business.

JS: Look at what you just said. Yes, you do indeed need to be in the right social circles to do what you said. You'd need wealthy parents—disproportionately white—or some sort of backing where you basically didn't have to work in order to schmooze with film people all the time. You seem to have glossed over the part where I lived and worked in Los Angeles. At times, I worked long hours, commuted long hours. It’s why I said the idea where one must meet people basically favors wealthy white people who can live a certain lifestyle.

JV: I happen to know plenty of Caucasian screenwriters who can’t sell anything either. They can’t option anything; they can’t get meetings with either producers or agents. I’ve read quite a few of their scripts. Truth is, they were awful. Again, white, black, yellow, or brown—if you can’t write a marketable screenplay, you’re not gonna generate any heat. It’s that simple.

JS: No, not that simple. According to the WGA, 5% of screenwriters in film were non-white. Are you claiming that non-white screenwriters are genetically incapable of writing screenplays? Disproportionately, screenwriters are white and male, in large part because of the schmoozing policy you defend. And your earlier advice to me, move to Los Angeles, meet film people all the time, has nothing to do with writing a marketable screenplay.

JV: Where have I claimed that “non-white screenwriters are genetically incapable of writing screenplays”? I’m only saying that plenty of white screenwriters can’t write marketable scripts and, therefore, can’t get anything optioned or sold. So it’s not just African-Americans and women who are having trouble getting stuff sold. Fact is, selling a screenplay isn’t easy for anyone!

JS: However, statistically, selling a screenplay for some reason is apparently a lot harder if you aren't white or if you're a woman. Those are the stats quoted by the guild.

JV: I think that might simply be because there are far fewer non-white and female screenwriters trying to break into the business. Anyway...here’s a little story I’d like to relate. I grew up in Los Angeles and decided on “the screenwriting life” in the early 90s. By then I had been married, divorced, and had a daughter, so I was working full time. But I managed to learn the craft and crank out scripts. My first optioned script came a few years later. This wasn’t a big producer and it certainly wasn’t big money, but it was an option. It was basically somebody telling me, “You’re a good writer. I want to produce a movie out of your script!” I stayed focused and kept writing and kept getting my scripts “out there.” Do you know how I eventually sold my first screenplay? In 1995 I answered an ad in Variety. Some upstart producer was looking for scripts. So I contacted him and sent him a script. By the way, not once did he ask me if I was young or old, black or white, gay or straight. He got back to me a short time later and told me that the script wasn’t quite what he was looking for, but he really liked my writing. Not long after that he got back in touch and asked if I wanted to do a rewrite on a script. He said he might have a potential buyer if the script was solid enough. I did the rewrite, which I wasn’t paid for, and he was able to set the script up at a prodco here in town. The movie eventually got produced. This wasn’t a huge prodco, but it was a respected one, and it was a credit, and that movie has been playing virtually non-stop on cable all around the world for over ten years, and this has opened some doors for me. I wasn’t supported by a wealthy family; I didn’t hang out in moneyed social circles. No, I learned my craft, wrote and wrote and wrote, and sent my scripts to anyone who would read them. This is what it comes down to: writing marketable scripts, getting them out to people, building a fan base, and hope your scripts eventually land on the desk of someone who can do you some good.

JS: I really don’t see how this is relevant to anything. I said that the mainstream agencies have policies that disproportionately lock non-white—or those who don’t come from wealthy families—out of the industry. Your option didn’t come through a script shopped by a top agency, so that was a path that was closed to you at that time. If you had been from a prominent enough family, you might have had that opportunity.

JV: You’re suing WMA and CAA for eight million dollars. I realize that it’s customary to pick a monetary amount when you initiate a lawsuit—and I’m sure you’re factoring in punitive amounts—but are you saying that you feel you’re owed roughly $850,000 for each year you’ve been attempting to sell your scripts? If so, please explain your rationale.

JS: No comment due to pending litigation.

JV: I have to say, Justin, agents, producers et al. tend not to want to be in business with someone who’s—and please excuse the term—“lawsuit happy.” Do you realize that by filing this suit, you might very well be destroying any career you might potentially have in Hollywood?

JS: If my efforts bring about any change at all, it’s more than worth it. And I'm not lawsuit happy. Businesses sue each other all the time in Hollywood. I think there's a double standard here. If a wealthy person or a business sued another wealthy person or business it would be no big deal. If a poor person who believes he's standing up for himself or for the rights of others sues, he's the devil.

JV: All right, Justin, go ahead, pitch me your best script. Sell me on it.

JS: “Lunatics”: A mental patient suspects the institute's head psychiatrist is actually a demon reaping the souls of the weak-minded, and must use his untapped ability to help his fellow patients regain control of their thoughts.

JV: What’s the current status of the lawsuit?

JS: I'll just say it’s pending; these things can take a while to fully resolve.

JV: If three or four years from now you still haven’t sold anything, will you still continue to write screenplays?

JS: Yes.

* * *

Need to get that script of yours whipped into shape? For tons of solid how-to tips and need-to-know information, check out my other blog here.

JANUARY 2012 UPDATE:

MY BOOK Q & A: The Working Screenwriter IS NOW AVAILABLE AS AN E-BOOK!

Q & A: The Working Screenwriter on Kindle! (Only $3.99!)

Q & A: The Working Screenwriter Barnes & Noble NOOK book! (Only $3.19!)

You Could Die Holding Your Breath in This Town!

2011-06-26T01:00:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, my manager calls and says,

“I sent [name of script] to this director I know. He read it and thought it was great, and he asked if he could send it to this producer friend of his. I told him to go ahead and send it. A couple weeks later, the producer calls me and says he loves the script and wants to meet us. So, Jim, we have a meeting at Universal next Thursday at noon.”

OK, sound good. So...

That Thursday, I get myself over to Universal at noon and I walk into this producer’s bungalow. My manager is not there yet, but the director (the fella who first read the script) is. So the three of us sit in this very pleasant, very spacious office, and have a chat. We talked about all sorts of things (much of it having absolutely nothing to do with my script or filmmaking). We got to know each other a bit and had some laughs. Based on the energy I’m getting from these two gentlemen, I think they’re cool, likable.

My manager eventually arrives and the meeting officially starts. The producer tells me how much he really loves the script. After the movie he just completed (due out late this year), my script is exactly what he’s looking to do next.

Great!

So the four of us discuss possible budgets, potential shooting locations, actors who might fit the various roles, etc. The producer tells me he’d like to get the movie into pre-production as soon as possible (even mentioning that he’s prepared to shell out some option cash), but first he’d like to read the script a couple more times and give me some notes for a polish.

The meeting ended somewhere after 1:00PM. I thought it went well. Really well. My manager thought so too. The director, who we spoke with out in the parking area afterward, was very upbeat.

This was in mid-March. Though my manager has maintained some contact with this producer, I’m still waiting on that second meeting.

I’m not exactly holding my breath. But we’ll see. Things tend to move really, really, really slowly in Hollywood.

Psst! Have you read my "other" blog?

2011-06-10T10:07:00.000-07:00

Every so often, novice screenwriters contact me, asking such questions as,

"Is it absolutely necessary that I write out an outline for my screenplay?"

"What's a treatment?"

"Which is best: WGA registration or Library of Congress copyright?"

"How can I get an agent?"

"Should enter a screenwriting competition?"

"Should I take my story to a pitchfest?"

"Should I option my script...for a dollar?"

"I'm an older guy. Should I even try to break into the screenwriting game?"

Well, the questions are, it seems, endless. I usually direct these folks to my "other" blog, The Workings Screenwriter 2, which is where they'll find answers to many of the big "need to know" questions. They'll also find plenty of solid advice, how-to tips, as well as my very popular "Fatal Flaws" section, which points out many of the blunders most novice writers make.

So whether you're writing your first screenplay or your fifth screenplay, you'll want to pay a visit to The Working Screenwriter 2!

One View on Writer's Block...

2011-03-28T23:53:00.000-07:00

A fellow writer posted the following on one of the screenwriting boards. I liked what I read (mainly cuz I wholeheartedly agree with every word of it), so I asked for permission to post here on my blog. Here it is...

"There's no such thing as writer's block. That was invented by people in California who couldn't write." - Terry Pratchett

I don't believe in writer's block. Most of the “serious” writers I've known don't, either. I agree with the one who says, “It's an indulgence of amateurs. When you've got a contract with a deadline, you either turn in a manuscript or return your advance. You may find writing difficult and your results unsatisfying, but you do it anyway, because that’s what professional writers do: they write.” However…

I do believe in the realization that if your current work is of poor quality it should be abandoned. (Don’t delete it—the idea may be worthwhile even if the execution isn’t.)

I believe in inadequate preparation.

I believe in inadequate organization, too.

I believe in writing yourself into a corner so tight that you either need to start over or abandon it.

I believe in lost enthusiasm for a particular work.

I believe in lack of focus, in not knowing what your story’s really about and why these characters should tell it.

I believe in increasing boredom with an entire genre that’s become too familiar.

I believe in well-crafted characters you don’t want to spend time with. (And if you don’t, nobody else will, either.)

I believe in stories that require a daunting amount of preliminary research before you can write. (“Sure, that’s it—a police procedural following a serial killer who’s targeting milliners in 1910 Belgium!”)

I believe in shyness and lack of confidence that makes seeking expert advice or background hideously difficult or impossible.

I believe in not knowing how to start, or where to start, or even if you should start.

I believe in finding the need to learn basic writing mechanics and screenplay format so boring or off-putting that you’d rather procrastinate than spend the time it takes (which isn’t much for format).

I believe in concluding that your whole concept is stupid, immature, derivative, impractical, embarrassing, too personal, legally actionable, or any of a host of other fatal flaws.

I believe in realizing that you're not as good as other people—the ones who ought to know, like teachers and fellow writers—think you are.

I believe in realizing that you're not as good as you think you are—or ought to be.

I believe in that “what’s-the-use” attitude after you learn that your first several screenplays are probably going to be pretty bad regardless of the blood, sweat, and tears you give them.

I believe in the inability of young writers to write characters well beyond their own age and, regardless of research, situations well beyond their experiences—and I believe in the incredible frustration of being young and bursting with ideas that you shouldn’t tackle yet.

Now, any of those can stop you dead in your tracks and keep you stopped. The question then becomes: How can you get started again?

Give yourself permission to write utter crap. Lousy ideas, poor grammar and spelling, stilted dialogue…Write it anyway. Nobody has to see it. Written things can be revised or rewritten to improve them. The blank pages of the “blocked” remain blank.

Change your writing environment. Try something radically different. If you write on your computer in a quiet room, try a spiral notebook in a park or coffee house, or ruled paper on your grandmother’s dining room table. (Not recommended: your blood on walls.)

Perform writing exercises. Writing something different may free you.

Move physically. Play a sport, go for a walk or run, swing on a playground, whatever you like, but get your blood pumping. When it's racing through your body, the brain gets plenty of oxygen—and ideas.

Give yourself blocks of unstructured time when you’re not likely to be sleepy. Find a quiet place, think about your current writing project, and let your mind wander. Rein it back to the subject as needed. This can be combined with physical movement—a long walk may be an idea wellspring!

Play What If…? with what you see. What if the kid cutting your sandwich suddenly plunged that knife into the woman at the cash register? What if he merely put caustic chemicals in the mayonnaise? What if the sandwich and kid are fine, but you choked, right here at your table? What if you gave half your sandwich to that lady over there who looks poor? What if she thanked you for it by giving you something valuable (that she didn't think was worth more than the sandwich)? What if you sold it and couldn’t find her to give her any of the money? What if she found you and demanded all of it? What if...

Write daily, every day, no exceptions, for a set amount of time. If you can't write, you must remain in your writing environment for the set amount of time anyway. Your choices are a) write, and b) don’t write. No games, no internet, no texting, no TV.

Stimulate your mind with new experiences. If you're a movie fan, see a play or watch a street performance. Hear live music rather than CDs, or listen to something in a genre you know nothing about. Eavesdrop on or observe people unlike most of the ones you know. People-watch (and invent lives for passers-by). Attend a sporting event (any kind, at any level) where you don't know anyone and watch the crowd rather than the players.

Upon waking, jot down the surrealistic snippets of whatever dreams you remember. They don't mean anything, in my opinion, but the odds are good that they're packed with drama.

Just do it. You don't want to be a self-indulgent amateur, right?

A Bit of Promotion: My Book!

2011-02-23T11:02:00.000-08:00

Dear Screenwriter…

Many of you long-time readers are fully aware of my book, Q&A: The Working Screenwriter. For those of you who are a bit newer to this blog, I’d like to offer an introduction to what many have called “highly recommended to any budding screenwriter,” “a very instructive yet entertaining read,” “filled with great insight and honesty,” “valuable and practical,” “a must-read,” “inspirational,” “a phenomenal book.” Here’s what David Trottier, author of The Screenwriter’s Bible, had to say in the book’s foreword:

"Screenwriting is not for the faint of heart. It is both arduous and challenging. That is one reason that crafting a movie script from start to finish is one of life's most sublime experiences. As you know, the writing process itself is its own reward. But to sell the script—now that's Nirvana. How do you do that? How do you write a movie that sells or finds you work?

Each writer approaches the process in his or her unique way. Each walks his or her own writing path. And yet, when you examine the experience of dozens of successful writers, you see patterns, and you see new ways of doing things that you know will improve your own unique style and chances for success.

This book, in its way, invites you to sit down in a comfortable room with over a dozen working writers. Just you and them. They give you answers to questions that perhaps have puzzled you for months or years. Straight answers. Honest answers. And you get their view of writing and selling issues that are important to you. You partake of their wisdom. In some cases, you might even disagree with them.

That's one reason I enjoyed reading Q&A: The Working Screenwriter. The content became a discussion in my mind. Years ago when I began my own writing career, it was a book of interviews that inspired me the most. I felt as though established writers were talking to me and giving me their personal advice. I learned from them and improved my craft.

The same was true when I read these interviews. Yes, I benefited from the answers to questions, but I also gained from what was said in the process of answering those questions. For that reason, I recommend you read this book from cover to cover with an openness that invites what you need to settle into your mind and resonate there. Sometimes it's the subtext or an off-handed comment that presents that golden insight that will help you the most." — Dave Trottier, Author, The Screenwriter’s Bible

If you’d like to pick up a copy of Q&A: The Working Screenwriter, you can do so by visiting any of the fine booksellers below.

Q&A: The Working Screenwriter at Amazon.com

Q&A: The Working Screenwriter at Barnes & Noble

Q&A: The Working Screenwriter at The Writer's Store

If you want to stir your creative juices, bolster your confidence, and gain a better understanding of what it takes to become a working screenwriter in today’s film industry, you’ll find Q&A: The Working Screenwriter essential reading!

JANUARY 2012 UPDATE...

Q & A: The Working Screenwriter on Kindle! (Only $3.99!)

Q & A: The Working Screenwriter Barnes & Noble NOOK book! (Only $3.19!)

Interview with Darren Howell, Part 3!*

2011-02-15T10:49:00.000-08:00

*If you haven’t read my two previous interviews with Darren Howell, please do so before reading this latest interview. Just go to:

Interview with Darren Howell, Part 1
Interview with Darren Howell, Part 2

JV: OK, let’s go back a bit. You initially optioned Arena, which you co-wrote with Toby Wagstaff, when?

DH: That feels like an eternity ago. If I remember right, we got the news on Good Friday [March 21], 2008.

JV: What were some of your experiences—both good and bad—with producers, development executives, prospective directors, etc. subsequent to optioning the script?

DH: It was nice to sit in on meetings—albeit via phone from London—while “Team Arena” met to discuss development, and it was awesome when the director sent me some conceptual sketches that had been done. What I didn't like was the long periods of silence, when nothing was happening.

JV: The director who sent you conceptual drawings—can you mention who he was? And how enthusiastic was he about Arena?

DH: The director Summit chose was a guy named Jeff Wadlow [Cry Wolf, Never Back Down]. He was a cool guy and really passionate about the script. I actually met with him [in June 2008] when I was out in L.A.

JV: What was the specific reason Summit put your script into turnaround?

DH: They stated it was too similar to Predators, which, to anyone that's read the script, is complete bullshit! It's also laughable that they had the script months before Predators was announced. See, this was the annoying thing: Arena was the script that Summit had to make, and ASAP. They also mentioned something about it being only a two quadrant picture...

JV: “Two quadrant” is a term I’m not familiar with…

DH: Apparently, movies are categorized in quadrants depending on the audience demographic: men under 25; men over 25; women under 25; and women over 25. For instance, a movie appealing to men under 25 would only be a one quadrant picture. Apparently Summit decided that Arena was only a two quadrant picture, and only appealed to men!

JV: From the time you optioned Arena, until it went into turnaround, how much rewriting were you asked to perform, and how much did you actually do?

DH: If I remember right, we did one full rewrite and a couple of minor polishes.

JV: Percentage-wise, how much did your script change from your original draft to the “full rewrite” you did?

DH: Our full rewrite wasn't overly heavy, if I remember correctly. I think the structure and beats of the script pretty much stayed unchanged. One thing that made me laugh was we had a big set piece where the modern day U.S. Rangers make their escape in a World War II army truck, while being pursued by dozens of Sioux Indians on horseback. It was all very exciting: flaming arrows, Indians scrambling over the truck, our protagonist hanging out of the cab fighting, limbs being hacked off, etc. There was a big hoo-haa about how it wasn't politically correct to show the extermination of Native Americans and we had to substitute them for Zulus, as it's obviously OK to gun down Africans in movies!

JV: Do you feel development of the script ultimately pushed the story closer to what Predators was? And if so, considering Summit ultimately decided it was all too “similar to Predators,” wouldn’t you say it’s rather ironic?

DH: That's kinda hard for me to answer. Personally, I think Arena is as close to Predators as Mary Poppins!

JV: You mentioned to me that you had gone through “a wide range of emotions” after Arena was dropped by Summit Entertainment. Tell me about that.

DH: Oh, I remember being numb, shaking, trying to put a brave face on, crying like a baby. You name it, I did it. I even wanted to fly out to L.A. and execute every motherfucker that worked for Summit. Obviously, I didn't. You just have to pick yourself up. What else can you do?

JV: So has this experience at all diminished your passion for pursuing a life as a professional screenwriter?

DH: Initially, yes; but as they say: “It's better to try and fail than not try at all.” If I don't keep at it I'll never know, will I? I believe that one day something good will come; I just have to keep plodding onwards. And I absolutely love writing, so it's not like it's a chore. Primarily, I'm doing it because I get immense fun out of it.

JV: What’s the current status of the Arena?

DH: There was a long period of just complete nothingness. Then, out of the blue, our agent said he'd sent it to Magnet Media Group [which recently produced 13, starring Jason Statham and Mickey Rourke; The Experiment, starring Adrien Brody and Forrest Whitaker; and Dark Tide, starring Halle Berry] and they were interested and a meeting had been set up. Apparently, the meeting went very well and Magnet was going to pick it up from Summit—they were really fired up by the script! The last I heard, all the transitional paperwork and finances were being finalized.

JV: So what are you working on now?

DH: I’ve just completed a romantic comedy about international football. I'm also currently trying to get a UK agent, in addition to my US rep, as a lot of my work gravitates towards the UK.

JV: Would you agree that screenwriting is definitely a numbers game and only the strong survive—and the only way to make it—to survive—is to keep writing and keep putting your material into the hands of people who can do you some good?

DH: I agree, but…write because you want to, not because you want riches, fame and glory. If you set out with the intention of turning yourself into an automated script production line, it's not gonna work and your writing will suffer.

JV: Once again, Darren, a big thank you for sharing your experiences here on The Working Screenwriter. Do keep us posted on further developments!

DH: Many thanks, Jim.

Late 2010 update...

2010-11-22T12:11:00.000-08:00

I'm recently back from a glorious, perfect week in NYC with my wonderful girlfriend. Even managed to get some good work done on my novel. As for the screenwriting game: I'm just waiting on a few things to pop. If they don't, they don't, but we'll see. Looking forward to 2011!

A few of you have told me how much you've enjoyed reading the Bukowski poems I've posted. Well, here's another one I happen to appreciate. Hope you do too!

the weak

are always proclaiming that
they are now going to concentrate
on their work, which is usually
painting or writing.
it is known, of course, that they have
talent, they simply haven’t…well…
they haven’t truly been given a
chance.
there were matters that got
in the way: bad affairs, children,
jobs, illness, etc.
but now, that’s all put aside, they
proclaim.
they are going to concentrate
on their work
they are finally going to do it
now.
they have the talent.
now the world will see.
oh yes, it’s going to happen.

the proclaimers are everywhere.
they are always getting
ready.
they seldom begin.
and when they do
they quit easily.
it’s all a whim with
them.
they want fame.
they want it quickly
but they really have no urge
to do their work
except for fame
and to proclaim,
proclaim,
proclaim.

-- charles bukowski

A Flick About...Screenwriters!

2010-10-05T01:35:00.000-07:00

Watched a cool little movie a couple days ago.
It’s low budget but well-done,
well-written, and the acting is quite solid.
It’s called The Blue Tooth Virgin.
If you’re a budding screenwriter—
even one who’s been at it a while—
I highly recommend this flick.
Rent it, buy it, but watch it.
Also…not only watch the movie, but listen to the audio commentary.
Trust me, it’s worth it.

Short Film News...

2010-08-12T02:17:00.000-07:00

A director—who also happens to be somewhat of a special effects wizard—will be producing a horror short I wrote.

This director and I met initially late in 2009. He had read the script and thought it was just what he was looking for. We discussed some minor changes (i.e., tweaking the original ending somewhat and trimming things up by a couple pages so we can keep the run time down), which I agreed to. So I went away and did a polish, then waited and waited and waited while this director completed other film obligations.

Well, the director recently sent word that the project is now a definite “go,” with shooting scheduled to begin the first week of September.

I think I’ve written a solid short. If this director does his job properly, and I think he will, it’s gonna make a nifty, horrific little flick. We’ll see.

For those of you saying, “But, Jim, there’s no money in short films!” Yes, of course you’re quite correct (at least for the most part). But gosh, it’d be pretty sad if everything we did was for the almighty buck.

Over the years I’ve had a blast working on projects that paid me very little or, frankly, nothing at all. One project that leaps to mind: doing some sound effects work on the James Cameron movie True Lies. My buddy and I were brought in by the sound editor (who has since won a couple of Oscars) to provide gunshot sound effects. We spent a good portion of the day out in a huge, desolate field in Frazer Park, blasting away at various surfaces (wood, metal, tin, brick, etc.) with a wide assortment of firearms—and we were using live ammunition! (And yes, in case you were wondering, we did manage to destroy one or two microphones in the process.) My buddy and I were paid some sort of token payment, maybe received a nice lunch out of it, but that's OK cuz we sure had some fun out there.

I guess what I’m saying here is: Don’t be afraid to get involved with low-paying/non-paying gigs. If it sounds like a worthy project, if it sounds like something that can be a learning experience, just go for it. After all, you never know who you might meet—and you never know how much of a good time you’ll have doing it!

A Bit of Good News...

2010-07-11T06:46:00.000-07:00

OK, so I had some good luck come my way not long ago. Here’s what happened:

Last October, I submitted a thriller script to a prodco here in L.A. (This is a company which I’m sure most of you have heard of. A solid company and they produce quality thrillers.) Though they really liked the script, they said it wasn’t quite up their alley. But…they asked if I would like to do a rewrite on an existing script they already had in development.

I had a couple of meetings, which went very well, then my rep worked out the details…and I was hired to do the rewrite. Two drafts, which I ultimately completed in about six weeks. I’m told the flick goes into production later this year. (Unfortunately, I won’t receive screen credit.)

Then…about a two months ago, the development exec at this same prodco gets in touch with my rep, asks if that original script I submitted last October was still available. (It seems that particular script was suddenly up their alley!) “Yes, it’s still available,” was the reply from my rep.

So I went in for a meeting…they suggested a handful of fairly minor changes…the deal was worked out…and I went to work on the changes.

I turned in the revised draft about two weeks ago.

A few days went by and we didn’t hear anything back. A full week went by, still nothing. Finally, they got in touch…and they really liked what I did with the rewrite. Great!

OK, so a couple days go by and we get this call from a producer at the company (a fella we hadn’t dealt with before), and he says: “We’ve decided to put your project on the shelf.”

WHAT?!

Then a few hours later we get another call from the same company, but this time it's from our main contact there. Turns out that the previous call about putting the project on the shelf was in error—“ooops, sorry”—and rest assured, my script was still in active development.

Anyway, as things stand now, the company wants me to do one more pass at the script. No major changes, just trimming up a couple of scenes. Not a big deal at all. If things go well—and really, anything can happen—they’re confident the script will go into production in spring 2011.

The roller-coaster ride continues. I’ll keep you posted on any further developments.

A "My Roommate Sam" Advertisement!

2010-06-29T01:24:00.000-07:00

"WHO is Sam?"

Watch the webseries everyone's talking about!
(Well, not everyone is talking about it,

but a lot of people sure are!)

"MY ROOMMATE SAM"

episodes 1, 2, 3 & 4

are now up at YouTube!

More episodes coming!

Episode 1 ("Jack’s Predicament”): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXO7xc4ia-g

Episode 2 (“Jack Meets Sam”): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFlha6DLO98

Episode 3 (“Gillian’s Reaction”): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6LkSe-i6aA

Episode 4 (“Jack Can’t Believe His Luck!"):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XLfvbE8rr8

The Big Debut: My Roommate Sam!

2010-06-02T00:23:00.000-07:00

I am very pleased to announce that the web series My Roommate Sam (created and written by yours truly) has hit the Net! Here’s what it’s all about…

My Roommate Sam is about a guy named Jack (Matt Devine), an aspiring young actor living in L.A. Sadly, his "acting career" isn't going so well. To top it off, his roommate (Mike Kersey) suddenly decides to pack up and move back to Ohio, leaving Jack without someone to share the exorbitant rent...and Jack's co-worker (Derek Lux) is super stuck-up and real pain in the ass...AND Jack has a cute little stalker named Gillian (Brandi Aguilar) who has a big crush on him and makes a big deal out of everything Jack does! Whew!

So, in search of a new roommate, Jack posts an on-line ad. A guy named Sam replies via e-mail and he really wants to see the apartment...and everything is turning out great until Sam arrives at the door. Problem is, Sam isn’t a guy. Nope, Sam (Rebekah Graf) is actually an outrageously hot young chick! Yes, folks, Jack is in L-O-V-E!

What will life be like with Jack and Sam, a single young guy and a single young gal, living together as "just" roommates? Will Jack make a complete idiot of himself? Will Gillian sabotage everything between Jack and Sam? Login and find out!

OK, so Casablanca it ain’t, but it’s a fun, sexy bit of entertainment and I think you’ll enjoy it.

Episode 1: "Jack's Predicament"
and Episode 2: "Jack Meets Sam" are now posted…additional episodes in the coming weeks!

Quote for the day...

2010-05-12T01:30:00.000-07:00

"There's nothing to stop a man from writing unless that man stops himself. If a man truly desires to write, then he will. Rejection and ridicule will only strengthen him. And the longer he is held back the stronger he will become, like a mass of rising water against a dam."

-- Charles Bukowski

END OF YEAR UPDATE...

2009-12-07T15:06:00.000-08:00

Well, we’re closing in on the end of another year. For me, 2009 was a year filled with some ups and some downs. Thankfully, mostly ups. For inquiring minds with a need to know, here’s an update on what I’ve been up to in the last few months:

Item #1: I’ve been working on a reality show. It’s an exciting idea. An idea that’s hard-hitting, gritty, and will—hopefully—benefit many in communities all over the country. The first episode has been shot (in the process of editing), the trailer cut, and sponsors are signing on.

Item #2: With regards to my web series My Roommate Sam…I’m really stumped, folks. The fella who ran the show on this one—he was the producer and the director—has basically disappeared off the face of the map. After months of telling cast and crew, “I’ve been editing. It looks really good. It’ll definitely go up soon,” none of us have heard a word from the guy. He doesn’t return calls or e-mail. It’s a head-scratcher, it really is. We put a lot of faith in this guy and he’s let us down. Well, he put up the money for the project, so I guess he can do what he wants, but I feel bad for those of us who put so much time and talent into the project. I think our actors and crew did a really solid job and they deserve to have their work seen. Who knows, perhaps one day soon Sam will hit the web. As with everything else in this business, we’ll just have to wait and see.

Item #3: I recently met with a producer who’s hot for one of my thriller scripts. He’s confident it’s a project he can get off the ground (not that this means a whole lot, but hey, it’s a start). He knows what it is I expect as far as option money and purchase price, credit and “back end” participation (cough cough), and he feels we can definitely make a deal. When he returns from Europe in a few days, we’ll proceed forward with our negotiations.

Item #4: A rather well-known production company (one that makes smaller genre movies) loves this action-adventure piece I wrote. It’s one of nine scripts they’re considering producing for 2010. Of the nine, they’ll choose six. This means I have a 66% chance of making a sale. Certainly not the worst percentage in the word. I should know something by the end of the year.

Item# 5: I’ve been toying with the idea of writing a book. Well, technically, I’ve already written a book (Q & A: The Working Screenwriter), but that was a book consisting of interviews with 16 working screenwriters. No, now I’m thinking of something in the form of a novel. I’ve been cranking out pages in recent weeks and really enjoying the process. Not quite sure why I’ve suddenly developed a tastes for this type of writing, but I have. Odd. Anyway, I’ll have to see where it all goes.

Item #6: I’m currently in the midst of a second draft of that script I was hired to rewrite a few months ago. The producer and I have butted heads on a few key elements of the script, but I think we’ve worked things out sufficiently. (He quite often asks me to make changes that simply won’t work. It’s up to me to justify my reasons why. I’m usually successful with these justifications. Not always, but usually.) I anticipate completing this second draft around the beginning of the New Year.

And that’s about it. For now. I plan on coasting through the rest of this year and tackling 2010 with my usual—and very necessary—passion and enthusiasm. Hope you’ll do the same.

Wishing health, happiness, and great success to you all in 2010!

JV

The Perfect Writing Spot...

2009-09-27T21:25:00.000-07:00

We all have preferred places to do our writing—places that make us feel comfortable, creative, and inspired. I know I do.

If you’ve followed this blog, you know that I get quite a bit of writing done at cool all-night diners, funky coffee houses, posh hotel lounges, the beach, middle-of-nowhere roadside rest stops, and even cruise ships. Just a yellow legal pad and pen, a cozy, relatively quiet spot to work, perhaps a nice view and a beverage of some sort, and I’m a truly happy fella.

Earlier today—while sweating through another 95 degree day in sunny L.A.—I got to thinking about perfect writing spots and happily recalled one of my all-time favorites. It was early last December at a Starbucks in New York City. There was nothing overly interesting or special about this particular Starbucks—I only went there because it was a couple blocks from my hotel.

Anyway...during that week last December, the city was experiencing some truly great fall weather: chilly, breezy, overcast days; not really raining, but everything was wet. As far as I’m concerned, that’s sheer perfection in the ol’ weather department. (Don’t ask me why I live in L.A. Just don’t.)

So, one drizzly late-afternoon I’m sitting in this Starbucks, cozily ensconced at a table near the window, a half-written script in front of me, people chatting happily all around me, the delightful music from A Charlie Brown Christmas wafting from the store’s sound system, and there’s this content little smile on my face. “Ahh”, I thought, “this is what it’s all about.” Then, as I do with all special moments in my life, I paused for a few seconds to really let it sink in. I even took a photo from where I sat (see above). Then I buckled down and cranked out a bunch more pages.

Now, this is the fab part about being a writer: you can do it just about anywhere. If you’re lucky—and my apologies for getting just a tad bit sappy here—you can find places in our world that have meaning and value to your inner being.

So do yourself a favor once in a while and find that perfect writing spot. Not only will you be doing an awful lot of good for your head, you’ll be doing a lot of good for your heart. For a writer, that can be a very good thing.

NEWSFLASH: THE END OF MY WEBSITE, BUT...

2009-09-20T18:03:00.000-07:00

Dear Everybody:

My popular website TheWorkingScreenwriter.com is no more. Yup, I got tired of scraping together the ten bucks a year to keep it up and running. But...all that great material—no, really, ALL OF IT—can now be found here on Blogger. Yes, the former website is now a blog! (Sure, it makes a certain amount of sense...doesn’t it?) So, from this day forth, please feel free to visit The Working Screenwriter 2 (catchy name, eh?) at:

http://theworkingscreenwriter2.blogspot.com/

PS: Please help me get the word out. Tell your friends! Tell your enemies! Tell anyone and everyone who wants to write movie scripts!

Not a bad couple of weeks!

2009-09-19T12:33:00.000-07:00

Item #1:

I finally signed that deal with the producer up north. I’ll be doing a rewrite on an existing screenplay. Have to get it done—a first draft anyway—in about five weeks. I got an early start and I’m already nearly halfway through. I’m anticipating a few stumbling blocks during this latter portion of the script, so I’ll need every moment of those five weeks. As for the deal we signed: I’ll get some solid up-front cash, co-writer credit, and a percentage of whatever the script sells for...if it sells. Happily, there’s a money guy who's already interested in seeing this project get made. If he approves my rewrite—and I'm confident he will—he's agreed to put up a good portion of the financing. Look, I certainly realize this is all a long shot, but hey, I’m having fun with the rewrite...and I put a few bucks in the ol’ back pocket!

Item #2:

So...a few weeks ago, a producer I know calls me and says, “I’d like you to send your script __________over to this development executive I know. I think it might be right up his alley.” My obvious response: “Sure!” So I send the script off to this development exec (who works for a prodco you all know). He e-mails me back, says, “Thanks for the script. I’ll definitely give it a read.” A week or so later he gets back to me. He says it’s a really good script—and he enjoyed it—but it’s not quite the sort of thing his company does. It “doesn’t fit our franchise.” But he says, “You’re a strong writer” and “I’ll read anything you send me.” Then he tops it off with, “It’s just a matter of finding the right script.” Then I remember a script I wrote a few years back. It might—might—just be something that would work well for them. So I pitched it. He says send it. I did. Two days later he e-mails: “I like this script. Let me run it by my partner.” So now I’m waiting for a response. The way I figure it, even if they don’t go for that particular script, they’ll read whatever I send them. With some luck, I think we’ll find—or I’ll eventually write—something that fits the franchise.

Item #3:

Tonight is the final performance of my play. I was in attendance with some friends last night and we had a lot of fun. The cast was in top form and the rest of the audience (a packed house!) seemed to enjoy it quite a bit. Who knows, I might tackle another play...one of these days.

Item #4:

I spoke with the producer/director of my upcoming web series MY ROOMMATE SAM. He’s putting the finishing touches on the first couple episodes, so hopefully there will be a premiere soon. I know I’ve been building this up for a looooong while. I do hope it’s all worth it. I wish I had more control over the final product. But what can ya do? You just gotta hope for the best. Anyway, as soon as I know something, you’ll know something.

Interview with Darren Howell: September 2009 Update...

2009-09-12T12:38:00.000-07:00

In April 2008, Summit Entertainment optioned the sci-fi action spec Arena written by first-time feature writers Toby Wagstaff and Darren Howell. The story of Arena revolves around a group of modern-day soldiers mysteriously transported from the thick of battle to a terrain-shifting landscape where they must fight the best warriors from different eras and histories in a gladiatorial fight to the death or be killed by the all-powerful operators of the "Arena." Last week, the UK-based Darren gave me a quick update on the progress made by producers. (Be sure to read Darren’s initial interview from June 20, 2008.)

JV: What’s the current status of the project?

DH: Things are ticking along and progressing from what I understand.

JV: So...the BIG question I have to ask: Have you been able to quit your day job yet?

DH: Noooo...still working the Underground [the UK rail system]. To be honest, I never expected to be able to quit on the strength of one sale, and I wasn't going to do anything dumb like just walk out. It's good in a way—it gives me some good time to think up new stuff and develop ideas.

JV: Are the producers keeping you involved in the rewrite process?

DH: The rewrite is done. They're happy with it, apparently. There are meetings taking place.

JV: Thus far, what’s been the most frustrating aspect of the development process for you?

DH: Probably being so far away and missing out on the meetings; the face to face interaction, if you like. They get me on the phone when possible—or when we're invited! But it's a pain in the arse sometimes.

JV: I don’t want to get you into trouble with the powers-that-be on the production, but have you experienced any Development Hell?

DH: I don't think there's been any Development Hell yet as such. My own “hell” is my impatience. Everything seems to take sooooooo long. Is that me—or is that Hollywood in general?

JV: Do you find the producers are resistant to your ideas as the script is being developed?

DH: Haven't really encountered that as yet.

JV: What are some of the most exciting aspects of where you are now in the process?

DH: I just find the whole thing pretty exciting—that someone's gonna make a movie out of an idea you had! I'll probably go into excitement overdrive during the actual production and when I see it on the screen.

JV: Has a director been attached to the project?

DH: Yes, Jeff (Cry Wolf) Wadlow. It's been announced in the trade papers, so no one's gonna shoot me for telling you. He's a great guy. I met him when I was out [in Los Angeles] last. He's really enthusiastic about Arena and has had some neat ideas of his own.

JV: Have any actors been attached?

DH: Not yet, I don't think. I have my own fantasy cast list though.

JV: Have you shared your "fantasy cast" list with the producers? If so, what sort of response did you get?

DH: No, Toby and I have run a few names between us, but only for fun. There were a few names floating around when I met Jeff last June, but I think this was more his own fantasy cast list. I guess casting relies a lot on what they finally fix the budget at, so we'll just have to wait and see, and hopefully be pleasantly surprised.

JV: Now that you have a screenplay on the fast track, now that you're getting some nice attention, have you been offered any other screenwriting assignments?

DH: Yeah, we've had a few things come our way, but nothing solid for one reason or another. We got asked to take a look at the Highlander remake, which was pretty cool as I love the original, but we lost out to the guys that wrote Ironman.

JV: Give me some detail on going up for the Highlander remake. How did that all evolve—and finally, devolve?

DH: Off the back of our sale of Arena, we were asked by Summit to come up with a treatment for their re-imagining of the original Highlander. We were pretty fired up by it—I LOVE the original! Anyway, we submitted our ideas during a lengthy meeting (with me on the phone in London). They really seemed to like our take. So the waiting game started...until we found out the guys that wrote Iron Man got the job. C'est la vie, I guess. The more experienced guys got the job.

JV: Do you have other screenplays on the shelf? If so, now that you’ve got a project in development/pre-production, are you garnering any interest in those screenplays?

DH: We've got our old faithful “The Duritz Find” waiting in the wings after a radical strip down, re-jigging and title change. And I'm currently working on a cheeky chappy cockney crime caper, kinda like The Italian Job (the original!) meets Snatch. And we've got a few other ideas...

JV: You’ve struggled over the years and now you’re enjoying the fruits of that struggle. What piece of advice would you give the budding screenwriter—the writer who’s in the midst of his or her own struggle?

DH: Well, I dunno if I'd go as far as “enjoying the fruits of your struggle” yet, after all I'm still plodding along with the day job. However, I understand what you're getting at. I've always believed, as the adage goes: “It's better to try and fail, than not try.” It's like I said before, if you have faith in what you're doing; if you have what you believe to be a good solid product—stick with it. All the more better if your circle of family and friends and guinea pig readers agree! Keep going, don't give up. And the beauty of writing is that there's not much of an initial outlay—most people have got a PC and some paper. Personally, I have an awesome writing partner who I couldn't do without. I'm not suggesting that having a writing partner is essential, but it’s worked for me!

* * *

Thanks for keeping us posted on things, Darren. I’m sure all my WS blog readers join me in wishing you continued success with Arena—and we look forward to future updates! (And perhaps a ticket to the premiere for yours truly.)

A New Rewrite Gig...

2009-09-10T10:25:00.000-07:00

An assignment recently came my way from a producer up north.

George (not his real name) had a script that—he felt—needed a minor rewrite. Sure, sounds good. But first I needed to read the script. So he sent me a copy. It took me a while, but I eventually got through it.

A “minor” rewrite? Um, no, this thing needed a major rewrite. It needed to be torn down to its base and rebuilt. The script contained all the usual maladies: on-the-nose dialogue, yawn-inducing descriptions, scenes that did absolutely nothing to push the story forward...all the usual novice stuff. I relayed all this via several pages of notes. OK, so now George is definitely interested in having me do the rewrite. But before we sign the deal, I wanted him to know precisely what I’d be doing to the script. He needed to know that I wasn’t going to simply tweak a few words here and there. No, I was pretty much gonna eviscerate the script. He also needed to know that my eventual rewrite draft would be something that could actually sell. So I took the first few scenes of the script and rewrote them.

Three days after I e-mailed my rewrite pages I still hadn’t heard back from him. So I shot off an e-mail: “What’s up? Did you get the pages I sent?” I heard back a few hours later. George admitted that he was somewhat shocked by my changes. He said, “I expected a light trim. What you gave me was a buzz cut!” I told him, “Trust me, it’s precisely what the script needs.”

So a few more days go by and I don’t hear a single word from him. I figured I scared him off. But he finally contacts me, saying, “I gave the script to an associate of mine. I wanted to get his opinion on the changes you made.” So here’s the e-mail George received from the associate:

“Honestly, your screenwriter is doing you a service. Your draft is lovely, but the pacing is very slow, laborious and you will lose your audience quickly. The screenwriter has picked up the pace for you immensely, given it some energy and kept it moving so that it keeps the reader’s interest. You lose none of the beauty of the story in his draft; he has just focused it more—to highlight the important beats. I think you should stick with him.”

So, thanks to his very perceptive associate, George now has a newfound respect for my abilities and is most agreeable to the changes I need to make. The first installment of my fee has been paid and the rewrite is coming along nicely. Contrary to popular belief among many novice screenwriters, rewriting can be a lot of fun. I’ve really been enjoying tackling this script and transforming unworkable scenes into scenes that, well...work. I plan to have a first rewrite draft in the next few weeks. With some luck, I’ll have a “final” draft—something George can take to money people, actors, etc.—completed by mid-October. That’s my plan, anyway.

UPDATE: SUMMER 2009...

2009-08-18T15:17:00.000-07:00

Sorry for being away for so long. It’s been a crazy couple of months.

On the personal side: the house I live in has been getting a major makeover. New paint job, new carpeting, some construction. Right now the place looks like a typhoon hit it.

Then my parked car got totaled by some idiot who wasn’t paying attention to where he was driving. It all worked out: I got a slightly newer, marginally better car.

Then my somewhat off-kilter ex-wife came into town and turned my life upside down for a couple of weeks. (The poor girl has some, um, issues.)

But yup, it’s been a fairly hectic summer. No time for some of the luxuries I usually enjoy. To wit, I typically blaze through four or five movies from Netflix each week. I’m now down to a mere one movie a week. Yikes!

On the professional front: I recently completed a quick writing gig. A proposal for a reality series. Just three pages. Fun and creative. Easy money.

I’m waiting to start work on creating a treatment for an existing story (not mine) for a producer here in town. The person I'll be working with is a pretty well-known music producer. Should be fun.

I’m also gearing up to do a co-write job on an existing script with a “writer” up in Seattle. We still have some contractual issues to iron out, but hopefully it’ll all come together in the next week or so.

Last month my manager brought me three potential gigs: two page-one rewrites and one from-scratch assignment. Alas, not one of these jobs actually materialized for me. C’est la vie.

I’ve been doing a fairly steady stream of script critiques. (I guess summer is when people need critiques!) A couple of the scripts were, quite surprisingly, pretty decent. They need a lot of work, but they might actually become marketable. Hopefully I gave the writers what they need to get their scripts whipped into shape.

As for my Web-series My Roommate Sam: I just got word that the first episode has nearly completed post-production and will soon premier. Geesh, finally.

A play I wrote—yes, a play, and the only one I’ve ever written—just got picked up by a theater group here in L.A. It’s scheduled to go up for two weekends next month. This could go over well or it could become a dismal abomination. We’ll just have to hope for the best and see where it goes. (If it does become an abomination, I'll be thankful that it's only a play and not captured forever on film.)

A couple months ago I mentioned that I was planning to do a follow-up interview with UK screenwriter Darren Howell. I have yet to do it...but I will. Soon.

And finally...I’m giving very serious thought to shutting down my website The Working Screenwriter. What I’m planning to do is transfer all the info on the site over to a standard blog (like the one you’re reading now). I think it’ll work just fine. It’ll have all the same great information for the novice and intermediate scribe—and I won’t have to pay a fee every year to keep it running. (Anyway, I never ever liked the way the website looked.) If I do this, and I’m sure I will, it’ll happen in the next few weeks. I’ll keep you posted.

Stuff you can look at...and some Mr. Creepy news!

2009-06-21T18:36:00.000-07:00

And now, a bit of silliness...

About five years ago I was visiting my old pal Taunia (pronounced “Tanya”) for the weekend at her home in Arizona. One of the things I’ve always really liked about Taunia—and we’ve known each other for 30 years—is her never-ending well of creativity. She’s game for just about anything.

Anywho...one afternoon during my visit, we decided to get out the ol’ digital camera and shoot something. This is what I refer to as a “Spontaneous Film”—something made at the spur of the moment. No planning, no real thought other than to do something fun and creative for a few hours.

(Please hold your critiques about how the lighting sucks, or how the camera work could’ve been better. None of that is really important. This is merely a matter of coming up with an idea, a bit of goofy wardrobe, a prop or two, shooting it, then cutting it all together. What ya get is what ya get.)

This particular short is entitled “Home for Lunch.” In it, I play a rather high-spirited, rotund little man who has an appetite for mid-day snacks and a penchant for...well, you’ll just have to see for yourself.

What’s funny, at least to me, is that I haven’t really thought about this project since we shot it. It was just another bit of silliness I got involved in. Lo and behold, Taunia sent me this edited/scored version just last week. (Five years—what took her so long?)

I’ll tell ya, I actually got a kick out of it. I found it to be alternately silly and, um, oddly disturbing. So I figured I’d share it with all of you WS readers...and I hope you find it at least somewhat entertaining. If not, please forward your letters of hostility to Taunia. I’m sure she’d love to hear from you.

To watch “Home for Lunch," click here! (PS: For the record, no, that’s not my real stomach you’ll be seeing.)

"Mr. Creepy" news!

For those of you following my long saga with “Mr. Creepy” (see January 12, 2009 blog entry): Well, ol’ Mr. C finally realized he was wrong about me trying to destroy him. It seems somebody was passing himself off as me and wreaking havoc upon poor Mr. C’s already damaged psyche. But I’m pleased to announce that Mr. C has done the right thing and pulled all his let’s-bash-Jim-Vines videos from his YouTube account. So there.

A thought for the day...

2009-06-10T13:59:00.000-07:00

OK, so I’ve got a question for all of you. Here it is:

Why do we create?

Is it for the FAME? Is it for the GLORY? Is it for the MONEY?

Fame? Quick, name five “famous” screenwriters. Let’s see, William Goldman...Shane Black...um... wait, don’t tell me...

Glory? OK, so who won Best Screenplay at this year’s Academy Awards?

Money? Hmm, what’s the statistic from the Writers Guild? I think the average screenwriter make about $60,000 a year.

So if you’re looking for “fame,” “glory,” or big bucks, the life of a screenwriter probably isn’t for you.

For me, it’s about the creative process. Just the notion that I can come up with the germ of an idea...cultivate that idea...nurture it, hone it...slowly transform it into 100 pages of marketable screenplay...well, that’s pretty darn exciting. And if we’re lucky enough to have those 100 pages turned into a movie, and even luckier that a modicum of fame, glory, and money follow...it’s all icing on the cake.

Another exciting phase to the creative process is what happens to your work once it’s set forth into the world.

I had an experience just the other day...an experience that pretty much sums it all up for me. It clarified my own personal reason why I love to create the things I create.

I was chatting on the phone with a friend/business associate. She was telling me how much she enjoyed a couple of my recently-completed screenplays. Being the fairly modest fellow I am (no, really, I am), I downplayed it with the usual, “Yeah, I think they’re pretty good.” But no, she insisted that they were really quite excellent. She was, apparently, very entertained by both scripts. (I should point out that she is currently trying to get these scripts to the next level: a producer who will actually buy them.) Then she mentioned a short film that I made a few years back. She said she really loved this little film. In fact, she loved it enough to send it to several of her friends. Apparently they loved it too. In fact, one friend told her something like, “The day you sent me the link to Jim’s film, I was really feeling low. Pretty miserable. But I watched the film. I have to tell you, I laughed and laughed. It really cheered me up.”

Wow, that’s a pretty terrific feeling. It’s nice to know that this little movie I made...this goofy little project my childhood friend and I did simply to do it, to have a little fun and work our creative muscles a bit...had the ability to transform a person’s day from gloomy to, well, just a little bit sunnier. Yup, a pretty terrific feeling, all right.

This, friends, is why I create.

So think of that the next time to sit down to write your screenplay, or shoot that funny little YouTube video, or paint that picture, or shoot a photograph suitable for framing, realize that you’re creating something that will more than likely touch other people in same way. You will created something that says, I was here.

That’s all. Have a great day.

And oh...if you’d like to watch my aforementioned short film, just go here. I hope it puts at least one smile on your face. (If this link doesn’t work, simply go to spike.com and type “That Darn Bill” into the search box.)

A New Screenwriting Site: A Review...

2009-06-08T14:53:00.000-07:00

Fellow screenwriter Ashley Scott Meyers contacted me recently, asking if I’d do a review of his new screenwriting website SellingYourScreenplay.com. He said I could give the site a positive or negative review...just as long as I helped him get the word out that the site is up and running. Sure, I’m always happy to help a fellow scribe...

So I gave the website a whirl.

Now, as we all know (or should know), there aren’t necessarily any easy answers in the screenwriting arena. There is no true “best” way to do any of it. So I’m always a bit dubious of any book or website that even vaguely proclaims, "This is how you sell your script." I’m not saying that Mr. Meyers’ website is proclaiming any easy pathways or any surefire methods to selling a screenplay, but with a site name such as "Selling Your Screenplay,” well...

OK, so just who is this Ashley Scott Meyers?

Well, he’s the author of—yup, you guessed it— Selling Your Screenplay (which I have not read), and the writer or co-writer of three movies: Man Overboard (2008), Reunion (2005), and Dish Dog (2000). It seems only the latter is available via Netflix and Amazon.

But honestly, do we really need another screenwriting website regurgitating all the usual information? How many times can we read topics such as, “How to Write a Query Letter,” or ““Who Do You Address Your Query Letter To?” or “Should I Put My WGA Registration Number on My Screenplay?” or “How to Get an Agent”? Um, come to think of it, with the endless stream of people diving into the screenwriting pool on a daily basis, people looking for any crumb of information (and face it, most do tend to ask the same monotonous questions over and over again), perhaps one more “how-to” site can’t hurt. With that in mind, if SellingYourScreenplay.com happens to be one of the first screenwriting website you land on, you could probably do far worse.

You’ll find a modicum of solid advice on the site. Mr. Meyers comes across as earnest, likeable, and truly seems to have a sincere desire to help the neophyte screenwriter. I found no trace of an over-inflated ego or “DO-IT-THIS-WAY” dogma. Though a handful of topics/subjects are “the same ol’, same ol,” I found at least one entry, “How I Optioned and Sold My First Screenplay,” particularly valuable.

My chief complaint: aside from the aforementioned entry (and a few others), there’s nothing truly unique being imparted on the site. Virtually all the information can be found on a hundred or so other screenwriting sites, my own included. (I should point out that SellingYourScreenplay.com has only been in existence a relatively short time. As of this moment, June 2009, there isn’t what I’d call a wealth of information posted. I’m confident it will be far more comprehensive six months or a year from now. At least we can hope so.)

Another complaint—a minor one, really—is the plethora of Google ads positioned throughout. I noticed one or two for a notorious “scam” lit agency. I know this isn’t the fault of Mr. Meyers (those ads are automatically placed by Google)...I just think that sort of thing tends to drop a site’s legitimacy a notch or two.

So, do I think this site is a waste of time? No, absolutely not. If you’ve been around the block once or twice in the ol’ screenwriting game, you probably won’t discover too much that’s new and exciting. However...I’m confident that novice and intermediate scribes alike will find a few valuable nuggets that will aid them in their journey through the Hollywood maze. That, along with Mr. Meyers’ seemingly genuine desire to aid the budding screenwriter, certainly makes a visit to SellingYourScreenplay.com worthy of your time.

So who needs a critique? + The "best of" The Working Screenwriter!

2009-05-18T18:44:00.000-07:00

Here I am, sitting around with not a heck of a lot to do at the moment. As I mentioned in a previous blog entry, I’m sort of on hold, waiting for other people to make a move, to make a decision. So I wait...and wait...and wait. But that’s fine cuz it means I have some extra time for script critiques!

This leads me to the question: Do YOU need your script critiqued? If so, here I am, ready, willing...and very able!

Is your script’s structure out of whack?
Is your dialogue flat, unrealistic, and/or on-the-nose?
Are your descriptive passages superfluous and/or overwritten?
Do you have scenes and/or characters that are unnecessary?
Is your formatting completely wrong??

Sorry to break it to you, but chances are pretty decent that you can answer “yes” to at least one of the above. But that’s OK—the time to fix all that is before you send it to the powers that be in Hollywood.

The basics: I currently charge $2.75 per script page (so a 100-page script would be $275.00) for an in-depth critique.

I usually generate a minimum of 15 pages for an average screenplay (and it’s not at all unusual to generate 20+ pages).
I prefer a hard copy snail-mailed to me, but a PDF is fine.
Turnaround time is 5-7 days.
Notes will be e-mailed to you.

For further info and/or to get the ball rolling on your critique, please contact me at theworkingscreenwriter(at)yahoo.co.

While I have your attention...

Some of you fine folks have asked me to compile a “best of” my blog. Below you’ll find links to a handful of my more popular blogs. If you've never read them (shame on you!!), then here's your chance.

“Confessions Of A Competition Winner”:
http://theworkingscreenwriter.blogspot.com/2008/05/confessions-of-competition-winner_12.html

“Interview: Darren Howell”:
http://theworkingscreenwriter.blogspot.com/2008/06/interview-darren-howell.html

“An Interview: Agent X!”:
http://theworkingscreenwriter.blogspot.com/2008/08/interview-agent-x.html

“Dialogue: Getting It Right”:
http://theworkingscreenwriter.blogspot.com/2007/02/dialogue-gettin-it-right.html

“Jumpin’ Through Hoops...and Not Even Getting’ Paid For It?!”:
http://theworkingscreenwriter.blogspot.com/2007/02/jumpin-through-hoopsand-not-even-gettin.html

“Ya Gotta Get The Work Done”:
http://theworkingscreenwriter.blogspot.com/2007/02/gotta-get-work-done.html

“Does One Page Really = One Minute?”:
http://theworkingscreenwriter.blogspot.com/2007/03/does-one-page-really-one-minute.html

“What’s REALLY Important”:
http://theworkingscreenwriter.blogspot.com/2007/04/whats-really-important.html

“If It Don’t Belong, It’s Outta There!”:
http://theworkingscreenwriter.blogspot.com/2007/05/if-it-dont-belong-its-outta-there.html

“The Outlining Process (part 1)”:
http://theworkingscreenwriter.blogspot.com/2007/05/outlining-process-part-1.html

“The Outlining Process (part 2)”:
http://theworkingscreenwriter.blogspot.com/2007/06/outlining-process-part-2.html

“Words Of Warning For The Novice (And Not-So-Novice) Screenwriter”:
http://theworkingscreenwriter.blogspot.com/2007/07/words-of-warning-for-novice-and-not-so.html

My Podcast Interview on Movie Geeks:
http://theworkingscreenwriter.blogspot.com/2007/08/movie-geeks-interview-is-up.html

“Action Scenes!!”:
http://theworkingscreenwriter.blogspot.com/2007/09/action-scenes.html

“Directing On Paper”:
http://theworkingscreenwriter.blogspot.com/2007/09/directing-on-paper.html

“Writer’s Groups” (Interview From BackStage Magazine):
http://theworkingscreenwriter.blogspot.com/2007/09/interview-writers-groups.html

“Script Length: The Debate Rages On”:
http://theworkingscreenwriter.blogspot.com/2007/10/script-length-debate-rages-on.html

“There’s More To A Good Script Than Formatting”:
http://theworkingscreenwriter.blogspot.com/2007/10/theres-more-to-good-script-than.html

“K.I.S.S. = Keep It Simple Screenwriter”:
http://theworkingscreenwriter.blogspot.com/2007/10/kiss-keep-it-simple-screenwriter.html

“It’s...It’s...The Blank Stare!”:
http://theworkingscreenwriter.blogspot.com/2007/11/itsitsthe-blank-stare_02.html

“”We See” (And Other “Rules”)”:
http://theworkingscreenwriter.blogspot.com/2007/11/we-see-and-other-rules.html

“The Reality Of A Screenwriter’s Life”:
http://theworkingscreenwriter.blogspot.com/2007/11/reality-of-screenwriters-life.html

“Screenplay Competitions”:
http://theworkingscreenwriter.blogspot.com/2007/12/screenplay-competitions.html

“Parenthetical Directions”:
http://theworkingscreenwriter.blogspot.com/2008/03/parenthetical-directions.html

“The Comedy Screenplay: But Is It Funny?”:
http://theworkingscreenwriter.blogspot.com/2008/04/writing-comedy-but-is-it-funny.html

Well, that's showbiz!

2009-05-06T23:16:00.002-07:00

I got word yesterday that the Canadian prodco will NOT be renewing the option on my script. They site the troubled economy as the ultimate reason they couldn’t pull together the financing. This puts to an end a deal that’s been in the works for more than three years. Three years of meetings, e-mails, phone calls, yadda yadda yadda.

When a disappointment like this happens, I do what I always do: I kick into high gear and get my reps to put the feelers out, get in touch with folks who might've shown some interest early on. Then I start making phone calls and sending e-mails on my own. I’ve already got some potential prospects percolating.

So, onward and upward.

But who knows, maybe when the economy turns around, and when money starts flowing again, that Canadian company will want to get rolling on things again. Sure, that’d be great...if I haven’t already sold the script, that is.

I’ll keep ya posted.

Oh, one more thing...a couple of you have written to me, asking "What happened to your Izen-Vines website?" For those of you who don't know, the Izen-Vines site was sort of a fun "tribute" site that explored my fun, very creative days attending Beverly Hills High School in the late-70s, early-80s. Sadly, the site in no more. Nope, we couldn't scrape together the $9.00 to keep it in operation. But for those of you who are at all interested (and maybe just a little bit bored out of your minds), you can visit the MySpace page of the the all-time #1 Izen-Vines fan, Nezi Nevins. In fact, here's the link: myspace.com/nezinevins.

So stop by, say howdy to ol' Nezi, take a gander at some of the goofball pictures of yours truly...and have a laugh. Or not.

Wow, it's already May??

2009-05-02T13:02:00.000-07:00

Still in a holding pattern...

...with a few of my projects. I should find out any day now whether or not the prodco up in Canada will extend the option on my script. They've already had the script about three years. The last I heard, they were getting close to obtaining full financing. But ya never know how these things will work out. So we wait.

Web-series news...

We wrapped our final day of shooting earlier this week. Now it’s into the editing room to put it all together. I’m hoping we can roll out the first couple of episodes by the end of June. As always, I’ll keep you posted.

On a sad note...

Entertainer Danny Gans passed away early yesterday at the young age of 52.

For those of you unaware of who Mr. Gans was, he was an entertainer who has performed regularly in Las Vegas for several years.

My friend Craig and I had the great pleasure of seeing Mr. Gans perform last May 29th at the spectacular Wynn hotel in Las Vegas. Let me tell you, I’m a guy who is very difficult to impress, but Mr. Gans sure impressed me. Wow, what a show. For 90 minutes, he tore up the stage with impersonations of just about any singer or dancer you can think of. His repartee with the audience was hilarious. No dirty jokes, no crass innuendo—this was clean, wholesome entertainment.

After returning to L.A. a couple days later, I couldn’t stop raving about Mr. Gans. I told everyone I knew, “When you go to Vegas, you gotta see this guy!”

But what I found so special about Mr. Gans—other than his extraordinary talent—was his humility. He stopped the show to tell the audience that he knew he was a very lucky man indeed. He had a fantastic wife and great kids, and a career that far surpassed anything he’d ever dreamed. He was also active in many charity organizations.

Yes, Danny Gans had a full life...and he will be greatly missed.

Here are some clips of Danny to enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-9l9bdKsDc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BWqVygS83Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEm7cmqWvPI

What’s new in Jim’s world?

2009-03-25T23:38:00.000-07:00

Well, for those of you who care (and even for those of you who don’t), here’s the latest:

Item 1: The web-series is almost done shooting. We had some rain delays, an extra day or two tacked on due to scheduling and location conflicts, but right now it looks as if we’re down to just one more day of principal photography (giving us a total of seven days). It’s been a fun shoot, the actors, the director and crew have all done a bang-up job, and I’m quite pleased with what we’ve got in the can. I’m hoping we can start posting these first seven episodes by late spring. I’ll keep ya posted on a “grand premier” date.

Item 2: Last week my manager sent a producer (one I’ve worked for previously) a recently-completed thriller script of mine. The producer read it...then got back to us. Though he said he liked it well enough (insisting it was something he would’ve been interested in a year ago), he made it clear that the releasing company he now works with is looking for "different" material. Um, OK, so what kind of material are they looking for? Well, it seems even the releasing company isn’t sure what they’re looking for, as requirements change for them virtually on a monthly basis! Well, whatever. One producer down, a few more to go.

Item 3: Earlier this month I had a meeting down in San Diego with a guy who was looking to hire a screenwriter for a true-life story. In fact, it was his true-life story. (You old-school, hardcore skateboarding fans would definitely know who this fella is. He was HUGE back in the 70s and 80s.) Anyway, I sat with this gentleman (now in his late-40s) for about an hour and tossed around some ideas. He seemed to really like my "take" on things. Then we shook hands and went our separate ways. Maybe something will come of this meeting; then again, maybe not...but hey, San Diego sure was nice!

Item 4: I was at a tuxedo rental store in Beverly Hills last week, picking up a tuxedo for the wedding of one of my best friends. I was just about to leave when a gentleman (who had just completed a fitting) asked if I was getting married. "Nope. Been there, done that. My best friend is the one on the chopping block this time." For some really odd reason, the gentleman then asked what I did for a living. I told him that I was a screenwriter. His face lit up. I then spent the next 45 minutes listening as he pitched this rather interesting (though not necessarily commercial) story he’d like to see turned into a movie. We traded some ideas, and I schooled him a bit on how the film industry works (he was a real estate developer). He seemed pretty excited about it all. Then I gave him my card, the contact information for my manager...and I walked out the door with my tux. It’s now more than a week later and we have yet to hear anything from the guy. To be honest, I didn’t actually think he’d get in touch, but ya kinda gotta wonder why he’d go to all the trouble about telling me this story, then all the bla bla bla about he’d "really like to move forward on this!" In Hollywood, talk is cheap. Actually picking up a phone an making a call and making things happen...well, that’s another story.

Item 5: My thriller project up in Canada (which has been in the works for at least a few years now) seems to be inching closer to full financing (yawn). If the financing doesn’t come through by the time the option expires in early May, I’m hoping the producers decide to renew. Based on recent conversations they’ve had with my rep, I’m thinking they will. Then again, this is the film business we’re talking about. We’ll see.

Item 6: Another producer is currently trying to get financial backing for one of my scripts. Unfortunately, with the economy the way it’s been, money is awfully tight, and getting movies made is even more difficult than usual. (Yup, it’s pretty bleak out there, folks. This crazy economy has even managed to sideline the El Salvador project I wrote last year. Well, at least I got paid in full on that one!) But I got word a few days ago that this producer has a potential backer who might read the script if we can pitch it to him in a brief written synopsis. Ugh, I hate writing those things. Anyone who knows me knows it’s easier for me to write a full-length screenplay than it is to write a one-page synopsis. Well, I guess I’ll just have to buckle down and do it. UPDATE: I wrote the synopsis in two days. The potential backer seemed to like it well enough to request a script, which went out today.

And finally, only in Hollywood...

My buddy Craig and I hit a few west side watering holes last night. Our final stop (at 12:15 in the morning) was at a bar in Beverly Hills. As we pulled into the valet parking garage, I noticed a young guy and girl sitting cozily on a couch; both were quietly checking their Blackberries. Then I realized the guy wasn’t a guy. Nope, it was Samantha Ronson...and the attractive girl with her was Lindsay Lohan. Now, this is Beverly Hills and you tend to see this sort of thing all the time, so that’s not what I found interesting. No, what I found interesting was that it was Craig and I, Samantha and Lindsay, a couple of parking attendants...and not a single crazed paparazzi with a camera. Not one! Hmm, I guess they’d been there earlier and had their fill of picture-taking. Or maybe paparazzos don’t work past midnight?

The Collaborative Process...

2009-02-17T23:57:00.001-08:00

Ya know, the Collaborative Process is truly an amazing thing. For me, it’s what makes filmmaking such a thrilling (and fun!) form of expression.

During our shoot last night (or this morning, depending on how you look at it), something really pretty cool occurred. We were working on this one scene—a fantasy sequence, a brief, fun little scene. As originally written, it was roughly half a page.

About three weeks ago, the director called me and asked if I’d be willing to tweak that particular scene a bit. He told me his idea, which I loved. So yes, I was happy to rework the scene and send him the revision ASAP.

So, fast forward a few weeks (to last night, in fact) and we’re on the set and preparing to shoot the revised sequence. For reasons that aren’t at all important to this anecdote, the three actors in the scene only had a chance to read the revision mere moments prior to shooting.

OK, so this is where the cool part comes in.

Our three actors really seemed to get a kick out of the new scene (which became funnier and weirder in the rewrite). Infused by sudden inspiration, each actor made certain choices with regards to their wardrobe and the blocking of the scene. I chimed in with an idea or two. Our camera operator came up with interesting camera moves and lighting. Even our sound guy made a suggestion. Sure, I realize this is what generally happens during the course of shooting any scripted film or TV production (especially in the low budget arena), but what made this so much fun is that it all came together in such a spontaneous burst of creativity—all these creative people pitching in to make that half-page scene far more than what I initially envisioned. So, pretty cool, don't ya think?

Collaboration: it’s pretty exiting stuff...if you allow it to happen.

WEB-SERIES UPDATE: HALFWAY THERE!

2009-02-17T05:38:00.000-08:00

Well, it’s 5:30 in the morning and I’ve just come off a nearly 13-hour shooting day. We are now halfway through filming the first seven episodes of the web-series. We would’ve been a bit further along by now if it hadn’t been for a rainstorm last week. But the shoot has been going well—on schedule each day and problems and obstacles have been few.

On our first night, literally the penultimate shot, and after 10 hours of shooting, a LAPD helicopter decided to circle over our location for quite a while. So we waited...and waited...and waited. The copter eventually raced off into the night and we were able to get our final shots and wrap for the day (at 12:30 in the morning).

My primary role during production has been as on-set still photographer (which was something I did during my pre-screenwriting days). And hey, if a sandbag needs lugging, or a boom pole needs holding, or if a set needs to be dressed up a little, I’m more than happy to lend a hand. It’s all part of the fun of being involved in such a project. I’m also on-hand to assist with any dialogue tweaks that might arise. Yes, I even managed to insert myself into one brief scene—and wrote myself a bit of dialogue, too!

As for the small crew: they’re professional and hardworking. The actors, as I’ve mentioned in a previous blog, are enthusiastic, eager to do a good job and come well-prepared. In fact, they know the script better than I do! Most important of all: our crafts service has been quite good. OK, so I’m being a bit facetious here. But as anyone who’s been involved in a TV or film production will tell you, having sufficient food and drink available on the set can (and will) make or break a production. So a big THANKS to our producer for providing some pretty decent sustenance during our shooting days!

So...things look pretty good as of this moment. With some luck, and if the stormy skies don’t unleash another torrent upon us, we’ll wrap shooting next week. Stay tuned!

WEB-SERIES NEWS!

2009-02-01T13:43:00.000-08:00

My web-series is set to begin shooting the second week of February. Our producer, who also happens to be the director, has made up the schedule, and it looks like we’ll be doing 47 pages (that’s seven episodes) in six days. Luckily, our cast is small and our locations are relatively few, so this shouldn’t be an overly optimistic schedule (knock wood).

I have to say that I’m quite pleased with the way this project has taken shape. Our first assembly of the cast at a table-read a couple weeks ago went quite well; everyone involved is professional, enthusiastic and eager to do a good job.

From my side of the fence: other than the director requesting a tweak of one brief scene, and the reworking of another scene to incorporate a bit of product placement, I haven’t been asked to make any radical changes. I’m sure things will be altered somewhat during shooting, but that’s to be expected. As long as it doesn’t get too out of hand (“The hotel clerk in scene nine will now be portrayed by a gorilla!”), I’m fine with that.

Of course, the final result of all our efforts is what counts most, so we’ll just have to wait and see. But I’m confident about this. When those 47 pages are shot and cut together, I think we’ll have ourselves an amusing, somewhat naughty little series we can all be proud of—a series that will find itself a loyal and dedicated audience.

I’ll keep ya posted.

Web-series News, “Hey, Where’d My Thriller Go?” & “Mr. Creepy”

2009-01-12T03:06:00.000-08:00

WEB-SERIES NEWS...

We had another round of auditions last week. Our director called for them after determining the two candidates for male lead, auditioned a few weeks ago, simply weren’t right. (There was one actor the director liked quite a bit, and one actor I thought would be pretty terrific. Alas, after further consideration, it was deemed that neither were “the one.”) We saw approximately 25 actors in 4 hours...and when all was said and done, we were confident that we’d found the right actor for the job. We’re assembling our cast for a table-read next week; then, if all goes well (and if none of the actors jump ship), we’ll begin pre-production soon after. The plan is to shoot our first (hopefully not last) episodes in mid-February.

“HEY, WHERE’D MY THRILLER GO?”

So, I stopped by my manager’s office the other day to pick up a check. (Yay, money!!) We also played catch-up after a bit of down time during the holidays. One of the things I inquired about was my thriller project that’s supposed to be in the works up in Canada. I asked if she’d heard anything from the producers. She said she’d sent them an e-mail a month or so ago but didn’t hear anything back. Then she added, “But it (the project) is posted on their Website (categorized under “in development”).”

So when I got home later that night, I went online and checked out the prodco’s site. My project’s title was nowhere to be found. Huh? So I shot off an e-mail to my manager: “Contact the producers in Canada – find out what’s going on.” The following day I get a voice-mail from my manager (paraphrased here): “Heard back from Canada. They’re still waiting on financing to come through.” Now, I’m not entirely certain what this means...or even how accurate it is. From what I understood based on communications months ago, the Canadian producers had a three-picture deal in place, and MY project was one of them. The rather generous option extension fee I was paid at the time told me they were confident my script would go before a camera within a year’s time. Since that option expires in roughly four months, I’d assume they’d be a little further along that merely “still waiting on financing.”

Well, whatever. Hopefully this will all come together soon and everything’ll be on track. If not...well, it’ll be yet another gut-wrenching dip in the roller-coaster ride known as writing movies.

I’ll keep you posted.

“MR. CREEPY”...

They say you’re nobody until somebody is out to get you. Well, it looks like I’ve finally become somebody cuz I’ve got some highly unstable gentleman trying to drag me into his own personal Hell. I won’t go into any great detail about all this, but here’s the gist:

“Mr. Creepy,” as I like to call him, contacted me several months ago, asking if I’d read his script, then, if I liked what I read, help him get it out to any producers I might know. I told him I’d be happy to read his first ten pages. If I like what I was reading, I’d definitely read the rest of the script—and yes, I’d be happy to pass the script forward to any film-types that might be interested. Well, I read those first ten pages.

In a word: dreadful.

So I wrote up a page or two of notes, explaining to Mr. Creepy how his descriptions weren’t at all cinematic/interesting, his dialogue was on-the-nose/flat/unrealistic, and how none of it seemed at all interesting or compelling. Creepy took umbrage to these notes and BLEW HIS STACK. Not only did he send me a blazingly angry missive, but a warning not to steal his script idea. If I did, there’d be a lawsuit. And oh, I shouldn’t even try contacting him because he’s putting my e-mail on his ignore list.

I’ve done north of 100 critiques in recent years. I’ve had maybe three people get a little bent out of shape with the notes I’ve sent them (they just couldn’t accept my blatant honesty), but I’ve never, never, never had anyone go as nutty as this fella.

But wait, it gets better.

Creepy also has a habit of posting videos of himself on the Net where he whines about how nobody understands him, how nobody is willing to give him a chance, and how “Jim Vines is out to destroy me.” I didn’t even know about these video-blogs—especially the tirade against ME—until an acquaintance of mine brought it to my attention. At first I was a tad bit flabbergasted, but then I could barely control the laughter. I mean, this guy went on and on with this nonsense about yours truly for several minutes (not to mention a flurry of other videos he’s got posted, all venting dramatically about his rather dismal existence)! I won’t even discuss the odd fascination/crush he professes to have for the teenage pop star Miley Cyrus. But hey, this is why I lovingly call him Mr. Creepy. He really is. Anyway...

I nearly forgot about ol’ Creepy until I got an e-mail from the aforementioned acquaintance just a few days ago: “He’s at it again.” Sure enough, all these months later, the guy is still on the war path, still trying to bash me, and still making completely manufactured accusations against me. The guy is downright scary. But...

I feel bad for him. I do. He’s a sad, troubled man and is in need of psychiatric help. I hope he gets it, and I hope he can find some peace of mind. (And no, don’t ask me to post links to Mr. Creepy’s videos. He doesn’t deserve that sort of attention. He really doesn’t.) Moving on...

HAPPY 2009!!

2009-01-05T01:48:00.000-08:00

I hope the new year is off to a good start for all you WS readers. The holidays are over and now it's time to get back into the swing of things. Now then...

Frank W. from Fresno, CA, recently wrote to me, asking: “A movie crew from a big studio is shooting something a few blocks from my house. I asked a policeman who was blocking traffic and he told me the crew will be there for about a week. Should I print some copies of my script and try to hand them out to any actors or executives I see walking around the set?”

Thanks for writing, Frank. First of all, I doubt you’ll get very close to any actors or “executives.” Movie shoots, especially from a “big studio” have fairly tight security (trust me, I once worked security at two of the biggest studios). Anyway, even if you could get close enough to an actor, director, or producer, etc., it’d be kinda nutty to be walking around handing out copies of your script. People will start to avoid you, then you’ll be tossed off the set and/or banned from the immediate area.

What you might try doing is hanging out near the set for a couple of days. Don’t be weird or threatening; just be low-key and friendly. Look like you’re truly interested in what’s taking place during the shoot. When possible, strike up conversations with anyone you come in contact with.

You might get chatting with, let’s say, a production assistant. Eventually you’ll mention that you’re a screenwriter. Hopefully the P.A. eventually says, “Well, I’d love to read one of your scripts one day.” That’s when you say, “You would? Gosh, that’d be so cool. Hang on a minute, I’ve got a copy in the trunk of my car. Be right back.” Then you race off to your car, get your script (which is top-notch, of course), and you hand it to that P.A. More than likely nothing comes from this little encounter. But hey, maybe that P.A. actually reads the script. Maybe he loves it, and passes it on to his boss, the big movie producer. Maybe that producer calls you. It happens. Point is—and I certainly talk about this any chance I get—you need to become friendly with people who are actually a part of the film industry.

Being on a movie set, whether it’s in Fresno, California or Scottsbluff, Nebraska, you’ll be amidst a high concentration of film folks. This is your chance to make a connection or two. Don’t be a nuisance, don’t be a nut; be amiable, be inquisitive...and make it work for you. Good luck!

VARIOUS ITEMS...

2008-12-22T15:04:00.000-08:00

The Web-series...

We held the auditions for the Web-series last week. It went really well. We had some talented people come in and read. Sad to say, there were a lot of not-so-talented people too. But I think we’ve found our main cast and I’m pretty excited with who we’ve chosen. Our director is planning a table-read with the actors in a couple weeks. If all goes well, we should be shooting by mid-February. I’ll keep you posted.

R.I.P. VHS...

I just read a rather sad story in the L.A. Times. It was about the demise of the VHS tape. Yes, it’s finally happened. But it had a good run – 30 years. I remember the very first VHS tape I purchased. It was in 1978 (or maybe it was 1979). It was a copy of my second all-time favorite movie: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The cost was rather high, especially for the late 70s, and especially for a teenage kid: $50.00. But the idea that I could get my favorite movies on tape and play them at home...? Whoa, that was pretty cool! Sure, I still occasionally watch stuff on VHS, but I’m a confirmed DVD guy. I guess Blue-ray is hot on DVDs tail and is becoming the new trend, but I’m sure they’ll find a replacement for that in a few years. Anyway, here’s the article from the L.A. Times:

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/valley/la-et-vhs-tapes22-2008dec22,0,5604036.story

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

Well, Christmastime is here. Here’s a little gift from me:

(David Bowie meets Bing Crosby)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKTHvW2JcAA

(Mariah Carey – All I Want For Christmas Is You)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8rY0Fyws20

(A Charlie Brown Christmas)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRm5qofw5vs

Back from NYC and Web-series news...

2008-12-15T19:48:00.000-08:00

I got back from my trip to New York City just a few days ago. As always, I had a blast there in the Big Apple. Yes, it was cold and rainy, but hey, I love that sort of thing. I met with some friends, ate some good food, did a LOT of walking, took pictures, and just soaked up the atmosphere of that great, great town. (Nothing like NYC just before the Christmas holidays!) I also brought along a script I've been polishing and got most of it done. So, a truly fab trip.

Web-series news:

So I met a young actress this past summer. She told me how she wanted to do a project that could showcase her talents. I told her a Web-series might be a good way to go. I figured I could write up a handful of episodes, then we could shoot them and put them up on the Net and see what kind of response we got. If people seem to dig it, then we could do more episodes. If nobody watches (a very distinct possibility), then we haven’t wasted much time or money getting those initial episodes created. My young actress friend agreed.

I saw this young lady as the cute, comedic type. Not glamorous, not necessarily “hot” and sexy (though she’s certainly attractive and cute); no, I definitely saw her as more of the funny, quirky type. So I pitched her an idea that I (coincidentally!) had kicking around in my brain for a few months. There just happened to be the perfect role for her. She’d play the quirky, funny best friend of the male lead. She really liked my pitch, loved the character I had in mind for her, and said she’d love to read the script when I had it completed.

So I took a few weeks and wrote several episodes. The actress loved what I wrote. She then contacted a young (well, younger than me) director/producer she knew and sent him the script. He really liked the script, too. The three of us had a meeting. Good meeting. Lots of great ideas tossed around, each of us in total sync. So we all shook hands and the director started putting a crew together. He also started the casting process. In fact, we’re having auditions all day tomorrow. From what I’ve been told, the response to the casting notice was quite high, so it should be a fun and interesting day. Always a thrill having actors bring on-the-page characters to life.

I’m not sure where any of this will go. I’m hoping people respond to this Web series once we put it out there. If not, well, I’m really enjoying the process, really enjoying working with smart, enthusiastic, talented people. For me, that’s a big part of why I’m in this business. I’ll keep ya posted.

Share YOUR success stories!

2008-12-05T10:51:00.000-08:00

Wow, I can’t believe 2008 is nearly history. I’m happy to report that I’ve had some nice successes and advancements this year. Some of them I’ve shared with you in this blog. I expect further success in 2009.

Now I’d like to hear from YOU.

I’d like to hear about any successes, big or small, that you’ve had in the past year. It could be a screenplay you’ve had great coverage on. It could be an option deal or perhaps even a sale. Maybe you’ve had a movie, big or small, produced. Maybe a Web series you penned was, or soon will be, posted to the Net. Maybe you signed with a manager or agent. If any of these successes apply to you, share ‘em with me and your fellow Working Screenwriter blog readers.

Why share, you ask? Well, because I think it’s important for all budding screenwriters to know that a modicum of success in this crazy business is definitely possible to those talented individuals willing to work for it. Sharing your success might provide a glimmer hope to other writers still waiting for their break. Besides, I bet you’re more than willing to brag just a little bit. (It’s OK, you deserve it. )

So e-mail me a quick summary of your success to theworkingscreenwriter(at) yahoo.com and I’ll follow up with a brief written interview. (If you prefer, I won’t use your real name when I post your interview here on the blog.)

C’mon, claim your bragging rights—let’s hear from you!

"Where'd Jim go?"

2008-10-24T03:05:00.000-07:00

A few of you have written, asking: “Hey, Jim, why haven’t you been posting much of anything in recent weeks?” Well, the truth is, I feel that between my website and this blog, I’ve said pretty much everything I have to say. The outlining process, the rewrite process, formatting “rules,” navigating the “Hollywood maze,” the exhilarations and disappointments of the screenwriting life—it’s all there, all you have to do is look for it.

Another reason I haven’t posted very much is simple: I’m working on a lot of stuff.

As of this moment, I’m completing a submission draft of a psychological thriller (which I’d like to get out before the looming holiday season), I’ve recently completed writing four episodes of a proposed web-series, I’ve just outlined a story for a dramatic character study (a spec), started outling another psychological thriller (also a spec), and I’m doing final tweaks on the El Salvador assignment (see posts from March/April ’08). Add to this the occasional script critique, and dealing with the minutia of day-to-day business (producers, representation, etc.), along with trying to maintain some semblance of a social life...well, there's not always a lot of time to come up with blog posts.

Fear not, when I have a distinct point of view to offer on the art, craft, and business of screenwriting, or when I have some interesting behind-the-scenes tidbits, you’ll be hearing from me. But right now I just need to focus on getting projects done, getting them out into the world and, hopefully, produced.

But always remember, I’m only an e-mail away. If you have a specific screenwriting-related question you’d like me to tackle, feel free to send it my way. I’ll post my response here on the blog.

So, friends, until then...WRITE ON!

Paul Newman (1925 - 2008)

2008-09-27T13:56:00.000-07:00

The world lost a great man and great actor yesterday. Paul Newman. He was a true great, a true icon. I grew up on Paul Newman. He starred in two of my all-time favorite movies, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Towering Inferno. So many great roles and great movies: Cool Hand Luke, Harper, Winning, The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean, The Sting...and the list goes on and on. But there's no reason for sadness here. Paul Newman had a long life. Up until very recently, he was quite healthy and very active. Not only did he have an unbelievable film career, he had a loving family, a fantastic wife (50 years!), a racing career, and did a lot of great charity work with his Newman’s Own products. I’d say he was one lucky man. And we were awfully lucky for having him for 83 years. Thanks for the memories, Mr. Newman.

You can find a million clips of Paul Newman on YouTube, but here are just a few that I found. Enjoy!

GREAT SCENE FROM “BUTCH CASSIDY”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2y87EaadjqM

“COOL HAND LUKE”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYqwYrbwHeM&feature=related

PAUL NEWMAN TRIBUTE (music is from “Cool Hand Luke”)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9yhD4qZNvw

“BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBV9_QzUPac

TRIBUTE VIDEO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvwdBiEGrKg

For those of you in NYC...

2008-09-14T14:41:00.000-07:00

I’ll be making my annual trip into your great city during the first half of December. If you'd like to meet up for coffee, or if you have a writer's group you'd like me to visit, do let me know. Please contact me at TheWorkingScreenwriter(at)yahoo.com.

WEBSITE REDUX: THE DOLLAR OPTION...

2008-09-07T16:27:00.000-07:00

Q: A producer is offering me a “dollar option” (aka “The Free Option”) on my script. Is this something I should consider?

A: It depends on who the producer is. If he has a reputation for getting movies produced, and if he’s someone you get a positive vibe from, then a free option for a few months might not be a bad idea.

Then again, if this is a legitimate producer, why can’t he come up with some cash?

If he believes in your script, he should be willing to put up some dough, right? But if this “producer” is some kid fresh out of AFI or USC, then I’d think twice before signing my script over for any significant length of time.

Why? Well...

It’s difficult enough for an established producer to get a movie made, so what makes you think some guy out of film school can get your script off the ground? But again, a freebie 3 month option, to see if they can get the project up and running, isn’t a big deal. Anything longer than that, tell ‘em to whip out the checkbook.

I’ve accepted the “dollar option” twice. One (very early in my career) was a complete and total waste of time and I’m sorry I did it. The other turned into an interesting and educational rollercoaster ride and I ended up making some bucks on the second year renewal. Then I optioned the script again to another producer!

WEBSITE REDUX: OH, THE REJECTION!!

2008-09-01T01:21:00.000-07:00

Q: I’ve sent my script to four production companies—and they’ve all rejected it! Should I just give up?

A: Oh, you poor thing. How awful! Look, get used to rejection—it’s a staple of the screenwriter’s diet. I’ve had several scripts passed on by one producer and then optioned and/or purchased from another.

I recall giving a horror script to one well known script consultant about seven years ago. I met him at his apartment in North Hollywood. The guy never even called me back! Since then, I’ve optioned that script three times and it’s currently in development with a producer here in L.A.

This is a numbers game. Fact is, not everyone is going to “get” your script. Some will love it, some will hate it, most will be somewhere in the middle. That’s the way it is.

If the first guy doesn’t want your script, move on to the next guy. And if that guy doesn’t want it, move on to the next guy. If your script is truly great, someone will eventually say yes. (Probably.) And, as we all know, it only takes one “yes” to sell a script.

You need a thick skin to be in this business, so I suggest you start hanging out with some armadillos!

WEBSITE REDUX: COLLABORATION...

2008-08-23T15:39:00.000-07:00

Q: I don’t think I can write a script on my own. Should I collaborate with another writer?

A: First, ask yourself WHY you need a writing partner. Is it because you’re lazy and don’t want to do any of the work? Is it because you can’t come up with any ideas of your own? Is it because you’re good with dialogue but not good with story, or vice-versa? If you’re basically just lazy and don’t want to do any work, or if you can’t come up with any ideas...then why on earth do you want to write screenplays?

If you’re good with dialogue and not story, or if you’re good with story and not dialogue, then finding a collaborator who compliments your lack of proficiency is a great idea. Problem is, finding an adequate writing partner is a very tricky thing. I’d say it’s akin to finding the perfect mate—and we all know what the divorce rate is, don’t we? Actually, I’d say it’s probably even higher for writing partners.

I’ve had the misfortune—er, pleasure—of collaborating with a few writers over the years. (The term “writer” is used very loosely here.) For the most part, these collaborations boiled down to me tossing out all sorts of plot points and visual imagery while my partner sat there nodding and saying, “Yup, good, I really like that.” Then I’d come up with more plot points and visual imagery. Again, my partner would nod, “Love it, Jim, really cool!” Gee, pal, how ‘bout a little feedback, a little embellishment, a little discussion? I don’t need a “yes” man—I need a collaborator!

Then, if you’re successful enough to actually get a story laid out, how do you divide the actual task of getting it down on paper? Does one do all the typing while the other paces the room dictating? Do you take turns typing and pacing? Does one write the first ten pages, then the other writes the next ten? Who edits the pages? Believe me, it can get awfully complicated, if the two of you are not in perfect synch with each other.

But some people do it—and they do it very successfully.

I remember a conversation I had with one particular collaborator many years ago—and it went something like this:

ME: I think we need to pump up this scene...add some more tension.
HIM: So how much you think we’ll get for this script?
ME: Huh? Oh, I don’t know. Now, about this scene...
HIM: C’mon, you must have some idea.
ME: Nope. No idea.
HIM: C’mon, ballpark it.
ME: Really, I have no idea.
HIM: A hundred grand? Two hundred grand?
ME: Sure, I suppose it’s possible. Now, about this scene...
HIM: More than 200 grand, ya think?
ME: Read my lips: I don’t know.
HIM: I’m gonna buy me a new car. A Porsche! What’re you gonna do with your half?
ME: Can we just write the script first?
HIM: I really think we can get upwards of 500 grand if we play our cards right.
ME: We ain’t gonna get nothin’ if we don’t write the &$%$#&& script!!

Needless to say, this “collaboration” lasted only a couple days.

Q: My writing partner wants to write a serial killer script, but I’m just not into that type of story. Should I keep my mouth shut and write it anyway?

A: Unless he’s going to pay you (which I highly doubt), then I’d pass on the collaboration. Do yourself a favor and write scripts you feel passionate about. No, you don’t necessarily have to think it’s the greatest idea that must be told at all costs—but it should be something that you’ll look forward to living with and working on for, most probably, several months.

A quickie story:

Not long ago, I was hired to write a script. A comedic thriller. I thought the initial idea was decent, but it certainly wasn’t anything overly special. At least not to me. The story just didn’t feel like it had enough of a comic element.

So I rolled it all around in my noggin for a couple days and came up with a new angle. I kept the basic idea, but tweaked in a new direction. Now it was a dark, sort of sexy thriller.

I pitched it to the producer and she loved it. I had a story I could grab hold of and run with. I made it mine. If you can do that with your own work—whether a spec or an assignment—you’ll be a much happier person.

UPDATE...

2008-08-22T16:54:00.000-07:00

Scriptwriters Network member Jake James picked up a book the other day and here's the note I just received from him:

"Jim...Just want to drop a note saying I read, Q & A: The Working Screenwriter in one sitting (and that's rare for me...) and then a few hours later I read it through again. Both reads were enjoyable experiences (and I've bookmarked several pages for future reference). I especially like that fact that the writers you spoke with were not of the Shane Black or Joe Eszterhas fame level. It's important to represent Hollywood for what it is: a town of working stiffs. Sure, the "names" get the ink, but it's the working screenwriter who slugs it out, makes a tolerable living, and has a solid career. The lessons from Q & A: The Working Screenwriter are valuable and practical and underscore what it really takes to have a career in this business. Aspiring and established writers alike will pull something useful from your book. Thanks for sharing." -- Jake James

Thanks for the great review, Jake!

Q and A: The Working Screenwriter -- An In-the-Trenches Perspective of Writing Movies in Today's Film Industry available here!

WEBSITE REDUX: WORDS OF WARNING...

2008-08-12T14:13:00.000-07:00

Every so often I get someone writing to me, asking if they should send a script to some "producer" they found on CraigsList (or some similar site). From my website:

During the past year or so, many budding screenwriters have told me that they’ve responded to “Script Wanted” postings on Internet screenwriting boards. These writers know I’m a big proponent of knowing who your script is going to, so they’ll usually ask the “producers” to provide information about themselves. For instance: “What type of budget are you working with?” “What have you produced previously?” “Will the writer get paid up front? Or would it be a step deal? Or will payment be deferred?” “What plans do you have for the completed movie (i.e. festivals, theatrical or direct-to-DVD release)?”

After posing these questions, most never hear anything back—or they get only a terse response with just an address. Sorry, but that just seems WRONG.

All riled up, I searched a few of these screenwriting boards, and queried twelve so-called producers. I let them know I had a script I’d love to send, but first I needed them to provide some background on who they were, etc. Five didn’t respond at all, 4 responded with merely an address to where I could send my script, and 3 responded with very friendly messages that provided absolutely no useful information whatsoever...but oh, they'd love to read my screenplay and here's a post office box I could send it to.

So, would I send a screenplay to one of these unknown entities? NO!!

Something else to keep in mind: Folks rummaging around on the Net in search of scripts are probably not in any position to get a movie made. It’s highly doubtful they even have the clout to get a script into the hands of someone who can get a movie made. In fact, I doubt these people even know anyone in the film industry. Also, it's a pretty safe bet that most of the people looking for scripts via the Internet are film students—or people who want to make their first film and need a script they can get for free or ultra-cheap. And that's fine…just let us know this up front!

So please...KNOW WHO YOU’RE SENDING YOUR SCRIPT TO. Get information from the people you query. Do Google searches. Protect yourself!

AN INTERVIEW: AGENT X!

2008-08-03T20:46:00.000-07:00

I recently had a chance to conduct a brief interview with a Los Angeles-based literary agent. He asked that I not reveal his actual identity, but rest assured, he’s the real deal. Now, without further ado, my interview with...Agent X!

Q: For a screenwriter, what are the true benefits of having an agent?

A: All agents operate differently, but the main purpose of an agent is to get you work and give you good advice. You need an agent to sell your scripts and negotiate your deals, and pretty much make sure you are not being screwed over. Remember, we know all the projects in town, so having an agent can also save you months and months of writing a script that is already set up at a studio.

Q: What's the best way to get a script onto an agent's desk?

A: There are several ways, and my first blog explains the best ways to achieve this. I would say, if the script has any heat on it, it will go to several agent's desks.

Q: Do query letters work? If so, what makes a query letter make you say, "Wow, I gotta read this script!"

A: It's rare, but I guess if you have no other option, then this could work. I have read scripts based on query letters, but very few. Maybe 1-2% of the scripts that I have read are from query letter. Short query letters grab my attention more than long ones.

Q: What do you look for in a potential new client?

A: The first thing is the quality of writing. Even if it's an indie. Secondly, is what type of person is this screenwriter? If this client shows signs that he/she is going to be out of control and is going to call me 20 times a day and email me 40 times a day, I will just drop them.

Q: What do you look for in a marketable screenplay?

A: Anything I can pitch to a producer and a studio executive easily. If the script has a great hook, that's gold.

Q: Should a screenwriter have more than just one marketable screenplay in his briefcase?

A: This always helps. But if the screenwriter does not have another screenplay, they better have several ideas to either pitch or write.

Q: At what point in a screenwriter's career do you want to be introduced and get involved?

A: It really doesn't matter. Sometimes it's good to get a new screenwriter just because they are not tainted by Hollywood. Other times, I like getting screenwriters who have been at other agencies so they know how this world works and what to expect.

Q: What qualifications should a screenwriter look for in a literary agent?

A: There are a lot of lazy agents out there, so this is a good question. First check to see what clients the agent or agency represents. If they rep screenwriters who wrote movies back in 1960, then that's a sign that this agent isn't up to date with current info. Aside from this, you want to build a partnership with this agent. Make sure you feel comfortable with your agent.

Q: Of all the scripts that are submitted to your agency (or to you specifically), approximately what percentage simply aren't marketable?

A: Most of the scripts submitted to me are not marketable. If they were, I would be signing 10 clients a day. I'm still amazed screenwriters don't go watch blockbuster movies and see why they worked.

Q: Have you ever discovered true talent from any of the myriad screenwriting competitions?

A: There are a few that have been submitted to me from these competitions that have been good. I can't remember signing a client from these competitions, but I've certainly read them.

Q: When you pick up a screenplay, what immediately tells you it's been written by a rank amateur?

A: Formatting and spelling mistakes. Also, if I see a lot of long descriptions and very little dialogue, I won't even read it.

Q: OK, so a script arrives at your agency and receives fantastic coverage. What happens next?

A: Scripts that get great coverage make it to the top of my pile, although I don't always trust the coverage that comes in. I've read great scripts and seen terrible coverage on them.

Q: Should a writer have an accompanying treatment and/or synopsis of a script to aide you in the sales process?

A: Not really. If I signed the client off of the script, then it was good enough for me to remember and I can pitch it without a synopsis. I like scripts that come with a synopsis, because I can read the first 10 pages of the script, and take a look at the synopsis to see where the script is going.

Q: Do literary agents give opinions and/or feedback on the quality of a client's writing? In other words, if an agent feels a script has problems, will they typically ask the writer for another draft?

A: We get so many scripts that there is no way we are going to give any real feedback. You will hear the basic "I wasn't passionate about the material" type of response. You have one shot to make an impression. Also, I sometimes get writers who will send me two scripts to read. Don't. I'm only reading one, so don't leave it up to me to pick. Make sure you have the agent read your best script.

Q: Do certain genres sell better than others?

A: This constantly changes. Although, you can pretty much bet on comedies and thrillers to sell well.

Q: Would you discourage a screenwriter from writing a dramatic period piece?

A: Depends on the writer. But yes. If you want to have the best shot of getting your foot in the door, why limit yourself to writing a dramatic script that very few agents are going to take on?

Q: Do you think a majority of agents are more interested in selling "big budget" scripts as opposed to smaller, indie material—or do they just want to sell good material?

A: Big budget = big commission. Indie material = lots of headaches.

Q: Would you agree that writers shouldn't focus quite so heavily on selling their spec scripts, but focus more on having great "calling card" material that can potentially get them hired for rewrite and/or assignment work?

A: You need to have a sold spec to position yourself in a better position in the assignment world. No new writer should focus on getting assignments if they have not sold a spec. For more established writers, they know how tough assignments are. You are up against a dozen other writers, doing a lot of work. Most of the time, you won't get the job. Why not put all that work into writing a spec script and control your own destiny? This question depends on the writer though. Some writers love going for assignments, and some are great at getting them.

Q: A screenwriter writes a really marketable script, but you still have no desire to sign him with your agency. Why?

A: I have seen some marketable scripts, and there are a variety of reasons why I won’t sign them. Maybe the writing was not great. Maybe I have four other clients who write the same genres who I feel are more talented. Maybe the writer is just a dud in the room. There are a myriad of possibilities.

Q: What qualities and/or traits should a successful screenwriter have?

A: They should love to write and be very prolific. Also, I want to make sure they will actually listen to what we say. I have clients who think they know more than what they actually do...and they don't. I'm an agent for a reason; you are a writer for a reason.

Q: What are the advantages of using a literary agent as opposed to negotiating a deal through an entertainment attorney? Or should a screenwriter have both on his team?

A: If you have the option of picking one, you are better off having an agent. The attorney can negotiate the deal, but can't find you jobs. The agent can get both, so why not go for the agent? If you become more successful, you should have an attorney as well to look over the contracts in detail.

Q: Any final piece of advice you'd like to give the budding screenwriters of the world?

A: Stop writing personal stories. No one cares about those except you. Get your foot in the door and write a commercial script, then once you have made your career, then go off and do the indie script you have been wanting to write since the beginning. Also, read scripts that have SOLD. There are several resources on the Net that you can download scripts.

* * *

I want to thank Agent X for his time and insight. I hope you’ll take a few moments and visit his informative new (and very anonymous) blog.

My book -- Q and A: The Working Screenwriter -- An In-the-Trenches Perspective of Writing Movies in Today's Film Industry -- now available!

WEBSITE REDUX: GETTING THE SCRIPT OUT...

2008-07-30T19:56:00.000-07:00

It really is strange. Well, maybe that’s not the right word. Perhaps “frustrating” would be more appropriate. I conceived my website (http://www.theworkingscreenwriter2.blogspot.com/) as a place for novice screenwriters to visit and get solid, nuts-and-bolts answers to many of the questions they have. The site has been up for nearly two years and it’s become quite popular. Very popular. But sometimes I really gotta wonder: Are folks actually reading the information I have posted on the site? Sure, many are, but there’s always a handful that don’t seem to be paying full attention.

On a fairly regular basis I’ll get an e-mail from someone who writes, “Stopped by your site. Thought it was great. I learned a lot. Oh, can you tell me which brads I should use for my script?” If this person had really read my site, they would’ve found the answer right there in front of them.

Truth is, based on site tracking statistics, and adjusting for the length of time each site has been up, more people visit this blog than the website. Not really sure why that is. I guess most people assume blogs are more informal and less academic. So I guess that makes them more fun. It’s sort of like the difference between Us magazine and Newsweek magazine. With this in mind, I’m going to start posting on this blog some of the stuff from my site.

For those of you who’ve already read through my website—actually read it—my sincerest apologies. But hey, a little refresher of old material never hurts, so...

Q: Whoo hoo! Someone has requested to read my script! But how should I send it—and what should I send with it?

A: First of all, calm yourself. Congrats on getting the request, but it doesn’t necessarily mean much. Sure, they like your pitch and/or your story/concept, but getting them to love your script (then ultimately want to option and/or purchase it) is an entirely different matter. But hey, first thing’s first, right?

So, to send your script: Print a clean copy of the script on 20 lb., 3-hole punched paper.

(You folks in Europe have different paper to deal with. I think you call it A4. Not sure what you use to bind your scripts. If you have a local Writers guild, check with them.)

Check the numbering of your script pages. Are they in sequential order? Are any pages missing? I learned this the hard way several years ago. I sent a script to a well-established producer here in town and the next day I got a call from his assistant: “Where’s page 54?” So I had to scramble and fax the missing page. Not a huge deal, but a tad bit embarrassing.

Bind script with two Acco #5 brads. (Fine, use three if you really must.) If you want to use those little washer things, go ahead. I don’t and I don’t recommend it. (They tend to get snagged in copy machines. Trust me on this—I used to work in the copy room at William Morris.) Those Acco brads will hold your script just fine.

Note: The #5 brads fit a 100-120 page script perfectly; if the brads are too small, then your paper is too heavy (i.e., too thick) or your script is too long. And please...DO NOT use oversized brads and fold them, or worse, cut them. When cut, those things can slice your hand open. Seriously.

NO card-stock cover for the script is necessary. But if you do want to use a card stock cover, use any solid color. Blue, red, gray...nobody really cares (though I’d shy away from yellow or neon pink). Also, if you use a card stock cover, leave it blank. No title, no contact information, no drawings. Blank.

DO NOT send artwork. The only exception I can see to this would be if you’ve written a script about a superhero and if the artwork is really exceptional. I mean, if it’s good enough to get the producer’s juices flowin’, go for it.

DO NOT send props or gimmicks. (Did you hear about the goofball who wrote a script about a bomb squad—and how he sent along a prop bomb packaged with the script? Oh yeah, that went over real well.)

DO include a cover letter. Most producers, agents, managers and development executives receive many scripts each week, so make sure you send a cover letter and remind them (briefly) who you are and what your script is about (again, briefly). Keep personal information to a bare minimum. Nobody cares if you’re a single parent (unless, perhaps, this is what your script is about), or if you spent five years living in a nudist colony (unless, of course, this is what your script is about). However, if you’ve won a screenwriting contest (especially if it’s one of the well-known ones), mention it.

DO address your cover letter personally to your contact (i.e., “Dear Edward” or “Dear Mr. Jones”) and NOT “To Whom It May Concern.” Always thank the agent/producer/development exec for their time and consideration.

DO NOT include a casting wish list.

DO NOT suggest actors or a cool soundtrack.

DO NOT make excuses or apologies for any possible typos or a high page count. They only want to read your script.

RELEASE FORMS: If the producer or agent doesn’t ask you to sign a release form, don’t worry about it. Release forms generally only protect the person(s) you’re sending the script to. Oddly enough, some writers balk when asked to sign a release. Hey, if that’s the prodco’s policy, you have to abide by it. So, you have two choices: 1) sign the release and send it with the script, or 2) don’t sign the release and don’t send the script...and your script won’t get read. Your choice.

Should you include a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) for the return of your screenplay? Why go to the expense of sending something that’ll probably end up getting lost, trashed, or used for other means? But ask yourself what the purpose is to getting your script returned. Is it so you can save on Xeroxing and send it to somebody else? Sure, it might come back in pristine condition, but chances are decent it’ll be dog-eared, or have coffee stains on it, or have notations on some of the pages. Sorry, but this is not a script you want to re-send to anyone. Do you want the script returned because you don’t want it floating aimlessly around some production company? Seems that would be a good thing. You want your script out in the world! After all, you never know who might “discover” it, read it, and respond in a favorable manner. I say save yourself the time and expense of requesting your script be returned.

Place script in a manila envelope (10” x 13” works best). Mark envelope “REQUESTED MATERIAL.”

Send script via regular First Class mail. No, DO NOT send Fed Ex or Express Mail or anything else that costs a fortune and guarantees your package will get there in six hours. Nobody (usually) wants your script that quickly.

Tip: Here in the United States, you can also send via Media Mail. It'll take a few extra days to get where it's going (a week or more if you send from coast to coast), but you'll save about half off First Class rates. This will save you some money if you're sending multiple submissions. Nifty, eh?

NEVER send your script without querying first and getting the go-ahead to send the script. An unsolicited script can (and will) end up in a pile that goes directly to the trash bin. (I worked security at a big movie studio once upon a time and I’d always see stacks and stacks of unsolicited—and unopened—scripts piled up just outside the mail room.)

Now, I know what you’re thinking: “C’mon, Jim, does it really matter what brads I use, or if I put the WGA number on the title page, or if my script comes in at 127 pages?”

Well, I think producers, agents, managers, and development executives make a knee-jerk assessment of a script, the moment they get their hands on it. I know I do.

Believe it or not, I can virtually always tell the quality of a script based on certain aesthetic values. If the script is held together with flimsy brads, if the font and font size is all wrong, if the script is as thick as a phone book, or if the WGA registration # is emblazoned on the title page, then chances are quite good I’m dealing with a novice writer who a) hasn’t done their homework, and b) more than likely isn’t capable of writing a viable screenplay. So, by page one, I’m already dreading the experience. This is not the first impression you want to make. The only thing that’s going to reverse this feeling is if your writing is truly solid from FADE IN. If you haven’t captured the attention of your readers in those first pages, it’s doubtful you’ll ever get them back. I think this is generally true. And yes, I know this all sounds really silly, but it’s what you’re up against. Face the fact that producers, et al. have all read a million scripts—most of them dreadful—and they’re looking for pretty much any excuse to NOT read your script (at least not right away). I might be wrong about this, but probably not by much.

My book -- Q and A: The Working Screenwriter -- An In-the-Trenches Perspective of Writing Movies in Today's Film Industry -- now available!

What's OLD is NEW...

2008-07-17T04:25:00.000-07:00

Somebody on one of the screenwriting forums recently asked if a screenwriter could launch a career with just one completed screenplay. This seems to be a question many budding screenwriters have. Sure, it’s quite possible to get a career rolling on one script—and it happens all the time (Diablo Cody, anyone?)—but I’m a firm believer in having at least two or three really solid scripts in the ol’ briefcase when hunting for an agent, manager, or producer.

Apologies to those of you who are dedicated readers of my "how-to" blog, but...

In the “Questions & Answers” section of the blog, I have the question, “I’ve only written one script. Should I have more than that before I try to market myself as a screenwriter?”

This was my response:

"I think it’s important for managers and agents to know your creative well hasn’t gone dry after penning just one script—and it’s also important to have more than just one script in hand when you start meeting with producers. For instance...

Not long ago, my manager and I had a meeting at the home of a fairly well-known producer/director. We brought along three scripts that we felt might compliment his abilities. So we pitched the first script, a comedy. Nope, he doesn’t want to do comedies anymore.

A psycho-thriller? Nope, not his cup of tea right now.

A creepy horror tale? Bingo!

He took the script, promised he'd have it read soon.

This sort of thing has happened to me several times. If they don’t like one idea, hit ‘em with another, then another, then another.

Nope, I can't imagine having just one or two scripts in my repertoire.

If you’re a writer, WRITE!"

QUICKIE UPDATE: By the way...that aforementioned producer/director passed on my creepy horror script. Well, that's okay, I optioned it to someone else.

UPDATE: DARREN HOWELL

2008-07-07T13:31:00.000-07:00

The latest edition of Creative Screenwriting magazine (July/August 2008) has a full-page article on UK screenwriter Darren Howell and his writing partner Toby Wagstaff. As you know, I interviewed Darren for this blog last month. The CS article (which you'll find on page 12) provides a further behind-the-scenes perspective of how Darren and Toby’s screenplay Arena got written, into the hands of agents, picked up by Summit Entertainment, and eventually slated for production. It’s an interesting and informative read!

A COUPLE OF QUICKIE UPDATES...

2008-06-26T16:46:00.000-07:00

Update #1:

Last week I received payment on a one-year option extension for one of my scripts. This script has been in the hands of these particular producers for a couple of years now.

Believe me, this been a real roller-coaster ride. For a few months things looked really good, then the next few months things looked dismal. A few months up, a few months down—ugh, I was getting nauseous! In recent months the producers were doubtful they’d ever go forward with the project.

But recently, things turned around. Though it won’t actually happen until next year, the producers now feel very confident they’ll get the project off the ground and into production.

Based on what was paid for the option extension (not exactly a paltry sum for a low budget project), it seems they have quite a bit of faith that this will actually happen.

Gosh, I sure hope so. I’ll keep ya posted.

Update #2:

Today I turned in the first draft of the script that sent me down to El Salvador three months ago.
Not including the six days I spent in El Salvador doing research, it took approximately five weeks for the outline, about a week for the treatment (which was sent to producers for approval), and 22 days for this first draft. I now await notes from producers.

I really enjoyed writing this script. I think it’s a fun story with a nice message.

INTERVIEW: DARREN HOWELL

2008-06-20T15:46:00.000-07:00

Last April, Summit Entertainment optioned the sci-fi action spec Arena written by first-time feature writers Toby Wagstaff and Darren Howell. The story of Arena revolves around a group of modern-day soldiers mysteriously transported from the thick of battle to a terrain-shifting landscape where they must fight the best warriors from different eras and histories in a gladiatorial fight to the death or be killed by the all-powerful operators of the "Arena."

The UK-based Darren, 39, was in L.A. a couple weeks ago for a round of meetings with producers, agents, and lawyers. By pure chance I met him in a bar at the hotel where he was staying. We got to talking and the next thing I know, he’s agreeing to be interviewed for this blog. Cool! OK, let’s get started, shall we?

JV: First of all, big congratulations on selling Arena! When did the script sell?

DH: Thank you! I think we kinda knew at the beginning of March that Summit Entertainment was going to option it. Then there was a period of to-ing and fro-ing between them and our lawyer—which seemed to take ages! But I remember it was Good Friday when we got their "official" offer. Couldn't have happened on a more aptly named day!

JV: How long have you been writing screenplays?

DH: I've been writing for absolute ages. It started as a hobby, you know, creating worlds and then knocking them down. All for fun! I wrote a [book] manuscript about ten years ago that got rejected about six times in the UK, so I thought I'd turn to movie scripts. I'd like to go back to the novel one day, or at least convert it into a screenplay.

JV: Whereabouts in England do you live?

DH: I live in a town called Cheam in Surrey, which is just south of London.

JV: What was your occupation prior to selling Arena?

DH: I was, and still am, a tube driver. You know, the subway. It's all very boring, but pays the bills for now. It's funny, our agents took us out for lunch while I was in town, and all they wanted to talk about was the Underground. They seemed to think it was really exciting! It was all pretty surreal.

JV: Will this script sale give you the freedom of becoming a full-time screenwriter – or do you anticipate going back to a "regular" job?

DH: At the moment I'm not in a position to leave the Underground, what with the dollar to pound exchange, but who knows. That's my dream, to write full-time.

JV: Do you have plans to move to the Los Angeles area – or are you perfectly happy in England?

DH: Well, I have two small children, so I don't know if LA is somewhere I'd consider moving to. (No disrespect!) Although, maybe somewhere quiet and sleepy in California could be an option. It would make sense to come out on a more permanent basis, but I'd like to get another couple of sales under my belt before I decide. My manager seems to think it's an option I'll have to consider eventually.

JV: In learning how to write a marketable screenplay, which do you feel helped the most: how-to books, seminars/classes, studying pro screenplays, watching a ton of movies, trial and error, a little of everything?

DH: When I decided to write a screenplay I did a lot of reading: books for advice, and screenplays online to get the "feel." I've always been an avid movie fan/buff, so I think that helped as well. But ultimately, I have a great writing partner. I've learnt so much from him and we get on fantastically well. I couldn't have done it without him. Thank you, Toby!

JV: To date, approximately how many screenplays have you completed?

DH: As a lone entity I've done about six or seven, both TV and movie. As a partnership, we've completed two, including Arena, but we have the seeds for about another three or four, plus we have my solo projects to return to.

JV: Have you ever entered a screenplay into a competition? If so, what was that experience like?

DH: Never entered a competition.

JV: While writing Arena, how did you and Toby, who is based here in Los Angeles, divide the work?

DH: At the beginning of the project, there was a lot of idea exchanges via email and Skype. Thank God for the Internet! Then, when we'd got the story into something we considered solid, we'd go off and write our own takes and then marry them up. For us it seems to work pretty well.

JV: How exactly did you get your script into the hands of the powers that be in Hollywood?

DH: Well, I went out to L.A. in 2005 for the Fade In Pitch Fest. I met my manager there and pitched him a script I'd already written. He liked the idea and asked me to mail it to him. He read and loved it, and assigned Toby, who worked for him at the time, to develop it with me. We worked well together and decided to become co-writers, which was great for me, having a full-time job and two children. It kinda took the heat off me.

JV: Did you and Toby have an agent prior to the sending the script out?

DH: No, we only got an agent off the back of Arena. We had two of the big five after us, which was nice!

JV: OK, you get the call that Arena had just sold – what happened next?

DH: I had a lovely bottle of Champagne waiting on ice! Although, if I'm truthful, I don't think it's still fully sunk in. It's all still a bit of a dream.

JV: Tell me a little about your experience visiting Los Angeles earlier this month.

DH: We had some great meetings. Everyone really loved Arena, so that helped us get a foot in the door. They liked what we had to offer and we were pitched several projects, which we're taking a look at.

JV: So what is the current status of Arena?

DH: From what I understand Summit is eager to get going ASAP. They're currently in the process of attaching a director and are down to the last couple of guys. No, I can't tell you who they are! We met with one of the candidates while I was in L.A . He seems like a very cool guy. We've had some general notes and ideas for improvement, but it's nothing that's going to change the dynamics of the plot drastically, and we're not getting into rewrite mode until the time comes.

JV: Producers are fairly notorious for kicking loose the original writer(s) and bringing in a writer with a fresh perspective. Do you anticipate staying with the project from start to finish – or do you think the producers have other plans?

DH: Who knows! I sincerely would like to stay with Arena until the end, and we seem to have a good relationship with the producers, but again...who knows!

JV: Most novice writers think they’ll be on Easy Street once they’ve sold that first script. Do you think there’s any truth to this notion?

DH: To sell one script is fantastic—to sell another would be the cherry on the cake! I'm just taking each day as it comes, but I don't think either of us is under the illusion that we're on Easy Street after just one sale. If anything the pressure upon us has increased since the sale—especially now we have an agent and lawyer to feed! For instance, we have our first script, "The Duritz Find," we're getting ready to rewrite, now interest in it has reignited due to Arena's sale. Plus, we're doing a treatment for New Line, through Benderspink (Arena's producers), for a big sci-fi comic book adaptation. Plus, we're bouncing ideas at the moment for three projects pitched to us during the meetings. And, of course, we're always throwing ideas out between ourselves for future ideas.

JV: From your perspective, what’s the MOST FAVORABLE aspect entering the world of professional screenwriting?

DH: It's just a dream—to do something you truly love. To get to this point, it's been a great ride.

JV: From your perspective, what’s the LEAST FAVORABLE aspect of entering the world of professional screenwriting?

DH: The flying! I hate it! Another good reason to move out to L.A., I guess. Plus, I'm not good in meetings or pitches. I find them really daunting. It's strange, I can talk general bullsh*t with anyone, that's no problem—and I can do karaoke no problem—but talking about stuff I've done? I freeze. Thank God for Toby, he seems to love meetings!

JV: And finally...what’s your best advice for screenwriters who aren’t necessarily located in the Los Angeles area?

DH: With the advent of the internet, and technology as a whole, I don't think [living in Los Angeles is the] necessity as it probably once was. Everything we could do face to face, we can do online. Although, I do kind of miss that personal interaction, so I think it's important to try and get out when I can. Hopefully, as things progress I'll be able to get out more often, despite the flying!

JV: Thanks for your time, Darren. I wish you the best of luck with Arena as well as all your future projects!

Pick up your copy of Q and A: The Working Screenwriter -- An In-the-Trenches Perspective of Writing Movies in Today's Film Industry today!

Ya never know who'll you'll meet...

2008-06-11T11:49:00.000-07:00

I did another round of barhopping with my friend Craig last night. We were at a cool little spot in Beverly Hills, chatting away with the bartender/budding actor, when a gentleman plopped down onto the seat next to mine. He got himself involved in our high-spirited, somewhat geeky conversation about which actor portrayed the best James Bond. (By the way...though Daniel Craig is doing a fine job, James Bond will forever be Sean Connery. Don’t even try arguing with me about it.) Our new bar buddy, whose name is Darren Howell, was from England, was a screenwriter...and had just sold his first feature screenplay to Summit Entertainment. He was in town having meetings with producers, directors, and agents. Darren sat with us for more than an hour, discussing movies and, of course, the crazy/exciting world of professional screenwriting. He had a very interesting POV of being a UK writer selling to Hollywood, so I asked him if he’d like to be interviewed for this blog. He seemed pretty enthusiastic about it. Darren heads back to England this weekend, so I plan to conduct his interview shortly thereafter. Stay tuned.

Variety blurb about Darren’s script sale:
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117984713.html?categoryid=1236&cs=1

FIRE!!

2008-06-06T02:15:00.000-07:00

Universal Studios Hollywood suffered a bit of a loss over this past weekend. Once again, a major portion of the back lot burned down. (The same exact section of the lot burned in 1990.) I was on the road last Sunday, driving from Los Angeles to Dallas, Texas, when I got the call from a family member (who happens to live a couple hundred yards from where the massive conflagration raged). All I could think was, “Not again!” Then I got to thinking about the four years I spent working security on that back lot. I worked the graveyard shift and spent many a night patrolling those dark, lonely streets. I must say, of all the jobs I’ve had, that was certainly the most enjoyable. For a movie guy like me, and a guy who has no problem being all alone for hours on end, I was like a kid in a candy shop. I spent countless nights on the historical New York Street, Brownstone Street, and Courthouse Square. Yup, lots of fond memories.

Here’s a comical memory:

I was out on New York Street one Thanksgiving, desperately trying to eat my boxed holiday meal as a chilly wind buffeted me. I was really struggling to eat my meal. It was pretty pathetic. I got to laughing so hard, I nearly choked on my sliced turkey!

Here’s a weird memory:

One evening I watched an odd bluish-white light swirl in a high window in one of the upper floor façade windows. The light wasn’t coming from outside the building and I don’t see how it could’ve been coming from inside the building since there was nobody up there. So I called dispatch and requested a supervisor to come check it out. He arrived quickly and did a thorough search. He found nothing.

Here’s another weird memory:

One November night, about 2:00 in the morning, I confronted a dark human-shaped figure standing stone-still mere yards from me. I quickly got on my radio and called for back-up. When I looked back a moment later, whoever it was—or whatever it was—had vanished. My supervisor and a couple other officers did a thorough search of the immediate area, but found nobody. Kinda creepy.

Here’s a geeky memory:

There was the time when my security buddy and I reenacted the famous “Did he fire six shots or only five?” speech from the classic flick Dirty Harry. We performed the scene in the precise spot where it was shot for the movie. I played Harry and my buddy was the wounded bank robber. “Well do ya, punk?” Pretty geeky, sure, but fun for a movie guy like me.

Here’s a fun memory:

On more than one occasion, my pals and I would chase each other around the New York and Brownstone streets in our security vehicles. Sure, not exactly the smartest thing to do (something that could easily get a person fired), but hey, you gotta break the inevitable monotony of patrol once in a while.

Here’s another fun memory:

There were nights/early mornings when I’d put a little excitement into the lives of new recruits and pretend to be a trespasser. I’d remove my badge, or turn my jacket inside out, and wander around at the far end of the street. They had no idea who I was and would try to stop me...and that’s when I’d take off running. They’d chased me all over the place, screaming into their radios, “602 on New York Street!” (FYI: I told the gal who worked dispatch to ignore imminent calls about trespassers. Also, "602" is code for "trespasser.") I finally allowed the guards catch me. They sure had a good laugh when they discovered I was one of their own. Welcome to the team, boys!

Yet another fun memory:

One night I freaked out a new hire who kept hearing strange noises in one of the facades. I kept telling him the noises were just animals roaming around. He insisted they were not animals. I wanted to teach him a lesson, so I asked my supervisor to go hide in the façade and rustle around. When the new guy called in to report the noises, I responded. I had the new guy follow me into the eerily dark, eerily quiet façade. At just the right moment, as my flashlight beam searched high and low, my supervisor leaped out, screaming like a banshee. Man, that poor guy must’ve jumped about ten feet in the air. After he finally calmed down, he shook my hand and congratulated me on a good scare. He quit the following day. What a wimp.

Here’s a potentially malodorous memory:

One night I was posted on Courthouse Square (which is where the clock tower from Back to the Future is...um, was). I was sitting alone on a stage. I looked down between my knees and discovered a skunk directly beneath me. You can pretty much find every variety of animal life on that back lot—skunks, deer, snakes, raccoons, rabbits, opossums, and coyotes. Luckily, I was pretty used to being in close proximity of the lots’ skunk population, so I didn’t make any sudden moves. If I had, I’d probably still be trying to get the stink off me!

Here’s a cooooold memory:

There were all those nights, in the dead of winter, standing alone for an entire shift in 40 degree weather. (I know, all you folks in colder climates are saying, “A 40 degree winter? You call that cold?!” But still, pacing back and forth in 40 degree weather for 8 or 12 hours ain’t exactly a picnic in the park.) If I was lucky, there’d be a work lamp out on the street and I could warm my hands over it. Every so often I’d make a quick trip to the restroom on Brownstone Street and put my cold hands under hot running water. Ahhhh, it felt sooooo gooooood.

The aftermath...

I got back to L.A. on Tuesday and picked up my car from my brother’s house—as I mentioned, he lives extremely close to where the fire occurred—and my poor car looked like it gone through a war, covered in ash and burned bits of plastic. Scary.

I had four fun years on that studio lot and I’m sure sorry to see a big piece of it go up in flames like that. But fret not, friends, if the powers that be at Universal decide to rebuild New York Street, Brownstone Street, and Courthouse Square, they’ll have it completed in about three months. Trust me, those Hollywood guys in can do anything.

To view video footage of the Universal Studios fire, click here.

To see some fun pics from my Universal Studios security days, visit the photo section of my MySpace page: myspace.com/theworkingscreenwriter

HARVEY KORMAN 1927 – 2008

2008-05-31T03:52:00.000-07:00

This post has nothing much to do with screenwriting, but it does have something to do with comic greatness. We lost the great Harvey Korman a few days ago. If you’re like me, you grew up watching him on the hysterical Carol Burnett Show back in the '70s. You’ll also remember him from the Mel Brooks comedies Blazing Saddles and High Anxiety. After watching any of Mr. Korman’s performances, you’d know he was certainly one of a kind.

Here’s a tribute video I found on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0Or25z5Pbc

Here's a very funny clip from the Carol Burnett Show (with the great Tim Conway):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9T8i4FkNVo

I invite you to search YouTube for more fabulous Harvey Korman clips. I think you’ll like what you find.

Thanks for the laughs, Harvey!

MY UPCOMING SEMINAR...

2008-05-24T05:04:00.000-07:00

I’m currently preparing my next IMPROVE-YOUR-CHANCES-OF-BECOMING-A WORKING-SCREENWRITER seminar. The exact date is not set yet, but it’ll be in late August here in Los Angeles (North Hollywood). During this eye-opening 2-hour seminar, I will be discussing the many methods you can use and the mindset you must have in order to vastly improve your chances of becoming a working screenwriter. The cost is $49.00. Attendees will also receive a copy of my book, Q and A: The Working Screenwriter -- An In-the-Trenches Perspective of Writing Movies in Today's Film Industry.

For more information, e-mail Jim(at)theworkingscreenwriter.com.

This will be a fun and motivating event, so don’t miss out!

And now, just for fun, I present my semi-regular installment of...

Only in La La Land

Recently, my friend Craig and I were—surprise, surprise—barhopping in Beverly Hills. We were driving down Rodeo Drive, on our way to Mr. Chow, and there’s producer Joel Silver barreling past us, cellphone to ear. (As I’m sure you know, Mr. Silver has produced numerous movies, including Lethal Weapon, Predator, The Matrix, V for Vendetta, and the recent flopperoo Speed Racer). Alas, Mr. Chow was packed—besides, they don’t allow you at the bar if you’ve not eating there—so we went down the street to The Grill On The Alley. So Craig and I are enjoying a drink at the bar (as usual, I’m having cranberry juice) and he nudges me, saying, “Hey, there’s Neil Sedaka!” I glance over and, sure nuff, it’s ol’ Neal himself. Sitting with him were—drum roll, please—Judge Judy! Wow, Neal Sedaka and Judge Judy! My life is now complete! OK, so fast forward a few more days and Craig and I are doing yet another round of barhopping in Bev Hills. We’re at the bar at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. I’m sipping my drink (a Diet Coke this time) and I glance over and see—another drum roll, please—super-producer Jerry Bruckheimer! Like Joel Silver, Mr. B also had cellphone to ear. Man, what did guys like this do before cellphones?? All I can say is...only in L.A.!!

CONFESSIONS OF A COMPETITION WINNER...

2008-05-12T10:18:00.000-07:00

I get the feeling many novice screenwriters think if they could just win a screenwriting competition—just one!—their career would be on a fast track to success.

If you’re a regular reader of my blog, or if you’ve perused my Working Screenwriter 2 blog, you’ll know I’m fairly dubious of the whole screenwriting competition route. I just feel budding scribes spend waaaaay too much time and effort trying to win those things.

What’s even more puzzling is why a writer would enter a no-name competition that offers little more than a few hundred bucks and a magazine subscription as a grand prize. It’s as if these writers are still in grade school and all they really want is to get that little gold star.

Personally, the only contest I want to win is getting Mr. Joe Producer to purchase my script, or perhaps having him hire me to write something on assignment. My trophy will be a produced movie with my name on it...or at least a nice paycheck. As far as I’m concerned, those are the only true prizes in the ol’ screenwriting game. Pats on the back and my name on some roster are fine, but they don’t pay the rent. But hey, that’s just my opinion. I mean, if little gold stars and magazine subscriptions are your thing, go for it.

Do I think there are competitions that are actually worthwhile? Sure, but only a very few. Nicholl would be one. But even winning top honors in Nicholl don’t guarantee anything.

OK, I know you’re saying, “C’mon, Jim, are you telling us not to enter script comps?” No, that’s not what I’m saying at all. I’m merely asking you not to focus so heavily on winning a screenwriting competition. Yes, submit to one or two of the big gun comps, but don’t forget your other avenues to success: sending query letters, making the all-important “face time” with industry insiders by attending industry events such as film festivals, or if possible, getting a low-tier job at a production company.

Remember: this is a business that’s pretty much run by connections...so go make ‘em!

I recently did a brief Q&A with Lorelei Armstrong, a novelist and screenwriter hailing from the beautiful state of Hawaii. Ms. Armstrong has participated in numerous screenwriting competitions over the last several years and her experiences are rather eye-opening. If you’re thinking about entering one of the many screenwriting comps (and there are many), then you’ll want to give a thorough read to Lorelei’s interview.

Q&A WITH LORELEI ARMSTRONG

Q: So, Lorelei, when did you start writing screenplays?

A: 1998. I wrote three that first year.

Q: Since 1998, approximately how many screenplays have you written?

A: Twenty-two.

Q: How many screenwriting competitions have you entered?

A: Around thirty.

Q: Of those (competitions entered), how many have you won outright?

A: Six.

Q: Name the specific competitions you’ve won.

A: The Screenwriting Expo Screenwriting Contest, The Contest of Contest Winners, The Filmmakers.com/The Radmin Company Contest, The Scr(i)pt Magazine/Open Door Contest, The Acclaim Film and Television Contest, The A Penny Short Contest.

Q: What is the largest prize you’ve ever won from one of these competitions?

A: $10,000 from the Screenwriting Expo.

Q: What other types of prizes (non-monetary) have you won from these competitions?

A: It still is a monetary issue, but reduced-price admission to the Austin Film Festival is my favorite non-monetary award. I’ve been a finalist or semi-finalist there three times, and had a great time. Beyond that, I’d advise caution to writers considering contests with non-monetary prizes. Story notes are often a paragraph long and written by a harried reader, and any contest that claims they will provide “exposure” is blowing smoke.

Q: Other than any material rewards, what have been the most satisfying aspects of winning a screenwriting competition?

A: It’s always nice to win. It’s tremendously encouraging. It is also nice to be able to pay the rent for a while from a contest win.

Q: Overall, do you feel it’s worth the time, effort and money to enter a screenwriting competition?

A: So long as you are clear on your goals. If you want to start your career, I would advise winning the Nicholl. Accept other contests for what they have to offer. Understand that Hollywood watches the Nicholl and only the Nicholl.

Q: Based on your experiences, what is the most POSITIVE aspect of entering a screenwriting competition?

A: Paying my rent for a year by winning contests. Note that I do not advise this as a sound business decision. But then, neither is trying to become a screenwriter!

Q: Based on your experiences, what is the most NEGATIVE aspect of entering a screenwriting competition?

A: My least favorite part of the world of screenwriting competitions is how many there are. There are hundreds. Many are a total waste of time and money. The sponsors take in thousands of dollars and the winner gets a nice certificate and maybe some story notes. Don’t give these folks your money.

Q: OK, let’s say you’ve just won one of the big screenwriting competitions. What can a writer expect to happen?

A: A nice phone call from your mother, if you’re lucky. Seriously, if you win the Nicholl, you will receive many, many script requests. If you win any contest other than the Nicholl, you will be lucky to get a half-dozen requests. Make your own calls and write your own letters, but don’t expect anyone to have heard of any other contest.

Q: Of all the competitions you’ve entered which do you feel was the most worthwhile?

A: Either the [Screenwriting] Expo or Austin, because the prizes were good. I’d like to say that one started my career, but I have had no success there.

Q: True or false (and please explain why): Entering a no-name competition is a waste of time.

A: True. You may feel good, you may value your prize, but it won’t move you forward in the business. Worse, you may be convinced that the script and the writing that won a small contest is good enough to make it in Hollywood, when in reality you have a great deal of learning to do.

Q: Explain what happened to you after winning the Screenwriting Expo.

A: Well, I was very, very happy for a while! I did get four requests for the script, two of which were part of “send all the finalists” group requests. One of those led to the worst rejection letter I think I’ve ever received. Thank you, Gersh! Within about forty-eight hours of winning, everyone I’d ever met knew I’d won. All my contacts, everybody. Everyone I’d gone to film school with at UCLA. The disinterest was extreme. Part of the problem is that the script is a large historical drama. Not exactly in high demand. I was only able to generate a handful of requests on my own. I went on to win four more contests that year, and someone at Scr(i)pt Magazine recommended me to a new agent. I signed with him. After a couple of years of his best efforts, he quit to go back to film school, and I have now quit to write novels. The only lasting effect of the Expo was that the check was large enough to attract the special attention of the business taxation people in my home state of Hawaii. I now have to pay 4% General Excise Tax (gross) on any future screenplay contest winnings. They have decided that winning contests is a business.

Q: If you had to enter just one or two screenwriting competitions, which would you enter?

A: I’ll name three: the Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting, the Austin Screenwriting Contest, and the Screenwriting Expo Contest.

Q: While you were actively submitting screenplays to competitions, were you also querying agents, managers and/or production companies?

A: Yes, I was actively querying, for what that's worth. And I was getting some requests based on the contests. I would say I had at least one script out there at all times for seven or eight years. And then I signed with my then-agent in early 2005, and he always had something out. I had the usual meet-and-greets, everywhere from funky office buildings in the Valley to on-the-lot prodcos. Plenty of the phony action to which Hollywood is addicted.

Q: If so, what type of responses were you getting, if any?

A: The most common reaction was that, whatever the person had read, they "loved it," but it wasn't quite right. My most winning script, Michelangelo, was too big for everyone. One agent I spoke to last year advised me never to mention the script to anyone, ever. Some folks wanted an adult to star in my kid comedy. Some wanted one comedy set in Los Angeles, so I rewrote it, and then nobody wanted a movie set in Los Angeles. A couple of places read my male-lead action/adventures and wanted to know if I'd written a romantic comedy (no). I've heard "too smart" and "too dumb." Someone read my thriller Ghostcatcher and asked "does she have to catch ghosts?" The usual noise.

Q: Do you feel adding "I won the Screenwriting Expo/Script magazine competition" to your query letters and/or telephone pitches engendered any additional interest from the agents, managers and/or production companies you queried?

A: The only folks who might have responded to "I won the Expo" were prodcos who were somehow involved in the Expo. Nobody else had heard of it. I won the third year of the contest; it might have gotten better since then.

Q: What is your current status as a screenwriter?

A: I quit screenwriting last fall, a month before the strike. I went out and picketed every day, but didn’t have to worry about what would happen to me afterward. I have a novel coming out in the fall, and after my book tour I will be leaving Los Angeles and moving home to Hawaii.

Q: Any parting comments/thoughts?

A: I’d like people to take a look at my screenwriting website (link is below). There is more information about contests there, as well as a lot of information about screenwriting and the business. My general advice is to go into screenwriting, and into screenplay contests, with your eyes open. This is a hard, hard business and the odds are overwhelmingly against all of us. Don’t let your hopes and dreams hurt you. Know the facts.

* * *

Well, there you have it—an interesting point of view from someone who’s actually been there. I’d like to thank Lorelei for participating in this interview, and I wish her the best of luck with her upcoming book! If you’d like to visit Lorelei’s website, just click here.

UPCOMING EVENT!

2008-04-17T01:04:00.000-07:00

The good folks at The Scriptwriters Network have asked me to speak at one of their upcoming events. It will be Saturday, August 16th at the CBS/Radford Studios in Studio City. For more information, please visit The Scriptwriters Network website. Hope to see ya there!

Welcome to La La Land

I was walking down the street today and spotted film director Peter Bogdanovich (The Last Picture Show, Paper Moon, What’s Up, Doc?) standing on the corner. Unfortunately, I was standing on the other side of the street, unable to cross due to oncoming traffic. I was going to go let him know what a big fan I was of his work, but he got away before I could get to him. Drats!

THE COMEDY SCREENPLAY: BUT IS IT FUNNY?

2008-04-10T13:21:00.000-07:00

I’ve been wrestling with whether or not I even wanted to write this blog entry. I mean, comedy is such a subjective thing. Just because I think something is funny doesn’t mean you’re going to think it’s funny...and vice versa. But I felt that I should go ahead and write this entry anyway. I figured if I could help one or two budding screenwriters stop and think about their comedy script before sending it out into the world, well, I’ve done my job. So, without further ado...

BUT IS YOUR COMEDY SCRIPT ACTUALLY FUNNY?

For a relative handful of writers, comedy is a piece of cake. For other writers, other genres are a far more obtainable/realistic goal. But if comedy is your thing, if brilliant one-liners roll off your tongue, if you’re able to regale people with humorous anecdotes, if people have been telling you since childhood, “You should be a stand-up comedian!”...you need to know that having the ability to translate all your funny material to the pages of a screenplay takes a certain extra-special type of talent. Fact is, the comedy screenplay is very difficult to get right, and believe me when I tell you sooooo many wannabe comedy scribes have proven that statement absolutely correct. I’ve critiqued many “comedy” scripts in recent years and I found most of them to be about as funny as a traffic ticket. These writers—usually teenagers to early-20s—think “funny” is all about peppering a script with non-stop four-letter words and jokes about female body parts. Sorry, gang, but that sort of humor generally isn’t very amusing.

“OK, Jim, so what is funny?”

I realize comedy is a subjective thing. To be honest, I’m not really sure I can even fully articulate what goes into a well-written comedy screenplay. After all, they write entire books about this stuff—and I’m certainly not about to tackle it all here—but I think I’m a pretty good judge of what’s marketably funny and what’s not; what works and what doesn’t. I know there’s a particular structure and cadence to successful comedy writing. And I know this:

In comedy, timing is everything.

If you want examples of brilliant comedy structure, cadence and timing, then I suggest you turn to some of the comedy masters. There are many. Go read some scripts by Billy Wilder, Preston Sturgess, Woody Allen, or the brothers Zuker. You can surely learn quite a bit from those guys. There’s more recent brilliance from such writers as Wes Anderson and Judd Apatow. (Apatow certainly knows his way around the aforementioned “locker room” humor, but he does it with finesse and with heart.) Right now, let’s look at an excerpt from the script of the classic 1972 comedy What’s Up, Doc?, which was written by the inimitable Buck Henry. In the following scene, naïve, timid musicologist Howard Bannister (Ryan O’Neal) has inadvertently destroyed his upscale hotel room (smashing things, burning things), and now the stuffy hotel manager, Mr. Kaltenborn (John Hillerman), has dropped by to survey the damage.

INT. HOTEL ROOM – DAY

MR. KALTENBORN, the manager of the hotel, enters. He stands in the doorway, looks at the room in horror.

HOWARD (trying to be cheerful): Good morning.

KALTENBORN: No – I don’t think so. I’m Mr. Kaltenborn, the manager of what’s left of the hotel.

Kaltenborn is looking around the room. He looks like he might faint.

HOWARD: I’m awfully sorry about this whole mess here. Usually, this doesn’t happen.

KALTENBORN: Mr. Bannister, I have a message for you from the staff of the hotel.

HOWARD: Really? What is it?

KALTENBORN: Goodbye.

HOWARD: Is that the entire message?

KALTENBORN: We would appreciate it if you would check out.

HOWARD: When?

KALTENBORN: Yesterday.

HOWARD: That soon? Listen –uh – I don’t suppose there’s another room you could let me have for a few –

He stops as he sees the expression of utter disbelief on Kaltenborn’s face.

HOWARD: Ahh – well –

He finds his other shoe and puts it on. He pulls out the (Van Hoskins) case and stands up, holding it.

HOWARD (indicating case): These are my igneous tambula drums.

KALTENBORN (carefully, as to a madman): Yes, of course they are.

Howard goes out into the hall. Kaltenborn, with a last look around the room, pulls the door closed and the other half of the door handle comes off in his hand.

INT. CORRIDOR (17th FLOOR)

Howard and Mr. Kaltenborn walk toward the elevators, Howard carrying the case and Mr. Kaltenborn carrying the door handle.

KALTENBORN (hopefully): Where were you thinking of going now?

HOWARD: Well – my fiancée, Miss Sleep, is still burning. Uh – Miss Burns is still sleeping. And I thought – uh – maybe I could just sit in the lobby and wait until –

Kaltenborn shakes his head. The elevator arrives and Howard steps in.

HOWARD: Well – I really am sorry about the room.

KALTENBORN: Oh, that’s all right. We have plenty of others.

The elevator door closes. Kaltenborn looks sadly at the door handle in his hand, turns and goes back down the corridor.

Here’s another excerpt from the same screenplay:

INT. COURTROOM – DAY

[This scene takes place in a courtroom full of suspects in front of a very old and very frazzled judge.]

JUDGE: Officer – what are these people being charged with?

COP: That’s kind of hard to say, judge.

JUDGE: Give it a shot.

COP: Well, sir, we picked some of them out of San Francisco Bay.

JUDGE: Entering the country illegally?

COP: No, sir, they drove in.

JUDGE: Into the country?

COP: Into the Bay.

JUDGE (making notes): Okay – unauthorized use of public waters.

COP: Mostly in stolen cars.

JUDGE: Ahh – that’s better. Grand larceny.

COP: Then there was the shooting.

JUDGE: That’s assault with a deadly weapon.

LARRABEE: They broke into my home.

JUDGE: That’s breaking and entering.

LARRABEE (pointing to Eunice): They brought her with them forcibly.

JUDGE: That’s kidnapping.

EUNICE: They tried to molest me.

JUDGE (looking at her): That’s unbelievable.

JONES: Your Honor, I can clear all this up in ten seconds.

JUDGE: You do and you’ll get a prize.

JONES: May I approach the bench?

JUDGE: Yes. (to Bailiff) Watch him like a hawk.

As you can clearly read from these excerpts, the writing is clear, concise and punchy. Yes, this is typically what you want in any screenplay, but in comedy, it’s absolutely essential.

In comedy, the actual premise of your scene must also be funny. The idea of some poor sap, alone in his burned out hotel room and being visited by the quietly agitated hotel manager, is funny.

How many newbie scripts have I read where the so-called funny premise is nothing more than a bunch of goofballs sitting around smoking dope and jabbering endlessly about what a cool movie Star Wars is? Believe me, plenty.

How many newbie scripts have I read where the entire punch line of a scene was...well, actually, believe it or not, I’ve read quite a few “funny” scenes that had no punch line whatsoever. There was no real purpose of the scene other than to have people running around in hysterics. The writers of these scripts have failed at one thing you must have in a screenplay: focus.

WHO is the center of attention?
WHAT is their goal?
WHAT is the obstacle keeping them from that goal?

If I don’t know these basics, then why should I care? If I don’t care, chances are pretty good I won’t laugh.

Another thing you’ll see in an unsuccessful comedy screenplay: too many words getting in the way of the intended comedy. Again, this is something you want in any screenplay, but you really want your comedy screenplay to zip along. That means you need to spit out your funny lines—and descriptive passages as well—in the most efficient and linear way possible.

There’s that great scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark, when Indy looks down at the ground filled with slithering snakes and says to himself, “Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?” He doesn’t say, “Oh, man, those snakes are yucky! I hate snakes!” No, as spoken, the line was perfect. It was to the point. No fuss, no muss. That’s the kind of writing that can and will make or break your comedy screenplay.

In the classically whacky comedy Airplane, when Ted Striker (Robert Hays) asks Dr. Rumack (Leslie Neilson), “Surely you can’t be serious.” Then Rumack responds in that perfect deadpan manner, “I am serious...and don’t call me Shirley.” He doesn’t say, “Of course I’m serious. I’m very serious. And please do me a favor. Don’t call me Shirley.” A cumbersome line like that would’ve killed the joke.

But funny dialogue is just one component of a successfully written comedy screenplay. You mustn’t forget how your descriptive passages are actually delivered. An unsuccessful comedy script contains unwieldy descriptions that detract from the overall hilarity you’re trying to convey. (Say that ten times fast!) A big mistake most first-timers make is adding what I refer to as LBOB. That’s my shorthand for “little bits of business.” These are things that, in the mind of many novice writers, seem amusing, but aren’t. For example:

Joe crosses his arms, tilts his head to the left, nods, and laughs.

Sure, maybe it’s important to know that Joe laughs, but we probably don’t care that he crosses his arms, tilts his head to the left and nods. All that stuff just gets in the way. Let the actors figure out the “business” they’re going to do. That's why they get the big bucks. “Joe laughs.” Nuff said.

You can also under-describe a scene, not gaining the maximum impact of its humor. For instance, let’s say you have a scene where some dopey bozo comes out of a bar, walks down the sidewalk, and slips on a banana peel. Here are two ways you could do it:

EXAMPLE #1: “Joe walks out of the bar. He walks down the street and slips on a banana peel. He falls down on the sidewalk.”

EXAMPLE #2: “Joe steps from the tavern. A smile on his face, he gazes into the perfect sky on this bright, sunny day. He inhales a deep breath of fresh air...starts down the sidewalk, whistling happily as he goes. Problem is...he doesn’t see the BANANA PEEL right in front of him. His foot goes down on it – ZWOOOOP! He becomes airborne...”

I think the second example is more effective. If you thought so too, congratulations, you get a cookie.

Again, they write entire books about what makes a funny screenplay, so I sure ain't making any huge revelations in this blog entry...but I hope I've given all you first-timers something to think about before you tackle that comedy idea you’ve had percolating in your brain for the last six years. Good luck!

* * *

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MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

2008-04-03T00:02:00.000-07:00

I’m now back in Los Angeles. Lemme tell ya, I had quite an adventure in El Salvador. I saw a lot of spectacular sights, did a lot of really fun and exciting things, ate a lot of great food...and got some solid work done. I also met some genuinely wonderful, gracious people who took excellent care of me.

So now I start work on a screenplay. It’s a truly fabulous story and I’m really looking forward to working on it. I’ll try to blog when I can, but if you don’t read anything new for a week or two, it’s only cuz I’m so focused on the script. But rest assured, I’ll keep ya’ll posted on any new and interesting developments. Until next time...

Buy Q and A: The Working Screenwriter here!

THE EAGLE HAS LANDED!

2008-03-25T17:50:00.000-07:00

I'm writing this from San Salvador, El Salvador.

The plan was for me to come down here later in the week, but things never happen quite the way they're supposed to. No problem, I'm pretty flexible.

So I get a call from my manager around 5:00 last night, "Can you leave tomorrow?" I told her I could. She said she'd call me back.

A few minutes later she called back and asked, "Can you leave TONIGHT?" I told her yes, but it'd have to be late in the evening.

She booked a red-eye flight that was scheduled to leave around midnight.

So I hustled home, threw some things in a bag, kissed my wonderful girlfriend goodbye, and raced to the airport.

I got my ticket and through security in, oh, about ten minutes. Then I spent a bit of quality time in the "exclusive" lounge they have available four Business-class travelers.

I eventually got to the boarding area. I soon found out the plane would be delayed. Whatever.

Once I was on the plane there was yet another delay. We didn't actually get off the ground until close to 2:00AM. It's only about a 4-hour flight and they're an hour ahead of the L.A. time-zone, so I landed in San Salvador around 7:00AM.

I was picked up by a gentleman in a Porsche and made a swift (really swift) journey to my hotel.

After a brief rest period, I was taken to a private golf club where I had lunch with some of people involved with the project. Then I spent the day interviewing the subject of the film. He's a warm and fascinating man and I've enjoyed talking with him.

I'm supposed to be here another week or so. They tell me I'll be seeing some gorgeous locations in the next few days, so I'm really looking forward to that.

It's fairly amazing how quickly this has all come together. Less than three weeks! But my reps and a group of enthused producers have made it work. If only all movie projects could be like this!

Anyway, I'll keep you posted.

UPDATE: "THE EL SALVADOR PROJECT"

2008-03-15T00:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my reps met with the backers of the “Untitled El Salvador Project.” It was a lunch meeting at the Beverly Hills Hotel. I was not in attendance. I’m told the meeting went very well. Everyone was very enthusiastic about my “take” on the story. The upshot: the money people behind this project definitely want to move forward and are willing to put up the necessary funds to get the script written. So, this is definitely some good news. A few contract points still have to be worked out, then some paperwork needs to be signed, but it looks like I’m taking a trip down to El Salvador. (Unfortunately, the only Spanish I know I picked up from watching Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. If I need to rob a bank or waylay a payroll transport, I’ll be in fine shape.) As always, I’ll keep you posted on any interesting developments.

Book News!

Hey, L.A. scribes...my book, Q and A: The Working Screenwriter -- An In-the-Trenches Perspective of Writing Movies in Today's Film Industry, is now available on the shelves at Barnes & Noble stores at The Grove, West Hollywood, and on shelves at The Writers Store, Westwood. Pick up your copy today!

MISSION: CENTRAL AMERICA!

2008-03-06T02:43:00.000-08:00

I stopped at my manager’s office yesterday for a meeting (to re-strategize after that fiasco from last week). But before I even sat down, she said, "Do you have a passport?"
I asked, "Why?"
She said, "You’re going to Central America."
I said, "I am?"
Then she proceeded to tell me about a producer who wants to hire me for a project.

Here’s the deal thus far: I’m to be sent down to El Salvador (all expenses paid, of course), interview the subject of this particular story, spend a few days getting a feel for his environment, his family and friends, his life, then come back and start working on a script. I’ll get half of my fee, which has yet to be completely negotiated, when I commence on the script, and the other half upon “completion” of the script. (I put the word completion in quotes cuz a submission draft is still far from completed.)

So I sat there, just slightly dumbfounded. All I could say was, "Um, sure, it sounds good."
Then I asked, "When do we start?"
"End of the month," says my manager.

I have to admit, I felt a little bit like a spy being sent off on a mission. I half expected to hear the James Bond theme playing as I was given the particulars of the deal.

Now, as usual, I’m taking all this with a grain of salt since this might very well implode in the next few days. Again—as I wrote in a blog a couple weeks ago—I’ll believe it’s for real when paperwork has been signed and a check clears into my bank account. But who knows, maybe luck will be on my side with this one. Maybe this will all go forward and I’ll get a trip to El Salvador and meet some interesting people. Maybe I’ll cash a nice paycheck and start work on a cool screenplay. Hey, it could very well happen.

Then again...this is Hollywood. As usual, I’ll keep ya posted.

Buy Q & A: The Working Screenwriter here!

From the L.A. Times: Scriptland

2008-03-05T10:27:00.000-08:00

I read this in the Los Angeles Times this morning. I found it rather interesting and amusing...so I thought I'd share with all of you. (Scriptland is a weekly feature on the work and professional lives of screenwriters.)

By Jay A. Fernandez, Special to the Los Angeles Times (March 5, 2008)

Hollywood scribes often refer hyperbolically to the terror and torture of being "in the hole" when trying to write, while simultaneously admitting that forced isolation is the only way they'll get anything done. Well, the story of Darryl Francis -- who inadvertently literalized the circumstance -- may put things in perspective.

Too absurd not to be true, here's what actually happened:

Three years ago, talent manager Danny Sherman moved with his then-wife, Wendy, into a home in an un-gentrified Silver Lake neighborhood. While Sherman was at work, a vaguely threatening-looking guy with a teardrop tattoo under his eye would toss wolf whistles Wendy's way when she came outside. After ignoring him for a few weeks, Wendy finally struck up a conversation and learned he was a 15-year veteran of the neighborhood named Darryl Francis who had recently been released from prison."

They made nice," Sherman recalls. "But in the conversation she somehow told him that I represented screenwriters. And, of course, Darryl had a screenplay. And he wanted me to read it. That made me even more worried."

Apparently, Francis, incarcerated most recently at Wayside county jail (now called the North County Correctional Facility) on a 32-month stretch for receiving stolen property, had found himself in solitary confinement after a little misunderstanding with some Latino inmates. A previous tenant had left a contraband pencil, so Francis used the quiet time -- 43 days, all told -- in the hole to sketch out a comedy idea called "Tow Truck," chewing away at the pencil tip to sharpen it whenever it got too low. (He also worked on it during a stint at Avenal State Prison.)

What Francis handed Sherman after cornering him on the sidewalk one day with "Are you the manager man?" was 200 pages of handwritten material in different colors of ink and pencil, including 20 pages that a girlfriend had typed up before dumping him. Sherman nervously took the pages, thanked Francis and quietly hoped he'd never see the guy again.

Then, incredibly, he actually read them. And discovered that the characters and dialogue were hilarious. Francis was not exactly a comedy novice. To keep himself busy and (relatively) safe during the 11 years off and on that he spent in prison, Francis would write funny, fictitious, combative letters from his family members and read them to the other inmates as a kind of stand-up routine."

I was always the clown," says the 42-year-old Francis, who grew up in South L.A. "I always kept the humor no matter where I was at. Once you accept the fact that you in there, there's nothing else you can do about it. . . . I just tried to make it work for me."

Sherman passed Francis' material to an Emmy-nominated client, Dean Ward ("Talk Soup"), who fleshed out the story and incorporated characters from Francis' fake letters until they had developed it into the story of brothers who revive a towing business to save their old neighborhood from commercial development.

Ultimately, producers Broken Lizard Industries ("Beerfest," "Super Troopers") brought the script to Our Stories Films, which optioned the spec last summer. Ward, Francis and Sherman then sold an animated series called "Letters From Tha Slammer" to Superdeluxe.com, TBS' online comedy outlet, based on Francis' epistolary high jinks (the show will be available on the site in a few months).

"I'm always teasing Darryl that he took the easy way out," jokes Ward, who's working on other projects with Francis. "I had 10 years of heartbreak writing spec after spec before I finally sold a script. And he goes to prison, writes one script and sells it. If I had it to do all over again, I'd skip film school and go straight to San Quentin."

Buy Q and A: The Working Screenwriter here!

Parenthetical directions...

2008-03-04T12:30:00.000-08:00

Once thing I spot in most novice scripts: the overuse and improper use of parenthetical direction. These directions are what I refer to as “superfluous and/or awkward bits of business” and “telling the actor how to act.” Let’s take a look at some examples:

JOE
I don’t care what he says...
(gesticulating wildly)
He’s wrong!
(clenching his fists)
He’s wrong and I’m going to prove it!

Another example:

JANE
(nodding)
Yes, I agree completely...
(stops all of a sudden and smiles)
And I think it’s just wonderful!

Another example:

JACK
(cocking head, thinking about it)
Gosh, I guess I shoulda called first.

Another example:

MIKE
(putting hands on his hips)
I don’t see why I have to do it! I really don’t!

Another example:

PETE
(frowning, but resolute)
He might be gone, but I promise you, we’ll get out of this.

Another example:

JANE
(sad and emotional)
She meant so much to me. If I could just have one last chance to say I’m sorry.

Are these parentheticals superfluous? Yup.
Could some of these directions be considered awkward? Definitely.

How do you act “frowning, but resolute”? Do we care if Mike put his “hands on his hip” or if Jack “cocks his head”? NO!!

Look, if you’re doing your job properly, you don’t need a lot of parenthetical directions. In fact, you might not need any at all. Your setting, tone of story, characters, their lines of dialogue, etc., should adequately clue us in as to how the character is feeling and how the line is to be read. For instance, here are a few lines from a scene where the wife confronts the husband after the he’s been found sneaking around with his secretary:

HUSBAND
It’s not what it looks like, Helen.

WIFE
It’s not what it looks like? What does it look like, Harold? It looks like you’re having an affair with your secretary!

No parentheticals are necessary in the above example. Alas, many novice writers will write it this way:

HUSBAND
(desperately trying to hide the truth)
It’s not what it looks like, Helen.

WIFE
(pacing back and forth, angrily)
It’s not what it looks like??? What does it look like, Harold? It looks like you’re having an affair with your secretary!!!!!

The above exampled parentheticals are not only unnecessary, they also clog up the page and slow the read. Just give us the lines and let the actor and director do their job.

For what it’s worth, I just read No Country for Old Men, and I didn’t spot a single parenthetical direction in the entire 121 page screenplay. I also recently read the script for Knocked Up. Barely any parenthetical directions in that script.

Now, I’m not saying a screenplay shouldn’t contain any parentheticals whatsoever—cuz an occasional well-placed parenthetical direction can be quite necessary in a screenplay. Now you’re asking, “OK, Jim...so when are parenthetical directions necessary?” Glad you asked. Here are some examples:

Let’s say you have a scene with more than two people, and we need to know who a line is being said to. For instance:

TOM
(to Dick)
I want that witness in my office by noon tomorrow.
(to Harry)
Better get me a cup of coffee, it’s gonna be a long night.

Or maybe a character imitates someone famous, like this:

BRUCE
(a la John Wayne)
Smile when you say that, pilgrim.

Or maybe a character is talking to herself, like this:

SALLY
(to herself)
Girl, you do some really stupid things sometimes.

Or maybe a lonely man is sitting at a hotel bar and a pretty girl steps over to him, moves right up beside him and:

WOMAN
(a delicious whisper)
I’m in room 207.

Or maybe a character realizes something mid-line, like this:

JESSE
I don’t know. It could’ve been anyone. It could’ve been –
(dawning on him)
Wait...I know! It was...Tyler Piedmont!

Anyway, I think you’re getting my point here. A well-placed parenthetical is fine. Just use ‘em properly only when absolutely necessary.

And finally:

Only in Hollywood...

So, a few of my good friends took me out for a birthday dinner last night (my b-day was Sunday). I stopped in at a book store prior to meeting with them. While perusing the DVD section, I saw comedian Jackie Mason strolling through the aisles, cellphone to ear and two rather grim-looking men following close behind. Not sure if they were Secret Service agents or sycophants. Later, I met my friends at a well-known, old-time Hollywood eatery on Santa Monica Boulevard. Comedian Tim Conway was standing near the front entrance. He was so funny on the old Carol Burnett Show. Later in the evening, after leaving a bar at the plush Beverly Wilshire Hotel—where my friends had “adult beverages” and I had my usual cranberry juice—we spotted film director Cameron Crowe and his wife Nancy Wilson (of the rock group Heart) waiting for their car to be retrieved by the parking valet. And oh, my girlfriend and I ran into Howie Mandel at a Thai restaurant in Hollywood a few weeks ago. I’m a big fan of Deal or No Deal (one of the only things I watch on television) and I think Howie is so great on the show. Whatever.

Life in La La Land continues.

Meeting: The Aftermath...

2008-02-29T11:42:00.000-08:00

So my reps had their meeting with Mr. Bigshot Producer yesterday. This is the guy who raved about my two scripts...and had all sorts of ideas for getting them produced...and said he wanted to get rolling on things as soon as possible...and he makes the trip to Los Angeles specifically to talk things over and get the ball rolling. But after a rather lengthy, rambling meeting, my reps just looked at Mr. Bigshot Producer—no, sorry, I have a new name for this guy: Mr. Wannabe Loser—and they said, “Why are you wasting our time?” No, really, that’s what they said. See, he suddenly wasn’t quite so keen on producing my scripts. Oh, he still liked them both very much, but he had absolutely no intention of actually plunking down any kind of option money. No, now he’s got other projects he’d rather work on...one of them being a historical drama. OK, so lemme see if I’ve got this straight. This fella is all hot and heavy over my two scripts...and he thinks they’d make bang-up movies...and he’s got all sorts of money to spend...and all sorts of ideas about shooting locations and casting...and he flies all the way out here specifically to meet with my people and talk business. But wait! Now he suddenly wants to produce some low budget movie about Mary, Queen of Scots? Wow, what a nut. Worse yet, he’s a time-wasting nut. Actually, I halfway expected this. Yes, I’ve experienced this sort of thing before. Fact is, there are people in this world who desperately want to be part of the film industry. They want to have the meetings, the lengthy creative discussions, they want to boast about all the money they have (or have access to), and they want to tell their golfing buddies: “Hey, look at me, I’m working on this movie!” But when push comes to shove, they turn tail and run, scampering back to their little hovel—or as in this case, their plush estate on some island back east. Excuse my censored French, but f*ck him. Onward and upward. He can stick ol’ Mary, Queen of Scots up his rear end for all I care. Anyway, I have a meeting with my reps next week and we’re gonna come up with other avenues on these two scripts. Welcome to Hollywood, boy and girls.

MAKING THE CONNECTION...

2008-02-20T14:32:00.000-08:00

PART ONE: My reps recently made a connection with a producer who was on the hunt for solid, producible screenplays. He wasn’t looking for anything uber-budget with exotic locations and a cast of thousands. No, he wanted stories—preferably in the horror and thriller genres—that could be shot relatively low budget. That means few locations, a handful of actors and no outrageous FX. Well, I just happen to have scripts that meet those criteria. So my reps sent this gentleman two of my scripts: one a creepy horror story and the other a psychological thriller. A few days later, the producer calls and says he’s just read the thriller. He thinks it’s fantastic; it fits perfectly into what he wants to do. In fact, he’s so enthused he’s already discussing production possibilities. A couple days after that, he calls and says he loves the horror script. He says—so I’m told—he “got the chills” as he was reading it. I’m also told he’s very enthused and very much wants to get both scripts off the ground as soon as possible. In fact, he’s coming to Los Angeles in a week or so for a meeting with my reps. They’ll all get to know each other face-to-face and, hopefully, hammer out some sort of initial deal. Well, this is all very nice and hopefully it all works out, but I’ve been through this sort of thing before and know very well that—good intentions aside—it can all evaporate in the blink of an eye. But my reps have a good feeling about this one. I told them, “I’ll feel good about it when paperwork is signed and I’m able to cash a check.” That’s when you know it’s real. Until then, it’s all talk, talk, talk. So, we’ll see. I’ll keep ya posted on any progress.

PART TWO: Some of you might recall an October 2007 blog entry about a table-read I had on a sexy-thriller I was hired to write. Well, the producers have just started sending the script out to “the money people.” Of course, we all hope these initial money people have sense enough to know a really terrific script when they read one, and that they’ll jump on board and write a check. Alas, that’s not how it works 98.7% of the time in this town. This sending the script out to potential investors can, and probably will, drag on and on for at least a handful of months. After all, they might find a funding source that’ll put in the first half of the budget rather quickly, then it takes a loooong time to find a funding source that’ll put in the other half. This could drag on for a year...or two...or three. Then finally, after about five years of madness, my producers will say something like, “Sorry, Jim, nobody wants to see your script gate made. Please go away and never darken our doorstep again.” OK, so I’m being just a bit dramatic there. But really, this is a nifty script and, given the right production support, it’ll make a hot thriller. It’s gonna sell....and if it takes two or three years, that’s what it takes. After all, this is the movie business.

IT’S OVER!

2008-02-13T16:00:00.000-08:00

OK, strike’s over, everyone back to work.

Actually, I’ve never really stopped working. I’ve been going pretty much full-strength since the first of the year, writing, rewriting, taking notes for future projects, and reading a bunch of great scripts. But...how many of you used the strike as an excuse to not do a bloody thing? I know some of you said, “I’m not doing anything until the strike is over.” I actually met a guy two weeks ago who told me, “I’ve been kicking back the last couple months, waiting for the strike to end.” Um...so why exactly did he do this? He wasn’t even a member of the WGA! Don’t get me wrong, I admire his support of the Guild—if indeed that’s what it was— but c’mon. (I should point out that this particular writer had completed just three unsold/un-optioned screenplays since he began writing in 1999.)

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my years of screenwriting, it’s this: Don’t waste time. (Actually, this is just plain great advice for life in general.) This might seem obvious to most of you, but you might be surprised by how many people fail to heed this bit of advice.

If you’re still trying to learn what this whole screenwriting thing is all about, you should be reading some good how-to books, reading some great pro screenplays and, of course, slapping your own words down on paper.

If you’ve got a hot idea for a screenplay, it’s not going to write itself. You’ve got to come up with ideas, sketch ‘em out, plot, plan, and get it all poured into solid script form.

If you’ve written a script that you think is really hot, don’t merely send out a few queries and then sit around waiting for the phone to ring. It won’t.

You need to get your face out of your computer screen, get out into the world and make things happen. You’ve got to send e-mails, make phone calls, mingle, schmooze and meet folks in the film industry. This has got to be your way of life on a consistent basis. Sure, this all takes time, effort and a heavy dose of creativity, but that’s what your screenwriting career is all about. If you’re not prepared to do these things, you probably need to find a vocation that better suits you. Not everyone in the world is meant to write movies. But if screenwriting is what you want in life, you now have one less excuse for not getting things done.

The strike is over...get cracking.

Buy Q and A: The Working Screenwriter here!

Yet another fab review for my book!

2008-01-23T02:15:00.000-08:00

Via e-mail several times each month, I receive a fairly steady stream of flattering reviews of my book, Q & A: The Working Screenwriter – An In-the-Trenches Perspective of Writing Movies in Today’s Film Industry. Most of these messages are fairly succinct: “I really enjoyed your book!” So glad I picked up a copy of your book!” “I learned a lot!” “You suck! Your book sucks, too!”

But yesterday I received an extra special review from a budding young screenwriter—the type of review that reminds me why I wrote the book in the first place—and here it is:

Hey, Jim...

I picked up your book this weekend and just finished it.... I loved it! I found it rich with insight and very entertaining. At times I would laugh when the writers would hit the nail on the head and discuss some of the very problems I've had either presently or in the past. I was also surprised to find great opinions and views that improve the areas of my writing that I'd already felt comfortable or content with. It's a very enlightening read, and a fun one, too. I haven't been so immersed in book since Agatha Christie's Ten Little Indians. It does in fact feel like you're in the same room with these writers—a fly on the wall, if you will—and free to soak up any and all that you consider to be helpful. Your book goes well with what you've taught me: find what works best for you. This addition to the books I have on the subject is invaluable, and is without question a new favorite. – Cody Buckingham

Big thanks to Cody for that wonderful review!

Now then, to those of you who have yet to pick up a copy of my book, I ask you: What are you waiting for? No, really, what? I wrote Q & A: The Working Screenwriter to be read...to be an educational tool for screenwriters everywhere...and not disregarded and left moldering in some book warehouse. So go ahead, pick up your copy today. You’ll be glad you did! You can order from:

Amazon.com
Barnes & Noble.com
The Writers Store

And finally...to those of who have already purchased a copy of my book, thank you. To those who are about to order my book, thank you. To those who will never order my book...well, I’ll remember that when your book comes out. (Just kiddin’.)

UPCOMING BLOG—COMING SOON: “IS YOUR COMEDY SCRIPT ACTUALLY FUNNY?”

HAPPY 2008!

2008-01-03T19:06:00.000-08:00

IT’S A NEW YEAR!! As much as I love the holidays, it’s really good to get back to business. This is gonna be a great year, too. Business-wise, I’ve got some exciting things on my plate: scripts to complete, ideas to develop, a project or two on the brink of a green light, and a whole bunch of blogs to post. On a more personal note, a very wonderful thing that’s happened to me recently was reconnecting with a fabulous young lady I dated back in the early 80s. As nice as things were between us back then, it’s all so much better now. This relationship is all very familiar, yet very new—and very exciting. Yup, my year is definitely off to an excellent start!

As for you, my blog-reading friends, I hope you all have good things going on in your own lives. I hope you all have health, happiness... and some fabulous screenplays to get completed and sent out into the world!

ENTOURAGE: REEL VS. REAL

I was in this ultra-hip bar in Hollywood last night, celebrating my friend Craig’s birthday. We were sitting at a table—I was sipping my customary cranberry juice, of course—when a man brushed past me on his way to the restroom. I glance up and noticed it was Rex Lee, the actor who plays Ari’s Gold’s assistant Lloyd on the hit HBO show Entourage. This got Craig and I talking about the show and how much we both enjoy it. Then I suddenly remembered a question that a reader to this blog asked me a few weeks ago:

“Can you elaborate on how true of a depiction the HBO show Entourage gives of Hollywood?”

I thought this was a fun question. I mean, I really enjoy the show. At first, it was a bit too raunchy for my taste, but I’ve grown to love it. (C’mon, how could I not love it? After all, it’s about the movie business!) If you’re not familiar with the show, here’s the plot summery:

In this sitcom, the suddenly risen film star Vince Chase, a jeune premier of humble origins, learns the ropes of the business and the high-profile world of the wealthy happy few in and around Hollywood, but not alone: he brings from his native New York his atypical entourage (hence the title), not glitterati or professionals, but a close circle of friends since childhood, and his agent, Ari Gold, finds they often make his job harder as the Queens boys not only sponge off the star but also have his ear, so Vince is much harder to counsel.

Yes, Vince and his entourage roam the chic restaurants, bars, and glittering palaces of Los Angeles as a constant stream of established stars, wannabes, and a bevy of beauties fill the 1:78.1 aspect ratio HBO frame. OK, so how realistic is what we see on the show? Well, based on my own personal experiences and observations...pretty accurate.

Yup, it all exists: the self-important, temperamental film director, producer, and/or cinematographer...the budding, poser actor...the fair weather associates...the arrogant, high-strung, mile-a-minute agent...the bratty, snobbish mail room hustler...the sycophantic phonies...the smarmy pseudo-studs in their (usually rented or borrowed) $300,000 sports cars...the vacuous bimbettes shopping Melrose Avenue. At one time or another I’ve known, or at least met, all of these archetypes. (I want to make something clear: there’s a high population of generous, wonderful and creative people in this town. I’m fairly confident they outnumber their counterparts by about 8 to 1. Well, maybe 7 to 1.)

I’ve also been to many of the “trendy” locales featured on Entourage. If you’ve watched even one episode, you’ll be well aware of how producers tend to fill many of their scenes with unbelievably gorgeous eye candy. For the most part, when it comes to this eye candy, I find that true life is represented fairly accurately. (Ladies, please don’t ask me about the men in this town cuz I simply don’t notice them. I just don’t.) Believe me, there are hordes of gorgeous women in this town—there’s more plastic in L.A. than you’d find in a couple dozen Mattel toy factories—but I do think the show exaggerates it all just a tad bit. For instance, if Vince and the guys are walking along a street in Santa Monica or strolling along the Venice boardwalk (both of which are situated right on the edge of the Pacific Ocean), you’ll see nothing but bodacious, bikini-clad beauties. But there’s one thing you probably won’t see: the homeless and the psychologically impaired. Ugh, it’s a bit of a mess in that part of town.

But...can you see Hollywood movers and shakers driving along Sunset Boulevard in their high-priced convertibles and SUVs, cellphone to ear, working out the details of some big film, TV, or recording deal? Yup, you sure can.

Can you have a drink at a trendy west-side watering hole and find Harrison Ford nursing a drink a mere couple chairs over? Ask my friend Craig, he’ll tell you it’s absolutely possible.

Can you go into any one of the chic restaurant/bars and find yourself sitting next to Lindsay Lohan, then a couple hours later run into Bill Murray at another chic restaurant/bar? Sure, Craig will tell you that’s totally possible.

Can you be casually strolling through a Halloween pumpkin patch one moment and caught up in a Paris Hilton/paparazzi maelstrom the next? Been there, done that.

Can you walk down a street in Beverly Hills and nearly collide with Sean Connery as he emerges from a restaurant?

I think you're gettin' my point here, aren't ya?

Buy Q and A: The Working Screenwriter here!

The Working Screenwriter

MY BOOK IS NOW AN E-BOOK!

Good meeting...

Change your words, change your world...

Justin Samuels...Part Two!

A Conversation with…Justin Samuels

You Could Die Holding Your Breath in This Town!

Psst! Have you read my "other" blog?

One View on Writer's Block...

A Bit of Promotion: My Book!

Interview with Darren Howell, Part 3!*

Late 2010 update...

A Flick About...Screenwriters!

Short Film News...

A Bit of Good News...

A "My Roommate Sam" Advertisement!

The Big Debut: My Roommate Sam!

Quote for the day...

END OF YEAR UPDATE...

The Perfect Writing Spot...

NEWSFLASH: THE END OF MY WEBSITE, BUT...

Not a bad couple of weeks!

Interview with Darren Howell: September 2009 Update...

A New Rewrite Gig...

UPDATE: SUMMER 2009...

Stuff you can look at...and some Mr. Creepy news!

A thought for the day...

A New Screenwriting Site: A Review...

So who needs a critique? + The "best of" The Working Screenwriter!

Well, that's showbiz!

Wow, it's already May??

What’s new in Jim’s world?

The Collaborative Process...

WEB-SERIES UPDATE: HALFWAY THERE!

WEB-SERIES NEWS!

Web-series News, “Hey, Where’d My Thriller Go?” & “Mr. Creepy”

HAPPY 2009!!

VARIOUS ITEMS...

Back from NYC and Web-series news...

Share YOUR success stories!

"Where'd Jim go?"

Paul Newman (1925 - 2008)

For those of you in NYC...

WEBSITE REDUX: THE DOLLAR OPTION...

WEBSITE REDUX: OH, THE REJECTION!!

WEBSITE REDUX: COLLABORATION...

UPDATE...

WEBSITE REDUX: WORDS OF WARNING...

AN INTERVIEW: AGENT X!

WEBSITE REDUX: GETTING THE SCRIPT OUT...

What's OLD is NEW...

UPDATE: DARREN HOWELL

A COUPLE OF QUICKIE UPDATES...

INTERVIEW: DARREN HOWELL

Ya never know who'll you'll meet...

FIRE!!

HARVEY KORMAN 1927 – 2008

MY UPCOMING SEMINAR...

CONFESSIONS OF A COMPETITION WINNER...

UPCOMING EVENT!

THE COMEDY SCREENPLAY: BUT IS IT FUNNY?

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

THE EAGLE HAS LANDED!

UPDATE: "THE EL SALVADOR PROJECT"

MISSION: CENTRAL AMERICA!

From the L.A. Times: Scriptland

Parenthetical directions...

Meeting: The Aftermath...

MAKING THE CONNECTION...

IT’S OVER!

Yet another fab review for my book!

MORE READER QUESTIONS...

HAPPY 2008!