Logline Central - Ring 3D

Logline Central is an irregular segment that takes a deeper look at loglines of scripts or projects that have just been purchased, as listed on DoneDealPro.

There's been a lot of talk recently about the 3D craze that seems to be hitting Hollywood (and, some worry, will undermine Hollywood even further). John August tried to put out the fire a bit this week, but it's hard to deny that 3D is everywhere - and increasingly so.

I'm not looking to debate the pros and cons of the 3D boom as it affects writers. (The short, if you're wondering, is that with 3D really taking off now, only projects that easily lend them selves to a z-axis integration will be greenlit.) It makes for some fun viewing experiences, but the decisions to go back and reshoot a lot of pictures in 3D to try and jump on board the Avatar kick seems a bit much. Avatar had flying... dragon things (as did How To Train Your Dragon). Flight looks cool in 3D. (Cough Up cough.) Other things don't so much.

Horror, though, is one of those things that I think can look good with the added dimension. I never saw Valentine 3D, but I heard it was campy and gory enough to work with the medium. Well, this week there's another one added to the franchise.

Title: Ring 3D

Logline: Teens find a VHS player that still works.

Writer: David Loucka

More: Sequel. Third installment of "The Ring" franchise. Walter Parkes & Laurie MacDonald will produce. Vertigo and Benderspink will executive produce. The film will be in 3D.

Ok - for a change, I won't linger too much on the logline itself. If you've read any of the other Logline Centrals, you'll probably guess that I think this is a less-than-stellar logline. I mean... this can happen at a pawn shop with no cinematic repercussions whatsoever. That's beside the point this week.

No, the reason I chose Ring 3D as our feature this week is that a few of us in the League - including yours truly - were taught by Loucka while at NYU. At the time, he had finished some work on Snakes On A Plane (I know you all know it) and was working on other things. Loucka had some interesting ideas about my script in particular, which really benefited from his more mainstream Hollywood career. He helped me break out of a structure that wasn't working, expand my idea, and really turn it into something much more workable. He's not necessarily a household name (as much as screenwriters can be), but it's good to be able to say, "Hey, I know him. He was my teacher." Plus, the Ring franchise helped kick-start the Japanese import horrors, which tend to be pretty popular, so it's double nice to see him getting in on the action.

The Netflix - Warner Bros Deal

If you haven't heard about it yet, Netflix has entered into an agreement with Warner Bros. that delays mailing out any of the studio's new releases for 4 weeks after the DVD release date. This means, if you're hoping to catch something on Netflix that you missed in theaters, and it's a WB release, you'll have to wait nearly a month longer to get it in the mail.The flip side of this is that, by agreeing to wait 4 weeks (and potentially lose some subscribers and give Blockbuster an initial upper hand - currently there doesn't seem to be any expectation that Blockbuster will enter into a similar agreement), WB is going to grant Netflix access to a lot more of its library for Instawatch streaming. (Warner Bros. has agreed to give Netflix a large discount on DVDs to mail out and will significantly increase the instant viewing catalog, including adding many more recent releases - films released to DVD in the past three to eight months.)

The basic reasoning behind this is twofold (and benefits both companies). WB - and most DVD distributors - make the bulk of their DVD sales within the first month of a DVD's release, with nearly 75% of sales being made in that time frame. By waiting 28 days to send something through Netflix, they increase their sale revenue, as opposed to losing it to rentals that they can't really cash in on. Netflix, on the other hand, saves on postage by upping the amount of instant video streaming they do. Currently, about 30% of Netflix rentals are new releases, but Netflix heads don't believe the new business plan will negatively affect the company.

John August recently posted his take on the new agreement between Warner Bros. and Netflix. If you're a Netflix subscriber, you might not like the plan. If you're a writer, though, check out John's take on why this might actually be a good thing for you. The increased sales and increased instant viewing selection both benefit writers, who earn residuals from sales and online streaming. Writers do not make money off of discs mailed out as subscription rentals.

The deal, which was just announced yesterday, goes into effect almost immediately, with Ricky Gervais' THE INVENTION OF LYING being one of the first titles delayed. MSNBC has a more in-depth look at the deal.

John August's Post about Pitching

If you're like me at all (for your sake, hope it's only a tiny bit), you're curious about pitching. What it's like. How it happens. How long it takes. How nervous you'll be. When you'll get to do it.

I've read a few books that glaze over pitching and have spoken with writers and other industry people who participate in pitches about their experiences with them. However, you can never get too much info ahead of time. John August recently had a short yet great post about pitching Prince of Persia that walks readers through the entire meeting (20 minutes) with a brief play by play. I've pasted his pitch timeline below, but I suggest reading the whole post.

1. Introductions. Apologies for keeping us waiting. (1 minute)
2. John hyping Jordan’s prestigious videogame background. (1:00)
3. Play the video. (2:10)
4. Jordan describes the world of the Persian empire, using artwork. (:30)
5. John pitches Prince Dastan, using artwork of him. (:30)
6. John and Jordan alternate pitching story, introducing character/prop artwork as new things come up. (6:00)
7. Questions about story, tone and scale. “Somewhere between Pirates and Raiders. It’s not Lawrence of Arabia.”(3:00)
8. Promises that they’ll follow up. (1:00)