The Writing Week (Vol. 2) part 91 - Out to Agents

One of the biggest things I've learned in the past year is that, in addition to talent and strong ideas, a thick skin and a refusal to give up, a writer needs patience. A lot of patience. Early last week, my manager slipped my post-Apocalyptic spec to three agents. And thus began more waiting.

We're hoping to hear something early this week from the agents. If they don't express a desire to represent the script (and ideally that actually means me), then we'll take the script out without an agent. Of course, these sort of deadlines are semi-arbitrary. It might become obvious that waiting another week will work to our advantage with the agents. Yes, this is sort of prime spec market time, so we don't want to fall too far behind the times. Still, I'm waiting for a less-than-concrete deadline to come, and there is very little I can do about it at this point (other, of course, than work on a different project).

In the mean time, my manager is reading my Roman-army spec. I've asked for his feedback with the clearly-stated caveat that some of the beats in the script are very obvious place holders. There are some rather laughable moments (more embarrassing each time I think about them), and I gave him a re-write outline to accompany the script, with the hope that that takes care of some of his concerns about the more problematic beats. Though I'm 99% sure of the direction the new draft will take, I expressed a desire for my manager's input and am open to suggestion if he has other or better ideas.

This second script serves a couple purposes. First and foremost, once it's completed, it'll be my followup (hopefully, I'll need one) to the post-Apocalyptic spec. I don't like the idea of potentially going into meetings without a solid back up ready to go, and have already lost more time for rewrites than I should have. In addition to being the back-up, though, this script is also an addition to my resume so far as my manager is concerned. We still haven't solidified whether we'll be working together beyond the post-Apocalyptic project (maybe it's one of those things that will go unsaid). Last we spoke about our longer-term working relationship, we agreed that we'd see how the rewrite process went this summer and that he would want to read another project of mine. That's what the Roman-army spec is now.

Lastly, I guess sending him the script does something else, something equally important. It lights the fire under me to get back onto that project. Now that my manager is reading it and going to get back to me, I have no option but to start draft two.

Development Freeze at Universal

I just saw the following article (a few days after the fact, it would appear):

Universal Says No More Development for '09

Wednesday, Sep 23, 2009

Source: Variety

Universal Pictures put the word out late last week that it will not spend money for the rest of the year to advance development projects. Variety's Michael Fleming reports, "Word began filtering down to lot producers and the deal-making community this week that development has essentially been frozen at the studio." A studio insider denied development has completely been frozen and stated that the studio has solidified its 2010 slate, and has made commitments to the projects it feels will line its 2011 slate. There is also talk that Warner Bros. is paying scale to writers who don’t have established quotes, and most studios are employing one-step writer deals.

What does this mean for new and unproduced writers? I'm not necessarily convinced that there's any real cause for alarm, yet. Though, I must admit, this is a little disheartening to hear, especially since I think my team and I are about to try and go out with my post-Apocalyptic spec. the reason I'm not really worried, though, is that studios often change their plans or contradict some edict they've just sent down. Freezing development could, theoretically, mean freezing development, unless that one amazing project comes along. Exceptions are always a possibility in this business.

Nonetheless, if this is indicative of a larger trend to come, that last sentence about writers without established quotes being paid scale and one-step deals could be a bit worrisome. One-step (or, one draft/re-write) isn't a great sign for someone trying to break into the market with a spec. Typically, writers selling a spec can reasonably hope to be able to have a two-step deal (or more), whereby they are contracted to do a certain number of re-writes before the studio can take them off a project. If the one-step deal applies to specs as well as writers brought on to touch up a script, then there's a chance that new writers with great concepts but no name recognition to back them up could be dropped for an established writer much sooner on.

I'm curious to see if this is the last of these stories, or if this is just the beginning. More than that, I'm interested to know how that affects new writers trying to sell their first spec (yes, I am talking about myself in part, as well). Again, I don't really think there's major cause for concern - yet - but time will tell.

HALO: We Are ODST - Best Trailer Ever?

A testament to the fact that Zombie and our other roommate and I are all mid-twenties year old males, there are no fewer than four working video game systems in our apartment. Last weekend, we watched the trailer for the new installment in the HALO franchise, ODST. I made my roommate replay it three times, because I couldn't get over how good it was. If you haven't seen it yet, check out the trailer:

.

Making trailers has become an art form unto itself. We all know how a great trailer can make or break a movie, even before it opens. FUNNY PEOPLE led a lot of people to think they were seeing a typical Judd Apatow comedy. What they got was a more serious film with funny elements. Word of mouth from the disappointed raunchy comedy fans turned a lot of potential viewers away. On the other hand, there are some trailers that ensure audiences right away and show them exactly what they're hoping to see. There's no mistake with a trailer for something like INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS that you're going to see a bloody movie about Jewish soldiers slaughtering Nazis.

In fact, trailers have become such an integral part of film marketing these days that it's not unheard of for writers to be asked to write partly for the trailer. When I was in school (and I've seen this in books I've read since), I remember being told that people who write action specs should have a couple obvious trailer beats in their script. There are always a few lines of witty dialogue right before someone gets blown up or a really awesome mid-air battle that helps sell the movie to the target audience just as much as the idea itself does. Hell, I've probably come up with no fewer than three trailers for my Roman-army spec.

The Halo ODST trailer blew me away. It is - for all intents and purposes - wordless. It has beautiful music. It perfectly conveys a world and protagonist. And, most importantly, it's clear what you'll be getting out of it. If this were for a movie and not a video game, I would have already bought my midnight showing tickets.

The Writing Week (Vol. 2) part 90 - Editing the Edits

One of the many things I've learned about trying to make it as a screenwriter over the past year - and there have been many - is that it's important to plan for buffer time. Deadlines are things that (up and coming) writers absolutely have to meet. Beyond that, though, it's equally important to factor in time for edits, tweaks, re-writes, and anything else that might come up.

Today, just now as a matter of fact, I sent my producer and manager the umpteenth draft of the script. (When I say draft here, I mean it in the loosest of possible terms. A lot of writers define a draft as a version of the script in which substantial scenes/sequences have been changed or rewritten. This might mean that whole parts of the script have been removed, or brand new content has been added. What I'm talking about now, though, is more of a revision in which potentially minor edits have been made.)

The rewrites started out pretty big. At first, I wasn't quite prepared to accept them all. I was still ignorant about the assumed success of the script as it was back in May. I thought that the notes would change it dramatically, corrupting its "integrity" in the process. I was definitely wrong.

Once I came to accept the fact that the script not only needed changes (which I knew, but don't think I really wanted to make), it was then easy to see that the proposed changes I was given would really go a long way toward making the script stronger. From there, the rewrites got smaller. Elements that I was hanging onto from earlier drafts (actual drafts, in this case) were becoming more and more apparently out of place. As those got cut, the streamlining process kicked up a notch. The larger structural and plot rewrites segued into smaller edits to trim dialogue and action, particularly to keep the fast pace.

Over the past week, I've probably done no fewer than three edits, where I've worked off of a revised version my producer went through line by line. Each email from her had fewer and smaller edits, condensing beats, shortening monologues, and cutting the page count. At the start of this process, the first draft she read was 105 pages. It ballooned to 117 as I incorporated rewrites. Finally, after weeks of tightening, trimming, and tucking, we're back down to 106. Though only a page longer than the initial draft I gave her, this draft has so much more weight to it. The fluff and repetition are gone, as are the elements that weren't working. All that's left is a deeper, more substantial script that I am genuinely proud of.

Logline Central - Wicked Lovely

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.

This was logged earlier this week:

Title: Wicked Lovely
Logline: A 17-year-old girl, who can see fairies, must fend off the advances of a fairy king determined to marry her to save the planet from his vengeful mother.
Writer: Caroline Thompson
More: To be adapted from the first book in Melissa Marr's series. CAA brokered the book deal with Writers House.

Maybe it's just me, but the first time I read the above, I dismissed it. Fairies. Meh. Not that I have anything against fairies and unicorns and the like, but they're just not my thing. Next.

Then, just now, I re-read it. What interests me isn't so much the mystical element, but this: "must fend off the advances of a fairy king determined to marry her to save the planet from his vengeful mother." Does this mean what I interpret it to mean? Our dear little protagonist is rejecting the (assumingly) unwanted advances of a fairy king, but he mainly wants to marry her, because doing so would save the Earth? So... he's not a bad guy? Rather, he's actually trying to do something heroic?

It's clear that the "vengeful mother" is the antagonist, but not immediately so. When I first skimmed this - and yes, I skim a lot of loglines, which is probably not too different from how most people in the industry "read" them - it seemed that this fairy king was the antagonist. Closer inspection, though, paints him in a different light. No, it's still not positive, per se, but he's nowhere near as villainous. In fact, he's probably just as good or bad as the 17 year-old he's trying to marry (he should probably wait until she's 18 to avoid winding up on To Catch A Predator).

There seem to be three major characters in play here, though my guess is that the vengeful mother is more an off-screen presence than an on-screen one. Again, I'm not so interested in the idea behind this adaptation, but more so the mechanics of who is represented in what sort of light on screen. The line between the "good guys" and the "bad guys" is less clear in this logline than I initially believed. And that, just for the record, is not necessarily a good thing. Loglines should be pretty clear about who is who. I'm not sure I have the right impression from this, though I am curious to know more. In that way, I suppose this worked.

If I were an Exec at League Productions, I'd most likely request coverage on this.

Competition Alert - The Cyberspace Open

We don't normally promote a lot of competitions here at the League, especially ones that we have not participated in before. But, the Creative Screenwriting Cyberspace Open is not only an intriguing competition, but one that at least 3 Leaguers are entering, as well.

What I like about the sound of this one - besides the low $12 price tag - is that this is a true test of deadline making. There are three, rapid burst rounds of the competition, in which participants write 5-page scenes based on assigned scenarios and characters. Round one gives everyone an entire weekend (this coming weekend) to nail that five pages and click send. Round two offers 100 qualifying writers a night to complete another scene based on a new prompt. Round three lasts 90 minutes from prompt to print for the 10 semi-finalists that make it that far.

Writing under pressure at the whim of a deadline? I'll bite.

The Writing Week (Vol. 2) part 89 - When do you Make A Stand?

If you recall last week's Writing Week, I was winding down Labor Day weekend waiting for the edits on my post-Apocalyptic spec (some day I hope to be able to give you the title) to come back from my producer. Monday night, I received an email from her that something had come up, which delayed her getting to the script. In the mean time, though, she'd done some thinking and decided that it would be worth adding some of the science behind the scenario I was writing about to the actual script. I've been working on this spec on and off for over 20 months now, and one of the first things I had definitively settled on was that I was never going to go into the science. For the first time since I signed the option agreement at the top of the summer, I was adamantly against the note I'd gotten. I agonized over how to proceed.

This might seem like a no-brainer to many of you, but I was pretty worked up for a while. As new writers, I feel like we get it drilled into our heads to be easy to work with, to know how to take a note and to propel our careers onward by making people want to work with us again. Because my producer and manager and I have been working so well together so far, I didn't want to risk looking problematic right after they felt the script was ready to go out. I would try to work with the note if it came down to that, but I was strongly opposed to it.

I decided to send my producer an email (in response to her note), explaining my two major reasons for being against the additions. The next morning, I sent a follow-up, reiterating both my point and, should the additions be desired still, my willingness to work the changes into the script. It is in no small part due to the fact that I have been so willing to work with the notes I've gotten so far that the lines of communication between the three of us working on this project right now are so open, and I was able to speak my mind. In the end, we opted to remove a few small lines of dialogue that alluded to certain elements, rather than add anything major - in favor of my point of view on the issue. I really count myself pretty luck to be working with industry professionals who honor my opinions on these things (which is not always the case for a writer, as almost any book/story/article on screenwriting will tell you).

Then, on Saturday, I got the edits. Going through them, I noticed one short scene cut and a few lines here or there streamlined out of the script. For the most part, though, the script changed very little. It came in about 7 pages shorter, but cutting a line or two on one page can dramatically adjust content on subsequent pages, so there wasn't actually a ton cut out. There were some instances of dialogue being moved from character no longer in the script to those still in, which I'll go back and reconfigure to sound more like the people delivering them. I'll admit that I was not 100% comfortable having my material in someone else's hands with their figurative red pen hovering over it and me nowhere to defend my work, but seeing the final product has put me back at ease. I'm still not sure I like the idea of edits without me around, but maybe that's something I'll have to get used to going forward in this business.