I Can Get You Signed-But

I CAN GET YOU SIGNED (But I Probably Won’t)
.....
By Jim Cirile
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Okay, that snarky title is going to require some ‘splainin’, to quote the great Ricky Ricardo. Truth is, pretty much anyone who knows a few people in the biz can probably help get you signed -- a working writer, an assistant, an intern, whatever. Because anyone can be a passionate advocate. And if you absolutely love a piece of material, are gonzo excited about it, well, that’s contagious. And if your connection commands any level of respect at a company, at the very least the script they’re advocating for will be sent for coverage. But if they really trust that person’s judgment, the agent, producer or manager may well read that script personally. That’s the grease in Hollywood ‘s wheels-- referrals from people whose opinions they trust.

Problem is, most scripts don’t rise to the level of inspiring that sort of advocacy.

I founded CoverageInk.com in 2002, and we’ve seen a lot of scripts in that time -- tens of thousands. And while we’ve found a fistful of gems over the years, the vast majority of what we see are scripts that have potential but need a bit of work. Yeah, pretty much every single script, even the awesome ones, has some sort of problem. Of course, not all issues have the same weight. A great storyteller with voice and verve and panache, who constantly surprises the reader on every page? Heck, suddenly typos are much less important. On the other hand, a script with wonderfully dimensional characters but a weak structure is going nowhere fast, because jaded, ADD-afflicted Hollywood types are looking for any excuse to stop reading. Page 20 and your inciting incident hasn’t hit yet?  You’re toast.

However, there are some scripts which we see -- not many, but a few -- which just radiate awesome. They might need a few more drafts, some rethinking, maybe a dialogue polish -- but still, they demand attention. Perhaps because of a unique, bracing writer voice. It may be a killer concept. It may be just a whole lot of brilliance on the page. But above all, it has to be entertaining. When I find a script like that, I have to champion it. I mean, that’s what we’re all looking for. (Except the assholes who will never ever do anyone a solid because they somehow think doing so will jeopardize their little fiefdom. We all know a few people like that, right?) I want to be able to call up my manager friends and say, “Drop everything and read this now.” And that’s exactly what I did with Brandon Barker’s “Nottingham & Hood,” which manager Jake Wagner (then at Benderspink) sold to Disney. More on that in a moment.

Alas, sticking your neck out is dangerous. If the industry-type doesn’t agree with your assessment or share your enthusiasm for the script, you are done like a three-strikes felon who just got pinched for stealing the Chief of Police’s left kidney. That person will never take you seriously again, and that connection will be buh-bye. Thus, people in the biz may well be reticent about championing material. Especially young agents’ and managers’ assistants -- it takes time for the rep to learn to trust that person’s opinion. Until then, they’re likely going to play it safe. Thus they may even nervously give a script they love a “consider with reservations” instead of a “recommend” just to hedge their bets, because a “recommend” sounds the alarm bells and says “Yo, everybody, awesomeness has arrived -- get readin’!”

Same is true with me. Sorry, but I absolutely will not make any calls for anyone unless they truly have the goods. I just can’t. Now that said, we do this promotion twice a year called Get Repped Now, and we always find a handful of good scripts which earn a “consider,” meaning about the top 5% and worth a look. I then get these to our manager panel and hope for the best. But honestly, I always know which ones are going to attract attention.  All “considers” are not created equal. In the case of “Nottingham & Hood,” that one was a clear bull’s-eye. You could see it from 10,000 feet. While not perfect, it had a great comedic voice, concept, pacing and sense of fun. It was a no-brainer. And thus it was no surprise when three of our manager panel clamored for it; nor was it a surprise when three weeks later, it sold to Disney for six figures and got the talented Barker signed to UTA and Benderspink.

I’ve even had people offer to bribe me to refer them. “Just send my script to so-and so,” they say, “and I’ll give you $500,” or they’ll cut me in for 25% or hook me up with their time-share for a week in Paris (what, no airfare?  Cheapskate.) Uh… no. See, it’s not going to do me any good to pimp out a script that isn’t there, that I know will be a “pass.” I have to protect my reputation, and every time you stick your neck out, you put a little bit of your rep on the line. Instead, dear briber, crazy idea, but how about you do the hard work required to make the script decent? There are no shortcuts. Like any other highly specialized job, learning to be a good writer takes a lot of time and drafts.

See, that’s the thing so many emerging writers just don’t get. Landing an agent or manager or producer is actually the easiest thing in the world -- once you’re ready. People will bend over backwards to help you. That is how people break in. But if you’re not there yet, finding an agent or manager is flat-out impossible. So no, I probably won’t help get you signed. But I really want to. You just have to hit me with a piece of material so compelling, so original, so awesome, that I can’t not help. Piece of cake, right? Go get ‘em.

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Jim Cirile is a writer/producer and the founder of www.coverageink.com. Coverage Ink’s new animated horror feature Malevolent starring William Shatner and Morena Baccarin comes out in 2017. Coverage Ink’s Get Repped Now promotion runs until Nov. 20.

Rama-lama-lama-lama

Rama-lama-lama-lama
by Sean A. Mulvihill
Writer, Actor, IMDB Credit
Founder of Hollywood Happiness

We go together like rama-lama-lama-lama-shoo-bop-doo-boo-bee-doo
Together forever like shoo-bop-shoo-wanna-wanna-shoopity-boop-dee-boo
Chang-chang-changity-chang-shoo-bop
That’s the way it should be-eee. Wahoo-yeah!
--“We Go Together from Grease the musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey

 

Like the above song from Grease, the elements of structure and surprise “go together” and are inseparable in a successful story – there is the structure of the song: the melody and the rhythm; then there are the surprises: those funny lyrics (“rama-lama-lama-lama-shoo-bop-doo-boo-bee-doo”), the musical instruments used, the mood of the song, and the characterized voices of the singers. Because they have been married successfully, it is one of the most famous musical theatre tunes of all-time. Similarly, a great story must have both the masterful structure and the unique surprise elements that separate it from similar stories. So what exactly are structure and surprise?

Dramatic story structure is the author’s selection of which events are to be told in a story. The storyteller only includes information that is important for the audience to see or hear in order to be emotionally moved by the story. According to Lajos Egri, to be most effective, the author must choose a single premise, or theme, around which all the events are based. He or she then must choose to tell only the important events relevant to that core premise of the story (1).  When properly done, the author’s selection of both premise and chain of events (or “plot”) affects the audience’s emotions and keeps them emotionally involved in the story. When there is a correct structure, audience members continue to want to know what will happen next.

Structure weakens if an author either omits important parts of the plot, or if he/she includes too many tangential, non-crucial events. For example, if I were to tell you that I witnessed a murder this morning, and I started to tell you the story, but I first told you all the boring details of my morning: I woke up, brushed my teeth, took a shower, had breakfast and other unrelated events for 15 minutes before I got to the murder, you would probably walk away long before I reached the key part. You’d think, “I thought this was a story about a murder! Why is he going on about his pancakes? “You no longer care to know what happens next, because as the storyteller, I have not chosen to tell only the important events in order to keep you engaged in the story.

Structure should be thought of as an efficiency of storytelling: nothing omitted and nothing wasted. Everything the audience sees is needed to tell the story. Just like when planning to build a building, structure must be done in advance, well before putting pen to page on the actual story.

The story structure is usually created as a list, diagram, or drawing. Nowadays, many professional writers use an “index card” system to incorporate all of the key elements of structure before they write a single word of the story (2). The structure contains all of the information needed for a synopsis, which is a simple description of the chain of story events that in and of itself, ought to be interesting to a listener. Michael Hauge says that if you can’t tell a brief synopsis of your novel or screenplay to someone while you are in line at Starbucks and have them say, “Wow!  I’d like to read/see that!” you haven’t perfected the structure yet (3).  Just like a beautiful house must have a sketch and blueprint before it is built, the great story must have a great structure first. Same as a house structure would consist of plans for the foundation, the edifice, the plumbing, the ventilation, etc. there are many specific elements to be planned in the structure of a story.

I like to look at surprise, on the other hand, as “short-term structure.” That is to say, if structure is meant to hold the audience’s attention over the long-term of the whole story, surprise is meant to grab the audience’s attention over the short-term. The way structure hooks us for the long haul is through an emotional investment. The way surprise grabs us in the short term is with emotional jolts. Each kind of surprise has an emotional and physical response attached to it: laughter, tears, screams, goosebumps, confusion, or ah-hahs! Even though we are seated in an audience, when we engage with a good story our reactions are involuntary. A well-constructed story will give the audience the confidence to turn themselves over to be manipulated. Each surprise is a kind of manipulation. When they are employed they elicit a physical response.

Different kinds of surprises (gags, twists, perception shifts, revelations, scares, and tear-jerkers) are tied to the structure and create physical responses. They may be looked upon as the ligature which connects the story to our physical bodies.

The effects of balancing both structure and surprise can be seen in the audience’s faces as they watch your film or read your script. You can learn so much about the story’s effectiveness by hearing their laughter or their silence. With the proper balance, the audience will be engaged, and when an audience is engaged throughout a piece, the story is working. A story that works is one that sticks to and fully explores its premise, has a protagonist who changes, has emotional movement in every scene, and is chock full of surprises. The story structure puts your audience on a familiar path, so that they think they know what’s going to happen, and they watch in order to confirm their guesses. On the other hand, the story surprises keep the audience on their toes emotionally—they never can predict exactly what will happen next. Compelling the audience’s interest for the duration of a script is a difficult balancing act but it can be done, as evidenced by some of the great dramatic works that win Oscars or make millions every year. Writing an unforgettable screenplay can be summed up like this:  once you’ve laid out your story’s structure, you just have to remember to “Rama-lama-lama.” Structure and surprise, they go together.  

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1. Egri, Lajos.  The Art of Dramatic Writing:  Its Basis in the Creative Interpretation of Human Motives.  Touchstone, 1972.  Revised Edition.

2. McKee, Robert.  Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting.  Harper Audio, 2006.  Audible Edition.

3. Vogler, Christopher and Hauge, Michael.  The Hero’s Two Journeys.  Writer’s Audioshop, 2004.   Audible Edition.

My Cold Slap in the Face

MY COLD SLAP IN THE FACE

By Steven Kirwan, Executive Director, ASA

I have been working on my screenplay, "Hard Drive," methodically and diligently for over a year. I wrote, then rewrote, and then rewrote again. I shared my writing in peer groups and table reads, took copious note, and then re-wrote again. And again. And again. And again. In fact, I edited and rewrote nearly the entire screenplay 12 times.

When I use the term "rewrote," I don't mean the little tweaks that we all constantly make to our work. I mean scene shattering, story changing, climax shaking edits that impacted the screenplay drastically. And once all of those changes were made, I shared and sought feedback from a variety of peer sources. Read more »

Do You Like Money?

By Jim Cirile,

CEO/Founder of Coverage Ink.

Every year I moderate the Agents/Managers Hot Sheet panel at Scriptfest (aka Pitchfest), which is always a ton of fun and super informative -- hearing how it really is from the tops reps in the biz, that’s pure freaking gold. Two years ago I asked the panel, what do you say to your feature clients who may be considering writing for TV? Magnet Management’s Mitch Solomon’s response: “I say, ‘Do you like money?’”

Read more »

5 Steps to Great Dialogue

FIVE KEY STEPS TO WRITING GREAT DIALOGUE

We frequently discuss the pitfalls of stilted dialogue. It's a problem that hounds many screenwriters, especially our less experienced brothers and sisters. We will explore some of the do's and don'ts of writing dialogue, but the entire solution can be summed up in one short sentence:Write like people talk.

Read more »

Writing Believable Dialogue

 

WRITING BELIEVABLE DIALOGUE

We frequently discuss the pitfalls of stilted dialogue. It's a problem that hounds many screenwriters, especially our less experienced brothers and sisters. We will explore some of the do's and don'ts of writing dialogue, but the entire solution can be summed up in one short sentence: 

WRITE LIKE PEOPLE TALK!!!

Really, it's that simple.  Here is an example of good and..... less than good dialogue. By the way, this is actually from a screenplay we recently reviewed.

The scene: A husband and wife are in the kitchen talking.

NOT SO GOOD:

John
Hello my dear wife. How was your day today? Did you do
anything interesting or different than what you normally do?

Mary:
No dear. It was just the same usual type of day
that I am experiencing every single day.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.........................................

MORE REALISTIC:

John
Damn, what a long day. I swear it's getting
worse and worse. (A beat) You?

Mary:
Same thing I do every day. Clean, wash,
cook, repeat. (A beat) I'm bored.

LET ME REPEAT: WRITE LIKE PEOPLE TALK!

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Click below for a more detailed look:
(MUST BE AN ASA PREMIER or EXECUTIVE MEMBER- PLEASE LOG IN FIRST!)
5 STEPS TO GREAT DIALOG

 

 

Protagonists- Heroes or Villains?

GoodEvilThroughout the history of literature, protagonists have been the "heroes" of the story. Please note that I mean "hero" with a small "h." Not necessarily a "superhero," but rather the character who faces the central problem in the story and overcomes all of the roadblocks in order to succeed.

Movies were no exception. In fact, as a result of the condensed format of film, the heroism was usually magnified so the point would be easily seen and understood. Like everything in film, this was not a "rule," but most films were made to accentuate the heroic attributes of the protagonist. It was the psyche of the times. People wanted to see a positive message of good triumphing over evil.

Read more »

Building Suspense

You've seen them- those amazing films where you sit at the edge of your seat. As a screenwriter, achieving that level of suspense and excitement can turn a good script into something special.

Read more »

Are Screenwriters Becoming Obsolete?

In a recent editorial, Peter Bart, EVP and Editorial Director for Variety, postulated that writers are becoming obsolete. Just take a look at the credits from most of the new movies made these days, and you will likely find the credits for direct or producer to be that same as the screenwriter. That is not encouraging news for us screenwriters! Read more »

Common Format Mistakes- Scene Slugs

The fastest way to prevent interest in your screenplay is to use incorrect formatting. Given the simplicity and nearly flawless execution of modern screenwriting software, failure to adhere to the formatting norms is a fast track to the round file. Read more »

WELCOME TO ASA (AMERICAN SCREENWRITERS ASSOCIATION)

The core mission of American Screenwriters Association (ASA) is to support, promote, and assist emerging screenwriters to ensure that they have all the tools needed to hone their skills and sell their screenplays.

We are dedicated to creating a dialog between screenwriters, producers, filmmakers, actors, and industry to ensure mutual success.

© 2023 S.Kirwan

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