The Importance of Diversification

So, career-wise, I have a Grand Plan. Part of that plan entails writing specs and assignments for feature films. I'm not that interested at the moment in t.v., indies, webisodes, etc. I'm talking big budget, studio films. The most difficult market to breach. So how will I do it?

I do have choices, one of which is to follow everyone else pursuing the traditional methods (queries, pitchfests, contests etc.) to secure representation. Then both of us knocking on doors and pounding pavement until someone bites.

Or I could think out of the box.

I'm choosing to do both.

Though I've written a few, I now have ONE solid feature spec in my arsenal (by solid I mean a well written, marketable concept, polished and ready to shop). But so frakkin' what? I'm gonna need a lot more ammo than that to win this war. So I am currently working on another I have just as much confidence in, and won't pursue representation until it's completed.
Once it is ready to show, I'll still waiting to approach reps, because I have a slate of future projects that I'm building pitches for, so when someone says "Good work, but what else do you have?", I have projects that I can properly pitch. And I want to be well underway on my 3rd spec. Once all that is in place (as well as some contest wins/placements, hopefully), I'll start looking for reps. So that's my plan on the traditional front.
If anyone has any ideas on how I can enhance/maximize this plan, please, share.

Now for my "out of the box" approach:

Studios are now owned by corporate conglomerates. They don't make "passion projects". They don't take risks on new writers or out of the box projects. They are, in fact, in the risk aversion business. If they do do something risky, hiring an unproven writer or taking on a quirky story, you can bet it's because those writers/projects have already proven themselves marketable commodities in other forms (comics, old t.v. shows, video games, BOARD games now!).
That's the only way you're going to get some of the crazier movies out there now (if/when there are any). It's called "pre-awareness", and even if it only extends to 5000 comics sold or 10,000 hits on your website, it's a heluvalot better than zero. In an exec's eyes, no matter how unfounded, it proves there's an audience out there for it, and that can only enhance your project's appeal in their eyes.

So while writing and pursuing traditional methods of breaking in, I'm trying to adapt as many of my screenplays/future screenplays as I can to other forms of media - comic books, webisodes, independent shorts and features, etc. Wait a minute - didn't I just say I'm not too interested in those things? Yes. But in today's marketplace, if I want to succeed, I need to be.
And here's a trick - I need to be passionate about these platforms. If I'm not, I can't add anything original or write sincerely. And if you don't write from a place of sincerity - especially in the comic book world - you'll be easily sniffed out by the audience as a fake, and they don't buy your stuff, literally and figurative. But if you do write with originality and passion, I believe you will be noticed by your audience.

If I liked romance novels (don't, FYI), I'd adapt some of my stories to romance novels. If I was a tech freak and liked short films, I'd consider shooting my own shorts and distributing them on the net, to festivals, etc. Point being, I'm going after the other mediums I AM interested in, knowing it's all in service of the larger goal of being a pro studio writer.

Aside from comics, because I also want to direct (surprised?) I'm also planning on shooting a few indie shorts, and eventually my own indie feature.

Each of these markets are unique, and each involves a lot of research in order to maximize my investment of time. Sometimes I feel like I'm wasting huge chunks of time researching these when I should be writing. But I need as much knowledge as I can to make informed choices and business decisions. There's no way around that, so the time spent is necessary, and I'm betting the knowledge gained will serve me well in the future.

In any case, the goal of writing films is a lofty one - I'd say one of the most difficult to achieve of any profession (if I wanted to become a neuro-physicist at least I'd know how long it would take, and the specific hurdles I'd have to jump through. By comparison building a career in screenwriting is like trying to catch a unicorn before God blinks). So you have to maximize your odds.

Therefore, if you're an upstart writer like me in today's climate and you truly want to succeed, I think we have no choice but to DIVERSIFY. Do whatever it takes to get our work out there. There are more opportunities out there now more than ever before to get our work shot, published, drawn or performed, and SEEN. We'd be stacking the deck even further against ourselves if we didn't take advantage of these opportunities. How smart or competitive would that be? If people like me (your competition) are taking advantage of these strategies, can you really afford not to?

If Hollywood ain't buyin' right now keep selling, but don't shrift yourself - and your stories - of the opportunity to find a different audience. DIVERSIFICATION. Sooner or later, Hollywood will be filling your voice mail with messages asking why you didn't contact them sooner.

Anatomy of a Logline

Loglines have two main purposes: 

1. To communicate your story clearly and concisely

2. To "hook" your reader/listener into wanting to know more.

I read a very good article somewhere (sorry, can't remember or I'd lead you to it) that basically said the anatomy of a logline should always include:

1. The Protagonist

2. The Antagonist

3. A Goal

4. An Obstacle

5. An Action.

Not easy to do in one sentence, which is why I think so many loglines fail to serve their purpose. If you go on imdb, TV guide or even look at the back of your DVD boxes, you'll find most good loglines have all 5 attributes (of course, this is not the only way to design a logline - you can simplify this template, phrase your logline as a "what if" question, etc.).

Loglines look easy - which is why I think so many writers don't spend enough time developing theirs - but in truth they are deceptively difficult. I literally wrote 20/30 different variations of my logline for my current screenplay, trying to distill the entire story to its essence, and I still have about 4 different takes I fluctuate with. I was developing my logline throughout the writing process, and even into the marketing phase. I took a lot of time and thought, trial and error to come up with a simple sentence that describes my story, is easy to say and understand, and that hooks the listener/reader into wanting to know more.

It may take you some time, but distilling your story down to a one sentence logline that can be said easily and clearly understood will be well worth it once you have a one-liner that rolls off your tongue when people ask you what your story is about!