A Dangerous Career Update

Sorry I haven't posted for months now, but I have a fairly good excuse: I've been writing! Or more accurately, rewriting. In my opinion, rewriting is the core of the writing process. It's where all the heavy lifting is done. It IS writing.

I just finished my structure passes; all I focus on is making sure the structure is solid and the core concept is  - well - still the core concept. After the structure rewrite(s) I reread the whole thing in one sitting - has to be one sitting - to see how the story "flows". If it does, I can now set aside any major worries about the WHOLE and focus in a little tighter on fixing the PARTS that don't flow, along with any major narrative/character holes. This constitutes another rewrite. Once that's done and I'm happy with every scene and the basic flow on a storytelling level, I give it to a few trusted readers. While waiting for feedback I either work on what I already know needs fixing, or set it aside for a week or so and brainstorm on my next project.

Once comments come back I take all issues into consideration, and rewrite where I see appropriate. I then move on to my character pass, which is where I'm at right now. My character pass involves listing all the characters, questioning their individual story functions, thematic functions and general personalities. I've done this once already, before I started writing the screenplay. But knowing what you're going to write and executing it precisely are two very different endeavors. Now that it is written, have I given my characters enough familiarity? Enough uniqueness? Enough to do in each scene? What do they add to each scene they're in? Etc. Once I'm done with this character pass, I'll move on to my "connection" pass. If you haven't the foggiest what that could be, you should check out Pilar Alessandra's podast On the Page episode 112 "Rewrite".

After a few more passes my spec should be in market shape. I think I'm getting close. Which is why, on the tail end of this script, I'm also starting to put together my new spec. Right now I'm fleshing out the plot - beginning, middle and end - characters, and theme. Taking copious notes on any pertinent ideas, looking for inspiration everywhere; sketching out scenes and making scene cards.
A side note - a business note - these 3 specs I plan on using as writing samples all have one major attribute in common: they're all high-concept tentpole genre films. I'm choosing to work on these projects as opposed to others in my catalogue because these projects serve to "brand" me as an intelligent, high-concept, tentpole writer. Seems a good move, since my goal is to write those types of movies.

I also feel I could be writing faster if I were more focused. Given the nature of the business, writing well and writing fast have to be second nature, right? So I'm giving myself deadlines on the next spec, we'll see how that goes.

Aside from writing, I've always been a reader, but only recently rediscovered the library. Remember those things? Feel like I've fallen in love with the written word all over again. I ALWAYS have a book with me now. Reading about movies and writing, but also reading authors and about subjects that excite and inspire me. Highly recommend a library card because it's FREE, and you can check out like 30 things nowadays. So I'm getting exposed to a lot of stuff I otherwise wouldn't have sampled because I'm interested, but not $24.95 interested. So hopefully I'll discover some new favorite authors soon.

Might be stating the obvious, but the library's also a great place to sit and think. Research. Dream. It's quiet and usually sunny, lots of windows, very conducive to creativity. Beats the hell out of trying to be open and creative amidst the clutter of posers littering Starbucks like a bunch of geeky little hipster alien tech-heads. No offense.

I'm also reading produced screenplays I admire, as well as giving feedback on various friends' screenplays - working those analytical muscles.

I'm also compiling a target list of managers to start hitting up. This means doing lots of research - scouring the forums at Done Deal, Artful Writer and others in the quest for mangers' names and affiliations, their track records, their reputations, buying habits, looking for personal connections, compiling email addresses,  listening podcast interviews with agents/managers/producers/writers, pouring over industry news coming from my subscription services, websites, etc., updating my contacts list and keeping connected. Any and everything to keep current and know who's out there - who's buying what, who's looking for what, and with whom I may have the best chance of building a stellar career.

So again, my sincere apologies (and gratitude) to those of you who actually read this blog for not posting in some time. I've been a little busy lately. But if you're a comer, hopefully you've been busy too!

Screenwriting is Easy!

It's just a constant process of figuring out how to precisely say what you need to say without really saying it.

Page Count: How Much is too Much?

Is 90 too short? Is 110 too long? Is 120 okay, or the mark of an amateur? If you do your research you will soon find many credible sources all giving different estimates regarding your page count. Ultimately I think it's just a decision you have to make yourself based on available knowledge and the needs of your particular story.

My view on page count is you have to look at it in the context of a new writer trying to break in: you can be sure that any agent, exec or producer who does read your spec are overworked already and read so much crap they're not necessarily excited about reading more crap, so one of the first things they do is flip to the back and check the page count. This accomplishes two things for them:

1. Keeps their workload bearable: No agent, producer or exec will read your spec until a reader covers it first (even then, they may never actually read it). But that reader/assistant has 10 scripts to read and cover, maybe their boss's cat to neuter, etc. So when they flip to the back to check the page count, are they going to choose to read the 95 page spec first, or the 125 pager? We're talking about a 30 page difference here - that's like a whole extra act! My opinion is that a 110-125 pager screams "amateur" or "bloated", so they'll put off reading it as long as possible, until they have no choice but to tackle it.
By that point it's probably already late in the day/night/week, they're tired, have read lots of other crappy specs and are now not looking forward to reading yours, and they haven't even breached page two yet (Format Tip: your first/title page is never numbered, so your first actual page should read 2).
This attitude also sets you up for another pitfall: since they now dread reading your spec, the first unprofessional mistake you make or hiccup your spec has, they're apt to judge your entire spec based on it because you've now given them another excuse aside from page count - you don't know what you're doing - to skim through and not give your story the attention it deserves.

2. Relates to the above: Amateurism. A lot of people believe that a screen story can/should be told in @ 90-100 pages (just think of all the 90 min. films out there; when you see an 2hr, 3hr extravaganza, I bet 99 times out of a hundred that screenplay is coming from a seasoned pro whom people will indulge on their page count because they've already proven their storytelling/box office skills). So when readers see a page count of 110 to 125 from an unknown, the immediate impression of the author is "I'm dealing with an amateur - someone who takes 110 pages to tell a story that I'm sure could be told in @ 90". And booya - you've been pigeonholed as an amateur.

So essentially, I'm very nervous of the impression a page count in the 110-125 range makes on readers when you're trying to be seen as a professional, not just another hopeful trying to break in.

Regarding the advice that anything less that 110 gives the impression the script needs to be "fleshed out more", this may be the case if you have an 89 pager, but I don't think any reader/exec is going to check a 95 page count & arrive at either of the preceding two conclusions, or just automatically assume because the page count is 95 the story is going to necessitate more fleshing out.
If anything, I think they'll be grateful an "amateur" has a page count under 100, it might speak well of your ability to be concise, which is what screen storytelling is really all about (unlike this post). On top of that everyone knows the script is going to go through major changes in development anyway, and things will always be added/taken out.

I guess we'd also have to consider genre when talking @ page count. If I saw a 125 page action spec, horror, or romantic comdey I'd automatically assume it was as bloated as this post - that there's surely things the writer could have cut but didn't. On the other hand, if we're talking about a character based drama or thriller, the same could be true, or the plot may simply have a lot of necessary twists & turns (either way I don't think it would get the benefit of doubt).

So for a specific answer, I think a good page count for an aspiring writer is anywhere from 95 to 109. I could be wrong, but that just seems like a comfortable "safety zone" my opinion. I fear anything over 109 risks being seen as amateurish or bloated, and no one I've heard of ever got flak for turning in a 95- 100 page spec.

Oscar Thought for Writers

Concerning the nominees for Best Original and Adapted screenplays and Best Picture, I was trying to look for some pattern in these categories that may be of some help to us aspiring screenwriters. My question was, regardless of their individual merits or shortcomings, what was it specifically about these individual and vastly differing projects that got them to the pinnacle of the Hollywood game? What do they all have in common that directly contributed to their success?

The answer is a two-parter:

1. Excellent Writing - writing that got readers (agents, producers, studio execs, directors, stars, etc.) excited.

2. A Champion - someone like a producer or director who were so excited by the material that they fought for it and protected it the whole way through, from gestation to finished product.

Put those two together and my conclusion is for any writer - beginner or otherwise - to get their screenplay not just bought (if a sale is your end-game, you'll be playing one very short game) but actually seen in a real, live movie theater, the writing must be so engaging as to gain not one or two, but a literal army of Champions - all the people a film requires who will do the hard work of transferring your blueprint sketch into a complete, living, breathing work of art (or at least, cinema).

So when you're considering your next writing project, and during the actual writing, always remember that many very smart, powerful and talented individuals MUST respond to your material in such a way that they dedicate 2 or 3 years of their very lives, perhaps even more, to seeing it through to fruition in as accurate an interpretation as possible (a real Champion is one who not  just gets behind, but also protects the material).

Everyone's different though, so what key ingredients will make all these different people with different agendas come together to champion your screenplay?

I believe the answer is a combination of superlative, unique storytelling coupled with a clear, distinctive marketing concept. There, the "M" word, I said it.

Now, you may not think of films like Doubt, Frozen River or Slumdog Millionaire as obviously marketable. But if you examine their loglines or overall concepts, I think they are all clearly distinctive from other films out there, and also share universal stories. "Distinctive" is a good place to be in any market, and in marketing terms "universality" translates to wide audience appeal. 

Why am I focusing on marketability? Because in the end, you need to sell your work, and agents, creative execs and producers are basically all just salespeople. They need product, plain and simple, and in order to sell the most product that product must be familiar to the buyer yet also stand out as unique in the marketplace, an attribute I'm calling "original familiarity". Think about it, these players want to take risks, but not if it means losing their jobs or industry clout. So they like different. But they need familiar. And that's the trick in crafting your screenplay.

The classic actioner Lethal Weapon has ridiculously familiar plot - two cops team up to bring down a ruthless drug cartel. How many times have we seen that before, right? But it was the writer's specific take on the details of the story - mainly the interaction and relationships of the main characters - that gave Lethal Weapon its uniqueness. It was the telling of the story that made it seem like an original. Try the original/familiar approach when looking at the concepts & premises behind 99.9% of "successful" films, I bet they're all originally familiar.

Writing Resources

As beginning writers, we're always looking for advice. Where do you go to get it? Some very good resources:

Podcasts - there are many film comment podcasts that review and analyze recent and past films. Listening to film criticism will enhance your understanding of film and the things you notice within them - techniques, structures, casting choices, why something works or doesn't, the list is endless. There are also a handful of podcasts out there that interview professional, working writers at various stages in their careers. There's no one better to learn from than them, especially if you don't live in Los Angeles and don't regularly bump into Oscar winning screenwriters at your local Starbuck's. Simply go to itunes and look up tv/film podcasts, you will find a host of podcasts to peruse, some will be helpful, some, not so much. But podcasts are a terrific FREE resource for studying and understanding all aspects of filmmaking. Some of my favorite & most trusted weekly podcasts:
Creative Screenwriting Magazine
On The Page
Script Magazine
The Hollywood Saloon
/Film
KCRW's The Business
KCRW's The Treatment w/Elvis Mitchell

Now on to Professional Writer's Websites - do you frequent any? You should be! There are hundreds (maybe thousands?) of screenwriters out there who have their own websites and blogs, and you'd be wiser for surveying them. Many of these guys & girls are just a rung or three above you on the career ladder, and have valuable insights on navigating the business of writing. Among my favorites:

Wordplayer.com - read every article on this vast site at least twice!

Aspiringtvwriter.blogspot.com

Complicationsensue.blogspot.com

Kfmonkey.blogspot.com

Sex-in-a-sub.blogspot.com
Gointothestory.com
Johnaugust.com
Mysteryman.org
Unknownscreenwriter.com

And a hundred others I have bookmarked! The real value for me in these sites is not only do you receive street-tested knowledge from other writers, but you have an opportunity to converse with these writers (at least online), get some one-on-one advice and build relationships. Again, if you don't live in Los Angeles, a very useful way to learn the art, the business, and cultivate those all important "connections". 

A word of caution though - show some professional courtesy when contacting these people! Use tact, be polite, concise and to the point. Don't ramble on and don't EXPECT anything in return - you're already getting great advice for free, don't wear out your welcome by being too pushy, asking too many questions, "depending" on anyone to solve your story problems or give you the golden keys to the kingdom. These people are much too busy to entertain endless correspondence from an army of unemployed writers!

Just read what they have to offer, glean what you can, correspond when necessary, and thank them for their valuable time and insights. Remember, no one is forced to start a website, they do this in hopes that beginning screenwriters will learn something and maybe not be so green or make the same mistakes they did. Don't let them - or yourself - down!

There are many other film/TV related websites and publications you should always be checking - Variety.com, boxofficemojo.com, Done Deal Pro, Hollywood Reporter, etc. should all be a daily stop for you. The value in these sites is to know what's going on in the business TODAY - who's doing what, who's selling what, who's buying what, etc. And funny as it may sound, TAKE NOTES! Are any of the people/companies mentioned in the articles working with new writers? Are the kinds of projects they produce/want to produce up your alley? This research and your notes will come in handy once it's time to market your own screenplay - you'll already have a rough list of production companies, producers, agents, managers etc. to query!

Another very important aspect of your web toolkit are screenplay contests and writing communities. If you're a writer with no credits yet, placing in a recognized contest can be used to beef up your queries, build connections, or give some form of credibility/vetting to entice those who are too busy to read your screenplay.

And join a writing community - somewhere online or off - gives you a safe environment in which you can discuss your work with other writers, get feedback, put your script on its feet, etc. And let's not forget - connections. Maybe your comedy writing buddy has a relationship with a producer that doesn't do comedy, but may be very interested in your summer action script!

All this to say, in today's world there are more resources available to aspiring writers than ever before to learn your craft and learn the business. Take advantage of these opportunities, or others will, and you will be left in the proverbial dust. Good hunting!

PS - let me know of any sites you find exceptionally informative!

The Who, the What and the Why

Welcome. My name is Alain Dominic, and this blog was created to connect and share the highs and lows, insights and outsider perspectives of just another poor schlub trying to break into the Biz. Well, maybe not "just another" schlub, because although I am a relative beginner, I happen to take this pretty seriously (the job, not myself).

I'm dedicated to my craft in every way, from living the life of a writer to developing the mind of a writer to paying attention to the busine$$ of writing. It's not a job or a dream but a lifestyle, and so far, not a very glamourous one. But if you truly embrace the journey, every step - every - step - becomes rewarding. Every moment of your life becomes richer and more intense than the bland seconds, days and years other mere mortals let slip through their fingers.

I have written six scripts. I have yet to sell one. I am about to start submitting my first spec that is solidly commercial and I feel is ready for the market. If you're curious to see what happens next, keep checking in. I'll try to update at least every couple of days. If however, you're pretty sure you'll never visit this site again, then in the well crafted poetics of the first girl I ever asked out -- beat it, freak.