Great American Pitchfest THIS WEEKEND - plus amazing offer!

This weekend (6/1 to 6/3) the Great American Pitchfest returns to the Burbank Airport Marriott Hotel. Over 120 companies, from big boys like Davis, Atlas and Thruline, to little indies looking for very niche material. A veritable cornucopia of opportunity! As usual, Coverage Ink will be there, and we will be giving away our Spec Format + Style Guide 2012 (a $3.95 value.) So stop by and say hello!

GAPF's Bob Schultz has blessed us with a stupendously cool last-minute offer. But before I tell you about it, I want to share with you a call I had with a Coverage Ink client last week.

So I was chatting this this fellow, a writer with no small amount of talent and several scripts under his belt, and he mentioned how frustrated he was that he sends out query after query and never hears back from anyone. He had gotten coverage from CI and another company which came back pretty good, and he said his query was pretty tight. I asked if he had ever attended a pitch event, and he said, "Nah, I'm not really into that." This gave me pause.

Now I know these events are not exactly cheap, but money wasn't the issue in this fellow's case. What it comes down to is, he simply doesn't want to put himself in in the position of having to meet people face-to-face and pitch them his ideas. Far easier, and more comfortable, to do everything via e-mail, indeed.

My response was something of a cliche: "Man, I hate to say it, but you've got to be in it to win it."

Look, I totally get it. It can be a nerve-frazzling to go into a room filled with industry types. To sit down across the table from a company rep and know you've got five minutes to impress them.  We creative types much prefer the lovely solitude of our dank hermit caves. Selling ourselves and our material with a snappy, concise, and compelling presentation? Not so much.

Signe Olynyk and Bob Schultz give us the 411 on GAPF 9. Click here to watch!

But here's the thing. I hate it too, but I have forced myself to do it repeatedly. And in so doing I have met some of my best industry connex.  So let me make this as clear as I can: there is simply no better way to broadcast yourself and your concept to the industry than by attending a pitch event. Psych yourself up, practice your pitches, get your confidence on, and bring it. If you want to be a professional writer, you need accept that at some point, you're going to meet with producers. So find a way to tamp down your writerly insecurities and neuroses for a day. Sign up and go pitch.  When you walk out of there at the end of the day, having met with dozens of industry people and maybe opened a few doors that would not have been opened otherwise, you will be justifiably proud. If I can do it, you can!

Great American Pitchfest has been doing this for nine years now and to say they are a well-oiled machine is an understatement. The top-rated Pitchfest in my 2010 "Rating the Pitchfests" article for Script magazine (as voted on by readers,) GAPF does an amazing job of bringing in top-quality buyers and keeping the lines short. Expect to meet 20-25 companies or more in one day. Try getting that from query letters. Not to mention, you get their incredible GAPF Company Guide, featuring in-depth interviews with all the buyers. This booklet will become your go-to industry contact list for the next year.

But the truly amazing thing is, while the pitch event is on Sunday (which you have to pay to attend,) Saturday is an entire day of FREE seminars from some of the leaders in screenwriting education (see their "Jam-Packed Schedule of Awesomeness" right here), plus a live interview with writer Rhett Reese (Zombieland, Monsters Inc.) Last year, literally thousands of writers packed the Burbank Marriott Hotel to avail themselves of this incredible deal. Watch GAPF founders Bob and Signe tell you about it right here.

Now about that special offer -- this one is a corker -- Buy a Bronze pass, and get a free ticket to the Great American Pitchfest Executive Luncheon (a $75 value). Okay, wait up, this is not just a free lunch. This is extra time with the buyers -- crucial hobnob time. It's not just about impressing execs with your material -- it's about showing them you're a cool and easy-to-get-along-with person. Having a little hang time with them outside the pitching floor could be crucial.

I hope I have impressed upon you all what a killer deal this is. To claim your free executive luncheon, e-mail Bob Schultz (bob@pitchfest.com) after you buy your pass and he will make sure the ticket is included in your package.

We will be at GAPF all day Saturday at the Coverage Ink booth. Come see us then, but make sure to return Sunday for the main event -- and come ready to do some damage. The time is now. This is your opportunity. Great American Pitchfest is back, baby!

-- Jim C.

 

Coverage Ink Announces New Writing Tournament

Fans of the CS Open and Cyberspace Open: get ready to be happy. Coverage Ink is bringing back the concept with our new Snap Judgment Writing Tournament. Details are still being worked out, but we expect to launch this August.

For ten years, we ran the unique and exciting CS Open (later the Cyberspace Open) writing tournaments for Creative Screenwriting. We gave writers a tricky scene prompt and a short amount of time to write their best interpretation of that as a scene or scene unit (under 5 pages). CI readers selected the top 100, and then after a second round, the top 3. Winners were chosen via online voting.

As most of you probably know, financial difficulties forced Creative Screenwriting to shutter last year.

The new Snap Judgment Writing Tournament is inspired by the Cyberspace Open but is not affiliated with Creative Screenwriting. We are pleased to be able to bring back our favorite tournament concept -- as well as add in some Coverage Ink special sauce. Some things will remain the same: the tournament will be online, the scene prompts dastardly. The top three scenes will again be performed by actors and put up on YouTube for the world to vote on. But this time, in addition, the winner will work with Coverage ink to develop a fully realized short film, pilot, or feature film screenplay based on the winning scene. We will then alert the industry.

One other improvement is not really a change at all: rather like the original CS Open, you will be able to enter the tournament up to four times (and write four separate scenes based on four different prompts.) And as with Coverage Ink's Writers on the Storm Screenplay Competition, entry to Snap Judgment is FREE with any screenplay submission to Coverage Ink during the contest period (dates to be announced.)

The brainchild of Creative Screenwriting founder Erik Bauer, The CS Open began as a live writing tournament at the annual Screenwriting Expo. We gave participants 90 minutes to write their best interpretation of a scene prompt we gave them on the spot. The top three scenes were then performed live at the Expo closing ceremonies, where the audience voted on the winners. Over 5,000 writers wrote tens of thousands of scenes, each one read and evaluated by the Coverage Ink team. Those scenes have resulted in dozens of produced short films and helped launch the career of 2004 winner Bob DeRosa, who went on to write Killers and is now writing on White Collar.

In 2009, the tournament was renamed the Cyberspace Open and moved online, where many more writers from around the world could participate via the internet (and not have to hand-write the scenes like in the live event.) Instead of performing the scenes live at the Expo closing ceremonies, the top three scenes were videotaped and posted online for everyone to vote on.

We couldn't be more thrilled to be launching the Snap Judgment Writing Tournament. We are confident this one-of-a-kind experience -- being forced to write quickly and write well, under the gun -- could be just the adrenaline jolt your writing needs. The Snap Judgment Writing Tournament -- coming soon from Coverage Ink, the Industry Experts.

-- Jim C.

Coverage Ink/Writers on the Storm April 2012 Newsletter

May, 2012

1) Three Ways to Bring the SIZZLE!
2) Shorties- News Blips for Writers
3) Man on a Mission: InkTip's Gato Scatena
4) Steve Kaire's Screenwriting 20 Questions

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Three Ways to Bring the Sizzle!

We are wordsmiths. What does that mean exactly? Literally, it means we take words and mold them into usable forms, like another kind of smith may do with a refined moonstone and iron ingots to make Elven armor (sorry, been playing too much Skyrim lately.) But I have noticed one area where we wordsmiths tend to slack, and that is: the SIZZLE.

We can all write. All of us know how to compose a sentence, a paragraph, a scene. But oftentimes we forget the art of refinement -- of bringing showmanship, panache, je ne sais quoi, to the presentation. Too often, we'll craft some description or dialogue, and without really thinking twice about it or really scrutinizing it, we'll leave it be and move along. Thing about screenwriting, though: that ain't good enough. Sure, you could likely get away with that in a book. You have a lot more latitude -- more pages to explore secondary characters and subplots, and most crucially, more patience from the the reader. Hell, Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond, could spend a page and a half describing a tablecloth and it would be compelling. Try that in a screenplay, however, and you are dead meat.  

And so, here are three quick (but not necessarily easy) things that you should do to make your writing leap off the page:

1) Edit Mercilessly! This may be the single easiest thing to say, yet the hardest thing to get writers to do. Why? Because it requires examining what you've written with an editor's eye. It means you must fall out of love with your prose and instead, view it as a garden overrun with weeds and snails. Watch my 6-minute video on this very topic, Writer, Edit Thyself, right here.

2) Choose Wisely. Lazy word choices plague many a script. For example: "Sarah walks to the table." Really? You're a writer. Can't you find a snappier way to say that? "Walk" is an uninspired verb choice that tells us nothing other than the movement. But what if Sarah were to slouch her way to the table? Shimmy? Sashay? Bounce? Zip? Strut? Slink? Slither? Ooze? Undulate? Skitter? Stagger, swish, launch, meander? I think you all get the idea. So just like editing, get into the habit of scrutinizing your specific word choices as well. Is there a better, cooler, more dynamic way to say what you're trying to say? "Rodrigo falls to the ground." Yawn. How about " Rodrigo eats pavement"? Yes!

3) Break it up. Tell me if this sounds familiar: the person who reads your script completely misses something that was clearly in the script. Did the reader skim? Maybe. Or it could be that even though the key kernel of information was indeed in the screenplay, it was buried. Long paragraphs are for books, not screenplays. You always have to assume the people reading your screenplay have A.D.D. You need to do everything you can to seize them by the throat. Parcel out your information in small bites, and if it's important, use slug lines to call attention to it. F'rinstance:

Connie backs away from her pink Jetta, jaw agape. She shakes her head in disbelief. Looks back to Brian, who opens his hands, also stunned. The Jetta's locks suddenly close. The car begins to drive away all by itself.  Connie runs after it but as she catches up, the car rolls over her toe. Connie yelps and the Jetta rolls away, swishing it's antenna as if to say "buh-bye!"

Okay, there was a lot of info packed into that paragraph. You think the average agent's assistant is really going to trudge through that? Hell no. It looks like work, so they're gonna skim. But now suppose you do this:

Connie backs away from her pink Jetta, jaw agape, shaking her head in disbelief. 

She looks back to Brian, who opens his hands, also stunned. 

THE JETTA'S DOOR LOCKS

Suddenly snap closed.  The car drives away all by itself. 

CONNIE

Gasps, runs after it.  But as she catches up --

HER TOE

The Jetta crunches over it.  

                            CONNIE

                 Aah!  Damn it!

The Jetta putt-putts away, swishing its antenna as if to say "buh-bye!"

So what we did there was break it down, make it more digestible and cinematic.  All the important actions got their own slugline. In this way we are directing the action without telling the director where to place the camera, a neat trick indeed. We also fixed the typo (remember, "it's" is NEVER possessive, but rather, is only a contraction of IT IS. The possessive version is simply "its.") The downside of this style is, of course, it takes up way more space. Which brings us full-circle to #1: Edit mercilessly!

Now it's not intuitive to do any of this. It takes a lot of practice. But if you want to break in, you need more than just competency. You need to bring the sizzle! (Oh, yeah, and have some great connex.)

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What's up? Buncha stuff, thanks for asking! First, we've pushed back our Writers on the Storm contest. It now runs from 9/24 through 12/31/12. Peep the deets below. We've got some news on the state of the biz, both features and TV, another edition of Steve Kaire's highly entertaining 20 Questions, an interview with InkTip's Gato Scatena and more!

And hey, remember, guys, if any of you ever feel stuck or just need some advice, just write me at info@coverageink.com. We're all in this together.

Onward and downward!

Jim Cirile
Founder, Coverage Ink
Writers on the Storm


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Continue on to Shorties - News Blips for Writers

SHORTIES -- News Blips for Writers

WRITERS ON THE STORM 2012 POSTPONED. Say it ain't so! Oh, but it is, Virginia. Why did we do this? Well, to be honest, because putting on a contest the scale of WOTS is a huge amount of work, and we need to be concentrating on other things in the short term. But fear not: Writers on the Storm will return 9/24 and run through the end of the year. And we are putting together some pretty damn good prizes this year as well, such as: coffee with Lynn Hendee, producer of Ender's Game, which stars Harrison Ford and is shooting now, and a consultation/meeting with 2011 Nicholl Fellows (that means they won, guys) Tianna Langham and Chris Bessounian (and we'll have an interview with them next month as well.) So use this time to polish, polish, polish and polish again. Remember: winning a contest is not like entering the lottery. It's not random. It's about the quality of the script. If your script is a pass when you send it in for coverage, it ain't gonna win a contest. It's that simple. So invest in yourself and do the heavy lifting required to really deliver on those screenplays.  

Miller

WOTS 2011 UPDATE. The new start date for Writers on the Storm 2012 is 9/24, and it ends 12/31. That gives all of y'all time to go back and rewrite act 2! Come on, you know you need to :)  Now if you are wondering what's up with last year's winners, we only finally started sending them out a few weeks ago and are still waiting to hear back from many companies. Most excitingly, top management company The Arlook Group responded positively to our runner-up script A SHIP THROUGH FIRE by John Winn Miller. They're reading a follow-up script from Mr. Miller now. We also have some very exciting possibilities on our winning script WRIGHT OR WRONG, by Glenn Sanders and Brooks Elms, that we can't talk about yet, but if it happens will be pretty amazing. More news as it develops! -- Portia Jefferson, Writers on the Storm Contest Coordinator

REJECTED PITCHES = BRILLIANCE. Take five and treat yourself to some of the funniest shorts on YouTube, courtesy of the razor-sharp comic wits at Teen Wheels TV. To date they have posted four episodes of their "Rejected Pitches" series, which feature top directors being shot down by a trio of moronic executives. So far they've taken on E.T., Back to the Future, Look Who's Talking, and best of all, The Shining. So the next time you have a meeting with a producer who is a pure dope, you'll think back on these videos and smile! Check out their YouTube page right here.

BELOW ZERO ICES THE FESTIVAL CIRCUIT. Kudos to writer/producers Bob Schultz and Signe Olynyk. Their indie horror film Below Zero (directed by Justin Thomas Ostenson) has been owning the festival circuit. Just pay a quick visit to the film's website and check out all those laurels, including Best Horror Movie from American International Film Festival. Edward Furlong (T2) stars as a screenwriter who locks himself in a slaughterhouse freezer to overcome his writer's block! When horror vet Michael Berryman (The Hills Have Eyes) enters the picture, you can pretty much figure out what happens next... Next up, they're shooting Bob's zombie movie I-15, which was one of the best scripts Coverage Ink read last year. Exciting times for this young, hot team! And by the way, if their names sound familiar, you've probably met Bob and Signe at their annual Great American Pitchfest. Speaking of which, the Pitchfest will be back June 1-3 at the Burbank Marriott, so get your tickets now! Stop by and visit us at the Coverage Ink booth while you're there.

SPEC MARKET FURY! It is smokin' hot out there right now for pitches. An astonishing 13 were set up last month, almost double last year's number. That's indicative of the overall health and confidence of the biz -- when people get worried, the first thing they stop buying are pitches. So this is great news indeed (note: don't think you can hop on that bandwagon. Selling pitches is reserved only for name screenwriters with juice.) On the spec side, a nice little $3 million sale always injects a jolt of life into the marketplace. James Vanderbilt's White House Down shook down Sony for the big bucks, no doubt because he wrote this summer's Spidey reboot which is getting positive buzz, despite the fact that the Spidey suit looks like it was cut from a Spalding basketball. Overall, the spec market is slightly more voracious than last year (17 specs were sold in March,) but WAY better than the horrifically awful 2009 and 2010. In short: the market is hotter than it has been in a long time. It's a freakin' great time to be a writer! Now go get your piece.

THE SAD, SAD STATE OF THE TV MOVIE. Have you ever wondered why there are, like, no MOWs and TV movies at all anymore, versus ten years ago? We sure as hell did, so we put that question to TV movie producer Steve Kennedy (Saving Jessica Lynch) from Daniel Paulson Prods. According to Steve, several factors have conspired to more or less crush the venerable Movie of the Week. The first is, the networks decided that it's more profitable to have a smaller audience that returns week after week for a show, than it is to have a big audience that only turns out once. Never mind that original television movies can be resold as DVDs and so forth; they're just not that interested. Secondly, TV movies cost way more money to produce than, say, a 3-hour The Bachelorette pile of vapidity. Even cable, once a bastion of original movies, has greatly reduced their output. Showtime used to make 30 movies a year. But then they realized they could create successful original series like Dexter instead. Nowadays your chances of getting HBO or Showtime to greenlight your original movie are pretty much nil. That leaves Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, Lifetime and Hallmark, who are doing quite well, thank you very much, making flicks for their niche audiences. But the days of the MOW as we know it... gone.

SCRIPT PIPELINE EXTENDED DEADLINE 5/4! Our pals at Script Pipeline put on one hell of a contest. In fact, it's one of only five that we at Coverage Ink recommend as well worth the entry fee. Their winners have had some amazing success in the past. And now, the 10th Annual Script Pipeline Screenwriting and TV Writing Competition 2012 is ending imminently (like, Friday May 4th!) If you haven't entered yet, what are you waiting for? These guys are the only contest to our knowledge, other than the Nicholl Fellowship, who have had a previous winner (2008's Evan Dougherty) go A-list. Dougherty's 2008 script Snow White and the Huntsman was huge major studio spec sale ($3 million!) and is now a major motion picture starring Chris Hemsworth, Kristin Stewart and Charlize Theron. Will you be next? Cruise on down the Pipeline and enter that script now. Hurry, time is almost up!

THE SAD, SAD SAGA OF MEL GIBSON. This one is almost painful to write. If you're a subscriber to TheWrap.com, you no doubt have heard/read the transcription of actor/director Mel Gibson's latest rant. (If you do not subscribe to TheWrap, you may have no idea, since Variety ignored it, not wanting to acknowledge they'd been scooped -- even after the story had been picked up by the US corporate media.) The short version is, Gibson went on a tear at his Costa Rica home, railing out guest Joe Eszterhas (Showgirls) and  screaming like a freakin' maniac about anything and everything, including losing his looks, in front of all his guests and their families (including Braveheart screenwriter Randall Wallace.) Gibson made some particularly vitriolic comments about his ex and generally just frickin' lost it. Now we've all been watching Gibson self-destruct publicly for years, of course, so this is no surprise. What is amazing however is that through it all, he continues to do great work. He was sublime in The Beaver, about a dad with mental issues who can only communicate through a puppet; his new movie Get the Gringo was passed over for US release despite universal superlative reviews. Ezsterhas said that he released the recordings his son made of Gibson's rant so that hopefully Mel would get the professional help he needs. Amen to that.

NOT TO "B" OUTDONE: TRACKING B CONTEST BEGINS 6/1. You didn't think we'd mention the five contests Coverage Ink recommends as worth the entry fee without telling you the others, did ya? Here they are, in no particular order: The Nicholl Fellowship, Scriptapalooza, Script Pipeline, Writers on the Storm, and... Tracking B. Who, what? Amazingly, after years of unparalleled success stories, many screenwriters still have no idea who these guys are. The Tracking B contest is an "insider" contest run by, well, The Insider, the mysterious industry figure behind TrackingB.com, the real-life industry tracking board subscribed to by every major producer, agent and manager. To tell you about all the writers who have been signed, sold and gotten work after winning or placing in Tracking B would take the entire length of this column (you can just buzz over to their site and check it out for yourself.) Their annual feature screenwriting contest opens 6/1, so calendar it now and enter early before the prices rise. Trust us on this, this is a must-enter contest! Not to mention every writer who enters two scripts gets a free subscription to TrackingB.com, which is an invaluable source of critical intelligence for writers. Head on over to TrackingB.com and discover for yourself just what you're missing!

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MAN ON A MISSION - InkTip's Gato Scatena

Gato Scatena is passionate about what he does. He has a vision for a future where InkTip.com and the InkTip Pitch Summit become the industry's #1 talent farm. And from the looks of things, he may just pull it off. The 30-year-old from Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, has put his UC Santa Cruz film and digital media degree to good use as Vice President of InkTip and President of InkTip Summit Events. In 2010, he and InkTip President Jerrol LeBaron set out to rethink the screenplay pitch festival. The result: the InkTip Pitch Summit, which raises the bar by greatly increasing the number of executives attending and maximizing the number of pitches writers can make (now averaging over 40.) We caught up with Gato, knee-deep in planning Pitch Summit IV (September 21 and 22, 2012 – discount tickets are on sale now) to find out exactly how InkTip connects so many writers and executives.

by Jim Cirile

Jim Cirile (JC): Hi, Gato! Appreciate your time. What was the genesis of the InkTip Pitch Summit?

Gato Scatena

Gato Scatena (GS): Thanks, Jim. Jerrol (LeBaron, InkTip founder) had been wanting to do some kind of an event that was primarily focused on the executives that we cater to, because there are a good number of executives out there who are still pretty old-school, and they prefer face-to-face meetings. A large percentage of those types of people tend to be in the upper echelon of producing anyway, more studio-level guys. Second to that, we were approached by a couple of other pitching events, trying to get us to sponsor them. I started attending events and sending my staff. If we sponsor something, we’ve got to be able to vouch for it.  Jerrol and I came to the same conclusion, that there was a big gap between claims and actual performance. So we set out to find a way to do an event that would actually yield results. We weren’t going to execute anything unless we knew that we could exceed expectations of our target audience.

JC: You guys changed the paradigm pretty effectively, with the key innovation being pitching to three execs at a time, not just one.

GS: Thanks, yeah, I thought that was my idea, but Jerrol swears it was his (laughs.) Statistically, we had to bring roughly three times as many executives to our Summit compared to the next most populated pitching event, which brings about 100, in order to get movies produced. There are several advantages to this.

JC: Obviously, the first is simple math: the more people you can pitch your script to, the more potential connections you can make.

GS: Right. And there are other advantages as well. If you sit down and you’ve got three executives there, you can have two of them who are bored -- maybe they’ve been having a rough day, they’re not in the mood -- but all it takes is one guy who might be interested (in the pitch) and asks just the right question from a producer’s point of view. All of a sudden, it starts this conversation where one or two of the other executives want to get involved. It’s an obvious social dynamic that we all know can occur, but to put it into this format was a new thing. The other important reason behind it was statistics. We simply had to fit more producers in order to ensure that we were going to have movies produced off the very first Summit, which we did. As far as I know, to this date we are the only pitching event with confirmed movies produced. A nice little cherry on top was that at all these other events, it’s really easy for executives to get fatigued as the day goes on. We found that by adding extra executives to the table, they’re keeping one another awake by talking to each other throughout the day.

JC: So what’s the trick to getting over 300 executives to show up?

GS: The primary trick -- and I love it -- is that we’re InkTip.com. We work with these executives 365 days a year. They subscribe to the executive newsletters; we’re in constant contact with them. We have an entire department over here, the entertainment pro department, and all they do is make sure that the producers are finding exactly what they’re looking for, whether it’s scripts or writers. We have a really good rapport with all these executives. So we have sort of an advantage there. The scariest change that we made vis-à-vis other pitching events was that we weren’t going to offer any sort of stipend or payment for executives to attend. We felt that by offering money to attend, number one, it’s going to send the wrong message.

Scatena with InkTip founder Jerrol LeBaron.

Number two, I know a lot of them offer $100 stipends. $100 just isn’t enough to attract an executive that you actually want there. So then you’re just kind of putting fans in the stands. And three, there was this precedent set by all the other events. If you’re an executive, you know you can find material through us. We’ve got over 150 (produced features.) If you’re looking, we want you to come and help you find good stuff. If you’re not looking, we’re not going to incentivize you to fake it.  That said, every executive that attends does cost us $150 to $200-plus for food, beverage, parking and so forth. 

 JC: At the Pitch Summit I attended, I saw all the execs hobnobbing before the event started. That’s got to be a huge perk for them as well.

GS: One result that we didn’t plan for is that executives love coming to the Summit now because of their networking opportunities. That has led to more options, sales and movies produced. These guys start talking to each other, and they find ways to make certain deals work.

JC: Pitch Summit III went buttery smooth last month. You guys obviously put a lot of effort into listening to the feedback from attendees of previous Summits.

GS: This last one just ran insanely smooth. But the thing that makes Jerrol and I the most proud is that we were advertising that every writer was going to be able to pitch 35, and for us to breach 40 pitches per writer on average was great. This was the first time where we didn’t really have any complaints. From here on out, it’s smaller things. For example, after meeting so many executives -- at other events you’re meeting about 12 people face to face. At Summit III, I believe the average number of companies pitched was 42. It gets a little hairy trying to keep track of everybody that you’ve met. So one note we got was, “If you guys could find a way to make it easier to follow up with them, that’d be awesome.” So we’re wrestling with either using different nameplates or having cards available at every table for the writers to just grab.

JC: And how about results?

GS: The majority of our writers were getting requests from over 50% of the companies they were pitching. All in all, we’re just doing a great job on one, attracting serious writers, and two, we’re getting into a really sweet spot in terms of attracting the right executives. A lot of material is getting optioned through us at this point. Movies are getting produced. That’s what we’re here to do. We’ve got another eight options and writers repped that have been confirmed from this last Summit last month. We actually had for or five options that happened on the spot, at the event. We’re trying to knock it out of the park on the next one and continue to up our success rate.

JC: Thanks so much for the peek behind the curtain, Gato!

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InkTip Pitch Summit IV is September 21st and 22nd at the Burbank Marriott. Tickets are available now Hurry! Super Saver deadline is Friday, May 18th. Register now and save up to $95 on your passes. 

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More Screenwriting 20 Questions with Steve Kaire

by
Steve Kaire

Ready for another round of 20 Questions with the High Concept King? Steve Kaire once again tests your mettle. 15 or better correct is a great score!

True or False:

1) Producers have a call-back list of 50 people per day.

False. Their call-back list is often over 200 people per day.

2) Production companies generally read your material in 2 to 3 weeks time.

False. It’s often around 2 to 3 months.

3) Partner pitching is permissible with one partner pitching one part, the other pitching the other.

That’s true.

4) Good dialogue uses full, complete sentences.

False.Good dialogue uses phrases and short sentences and accurately reflects the way people actually speak.

5) The easiest way to structure a screenplay is viewing a similar movie and structuring your script the same way.

True.

6) You should expect brutal criticism of your screenplay from a studio reader.

True. Rumor has it that they’re often frustrated writers themselves. If you've ever received coverage from a studio, you're probably still licking your wounds. Good coverage services like Coverage Ink however specialize in presenting notes in an empowering, not belittling, way.

7) There’s no easy way to find out who’s buying what.

False. Many websites list what’s being sold and to whom.

8) The Great American Pitchfest and InkTip Pitch Summit are the two biggest pitch festivals in the country, both chock full of opportunities for writers.

True.

9) Sometimes writing about what you know makes you too close to the material to be objective.

That’s true.

10) A query letter is typically two to three pages long.

That’s false. A query letter should never be longer than one page and should be as brief and snappy and compelling as possible.

11) There is more money available to invest in independent films now than ever before.

That is true.

12) The most important element in a letter of introduction is the person who referred you to that company or agent.

That’s true. If you have the name of a person who referred you, list it in the first paragraph.

13) No one in the industry really cares about screenplay contests.

Not true. While most big name agencies and production companies couldn't care less, some do, and many small to medium-sized companies will read the winners of a few notable contests.

14) A slam dunk is a compelling, high concept premise that is universally recognized as being a winner.

True.

15) During a pitch session, you should first tell the listener how you got the idea of creating your story.

False. This is another big misconception. You have limited time to give your pitch and the listener doesn’t care how you created it.

16) A fish out of water story is an example of a brainstorming technique.

That’s true.

17) It isn’t permissible to e-mail your script to interested parties who requested to read it.

False. Many companies and agents now prefer online submissions to having all those stacked scripts in their office. Ask the company which is their preferred method of submission.

18) Unlike agents who charge a flat 10%, managers can charge any percentage of a client’s earnings that are agreed to.

That’s true. While many literary managers charge 10%, some charge 15% -- and some celebrity managers charge up to 50% of their client’s earnings.

19) When you use a framing technique, or mash-up (example: It’s “Apollo 13” meets “Die Hard,”) it should come at the end of your pitch.

False.Framing techniques should be used before you pitch your logline to prepare the listener for what type of story you’re about to pitch.

20) All well-written screenplays should contain a main character who goes through a character arc.

True. Virtually every script has one of its characters undergo a positive change by the end of the movie. Notable exceptions are horror movies and action heroes, such as the James Bond character and Popeye Doyle in “The French Connection.”

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How did you all do? If you got every one right, then pat yourself on the back and go get 'em, tiger. If you knew several, then way to go! If many of these stumped you, definitely start reading the trades regularly. Becoming a savvy student of the biz is key to making it as a writer in TV or film. Keep up the good work, and I'll see you all back here in 30.

Steve Kaire (HighConceptScreenwriting.com) is a Screenwriter/Pitchman who’s sold 8 projects to the major studios without representation. His top-rated CD, “High Concept--How to Create, Pitch and Sell to Hollywood” is available on his website along with original articles and national screenwriting contests.

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InkTip Pitch Summit III Review

2010's first Pitch Summit, brought to us by our friends at InkTip.com, was tremendous mix of both opportunity and discombobulation. Now in their second year, have they ironed out all the bugs?

By Tanya Klein

I recently checked out InkTip’s Pitch Summit III. Having attended the very first one -- which was riddled with logistical missteps and probably caused a few serious cases of sciatica in some of the unfortunate writers who stood in endless lines -- I felt more than a bit trepidatious. Luckily, I was pleasantly surprised. The organizational upheaval from their first outing was completely ironed out. They had plenty of people working to keep everything running smoothly. The lines were mercifully short, arranged by genre, and they were kept moving with adequate speed. Efforts were made to keep all of the attendees in the loop through continual announcements. So, first of all, kudos to the InkTip team for oiling this particular machine.

Any review of an InkTip Pitch Summit really comes down to how one feels about pitching to three or four executives from different companies simultaneously, versus focusing on only one. Because, you see, that's how they do it. You don't just pitch one-on-one to an exec: you pitch to a table of three execs, all from different companies. Let’s start with the pros: The three-to-a-table scheme makes it possible for a writer to cover more ground – a lot more ground. It’s the difference between pitching to 15 people or to 50. That’s an undeniable plus. But does it outweigh the cons?

In the morning I stood in line for one three-executive table, two of whom I really wanted to see and the third one – let’s call ‘em 'Gravy' – I hadn’t heard of. When I got to the table, only Gravy was there. I’m guessing the other two were still enjoying their morning coffee or were simply a no-show. First con of having more than one executive at a table: You can’t hold the line if someone is stuck in traffic; and sometimes a writer will miss the opportunity to pitch to an executive, because said executive is searching for the restroom.

The InkTip Pitch Summit in progress.

Later in the day, I noticed that I was pitching to an executive – let’s call ‘em 'Homeless' – whom I had pitched to before at a different table. Homeless complained that they kept moving him around. Second con: It’s difficult to accommodate last-minute executive changes, since they can’t simply put up another table, but have to find the proverbial birds of a feather (they endeavor to clump the execs together by genre.) If more than one executive occupies a table, the occupants have to agree at least somewhat on the type of material they’re looking for, which probably leads to either some unhappy executives or likely a few table switches (which in turn leads to some unhappy writers.)

 In the afternoon, I tackled some of the longer lines, gleefully inching my way forward, until we were informed that the table had collectively decided that they wanted to hear comedy now – let’s just call ‘em 'Confused.' Down the drain went my pitches – and about 15 minutes of my life. (Hey, I’m German. I don’t do comedy.) Third con: Listening to only one genre all day makes for some tired executives – and abrupt changes. Fact is, quite a few of these folks are looking for several genres, and the three-to-a-table table mechanic doesn't handle that very efficiently.

In general, having more than one executive at a table makes it hard to keep track of exactly who you’re pitching to at any given time – especially when the executives switch tables or take long breaks or a company didn’t show up and was quickly replaced with another company. Let’s face it, the moment you sit down, you pitch. You don’t pull out pen and paper and start copying down everyone’s name tag.

One last thing worth noting: unlike Great American Pitchfest, InkTip provides no real background information on whom you're meeting with, nor any contact info. All they give you are the contact's name, company, and a couple of credits. This makes following up with people whom you do not get a chance to meet with difficult. Great American Pitchfest, on the other hand, is worth the cost of admission just for the detailed booklet they provide, which becomes a valuable reference you'll refer back to time and again throughout the year and may yield plenty more opportunities long after the pitching is over.

Was there opportunity? You bet! I got in about 15 pitches, altogether about 38 companies in total. That's pretty amazing. Still, my personal preference is one executive at a time. You have a slightly better chance at establishing a personal connection when it's one on one. I’m also comforted in knowing who exactly I’m pitching to; and I prefer being able to tailor my pitches to the person at hand, as opposed to keeping it general. But that might just be my inner Teutonic control freak. When all is said and done, InkTip showed they have learned from their mistakes of the past and they delivered an event chock full of potential for writers.

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Tanya Klein is a CI story analyst, teacher and screenwriter. For almost a decade she ran a theater company in NYC, and she was the second unit cameraperson on Coverage Ink Films' LIBERATOR. She is currently working on the script for CI's first feature "TWISTED," which begins shooting in late fall.

Jeff Fisher's Butt-Kickin' Rewrite Process

by Jim Cirile

Here's what's supposed to happen: you send your script in for coverage; the notes come back, and finally after much groaning, agonizing and denial, you rewrite the script, solving all the problems that deep down you suspected all along.

Except, it NEVER happens that way. The way it actually goes down is: you do a rewrite based on the notes, and while some problems may get solved, new issues are created -- those knee-jerk solutions may not be all that well thought through. One step forward, two back. So after yet another rewrite, one sends it for coverage again. But now when the notes come back, it seems you're even further from the bull's-eye than you were on the first draft! Pretty frustrating, right? It always takes way more drafts than we would have hoped, and it's seldom that linear progression forward from "pass" to "consider" we all hope for.

Jeff Fisher

Unless you're Jeff Fisher, that is.

A few months back, Jeff sent his script "Cloud Nine" in to Coverage Ink for analysis. According to the notes, it had a lot of good elements, but also needed a lot of TLC -- rather like many of the scripts that come our way. But the most amazing thing happened when Jeff sent along the rewrite about 4 weeks later: the reader (AK, who had also read the first draft) was blown away. "I've never seen anything like this," he said. "This guy nailed all the notes." In less than a month, Jeff Fisher went from pass/consider with reservations to consider/strong consider. He skipped right over the 16 drafts it usually takes the rest of us to achieve that! So with great admiration (and just a smidgen of jealousy,) we figured we'd ask Jeff just how the hell he pulled this off.

Jim C: Hi, Jeff! Can you tell us a bit about your background?

Jeff F: My first "industry" job (unless you count movie theater usher) was a Craft Service PA on a Paramount feature called ARRIVE ALIVE, a romantic comedy starring Willem Dafoe and Joan Cusack that shut down production after nine shooting days.  : )  From there,  I was lucky enough to PA on some awesome features ("Cape Fear" was a biggie for me) back East where I'm from.  I moved to LA and worked as an assistant at ICM and then Columbia/Tri-Star, always shooting little spec music videos and stuff to build a reel on the weekends.  I shot my first short film "Garage Sale" over a week's vacation from ICM.  Off my short films (and thanks to my awesome friend Toni Gallagher), I was able get a gig on a few early reality shows ("Bug Juice" was my first) and worked my way up to Director on shows like "The Real World/Road Rules Challenge" and "The Simple Life."  I wrote and directed my first feature ("Killer Movie") which premiered at Tribeca in 2008 and stars Paul Wesley, Kaley Cuoco, Leighton Meester, Nestor Carbonell and a gaggle of other actors I loved working with.  It was about a reality film crew that gets into all kinds of trouble -- something I knew a thing or two about.  There's lots of mayhem going on, but it's all very "Scooby-Doo."  

 

JC: Nice. Give us a quick heads-up on what CLOUD NINE is all about and what you hope to do with it. You're planning to shoot this puppy?

JF: CLOUD NINE is the grown up version of a little musical short I did called "ANGELS, BABY!" back  in 1999. (Watch it right here.) I always loved the idea of having an angels around looking out for our best interests.  I actually got the idea for the short watching Steven Spielberg do a press interview for the movie "ALWAYS."  I'm paraphrasing, but when he was asked about the angel in that movie, he said he loved the idea that when he was trying to figure out where to put the camera and got a great idea, maybe it was the spirit of some great director from years gone by whispering in his ear.  That was the impetus -- along with a musical number I once saw the actress Jessica Tuck perform (that's another story though.) It has just been growing into a feature in the back of head since.  I've had some great notes and help from friends along the way too.  

And the plan is to make it this summer!

 

JC: What was your reaction to the first round of coverage on it?

 

JF: "YIKES!"  But -- and I think you say this in your video -- it resonated.  I knew the notes were valid and I was determined to make this as strong a script as possible.  I let it marinate for a week.  I asked for some advice from writer friends I respect -- and dug in on the next draft. 

 

JC: Smart move. I always let stuff simmer for a while.

JF: I had to sit with the notes for a beat.  Digging right in that day was too aggressive.  I actually wrote out all the notes I received and started writing possible solutions in the column next to them.  By the way, some AWFUL solutions!  I'd call a friend and ask -- and they'd talk it through and often give me a good idea or get me thinking of something emotionally honest.  I found a lot of my initial solutions were way too "on the nose."

 

JC: Exactly. We're often in such a rush to get the rewrite process over with that we often choose the easiest fixes, which may not be the best ones for the script. The first things we think of might be inelegant or contrived or cause plot holes down the line. You did an amazing job on the polish. What sort of advice would you give to other writers who might be in a similar position -- ten pages of notes, now what the hell do you do?

JF: That is so cool of you to say. Thank you! Honestly, I'd say don't sweat it. Just read them through (hopefully with a strong drink close by) and put them aside for a beat. You'll know when it's time to check them out again. You don't have to solve every problem all at once. Just pitch one solution to yourself or a friend. The next one won't be far behind.

JC: Thanks a bunch, Jeff! Looking forward to hearing more about CLOUD NINE as it heads into production.

Writers on the Storm 2012 Contest Posponed

Hi folks, we are postponing the start of Writers on the Storm 2012 until fall. We had been scheduled to launch May 21.

There are several reasons for this, but the main one is time. We are overloaded with projects at the moment, and it takes a lot of time to put together a contest on the scale of WOTS. Coverage Ink, which is the parent company of Writers on the Storm, is also in preproduction on our first feature film called TWISTED.

We will announce the new launch date of the contest within a few weeks. In the meantime, we are sending out the top ten from last year's contest, so, everyone, let's all pull for our winners! We're getting lost of positive feedback on out winning script, Wright or Wrong. No less than Jake Wagner from FilmEngine called it "very clever." So let's cross fingers!

We appreciate everyone's patience. If you're going to be at Great American Pitchfest (June 1-3), please stop by our booth and say hi. And now, all of you, what are you wasting time reading blogs for? Get back to writing! (Oops, me, too.)

Jim C.

THE HUNGER GAMES -- Greatest Movie Ever?

Jennifer Lawrence went brown, not black. If you're going to dye, why not dye it to the correct color?

Okay, okay. Let me clarify right away: I don't actually think The Hunger Games, Lionsgate's hugely successful, more or less faithful adaptation of Suzanne Collins' young adult sci-fi bestseller, is the greatest movie ever made. That honor, of course, goes to Monty Python's Life of Brian. But the strangest thing happened as I sat there watching this film: for a brief time, I did actually think Hunger Games was the shizzbombdiggityest film ever. Seriously.

Warning: spoilers ahead!

Going into the movie, I wasn't expecting much. My daughter is a big fan of the book series, and I'd read a few chapters of the first one. I found the writing pretty good, but was not really compelled to keep reading. I'm old enough to realize that The Hunger Games is just a young adult ("YA") version of The Running Man and The Most Dangerous Game. And so, feeling this material was about as fresh as the mini Baby Ruth in the Easter egg I planted under the sofa last year but only just found yesterday morning, I put the book aside. Turns out, however, that those unfamiliar with where the story was lifted from found the material bracing, the heroine, Katniss Everdeen, inspiring, and the post-apocalyptic world of Panem dark, exciting and new.

And so as I watched the movie on opening day with three 12-year-old girls--target audience, yup--I was expecting to enjoy the film perhaps slightly more than a colonoscopy. Sure enough, as The Hunger Games went through its paces, I was not especially interested. The whole premise just seemed, well, stupid. In case you're unfamiliar, in the story, the 12 districts (which are all supposed to be suffering from severe hunger, although there is nary an emaciated person to be found in the entire movie) choose tributes--children from 12-18--to participate in a gruesome, televised fight to the death --bread and circuses, without the bread. Problem here is, there is a BIG difference between a 12 year old and an 18 year old. 12 year olds are kids; 18 year olds are grown-ups. Having them compete on the same battlefield makes zero sense. Nor does the hyper-gory nature of the competition. WHY kids? Well, to  appeal to the YA audience, of course. But in reality, does it make any sense? Of course not. And this is underlined by exactly what happens in the movie--when a young girl who touched the audience (Rue, played by Amandla Stenberg) dies in the competition, riots begin. Yeah, you know, in the 70-some-odd years they've been doing these games, I'm sure this has NEVER happened before. No one ever got upset over the killing of one of the contestants and went ballistic. No parents ever organized or tried to stop the madness. It's idiotic. What fascist state would ever persecute the ones most likely to engage the public's emotions, to potentially ignite rebellion? Far more likely: adults would be chosen for these games, not kids, and most likely they'd be prisoners or outcasts or enemies of the state... oh, wait, that's Running Man again.

Katniss and Rue

But wait, I said Greatest Movie Ever! I haven't said much positive yet. Here's the thing: the filmmakers did one thing very, very right. Midway into the movie, they focused on the battlefield relationship between Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Rue. This accomplished several things: firstly, it made Katniss super-empathetic. Rue became her charge, Katniss the mother/protector. This, coupled with Katniss never killing the other competitors offensively--only defensively--made her someone to root for, a good person worth our emotional investment. It's like Ripley once she took Newt under her wing in Aliens. We all liked the character to begin with, but having to protect a young one brings out that maternal instinct that we can all relate to (yes, even dads who begrudgingly take their daughters to YA movies.)

Secondly, these scenes break up the more or less uninspired woods stalking/fight scenes. Let's face it, how interesting is it to hunt people in the woods for two-thirds of a major release? It all feels pretty stale, and the few token attempts to enliven the action by showing that the woods are actually like the Enterprise-D holodeck, and the gameskeepers can create new weather and creatures at any time, are pretty much a fail. But because Katniss bonds with Rue, we lock in and we care, too, and we don't stop to think that much about the lack of creativity in envisioning these sequences and indeed the very premise.

Lastly... they killed Rue. (I said spoilers!) This can't help but move us, and it injects the movie with some much-needed heart at just the right time. To ice the cake, Director Gary Ross wisely cut to scenes of Rue's grieving dad igniting the protests, and then the riots spreading (which according to my daughter did not happen in the book,) all of which tap into our own visceral, "Yeah! Get those bastards!" feelings. And thus, for a fleeting time there watching the movie, I actually thought: Wow. This is the greatest movie ever.

Anyway, that went away pretty quick. The ending in particular was a real fizzle. We're hoping that Katniss steps up and becomes the voice, the embodiment, of the new resistance. We're hoping that she uses her status as the winner to make a speech, to motivate and unify people to effect change. We want her to step to the maniacs who instituted this system in the first place, to use her archery and her passion and her chutzpah to do something. Yeah... nope. See, apparently that all happens in book two, so the movie ends on one hell of an anticlimax.

I walked out of the theater thinking this was a good movie -- flawed, but good. Within two hours of thinking about some of these issues and others -- such as why Heymitch (Woody Harrelson) is a drunk in his first scene but then inexplicably stops drinking (motivation?,) where's the hunger (apart from the title,) why--if the battlefield is indeed a hologram--woods at all? Why not a messed-up futuristic Wipeout-style obstacle course, complete with vehicles, armor, explosives, etc.? And of course, the inevitable, why do all the older teens all look to be in their mid twenties? Sigh.

All of that said, kudos should be given to the filmmakers and writers for hewing the adaptation closely to the source material (although my daughter and her friends certainly had quibbles) and more importantly, for a savvy marketing campaign. If you see the film, you'll likely enjoy it. Just try not to think about it too much afterwards. Or during.

--Jim C.

Save the Cat! 3.0 Story Structure software review

Is the latest version of the story structure software based on Blake Snyder's best-selling book series the hook and ladder company your screenplay needs?  Coverage Ink's roving correspondent Ebony Jones dons her veterinary garb to give this Cat! a thorough check-up.

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I admit I’m a little biased. I had been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to try out the new Save the Cat! 3.0. According to the late great Blake Snyder, this is “the only story structure software you'll ever need!” And he’s not lying. I’ve mentioned in other reviews that I’m big planner. Before I delved into my first script, I read Snyder’s book Save the Cat! I ran to Target and bought the corkboard with the color-coded index cards and the thumbtacks. I felt like Luke Skywalker with my light saber ready for screenwriting war. I was determined to battle the Dark Side of no real plot or no theme or no motivated hero. All I needed was a character and place and I had this! But then I came to realize that I’m more of a visual person. I need to be hands-on to actually see and do this process step by step.

I was lucky to attend a 2-day workshop where I learned and utilized the principles from “Save the Cat! Strikes Back” which is a third book in the series that expands on the Blake Snyder beat sheet template (BS2) and helps to give your script even more depth. After I left that workshop, I wanted something more. I wanted a one-stop planning software where I could implement the BS2 concept and easily maneuver between genres and lengths. Save the Cat! 3.0 software does all of that.

I won’t get into too many specifics about the formula itself because I really want to encourage you to read all of Blake Snyder’s books before even touching the software. Reading the books will give you a better grasp so you can fully utilize all of the bells and whistles that this software has to offer. Thankfully, the software has a thorough video tutorial as well as an excerpt from Chapter 3 of Save the Cat! Strikes Back so you’re not thrown to the wolves. While the BS2 concept is simple, it is a unique writing experience. You'll get the hang of it quickly, and once you do, you'll find it indispensable. There's a reason why so many prodcos in town use Save the Cat! as their bible.

Let me highlight the parts of the software that I find to be the most beneficial to my writing personality. Some people like to just fire up Final Draft and crank out a script. That’s fine and nothing wrong with that at all. Keep in mind that Save the Cat! software is not a screenwriting software. There is a tab on the notes cards labeled “script” where you can write out the script as it applies to the corresponding index card if you must get it down on paper. But the script writing function is nothing extensive. Conveniently, if you do use the script function, you can export that script from the BS2 software into Final Draft 8. If you have an already written script and want to see how well it conforms to the Blake Snyder beat sheet, you can import it from Final Draft into the BS2 software and it will create the scene cards based on your scene headings. Slick.

The concept of the BS2 beat sheet (which you can download for free right here)  is to get through the whole planning process from beginning to end without any glaring omissions or plot holes. If there are holes in your BS2 then you don’t have a strong enough script. The first thing you start out with is the title and logline. You can either do a short logline, a long logline, or both. Again, don’t cheat the software by just putting anything to move onto the next round. Treat it like a game of Super Mario Bros. Play hard to get to the next level. I love that you’re forced to get this right from the start. I spent a day trying to come up with a good logline. It’s painful but you’ll pat yourself on the back later. You’ll also need to pick your genre. Don’t worry. Everything can be changed, so nothing is written in stone. And then the software walks you through the process of figuring out the key 15 plot beats (hence, the 'beat sheet') that constitute the structural underpinnings of your screenplay. Once you've got that down, it's on to the corkboard, where you'll structure the details between those 15 beats -- the 40 scenes that make up your movie. Don't worry, it's easier than it sounds. The software holds your hand, but it does force you to think (trust me, fellow writers, this may seem frightening, but is a good thing.)

Each note card allows you soo many pieces of information to pile on including your characters, setup, pay-offs, attachments, notes, and locations. Each card is a scene so you can put all of those elements of that scene on that card. But the key is, you have to fill out your 15 beats before you’ll be allowed to move on to The Board. This is the way they prevent you from rolling into a screenplay with half an idea but no idea where you're going. When you move on to The Board, it prompts you as to whether you wish to just fill out the 15 cards or the 40 cards. If you’re starting a script from scratch, I would recommend doing the 40 cards because it’s a thorough writing journey in terms of filling in your characterization and plot. And the 40 cards also help denote where there are emotional and conflict changes in your scenes. If there’s no change to a scene, then there’s no reason to have the scene. This marvelous feature literally forces you to properly structure your screenplay and think everything through in advance.

STC! 3.0's interface. Hey, it even looks like a real corkboard!

The feature that I love that isn’t illustrated in any of the books is what beats should fall on what pages if your script length isn’t the standard 110 pages. What if you’re writing a TV show where the script is maybe 55 pages? This is where the software is a godsend. You can change how many pages you have allotted for your script. The BS2 and “litter box” will change according to that number. So your script will always be proportionate to the three-act structure no matter the length. Conversely, got novel? STC! does, and this same feature will break down your manuscript of up to 1,000 pages, placing all the beats in the correct places.

Other features include adding notes and color-coordinating the card according to the story type. So if you have a B story or even a B + C story, you can track all of these stories and/or character arcs along with your A story to ensure that all of the stories are aligned and will fall on the correct beats. Version 3.0 includes a redesigned interface where you can see all the elements at the same time in the same window, an all-new multimedia corkboard that allows you to "tack up" videos, sticky notes, links, pix, you name it, 10 pre-made genre templates, over 100 tips and tricks, and my favorite, a 50-point "greenlight checklist" which I found invaluable. They even have a Save the Cat! Cloud for file storage and portability.

There is much more to explore so I hope you take the opportunity to try Save the Cat! software on your next script or even to improve a script already written. The main thing to keep in mind is that if like many of us, you often launch into a script without having "broken" the story or worked out all the main story beats, you may well find yourself adrift in Act 2 with no clue how to continue. The brilliance of this method is it forces you to Get It Right, like it or not.  But trust me, by the end of the process, you will like it. Save the Cat! 3.0 can't help but improve your screenplay structure, and if you ask me, that is one neat cat trick.

Save the Cat 3.0 software is available for PC and Mac.

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Ebony Jones is a 2001 graduate of Cornell University's School of Hospitality with a degree in business communications.  She has completed her first unpublished novel Sierra Phillips: Swimming in Blue Liqueur as well as a short story, When Ariel Lost Her Voice. She has finally tackled restructuring the dramatic screenplay she's been working on that has now gone from When Momma Dies to untitled since the mother no longer dies.

"Maggie" Bravely Scores an Option

Suzanne Kelman

We always love it when clients tell us their success stories, especially when it's with material that's a little outside the box. Writer Suzanne Kelman tells us that her spec script MAGGIE THE BRAVE was optioned by MovieHatch. "They partner with Broken Road, Red Wagon and Tribeca," says Kelman. "The movie is in development right now." The script also won Best Feature Comedy Screenplay at the 2011 Los Angeles United Film Festival.

Set in 1978, MAGGIE is a quirky British comedy about an aging, single, self-absorbed hypochondriac who is about to be thrown out of her government housing and relocated to an awful retirement community--unless she can find a husband within three weeks.

"(They are) in the process of attaching the talent and the director," says Kelman. "One thing I am realizing about screenwriting is it take a looooog time from script to screen. I should have started writing when I was twelve just to get something made in my lifetime."

Kelman, whose book Big, Purple Undies (cowritten with her sister Louise) sold over 50,000 copies, is currently working on a new script called VIOLET SKYE with her writing partner Rose Woods. Well done, Suzanne! We'll be keeping an eye out for the likes of MAGGIE.

Why There Will Never Be a Ghostbusters III

Moviefone's Mike Ryan hits it out of the park with this great assessment of Bill Murray's career, as well as the economics and other factors that drive sequelitis. Did you know that Murray only agreed to be in Ghostbusters as part of a trade deal with the studio to release his passion project Razor's Edge? These types of "one for you, one for me" arrangements are commonplace in Hollywood, and its how folks like Clint Eastwood and George Clooney have gotten some of their best films made. Unfortunately for Murray, Razor's Edge tanked, but his shrewd method of damage control (creating a semi-reclusive bon vivant/iconoclast-type persona) helped ensure that his icon status remained intact and that he didn't become Chevy Chase.

Most interestingly, we learn why despite Dan Aykroyd's best efforts (and a halfway decent 2009 videogame that reunited the cast for voice work,) there will be no Ghostbusters III... at least, not until the inevitable reboot. " It's so hard to get everybody together. And we're so much older," said Murray. "There's a lot more hair dye being used this time. When it's face-lift time, we'll have to quit." Ryan then points out that this quote is 23 years old. Fascinating stuff. Check out the article right here.