I’m pretty sure I saw you at The Groundlings on Saturday night. My girlfriend’s on a new TV show, Fox’s “The War At Home” and I attended the event with some of her costars.
I wanted to introduce myself and ask you a quick question, but then realized that a) I didn’t want to be annoying and b) you’ve set up a wonderful format for questions and answers.
Basically, is it stupid to include music cues in spec scripts? I realize the legality of it, and you don’t have full license for the song or any permission for that matter, but sometimes I feel like it really helps paint what you’re trying to convey.
Also, do you have a production company? I don’t think you do. Just curious.
— Chris
Los Angeles
You should have introduced yourself — because that wasn’t me, and it would have been awkward. Awkward stories are terrific fodder for the screenwriter.
For those who don’t know, [The Groundlings](http://www.groundlings.com/start.htm) is a comedy cult institution that for years has been a stepping stone for the performers you see on [Saturday Night Live](http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/) and [Mad TV](http://www.madtv.com/). My good pal [Melissa McCarthy](http://imdb.com/name/nm0565250/) is a member of Groundlings; I try to catch shows whenever I can.
But Saturday night was not one of them.
On Saturday night I was buying vodka at the Mayfair Market on Franklin, just behind [Kiefer Sutherland](http://imdb.com/name/nm0000662/), who was buying cigarettes. The vodka was for a birthday party at [Joey Lauren Adam’s](http://imdb.com/name/nm0000725/) house.
See, I can name-drop! I don’t even disguise them, unlike certain other people. Ahem.
Now, to your question. In my opinion, it’s okay to include a specific song if it’s really crucial to understanding the tone-slash-intent of the scene. But you can only do it once per script. More than that, and you’re writing liner notes.
Question #2: I don’t have a production company per se.
Like most screenwriters of a certain level, I have a [loan-out company](http://johnaugust.com/archives/2005/when-should-a-writer-become-a-corporation). I am an employee of that company, as is my assistant, Chad. But it’s not a true production company with financing and a slate of pictures in development. I probably could pull a production company deal at a specific studio, but to me, it’s not really worth it. I’d rather work with all the studios.