John August

Film Industry

When friends read your script

Education, Film Industry, QandA, Writing Process

questionmarkWhat are your thoughts on choosing readers for first drafts? I’ve noticed that, for example, giving a Disney movie to a Fincher fan can turn a favor into a chore and leave the writer lacking in constructive feedback. Better to give it to someone who knows and enjoys the genre and is aware of that marketplace, past and present. You’re asking them to work for free, after all.

I’ve also made the mistake of allowing someone unfamiliar with screenwriting to read a script because they asked me to. You end up explaining everything to death and they still don’t get it which can feed your rampant first-draft-phase insecurity. Was there a strategy you followed back in the day to get the best feedback or did it just happen organically?

I looked but didn’t see anything on the site to help with this. May be helpful to myself and others.

– Matt

The screenplay format is so unlike traditional fiction that it’s hard for newcomers to offer much useful feedback. They often can’t distinguish between the strange experience of reading a movie on paper and the story they just read. You may feel a social obligation to let non-screenwriting friends read your work, but don’t plan your rewrite based on their reactions.

With friends and colleagues who are familiar with screenplays — by which I mean they’ve read at least a dozen, and can talk about them comfortably — you may still need to pick carefully. Certain people and certain genres just don’t mix.

A thoughtful reader, though, can often offer constructive feedback even when it’s not her type of movie.

Back when I was in the Stark Program, we all read each other’s scripts. Al Gough and Miles Millar made their first sale with a script about a cop and an orangutan — a very high-concept comedy. That’s not in my wheelhouse, but I went through two or three drafts with them, offering very specific notes about trims and clarifications. They did the same for me on my overwritten romantic tragedy. Regardless of the genre, a good reader can help a writer see problems and find solutions. More than anything, you want a second smart brain to bounce ideas off of. That’s why you ask people to read your work-in-progress.

And for the praise. You want people to tell you you’re great.

Another thing to keep in mind: Don’t burn out your readers. Unless they actively ask to read the next draft, give them a break. You may even want to keep one or two reader friends “fresh” for the inevitable rewrite.

How to Meet

Film Industry, How-To, QandA

questionmarkI’m at the stage where I’ll hopefully be meeting with managers, agents, and producers. As a writer/director, what should I expect from these initial meetings and do you have any advice, or pitfalls to avoid?

— Sam
Los Angeles

Meetings are a crucial part of a professional screenwriter’s job. Even when you’re not pitching a specific project, you’re basically pitching yourself as someone worth hiring in the future. So you’re right to be thinking about what you should say, do, and wear. (In fact, I’ve [already addressed](http://johnaugust.com/archives/2004/the-not-so-well-dressed-screenwriter) that last point.)

Let me briefly lay out the structure of every first meeting I’ve had in Hollywood.

The meeting is set for 10 a.m. You get there at 9:55. An assistant asks you if you’d like anything to drink. The proper answer is, “A water would be great.” ((You may also ask for a Diet Coke. These are the only beverages you can be reasonably assured will be on the premises, and not a hassle leading to frustration or extra work. Back in the day (say, 1999), you could also ask for a “Snapple-type beverage.” But no one drinks Snapple anymore.)) This phrasing makes it clear that her request has been heard and appreciated, and that you haven’t mistaken her for a waitress.

The assistant will bring you the beverage, then inform you that the agent/executive/producer is running a few minutes late. This is completely expected. Entertain yourself with your iPhone or copies of Variety laying nearby. If the assistant is nearby and doesn’t seem particularly busy with some other task, engage in conversation. There’s a pretty good chance this assistant will run Hollywood someday, so it never hurts to be friendly.

When the Big Man calls you in to his office, try to figure out which seat he likes to sit in. Generally, you’re safe sitting on the couch. If it’s a two-chair situation, you might as well ask, “Do you have a favorite chair?” Because if you sit in his spot, you’re just starting the meeting off on the wrong foot. ((Meeting with multiple executives is an extra-credit situation, and generally necessitates asking about who sits where.))

The first topic of conversation will be about one of four things:

* Something he read of yours that he liked
* A mutual acquaintance
* His office: either the view, or how he just moved in
* A movie that came out this past weekend. ((Only appropriate if the meeting is on Monday, and the movie did significantly better or worse than expected.))

This is a warm-up period, and is not scored.

While engaged in this conversation, listen for the word which signals the end of the period: “So.”

As in, “So, tell me about the kinds of things you write,” or “So, let me tell you a little about our company, and the movies we’re trying to make.” At this point, judging begins. If it’s mostly a listening exercise, be ready to restate his points in different words, preferably with insightful analogies to successful movies. ((Bonus points if you can include movies he’s worked on. Box-office disappointments are okay, particularly if there are praiseworthy aspects.))

If he’s asking you to talk, say three smart things. Then get him talking again.

EXEC

So, is that the kind of thing you mostly want to write, is thrillers?

YOU

Thanks. Yeah, I love thrillers. I mean, I love all genres, but what’s great about thrillers is you get to do the **character work setting up motivations,** you get the **puzzle aspect of plotting,** and **real stakes.** With comedies and dramas, you get one or two of those, but thrillers are the whole package.

EXEC

I hadn’t thought of it that way.

YOU

You take a movie like Collateral, and it can be funny and tight and dangerous.

EXEC

I worked on Collateral.

YOU

I love that movie. How did that come about? Was that a book?

This process will continue for ten to 20 minutes, at which point he may pull out a buck slip ((A buck slip is a piece of heavy paper cut down to roughly 4×10 inches, which is often attached to a script in lieu of a typed letter. I’m not sure they even exist in other industries.)) listing all of the company’s open writing assignments. (Or in the case of agent/managers, a list of studios and development companies.) After a little more discussion, he thanks you for coming in.

This is your signal to stand, shake his hand, and leave. Say goodbye to the assistant. Remember to ask if you need to validate.

If there’s any specific project you talked about, follow up the next day with an email. If you don’t have his email address, it’s fair to call the assistant and ask if you can email her (the assistant) something for the boss. You don’t need to send thank you notes and such.

When I first signed with an agent, he sent me out on 15 meetings. I was meeting junior executives at companies that had never made a movie. But it was smart of my agent to set those meetings, because it gave me a lot of practice — which I needed, because I was terrible. By the time I was taking meetings for Go, I was pretty unflappable, even in the face of egregious behavior.

My overall advice is to not freak out over any given meeting. Pretend it’s just having coffee with somebody who went to your same school. Unless you’re pitching a specific project, don’t approach it with any particular expectation, and it’s likely to go fine.

Shot an indie pilot. What’s next?

Film Industry, QandA, Television, The Nines, The Remnants

questionmarkBack in 2005, you were generous enough to offer me some thoughts about whether to go to NYU or USC’s screenwriting program. Now, a few years down the line, I am a freshly minted Tisch graduate hoping for some advice on a different topic.

I recently won a modest grant to shoot a half-hour pilot that I co-wrote with a fellow NYU alumna. We assembled a cast of young actors, brought in a skeleton crew, and shot the pilot over six long, exhilarating days this January.

Now, as we wait for the final cut of our show to return from the sound mixer, we are working out a way to get our episode into the right hands — and we aren’t exactly sure whose hands those should be. Independent financiers? The networks and their web initiatives? Talent agencies? Given how new the idea of independently produced episodic work is, there seem to be very few resources for how to go about seeking distribution for a project such as ours.

I know you recently worked on your own privately financed web pilot, and thought you might have some particular insight into how two young writers can best proceed with an independently produced pilot.

Any guidance you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

— Isaac Aptaker

answer iconCongrats on your degree and your pilot. I’m glad you realize you’re not “done” in any meaningful way. You’re about to start a sprint that will hopefully become a marathon lasting your entire career.

You and I are in pretty much in the same boat. We’ve both just finished a scrappy little pilot that could become a series, ideally one that works a little more like independent film than standard television.

This concept of “indie TV” is almost at a point where we can stop putting it in quotes. Give it a year or two. In the meantime, we’re going to be forging some new ground. We both need to find two things: money to make the show, and a way to distribute it. The latter is easy; the former is more challenging.

Big media conglomerates dominate traditional television, both broadcast and cable. There are plenty of other outlets for people to see your show, from basic (YouTube) to more complex (specialized web, cable and satellite networks). The common theme is that none of them are going to be able to pay you the upfront money you need to make the show the way a typical TV network would.

Obviously, our situations are a little different — I have more credits and contacts. But it’s the premise and execution of the pilot that matters most, so a year from now, you may be the one with an actual series.

Let me talk you through what we’re doing, and how it might apply to your show.

1. Don’t dismiss standard TV altogether.
—-

We made the pilot for a web series, but if a network (likely cable) loved it and presented a compelling case for doing it with them, we’d certainly consider it. For all the freedom a web series gives you (flexible running times, interactivity, simplified production), there’s no competing with the money and marketing muscle of a network. For example, South Park started as a Christmas card video, which spread virally in pre-internet Hollywood by videotape. Done today, South Park could easily be a web show. But would it be nearly the same phenomenon (and cash cow) if it didn’t have Viacom behind it? Probably not. ((It’s worth pointing out that Family Guy’s Seth MacFarlane is betting on the web. He’s doing a new show directly for the internet, partnering with MRC and Google for advertising.))

Particularly if your pilot resembles a traditional TV show, you should get it in the hands of people who work in traditional television. Use anyone you can at Tisch to reach out to television agents, managers and executives. Yes, you’re hoping they love you and want to represent you as a writer/director/whatever for your future career. But the immediate focus is whether this pilot could be a show.

2. Think about how you’ll make money, and how others will, too.
—-

You can do a pilot for very little money because it’s a short time commitment for everyone. For my pilot, I brought in longtime accomplices and newcomers eager to make a relationship. But all the things you can skimp on for a three-day shoot become necessities when scaled up to a series, so you can’t expect a crew to work for praise and Quizno’s.

You’re going to need money. And whoever gives you this money needs to have a reason to believe it’s worth it.

For our show, we’re going to be targeting several big advertisers, trying to find one who will sign on as the exclusive presenter. Like the [BMW films](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_films), our premise lends itself to very direct product integration. The money to make our show would be a trivial portion of a brand’s ad budget. ((This is working under the assumption that we’re a web series, but the beauty of a deeply-embedded advertiser is that it doesn’t particularly matter what format or medium the show ultimately takes. If it shows up on the torrents, even better.))

For a web series, advertising can also be handled by a distributor or accumulator, some of whom give content creators a cut. That’s been the way many web shows have been handled so far. Chaotic? Absolutely. And I have no idea what the best practices are, or whether you can realistically expect to make money from it.

If you think you’re headed towards traditional television, your best bet is to target production companies with shows on the air that resemble what you’re doing. They’re most likely to have the contacts and experience to find the money needed. They’ll take a big percentage, but they’ll earn it.

3. Make a lot of screeners. Distribute them.
—–

You don’t know who is going to be the crucial connection in getting your pilot to series, so there’s no benefit to keeping it a secret. If someone expresses any interest in you or the show, get them a DVD as soon as possible. Make it look professional, and follow up. Encourage people to pass it along.

I’m torn whether to recommend putting it online at the start. While it’s convenient to send a link to something, it makes it feel less exclusive. Even in 2008, there’s a sense that if something is already on the internet, it’s no longer valuable. So at least in the first wave, I’d try to keep it on physical media.

We’re at roughly the same stage of production: we finished the sound yesterday, and do final color correction this week. For me, it’s been great to explore what’s possible at budgets well below The Nines, relying on desktop software rather than specialized suites, and trying to remain agnostic about brands and workflows. If we end up doing a series, the pilot process will have taught us a lot about where to spend our money and time.

Test screening questionnaires

Film Industry, Projects, QandA, Resources, Television, The Nines

questionmarkWe have the first cut on a historical drama we eventually want to try to get on History Channel or Lifetime. It’s about a group of young Quaker Girls who create an anti-Rebel/Pro-Abolutionist Newspaper in the middle of Confederate Virginia.

We want to have a test screening to determine plot comprehension, pace, etc. Where do we find an example of a test screening card or form we can “borrow?”

— Drew
Virginia

There are several companies that do paid test screenings, and I’m sure each has a template and a standardized methodology. But you’re not interested in statistics, and don’t need to compare your movie with other historical dramas of the last five years. You just want to make your movie better. So you can safely make up a sheet of your own.

Here’s what you want to include:

1. First question: How did they like it? You want to get a sense of (a) what changes the people who liked it feel are necessary, and (b) whether there are any changes that could win over the people who didn’t really like it. ((Often, the folks who don’t like it will never like it, but it’s worth hearing their opinion so you’ll know what to expect.))

2. A space to list the things they liked most.

3. A space to list the things they liked least.

4. A space to list any moments they felt it lagged.

5. Ask if they ever got confused — and when, and why.

6. If you have specific areas of concern (music, narration, whatever), you can either make those open answer questions, or give some sort of 1-5 grid for circling.

7. A big thank you at the end, because they are doing you a huge favor watching your in-progress project.

You want your viewer to be able to fill this all out in less than five minutes, so that means no more than two pages. Your best bet is to photocopy it on card stock, two sides.

In the [Downloads](http://johnaugust.com/downloads) section, I’ve included the form we used for our second test screening of The Nines. Feel free to use it as a template. ((The second question, “Given a pair of magical scissors, is there anything you’d snip out?” is the one I always wished people would ask me.))

Because you’ll ask: Yes, it was strange test screening a movie in which a significant plot point concerns the test screening process. But it was a big help.

Ultimately, you may still want or need to do a more professional test screening. For instance, if you sold it to Lifetime, they might need to know how their audience responds to it, so they can tailor their advertising appropriately. But for the early stages you’re in, I’d save your money and do it yourself.