I was looking at On Demand earlier today trying to find something good to watch this evening. Some of them look very promising. Others, not so much. For example, there's a movie listed titled: BUTT BOY. It's about an IT Tech who after receiving a colonoscopy develops an unusual rectal kink. I'm not kidding. You can check yourselves. And there's: BIGFOOT vs. MEGALADON In the Far Future there is a Peace Treaty between the Allies and another Faction. That Peace Treaty is threatened when an ancient Nazi Giant Shark is unleashed from a Secret Lab and only a revived Bigfoot can Save the Day!
First, let me say I'm happy that the writers and producers behind these wonderful sounding examples of modern movie making were lucky enough to have their work selected and released. Second, I've read better Loglines here on Stage 32 than either of these two films!!! Much better in fact! And most of you have as well.
My question is, who decides to make these types of movies over the kind of stories that are available here on this Platform? There are probably a dozen or more on Stage 32 that would be better choices. At the very least. Why aren't they getting the attention they should be getting? Obviously there is a failure somewhere along the line. Not enough struggling, yet very talented writers are not being connected with the proper decision makers in Hollywood. Second, when will it become somewhat easier to make those vital connections without having to jump through all the current flaming hoops that are in place that keep success at bay for the unlucky 90% of writers on Stage 32? I believe these are valid questions that require serious answers. Not answers that include, "This is the way it's always been done" in their reason. This is 2021. Everyone deserves a Slice of the Pie, albeit a small slice.
If anyone thinks I'm doing this for mercenary reasons I hate to burst your bubble. I'm 68 years old and I have MS as some of you may know. If any of my scripts are ever produced that will be terrific. But that will not affect my life in any significant manner. My life has been full and wonderful and will continue being so regardless of any accolades Hollywood may bestow upon me.
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Thanks Dan, of course I know you're right. I love to vent sometimes. But still, BUTT BOY??? I'm sure you've read some great screenplays here on S32 that would blow the doors off anybody in Hollywood if given the chance. But sometimes it feels as if what Charles Beaumont said all those decades ago is still the case today. FYI, his quote is on my Profile Page. You;ll like it I think.
I wish you were my Agent. I've got some interesting Marketing Plans in mind for RED PLANET BLUES. So it won't just be a One-Shot film but possibly a Multi-Platform Franchise. I;m working on the Business Plan now.
William wgunn1953@hotmail.com
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They know their audience, it just isn’t you.
There is a music style at the moment where people get great rock and pop songs from the 80’s and 90’s and sing them slow and meaningfully over and equally slow acoustic guitar. I think it is a war crime and should be punish. My daughter 25 thinks it is great. I hear that shot coming from her car on a regular basis.
Sideshow Cinema.
The most important thing with a screenplay is: Will people want to see it? Will people pay to see it?
And people pay to see Sideshow Cinema. Crazy, weird movies. They are unusual. They aren't the same old thing. Sharks in tornadoes? Gotta see that! A spare tire that is a serial killer? Gotta see that! If you watch movies you know about these films. They are popular.
But there are also plenty of genre films: action, thriller, horror, etc. Popular genres that people want to see. These movies usually have a high concept and are often made on a budget. You might have read about those 10 day shoots starring people like Bruce Willis.
Written to be shot in 10 days.
So, do you have strong genre scripts with high concepts written to be made on a budget?
Craig D Griffiths :D
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PS: BUTT BOY is a low budget film produced by its writer - so feel free to find the money and make your own film.
BUTT BOY is also a critically praised film. It seems that it's a great film, that the New York Times gave it 80 out of 100 - there are Oscar winners that didn't get a rating that high. Variety gave it 70 out of 100 - again, a great review for a low budget film. The highest score from a major critic is 85. So this seems to be a high quality film with a crazy idea that will attract viewers.
There are hundreds of low budget monsters fighting each other, and you might have noticed that the #1 film has Godzilla and Kong fighting - and that's the film that seems to be saving Hollywood.
So the take aways: Make your own movie or write something that can be made on a budget in a popular genre... but make sure it's of the same high quality as BUTT BOY. Something that will get an 80 out of 100 from the New York Times made for pocket change.
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William Martell Judging from the calls on ISA and other sources, there is clearly a market for low-budget films, genre and otherwise.
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@christiane why people aren’t using that “minor league” market to prove that they can write amazes me. A great story is a great story and shows great skill. Low budget producers can get crap work under any rock. But a good script will excite them. Plus, a low budget film with an amazing story gets talked about.
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Craig D Griffiths I completely agree. Why do you think I am in the process of converting my pilot to a feature? :)
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I've spotted another Aussie horror-thriller about sharks coming into US distribution via Shudder. Guess what? It's about sharks attacking people...apologies for my usual sarcasm but I just want to make a point there'll always be audience for such type of movies. They can never be overdone...and some guys are really into movies for fun...and a bit of money...no Academy Award speech stress on them...
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Watch the interviews with the founders of The Asylum to learn more about how they found their highly profitable market niche.
Also study the history of Roger Corman who's exploitation film empire helped him distribute European art films in the US.
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Kiril Maksimoski Sharks attacking people? Amazing concept! :D But yes, there is a market, and because low-budget often means reworking clichés, you can also often get away with playing with it a little.
If you want to see a truly bad Aussie film. Hunt down Razorback. Everyone is working so hard. It is just a crap idea. A killer pig.
Craig you forgot the crocks...and Mick Dundee :))) kidding, Mick's gem.
Will try to simply it with analogy.
Most big production houses look for scripts which can be easily executed and grabbed by larger demographic audience for fair price and written by one who industry giants or some well known celebrity or their support group give a tag say, "GO FOR THEM" approach. This is mostly hidden secrets of most big production houses and their own inner politics which exists in every industry.
Consider these movies like a Burger. Fast to make, grabbed by many, paid for a decent price and off to the work. Simple.
But new filmmakers are like got to make a creatively distinct scripts for them to be valued or stand out, since they hardly get any production houses supporting them to survive or pay their daily expenses, forget writers or actors, filmmakers hardly can survive making Indie films. I myself finding it so hard to find teams, forget producers..
So most of their script writing comes across like an unique interesting new recipe to try. But who would like to experiment trying to gulp a new recipe. Say I serve you "Masala Dosa", if you heard it's good than you might try, or if it looks similar to what you had something similar, might try. Or else most cases larger audience won't even think to touching it thinking it's might be spicy.
So now whom to blame? Production houses or Film Makers or Audience?
Everyone should learn to appreciate and value the diversity around us. That's the key I feel. I myself for instance advocate using many free software for screenwriting, while you can see everyone are marketing FD in Stage32 itself? Why? Fear? or just their own taste is as such or can't see or learn the diversity available in technology to explore itself or why to experiment or be closed mindset. It's hard to just pin point, but yeah many factors. Because we have to see many are also trying to make their mark in each industry and people too aren't supporting one another, so do big corporate houses and so on.
So everyone as filmmakers, writers, artists deserve slice of market, but there should be that environment of diversity acceptance, an open mindset for diverse views, acceptance, creative digestive capabilities(if that exists) and not put up concentration of power dynamics in one area which eventually destroys talent, skills across. Now that diversity can't be forced through political correctness or through advocacy either, which even Oscars and film festivals lately are knee bent trying to fix it. But it won't work. That would only end us being Tribalism minded too.
IMO, I feel there is a complex economic equation which goes underneath all these which is till hard to crack. And the day as a whole community come it figure that out, than things will get better for all to survive, appreciate and live together.
Barry watch it again as an adult - it is a shocker. God bless everyone’s efforts. But a robot pig is .... well a robot pig.
Kiril hunt down razorback. It shows you how far we have come since the 70s. Mick was a moment in time for sure. Aussie country people have a unique way. I saw this on a menu in the town of Wagga Wagga.
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I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to set off a Fire-Storm. But I've always been something of an Iconoclast! I was the kid who in Sunday School who asked where Mrs. Cain came from? I do have another technical question, why must we still be required to use the same font, Courier New, used by Raymond Chandler and his contemporaries in 1938? Other fonts are just as clear or better. Would someone please explain this to me. I'd appreciate it very much.
Oh by the way, I've always had a Soft Spot for Grind House Movies! And Roger Corman was a Genius!!!
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William Gunn I imagine Courier has just become the norm, and having a standard typeface helps people judge length. Courier is also very airy, so it reads easily and doesn't clog the page.
It's a bit like Helvetica being the email default font, mostly to save people from using Arial.
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William Gunn Courier fonts is a monospaced font which helps to get clear prints, visibility on paper or any screens used to project and since it's universally available it helps for not changing alignment, spacing, printing as it's accessible in old and new machines(Type writers to modern day printers). That's the reason. There are less fonts who got Universal accessible. Another font is Times New Roman but it was mostly used in Press(Newspaper Prints) and in official works.Also I heard the Courier fonts and the number of lines per page it all gets is suitable for 1 minute per page Screenwriting rule. That helps to keep a standard understanding..
I think it was the standard in old typewriters.
Rohit Kumar Times New Roman is very tight, and would be tiring in a script. It is designed for columns, so you can fit a lot of type in a tight space. It also works well for dictionaries, for similar reasons.
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Christiane Lange I didn't said Times New Roman is used now in script. I meant it is predominantly used in Press, Media related or Official Document related prints so was once thought to try in Script but didn't.
William Gunn, great post!
I'm out there fighting to get stuff out, too...I'm 65 and not about to give up!
I'm using ISA as one of my screenwriting tools. Through ISA, I've been able to send each of the twelve scripts I've completed to producers I thought would be great matches for stuff like "Pixie Dust" and "Got Any More Bullets, Sister?"
Haven't connected yet, though. One thing I'm willing to try, in order to connect, is mentioning to producers on ISA the fact that each screenplay of mine can also be found on ScriptHop and Prewrite...two more tools I've found to be some kind of helpful.
If I can find the money someway, somehow, I'll turn those scripts of mine into actual movies...even if I'm not about to come up with my own "Butt Boy."
Wishing you all the VERY BEST...thanks for posting!