Daniel Magill's Lounge Discussions

To All: Your comments have been most helpful. It restores my faith in the "Happy Writers" fellowship. There does not to seem a magic number as I had asked with my original thread. The fact is simple you keep writing till you get someone to say yes. But as many have pointed out. It is also about building relationships and networking. I am confident that as long as I stay with it and continue to hone my craft that there will be a film out there one day with my name on it. And if that is not to be the final destination, doesn't matter I am loving the journey. And It sure beats telemarketing. Yeech!! And a special shout out to all my fellow Stage 32 creatives in New York City!!! We're a coast too, man. We're a coast too!!

@Steven... Tootsie, right?

Kerry-- Yes (1983)The best line in that whole movie between the late great Sidney Pollack and Dustin Hoffman. Also Bill Murray was in there too.

Matt Cook sold his first and only screenplay and its about to be released. John Swetnam took 17 scripts before getting produced but then he had 2 premiere the same wknd. If you've never been in the writing field before, I'd say 7-10 is a good average. if you've been writing in some capacity all your life, then probably 3-5. but ya really never know. so many variables, not the least of which is luck & timing.

I think Danny's given a good general overview. Wesley Strick (a great man I'm lucky to be working with) sold his first script. As Danny said, Wesley had been writing all his life and was writing for music magazines like Creem and Rolling Stone before screenwriting. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/cuff-podcast-screenwriter-wesley-s...

Hi Ben, how long have you been working at screenwriting?

Welcome to Stage 32 Ben. London based writer here :)

Hello Ben, Great name you have there! Welcome to Stage32. Kind Regards, Eoin

Sounds good. what is your mind "Like"?

Danielle, the PS 54 online sessions end this week, the forum is still active with the last two or three assignments. But now comes the one-on-one conference and transition into Alumni, Hal says might span a month. Money well spent, in my opinion.

Daniel. I am unable to find a contact to forward my screenplay to. Please send information to ambimind65@yahoo.com

Gotcha- - my bad. I forgot we had to be connected first in order to send private messages on Stage 32.

Hi Dar (Daniel, not Danielle), just as a heads up, that month turned into three months for our group. Not sure if they were just behind and are now caught up or what, but that's what happened to us. In fact, we still haven't been admitted into the alumni, but we had our calls. It could be because they just started a new Masters class, which they don't do as often since these go for two years I think.

Thanks for the heads up, Daniel. Three months is a long wait after building such forward momentum, with the marketing plan, a six-month career plan, etc. I'm hoping they've caught up, but...in the meantime, I'm networking on my own. And, sorry about the Danielle. That is my daughter's name so my typing fingers must've shifted into automatic pilot ;) Are you in the Masters class? And if so, how are you liking it?

I see the answer to my question in a previous post. Basically finish the script first, pitch later. Thanks.

Thanks for the comment. It makes sense.

I did once, sort of, at a pitchfest. Here's why: I had a script done, but I knew it needed to be rewritten. At the same time, I already knew the story well enough, and I wanted to practice pitching. I knew the script wasn't good enough for production, but I wanted to experience and improve my pitching skills. And the fest was on a set date, so it was now or wait another year. Plus there were other workshops to go to also, so I wasn't only going for the pitchfest. Basically, had anyone requested the script, I would have sent what I had. But I also was honest with them if they asked if I had a script (since apparently lots of people pitch without one), and told them yes but it needed a rewrite. That was a few years ago, and I considered it a great learning experience. Would I pitch without even having a first draft? No.

Thanks for your comments, Daniel.

Think you're right. The wrong pitch and logline may hurt that it leaves an indelible record of following projects that even rewites won't remove.

And Paul, maybe you can fill everyone in on the details....but didn't I grab you and kiss you in the middle of Jayhawk Blvd...for at least 5 minutes, the night KU won the National Championship? Lol. .At least, I think it was you....Or maybe...we met at the wheel?? Because that's where all the underage freshmen would go drink.

Paul, I'm gonna go out on limb here... You found one!

What is Denture Capitalists about Niki Galiano? It seems like Russian Doll!

Paul.......there are so many places we could have met. But then again, I was a GDI (a God damned independent), and I think you were probably in a fraternity...

Oh, no wait! I forgot! I was an ALPHA FLEA for a month!! Lol. I totally forgot about that, since I was only in the house for a couple of weeks. Lol. (I dropped out when I told one of the gals at the house the I thought The Guy who washed dishes at our house was cute, and they told me I could only date guys in fraternities!) Then they got mad at me when I got caught making out with that guy's friend at a fraternity party. LOL. I never would have rushed for a sorority if I would have known they were allowed to tell you who you could or could not date. Ah, so glad I ended up being a GDI. (God damned independent.)

Or, it could have been The Wheel....that's where all of us underage freshman would drink back in the 80's. Lol. I give up....it had to be ONE of those places. LOL.

I'm kind of seconding what Shaun was saying. The Query letter is all you send the first time. Any other things -- free money, photos, DVD trailers or promo material, or all the other sorts of things I've heard of people sending -- are not appropriate. And that includes a treatment too. Sorry for the attempt to be quippy. :)

Haha, it's okay. I just didn't understand and it's better to ask then stand here not knowing.

Electronic age, makes the queries pretty much obsolete. That's the reasons courses offered on it is a rip. Pitch is in, letters out

What's the difference between a pitch and a query? Same thing, pretty much, non?

A pitch is a verbal presentation. A query is written. You pitch usually in person, or over the web (like on Stage 32), or sometimes over the phone. Pitches can be short (30 seconds) or long (a couple hours -- usually more of a discussion by that point). And the purpose is different too. A query is meant to gauge a tiny amount of interest -- enough to ask for the script (and hopefully read it). A pitch is more like a sales pitch -- the goal could be the same -- to get a script request. But it could also be to actually sell the project, depending on the audience.

Producers want make movies that appeal to the widest possible audience in an attempt to make the most money. Your mum is writing a film for a very small audience. This instantly means she is facing an uphill battle. If she wants some form of creative control she needs to be involved in production, which means funding it. Money really does talk. Once you sell your script it is no longer your script. It belongs to the purchaser and they can do what they want with it.

Lots of great comments on here already. My contribution is simply to reinforce what you already said -- you do have to be willling to lose some creative control and trust the process. Even on an independent film -- even one on which YOU are the producer, you will still have challenges trying to do what you're describing. Why? Because budgets are burning. Getting that perfect shot of the tennis ball rotating slowly as it impacts a sweaty racket and droplets spray off as the player's foot digs into the clay -- that's hard. The more times you reshoot a shot, the longer the shoot will take. And more time means more cost. We all have images in our minds of what we hope for. The best we can do is get the script nailed, and then hope you can find the right people and the financing to do the rest.

Wow, a huge thank you to each of you that's taken the time to respond! I read the majority of the comments to my mom, and I believe it helped for her to hear some realistic expectations; she's also still very determined :) I've learned a ton just from reading what you all had to say, so thanks for your input! E

Seem to be on the trend is the way to go. Unless your material is out of the way and awaken producers it's a deadpan. I may be on that list of dead planners or trash pile; but I believe in my story and going full speed ahead! Iceberg or not.

I disagree that this film has a limited audience - once again it depends on the "Almighty Script". Tennis is a "popular pass time" with many famous tournaments that are viewed world wide. I am not a tennis follower, but I do watch the big matches. So there is a worldwide audience potential .

@CJ never heard that before. I met a guy who read for them (and other contests) and he had nothing but nice things to say about bluecat and staff. With forum chatter etc., it can be sometimes hard to tell what's true and what's manufactured. PAGE posted on Facebook that they were busy replying to angry emails after the 1/4s were announced.

Thanks for this list, Regina! :) Helps to be able to separate the wheat from the chaff when it comes to choosing the best screenplay contests to enter. Those entry fees ain't cheap.

Just entered the Tracking Board Launch Pad contest that Regina recommended (thanks, Regina!). Here's the link for anyone who's interested--sounds like a legit and very cool contest: http://launchpad.tracking-board.com/features-competition-2015/

Break a leg, Michelle! The Tracking Board is a very trusted industry site. Personally, I'm on trackingb.com more often because they reached out to me, and I consider them friendly acquaintances, but both Tracking Board and trackingb are very trusted resources in mainstream "Hollywood."

I hear that a lot about Tracking B when it comes to reputable contests. TrackingB is almost always mentioned in the Top 10 - 5 ...

You'd never know we were writers. Genuinely like no clue....

What a fantastic story Robin - congratulations! Welcome to the Stage 32 family :)

Thank you Robin... for taking me up on your roller coaster ride... it reminded me of roller coaster rides when I was a kid... the first time was frightening... the anticipation of it... especially the first time up that uphill... chug chug chug... knowing what was coming once you're heading to the top... then... over the top and then that crazy ride down hill... no chug chug anymore... it's full throttle ... before you know it... the ride is over... and the crazy thing is you want to do it all over again. The THRILL... with more confidence that you can do it... again... now that you've seen the path it takes... Great blog... thank you... I needed to read something like this right about now. xoxo

Joey is making dreams come true! "My goal is to get you signed ASAP." More thoughtful words are seldom spoken. Bravo, you two!!

Awesome, Robin. I joined STage32 the same week you'd made your original post about the pitchfest bonanza. A lot has happened in a relatively short time! It's inspiring. Please keep letting us know about your rollercoaster ride! Yippeee!

Writers write, right? As Trottier says, "Keep writing!" I hope you find value in this place.

Hello hello again! Writers gonna write, that's my everyday mantra :)

Welcome Sara... so glad you've joined our screenwriting family. All the best to you.

Hello Sara. Great to meet you. Welcome to Stage 32. I, too, am still new to screenwriting. Currently working on script #3 myself. Look forward to hearing you sold stuff on here. Take care.

Thanks much the invite. I haven't been focusing on my passion as much as I wish I could, I've just been grinding hours at the job. Perhaps this will help me meet the right people and find the means to get back on track and doing what I love. To anyone that sees this- break a leg, let nothing hold you back

I hope Shannon Stegall will read this thread... I'm not sure who she is - but I'd assume that Stage 32 reads comments on their Success Stories thread.

Hang in there, Anna.

Thanks for explaining the process. I just emailed Shannon. Earlier today, I received 2 other suspicious replies to my job applications - in one the guy wanted me to find funding for his shady movie (I applied to be a script writer/ animator), and in another somebody said that the script writing job would be in Oman - very strange as in theory a script writer can work remotely, and there's hardly a logical reason for a script writer to move to Oman to do something they can do from their home office. As I mentioned, this happens pretty much every day when you freelance. It's not a good idea Gigi to think about it as "hanging in there." Somebody that prefers to work independently in a highly competitive profession should figure out that it's a brutal game on day one - which for me was back in 1996... 2 decades ago I guess... so it's really old news, and by this point - if I was "hanging" - it would be a very uncomfortable place to be. I think I've been more like reclining or sitting in my home office chair. Still, I appreciate your kind words. I hope somebody at Stage 32 will find a way to kick out those who are perpetrating fraud and other crimes - it would be a better place for the rest of us.

Congrats Anna!

This is the kind of thing that gets me unexcited about networking... But I think your upfront question about money is probably a great probe that will expose the frauds pretty early. I also think phone calls are always a good sign. If someone won't call you back within a day of hiring you, something isn't right. When you talk to a person, especially about something as complicated as film and writing, it's pretty easy to spot a faker.

Sounds great, Fiona and Serita. You never stop learning; evolving as a writer. :)

The initial question is quite vague which leads me to question the writer’s skill level (perhaps the intent was to stimulate some discussion – I don’t know.) What I find interesting is the number of you who recommend “Save the Cat “as the be all universal remedy. Blake & I attended a conference in Anaheim some tears back and over lunch we talked of his then new book. My concern was that he was establishing a one size fits all formula that would become some holy blueprint to be blindly adhered to by industry upstarts. He assured me that it was only a guideline for the creative types. He intended to correct that in his “The Cat Strikes Back “book; but unfortunately, we lost him too soon. Blake was a wondrously generous person.

I don't know what the hell is going on with this thread, but it's Friday, and I wanna play! To answer the question: Writing is easy. All the words are in the dictionary. All we gotta do is pick out which ones we want and put 'em in the right order. That's all - nothin' to it! Happy freakin' Friday!

Jeremy, your question was vague. There are literally thousands of pieces to the puzzle of writing a spec script (screenplay). Thousands! Any specific question you have can be found doing your research on Google or any of the hundreds of writing websites you can easily find. I believe there are no bad questions and you have many answers here on this thread. If you have a burning desire to write something you believe will have value and meaning to an audience, my advice, is follow your bliss. Read books, study like crazy, take on line classes, do anything you can do to fulfill your dream. As for anyone else on this thread that might get their feelings hurt in any way by a couple of 'blunt' answers, well . . . what in the heck do you think is going to happen when you finally get to 'town' ? Hollywood, that is.

You come up with a great idea, characters, plotline, dialogue - then you pick up a pen and a notebook - or buy Final Draft - and you write it.

Cute. I agree. Grounded = Character-driven. If you take the sci-fi elements out of say 'Terminator', then you still end up with a single mother who is trying to save her son from the face-less evil mega-corp (which is the plot for many a John Grisham novel/film). Whereas if you take the sci-fi elements out of something high concept like 'Men in Black'... I think that to studios 'grounded' is often code for 'not high concept' and/or 'we're trying to keep the budget down on this one'.

That said, what would you call a grounded - high concept sci-fi? Or did I just answer my own question? Or would you say there's no such animal?

I think grounded sci-fi is where the leap you take into fantasy is shorter or non-existent. Like The Martian with Matt Damon. (The opposite of the sci-fi I write. Lol.)

I'd say "Gravity" or "Interstellar" could be named grounded Sci-fi...basically any story that goes along and explores some facts of the given subject can be called grounded regardless of the genre...say grounded horror could be serial killer, grounded war could be historical battle, etc...

Still awaiting grounded afterlife movie, through...

My take is "grounded sci-fi" places less emphasis on the "sci" and more emphasis on the "fi". These types of stories go light on facts and technology and tend toward more speculative fiction, where the line between magic and science is a lot more blurry.