HOLLYWOODSCRIPT.COM NEWSLETTER
Welcome to the latest edition of Hollywoodscript.com Newsletter which is published by script consultants Craig Kellem, Judy Kellem (http://www.hollywoodscript.com)
THIS NEWSLETTER IS NEVER SPAM.
You are receiving this newsletter because you expressed an interest in screenwriting by subscribing to this newsletter; requested a read or a free query letter evaluation from Hollywoodscript.Com(s) Craig Kellem or Judy Kellem, or requested a copy of Colin Chapman's screenplay, "Smoke and Mirrors" (http://www.chapmanfilm.com).
If you do not wish to receive this newsletter, please reply to this E-Mail and put the word "UNSUBSCRIBE" in the subject line.
The purpose of this newsletter is to share information, ideas etc. concerning the fascinating (and elusive) world of screenwriting.
_________________________________________________
OUR FREE MONTHLY CONTEST IS HOT! (don't believe it? Have a look below)
This is what TOM FLEMING, a very recent contest winner had to say:
Through winning the February Hollywoodscript.com contest (MICHAEL CALLAHAN'S PENANCE), I've received 11 requests (note: now 15) for the script - so far, including requests from a couple of the biggest names in Hollywood. My screenplay is presently under consideration for representation by one of the largest agencies in Los Angeles, where I was just notified that the script received good coverage through their in-house readers and is moving on to the next in their series of steps prior to committing to representation. As you can imagine, the word "pleased" is far too insufficient to describe how I feel about my decision to utilize the services of Craig and Judy Kellem.
When Craig and Judy express their deep affection for writers, they are being real. I've felt that from the moment I first contacted Craig in December of this past year.
Secondly, they are consummate professionals. If a writer is sincerely looking to improve his or her skills, Craig and Judy are two people who can help. (For writers who are looking for sycophantic approval of poor writing, I assure you that Craig and Judy are not for you.) These two wonderful people are honest, but without any hint of condescension. I've come to trust their instincts and insights, not only regarding the first consultation, but also the revision process.
This is a five-star service, if there ever was one.
Appreciatively yours,
Thomas J. Fleming
**Our latest winner STEVE ALLRICH has been signed by a top Hollywood agent (JUST DAY'S AFTER WINNING THE CONTEST). This rep was the first professional we approached. The agent's bonkers over this script and it's now being read all over town!
** Another very recent winner New York's Lorraine Duffy Merkl was also signed by an agent and, as we were preparing this newsletter, called to say that her contest winning screenplay DOUBLE OR NOTHING has been optioned.
PLEASE REMEMBER, since there are only two of us here, your chance of
seriously contending is increased since we only have a small pool of material from which to choose.
**LAST WORDS ON CONTEST (honest!)
Besides free coverage, a solid Hollywood referral plus notification to over 200 agents, producers etc here's a new GOODIE if you win.
Winning contestants will receive from WRITER'S SCRIPT NETWORK:
1) An e-mail announcement about your winning screenplay to about 6,500 industry
professionals.
2) Placement of at least your logline, synopsis, and resume on our passwordp
rotected web site. You may also place the treatment and/or script.
3) Include a logline (pitch) for your winning screenplay in our printed
publication, Players Marketplace, which is snail-mailed to about 5,000 Industry
Professionals.
http://www.WritersScriptNetwork.com/home.html
_________________________________
EXPERT ADVICE
Judy's been writing an occasional "expert advice" column for our friends at NEW YORK SCREENWRITER MAGAZINE. Head honcho Tracy Clark has allowed us to reprint her latest.
EXPERT ADVICE
Script Consultant
Judy Kellem
Q: I personally think I've got a few great scripts and I think the rest are very good too. But, how good are they really ? How can you judge a script on its merits ? What do you look for ? Is there a feeling you know it's right ? Bottom line: When you read it, can you actually watch your film in your head, and at the end of it and not want to change anything ? --Duane K.
A: I don't judge material as much as try to see what does and doesn't work.. A script can be beautifully structured, the characters well fleshed out and story developed but if the mood for example, is off, the whole thing can fall apart. If it is a client screenplay and I am providing a detailed consultation, I discuss with the writer this discrepancy, earmark examples of what needs reworking and try to help the writer feel in control of the material so that in revising, s/he can maintain the "merits" of the script, while adjusting the elements that are weakening it as a whole.
When I do studio coverage and am asked to rate and comment on a script for market value, I note both the "merits" (what works) and the "weak areas" (what doesn't work) and conclude how close to "ready" the script is, overall, at that point.
What do you look for ? In doing coverage, which demands that I look for high quality work on my employers behalf, I look for tight, honest, urgent material---screenplays that are driven by a clear sense of conviction and purpose (i.e. the writer knows exactly what s/he is writing about and how s/he wants to say it), screenplays that are visual, emotional journeys, screenplays that transport me.
Is there a feeling you know it's right ? As a reader, yes and sometimes when one writes, this is true as well (but less often). As a reader, I can sense where the author is hitting a stride, hitting his/her best material. It's a visceral sensation, one in which I stop thinking and am overcome with feeling: grief; humor, horror. Whatever it is, that artist has transmitted something brutally honest through his/ her craft.
One can sense when a writer has had the most fun while writing, where their passions have flared the most as they wrote, where their heart of hearts has produced the words. It's like a scent that fumes from the page, chemistry between writer, reader and material. A sum beyond the means.
When writing myself, it is harder to judge. You think something's terrible, but people love it. You think it's your best yet, they think it's trash. That's why rewriting is so crucial. It buys you time to be both writer and reader, so you can tell if that roll you were on Tuesday, was just a journal type catharsis or a real stroke of your own genius.
Bottom line: When you read it, can you actually watch your film in your head, and at the end of it and not want to change anything. This is what all writers strive for: to make the pen and paper simulate a cinematic experience, make those clunky, flat words create the mirage of a wide screen in someone else's head. It's tough, which again is why writing is rewriting: every time you write then put it down and then return, you revisit your material with more of a viewer's distance and can experience the movie you already watched as you wrote with the eye of a first-time audience. But not want to change anything? I don't believe there's an artist out there of any medium, who wouldn't hone and tweak forever if they could. It's the wonderful and hairsplitting nature of the creative process as far as I'm concerned.
Copyright New York Screenwriter Magazine 2002. All Rights Reserved.
___________________________________
WRITER ON THE BRINK
Because there's a big population out there at the start of their writing careers, `we thought it might be interesting to interview a writer who's just beginning to happen. You might find it mucho relatable. As you will see, it hasn't been easy, but L.A. based MICHELLE SPITZ is on her way.
HSC: Please tell us a little bit about yourself and how you broke in.
MS: That's a long story. I grew up in LA and went to a private school called Buckley from sixth through twelfth grade. It was filled with celebrity's kids.
HSC: Was that an advantage or disadvantage?
MS: I'm not sure... it didn't get me work, but it did make me comfortable around people in the industry. I don't get starstruck very
often.
HSC: Who were some of your contemporaries?
MS: Well, Brett Easton Ellis who wrote "Less Than Zero" among other things.. Also there were lots of actors that went there. Laura Dern, Melissa Rivers, Melissa Gilbert. In sixth grade I was an ostrich in the school play Peter Pan. Ricky Nelson's sons played Michael and John. (On opening night I fell off the stage and into the orchestra pit, but that's another story.) Anyway, I was always good at writing in school. I was able to get good grades because I could sort of BS my way through any class by writing class essays in an entertaining way... and I went to college back east at Brandeis University.
HSC: What was your major?
MS: English and American Lit.
HSC: What was your ambition at the time?
MS: I didn't really know. I kind of had the dream of being a writer, but no one in my family was a writer. The whole entertainment biz just seemed like a kid's dream to me. But I took whatever classes I could that related to film. And there were some big writers that came from Brandeis like Marshall and Herskovitz and Marta Kauffman and David Crane, the creators of "Friends" and "Thirty-Something".
Summer break I came back to LA and took whatever writing workshops I could find. What really got me excited was a UCLA extension course, a six-week intensive TV workshop where you'd write your own TV segments. You'd produce them, direct them, do your own camera work, edit them, etc. I had so much fun I knew I wanted to do something either in television or film. (Actually, there was a kid in my class I bumped into years later who ended up writing for Seinfeld, so I guess it fostered a few successes.)
A friend at Brandeis recommended I apply for a summer internship at Guber Peters. I applied for the following summer and got in. Guber Peters were making big movies at that time, like "Batman" and "Gorillas in the Mist."
HSC: What did you do there?
MS: Schlepped. I was right in the Guber and Peters
offices, helping out their assistants; whereas other interns would be in other departments, I was right in the center of it. I actually schlepped a truck to Santa Barbara so that John Peters could drive his dogs around at his S.B. ranch house. The interns weren't paid, just reimbursed for mileage. I was just excited to get the acknowledgement that I was the one willing to go "that extra mile." But when I got there, Jon (Peters) was getting a facial and had guck all over his face and couldn't see me.
HSC: So how did the experience of being an intern doing office work
benefit you in your trajectory, which was still unformed?
MS: It gave me a sense of how everything was done. In terms of writing, it only helped in that I read a lot of their scripts. I was able to get a sense of what was marketable. And most importantly, the internship gave me a real taste of the business.
HSC: And you liked it?
MS: I liked it, although it was very foreign to me. I was basically listening to the assistants answering phones. I, too, was answering phones and gofering.
HSC: You did the internship and then what?
MS: After I graduated college, I bummed around for a month or so not knowing what I was going to do. The closest thing I had to a "connection" was that my grandparents knew someone whose son was a big-time talent agent, who might have some help or advice. So I guess this guy resented the fact that his mother made him talk to me, because when I finally got hold of him and asked for help or advice on how to break in, his brilliant insight was, "Go clean someone's toilet."
HSC: Nice guy.
MS: Yea, I dismissed him as being a rude ______, but I later learned that that attitude was kind of more the rule than the exception.
And then my father had a friend who independently produced this little movie that got some critical acclaim. He needed an assistant, so I helped him for two hundred and fifty dollars a week. He was trying to develop a movie about a posh hotel for dogs and cats, and it was going to star an Israeli mime. Needless to say that project was never made, but -- one funny moment.. The agent who had told me to clean toilets, not remembering who I was, called me to request that we consider hiring his clients for our movie.
HSC: You mean all of a sudden you had leverage?
MS: For whatever that was worth. But anyway, I wanted exposure to a larger scale studio world. So I faxed my resume all over town by looking in the trades where they had the films in production, and then months later I got a call from this writer/producer team who were doing a Stephen King movie. I got hired as their assistant. After the movie wrapped, I stayed on as their assistant and started to learn a little writing-wise. They'd give me their script notes on yellow pads, which I would input on the computer. As I did that, it kind of gave me the feeling of being a writer. It sparked my excitement. But that job wasn't leading anywhere, so I kept looking around and I finally got in as an assistant to a producer on a show called "Dream On" for HBO, which was really getting a cult following at the time.
Now this is really where writers' assistant job started to kick in for me. My job as the producer's assistant ended at about six o'clock, but the writers worked late on a regular basis and I would sneak in after my job was over and hang out in the writing room. I observed and observed and they saw how interested I was. The following season, they hired me as a writers' assistant, which was great.
HSC: It was really being a secretary to a writer?
MS: Basically yes, but you're eavesdropping on their thought process as they break down stories. It's the best way to learn and the hardest way to break in as a writer, also, because when they see you as an assistant that's all they see you as.
HSC: So how long did you do that?
MS: I did that for the last two seasons of "Dream On." Then the show was canceled, so I decided I'm going to write specs like crazy. While I was doing that, I was also taking a few writer's assistant jobs on pilots to make money, I was sending my specs (TV episodes for "Friends", "Mad About You," "Frasier") all over town to every agent who would read me. It was like banging my head against a wall. Every agent said, "Well, it's not bad but we're not looking at this time" or whatever, I mean, if they even bothered to respond. So I figured, my dues had not yet been paid, and this is already several years down the road from graduating.
HSC: So were you feeling like you were in a hopeless career quest?
MS: Well, like I said it was like banging my head against a wall. If the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results... but at the same time that's the only option I had. I tried to find another way. I figured since I wasn't able to get an agent by sending my scripts out, maybe I could get one by working at an agency. So I got a job as an assistant to an agent, but ultimately it didn't lead to getting an agent of my own.
HSC: So you kicked around for how many years?
MS: By the time I got onto the show that finally gave me my first break, it may have been eight or nine years.
HSC: So how did you get your first break?
MS: After the agent thing didn't work out (I worked for a wonderful agent then a miserable one, so quit) I had a couple of friends who were writers on "Dream On" who I'd worked for on their show, "Boston Common", who I heard had a new show called, "Will & Grace", and I gave them a call, asked if they needed a writer's assistant. Turns out they did. The first season I pitched a lot of jokes in the writers' room, and a lot of them got into scripts. The second season they gave me my own episode to write.
HSC: So how did that feel?
MS: I am eternally grateful to them for that. That really kicked off my career.
HSC: Did they do it as a surprise?
MS: No, I fought for it. The show was already starting to become a hit after the first season, and for them to give an assistant a break at that point was like a big, big deal. Even though they were my friends and they liked me and I got jokes into the scripts, I still had to kick and scream to get what I wanted. So I got it and that really opened doors for me. After that I got my agent.
HSC: How did you get the agent? Did you leave your job and say "I've arrived" or what?
MS: No, but suddenly all these agents were willing to take me a little more seriously.
HSC: So would you send a letter and say, "I've just been produced on "Will & Grace." Enclosed please find my spec for "Frasier" blah blah blah? Or were you networking then, working the phones, etc?
MS: Yes, I'd call agents and send them whatever spec they were interested in reading. I had some interest, but most of the agents were keeping me on hold, waiting around to see whether or not I was going to get hired on the "Will & Grace" writing staff before committing to representing me.
HSC: And did that happen?
MS: No, that did not happen. They didn't hire any writers at my level that season.
HSC: So did you stay with the show?
MS: No. After I got my agent, I got a job at Disney about a week later writing for an animated feature.
HSC: How did that happen?
MS: When I learned that "Will & Grace" were not going to bring me on their writing staff, I was devastated. I went crazy looking for an agent. I had sent an agent's assistant a script and she was a fan, but the agent she worked for hadn't even read it yet. And the assistant who liked my script moved on to work at Disney. After she left, the agent finally got around to reading my script, called me and signed me on the spot, and coincidentally the ex-assistant called him shortly thereafter saying there was an opening on a project over at Disney and I thought Michelle might be good for that, I heard that you signed her. So I met with Disney and they hired me the next day. Unfortunately, the project was ultimately shelved after Disney poured millions into it.
HSC: You were hired to be a rewrite person?
MS: Well, I didn't know it at the time, but the project was a sinking ship and they hired me to save the movie. There were a couple of other writers who had been on the project for a few months before I was brought in, and I think they resented my existence. They tried to keep me from writing actual scenes. Maybe they wanted to ensure themselves a writing credit, I don't know. So I was put in the position of writing alternate lines, which was the weirdest thing I've ever done.
HSC: And why was that?
MS: The directors were basically happy with what they already had, but the studio wasn't. The studio hired me to rewrite the movie, but the directors would tell me to take one of the characters and change his lines without actually changing the content of what he's saying. So it would end up being the same scene with different words in it.
HSC: So you had to contort yourself to please everybody?
MS: I suppose.
HSC: And this was when?
MS: That was about a year ago. And after that, Disney kept calling. I wrote a couple of stage plays for Disney's theme parks. Also, the producer I worked on the movie with called me for another project at Disney's TV animation department. And now I'm doing a rewrite on another Disney animated feature film that is being developed with Elton John's Rocket Pictures. I'm having a really great experience on this project.
HSC: So how is life?
MS: Life is great, I can't complain. On a television show, you don't have much of a life. You get in at nine and you're sitting in a room all day, every day, with the same group of faces. At some point you'll want to maim at least one of them. You can work until midnight, at times even later. But now I can work at home and just turn stuff in on timelines that I give them. I've been spoiled. And it was very strange when I just broke in, because after years of being dismissed as "just a writer's assistant," all of a sudden people are asking my opinion and wanting to know, and I don't have to beg them to listen to me.
HSC: So do you have any advice for writers out there who dream and are hoping and wanting and don't even know how to imagine it? You're right in the cusp of it--what would you say to someone asking how do you do this?
MS: There really isn't a formula. You have to have persistence and patience and determination and you can't ever let up. In fact, things started to turn around for me just at the time I was ready to give up. You have to be willing to pay dues and it takes as long as it takes. I learned the hard way that it's not just a matter of deciding, "Okay, I'm ready, therefore the world should embrace me." Use whatever avenues or contacts you might have. I've never been a good schmoozer, but it does help to develop as many friendships as you can in the industry. And most of all, you really have to enjoy writing for the sake of writing, not for the promise of money or fame. If you don't love it, you probably won't ever be that good at it. And you probably won't last very long before giving up. I don't love writing all the time, in fact, there are times I hate it. But there's almost nothing in the world more satisfying than writing something I'm proud of. That's the feeling that keeps me going when things get rough.
HSC: Any craft advice?
MS: I think being a writer's assistant really helped to learn my craft, because I was on good shows and I really learned by being there in the middle of it. If you can get a job like that, don't necessarily expect it to lead you directly into a writing job, but it's a great way to learn. Beyond that, write, write and write. The more I write, the better I get. I used get stuck on small details. Then I found that if I just got the skeleton on paper, I could always go back and give it flesh later.
HSC: So how bad is the showbiz/ Hollywood scene?
MS: For an assistant it's brutal, bruising on the ego, but it's one of the best ways to learn. You have to be willing to put up with a lot. Do what you can do to get your material read. Obviously, there are no guarantees. But if you keep trying and perfecting your craft and working on your specs and don't give up, then eventually it should happen if you have an ounce of talent.
HSC: Did you keep writing all along, through everything?
MS: Yea. Although when I was working long hours on TV shows, it drained me both physically and emotionally, and I didn't have the energy. But I would write during hiatus, which is the break time between show seasons.
________________________________
FYI-
as many of you already know our service is very reasonably priced. Not doubt about it. In fact we often get asked how it can be so inexpensive and still be so good. (Talking about not taking "yes" for an answer!) We haven't had a raise in years so we're bumping it up very modestly. Initial read is now $195.00 subsequent reads (if needed and requested) $175.00. It's still a total bargain.
_________________________________
GOT THE DOUGH, NEED THE WRITER!
To whom it may concern,
I am looking for a script to produce, I would like to find a story that can be produced for $2M or under. I have many possibilities for financing, ranging from a few business associates of mine, a relationship I have with a studio executive or even self financing. If you could help, please email me at efeig@pacbell.net. Eran Feig
(we don't know Mr. Feig but it sounds good)
_____________________________
SCRIPTNET is a FREE online spec script database, devoted to connecting authors with industry professionals (producers, agents and directors). Venice Arts e-Screenwriting adopted the site in 2001, designing a brand new database and search engine along with a whole new image. Industry professionals can search by genre, title, author, or keyword, and can combine searches to find exactly what they want.
Currently, ScriptNet has over 850 screenplays, and is averaging more than 150 new entries per month. To join ScriptNet, go to:
http:://www.venicearts.com/scriptnet/index.htm
______________________________
ADVICE FOR CREATING A SYNOPSIS
*Create a lean, bottom line pitch of your story.
*Highlight key beats, key moments.
*Don't be shy about showing off exceptionally juicy twists, turns.
*Write it with as much attitude and swing as you can muster...the mood and tone of the synopsis should reflect the mood and tone of the script. If it's a thriller, the synopsis should be thrilling! If it's a romance, the language of your synopsis is best made steamy..etc.
You're writing a trailer, a mini movie, so have fun with it and don't let perfectionism clamp your spirit down. Don't tell them everything. Leave them wanting a bit more.
________________________
HEY CRAIG
I just wanted to thank you so much for the advice you gave me on my script "Scalpel", which is now called "S.N.A.F.U." It's helped me so much. About a month ago, I was able to secure a manager, who loves my ideas and writing. Since then, I've done some comprehensive rewrites. Last week I finished the final draft and my manager sent it out to several studios and production companies. I know you don't like long emails, but I just wanted to express my gratitude to you and your service. My writing has reached a new level, and I feel the fee I spent on it was the best money I've ever spent. Thanks a lot Craig, and be sure to check the trades for my name; it will be in there soon. Thanks, Bryan Walsh
__________________________
TO ART LOVERS FROM CRAIG
My sister, Jane, is a very talented artist whose versatility and talent never ceases to amaze me and her thousands of visitors at: http://www.artistjane.com. Jane paints subjects that "catch her eye" whether it's an interesting face or perhaps an adorable animal. She has a special talent perfect for long distant interactions. Send her a photograph and get back a full blown painting of the image. We're talking, full blown and real quality.
Have fun and shop at Jane Kellem Anderson's web art show and gallery.
If you want to find out more about Hollywoodscript.com and the work we do with screenwriters and their scripts, please visit our site at http://www.hollywoodscript.com
Copyright HSCL 2002, all rights reserved.
NY Screenwriter article used via their permission.
[Back to Newsletters]
|
