Day 2 Assignments

[Jonathan Meltzer]

Jonathan Meltzer’s Marketable Components

1. An Alcoholic, Bobby, has one too many drinks and rear ends a Police Car. He is ordered to attend AA meetings by the Court and at his first meets Kim, who he falls for.

2. Unique: A comedy romance set inside the world of AA with its own rules on dating and sobriety.

3. Great title: Off the Wagon.

4. What I learned doin this assignment is you need to sell your screenplay if you ever want it to get made.

[Jonathan Meltzer]

4. What I learned doing this assignment is you need to sell your screenplay if you ever want it to get made.

[Laurie Maier]

1. Tell us your current logline.

Based on a true story, a 50’s rec-league star gets a shot at professional baseball after struggling through decades of frustration and doubt from the injury that ended his promising college career.

2. Look through the 10 Components of Marketability and pick one or two that have the most potential for selling this script.

A. Unique. – Over the hill, Dan gets a chance to fulfill his dream, play pro-ball

B. Great Title – The Dude is Legit

I like it. After Dan makes his pro debut, one of the other pitchers, a 22 year stud, yells at the team, referring to Dan, “the dude is legit!” Best compliment ever!

C. True. Based on a true events

D. Timely — connected to some major trend or event. – Baseball, America’s pastime

E. It’s a first. no

F. Ultimate.no

G. Wide audience appeal. Yes. Baseball and sports fans.

H. Adapted from a popular book. no

I. Similarity to a box-office success.

J. A great role for a bankable actor. Yes. Dan’s emotional journey through and injury and loss of a dream to heart surgery and nearly losing baseball for good, to playing proball

3. Do a quick brainstorm session about ways to elevate those two components for this script and tell us how you might pitch the script through the two components.

Unique – open heart surgery, playing against ex pro 20 something studs, way past his prime, knowing how to pitch and having four fierce pitches

Timely – Baseball is America’s pastime, a unifier during an era of disunity. Timeless themes of personal reinvention, hope, fulfilling dreams.

Example: If you say your script has a great role, in one or two sentences, tell us how you can emphasize that role as you pitch your concept.

4. Answer the question “What I learned doing this assignment is…?” and post it at the top of your work.

I liked diving in a little deeper into these two areas. I’ll keep thinking about how I can elevate these two as well as any other area.

[Tita Beal Anntares]

Anntares’ Marketable Components – Power Players Lesson 2

I learned that the first sentence in my current logline is too abstract, the next line too specifically focused on story.

Previous/Current Logline before this assignment:

Can we govern ourselves by voting, not violence<s>, listening to each other and negotiating resolutions to conflicts</s>… or must democracy give way to the loudest, strongest and most violent rulers or rebels?

Top 2 Marketability Components: TRUE STORY; TIMELY – also bankable role for two actors

C. True Story: Based on an actual rebellion by insurgents calling themselves patriots but choosing violence over the vote

D. Timely: Based on the true 1787 rebellion that homegrown terrorist Timothy McVeigh praised on his T-shirt when he bombed innocents in Oklahoma in 1995 -and glorified by todays white extremists

How to Elevate Those Two Components – New ‘Business’ Logline:

Can we govern ourselves by voting, not violence<s>.</s>.. or must democracy give way to the loudest, strongest and most violent rulers or rebels? After fighting a war for liberty, Sam Adams, now in power, sends out the army of Massachusetts to shoot or arrest and hang his friend Captain Daniel Shays and veterans who are terrifying the 13 new nations into uniting under one Constitution – the true story of a rebellion in 1787 glorified by homegrown terrorist Timothy McVeigh on the T-shirt he wore when he bombed innocents in Oklahoma in 1995… and embraced by today’s white supremacists who chose violence over voting on January 6 2021.