Lesson 2

[Scott Billings]

1. HONEYMOON WITH STRANGERS — A newlywed couple’s relationship is put to the test when a hurricane forces them to spend their wedding night in an airport motel with criminals, prostitutes and a serial killer/psychiatrist named “Dennis.”

2. A. It’s a unique situtation and B. Great Title . G and I. Similar to DATE NIGHT, which was successful and appealed to men and women 25 and older.

3. I whittled down the logline to its essential uniqueness was highlighted.

HONEYMOON WITH STRANGERS — A hurricane forces a couple to spend their wedding night with criminals, prostitutes and a serial killer/psychiatrist dressed as a clown.

[Sandy Nichols]

Sandy Nichols – Wide audience appeal and great role for bankable actors

1) Doors – A comedy of life after 50, around people in a luxury apartment building as they move to what’s next! Shenanigans and drama form great, unlikely, friendships around the lobby, apartments and community areas, with a lot of charcuterie boards, wine and bathrobes! OH, and dogs! A dog will be in every episode with a give back to our shelter pets after every show!

2)While our title, Doors, is a great title our wide audience appeal and great role for bankable actors are the main business hooks.

3)
Wide audience appeal – This story line will be attractive to age groups from 18-80! Gay, straight and a little in-between! They can see themselves or family members as the characters in the show!

Great roles for bankable actors – There are many actors in this age group that would love a new project! With the story lines we are hoping to get many popular names from the 1980s and 1990's at attractive/lower contract rates. AND as they are today! We aren't looking for the slim and trim! We are looking people age 50+ as they are today which will be more relative to the target audience!

4)What I learned is while I think Doors could fit almost every Component of Marketability I need to focus on the business side and what will make the producer say YES! Please send me your script!!

• This reply was modified 6 months, 2 weeks ago by  Sandy Nichols.
• This reply was modified 6 months, 2 weeks ago by  Sandy Nichols.

[Gila Zalon]

Gila's 10 Most Interesting Things

What I learned doing this assignment is that I have to work on pinpointing the intriguing parts of my script. That will take more time than I’m giving it.

What is most unique about your villain and hero?
Villain: A cold-blooded murderer cooperates with police
Hero: Police chief breaks the law out of love for his wife.

B. Major hook of your opening scene?
The shooting of a man in front of his home in broad daylight. Who? Why?

C. Any turning points?
On her deathbed, the hero’s wife makes a sudden recovery after using the Rife Machine.

D. Emotional dilemma?
Is saving the Rife Machine worth the deaths that ensue?
Police Chief’s wife: Is her life worth more than the lives that have been lost saving the machine?

E. Major twists?
The head of a Big Pharmaceutical lobby (another Villain) kills his Head Manager lover at the behest of the lobby’s Board

F. Reversals?

G. Character betrayals?

H. Or any big surprises?
Each of the ensuing murders, surprises in themselves, is for the purpose of finding and destroying the Rife Machine which could compete with a new cancer drug.

2. Make a list of any other things in your script that could interest a producer.

The relationship between the Pharmaceutical Lobby and politicians on every level suggests a terrible possibility in the real world.

People who have been cured by the machine are fearful of giving testimony. But don’t know who they are afraid of.

A fear-ridden chiropractor who helped use the machine to cure patients is thought to be imagining his fears. He is not.

A well-known Professor puts together a plan to develop the machine and make it known throughout the world. For this she is yet another victim.

• This reply was modified 6 months, 1 week ago by  Gila Zalon.

[Gregory Kauffman]

Lesson 2

Gregory Kauffman – Marketable Components

1. Tell us your current logline.
Born illegitimate and in scandal, Manuela Sáenz fights her way into acceptance during the South American revolution, becoming the most powerful woman on the continent while winning the love of the greatest warrior in the world.

2. Look through the 10 Components of Marketability and pick one or two that have the most potential for selling this script.
• B. Great Title (The Liberatress)
• C. True. (Based on a true story.)
• D. Timely — connected to some major trend or event.
• F. Ultimate. (…most powerful woman on the continent while winning the love of the greatest warrior in the world.)
• J. A great role for a bankable actor. (Both Manuela Sáenz and Simón Bolívar are great roles)

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.

Check my current pitch to see what can be beefed up.

4. What I learned doing this assignment is…?(…to carefully find ways to emphasize marketability.)

[Diane Keranen]

Diane’s Marketable Components

What I learned doing this assignment is that if I elevate specific elements of the story, the main concept is likely to be clearer for the purpose of marketing.

1. Tell us your current logline — A soldier returning from combat needs to reunite with his estranged combat-veteran father before the challenges of civilian life draw him closer to taking his own life.

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

UNIQUE: Not Dead Yet is a story that follows two veterans as they face profound challenges that social pressures and combat trauma impose on a veteran as a returning veteran finds himself at the brink of suicide.

TIMELY: Current suicide rates of veterans are at epidemic numbers. Only recently has there been such a push to help veterans recover from the trauma that threatens their lives.

ELEVATE: There are movies of veterans who recover easily from their war trauma and include The Best Years of Our Lives, Casualties of War, and In Country to name a few. Their “recovery” occurred after struggle but then a simple realization when confronting their demons. A more recent movie, The Hurt Locker, takes on the addictive nature of serving in a combat role where life and death are a hair’s breadth apart and shows a veteran returning to active duty as that is where he feels he fits best. My story follows the veteran home where life and death are still that close together but the option to return to duty is not available. I can elevate the components of unique and timely by showing their struggles within relevant social contexts in order to experience the struggle rather than just watch it unfold.