Lesson 2

[Renee Miller]

Renee’s Marketable Components

Current Logline: When a young girl is snatched by a mysterious creature while camping with her family, a troubled young woman must face off with a powerful man and the creature in order to bring the young girl home alive.

What I learned doing this assignment is that I need to focus on the marketable components while first writing a script. It will be much easier to do during the planning stages than after finishing the script. I believe that my script in its current form is actually pretty strong in several of the components.

Unique – There aren’t a ton of movies featuring Bigfoot, with the last being eight years old and a TV movie I believe.

Great Title – I think the title ‘Something’s in the Woods’ does a good job of conveying what the story is about.

Wide Audience Appeal – horror usually does well with audience.

Similarity to a Box Office Success – most recently the movie ‘Cocaine Bear’ which has brought in $52 million since its release on February 24th.

Great Role for a bankable actor – I think the protagonist is incredibly strong and would be sought after for a bankable actor. The other two leads could use a bit more to make it a great role for a bankable actor.

[Frances Emerson]

MODULE TEN LESSON TWO

FRAN’S MARKETABLE COMPONENTS

WHAT I LEARNED: The uniqueness of the stories I choose to tell, they just sell themselves. I just have to learn how to put them together precisely to make sure the actors and producers get that, too!

MY VISION: I want to write great movies. Movies that are magical, movies that move people and tell the truth. I want to write movies that stars will want to be in.

Marketable components for the Steamboat race

I’ve only seen a handful of movies (quite old, in fact) about steamboats. One is SHOWBOAT, ANOTHER IS ABOUT MARK TWAIN. And one television show: RIVERBOAT, starring Darren McGavin and Burt Reynolds.

So, already being a UNIQUE story in itself, I’ve chosen to weave my pitch around the two components: based on a true story and great roles for bankable stars.

My script is based on the true story of the Great Race Between the Natchez and the Robert E. Lee. Tons of research went into this, several sources that included the Missouri Republican’s story on the race, and several books written on the subject.

I was challenged by one of the writers, Manley Wellman, when he said the reporters who were on the steamers and wrote the articles would never be known. But I said they could be found. And I found them! One was John C. Kay, who was on the Natchez and who wrote for the Republican and an expert on steamboat races. The other took a ton of digging and, finally, contacting a member of the family who descended from the reporter, a Mr. Terry Mount (his wife actually), who gave me permission to use Charles in my story as my main character. He was the one who confirmed Charles was on the steamer, according to some family members.

I’m writing the story as I would a book or thesis, through the eyes of Charles and his story (the story) in the Republican. He was the son and heir of the owner and operator of the Republican and became a prominent newspaperman of the Midwest (a contemporary of Pulitzer), he was the one who organized the Associated Press as we know it today. He started working for the New York Times when he was suddenly taken ill and died. But his story is a great find! And I’m very proud I found it! It would be my honor if TOM HOLLAND would play this role in my story. Charles was only 22 when he became a news reporter because of this race.

My other picks for the main characters:

For John W. Cannon, Captain of the Robert E. Lee, I want Liam Neeson. A towering man, Liam Nesson is as towering a figure and would do this role justice. He also looks like him.

For Thomas P. Leathers, I need Mel Gibson for two reasons: 1. Because in my pictures of Leathers, he is almost the spitting image of Leathers, I swear it! And 2. Mel can swear up a storm with the drop of a hat. And Leathers was not shy about using blue, profane language, according to the many sources I found.

Several of my hooks are what happened on the Lee as the race began. The Lee experienced a boiler malfunction and the steamer was almost blown out of the water, except for the brave engineer who saved her.

And then there’s the fact that The Natchez, a brand new, state of the art piece of machinery, Leathers couldn’t get his act together through the race to win it over a steamer who was 3 years old and ready to be retired, despite his running an honest race—although Leathers was known for his continued cheating in the races he won over the years!

I have written the scene where Cannon outsmarts Leathers to get ahead right out of the starting gate!

And I have included a scene about the Sultana when she blew up killing hundreds of soldiers on board her. And scenes where the steamers have to travel through a dangerous stretch of the river known as Devil’s Country, culminating with the scenes where they must travel through a fog so dense none of the pilots or captains experienced anything like it in their many years of service.

These two captains were around 60 years of age when they took on this three and one half day, grueling race. Top speed 17 miles per hour! This is old back then!

This is the uniqueness of my story.

IT’S THE EXCITEMENT OF THE RACE, the crowds, the age of the men involved, and the TELLING OF THE STORY by a man we still know little of today, but was one of the great reporters and newspapermen of his time that I think will get it noticed. Plus, the love story.

The love story that Charles encounters after his long period of grieving over a lost fiancé. This love story is made up, but I thought it was a grand way to introduce the two characters in my script and in real life: Charles Welbourne and Frances Knapp, along with their daughter, Genevieve!

FOR MY COMEDY HASH HOUSE

I also chose UNIQUE here, and for this one WIDE AUDIENCE APPEAL.

Everyone at one time or another’s eaten in a restaurant—some great, extravagant, others, not so great—and rather turn off-ish. So, I think everyone who hasn’t experienced the behind the in/out doors days and nights of the restaurant business will love to get a sneak peek at what happened and what we experienced during the times my sister and I worked at the restaurants that typified what I wrote in this, I think, very funny comedy. Yes, I guess you can call it a memoir.

[Monica Arisman]

Subject: Monica’s Marketable Components

What I learned doing this assignment is to really know your script and then brainstorm to make it better in order to sell it.

Pick one or two components and tell us how your script already fulfills them AND how you might highlight these two in order to elevate the pitch.

1. Tell us your current logline.

Logline: After losing his family in a suspicious fire, a retired Special Forces commander takes a job to steal an ancient artefact, which manipulates time, accompanied by the alien that built it. The race is on to keep the artefact from the group that hired him, who want to run the world, and return it to the alien’s planet.

2. Look through the 10 Components of Marketability and pick a few that have the most potential for selling this script.

A. Unique. The alien that built the ancient
artefact is still alive! And he’s come to retrieve the artefact before the
greedy, rich people of Earth have a chance to figure it out!

B. Great Title. TIME GUARDIANS.
The two main protagonists are the time guardians because in the wrong
hands – the antagonist – could make things even worse than they are now.

C. True.

D. Timely. This civilization is
running out of time and something needs to be done to keep it going. With all
the events going on in the world, having an ancient artefact that
manipulates time could be a good thing in the right hands.

E. It’s a first.

F. Ultimate.

G. Wide audience appeal.

H. Adapted from <s>a popular
book</s> YouTube. There is a conspiracy theory out there that says an
ancient artefact (called the Looking Glass) can manipulate time and that
this timeline ends in 2030.

I. Similarity to a box-office
success.

J. A great role for a bankable
actor.

[Amy Falkofske]

Amy’s Marketable Components

What I learned doing this assignment is to focus your pitch on the things that make your script the most marketable.

1. Tell us your current logline When a princess learns that she’s not really a princess, she’s forced to accept help from a neighboring country’s prince who she hates and the two find themselves unexpectedly drawn to each other.

2. Look through the 10 Components of Marketability and pick a few that have the most potential for selling this script.

B. Great Title.

E. It’s a first.

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

Great title: How to elevate-Right now I don’t have any places in the movie where someone refers to Stephanie as suddenly unroyal. I could add that line in a few places. How to pitch- The title Unroyally in Love sells the movie and tells you what it’s about. A princess becomes “unroyal” and falls in love

It’s a first: How to elevate-I could create better emotional reactions to this thing that has never happened to a royal before. How to pitch- You’ve seen lots of movies where a commoner becomes a princess, but you’ve never seen one where the princess becomes a commoner.

[Lisa Paris Long]

WIM 2 Module 10 Lesson 2 – The 10 Components of Marketability

Lisa Long’s Marketable Components

What I learned doing this assignment is to take the time to think about the 10 components and how they will improve my pitch by incorporating them.

Pick one or two components and tell us how your script already fulfills them AND how you might highlight these two in order to elevate the pitch.

1. Tell us your current logline.

A 12-year-old aspiring ballerina must give up her dream when her mother abandons her with a father she’s never known to live above his restaurant on the Chesapeake Bay.

2. Look through the 10 Components of Marketability and pick a few that have the most potential for selling this script.

A. Unique.
B. Great Title.
C. True.
D. Timely.
E. It’s a first.
F. Ultimate.
G. Wide audience appeal.
H. Adapted from a popular book.
I. Similarity to box-office
success.
J. A great role for a bankable actor.

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

A. Unique – set in the world of the Chesapeake Bay where seafood and especially blue crabs are king.

B. Great Title – Chesapeake Girl; looking to enter this script into the Virginia Screenwriting competition, so the title is appropriate for scripts that must take place in Virginia.

G. Wide audience appeal – Coming-of-age stories are relatable since everyone is in various stages of coming-of-age.

J. A great role for a bankable actor(s) – The young daughter and father dynamic will entice actors. And there is an older memorable character for a seasoned actress.

[Lynn Vincentnathan]

Lynn’s Marketable Components

CONCEPT: Two college students struggle to overcome family fights about global warming, then try to get married during the worst ever Texas freeze.

I LEARNED that WI hit most of the buttons, and in future scripts I need to be more aware of these right from the start. Also that I can use these when revising further.

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A. UNIQUE. In being both a Rom-Com and cli-fi (climate fiction), except for maybe The American President.

B. GREAT TITLE: Simple and it not only applies literally — they have to weather the heat from climate change and also the great freeze — but also figuratively, putting up with the flack, resistance, and heart-break.

C. TRUE. N/A, except it is based on true science and things I experienced as an eco-activist

D. TIMELY. Climate change is here to stay and will be getting worse over 100s of years, so it is ever more timely as time goes on.

E. IT’S A FIRST. N/A

F. ULTIMATE. The worst ever Texas freeze and grid collapse.

G. WIDE AUDIENCE APPEAL. Youth will like it for its college focus and environmental issues. It has romance and comedy, an overall appeal.

H. ADAPTED FROM A POPULAR BOOK. N/A

I. SIMILARITY TO A BOX-OFFICE SUCCESS. It is a modern day Romeo and Juliet comedic story somewhat written along the lines “American President” (Rom-Com, climate change conflict), “Free Willy” (wildlife, eco themes), and “You’ve Got Mail” (the couple doesn’t find out until midpoint that they have opposing life plans).

J. A GREAT ROLE FOR A BANKABLE ACTOR. While the couple would appeal to up and coming actors in their 20s, the crotchety old uncles would very much appeal to seasoned actors, especially those into climate change or other eco-issues.

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THE TWO MOST PROMISING COMPONENTS:

TIMELY: Climate change will be getting worse over 100s of years (1000s of years the way things are NOT going, as my protag points out), so screenplays incorporating it are ever more timely as time goes on. And romance is timeless.

WIDE AUDIENCE APPEAL. Youth will like it for its college focus and environmental issues. It has the overall appeal of romance and comedy.

[JOEL STERN]

I know I’m way behind but I’m still with you.

I’ve been applying all the WIM lessons for “Death Voice” and two other scripts I wrote for a few competitions.

[Rhonda Burnaugh]

Module #10: Marketing. Lesson #2.

What I learned- having a unique hook is something best done BEFORE the script is written.

1. Logline/Unique Hook (I hope): When a famous rock star is diagnosed with a terminal illness, he chooses to focus his last years building a legacy of love for those he left behind during his pursuit for success and create the family he never had while growing up in foster care.

2. Title: One Last Time

3. True Story: Fiction.

4. Timely: Faith-based, spiritual love story, but isn’t religious (in your face)

5. It’s a First: A unique twist where the protagonist assists a priest in leaving the church to fall in love.

6. Ultimate:

7. Wide Audience Appeal: Teens, young adults; married couples.

8. Adapted from the novel I published: Catch a Falling Star.

9. Similar Box Office Successes: The Fault in our Stars; Remember Me; The Best of Me; anything Nicholas Sparks.

10. KJ Apa as the protagonist, Michael Dolanski.