Lesson 3

[Scott Billings]

Answer two questions:

1. How will you present yourself and your project to the producer? I’d tell them I’d do what it takes to get the movie made.

2. How will you present yourself and your project to the manager? I’d tell them that I’ll do what it takes to become a professional screenwriter, including rewrites and coming up with new ideas.

3. Answer the question “What I learned today is…?” It clarified the different ways you talk to producers and managers.

[Sandy Nichols]

Sandy Nichols – Producer/Manager

1) Presenting myself and my project to a Producer would be around the two main marketability components of appeals to a wide audience and great roles for bankable actors.
“Doors” has the ability to hit the ground running appealing to ages from 18-80!
People can see themselves, or people they know, as the characters. It’s a sitcom comedy around people 50+ living in a upscale apartment building, with disposal income as most are empty nesters, and the drama and fun they “get in to”! Appeals to gay, straight and people somewhere in between.
Who knew aging could be like being teenagers again! Teenagers with money that is!

There is also a give back portion to this project. One character is a “dog sitter” and will have a different dog on each episode. At the end of the episode we’ll feature this dog as up for adoption(as it’s from a shelter) OR have a QR code to local shelters across the country where people can adopt the breed of their choice!

I also have many ideas for other projects/shows with the people in the building.
This is all based on a building I lived in in Minneapolis for two years. As people moved out, they moved onto other adventures that could be “spin offs” of “Doors”.
I have LOTS of ideas!!

There is also a “brand” piece to this project. I’m connected to many brands and can place them around the scenes of the show. If people see something they’d like to have they can purchase it through a website / company store we set up OR through a QR code. This is all something I can do. Anything purchased from this site would give us a % that comes back to us and could help with funding of the show OR we could donate to the animal shelters.

“Doors” also has many opportunities for great roles for bankable actors. Many people in this age group are looking for new projects and perhaps haven’t worked in awhile. They also might like the give back to animals piece. Both could help with lower contract $ on agreements.

2) The manager piece really doesn’t work for me. I’m a visionary – not a writer! I moved into this building and thought this place is crazy enough to be a good sitcom! That’s when I started writing down ideas. I worked with another writer/producer to get a pilot scrip written and now I’m taking this class to see how best to pitch it!

3) What I learned here is my best avenue is really through a producer since I’m not a writer as explained in #2.

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

[Gila Zalon]

Lesson 3 – Gila’s Producer/Manager

HOW WILL YOU PRESENT YOURSELF AND YOUR PROJECT TO A PRODUCER?

My script, The Rife Machine, was in line to be produced by a Canadian production company. A short film was produced as a kind of teaser, starring Joe Mantegna and Frances Fisher. To my horror the producer died suddenly and my script was abandoned. I am now picking it up again, because it is a timely Crime Thriller about fighting Big Pharma’s hold on the drug market; allowing drugs to proliferate that lead to addiction and suicide, or setting the price of the drugs so high that sometimes it is prohibitive and doesn’t fill the needs of those that need it most. The Crime genre is prevalent on most TV networks and engages millions of viewers weekly. This script fits the genre you are interested in, can be done on a budget under ten million dollars, and an additional plus is an audience around the world of people who use Rife Machines. This could be a big plus in finding distribution worldwide. And the almost immediate interest that Joe Mantegna took in our project leads me to believe that the story would entice more than one lead actor of note.

I think you’ll find that I’m easy to work with; that I am always willing to listen, to rewrite and to help out in any way. Most of my scripts, this one included, have received high marks in contests and script analyses. And I appreciate whatever advice or suggestions that are made.

HOW WILL YOU PRESENT YOURSELF TO A MANAGER?

I believe my script, The Rife Machine, would be of interest to any producer that is looking for a timely crime thriller with political overtones. It may sound like a very specific area, but if you watch some of the many crime dramas that proliferate on network TV you will see that people will return time and again to this specific genre. The audience appeal all over the world is great.

I think you’ll find that I’m easy to work with; that I am always willing to listen, to rewrite and to help out in any way. Most of my scripts, this one included, have received high marks in contests and script analyses. And I appreciate whatever advice or suggestions that are made. I have at least five other scripts ready to be marketed and am open to working on new projects that may come my way.

WHAT HAVE I LEARNED?
That I should approach producers who are interested in the genre I have written (although that is common sense); that I should emphasize the ability of the script to interest funding/distribution, audiences and actors. And that I'd like to approach producers without a manager, if possible–although most producers won't look at scripts if it doesn't come from a manager or agent. Am I right?

• This reply was modified 6 months, 2 weeks ago by  Gila Zalon.

[Diane Keranen]

Diane presents to 1) Producer and 2) Manager

What I learned today is to be attentive to the needs of who I am presenting myself and my work to in order to demonstrate that I understand their needs and not just my own.

1. I would focus on presenting my project as something that demonstrates quality writing, characters, and story and can be pitched to audiences, actors, directors/crews, and financing sources. I might look something like this:

The script for Not Dead Yet presents a fresh perspective on the veteran film and offers a profound and captivating story for audiences from military families to those who enjoy provocative and poignant stories. Not Dead Yet is a drama about the journey of combat veterans face post combat zone through three generations of a family as they cope with the excitement of returning home having survived the war, the stress of killing vs being killed, and the combat stress that leads some veterans to consider life-ending measures.

2. I would focus on presenting my project as a writer who is thoughtful about dramatic stories, skillful to build strong characters and engaging stories, and welcoming of feedback and ideas from collaborators who want to make exciting and compelling dramatic films. It might look something like this:

As a writer I’m happy to develop ideas and inspirations into stories that are interesting, provocative, and inspiring. My specialty is drama and my writing process would start with initial ideas and work them through my creative machinations to develop them into scripts that a producer would be excited to pitch to investors, talent, and markets. My completed script Not Dead Yet has benefited from my diligence as a writer as well the ideas of friends and colleagues who have elevated the original draft in numerous ways.