Day 9 Assignment

[Larry Ridlen]

Larry Ridlen’s Phone Pitch

What I learned from this lesson is…

Having the answers to these questions before calling is a lot more professional than trying to wing it.

Lead with credibility.

Hi, I’m Larry Ridlen. I’m an optioned and award-winning screenwriter. I’m wondering if I could run a quick concept by you?

I’ve got a Sci-Fi/Fantasy called BEFFUDLED PATH. (Light pause) It’s about Jim, a man trying to save his girlfriend from his employers… the mob. In doing so he discovers he has the ability to reshape reality.

3. Give us a one or two sentence answer to the questions a producer may ask:

What’s the budget range?

Middle budget: $15 million to $30 million.

Who do you see in the main roles?

Jim – a Tom Holland type

Kim – Peyton List (Corba Kai)

Herbie – Richard Chevolleau (Narc, Earth Final Conflict)

How many pages is the script?

105 pages.

Who else has seen this?

No one.

Why do you think this fits our company?

You did Parallels which also focused on alternate realities.

How does the movie end?

Jim gets deeper into the mob with no way out. It ends with him destroying the mob, getting the girl, and it turns out… Jim was an FBI agent the whole time!

[Joan Dougherty]

Joan’s Phone Pitch

What I learned from this lesson is how to keep pruning.

I will lead with my title.

Over the Edge is the name of my script, which is not, as it seems, about desperation but redemption.

Budget range: $1 million to 5 million

Actors: character actors between 35 and 40 years of age

Length of script: 38 pages

Others who have seen it: jurors in several competitions and SU colleagues

Ending: once the protagonist tells his story, goes over the edge to join the human story, he re-emerges to find village members welcoming him back into the community.