Brenda Noonan
Forum Replies Created
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Brenda Noonan’s Pitch Fest Pitch
5. What I learned is to not get into the gritty details of the story during a pitch and to pitch what a producer is most interested in hearing a script.
Hi, I’m Brenda Noonan, and I’ve been a finalist in PAGE. I have a mystery called WRITER’s BLOCK.
It’s about a crime novelist called Penn Marsh. When she gets accepted at an exclusive crime writing workshop, she never expected to be cast as the real-life villain in a murder mystery.
It’s a low budget film, about $1 million, in a semi-contained location, a country estate.
For the role of Penn Marsh, I would see Keri Russell in the role. And for the detective, someone like Ryan Gosling.
When Penn arrives at the writer’s workshop, she gets into a violent disaggreement with the much-hated lead instructor Marcy Givens, who’s also a crime writer. The next day, Penn discover’s the instructor’s dead body.
The lead detective assigned to the case quickly has his hands full sorting through the often quirky writers at the workshop—writers whose stock in trade is devising complex murder plots. When Penn realizes she’s being framed for the murder, she pits the amateur sleuthing skills she’s honed by writing cosy mysteries against those of a police detective.
Among the suspects is Penn’s former university clasmate, Ann Rivers. Jealous of Penn’s success, Ann poisons the instructor. She didn’t intend to murder her, but the clues she leaves implicate Penn.
But someone else did intend to murder the lead instructor–the aristocrat who hosts the crime workshop. Marcy and he had been having an affair for years. He wanted to end it, and she didn’t.
In addition to being a former PAGE finalist, I’m working on my screenwriting certificate at UCLA Extension, and a forensics course.
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Brenda Noonan’s Query Letter
Dear Mr. Croasmun:
How do you avoid being framed for murder by an expert?
BIO: Besides placing in the PAGE screenwriter’s contest, Brenda is completing her certificate in screenwriting at UCLA Extension.
Pennyroyal (Penn) Marsh has been accepted at an exclusive crime writing workshop—but the welcome package never mentioned she’d be cast as the real-life villain in a murder mystery!
Ever since she wrote her first bestselling cosy mystery, Penn Marsh has dreamed of getting accepted at a yearly crime-writer’s workshop held at an aristocrat’s country estate. When she arrives, she discovers that the “family setting” (a la “Knives Out”) translates into being cooped up with a quirky group of other successful mystery writers.
When Penn discovers the dead body of the much-hated lead instructor and all the clues start pointing to her, she worries that DCI Emery St. Just, Scotland Yard’s most famous detective, won’t see she’s being framed. And framed by someone who knows just how to do it—another writer who’s an expert in crafting a perfect murder.
Emery, who has a secret crush on Penn and is a fan of her books, must sift through the group of writers and find the murderer. But when he discovers that Penn’s roommate at another workshop disappeared under mysterious circumstances, his support for Penn wanes, and she must pit her amateur sleuthing skills against Emery’s police experience before the frame is complete.
If you like the concept, I’d be happy to send you the script.
Sincerely,
Brenda Noonan
### Spruce Ave.
Place, CA zip
Ph: #-###-###-####
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What I learned doing this assignment is a good format for a query letter, and how to keep the bio and request parts of it brief so as not to waste the recipient’s time.
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Brenda Noonan’s Synopsis Hooks
5. What I learned from the assignment is that I now can pull out what I think are the most interesting hooks for my script and write a pitch that is (potentially!) more interesting than what I would have come up with for any previous pitches I’ve written for other scripts.
1-2. Select 6 – 10 COM/MIT hooks that could give an overview of your story.
3. Organize those hooks into a sequence that makes sense for the story.
COM hooks: Semi-contained setting and Knives Out comp. A group of the world’s best crime writers are cooped up at a yearly crime-writing workshop held on an aristocrat’s country estate. (Knives Out comp)
COM hooks: Ensemble piece and Knives Out comp. Intead of family members, the main suspects are a quirky mix of world-class murder mystery writers who could probably devise the perfect murder.
MIT hook: Turning points. The American writer is elected by the group to find out why the lead instructor is late, and she finds the lead instructor, who has been murdered. her own murder mystery
MIT hook: Emotional dilemma. The detective called in has a crush on the main suspect, an American mystery writer, whose stories he admires.
MIT hook: The detective is beginning to rely on the chief suspect for information, then finds out that in the middle of a previous 6-week workshop, the American writer’s roommate disappeared, and he must re-evaluate his feelings for her.
COM hook: Includes two distinct crime subgenres: the cosy mystery (amateur sleuth) and police procedural (cops). When all the clues start pointing to the American writer (the amateur sleuth), she must solve two murders before the lead detective charges her with them (procedural).
MIT hook: Reversals. When the American writer realizes that she’s being framed for two murders, she has to do her own investigating.
4. Using those hooks as an outline, write a first draft of your synopsis.
Pennyroyal (Penn) Marsh has been accepted at an exclusive crime writing workshop—but the welcome package never mentioned she’d be cast as the real-life villain in a murder mystery!
Ever since she wrote her first bestselling cosy mystery, Penn Marsh has dreamed of getting accepted at a yearly crime-writer’s workshop held at an aristocrat’s country estate. When she arrives, she discovers that the “family setting” (a la “Knives Out”) translates into being cooped up with a quirky group of other successful mystery writers.
When Penn discovers the dead body of the much-hated lead instructor and all the clues start pointing to her, she worries that DCI Emery St. Just, Scotland Yard’s most famous detective, won’t see she’s being framed. And framed by someone who knows just how to do it—another writer who’s an expert in crafting a perfect murder.
Emery, who has a secret crush on Penn and is a fan of her books, must sift through the group of writers and find the murderer. But when he discovers that Penn’s roommate at another workshop disappeared under mysterious circumstances, his support for Penn wanes, and she must pit her amateur sleuthing skills against Emery’s police experience before the frame is complete.
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Brenda Noonan’s High Concept/Elevator Pitch
4. What I learned doing this assignment is how to include marketability as a component of my elevator pitch.
1. The big picture explanation: A UK detective must discover who murdered the lead instructor at an exclusive workshop for successful crime novelists.
2. Most interesting way possible to tell it: The opponent is unique. From a roomful of experienced crime writer suspects, the detective must find which novelist may have committed “the perferfect murder.”
3. Elevator pitch: I’m finishing up a story that answers the question can a police detective discover which successful crime novelist has committed the “perfect” murder during a crime writing workshop?
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Brenda Noonan’s 10 Most Interesting Things
4. What I learned doing this assignment is that pitches don’t need to be like book reports! I’d always assumed that the interesting things were mentioned within the structure of the story, making my pitches more of a book report with highlights.
1. Go through your project and see which of these specific hooks you have:
A. What is most unique about your villain and hero? Hero is a London Detective Superintendent with a high IQ. Villain appears to have all the advantages he could want in life and went to university with the hero.
B. Major hook of your opening scene? During the excavation of an historic abbey on an aristocrat’s estate, archaeologists discover a human skeleton.
C. Any turning points? The American writer is elected by the group to find out why the lead instructor is late, and she finds the lead instructor, who has been murdered.
D. Emotional dilemma? The detective has a crush on the main suspect, an American mystery writer, whose stories he admires.
E. Major twists? The American writer previously worked for the aristocrat on a history of his family and estate, and is familiar with the abbey and its grounds.
F. Reversals? The detective is beginning to rely on the chief suspect for information, then finds out that in the middle of a previous 6-week workshop, the American writer’s roommate disappeared, and he must re-evaluate his feelings for her. When the American writer realizes someone is trying to frame her for two murders, she competes with the detective in trying to solve the murder so she won’t be arrested.
G. Character betrayals? Someone is trying to frame the American writer.
H. Or any big surprises? The skeleton is not the American writer’s former roommate at the workshop. It turns out she married the aristocrat’s brother and they return from a trip while the workshop is going on. The skeleton turns out to be a defrocked priest who was buried outside the grounds of the abbey, and supposedly haunts it.
2. Make a list of any other things in your script that could interest a producer.
A. Comparable movies: Clue, Knives Out
B. Ensemble piece, possibly for some A-list actors
C. Semi-contained setting
D. Includes two distinct crime subgenres: the cosy mystery (amateur sleuth) and police procedural (cops)
E. The main suspects are successful murder mystery writers, who could probably devise the perfect murder.
F. Strong female lead
3. Organize both and select the 10 most interesting things. Post those to the forums.
1) Producer Interest: Comparable movies: Clue, Knives Out.
2) Producer Interest: Semi-contained setting (aristocrat’s estate and nearby village).
3) Producer Interest: Ensemble piece, possibly for some A-list actors.
4) Producer Interest: Includes two distinct crime subgenres: the cosy mystery (amateur sleuth) and police procedural (cops)
5) Producer Interest: The main suspects are successful murder mystery writers, who could probably devise the perfect murder.
6) Opening Scene: During the excavation of an historic abbey on an aristocrat’s estate, archaeologists discover a human skeleton.
7) Romance Subplot: The detective has a crush on the American writer who discovers the murdered lead instructor’s body (romance subplot).
8) The detective is beginning to rely on the chief suspect for information, then finds out that in the middle of a previous 6-week workshop, the American writer’s roommate disappeared,
9) Someone is trying to frame the American writer for two murders, and she competes with the detective in trying to solve the murder so she won’t be charged.
10) Producer Interest: Strong female co-lead.
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Brenda Noonan Producer/Manager
1. I would present myself to the producer by saying I have a murder mystery script ready. The idea is similar to Knives Out, but takes place on an aristocrat’s country estate in the UK, and has two protagonists: an American mystery writer and a UK detective.
2. I would present myself to the manager as a writer who is willing to collaborate to make a script the best it can be so it will meet the needs of producers and satisfy an audience. I’d give the manager a little more detail about the story than I would give the producer (unless the producer asks) and ask for any ideas that would make the script better and more marketable.
3 What I learned today is pitching to a producer is different from pitching to a manager.
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Brenda Noonan Marketable Components
4. What I learned doing this assignment is that I hadn’t thought about any of the components that would make my script more marketable. I just had the basic storyline down, the characters, how the murder occurred, who the suspects are, and how the murder is solved. And now I have a few ideas about making my script better.
1. Current logline: When American mystery writer Jane Hatcher lands a spot at an exlusive UK mystery writing workshop, the murder of the lead instructor pits Jane against a sarcastic UK detective in a bid to solve the murder before the villain strikes again.
2. G. The mystery is one of the most popular genres and appeals to all ages.
I. The idea is similar to “Knives Out.”
3. To increase wide audience appeal: The protagonists are in their late 20s/early 30s, so that would appeal to a young audience. The other characters could be of different ages, with quirky personalities. (My original idea was to have the protagonists be in their 40s.)
To make it more similar to Knives Out: The setting could be an aristrocrat’s country estate house where he allows the writers to hold the workshop every year.
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Brenda Noonan Project and Market
1. Genre: Crime/Mystery
Title: The Final Word
Concept: The murder of the lead instructor at an exclusive UK mystery writer’s workshop pits writers against cops to see who can solve the crime first.
2. I think the most interesting thing about my story is that it crosses two crime subgenres: the cosy mystery (amateur sleuth) and police procedural (cops).
3. I would approach producers first. This would be an ensemble piece with a lead writer sleuth and a lead detective as the main protagonists. And kind of like the game Clue. I wouldn’t be sure which managers or actors who could be approached with the script, so I think producers would be the best target.
4. What I learned today is that I need to think of selling my script by putting thought into who would be the best buyer for the script and having a martketing-style campaign for it instead of just looking up producer’s names and sending it out.
Looking forward to the class!
Brenda
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Hi!
I’m Brenda Noonan, and live near San Diego, CA. I’ve written 100s of scenes but have only completed two screenplays. I recommitted myself to writing this year, and am working on finishing my third screenplay. In this class I hope to get a better idea of how to market and pitch my screenplays to the right audience.
I love the crime/mystery genre. I had to say that first because the “something unique/strange” about me is that during a biology lab class at the University of Tennessee I was doing a tree species survey on a plot of land that was about 100 yards from Dr. William Bass’s body farm, the first of its kind in the US. (He studied decomposition of bodies to better understand time of death. What he learned, and what they are still learning at his body farm, is used to help solve murders.)
I’m looking forward to class!
Brenda