Michael Christopher
Forum Replies Created
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To all my fellow students, your stories all have very deep and unusual concepts, don’t be discouraged by contests, as Hal has hinted at, first rounders seem to be reluctant to score them high. I found feedback from the development side more focused on what I’m doing as apposed to movies that are out.
And thank you all for your kind words and helpful suggestions, I wish you luck.
Michael Christopher
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Why is it I only notice my typos after I click post, it’s supposed to be opposed not apposed.
Michael Christopher
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Michael Christopher, Marketing Campaign
What I learned doing this assignment is, there are several avenues to take depending on what your situation and goal is.
I’m going to wait till I get at least a consider rating on another script I’m getting close on before I start a marketing campaign. If it was now, I would start with #6 Marketing to Producers, armed with recommendations from where I got the consider ratings.
I’ll post them on INKTIP, send Q-letters via a service and make calls using phone pitch techniques.
Thanks, Cheryl and Hal Croasmun, I learned a lot of extremely helpful information and enjoyed it as well.
Michael Aiden Christopher
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Michael Christopher, Query Letter Draft 1
Title: THE PERFECT LOVER
Genre: Romantic Comedy
In search of the perfect lover, a woman gets a sexed up AI robot and tangles with its human doppelganger.
When Laura gets dumped by her childhood sweetheart, she decides to give up relationships, well at least the talking part of it.
Then a friend tunes her in to a new kind of designer AI robot that does it all, literally.
Problem solved, but not so fast, she bumps into the robot’s doppelganger, Russel. The robot’s AI is challenging enough, throwing in a Human doppelganger puts it over the top. Of course it frustrates the hell out of Russel, having to compete with a robot and it ends up blowing up the whole affair.
Lesson learned, you can’t force love. So to keep her sanity, she falls back on her other love, working with horses. What better environment for a white knight to come riding in.
If my concept suits you, I’d be happy to send you the script.
BIO: My style is outside the box, instead of contests, I worked with a development person at the Page Awards and earned a consider rating on my script. As far as writing a story about the perfect lover goes, I’m spending my whole life contemplating it.
Michael Aiden Christopher
631-405-8938
PO Box 1090
Aquebogue NY 11931
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Lesson 11 Query Letter Draft 2
Title: THE PERFECT LOVER
Genre: Romantic Comedy
In search of the perfect lover, a woman gets a sexed up AI robot and tangles with its human doppelganger.
After Laura gets dumped by her childhood sweetheart she decides she’s gonna be in the driver’s seat. The game plan, no more relationships, well at least the talking part of it.
Then a friend tunes her in to a new kind of designer AI robot that does it all, literally.
Problem solved, but not so fast, she bumps into the robot’s doppelganger, Russel. The robot’s AI is challenging enough, but throwing in a human doppelganger puts it over the top. Of course it frustrates the hell out of Russel, having to compete with a robot and it ends up blowing up the whole affair.
Lesson learned, you can’t force love. Accepting it’s not meant to be, she moves on to her other love, working with horses. What better environment for a white knight to come riding in.
If my concept suits you, I’d be happy to send you the script.
BIO: My style is outside the box, instead of contests, I worked with a development person at the Page Awards and earned a consider rating on my script. As far as writing a story about the perfect lover goes, maybe I should make it an autobiography (oops, too much information).
Michael Aiden Christopher
631-405-8938
PO Box 1090
Aquebogue NY 11931
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I forgot to add this, but better late than never.
What I learned doing this assignment is, the importance of writing a query letter that will focus on hooks and be interesting to people who don’t already know the story.
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Subject line: Michael Christopher, Target Market
What I learned doing this assignment is, targeting my market will get me to people who could be interested and not waste time where it would be hopeless. And that it is easy to link one name to another to generate a long list of possibilities.
Title: THE PERFECT LOVER
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Logline: In search of the perfect lover, a woman gets a sexy AI robot and tangles with its human doppelganger.
List of similar movies and actors.
*I Want You Back/Prime video. Actors-Jenny Slate
*Marry Me/Universal. Actors-Owen Wilson
*Cha Cha Real Smooth/Apple TV. Actors-Brad Garrett
*Wedding Season/Netflix. Actors-Pallavi Sharda
*Ticket to Paradise/Universal. Actors-Julia Roberts, George Clooney
Imdb list of producers.
I Want You Back-Isaac Aptaker, Elizabeth Berger, John Rickard, Peter Safran
Marry Me-Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, John Rogers, Benny Medina
Cha Cha Real Smooth-Ro Donnelly, Erik Feig, Dakota Johnsson, Cooper Raiff, Jessica Switch
Wedding Season-Tony Hernandez, John Hodges, Swati Shetty
Ticket to Paradise-Deborah Balderstone, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Sarah Harvey
Producers from related movies of above actors.
Jenny Slate in On The Rocks-Sofia Coppola, Michel Franco, Youree Henley, Lorenzo Vigas
Owen Wilson in Bliss-James D. Stern
Brad Garrett in Wildflower-Ethan Lazar, Billie Lourd, Katie McNeill, Kyle Owens
Pallavi Sharda in Lion-Lain Canning, Angie Fielder, Emile Serman
Julia Roberts in Wonder-David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman
I don’t have time to take it up to 50 or 100, but I get the point.
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Subject Line: Michael Christopher, Phone Pitch
What I learned from this lesson is, how to quickly convey what I have to offer and what’s most important to the listener.
Strategy: Lead with high concept.
In search of “The Perfect Lover”, a woman gets a sexy AI robot and tangles with its human doppelganger.
In the middle budget range.
Emily Blunt would be great for the female lead with her husband John Krasinski playing her early lover. And Ian Nelson would be great for the enticing male lead, playing the robot and the doppelganger.
It’s 110 pages
JW at the Page Awards gave it a consider rating after developing it with her.
You have done romantic comedies in this budget range.
In the end, after she resigns herself to the fact she won’t have a relationship, let alone a perfect lover, out of left field, a white knight rides in.
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Subject Line: Michael Christopher, Pitch Fest Pitch
What I learned doing this lesson is, how to assemble a catchy, less is more pitch.
Hi, I’m Michael Christopher, my romantic comedy called The Perfect Lover got a consider rating from a reader at the Page Awards.
It’s about a woman who gets dumped, then gets a sexed up AI robot as an easy way forward, but it turns out to be quite a hand full too.
It should be a middle budget film considering most of the actors are on the younger side and maybe one higher cost location.
I think Emily Blunt opposite Ian Nelson would be great to share the lead.
In the First Act – Laura gets dumped by her sure thing boyfriend, so she gets a sexy AI robot to get the perfect lover without any baggage.
Second Act – On top of the robot’s AI, stumbling across its human doppelganger adds several layers of confusion to Laura’s life.
Third Act – With that, the affair being unsustainable, totally evaporates.
In the end, Laura resigns herself to the fact that it’s not gonna happen. But oh what’s this out of left field? A white knight?
I haven’t been writing very long, but with a consider rating and a high concept, my first success could come from you. Then I could use your name in my next pitch.
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Subject Line: Michael Aiden Christopher, Query Letter
What I learned doing this lesson is, the simple hook is king and every aspect of selling a script comes back to that.
Title: THE PERFECT LOVER
Laura found the perfect lover, but it took two guys to make one.
Laura had it easy, she’s on a glide path with her childhood sweetheart, until she learns he’s burning both ends of the candle. So she decides to give up relationships, well at least the talking part of it.
Then a friend tunes her in to a new kind of designer robot that’s the greatest thing since sliced bread and she goes for it, welcome to the world, Rusty.
Problem solved, but not so fast, she bumps into the robot’s real doppelganger, Russel. But in time a logical explanation surfaces, and cracks form in her no relationship vow. Considering she didn’t want a relationship anymore, she sure has her hands full. Of course it ends up frustrating the hell out of Russel having to compete with a doppelganger robot and it ends up blowing the whole affair up.
Lesson learned, you can’t force love. So to keep her sanity, she falls back on her other love, working with horses. What better environment for a white knight to come riding in?
If my concept suits you, I’d be happy to send you the script.
BIO: My style is outside the box, instead of contests, I worked with a development person at the Page Awards and earned a consider rating on my script. As far as writing a story about the perfect lover goes, I’m spending my whole life trying to find it.
Michael Aiden Christopher
631-405-8938
PO Box 1090
Aquebogue NY 11931
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Subject Line: Michael Christopher, Synopsis Hooks
Title: THE PERFECT LOVER
Written by Michael Aiden Christopher
Genre: Romantic Comedy
What I learned doing this assignment is, tying in hooks to the synopsis makes it fun to read and really pop without slowing the read down with too many details.
Laura had it easy, she’s on a glide path with her childhood sweetheart, until she learns he’s burning both ends of the candle.
She decides to give up relationships, well at least the talking part of it.
Then a friend tunes her in to a new kind of designer robot that’s the greatest thing since sliced bread and she goes for it, welcome to the world, Rusty.
Problem solved, but not so fast, she bumps into the robot’s real doppelganger, Russel. But in time a logical explanation surfaces, and cracks form in her no relationship vow.
Considering she didn’t want a relationship anymore, she sure has her hands full. Of course it ends up frustrating the hell out of Russel having to compete with a doppelganger robot and it ends up blowing the whole affair up.
Lesson learned, you can’t force love. So to keep her sanity, she falls back on her other love, working with horses.
What better environment for a white knight to come riding in?
My COM list: Timely, great title, ultimate, wide appeal, similar to successes, great role for actor.
My MIT list: Turning points, emotional dilemma,
major twists, character betrayals, big surprises. -
Subject Line: Michael Christopher, High Concept/Elevator Pitch
What I learned doing this assignment is, the greatest story in the world could get passed on if it isn’t pitched in a brief, powerful and interesting way.
I’m writing a story called “The Perfect Lover” about a woman who takes the low road to fill her need by getting a sexed up robot who matches her view of the sexiest man alive.
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Subject Line: Michael Christopher, 10 Most Interesting Things
What I learned from this assignment is, how to point-out interesting hooks without telling it like a story.
A woman gets an engaging and sexually capable robot to deal with being soured on relationships. The robot’s AI seems to disrupt every facet of her life. Then she proceeds to break all her own rules and gets involved with the robots accidental human doppelganger.
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Subject Line: Michael Christopher, Producer/Manager
To a producer I would say – I developed the project through a series of feedback and I’m looking forward to working with you to make this timely high concept appeal to the widest audience.
To a manager I would say – I’ve got a few high concept projects going, that’s the way my imagination works. Through feedback my imagination’s been taken different places too, and it’s worked well for me, taking the project to a higher level.
What I learned today is, in between the process of getting from point A to B, is consideration and flexibility.
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Components of marketability, timely and a great role for a bankable actor.
What I learned doing this assignment is, having strong marketable components makes it rise above the noise.
A woman who fails at relationships gets a robot lover to solve her problem, but instead of a quick fix, his antics takes her on a journey she never imagined.
Yea, there are great robots out there, but this one is a man for all occasions and would be on the cover of the magazine posting the sexiest man alive.
It not only has a strong female lead, but also a strong male lead with a doppelganger to be played by the same actor.
Michael Christopher
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I have a completed romantic comedy called “The Perfect Lover” about a woman who gets a robot lover after real relationship ends unexpectedly.
The most attractive aspect is how the sophisticated AI robot takes her through unexpected situations. My target is streaming platforms, the script has a fair amount of complexity and will appeal to a general audience, with a mix of comedy, drama and emotion.
I learned today, getting a movie picked up is way more involved than just putting it out there.
Michael Christopher
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Michael Christopher
I agree to the terms of this release form
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Hi, I’m Michael Christopher, I started writing late in life, it’s only been 11 yrs. now, so I’m playing catch-up. I have 2 and a half scripts and I hope to learn the skills to make them get noticed.
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Thanks Cassie I’ll keep that in mind. Lately I’m trying to go back to what I wrote and imagine someone else reading it to see if it’s clear what I’m trying to say.
Michael Christopher
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Hi Joy, in my experience feedback is the way to go, contests can be difficult if you’re outside of the standard format, again in my experience. I’ve been working with The Page Awards for feedback, and staying with the reader I found compatible there, you may need to try a few. Also, the administrator Zoe is a very caring and helpful friend you will find there too.
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Thank you too Kathleen, everyone has written so may nice things about it, I’m on a high from it.
Michael Christopher
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Thanks Joy, and yes it was deliberate to show there’s a white knight but at the same time to suggest it’s a surprise.
Michael Christopher
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Hi Constance, I read your Q-letter. We have things in common, similar stories and a wacky sense of humor. Sounds good to me!
Michael Christopher
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Thanks Constance
I like your suggestions, I pasted them into my notes for the next draft I’ll actual send to producers.
Michael Christopher
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Sorry Heather, I wrote Resolution instead of Absolution.
Would you consider changing your title? No, just kidding!
Michael Christopher
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To Heather Hood
So happy you liked my story, and thanks for such a well written critique.
I liked your story too, very strong hook dilemmas all the way through it. You also managed to squeeze in some intrigue in the Vatican reference. Your question in the end is especially strong, it’s something that hits home for me every day.
The only thing I would suggest is, instead of stating, “that’s the opening scene”, maybe change to, “you don’t have to imagine, as it happens in Resolution”, and then the rest as you wrote.
Good Luck
Michael Christopher
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Hi Walter, I haven’t been reading any of the posts, I’m too busy writing my other scripts. But I checked yours and found it very deep, complex and interesting. That’s what it’s gonna take today. Good luck to you!
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Hi Walter, I just noticed you replied, thanks, you gave me real confidence boost.