Linda Anderson
Forum Replies Created
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Linda Anderson’s High Concept/Elevator Pitch
What I learned doing this assignment is it took discipline not to veer from selling the sizzle into telling details of the story.
Main Hook
The parallel journeys and empathy between an ex-cop with PTSD and broken-spirited abandoned dog make them the only ones who can save each other’s lives. Adapted from my New York Times bestseller.
Elevator Pitch
Destiny Dog is adapted from a New York Times bestselling memoir and appeals to the 61.5 million American homes with dogs. After writing a multi-national series of books about animals, my husband, Allen, and I co-wrote A Dog Named Leaf. It answers questions many pet owners have: Why this dog? Why now? Audiences worldwide were inspired by The Art of Racing in the Rain, A Dog’s Purpose, and Marley & Me, but events in our true story aren’t fictional. They really happened. This gritty, bighearted screenplay shows Allen’s and Leaf’s parallel journey of agony, empathy, and a sixth-sense that make them the only ones who can heal each other. A world-class animal trainer, who worked with Martin Scorsese on Hugo and trained the dogs for Max, read my script and would love to supervise animal action in the film.
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Linda Anderson’s High Concept/Elevator Pitch
What I learned doing this assignment is it took discipline not to veer from selling the sizzle into telling details of the story.
Main Hook
The parallel journeys and empathy between an ex-cop with PTSD and broken-spirited abandoned dog make them the only ones who can save each other’s lives. Adapted from my New York Times bestseller.
Elevator Pitch
Destiny Dog is adapted from a New York Times bestselling memoir and appeals to the 61.5 million American homes with dogs. After writing a multi-national series of books about animals, my husband, Allen, and I co-wrote A Dog Named Leaf. It answers questions many pet owners have: Why this dog? Why now? Audiences worldwide were inspired by The Art of Racing in the Rain, A Dog’s Purpose, and Marley & Me, but events in our true story aren’t fictional. They really happened. This gritty, bighearted screenplay shows Allen’s and Leaf’s parallel journey of agony, empathy, and a sixth-sense that make them the only ones who can heal each other. A world-class animal trainer, who worked with Martin Scorsese on Hugo and trained the dogs for Max, read my script and would love to supervise animal action in the film.
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10 Most Interesting Things
1. The protagonist, Allen, is an ex-cop with first-responder PTSD due to facing constant danger on a brutal beat and his underlying wound of an abusive father who hated him. After eight years of police work, he moves to Minneapolis and becomes co-author with his wife, Linda, of popular animal books sold around the world.
2. The antagonist, Leaf, is an adorable looking, intelligent cocker spaniel with secrets and a sixth sense that tunes him into people in unexpected ways. Abandonment and abuse have resulted in severe emotional wounds that make him fear-aggressive with a hard time trusting anyone. He turns Allen and Linda’s home into a war zone.
3. Shortly after adopting Leaf, Allen is suddenly diagnosed with two life-threatening medical crises that that could kill him instantly (just like his police work). He’s forced to confront his mortality and need for support from Linda and Leaf.
4. A neighbor reports Leaf to animal control as a vicious dog, Leaf’s new groomer doesn’t want to give him another appointment because he snapped at her, and he doesn’t show affection to Linda as she tries to deal with Allen’s and his crises.
5. On top of all the traumas they face, Allen and Linda have a new book to promote in the media and bookstore events and a contract for a next book that’s due to their editor within months.
6. Allen has promised to always keep Leaf safe with a forever home. Now he doesn’t know if he’ll survive his medical crises. His low self-confidence fuels feelings of inadequacy. His PTSD gets worse.
7. Leaf is plagued by terror of being left again, of being touched by people he doesn’t know or trust, and an over-the-top need to be alpha dog. He has to protect himself at dogpark and defend his new home turf. His nightmares and fear-aggression increases.
8. Allen resists fears of being an invalid like his father who had a stroke that disabled him for the rest of his life. His insistence on not sharing his feelings causes strains and rifts in his marriage. He makes self-destructive decisions that cause even more trauma for Linda. She submerges her needs and devotes herself to keeping Allen alive even as he pushes her away, leading to a growing sense of isolation, frustration, and self-doubt.
9. Allen starts to recognize Leaf’s heightened senses, sentience, and perception. Leaf sees and know things others can’t and that no one would expect from “only a dog.” In a major pivot point, Allen talks about a nightmare that predicts he won’t ever have a ticket to “The Building of Life.” Leaf acts out of intuitiveness, love, and empathy to mysteriously reassure Allen’s survival.
10. Leaf and Allen came together at exactly the right time in their lives with such similar emotional issues and past traumas that they “get” each other in ways no one else can. They share an empathy that grows even as they punch each other’s buttons in a push-pull relationship that grows into a deep bond of love and friendship.
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Linda Anderson’s Producer/Manager
What I learned today is that it was good differentiating how to uniquely and specifically approach producers and managers.
Pitch to Producers
I’d emphasize to producers:
1) the established audience for genres of my spec script and the unique reasons I’m pitching it to this manager due to his/her background,
2) my previous personal (book-buyers) and the general large platform (established audience) showing international appeal for the movie’s subject matter,
3) the bestselling, award-winning IP material I own the rights to that this screenplay adapts,
4) the challenging but award-attracting roles for actors and directors who have an affinity for the screenplay’s themes,
5) the recent high-grossing movies in my script’s genre,
6) the fascinating twist my screenplay gives to plot and characters in other movies with this genre and subject matter,
7) my writing and literary manager experience with the business aspects of selling original material
8) my professional contacts and network of service providers who specialize in working with the type of talent required for this screenplay
Pitch to Managers
I’d emphasize with managers:
1) all of the above (shortened),
2) short section on other projects I’m developing for film and television through my ScreenwritingU courses that include a contained script, feature films, and a television series,
3) my writing career goals that include whatever it takes to get this movie produced and distributed and paid writing assignments, especially IP book adaptations into biopics,
4) my appreciation for the collaborative process which includes paying for coverage several times on drafts of this screenplay, coursework with feedback, and produced stage plays with notes from directors and actors.
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Linda’s Marketable Components
What I learned doing this assignment is that I loved doing it. I’m continuing to go through all the components to see how they can elevate the pitch and/or synopsis.
Current Logline:
In a big-hearted but gritty journey, two beings with deep emotional wounds—an ex-cop and abandoned dog–meet at exactly the right time to save each other’s lives. Based on the true story in a New York Times bestselling book.
Components–A. Unique & D. Timely–connected to some major trend or event.
Elevated Pitch: The events of this story happened in 2006 Minneapolis, long before George Floyd. It shows a twist to the discussions on unwarranted police brutality—the long-term effects of facing constant danger for a first-responder working a high-crime beat.
Components–C. True and G. Wide audience appeal.
Elevated Pitch: Showing the emotional wounds shared by a troubled man and an abandoned/abused dog broadens the relatability of this true story when their deep understanding and empathy motivate them to heal and save each other’s lives.
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Linda’s Project and Market
What I learned today is this exercise pushed my vistas about what I thought was possible.
Genre: Biopic
Title: Ticket to Life
Concept: What if a troubled ex-cop and an abandoned dog have such similar wounds that they heal each other in ways beyond belief? Adapted from my NYT bestseller.
Most attractive about the story.
NYT bestseller should help. It’s a true story of parallel experiences—both an ex-cop and a rescue dog have PTSD – and the power of their love and understanding. The story opens new vistas beyond what is usually thought possible in relationships, healing, and communication between humans and animals.
Target FIRST:
At this point it’s an actor’s production company. The actors I have in mind for the two lead roles are A-list and publicly devoted to caring for rescued animals. I think they’ll get this story. They’re the right age and both of them have production companies.
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Hi, my name is Linda Anderson.
I’ve written 4 scripts.
My latest script has gone through many drafts with coverage and every day, learning new ways to improve it. I hope to pull together marketing materials that will launch the filmmaking and help me get the script to people who share its vision.
I wrote a series of books about animals and people loving and healing each other.
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Linda Anderson
I agree to the terms of this release form.
GROUP RELEASE FORM
As a member of this group, I agree to the following:
1. That I will keep the processes, strategies, teleconferences, communications, lessons, and models of the class confidential, and that I will NOT share any of this program either privately, with a group, posting online, writing articles, through video or computer programming, or in any other way that would make those processes, teleconferences, communications, lessons, and models of the class available to anyone who is not a member of this class.
2. That each writer’s work here is copyrighted and that writer is the sole owner of that work. That includes this program which is copyrighted by Hal Croasmun. I acknowledge that submission of an idea to this group constitutes a claim of and the recognition of ownership of that idea.
I will keep the other writer’s ideas and writing confidential and will not share this information with anyone without the express written permission of the writer/owner. I will not market or even discuss this information with anyone outside this group.
3. I also understand that many stories and ideas are similar and/or have common themes and from time to time, two or more people can independently and simultaneously generate the same concept or movie idea.
4. If I have an idea that is the same as or very similar to another group member’s idea, I’ll immediately contact Hal and present proof that I had this idea prior to the beginning of the class. If Hal deems them to be the same idea or close enough to cause harm to either party, he’ll request both parties to present another concept for the class.
5. If you don’t present proof to Hal that you have the same idea as another person, you agree that all ideas presented to this group are the sole ownership of the person who presented them and you will not write or market another group member’s ideas.
6. Finally, I agree not to bring suit against anyone in this group for any reason, unless they use a substantial portion of my copyrighted work in a manner that is public and/or that prevents me from marketing my script by shopping it to production companies, agents, managers, actors, networks, studios or any other entertainment industry organizations or people.
This completes the Group Release Form for the class.