[Linda Granger]

LC Granger

Answer two questions:
1. How will you present yourself and your project to the producer?
– I would thank them for taking the time to meet.
– Award-winning script (it will be by the time I get to this phase)
– Give the 2-minute pitch
– Genre and budget are a match for their interests
– Any questions?
– When is it good for me to follow up?

2. How will you present yourself and your project to the manager?
– Thank them for taking the time to meet
– Let them know I’m a multi-time produced and published writer in various genres, name the more well-known works.
– Introduce them to my current project, and offer to give them the logline or 2-minute pitch.
– Let them know my current efforts to shop the project. (shows professionalism and passion)
– My goal with a Manager is: I’m looking to focus my efforts toward a successful career that keeps me working steadily.
– Thank them again
– Ask when I should follow up.

3. This lesson taught me: More about what a Manager does. I’ve never worked with a Manager and now I don’t know how I lived without a great manager in my career.

[Linda Granger]

LESSON #2: Marketable Components

LC Granger

What I learned: I did not know about the 10 Components! I was aware of several just based on marketing experience. It is great to have them all on a tidy list. 🙂 This was an eye-opener.

Pick one or two components and tell us how your script already fulfills them AND how you might highlight these two to elevate the pitch: I’ll take J (great role for bankable actors). A, C, and E also fit, but J makes or breaks distribution potential.

J: GREAT ROLE FOR BANKABLE ACTORS
The Father’s (ex-preacher to attorney) role has an incredible arc. The ex-wife/Mother’s (bi-polar theatre-major to preacher’s wife to a born-again missionary) role is equally powerful and sometimes hilarious as she continuously spurs the father on his path. After numerous court battles Father prevails. The boys choose to live with their father and the ex-wife never stops her insidious undermining. The boys never bond with their father because of this. Father died at 56, on Father’s Day of that year. His court battles were one of 20 international cases taken to the Hague as foundational cases to create international law to repatriate children to their parents in their country of origin. Father never knew this.

What is my current Log Line? (I didn’t have one until just now)
A father arrives to pick up his sons for a weekend visitation only to find the house empty. The pursuit of his two stolen sons slingshots him through life-altering experiences and inadvertently changes the world for the better.
(This sounds like a Marvel plot. I’m adding Ryan Reynolds to my shortlist.)

[Linda Granger]

LESSON #1 Assignment

LC Granger

Genre: Inspirational Courtroom Docu-drama

Working Title: Project 1

Concept: A preacher becomes an attorney in a battle to find his sons.

Most Attractive: It’s a powerful, true story (I own the rights), that helped change international law. It reminds us that no matter what we face, it can be overcome, and may improve the world.

First to Contact: Actor’s agents/production companies. I have a short list of A-list actors. Their interest will change the budget.

Today’s Learning: Turn in my #$%^ assignments. This class is a reminder of why, after so many years, I still return to SU. The training is made for me and I’m so grateful.

[Linda Granger]

LC Granger: I agree to the terms of this agreement:
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.

[Linda Granger]

Hello everyone. I’ve written over 20 scripts for almost all genres: no porn (is that even scripted?), or horror/hack & slash); some were sold, and a few were produced, to no great acclaim. I want to change that. I LOVE learning new techniques and ways of looking at the work at hand. SU consistently provides that. The odd thing about me is that I enjoy editing scripts in hardcopy – on flights. It’s wonderfully isolating and generally has no interruptions. Wow. I don’t think I’ve told anyone that before! YES, the geezer going old-school a few rows away could be me. Hahahaha