Mark Abel
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Mark Abel’s Marketing Campaign
What I learned doing this assignment is…
This lesson — and course — showed me multiple avenues to take for this aspect of the profession, which is a much more complete plan of attack than only writing query letters.
Extremely helpful course! Thank you, Croasmuns!
1. Marketing Campaign #7: Building Your Network
2. List of Actions:
-Contact friends with industry connections to find student or upcoming filmmakers interested in producing a short script for their sample reels (translating to a produced work credit for me)
-Reach out to those contacts for networking and interest
-Send the short script for their consideration
-If successful, include short film in portfolio
3. First Action:
-Revise query letters
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Mark Abel’s Query Letter Draft TWO
What I learned doing this assignment is…
Improvement through networking comes from receiving feedback but more comes from providing it
Title: ESCAPEGOAT
Genre: Thriller
Dear Development Executive,
What if the world’s greatest escape artist met inescapable circumstances?
Exiled to military service at a remote outpost following the death of his entire audience in a theater fire, reckless illusionist Felix Fleming’s convoy suffers an attack by Tuareg smugglers that strands him in the desert.
After a fortnight of ambling through hell haunted by inner demons, Felix rejects his infamous name. Facing certain death, he finds rescue at a secret oasis known as Zerzura, only to discover a power-mad sultan has enslaved its people to a crude gold mining operation.
Now Felix must confront his past and reclaim his identity to liberate the slaves before the sultan closes in…
Constant misdirection. Questionable allies. His own blinding guilt. This escape is going to require far more than magic.
If you’d like to have a look at the complete script, please let me know. Many thanks for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Mark Abel
(XXX)XXX-XXXX
BIO: Mark Abel’s scripts placed in the top 15% of both the Austin and Nicholl screenwriting contests for the past two years and he has first-hand experience failing as a magician.
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Mark Abel’s Query Letter Draft ONE
What I learned doing this assignment is…
[n/a]
Title: ESCAPEGOAT
Genre: Thriller
Dear Development Executive,
What if the world’s greatest escape artist met inescapable circumstances?
Exiled to military service at a remote outpost following the death of his entire audience in a theater fire, reckless illusionist Felix Fleming’s convoy suffers an attack by Tuareg smugglers that strands him in the desert.
After a fortnight of ambling through hell, he rejects his name and finds rescue at a secret oasis known as Zerzura, only to discover a power-mad sultan has enslaved its people to a crude gold mining operation.
Now Felix must confront his past and reclaim his identity to liberate the slaves before the sultan closes in…
Constant misdirection. Questionable allies. His own blinding guilt. This escape is going to require far more than magic.
If you’d like to have a look at the complete script, please let me know. Many thanks for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Mark Abel
(XXX)XXX-XXXX
BIO: Mark Abel’s scripts placed in the top 15% of both the Austin and Nicholl screenwriting contests for the past two years and he has first-hand experience failing as a magician.
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Mark Abel’s Target Market
What I learned doing this assignment is…
I need more industry connections.
ESCAPEGOAT
Adventure/Thriller
Exiled after his entire audience dies in a theater fire, a reckless escape artist can only alleviate his guilt by solving the ultimate trap within a mysterious, lost oasis
COMPS
-Three Kings
-Now You See Me
-Pirates of the Caribbean
-Sahara
-The Prestige
-Hidalgo
ACTORS/ACTRESSES
-Oscar Isaac, Dylan O’Brien, Timothee Chalamet
-Saoirse Ronan, Vanessa Kirby
-Dev Patel
-Essam Ferris
-Hamzah Saman
COMPS’ PRODUCERS (22)
Three Kings
Director: David O’Russell
Producers: Paul Junger Witt, Edward L. McDonnell, Charles Roven
Her
Megan Ellison, Spike Jonze, Vincent Landay
American Hustle
Jonathan Gordon, Richard Suckle
Now You See Me 1&2
Directors: Louis Letterrier (1), Jon M. Chu (2)
Producers: Bobby Cohen, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci (1&2)
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
Director: Joachim Ronning
Producer: Jerry Bruckheimer
Sahara
Director: Breck Eisner
Producers: Stephanie Austin, Howard Baldwin, Karen Elise Baldwin, Mace Neufeld
The Last Witch Hunter
Mark Canton, Bernie Goldmann
The Prestige
Director: Christopher Nolan
Producer: Aaron Ryder, Emma Thomas
Interstellar
Lynda Obst
Hidalgo
Director: Joe Johnston
Producer: Casey Silver
ACTORS’/ACTRESSES’ PRODUCERS (36)
Oscar Isaac
Ex Machina
Andrew MacDonald, Allon Reich
A Most Violent Year
J.C. Chandor, Neal Dodson
Dylan O’Brien
Love and Monsters
Dan Cohen, Shawn Levy
Bumblebee
Tom DeSanto
Maze Runner: The Death Cure
Wes Ball, Marty Bowen
American Assassin
Lorenzo D. Bonaventura, Nick Wechsler
Timothee Chalamet
Dune
Cale Boyter, Joseph Caracciolo, Jr.
Beautiful Boy
Luke Davies, Felix van Groeningan
Hostiles
Scott Cooper, Ken Kao
Saoirse Ronan
Hanna
Marty Adelstein, Leslie Holleran
Vanessa Kirby
Everest
Nicky Kentish Barnes, Tim Bevan
Jupiter Ascending
Grant Hill
Dev Patel
Chappie
Simon Kinberg
The Last Airbender
Frank Marshall, Sam Mercer
Slumdog Millionaire
Christian Colson
Essam Ferris
American Terrorist
Charles Kopelson, John Buffalo Mailer
The Mercenary
Don Hollingshead
Hamzah Saman
Aladdin
Jonathan Eirich, Dan Lin
X-Men: Apocalypse
Hutch Parker
Escape Plan
Robbie Brenner, Remington Chase, Randall Emmett, Kevin King Templeton
(58 – total)
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Mark Abel’s Phone Pitch
What I learned from this lesson is…
Without a properly organized phone script, this type of pitching would be an otherwise intimidating task. Having this tool at my disposal will both expand my target list and lead to more direct pitching opportunities.
1. Lead with a High Concept
2. “Hi there! My name is Mark Abel. I have a feature spec that places the world’s greatest escape artist in inescapable circumstances. May I run its quickpitch by you?”
(hold for permission)
“A famous escape artist — blamed and exiled for the accidental death of his audience during a performance — finds rescue at a remote desert oasis, only to discover a power-mad sultan has enslaved its people to a crude gold mining operation. Now the magician must call upon all his skills and experience to confront his past, defeat the sultan, and liberate the slaves.”
3. Questions the producer may ask:
What’s the budget range?
Mid to mid-High (>$75 million)
Who do you see in the main roles?
An Oscar Isaac or Timothee Chalamet-type (Felix), Vanessa Kirby (Chantelle), [Dev Patel (Sultan Ghalib), Essam Ferris or Hamzah Saman (Sultan Azazel)]
How many pages is the script?
It clocks in at a nice, lean 98 pages.
Who else has seen this?
(Reference prior submissions, or –) I’d be thrilled if you were the first producer to give it a look.
Why do you think this fits our company?
I’m a huge fan of the movie (producer’s title here) and believe ESCAPEGOAT could deliver comparable success.
How does the movie end?
Trapped with no way out, the thrills and adventure reach a fever pitch when Felix discovers his ally is actually the real sultan, hellbent on amputating his hands for theft. Worse, a unique second twist reveals the magician is caught up in an illusion of his own design. Only when Felix refuses to become the scapegoat and acknowledges the scope of his responsibility does he emerge to save his audience, reinvent his relationship with his crew, and complete the illusion.
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Mark Abel’s Pitch Fest Pitch
What I learned doing this assignment is…
How to collect and present the most critical components of my pitch.
“Hi, I’m Mark Abel, a published author and screenwriter whose scripts placed in the top 15% of the Austin and Nicholl for the past two years. Today I have a Thriller called ESCAPEGOAT. (light pause) It explores the question, what if the world’s greatest escape artist met inescapable circumstances?”
What is the budget range?
Mid to High
What actors do you like for the lead roles?
Oscar Isaac or Dylan O’Brien (Felix), Saoirse Ronan (Chantelle), Dev Patel (Sultan Ghalib), Essam Ferris or Hamzah Saman (Sultan Azazel)
Give me the acts of the story.
Act I – World-famous but reckless illusionist Felix Fleming is someone who never accepts responsibility. For anything. Not even when his water tank escape goes off the rails and kills his audience in a theater fire. En route to serve his sentence at a remote military outpost in the Sahara in light of his talents, an attack on his convoy leaves him stranded in the desert.
Act II – At the brink of his own death two weeks later, a woman named Chantelle and two guards rescue Felix. He awakens in a beautiful, modern, and deserted oasis called Zerzura. Here, he meets a tyrannical sultan who has enslaved its people to a crude gold mining operation.
Act III – Felix, Chantelle, and the two guards destroy the cruel sultan and his mines only to discover the true sultan and his army have been watching all along and have them surrounded.
How does it end? (setup/payoff).
The sultan kills Chantelle and the guards, then amputates Felix’s hands. He finally welds the magician into a doorless cage and blames him for the hard labor now required to restore the mines. (setup)
But the theater fire is actually a part of an elaborate illusion designed by Felix and the oasis is a “fainting dream” he experiences while passed out in the tank. Finally accepting responsibility, Felix regains consciousness, emerges from the tank, and “saves” his audience. He also regains the trust of his staff, all of whom have appeared as characters in the fantasy, avatars of his guilty conscience. (payoff)
Credibility questions: what have you done?
I’ve placed in several literary and screenwriting contests and have a novel in print (CATSEAR, 2015). I have multiple spec scripts readily available — including features, short films, animation, and television pilots.
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Mark Abel’s Query Letter
What I learned doing this assignment is…
Options for structuring my bio in a concise manner, turning shortcomings into positive selling points.
Title: ESCAPEGOAT
Genre: Thriller
Dear Development Executive,
What if the world’s greatest escape artist met inescapable circumstances?
Such confinement had to be found for Felix Fleming, the reckless illusionist responsible for the death of his entire audience in a theater fire. And the solution was military service at a remote outpost — until his convoy suffers an attack by Tuareg smugglers that strands him in the desert.
After a fortnight of ambling through hell, he finds rescue at a secret oasis known as Zerzura, only to discover a power-mad sultan has enslaved its people to a crude gold mining operation using fear, lies, and scapegoating.
Now Felix must confront his past and reclaim his identity to liberate the slaves before the sultan closes in…
Constant misdirection. Questionable allies. His own blinding guilt. This escape is going to require far more than magic.
If you’d like to have a look at the complete script, please let me know. Many thanks for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Mark Abel
(XXX)XXX-XXXX
BIO: Mark Abel’s scripts placed in the top 15% of both the Austin and Nicholl screenwriting contests for the past two years and has first-hand experience failing as a magician.
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Mark Abel’s Synopsis Hooks
What I learned doing this assignment is…
A method for distilling the most compelling elements of my story into a more engaging synopsis.
SYNOPSIS FIRST DRAFT:
What if the world’s greatest escape artist met inescapable circumstances?
That’s what had to be found for Felix Fleming, the reckless illusionist responsible for the death of his entire audience in a theater fire. And the solution seemed to be military service at a remote outpost — until his convoy suffers an attack by Tuareg smugglers that strands him in the desert.
After a fortnight of ambling through hell, he finds rescue at a secret oasis known as Zerzura, only to discover a power-mad sultan has enslaved its people to a crude gold mining operation.
Despite resolving to liberate the slaves, fears of the outsider turn this refuge into a lethal trap as the sultan closes in. And none of Felix’s skills or experience will save them if he can’t see through the overwhelming obstacles.
Constant misdirection. Questionable allies. His own blinding guilt. This escape is going to require far more than magic.
HOOKS USED:
What if the world’s greatest escape artist met inescapable circumstances? (COM)
A famous escape artist — blamed and exiled for the accidental death of his audience during a performance (MOT) — finds rescue at a remote desert oasis, (MOT) only to discover a power-mad sultan has enslaved its people to a crude gold mining operation. (MOT) Now the magician must call upon all his skills and experience to confront his past, defeat the sultan, and liberate the slaves. (MOT)
Our guilt is relieved when we stop blaming others. (COM)
A disgraced illusionist wanders the desert chasing mirages. (COM)
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Mark Abel’s High Concept/Elevator Pitch
What I learned from doing this assignment is…
I’ve typically written longer Elevator Pitches (about 30 seconds), so it’s great to have a more condensed version available.
High Concept:
A disgraced illusionist wanders the desert chasing mirages
Elevator Pitch:
“I’m finishing up a story that answers the question, what if the world’s greatest escape artist met inescapable circumstances?”
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Mark Abel’s 10 Most Interesting Things
What I learned from doing this assignment is…
Highlighting the most interesting script elements will lead to a more engaging and attractive pitch
What is most unique about your villain and hero? The hero is deliberately mislead about the villain’s identity, concealing him until the end
Major hook of your opening scene? The world’s greatest escape artist’s reckless behaviour leads to the death of his entire audience in a theater fire from which he’s ironically kept safe
Any turning points? -He reaches the brink of death in the desert but discovers the oasis. -He finds the woman who saved him, but she leads him back into danger. -He destroys the gold mine, but it only makes things worse
Emotional dilemma? Should he escape at the next opportunity? Or save the woman who saved him?
Major twists? The Mentor “helping” Felix was the Villain all along
Reversals? The beautiful oasis rehabilitating Felix is a front for a crude and brutal mining operation run by slaves under the sultan’s control
Character betrayals? The guards Felix recruits betray him to the real sultan
Diverse, inclusive cast of well-defined and uniquely voiced characters
Magic featured from start to finish with the hero generating illusions on both sides of the screen
Elegant Theme: Our guilt is relieved when we stop blaming others
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Mark Abel’s Producer/Manager
How would you present yourself and your project to the Producer?
I would pitch ESCAPEGOAT with emphasis on the project’s concepts, estimated budget, actor bait, audience appeal, and marketability based on their produced films, in addition to myself as a flexible professional who is easy to work with.
How would you present yourself and your project to the Manager?
I would pitch ESCAPEGOAT as one project among many available scripts, treatments, and loglines with emphasis on myself as a solid, collaborative writer with specific strengths and unlimited ideas interested in rewrites, selling specs, and completing any other paid writing assignments.
What I learned today is…
Although I was already familiar with the differences between producers and managers, this assignment helped me better separate one long pitch into two focused pitches.
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Mark Abel’s Marketable Components
What I learned doing this assignment is…
I ended up applying all ten Components of Marketability to ESCAPEGOAT and gained a more clear picture of the project and its selling points
Logline: Exiled after his entire audience dies in a theater fire, a reckless escape artist can only alleviate his guilt by solving the ultimate trap within a mysterious, lost oasis
D. Timely — connected to some major trend or event – The story puts scapegoating in a modern context then illustrates how our guilt is relieved once we stop blaming others
F. Ultimate – What if the world’s greatest escape artist was thrown into inescapable circumstances?
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Mark Abel’s Project and Market
1. Genre: Action/Adventure, Lost/Hidden Worlds, Thriller
Title: ESCAPEGOAT
Concept: A world-famous but reckless escape artist, exiled for the death of his audience in a theater fire, can only reform his blame-casting ways by wresting control of a hidden oasis from the power-mad sultan controlling its secrets
2. Beyond its exciting set pieces, exotic locales, and twist ending, ESCAPEGOAT is a beautiful lesson in accepting responsibility packed with jaw-dropping magic and intrigue
3. I intend to target managers first as I believe they’re better equipped to get the script in front of producers and others — but I also research studios and filmmakers to discover those with projects similar to my own
4. I’ve learned that it’s better to deliver a clear concept than a detailed “book report”
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Mark Abel
“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.
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Hi there, my name is Mark Abel. I’ve written six novels, more short stories than I can recall, and am currently finishing my 6th and 7th screenplays in tandem. I hope that learning the business aspect of the industry will help secure representation to submit my work. Apart from writing, I’m a piano teacher and concert recitalist. I also appear to be, like, the fourth Mark on this list. Howdy, Marks! Howdy y’all!
:0)
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This reply was modified 3 years, 7 months ago by Mark Abel.
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This reply was modified 3 years, 7 months ago by
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Thanks, Cara! It was actually the first thing I thought of and it inspired/informed the whole script. Best of luck with Imitation of a Poet — also an amazing title! Btw, not sure if you’d find this helpful for your letter, but see if you can summarize each act in one sentence. Maybe two for the second act since it’s twice as long. Sure, more detail could be required, but the exercise might yield a really distilled summary of your screenplay. Thanks again! –Mark
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Thanks for the feedback, Phyllis! I agree — a bit too general. Will adjust. Much appreciated!
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Hi Leland —
Great query! Concise, presents the main character and what she’ll be coming up against, and reveals its genre. I was left with two fairly big questions after reading it, though:
1. If “Jane” is the heroine, will “Dick” be an ally or the villain? Neither? Both?
2. Beyond the life-threatening challenges laid out before her, what really stands in the way of someone this competent in dealing with terrible danger? This jumped out to me because I had to answer the same question with my own script. The hero is the hero for good reasons, but perhaps include something that would make the reader believe even someone this capable could still fail — something she overlooked, or an Achilles’ heel-type character flaw, maybe.
Good luck!
-Mark
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Thanks for the reply, Phyllis!