[Rita Marcotte]

Lesson 5 – Hooks

What I learned doing this assignment is to stay focused on the hooks as they carry the synopsis and story forward.

Hooks –

A romantically changed woman SW lies to mother about bringing home a boyfriend for Christmas.

SW (single woman) loses big pitch to CW (co-worker).

SW cons grinchy CW to go home with her for a small-town Christmas.

SW strikes a deal with CW to pose as her bf for Christmas in exchange for her help with the lucrative pitch.

SW realizes she has feelings for CW, who just happens to be an ex-boyfriend.

SW realizes she has feeling for HSS (high school sweetheart)

As bond grows stronger between SW and CW, they decide to keep it professional.

CW goes back to the big city.

With the CW gone, SW has a chance to explore feelings for HSS.

CW returns to the small town to give his pitch to the big boss and clients.

CW pitch jeopardizes HSS business.

After a heated debate, a snowstorm strands everyone in the small town.

SW sketches out a plan. Distraught, she goes home, thinking everyone hates her.

Next day, CW shows up at Christmas Eve Festival and says her plan worked. CW and HSS tweaked her proposal and the client loved it. SW and CW received promotions. HSS business was saved and on the path for expansion.

CW, thinking SW is in love with HSS, goes back to NYC.

SW realizes she is in love with CW and he is her real Christmas Boyfriend.

First Draft Synopsis –

As Christmas nears, Samantha dreads the annual ‘Are you dating anyone?’ interrogation from her mother. When this year’s inquisition starts, Samantha snaps and claims to be in a relationship. To save face, Samantha strikes a deal with her grinchy, big-city, office rival, Nick, to pose as her boyfriend for a small-town Christmas celebration. In exchange, Samantha offers to help Nick prepare a lucrative business proposal.

Sparks ignite while Samantha helps Nick discover his Christmas spirit, but they keep it professional and suppress their developing feelings. To add to her confusion, Samantha realizes she still likes her former hometown sweetheart, Ben, who operates a local, financially struggling business.

With Nick’s proposal deadline looming, he returns to the city to stay focused on work and not be distracted by his growing affections for Samantha. In Nick’s absence, Samantha explores her unresolved feelings for Ben. As Samantha and Ben get reacquainted, Nick returns, elated with his finished business proposal. Nick’s elation is short-lived when everyone realizes his proposal inadvertently jeopardizes businesses in town and a heated exchange ensues between Samantha, Nick and Ben.

While Samantha mulls over her relationship with Nick and the potential damage caused by his proposal, she creates a pitch which could revitalize businesses in her hometown. Nick mistakenly believes Samantha is still in love with Ben and gallantly steps aside. Samantha is devastated as she believes Nick is the one for her. When Nick realizes his true feelings for Samantha, he returns to be her Christmas boyfriend.

[Rita Marcotte]

Rita’s 10 Most Interesting Things

What I learned doing this assignment is I need to make sure my A story is fully fleshed out.

A. What is most unique about your villain and hero?

Heroine – a woman unlucky in love suddenly has two men vying for her affections.

Villain (a choice) – heroine must choose between the two men.

B. Major hook of your opening scene?

After claiming she’s bringing home a nonexistent boyfriend for Christmas, heroine loses the most lucrative pitch of her firm to her co-worker.

C. Any turning points?

Heroine convinces co-worker to pose as her boyfriend for Christmas and in exchange she will help him with the lucrative proposal. The Christmas Boyfriend ruse begins…

D. Emotional dilemma?

As sparks fly, heroine and co-worker must decide whether to act on their feelings.

E. Major twists?

Heroine realizes she has unresolved feelings for her high school sweetheart.

F. Reversals?

1. To avoid distractions, co-worker returns to the city leaving heroine to explore her feelings with former sweetheart.

2. As heroine rekindles relationship with former sweetheart, co-worker returns with plans to pitch lucrative proposal in heroine’s hometown.

G. Character betrayals?

Co-worker’s lucrative pitch jeopardizes high school sweetheart’s struggling business and in turn risks her relationship with both men.

H. Or any big surprises?

Heroine inadvertently saves the day through her reworked pitch.

2. Make a list of any other things in your script that could interest a producer.

My Christmas Boyfriend is a family-friendly, Hallmark-inspired rom com.

This budget friendly screenplay has few locations and a limited cast.

[Rita Marcotte]

Rita Marcotte – Producer/Manager

1. How will you present yourself and your project to the producer?

After discussing the genre, logline and brief synopsis of my screenplay, I would focus on the monetary considerations and marketability of the finished movie. Since my script is a Hallmark inspired screenplay, budgets are usually a major concern. I would also discuss the following topics –

– Talent – characters are generically written giving flexibility on casting.

– Limited and basic locations (house, office, park, coffee shop) – reduces costs.

– Willing to brainstorm rewrites to lower costs for locations and/ or talent needs.

– Wide audience appeal – easier sell to a studio.

– Explore what studios/producers are looking for in screenplays.

– Inquire if producer has any project needs or wants.

– Offer other projects, if producer is interested.

2. How will you present yourself and your project to the manager?

After discussing the genre, logline and brief synopsis of my screenplay, I would focus on the development of the script. I would also discuss the following topics –

– Be open to suggestions for making my script more marketable.

– Review plot points which could benefit from more development.

– Budgetary requirements/limitations of the script.

– Discuss timeline expectations for rewrites and feedback.

– Explore what studios/producers are looking for in screenplays.

– Offer other projects, if manager is interested in accepting clients.

What I learned today is – be aware of your audience and target what their needs and wants are as they are ultimately the customer.

[Rita Marcotte]

Rita’s Marketable Components are a great title and wide audience appeal.

What I learned from this lesson is keep rewriting my loglines, there’s always room for improvement.

Current logline –

Hoping to appease her overbearing mother, a perpetually single woman strikes a deal with her grinchy office rival to pose as her boyfriend for Christmas, as sparks fly, she realizes she still has feelings for her high school sweetheart.

Components of Marketability

– Great Title

– Wide audience appeal.

Revised logline –

My Christmas Boyfriend is a family-friendly, rom-com about a perpetually single woman who hopes to appease her overbearing mom by striking a deal with her grinchy big-city office rival to pose as her boyfriend for a small-town Christmas celebration.

[Rita Marcotte]

As a member of this group, I, Rita Marcotte, 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.