[Seth Kuhn]

Seth Kuhn’s Specialty – Romantic Comedies

1. I will be specializing in romantic comedies.

2. I’m going to analyze The Cutting Edge and My Best Friend's Wedding

3. My Best Friend’s – Rom Com
Conventions:
Unfulfilled Desire: The Pact they made about getting married when they turned 28…they’re close.
Meet Cute: We hear about a romantic weekend they had, but really the Chicago O’Hare Airport when they first see each other is the meet cute.
Happy Together: Wrigley Field Club Box and Karaoke
Obstacles: Really she’s creating the obstacles in the plot. The first is the Job Offer that plants, taking Michael away from sports writing that he loves.
New Obstacles: George intro and “the email”
The Choice: Will she finally share that she loves him, or let him go and marry Kimmy? Will he choose her, if she does?
Crises: She says she loves him and kisses him. Kimmy sees it.
Epiphany: Michael should be with Kimmy, not Jules who is really there to say good-bye.
Resolution: Wedding, Wedding Reception, “their Song,” and George
Set Pieces: Chicago O’Hare Airport, Wrigley Field (multiple, including bathroom at the end), Boat on the River, Train Station, Extravagant Backyard of a Mansion

What I learned doing this assignment is that by specializing in a specific genre you can cultivate relationships with those specific directors that can continue on for decades, that you can work to be known as a specialist in that genre that those producers come back to time and time again. And that by specializing you’re separating yourself from the sea of competition. Also, I hadn’t thought through what the actual conventions are for a romantic comedy. I’m also starting to see that there a sub-types to genre; with My Best Friends Wedding, I would call it high concept, but then she’s also creating all of the obstacles which feels similar to How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and I’m sure other rom-coms.

• This reply was modified 1 year ago by  Seth Kuhn.

[Seth Kuhn]

ASSIGNMENT 1
What I learned doing this assignment is that it’s good to take stock (and keep tabs on) your “credibility” in terms of why a producer (or executive) should trust you, or why they should even give you 5 minutes for an elevator pitch. Furthermore, your credibility is ever growing and evolving and you should be intentional about it and have a strategy for how you will become so credible that you can get a meeting with anyone in Hollywood.

2-3 Things I can do within the next 30 Days:
See if I can still get credits for Gang Related and Little Women which I was a Post PA and Extra on.
Reach out to my IMDB connections and just touch base.
Make the first 5 pages of my 2 scripts as strong as possible.
Make a list of rom-com producers that I think would like Friday, We’re In Love
Make a list of smaller action adventure producers that I think would like Into the Revolution

1. Your Writing Sample
Friday, We’re In Love made it to the 2nd Round of AFF a couple of years ago and won a Silver Lei Award at the Honolulu Film Awards : ) (Only got a 4/10 on the Blacklist coverage but that was a few versions ago. Would like to resubmit after this next version)
Strong rom-com premise that delivers. A young married couple on the outs decides to try one more thing: What if they just loved each other on Fridays?
2 great lead roles

2. Screenwriting Accomplishments
2nd Rounder at the Austin Film Festival
Silver Lei Award at the Honolulu Film Awards
Wrote, directed, produced, and starred in a feature rom-com, Bounce Past. Here’s the trailer: https://vimeo.com/17714746

3. The Google factor
My IMDB and LinkedIn pages come up if you search “Seth Kuhn director” but there’s a soccer player of the same name who gets the listings for just “Seth Kuhn”

4. Your Network
I have a handful of smaller producers I’ve met through the years.
I also worked for a couple of months as a Post PA on a Fox show (Gang Related) which connects me to a few legit producers including Scott Rosenbaum and Ryan Degard (mayyybee Chris Morgan?)
I have a few friends from college who work in Locations and Post Production on legit TV shows

5. Education specific to screenwriting
BA in Theater and Dance, The University of Texas at Austin

6. Borrowed Credibility
I dated a girl in high school who was on Grey’s Anatomy and who now produces some of her own stuff and has a deal with Hallmark.

7. IMDB CREDITS
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3408263/
I made it “on screen” in Little Women (Greta Gerwig) as an extra, a Barman, but didn’t get credit on IMDB.
I worked as a Post Production Production Assistant on Gang Related but didn’t get credit on IMDB.

8. Other forms of credibility that is related to screenwriting:
Wrote, directed, and produced my own feature after college, Bounce Past.
Recently acted in a local production of Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None”

ASSIGNMENT 2
What I learned doing the 2nd part of Assignment 2 is that LinkedIn is a great network to connect with Producers in particular and as such, your LinkedIn profile should be showcasing you as a screenwriter and be highlighting your credibility as much as possible.

My LinkedIn Updates:
I added Writing as a Service
I updated my About but I’d like to revisit it given they give you 2600 characters.

Things I will do to improve my LinkedIn Profile:
-Ask 10 specific people to endorse me for screenwriting
-Add 2 Projects
-Add 2 Honors for my screenplay competition successes
-Add Education for SU and SF
-Start my list of rom-com and action-adventure Producers and see if they’re on LinkedIn and if I’m connected to them.
-Check that I’m connected to the current Producers I know on LinkedIn

• This reply was modified 1 year ago by  Seth Kuhn.

[Seth Kuhn]

Seth Kuhn’s Projects and Insights
3. The 2 scripts that I’m bringing to the table are Into the Revolution ($50M-$75M) and Friday We’re In Love ($10M-20M).
a. Into the Revolution is currently finished as a Pilot but I’ve always intended it to be a Feature and as it’s time travel / period, it seems that it would sell better as a Feature, anyway.
b. Friday We’re In Love is a completed romantic comedy, but I like to become an expert at action-adventure, even if romance is part of it (as it should always be : )
4. Listening to the opening teleconference, I learned that there are many more accessible “smaller” producers that have need for screenwriters to do writing assignments whether a rewrite of an existing script, an adaptation of some IP they’ve optioned, and/or to write a new script from an idea they have. In marketing yourself to these producers, you should take lengths to grow your reputation, putting in regular effort to do so, and you should focus on a genre and sub-genre, ultimately. Additionally, should you be able to engage with a given producer you should be prepared with a very strong writing sample in their genre and you should be prepared to give them your “take” which most likely involves a beat sheet or a treatment. Lastly, if you can really get this down, a writer can make a business out of this, having __ number of producers as customers/clients.

[Seth Kuhn]

1. Seth Kuhn

2. I’ve written 2 Screenplays and 1 Teleplay. One of my teleplays I made into a movie with a budget of $32,500 : )

3. In this class I hope to learn the mechanics of engaging with Producers for Writing Assignments, including what to ask for, how to structure it, how to respectfully negotiate a price, and how best to deliver.

4. I grew up as a latch-key kid in the suburbs of Boston with a single mom who worked in the City. I got shipped off to boarding school as a sophomore in high school after which I worked as a lifty at a ski resort in Maine before moving to Austin, TX where I ultimately got a Theater degree at the University of Texas at Austin. Did my prerequisite 2.5 years in L.A. after making my first feature, but ultimately retreated to Maine with my wife where I took a hiatus doing “software shows” selling ERP software. Quit that job at the end of 2023 (after 7 years) and am committed to writing full-time (while trading stocks to pay the bills). Look forward to working with y’all!

[Seth Kuhn]

I, Seth Kuhn, 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 reply was modified 1 year, 1 month ago by  Seth Kuhn.

[Seth Kuhn]

THE NEW WORLDS 5 Star Model

LOST Beats
Jack wakes up in a jungle somewhere, dressed in a suit and bleeding. Looking around he discovers a beach and then a plane wreck that he was clearly part of.
Having crashed moments ago, there are still fires and spinning turbines. The passengers try to help each other, although some are unconscious or maybe dead. Jack is incredibly poised and competent. He organizes a group to lift a piece of the plane off of one guy, who he quickly puts a tourniquet on using his tie. He sees someone trying to do CPR and runs up an instructs them how to do it correctly. He helps a pregnant girl, asking about her contractions, and then proceeds to save her from a falling plane wing. Clearly we have our doctor hero.

As things calm down, Jack grabs a couple of vodka nips and a sewing kit and walks off to a private area. He opens his shirt to reveal a massive wound on his side that he clearly intends to mend. He struggles to stitch himself given the angle of operation. Kate enters from the trees and sees that he needs help. Unsure of what she’s doing, he talks her through it.
As night comes and things calm down a bit, Jack attends to an unconscious guy with a wound. Kate’s observes inquisitively but says she doesn’t know him but that he was sitting next to her. They hear some crazy noise, almost dinosaur-esque coming from the trees, which are moving like a creature is walking through them. Where are they?!

Flashback to Jack on the plane, pre-crash. He flirts with the stewardess but says his drink isn’t very strong. She gives him two more nips, one of which he immediately pours in his glass and slams back. We see the beginning of the plane crash.

Back to the present, Jack decides to go find the cockpit of the plane using the smoke that Kate had seen earlier as his compass. Charlie insists on going with them…for some reason.
Jack, Kate, and Charlie hike through the valley toward where the smoke was. They find the cockpit leaning on some trees. To get to the cockpit they have to climb up the seats. The cockpit’s locked but they break their way in and look for the transceiver. Charlie disappears. In the cockpit the pilot wakes up with a jolt and tells them that no one is going to find them because they lost communication before going 1000 miles off course. All of a sudden the mysterious animal/monster is right on top of them. As they look around to try to see it, the pilot peeks his head out of the broken windshield and gets snatched up by it. Blood splashes on the windows. In a panic, Jack, Kate, and Charlie take off running and get separated. Kate and Charlie find each other and Kate insists that they must go back for Jack. On their way, they find the pilot’s wing pin in a puddle but they don’t see him. Jack steps out of the woods. Kate’s so happy she could kiss him. They look up and the pilot is 50 feet in the air in a tree…bloody and dead.

Charlie’s on the plane, pre-crash. He’s going through something like withdrawals. He thinks the stewardess can tell and he runs toward the front of the plane, trying to find an open bathroom. He runs by Jack, which we saw earlier in Jack’s pre-crash narrative. Charlie gets to the bathroom where he pulls out some drugs and then just as he’s about to flush the rest, the plane crashes…and now we know what Charlie was doing in the bathroom, post-crash, when he went looking for the cockpit with Jack and Kate, and why he disappeared.
Back on the beach, two of the passengers are fighting, both of whom we’ve seen earlier: Sawyer and Sayid. Jack, Kate, and Charlie show up just in time to help break up the fight after which they share what they found with the group.

The receiver’s not working, but Sayid may be able to fix it. While Sayid works on the receiver, Hugo joins him and tries to befriend him, it works. Sayid finishes fixing the responder, but there’s no signal. If they go to higher elevation they may be able to get a signal. Kate checks in with Jack who’s still working on the guy with the shrapnel in his leg. Jack doesn’t want her to go on the hike, especially as he needs to stay, but he concedes and tells her to be careful. Kate, Sayid, Sawyer, Charlie, Shannon, and Shannon’s brother all go on a hike to get a signal.
The mysterious creature of the island is after them and getting close. Most everyone starts to run away except for Sawyer who stands his ground. The creature gets closer and closer but Sawyer won’t budge. Right as the creature gets in striking distance of Sawyer, he shoots 5 shots from a gun (that we didn’t know he had). What did he shoot? A POLAR BEAR!

Jack operates on the leg guy, with Hugo’s “help” but Hugo passes out at the sight of blood.

Kate and Sayid press Sawyer about how he had a gun. It certainly seems like Sawyer had the handcuffs on.

Kate back on the plane, pre-crash, talks to the leg guy. As she reaches for her juice we see that SHE HAD THE HANDCUFFS ON. The plane crashes again.

Jack continues the surgery, when leg guy wakes up and asks “where is she?”

Sayid picks up a signal, one bar. As they dial it in, there some kind of French speaking and a series of numbers. As Sayid cracks the code, Shannon translates the French using her one semester abroad as best she can. Based on the signal they figure out that someone else is or was on the island seeking to be rescued, but then they also realize the signal’s been going for 16 years! Charlie finishes the episode by saying “where are we?”

Big Picture Hooks
Plane crash on a very mysterious island with a an interesting and varied collection of characters.
Amazing and Intriguing Character
All different ages and races, some with immediate vices, some with obvious physical challenges, some mysterious.
Empathy / Distress
Ask this: What situations causes us to feel both empathy and distress for these characters? Pregnant, wounded, addicted…there is obviously trouble ahead.
Layers / Open Loops
How will they get rescued? What is on the island with them? Why does the weather change so quickly? How will the alcoholism and addiction play out? Will the pregnant girl be okay? Will the wounded? Will the now grieving?
Inviting Obsession
The characters are very sympathetic and interesting, especially all together. We really want to know what’s going on with the island, if and how they might get rescued, and even how or why they might’ve crashed. There’s also clearly a possible love connection between Jack and Kate (and maybe a even a love triangle), which “we’re here for.” They give us just enough about the characters to want to know more about them.

What I learned doing this assignment is that there’s no limit to the number of seeds you can plant as far as plot (open loops) and character (intriguing and empathetic). I also learned that there should be some immediate, pressing problems to resolve, not just long term ones. Also that there should be some self-contained mysteries within the episode itself, like who did those handcuffs belong to? When we find out, it’s surprises us, while also connecting other things that were already in motion.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 1 month ago by  Seth Kuhn.
• This reply was modified 1 year, 1 month ago by  Seth Kuhn.
• This reply was modified 1 year, 1 month ago by  Seth Kuhn.

[Seth Kuhn]

1. Name?
Seth Kuhn
2. How many scripts you’ve written?
3 – 1 of which I produced, directed, and acted in after college. Another made it to the 2nd Round of the Austin Film Festival and also won a Silver Lei Award and the Honolulu Film Awards : )
3. What you hope to get out of the class?
I hope to have a process for developing television shows using AI that are undeniably excellent & entertaining…that get snatched up by producers and streamers.
4. Something unique, special, strange or unusual about you?
In Portland, ME (where I live), I recently played Phillip Lombard in Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None.” I also quit my corporate job of 7 years at the end of 2023 and am focusing on getting scripts written, so I can push on getting them made!

[Seth Kuhn]

Seth Kuhn
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.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 1 month ago by  Seth Kuhn.

[Seth Kuhn]

Seth Kuhn’s Marketable Components

Logline: A young couple fight to save their marriage by only loving each other on Fridays. No more, no less. When the week ends, the love begins.

Marketable Components:

• A. Unique = High Concept — I think the premise is high concept, a young couple only loving each other on Fridays. <div><div>
• B. A Great Title — I think “Friday, We’re in Love” is pretty strong. Used to be Friday, I’m in Love, but adding the “We’re” is much better given the concept. As I’ve been adding more politics to the script, it may make sense to switch the title to “Tuesday, We’re in Love” as elections are always on Tuesdays.
• E. It’s a first. — Yes. (although this might be my weakest hook.)
• G. Wide Audience Appeal – $62M married couples in the US in 2020. ~2M every year. Every 42 seconds there is one divorce in America
• I. Similarity to a box-office success:
  • The Break Up – $52M Budget, $118M US & CA (2.26x), $205M Worldwide (3.94x)
  • How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days – $50M Budget, $105M US & CA (2x), $177M Worldwide (3.54x)
  • This is 40 – $35M Budget, 67M US & CA (2x), $88M Gross (2.5x)
  • Date Night – $55M Budget, $98M US & CA (2x), $152M Gross Worldwide (2.76x)
• J. A great role for a bankable actor — I think I could do better with this, especially with the female lead. Male actors would be attracted to the male lead, but I could make the initial description better.

Doing this assignment, I learned that there are 10 specific types of business hooks that your script must have. Your scrip will be stronger in some types more than others, but it NEEDS to be quite strong in at least 2-3 if it’s going to get made. It’s these items that are going to get an executive or producer to say “Yes.”

• This reply was modified 2 years, 9 months ago by  Seth Kuhn.
• This reply was modified 2 years, 9 months ago by  Seth Kuhn.

[Seth Kuhn]

Seth Kuhn’s Project and Market

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Title: “Friday, We’re in Love” is a romantic comedy.

Concept: A young couple fights to save their marriage by only loving each on Fridays. No more, no less.

I think the movie is fun because you get to really play it up on the Fridays with day trips, honey-do lists, and curtains, but on the other days each person gets to be intentionally indifferent and “not care” as perhaps many people have found themselves on any given day in a relationship. Additionally, this movie is providing a somewhat absurd method to save a relationship. It takes the date night idea to 11.

I believe it would make sense to target actor’s production companies, especially leading ladies in their 30s and 40s. I think female actors more than males look for rom-coms, but I’m sure that’s a gross generalization.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 9 months ago by  Seth Kuhn.