Sold it! My screenplay--finalized deal this week!

alveraz said:
Though that is a solid strategy, 2 months prep is on the long side for many of us unless it's a biographical or heavy research type script. There's no de-facto process for prep. The script I'm meeting with ICM on right now had about 5 days intensive prep and 45-60 days of writing the first draft. Each one of my scripts has it's own organic process, yours should too. No stories are told the same way, developing them is no different.

Just thought it was an important caveat to make.
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This is one of those things that I think is very difficult for those starting to write to figure out. I've always been a know where you're going but don't plan everything out too much kind of writer. I like to have a map because it is easy to get lost in the woods, but I also like to be able to wander from the nature trail if it feels right. What happens if you see a Sasquatch or come in contact with an angry bear?

I've recently decided to write some of my story ideas as novels instead of focusing solely on screenwriting, and am currently reading a book called On Writing by Stephen King. His method is very different from the heavily structured one that screenwriters use. Basically what King does is create his characters and situation, and while he might have some idea where he thinks the story will end up, he doesn't begin by plotting it all out. He feels that since our lives aren't plotted, then his character's lives shouldn't be slaves to a pre-determined plot either. This way he is experiencing the events as his characters do, and not as an outsider. Those are not the exact words he used but my summary of his technique. Not saying that everyone will or should do this but I like the philosophy behind it and might try it out.

Anyways, just thought I would mention that it is a good read. Even though it focuses on techniques for writing prose fiction, I think that there are some valuable lessons and tools for screenwriters as well.
 
I read On Writing by King back in 2002. Thought it was great, inspirational. Would recommend it to any writer--novelist, screenwriter, anyone.
 
kylekmd said:
Received a general question about things to cover in each Act. Here are some notes I've used -- based on an approach by J. Selbo. Please forgive any typos.

CHECKLISTS
ACT ONE CHECKLIST
1. Introduce the world. When does the story take place? Does it take place in present day? Past? If it's a historical piece, what era are you setting your story? Future? How many years into the future? What are the rules of the societies? Make the world and its rules clear.
2. Set place. New York City? Small town, Montana? Los Angeles? Kansas City? Different areas of the country have different customs, different ways of speaking, different politics. CHOPPED!!!!!!!!!!!.
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All this stuff is true imhop. Most of it should be in your script. Marbling all this *stuff* in to 120 pages and to do it seamlessly is one reason screenwriting is so hard. I think it's hard just to ramble on about nothing for 120 pages let alone create something entertaining that adheres to all of the above. Much easier to take up writing Haiku if you ask me.
 
kylekmd said:
Hey guys,

I've been hanging around DVXuser for a couple years now--learned a lot of great stuff from these forums.

I just wanted to share my excitement. I've been doing the screenwriting thing for a few years, devouring every book out there and taking every guru's class.

Finally it happened! A conspiracy thriller I wrote--The Lemon Tree, about the Thomas Baron report (1960's) and early Apollo training--just sold to a subsidiary of Warmer. Got 300 against 600. I was shocked to say the least. We finalized the deal Friday. I can't remember ever being this happy. Hopefully it will open the door to other opportunities.

Anyway--just wanted to attach the 33-page screenwriting manual (11MB pdf) I put together and used a lot during the early drafts of Lemon. Use it, if you'd like, or trash it. It's just a handy reference for anyone who has read and studied Truby, Vogler, McKee, Hauge, Snyder, Soth, and Iglesias, as well as many other well-known authors. It's not some breakthrough screenwriting book, just a reference tool. I'm sure you guys know all the stuff in it anyway.

Thanks again everyone. You've been an inspiration!

Kyle

UPDATE 9/15/08 -- KINDLY ASKED by Publishing Company Attorney TO REMOVE MANUAL -- Sorry guys! Still.

Downloads
MANUAL

SCRIPTS http://files.filefront.com/SCRIPTS1zipzip/;11454902;/fileinfo.html

Book recommendations in this thread
Inside Story: The Power of the Transformational Arc by Dara Marks
The Moral Premise by StanleyD. Williams, PhD
Others by Truby (The Anatomy of Story and DVD courses), Vogler (The Writer's Journey), Hauge (The Hero's 2 Journeys w/Vogler), McKee (Story), Snyder (Save the Cat books), Iglesias (Writing for Emotional Impact is EXCELLENT), Howard, Soth (Million Dollar Screenwriting), Gulino (Screenwriting: The Sequence Approach), Chitlik (Rewrite). Please download the manual for additional info.
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Good luck on your film by the way I have a production company called lemontree in Shanghai , China take a look WWW.lemontreefilm.COM
 
brianluce said:
All this stuff is true imhop. Most of it should be in your script. Marbling all this *stuff* in to 120 pages and to do it seamlessly is one reason screenwriting is so hard. I think it's hard just to ramble on about nothing for 120 pages let alone create something entertaining that adheres to all of the above. Much easier to take up writing Haiku if you ask me.
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Anyone who completes a feature length screenplay should be VERY PROUD of his/her accomplishment. It is an herculean task as Brian points out. And you should trust his opinion because he comes from good stock. His father's book, Story Sense (McGraw-Hill, 1996), is a favorite of mine and one that I recommend to all my screenwriter friends.

Sorry, Brian, had to do it.:)
 
kylekmd said:
Anyone who completes a feature length screenplay should be VERY PROUD of his/her accomplishment. It is an herculean task as Brian points out. And you should trust his opinion because he comes from good stock. His father's book, Story Sense (McGraw-Hill, 1996), is a favorite of mine and one that I recommend to all my screenwriter friends.

Sorry, Brian, had to do it.:)
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Thanks Kyle, just for the record, my dad *is* a produced TV writer. So it's not a "Those who can't" deal. My grandfather was also a screenwriter. He wrote features for Disney. Anyone see "Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit"?
 
You're welcome. It's been a great ride. Got a new project that's sunk its teeth into my soul and won't let go. It's called "Moon Over Unity."

Brian-- I learned the term "Marbling" from your father's book in the late 90's and have used it ever since. Interestingly, few if any (at least that I can recall, and I have over 400 filmmaking/screenwriting books in my office--quite a collection) other mainstream screenwriting books ever mention it by name. Love it! It's a necessary skill to master if we are to develop a command of the craft.
 
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kylekmd said:
Brian-- I learned the term "Marbling" from your father's book in the late 90's and have used it ever since. Interestingly, few if any (at least that I can recall, and I have over 400 filmmaking/screenwriting books in my office--quite a collection) other mainstream screenwriting books never mention it by name. Love it! It's a necessary skill to master if we are to develop a command of the craft.
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I agree, it's merely a single word but like you say, a key to the craft, I think a good script, like a good movie, should be seamless. It seems clunky when a script/film starts spelling out back story. It's like the story has shifted in to neutral or is getting sucked down a black hole maybe.
 
$300k isnt that much. Uncle Sam rapes you for half, $150k is only enough to live on for a couple of years, three if you're frugal. You'd be fortunate to sell another script in that time. Hopefully you can use this success to get the ball rolling on more!
 
For me it isn't about the money. It's the sense of accomplishment, that I finally sold a script. It's very competitive out there. The number of circulating scripts every year is staggering. It's VERY unusual--RARE--to land a million dollar deal or more (Shane Black, David Koepp, Joe Eszterhas, Ron Bass, M. Knight Shyamalan, etc.) as a first-timer. So I was very pleased with $300K against $600K.

And I'm not exactly struggling; my livelihood isn't dependent on my writing career. My business partners and I own several outpatient imaging centers (MRI, CT, US, etc.) which provide me (and my family) with a very comfortable lifestyle.

Maybe I misunderstood your comment?
 
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