Guest Post: The Importance Of Collaborating & Networking by Scott Baker

Here's a great story from Scott about how you MAKE your own opportunities by getting "out there" and never giving up - enjoy!

It was about August/September time last year where I logged into Talent Circle and found a job advert for a Scriptwriter, I thought to myself: “Am I good enough to apply for it?”

I still classified myself as a “novice” as I’ve been writing for just over a year now and in that time I was really struggling to discover my “VOICE” – what made me unique in my style of writing and storytelling. If you were to know me, (none of you do, I know) I’m a really shy person and would definitely lack the confidence to apply for anything like this opportunity over on Talent Circle. And then I thought to myself “What have I got to lose?” and the answer to that was NOTHING. Besides, we all got to start from somewhere.

So I applied and the surprising thing was that they liked me! I couldn’t believe it. I’m not someone who is familiar with collaboration but this was the first major step-up in my writing career since leaving college. This was also going to be my first attempt at a Feature film as well so that was really exciting. I was not writing an entire feature by myself (I struggled writing a TV Pilot and that was well documented with 50+ unfinished drafts of ONE episode) as there were two other writers with me. The three of us got on like a house on fire and we were right to schedule.

OK – even though this doesn’t have a happy ending as the plug was pulled and the film never progressed from there but what had I gained from this first experience?

Well, firstly, I have got to known and work with two brilliant like-minded people: Noel Rainford and Elinor Perry-Smith (@BrideofChrist.) We’ve just shot a short film entitled FOREVERTOGETHER in which we plan to enter it into the Sundance London Short Film Festival. We’re also planning our next project in which the script is completed, which we plan to develop further into a mini web series. I CANNOT wait to see the outcome of both of these projects and I sincerely hope that I never have a fall-out with either one of these two. I owe them a lot.

Then only last week I did something even more out of character. Over on Twitter, Jeanne Veillette Bowerman tweeted that the makers of BELOW ZERO, a new horror feature starring EDWARD FURLONG (T2: Judgement Day) and MICHEAL BERRYMAN (The Hills Have Eyes) were in need of an INTERN to help promote their film and their new film, BREAKDOWN LANE that will star KRISTIN BOOTH.
I WOULD HAVE NEVER APPLIED FOR THIS but now, I am so glad that I did as the guys are A-MAZ-ING! Signe Olynyk and Bob Schultz the masterminds behind BELOW ZERO as well as The Great American Pitchfest. I can’t wait to see them when they come to the UK as BELOW ZERO will be screening at the DEAD BY DAWN FESTIVAL up in Edinburgh on the 31st March.

The film is doing outstandingly well as it has been awarded with BEST HORROR FILM from the American International Film Festival and BEST HORROR FEATURE FILM from the Independent Filmmakers Showcase Film Festival along with many others. You can find all the details about where BELOW ZERO will be screening and to view the trailer over on its website and why not show your support and follow its official Twitter Page? (I run that page so I beg you, check the trailer out at least.)

I couldn’t possibly imagine that I would have met so many great people, both here in the UK and over in the US at such an early stage at my “career.” I’m a twenty-year-old lad from London who came out of college and into work, who aspires to be a scriptwriter. I was trying to do too much all by myself.

MYSELF is the key word here.

My point that I’m trying to make here is that COLLABORATION and BUILDING YOUR CONTACTS/NETWORK in these times can really help, regardless of the amount of experience you may have. In a space of six months or so, the amount of people that I’ve got to known/got to work with/swapped scripts with for peer-reviewing is unbelievable. To even reach out to filmmakers over in the States is what I class to be a great achievement as ultimately, that’s where I want to go.

I’m a strong believer that we all should set a goal for ourselves in which seems impossible when you set it. NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE and there are ways of getting around closed doors when they are slammed constantly in your face. In this industry, we CANNOT CATEGORICALLY DO THIS BY OURSELVES.
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ABOUT SCOTT: Scott wrote his first ever script as apart of his A-Level coursework and hasn't stopped since. He's currently working on three high concept TV series: "Life & Death" which is the love child of THE WALKING DEAD and SUPERNATURAL; "Memory" which focuses on Dementia in Children, Teenagers and Young Adults and "B.I.O" set in a futuristic Ethopia. Find Scott on Twitter here and watch FOREVERTOGETHER here.

Half Baked Ideas

Just a quick one today (oooh matron)... I read a lot of scripts where the craft might be good, but at its heart the premise feels "half-baked". For whatever reason, the seed of the story at its heart feels under-developed and as a result, undermines the whole screenplay.

When I ask writers *what* their story is, this often seems to be the issue... They haven't really IDENTIFIED what *makes* it "what it is". For example, a "fish out of water story" (as in the case of many comedies); a "David and Goliath" story (some Horrors, Thrillers and dramas, legal or otherwise) or a story of "Good vs evil" (pretty much any story you care to mention). In other words, they haven't thought about it at grass roots level.

Instead, those writers may put everything onto their character's motivation or goal. This is of course a good start, but without knowing exactly *what* your story is, you may not put across *why* your character wants something or is behaving the way s/he does.

My advice to writers struggling with "half-baked" ideas is this: don't just think about what your character WANTS, think about WHY you are writing the story. You may find this holds the key to "unlocking" many of those elements - especially tone and plot - you were struggling with.

Girls On Film - A Few Thoughts So Far

LSF's Girls On Film Initiative has been running a few weeks now. We've been off to a steady and pleasing start, with 5 scripts put through for a full read so far (though the reading is ongoing remember, so anyone with a script "in the system" who hasn't heard yet DO NOT FREAK OUT).

Here's a few thoughts on what's been going on so far:

Drama versus Genre. Several writers have not appeared to know the difference between drama and genre. It was GoF's "bad" in one sense not flagging up on the first page that we do NOT want drama features (though it is listed on the FAQ)... which writers are NOT checking (see next). However, lesson learnt by Team GoF: the fact we do NOT want drama is now flagged up right from the offset on page one of the GoF site now AND articles have been blogged/linked to to leave writers in no doubt what we are looking for when we say "genre".

Get your FAQs right. It's been quite surprising how few writers check the Frequently Asked Questions section. As a result, I've had a deluge of questions about things already listed. Similarly, I've had many submissions that aren't even VAGUELY right for GoF, including several 60 page TV pilots, two features that were MUCH shorter than the required length, one sitcom (!), a couple that weren't in English AND THREE SCRIPTS WITH MALE LEADS (both protag and antag). Please always make sure you familiarise yourself with regulations and submission guidelines, not just for GoF, but ALL scriptwriting opportunities.

Protagonist and/or Antagonist introduction. Most scripts have worked very hard on their hooks in the first ten pages, which is obviously good in terms of genre, BUT many have done this at the expense of character introduction. In other words, the reader is not sure who the protagonist OR antagonist is and since many of the scripts have featured men in the first instance, we've been left wondering who the "girls on film" are in various stories or seen them VERY late - page 6 or 7 or even beyond. Read about character introduction HERE and openers HERE.

Genre confusion. Interestingly, some writers have labelled their scripts as one genre, when it's been apparent to the reader it is a different genre altogether. Typically, what's happened is the writer is so keen to introduce his/her characters, in the first instance the script feels like a DRAMA, even if it's supposed to be genre fare "later". This happens the most with those scripts labelled Horror, Comedy and Thriller.

Mislabelling genre. Writers it would seem will do ANYTHING rather than label their spec the "normal" way! Thriller appears to be the main offender: we've had all sorts in its place, including "supernatural ghost story", "chase mystery" and my personal favourite, "splatterpunk action". Science Fiction brings up the rear, with the intriguing "alternate reality action". I can see why writers are anxious to "re-label genre" as it might seem cool and new, but think instead what the INDUSTRY does: they tend to stay with the same kind of labels (even for sub and cross genres), year in, year out. 9/10 I'd wager it's probably a good idea to try and aim for one ALREADY in existence.

Format. Format has mostly been okay, with just two in Arial. That said, there are still some weird variations creeping through, including a couple with pictures and maps. The three biggest offenders are underlining and bold. Underlining (especially of scene headings) doesn't bother me too much, but an excess of bold really does my swede in. It really does make the reader's eyes go funny. Why bother? If you're so worried the reader won't realise one scene has ended and another has begun, ask instead what you can do to make it more obvious in the story, rather than reach for that bold icon in your toolbox. Here's a full run-down of format issues seen in the spec pile and what you can do about them.

Last of all:

Loglines. I do the first sift and loglines have generally not been good, even those accompanying scripts that have gone on to get a full read. Of course, I'm a hard taskmaster, but then ALL industry people are - or should be. A logline is like the "first impression" of one's story, it's very often the first port of call in selling your script "off the page". It really can mean the difference, beyond initiatives like GoF, of an agent or producer picking your script up - OR NOT. Yet I rarely see the same care lavished on a logline as I do a screenplay. This seems madness.

Here are the common problems with the loglines I've been seeing at GoF:

- Not DRAMATIC enough. A good genre script should be high stakes, BIG, dramatic... Yet the loglines in circulation here at GoF (and incidentally, at the many other initiatives, schemes and contests I've read for) are usually damp squibs. Think about the vocabulary you're using in the first instance. What does it say about your story REALLY?

- Unclear genre. We're selling GENRE here... so why not give us a flavour of the story of the script? A comedy script - why not be funny? A Horror or Thriller - why not try and be scary or thrilling? Or if you feel you can't do that, why not give us a *sense* of what we're dealing with some other way? You can do anything.

- Unclear Story. Often a writer goes round the houses and appears to go out of his/her way to NOT describe the story they're trying to "sell off the page"... Why attempt to do yourself out of a read? The most issue with this is going on about character motivation or emotional issues, rather than describing an actual plot.

- Questions, Questions! Argh the dreaded questions... In other words, rather than describe the plot, the writer asks questions instead, ie. "Will Kate kill Tom? Will she escape into the night? And who is the mysterious stranger who has been tracking her every move?" NO PLEASE DON'T!

- Too much detail. Some writers put extraneous details in loglines - names, places, whatever - unless it's strictly necessary, CUT CUT CUT. We haven't read the script yet. Far better to nail it in terms of the overarching story, than the detail, make us WANT to read your ten pages!

- It's Too Rushed! You've just written a whacking great screenplay... and you're rushing the logline? REALLY? And don't think readers can't tell... 'COS WE CAN! The logline is one of the most of important selling items you have... It can get you through doors. So don't undersell yourself or your screenplay - far better to take a little extra time on your logline. Why not get some peer feedback on it?

Good luck with your submissions! Don't forget The Required Reading List has loads of articles by different authors on all things screenwriting and script-reading related and more that can help you with your GoF script.

Genre Vs Drama: The Difference Between Them

The word "genre" essentially means "category", so going on this basis alone, the notion of "drama" makes it a genre. However, the key here is not so much in the LITERAL words "drama" or "genre" but how the industry uses them.

Genre film generally describes *those* categories like Horror, Thriller, Comedy, Action, Science Fiction - and their many cross-genres (Rom-Com, Horror-Comedy) or sub-genres (slasher horror, creature feature, body swap comedy and the many, many others). Genre film is event-driven with high stakes; stylised storytelling; larger than life; often highly commercial with large audience appeal. Genre film is highly conventional, with many "expected" elements to it (ie. Final Girl, the Best Friend/Mentor, explosions, etc) but with enough surprises that it does not turn into "tick the box" screenwriting.

In contrast then, "drama" encapsulates just about everything else that's NOT the above. Drama films are frequently about the minutaie of life such as the private moments or tragedies of relationships between individuals; drama films are often highly personal and very emotional. Often dramas are for niche audiences, though of course many award-winning films (particularly Oscars, BAFTAs and Golden Globes) are dramas, though critical acclaim is not always indicative of commercial success. Crucially, many dramas are producer-led, particularly when it comes to true stories and adaptations.

It's important to note NEITHER drama or genre is "better" than the other; both have their challenges. A good genre film is MUCH harder than it looks and a satisfying drama is difficult to achieve without alienating your audience.

The biggest difference however between drama and genre at the moment is the market-place. In short, genre sells better than drama. That's just a fact. Of course the market-place is subject to change, so this may turn on its head in the next few years. Certainly the unexpected commercial success of British films like THE KING'S SPEECH may have broken the ground for this, though we'll just have to wait and see.

Summing up then, next time you hear

"Genre" - think, "BIG stories; event-driven with high stakes; stylised storytelling; larger than life; often highly commercial with large audience appeal."

and

"Drama" - think, "SMALL stories; individuals; relationships; private moments; tragedies; relationships; personal; emotional; typically niche audience"

'Cos you can bet your bottom dollar that's how the industry person you want to target sees them.

LINKS

Genre Versus Drama: Master of None - what happens when your spec falls somewhere between drama and genre. Part One and Part Two

Aren't *All* Movies "Character-Led"? The difference between characters in dramas and genre movies

Writing Genre - a case study

The Required Reading List - check out the Genre section

Don't forget this blog has a labels section for "drama" and "genre" too - click on the bottom of the posts for them!

The @londonswf Girls On Film Screenplay Initiative

Got a FEATURE-LENGTH GENRE SCRIPT, with a female protagonist, antagonist, or both? Then The London Screenwriters Festival Girls on Film initiative is for you!

Endorsed by Women In Film In Television, The Underwire Festival and US site Women And Hollywood, LSF Girls on Film wants to find the best spec movie scripts with 3D, well-drawn female characters.

Top production companies and literary agents have signed up to check out the loglines of the scripts that get a GoF "Recommend" or "Consider", too. Best of all, it's COMPLETELY FREE and THERE IS NO DEADLINE, so no need to rush!!!

Check out all the details here and the how to submit HERE.

Writing From Life

About five or six times a year I get an email that goes *something* like this:

"I/my parents/my grandparents/my best friend/somebody I found in a book or newspaper had an amazing life! I really want to turn the story of my/their life into a screenplay. Can you help me?"

First off, well done for finding the story and being so inspired. Secondly, I absolutely CAN help - via my e-library, "The Required Reading List", where I have collected articles on everything writing-related I can think of, by many different authors, so you can get multiple perspectives on things like character, dialogue, format, structure and more. Bookmark it here.

A lot of the Bang2writers writing to me about this express concern they may not "do justice" to the true story they want to tell. Do not worry about this. Sometimes we have to sacrifice facts for drama and in essence "tell lies to tell the truth": this may mean fabricating certain events and omitting others in order to tell the most dramatic story possible. This is NOT disrespectful. If you really care about the people involved, this will shine through no matter what you end up doing in telling their story.

So, instead of worrying what you *might* do in telling this story, think on this instead:

Are my intentions good and honourable towards this story and its characters - and what it means for the audience (including those people who may have known those involved in the story)?

If they are, you're home free - and your "true story" spec is just the same as a totally fictional one. Give yourself a break and just do your best. You can't say fairer than that.

ON THIS BLOG BEFORE ABOUT TRUE STORIES:

How "true" can a true story be?

Sacrificing Facts For Drama

The Literal Vs. The Universal

Shoreline Scripts: Q & A

The peeps from The Shoreline Scripts Contest have been in touch... Check it out!

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There's lots of paid-for screenwriting contests around... why should Bang2writers choose Shoreline?

A writer should look at not only the monetary prizes of a competition, but how that competition will help get his/her work out there. Shoreline Scripts has a great set of producers, industry judges, and production companies attached. The money and other prizes will help, but unlike many other competitions, our main goal is to get the best work into the right people's hands. We have over 50 production companies onboard to read the top scripts, not to mention agents from WMA and United Talent, and our judges with their industry expertise and connections.

What are the prizes?

The prizes for our top five winners are:

1st

£2500 Cash. ($3870 approx)

Final Draft Version 8 Software. (worth £160)

Comprehensive Script Report/Coverage. (worth £120)

Itsonthegrid.com Professional Membership. (worth £160)

Free IMDB Pro Account (worth £120)

VIP Package. (10 free pitches) VirtualPitchFest.com (worth £60)

Script Consultant - Pilar Alessandra's 6 Steps E-WorkBook. (worth £65)

Pro Lifetime Membership at Scripped.com. (worth £60)

2nd

£500 Cash. ($775 approx)

Final Draft Version 8 Software. (worth £160)

Comprehensive Script Report/Coverage. (worth £120)

Itsonthegrid.com Professional Membership. (worth £160)

Free IMDB Pro Account (worth £120)

(5 free pitches) VirtualPitchFest.com

Script Consultant - Pilar Alessandra's 6 Steps E-WorkBook. (worth £65)

Pro Lifetime Membership at Scripped.com. (worth £60)

3rd

£250. ($380 approx)

Final Draft Version 8 Software. (worth £160)

Comprehensive Script Report/Coverage. (worth £120)

Itsonthegrid.com Professional Membership. (worth £160)

Free IMDB Pro Account (worth £120)

Script Consultant - Pilar Alessandra's 6 Steps E-WorkBook. (worth £65)

Pro Lifetime Membership at Scripped.com. (worth £60)

(2 free pitches) VirtualPitchFest.com

4th

Final Draft Version 8 Software. (worth £160)

Itsonthegrid.com Professional Membership. (worth £160)

Free IMDB Pro Account (worth £120)

Script Consultant - Pilar Alessandra's 6 Steps E-WorkBook. (worth £65)

Pro Lifetime Membership at Scripped.com. (worth £60)

(2 free pitches) VirtualPitchFest.com

5th

Final Draft Version 8 Software. (worth £160)

Itsonthegrid.com Professional Membership. (worth £160)

Free IMDB Pro Account (worth £120)

Script Consultant - Pilar Alessandra's 6 Steps E-WorkBook. (worth £65)

Pro Lifetime Membership at Scripped.com. (worth £60)

(2 free pitches) VirtualPitchFest.com

Who are the judges?

Our judges to read the final three scripts include:

Oscar Nominated Writer Jeffrey Caine: (Constant Gardener, GoldenEye)

BAFTA Winning Writer Tony Grisoni: (Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas, Tideland)

Cannes Palme d'Or Nominated Director Ray Lawrence: (Lantana & Jindabyne)

Producers: Andras Hamori, (Crash, The Sweet Hereafter, Big Nothing and Morvern Callar)

Christopher Figg, (We Need To Talk About Kevin, Dog Soldiers, Hellraiser)

James Simpson (The Merchant Of Venice and Beowulf & Grendel).

Why did you set up Shoreline scripts?

We set up Shoreline Scripts because it is extremely tough for talented screenwriters to get their work read by people in the industry. If you don’t an agent then producers won't read unsolicited work; yet, 9 times out of 10, you need to have had a piece of work produced before an agent will sign you. So, there's a catch 22 situation.

We work as a platform for writers, and as a free service for producers, production companies and agents. They know the screenplays we send through will be of the highest quality. It won't guarantee a writer a sale or representation, but it will guarantee that the scripts read by someone who can actually do something with it.

Are you looking for genre or drama scripts? (Or both)?

We don't discriminate genre-wise. Any genres are welcome. We love it all! :-)

What's the mark of a "good" 1) opener? 2) Screenplay as a whole in your view?

1) The key to a good opener is that a reader wants to keep reading after the first 10-15 pages.

That's a lot harder to do than it sounds and is half the battle.

A hook, inciting incident, the world the writer creates, dialogue and a million other things.

It's important to think about the latest point you can start your character's story. Start with a bang!

can help make that possible.

2) There's no set formula to creating a great screenplay. Taking as much action and dialogue

out of a script as possible really helps. Conflict = progression, and helps the page turn.

A great script comes from planning, then rewriting until it is as tight as possible!

I hear you send script out to producers before the contest has even finished... How come?

Why wait until the competition is over? A producer or production company might be looking for their next project now, and if we feel it’s there sitting in-front of us, why wait? The chance might go.

We will always consult the writer before any script is sent out. If interest arises, we put them directly in touch with that person. We never have any rights over the material.

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Wow, sounds a great contest with great prizes - and real chances to get your script in the right hands. Visit the official website to enter.