by Voyage | Feb 4, 2016 | Blog post, Entertainment Business, Pitching, Presentations, Screenwriting Tips
Writers create screenplays to be viewed. At least theoretically, no movie script was ever written for the purpose of being ‘read’ by an audience. Actors, producers and directors, of course, read scripts all the time, and they are a key audience for young, up-and-coming screenwriters, but these professionals are also viewers too, right? They, like general audiences, want to see, view or watch a script, not be forced to read it. We all want it visualized for us, largely, because it’s just easier. There’s less work involved. It takes time, concentration and energy to read a screenplay, but anyone can collapse on a sofa, turn on a movie and watch it… just kind of skim through it. So doesn’t it make sense that a script should share that essence and be designed for skimming, and not reading? I think so. Especially since we’re talking about an industry that’s famous for not always reading material cover-to-cover. When any written document makes for a skimmable read, it rolls off the page. It’s digestible. You see it in your mind and understand it immediately. Ironically, it’s kind of like watching a movie. Yet a large majority of scripts, even those by working professionals, are constructed in a way that hinders the visual flow of the story, and I’m not just talking about using more active, visually potent language. Although it’s rarely written about in the best screenwriting books, avoidable words, grammar and even punctuation often obstruct both clarity and dramatic impact, yet screenwriters go back to them time and again because that’s the tradition. Why? Why create a screenplay using the tools...
by Voyage | Feb 1, 2016 | Book to Film, Entertainment Business, Font Page, Pitching
Your guide to choosing the right people to be on your team If I had a dollar for every time an author asked me, “What’s the difference between Agents vs. Managers vs. Producers?” I would have a ton of dollars! Seriously, I could go on a tropical vacation 🙂 But instead of going on vacation, I’ve decided to break it all down for you right here… So I’ll start off by saying that each of these types of dealmakers exist in their own way to make arrangements that kickstart the process of creating movies, TV shows or webseries from conception to completion. But that’s pretty much where their similarities stop… Agents I like to think of the Agents as the gatekeepers to Hollywood… They control what projects high-end talent take on… They also do all they can to protect / improve their clients’ value by making it tough for a newcomer to break in. Typically, agents work for actors, directors or writers and are highly transaction focused. As a rule, Agents only seek out known talent with pre-existing track records. They are interested in sales and final-products which means that they very rarely take risks on ideas that ‘aren’t a sure thing.’ And while this mindset is necessary to keep Hollywood running smoothly, it can be frustrating to newcomers like self-published authors who don’t have a preexisting reputation. Managers Managers are ‘in it for the long haul’ in terms of their clients’ careers. They are generally more focused on the long-term overall career development of their clients (whereas agents are more short-term-transaction focused). The good news for you is that...
by Voyage | Feb 1, 2016 | Book to Film, Entertainment Business, Pitching, Uncategorized
What does gorging on sugary cereal have to do with loglines? The last time I strolled down the cereal aisle, bold lettering, bright blue coloring, and Tony the Tiger himself jumped off the Frosted Flakes box and grabbed my attention. Why would I choose the Safeway brand lamely boasting “Sugar-Coated Corn Flakes” when I could have a cereal that tasted gr-r-reat? Cereal boxes and loglines are both pitches, advertising themselves to win over the hungry shopper or potential script buyer. The purpose of a logline is to succinctly and clearly convey what your script is about to a producer, studio, executive, etc. who is looking to buy scripts to make into movies. A badly written logline (no matter the quality of the script) can turn away buyers. There are lots of tips for writing a good logline, but these are the ones I found most applicable as I noted which loglines sparked my interest…and which ones stayed on the shelf at Voyage. These tips, along with our logline template found below, can help any writer assemble an appealing logline. Attention To Detail If you saw a box of Cocoa Puffs where ‘Puffs’ was missing a letter, would you still buy it? Maybe. But you might be less confident about the integrity of the product, whereas a grammatically sound competitor will instill trust in the buyer. It takes as little as a misplaced comma to take the reader out of the pitch and away from the story. Find the “Shiny Object” Every kid’s cereal brand has that shiny object, whether it’s Tony the Tiger or “Trix are for kids!” A...
by Voyage | Dec 8, 2015 | Audience, Blog post, Entertainment Business, Pitching, Presentations
Deliver Your Best Producer Pitch You already know how important it is for newcomers who want to break into the Hollywood market to get their story in front of the right executives. But we haven’t really touched on what happens when you finally do land a meeting with that big-shot producer at that high-powered studio or network? You only have a few minutes, at most, to capture their attention… So what do you say and do to get that producer interested in your book or script? Here are 5 tips to help you craft your perfect pitch and blow that Hollywood exec out of the water with your movie or television show idea: 1. Be The Expert Of Your Story Prove that YOU are the perfect writer to tackle your concept. In order to do this, you must have confidence in yourself, your project and where it’s headed. You should also establish your specific connection to this story. What inspired you to write this specific story in this particular way? Insert your personality, voice and/or experience into your pitch. 2. Keep It Simple Don’t try to do too much with your pitch. You need to boil your story down to the most important elements by highlighting the big picture concept of your story. Include your hook, main concept, and a couple of sentences about your main character so it’s clear whom the story will follow. Establish why the producer should care to connect to that specific character. 3. Your Characters Are The Key Conflict drives a story and keeps people interested. So keep your characters at the forefront...
by Voyage | Nov 30, 2015 | Entertainment Business, Pitching, Screenwriting Tips
How rethinking your writing can help you bounce back from rejection You don’t need me to tell you that rejections are tough. The stories we tell, the ones we really care about and want to see come to life, are our darlings. They’re the result of hard work and tough love. When you’ve got a story that you’ve slaved away on for weeks, months, or even years of your life, it can be crushing to take that project to a producer and be told it’s not what they want. Worse—they might not even respond to you at all! So how are you, as a writer, expected to traverse the minefield of rejection and criticism we call “Hollywood”? You only have a few minutes, at most, to capture their attention… So what do you say and do to get that producer interested in your book or script? First: don’t panic. Rejection is just as much a part of writing as hand cramps and eye strain. Even the greatest writers can get rejected at the height of their established careers. By nature of marketing to the changing landscape of film, not everything you write is going to find its audience on the first go around. It’s what you do next after your script gets sent back to your doorstep that really counts. Before you plan your next move, it’s important to understand the two types of feedback you can get from a producer… The useful… And the unreliable… If you’ve gotten critical feedback from a producer who’s read your script, you’re already a step ahead on the road to improving your writing’s marketability....
by Voyage | Oct 8, 2015 | Audience, Blog post, Entertainment Business, Font Page, Pitching, Presentations, Producer Interviews, Screenwriting Tips, The Expert Network
Inside The Comic Book Industry’s Latest Cool Thing… Let’s transport ourselves to a simpler time for just a moment… Imagine you’re back in middle school and your favorite limited edition comic book has just been released… You and your friends race to the local comic book shop after school to get your hands on the newest edition of “Captain America” or “Wonder Woman.” You wait patiently in line, with 25 cents burning a hole in your pocket… Finally, you get up to the counter and hand your pocket change to the clerk who slides over the goods. At last you get your hands on your coveted new comic book… And as you begin to flip the pages, a whole other world emerges… While this may or may not have been a reality for you, we can all agree that comic books and graphic novels have played an important role in pop culture and media. What you may or may not know is that there’s a thriving digital marketplace for NEW comics and NEW graphic novels with distribution and sales portals populating various corners of the Internet with readers of all ages scrambling to get their hands on the latest thing. And while we all know many of the blockbusters films we’ve come to know and love are based on comics from Marvel and DC, you may not know that comics and graphic novels have paid a very significant role in the development and sale of numerous other movies and TV series, some of which might surprise you… -30 DAYS OF NIGHT -CONSTANTINE -MYSTERY MEN – 300 -HELL BOY -THE...
