The New Development (Or, How To Eliminate Development Hell)
Development is something we all have to do. Unfortunately, many don’t spend a lot of time on this phase and poor choice of project and a lack of development is the main reason for some horrendous box office flops or the fact that many projects don’t get to first base. Many small production companies, in their eager to actually produce something, sometimes neglect the development phase altogether, thinking development means writing the second draft or turning it into a production script.
Development actually means developing the script (and packaging the project ready for greenlighting). Every writer has been told, “It’s great, but it needs to be developed”. That’s the plan of the development stage. There’s almost as many ways to do development as there are production companies. Below are some points we teach development teams, and we’ll look at the various phases of development.
The reason for this article is that you need to rethink the actual process of screenplay development. If the art of intelligent story editing were learned or allowed to be practiced, it would help you come up with well-developed scripts that both challenge Hollywood paradigms and offer something distinctive for the marketplace. The best way to achieve these goals is to let the creative people have the strongest voice in the development process.
ACQUISITION
Acquisition is an all-year-round activity. It’s important that you budget properly for this department. In many cases, the budget for acquisition will mirror about fifty percent of the budget of the development phase. The minimum yearly budget you should allocate to acquisition is about $240,000—the department can’t effectively exist below this amount.
Simply stated, acquisition involves scouting for literary material and optioning or purchasing it. This means creating relationships with agents, managers, entertainment attorneys, other production company executives and script brokers in order to find and develop screenplays to go into production with.
When a script comes in, it’s handed to the story editor who logs it in and passes it onto a reader to cover the script and rate it with a pass, consider, or recommend, narrowing the thousands of scripts that come in down to just a handful of the better ones.
The development exec and story editor then sift through the piles of “Considered” and “Recommended” scripts to further pin down the best ones. When the right ones are found, the development exec can then champion these to the producer. When a script gathers momentum and support from other executives, and the VP of Production becomes involved, the call may be made to put it into development, and the decision is made to either option or buy the script.
Now it’s time to meet with the writer. Not only is this meeting made for the purpose of negotiating and signing contracts and handing over the check, its purpose is also to ascertain whether the writer is open to working in development and working as part of a team to improve the script.
No one wants a spanner in the works, and this meeting is crucial to making the decision to go further with the script and sign the check, based on the writer’s attitude. Beware of the over-enthusiastic writer in initial meetings. Some of the writers who can dazzle people in a meeting are the worst at delivering a good screenplay. Many of the best writers are not all that good at social interactions.
Barbara Schock once observed that there are a lot of "made" writers in the business, people who have very little creative ability but have flourishing screenwriting careers. These so-called writers have managed to fashion and sell what is perceived to be a successful screenplay and may continue to get work off it for a number of years. Often, they are people with aggressive personalities who can navigate the world of film development—a world of pitch meetings and conversations with agents—more effectively than their more sensitive and more creative writer colleagues. There have always been hack writers in the business—the problem today is that people don’t seem to know the difference between a good writer and a hack, and too many third-rate scripts are being produced.
The difference between a "made" writer and the real thing is that a creative writer can improve on his work, can rewrite and give you something special with each new draft. Fake writers are generally one-shot idea people.
On the other hand, if the company has an in-house idea they want to develop, a suitable experienced writer needs to be commissioned to create the screenplay, so samples of potential writers work is scouted to determine whether the writer can work in the genre, and style required of the producer. Generally these sample scripts are sent directly to the development exec (or story editor who logs them in as samples). It’s preferable that sample scripts are sent in PDF format if emailed so the script format is not lost.
Sometimes the executive has open writing assignments to fill and is busily reading writing samples sent in from various agents. An open writing assignment is when a project is in development and the writer is being replaced or the company has a book or other underlying material that needs to be adapted, therefore, they’ll read samples of writers in order to fill the assignment.
Writers that have worked in development before are a plus—writers who are a little older usually write the best screenplays. But it should be kept in mind that not only should the script be developed, but the craft and talent of the young writer as well. The downside is that few people recognize true writing talent or know how to develop it. That’s what we’re for.
Put this way the acquisitions process seems very straightforward and not problematic, but between acquisition and pre production, a thousand things can go wrong.
Often, producers will try to come up with an idea of their own and try to develop it with a writer. Very few writers can create a screenplay from little more than a logline or short synopsis. It’s made even more stressful and risky to develop speculative ideas when it belongs to a producer or exec. It’s better if the idea belongs to a creative person who has the skill to write it. Talented producers know their artistic limitations and spend their time trying to help directors choose viable projects to develop.
Too often, producers (and companies) try to develop projects without a director. The dumber ones try to hit two birds with the one stone and employ the writer to direct, thinking they’ll get two people for the price of one. Never allow a writer to direct their own work because they are too close to the work and have no objectivity. There aren’t a lot of genuinely creative producers or execs and most writers prefer to develop a screenplay with a director.
Fully develop scripts before taking them for funding or to actors. By thoroughly developing a script first, you’ll increase your chances of keeping creative control and deflecting interference. Company heads shouldn’t let a film to go into pre-production unless the script is well developed.
Don’t go into the process without fully believing that you will produce the scripts you are developing. Producers and companies put too many things into development, hoping they will hit on one good thing out of ten. It’s better to choose more carefully, and to give more time to each project. If all the creative people involved understand that you, as the producer or head of the production company, are determined to get the film made, everyone will work harder to create something of quality.
If you’re constantly chasing after the hottest thing, you won’t have time to develop what you’ve already got. The grass is not always greener. People in development should see enough films or live performances to get a perspective of what’s going on outside their office. So don’t waste a lot of time reading bad screenplays, you need time to reflect on ideas.
Let’s look at the people and duties that should be involved at this stage.
The Development Exec/VP of Development
Development execs have to find material, option or buy it, develop the project with the writers, and then sell it to the studio and/or network, or get independent financing for it. This gives them a lot of flexibility. They are constantly looking for a wide variety of material for their company based upon their boss' taste and track record.
The development department filters through a lot of submitted screenplays to find the few that are actually worthwhile. As an editor, they work with the writer and director during development to make the script stronger, funnier, more dramatic, or simply more appealing to the interested producer, director, and/or studio.
At a minimum salary of $72,000 per year, the development exec has a lot on their plate. Not only do they have to hold their department together and have it working like a well-oiled machine, the development exec has to create PR relationships within the industry.
Their purpose, among other duties, should be twofold: 1) to find the best up-and-coming writer that can be commissioned to write in-house projects, adaptations, or do rewrites for you, and 2). to find the best possible “off-the-rack” project to go into production with if you can’t think of any ideas. They are also expected to work PR-wise by creating relationships with actors and directors.
Up to now, the job of the development exec wasn't entirely about finding screenplays or new talent, it was about public relations. By meeting with other development executives, agents, directors and writers, they promoted the company's name to the industry. They created buzz. It’s about time that PR job was overseen by your publicity department, but still kept as a PR activity of your development department.
Development execs shouldn't be required to do actual story editing or write story notes, but they must have that ability under their belt. It takes a lot of time to properly edit a screenplay. It’s impossible to edit screenplays if you’re attending screenings, at meetings, spending hours on the phone, and wading through piles of reading and viewing material.
A well-informed writer is going to ask your development exec a few hard questions in order to find out if their time is being wasted. When a script is chosen, then it’s time for the development exec to interview the writer, and the exec should be ready to answer these questions in the positive.
What other projects does the company have in active development?
- How did the company stumble upon those projects? (Each project should come from the person sitting across the table from the writer).
- What is the typical process at the company if the director of development likes the project?
- How long does it take the producer to read a project and make a decision?
- What projects have the company produced or set up, and did they come from the in-house development staff?
When I started writing in the late 70’s the goal of every writer was to be commissioned to write in-house ideas or adapt bestsellers, etc, that the company bought the rights to. Writing was sexy. The script a writer sent to the production company was, in those olden days, regarded as a sample of their ability to write for the big or small screen. It wasn’t a case of “what have you done”, but “show me what you can do”.
To give you an example of this, a couple of years ago a producer friend needed some sample scripts from me to boast about my writing and editing ability and for possible commission on future projects. After sending them to him, he realized he didn’t have a sample script of my ability to do adaptations and rewrites, so he called me about it. Finding the most difficult (and scariest) script to adapt, I started work.
Completed, I sent it to him. As it was a sample, I kept the “remake” and gave it to my manager-in-training to use as a sample of my work. To my surprise, every producer that picked it up wanted to produce it. It’s kind of weird having to constantly tell producers, “No, you can’t have it. It’s not for sale”.
Nowadays, it seems the thoughts on the minds of today’s screenwriters are to just sell their scripts. The myriad books on screenwriting mainly cause this switch. Every one, except for precious few, neglect to include instruction on the business of writing.
In order for the development exec to find these screenwriters and projects, they need to go to the proverbial watering holes where writers can be found, and to create relationships with and regularly meet, literary agents, managers, entertainment attorneys, script brokers and other development execs, letting them know they are scouting, and then wait for the sample scripts to start rolling in.
Why meet with other development execs? The other development exec might have the project you are looking for that may not be of their brand, genre, or type of story they produce, and they can fob off the unwanted script to someone who wants it. Independent producers regularly ask me if I had read any good material lately.
When a development executive finds a project, he or she, or, more often, a hired reader overseen by the exec, writes coverage—a one or two-page synopsis and commentary on the script. If the project seems especially inspiring, the development exec will give the script and the coverage to the producer.
The Reader
Hollywood has survived pretty well up to now with readers who are employed to read scripts, but have no knowledge or training on what makes a great script. Their opinion of the stories that come in—as members of the public—have come to be regarded as the first line of defense against bad scripts. This doesn’t always work, and companies have lost their authority over readers (except for members of the Editors Guild). In order for the company to regain their authority, readers that recommend less-than-perfect stories or pass on great stories are quickly got rid of, giving the idea that readers are a dime a dozen. I call this the “whack-a-mole” method of story selection, and it has become more and more ineffective. In effect, you’re penalizing someone that hasn’t been properly trained to do their job. The fault is yours, not theirs. All they’ve been trained to do is write coverage based on their own personal opinion of the script and have attended two days on how to present their report in coverage format.
Then we have the professional story analyst who more often than not acts as a script editor. They are distinct from your garden-variety reader.
A typical studio will have a staff of eight to fifteen readers to handle 4,000 to 7,000 or more submissions a year. Each analyst has four or five hours in which to read, synopsize, form an opinion and evaluate material that someone has spent months, if not years, considering and creating. Professional story analysts, on the other hand, analyze and summarize the material’s strengths and weaknesses by applying objective standards of dramaturgy and commercial potential.
With a yearly salary of $58,468.80, Readers must know as much or more about storytelling than the writer whose script they are reading—not less. But that doesn’t mean to say their personal opinion or genre preferences are not also important.
This also means that they (and the story editor) should regularly attend story lectures paid for either by the company (tax deduction for staff training) or by the staff member (tax deduction for self-education expenses) by ALL of the usual suspects; Truby, McKee, and Hauge, to keep abreast of the more advanced storytelling methods that work at the box office.
If you’re looking for thrillers, the reader—even if they’re not into thrillers—should know the important genre beats that go into making a great thriller. They, along with the story editor, should also be knowledgeable of classic structure and advanced structure methods that work at the box office, in order to determine how much development the script might need. A crappy story or a lot of development needed—a pass. An interesting story with not much development needed—a recommend or consider. Most readers are told to refuse to grant a script a recommend unless they can say for sure that it’ll make $100 million or more at the box office.
I know a couple of producers who also have someone look through unsolicited scripts in case they find a diamond in the pile of rocks. This still means that sending unsolicited scripts is a no-no, but you just might find a great script from an amateur writer that can be worth investing time and money in.
The Production Manager
A production manager should also be part of your acquisitions team as well as your development department. At a minimum salary of $70,200 per year, it’s cheaper to have them permanently on staff to handle budgets and act as development office manager when the development exec is on the road in meetings. And they’re readily on hand when you actually go into development on a project and/or during production (in which they get paid $4,167 neg. per week or more depending on the scope of the production and its location).
99% of writers aren’t aware of how much their script is going to cost to produce, SO DON’T ASK THEM. It’s silly to tell a writer you want a script that’ll budget at $1.5 million when not even you know if the cast is going to eventually contain A, B, or C-list actors, or if it’s going to be a feature or MOW, or filmed locally or off-shore The 1% left can give you an educated ballpark figure, but most of the experienced writers can only tell you the RANGE of budget THEY work in, based on averaging past budget costs of their work.
A production manager or one in training can be useful to break down the scripts and quickly ballpark-budget short-listed potential projects with knowledge of whether it’ll be on the big or small screen. Who knows, you might then find one that budgets at that cost.
Near the completion of development, the PM can be bought in again to break down the final draft and do a full budget and help set up the package. Since a quick budget has already been done on the original script, it will save the time of setting up the budget for the current script being developed. It might seem like doubling the workload, but if you’re using Movie Magic or ProductionPro Budget, you’ve already set up the program to carry the developed project and you only have to change the figures and new elements after breaking down the developed script.
The Story Editor
There's a lot of people trying to develop fascinating material, but few of them know how to edit screenplays and write story notes. A good story editor must know something about how films are made, but should also have an understanding of the writing process.
In a production company, the story editor—with a yearly salary of $66,123.20—is the middleman between the readers and the development exec. If you employ story editors, give them some power. It’s impossible for them to edit a screenplay and write story notes if they don’t have any voice in the matter. (Story notes are four to 20 page documents that outline the strengths and weaknesses of a particular project on the company's development slate and suggest solutions). If you choose to employ a story editor, employ someone you believe in, foster their talent and give them some authority.
The best story editors are talented directors, but a handful of gifted editors do exist. Producers should be on the lookout to find and foster the talent of people who can help edit screenplays, much in the way a publisher develops the talents of good book editors.
The Acquisition Process
A script is usually submitted by an agent to someone at the company. The script's first stop is the Story Editor. This person manages the company's stable of readers, and usually keeps the script library and coverage files. The Story Editor logs the script in and sends it out for coverage. It goes to a reader first. If the script is with the reader it was submitted to, he may take a copy home for him or herself to do coverage.
The next person up on the food chain is either a Creative Executive or a Director of Development, depending on what the company decides to call them. They are essentially the same, though studios usually call these people Creative Executives and smaller companies call them Directors of Development.
The C.E.'s (Creative Executive) job is to help the VPs sift through material and to be the person on a project. They spend their days reading recommended and considered scripts, sitting in meetings, etc.
The next step up is the VP of Development. These are the ones bringing in material, networking with agents, and leading projects. The bulk of a VP's day is spent in phone calls, managing this project, getting that new spec from some big agent, and generally keeping projects in development moving through the pipeline.
The VPs boss is the President of Production. He or she usually has the power to greenlight projects, though they rarely bring in projects themselves except at smaller companies. The President of Production manages the company and fields pitches from the company's development execs, each of whom are trying to shepherd their own pet project through the system.
As a script comes into a company, it works its way up that chain (depending on what point it started), until there is a critical mass of executives behind it. Once the President of Production is on board, then the project is optioned or purchased.
THE DEVELOPMENT STAGE
Development involves those activities that relate specifically to taking a concept or idea and turning it into a finished screenplay, or taking an “off-the-rack” screenplay and turning it into a box office hit. The development process involves formulating and organizing the concept or idea for a film, acquiring the rights to any underlying literary work or screenplay, preparing an outline, synopsis and/or treatment, and writing, polishing and revising the various drafts of the screenplay. It also involves packaging the project in order to interest investors, distributors and studios.
On average, the budget for this phase will be $450,000 to $650,000+ for a feature film. The reason for this is because the process has now switched to higher gear and many meld preproduction into the latter part of the development process.
The reason for the lower budget amount stated is because you now have to purchase the screenplay and you have to commission the writer to work on the script. During the acquisition phase you optioned the script. Buying the script and commissioning the writer are two separate costs. You bought a product, now you are employing a writer, director, and story editor to improve it.
At this point, as soon as the contracts are drawn up, the meetings begin. All guild writers are guaranteed at least one rewrite, though many get more. The writer is brought in to meet with the development executives on the project, where the notes that the Creative Exec wrote (or story editor wrote for the C.E.) are presented: either verbally or actually on paper. Many companies use story notes only internally, and prefer to present their thoughts to the writer in the form of a discussion, to at least give the impression of a back-and-forth process, even if the company is just dictating their directives to the writer.
This is a little more complicated if we’re talking about a production company that doesn't have its own funds and is fully kept afloat by a studio deal. In this case, they need the studio to buy off on the project as well.
Now, here’s the curly bit. Getting funding for this phase.
There are two ways you can do this. You can approach a film funding company to give you the required development funds, or you can form a limited partnership to raise the funds through gathering 20 to 100 small investors.
This means you have to include:
• The script (correctly formatted).
• A synopsis (a one-page overview of the story).
• Additional page with three Synopsis versions: 30 words, 150 words, and 250 words.
• The treatment: (from 5 to 20 pages. A detailed in-depth overview).
ADDITIONAL
• Character breakdown. A list of all characters, their age, gender, basic description.
• Scene Breakdown. A list of all scenes, their location and time of day.
• Writers vision notes. Up to three numbered pages (with the writer’s name and screenplay title on the cover). They should cover things that are NOT obvious in the script that they are passionate about and variations on what is obvious.
• Time of year, period attention, colors and themes.
• Any specific brands or trademarks that are specific to the script.
• A one-page document from the writer on what inspired them to write the script.
• A copy of the Coverage Report.
LOG LINE(S)
One page document.
As many as you think are appropriate. No longer than 16 words per log line.
On the other hand, when you go for production funding, you can include the development budget onto the production budget. Just make sure to tell the funding body or investor that the budget includes money for the proposed development stage of the project.
If you’ve gained separate development funds from investors, you would add the development costs incurred to the production budget anyway, so you can give a return to the development stage investors.
The Director
After you’ve gone through the acquisition stage and selected a script you want to produce, now’s the time to pitch it to a director to get their enthusiasm for the work and their involvement from development onwards.
Never get the writer to direct their own work. If Shakespeare directed his own plays A Midsomer Night’s Dream would still be known as Bottom, The Weaver, and we would today not know it ever existed. Despite the dog’s dinner, Eucalyptus, somehow getting to principle photography by some miracle, much less by the studio, the key to its downfall was that the writer demanded to direct. The fact that the writer who adapted the novel had never directed a feature before seemed to be of no consequence to the producers.
At $10,629 (negotiable) per week during development, ($14,597 negotiable per week during production), choose your directors with care. Most directors are good at one or two areas, but very few are exponents of all areas of directing. One may be a great at managing the production team they work with, but can’t direct actors to save their lives. Another may be great at directing actors, but can’t keep order on the set. Still another can do their job to perfection on the set, but lack in the areas of creative paperwork such as script breakdowns or lack the technical aspects of working with the editor in the editing suite to realize their vision.
This is where it’s important for you to know the director’s strengths and weaknesses. The chapter on developing a crew in the production section of Michael Rabiger’s book Directing: Film Techniques And Aesthetics will give you some insight into the responsibilities and personality traits required of the director and crew before you bring him or her onboard at the development stage. Your research will pay big dividends when it comes to principle photography. Your support to the director in helping to pick the best crew to make up for the director’s weaknesses will be invaluable.
In the development phase, you need a director that can handle with expertise the creative paperwork required at this point, and to help the writer bring out the best in the script.
The Actor
It’s also at this stage that you interest actors to perform the main character roles. We all think that A-listers are the ones that will impress the money people enough to loosen their grip on their wallets, but this is not always the case. Star Wars didn’t have any marquee stars in their lineup. Neither did E.T., Home Alone, Independence Day, Jurassic Park, or Titanic.
No one really knew who Harrison Ford, Nicole Kidman, Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Cameron Diaz, or Sam Neil were before they appeared in starring roles on the big screen. On the other hand, it does help if investors can recognize the actor and director’s names.
One of the main complaints producers made about getting finance for their project was that it took up to 120 days to get the funds after they sent the package. The reason is that smart investors looked at the resumes of the director and main actors and watched their movies before agreeing to the funding, coupled with the questions, “Can this producer deliver” and “Has this producer made a profit before?” That’s why it took so long.
Getting actors these days is difficult. Agents like the immediate gratification of the pay-or-play offer and probably won’t help you unless they are a personal contact. The manager, although more of a visionary and long-term planner, may be reticent to commit the talent for fear that a better film might come along. Because of the many amateur and dishonest companies invading our space, agents have to protect themselves and their talent by indirectly asking, “Can you afford us?” before agreeing to meet, much less negotiate. By creating a relationship with actors this makes the road much easier. “Never pitch to actors on the first date” was some invaluable advice given to me. The trick was to wait until you’re asked “What are you working on?” before sneakily pitching your project in a conversational throwaway tone. The moment they ask for more about it, you know you have their attention. The moment they say, “Call my agent”, you know you’ve lost them. Remember, their agent works FOR them, not the other way around. If you really want this actor, add 25% to their last salary. One producer wanted a minor A-list actor and their agent said “$5.6 million”. The producer banged the table lightly and demanded, “Not a penny less than $7 million!” Shocked and confused, the agent went down to $4.8 million. Before the agent had a chance to think, the producer shook her hand and said, “It’s a deal!”
For PR reasons, many actors like to do low-budget “home-town” features (below $20 million). They are more than willing to take a pay cut. They believe it reconnects them to their audience and makes them seem human again because they are back home supporting their country’s or state’s film industry. If the feature is no-budget (between $4mil and $9mil) it’s a good idea to offer them a producer or exec producer credit. In some cases, they might even part-bankroll the project if they like the script, believe they can work with you, and the character role is favorable.
The Screenwriter
When you’re commissioning the writer to work on their or someone else’s script during development, pick one that really wants to do the job, otherwise they’ll loose all creativity and just do it for the money. The end result is a burnt-out writer who’s so blocked they can’t write anymore.
First-time writers that are commissioned to work in development balk at making changes to their script. They’re usually under the impression that they’ve finished writing their script when they send it to their agent or to you, so they take having to rewrite it as an invalidation and it automatically makes them believe that they haven’t done a good enough job. It’s a scary time for them, so it’s important that you explain to them what the development process is all about, and that you need them to help the director realize on the big screen what they’ve written on the page. It’s also important to let them know that the director isn’t always capable of fashioning the script into its visual presentation alone.
The process of rewriting the script during development is usually too tightly controlled. If you try to over-control and structure a writer through strict outlines, long sets of notes, treatments, etc., you’ll miss out on the marvelous things that come out of a good writer’s head when encouraged to improve on his work in a more constructive way.
Be constructive in your analysis of the various drafts with the writer. Focus more on the good things in the work than the problems or plot holes. Consult the writer’s creative understanding of the problems in the script, gently. Saying, “I like this bit, but I’m not getting it fully”, and suggesting you act out or improvise the scene with the writer goes a long way and helps them discover the plot hole or problem themselves… and they learn something.
Don’t coddle them, but urge them gently to do their best work. You need to always keep in mind that most talented writers are usually sensitive people who need a lot of support. You need to allow for the personal equation in the development of stories, which many people on the business side of film simply don’t understand. If you want a good script, you have to allow for it, because the best writing is the projection of a unique personality.
Script Conferences and Finalization.
Every script, no matter how experienced the writer, will have technical errors, and these need to be ironed out with a director's and script editor’s discerning eyes. This is also where the group discusses the direction of the story and the strength of the story and scenes.
When you go into the development phase, the first thing that has to be done is to break down the script and restructure the story. In many cases, you have a script that was written using the 3-act structure or doesn’t contain a structure at all.
By tightening up the structure and developing the plot and characters, you have a better chance of entertaining the audience and making money at the box office.
Those attending the script conference should be the director, producer, writer, and PA. In some cases, sometimes further on in script development, you would include the director of photography, all who read the script and discuss elements of improvement. All those involved in the script meetings during development MUST possess screenplay-editing skills in order to correctly identify areas that need improvement and provide solutions. The reason for assigning a PA to the group is to mark up the script with all the agreed-upon improvements that have been discussed and give it to the writer.
Before sending it to you, most writers have already sent their script to a script analyst or script doctor who goes through the script with a red pen and makes notes right on the page (where the mistakes are made) where the writer can see them and can then make the recommended changes. To change this standard procedure and just give the writer reams of notes on separate paper is a useless exercise and most often won’t even be read, much less applied.
The first thing to do after you’ve greenlit a script for development is to break that script down to its structure parts. There are about 22 structure beats or plot-points to great stories, but the 8 listed below will give you the best basic framework to start with Surprisingly, these 8 points are missing in 90% of scripts, but every one of them are present in the twenty top grossing films of all time. Firstly, you want to know (in order):
1. The difficult situation the hero finds him or herself in at the beginning of the story.
2. The lack within the hero that has to be fulfilled by the end of the script if the hero is to have a good life. This is a personal problem like a fear, phobia or addiction. This doesn’t really have an effect on anyone but the hero (and those closest to them). On the other hand, you also want to know how the character acts in a negative way towards other people. This is character motivation—and what the actor means when they ask, “What’s my motivation? What is the justification for the character to do this or act like that?” Apart from what the hero and other characters do in the story, the audience has to have an emotional connection to the characters.
3. What does the hero want to achieve by the end of the movie? What’s his or her goal? Externally, the hero has some character flaws and his goal is directly connected to the problem he faces at the beginning of the story. We’re going to watch the hero fight overwhelming odds—over the course of the story—to get to his goal. But that’s not all. Internally, the hero also has fears, phobias, or addictions they have to overcome by the end of the story and become a better person and these are some of his obstacles to his goal. He’s getting in his own way on an emotional level and he’s treating people like crap. Overcoming this underlying lack in his life and learning how to treat people properly is what makes him go from wimp to winner or from a cynic to a participant in life.
4. Who is going to stop the hero from getting to his goal, and why? If the hero is having problems, there is always someone that is the major cause of them and who wants to stop the hero from getting to their goal. In order to have conflict we’ve got to have someone keep the hero from getting what he wants. For that Opponent to be a true opponent, he should have the same or a similar goal as the hero. He should also be the best person to expose the hero’s fears, addictions or phobias (their dark secrets) and stomp on them mercilessly. This competition is made more powerful if the opponent is a shadow aspect of the hero. In the Scottish play, Hicate is the shadow aspect of Macbeth.
5. The hero needs to have some kind of plan of how he’s going to reach his goal and deal with his opponent. In order to overcome the opponent and reach the goal the hero has to have some idea—some set of guidelines—that will help him reach that end. But so does the opponent. This punch-counter-punch is going to play out in the second act.
6. If you’re going to have an argument, it needs to lead to a battle. During the middle of the story, we have an escalating conflict where the hero and the opponent both fight for the goal. That’s the moment when the hero and the opponent battle to decide who is actually going to win. Punch-ups are boring and the two sides never learn much except that punches hurt. It has to be a battle of values, not a case of who is physically stronger or who has more power over the other. And someone will reach the goal in the battle. It’s a test. And by going through that battle, the hero must will undergo change or the writer must show clearly why they didn’t.
7. This test is so intense that the hero is forced to see himself for the first time as he really is. This is the Self-revelation. And this insight is so powerful that it does one of two things: either the hero realizes who he is for the first time and this gives him tremendous strength or what he learns about himself is so negative that it destroys him.
8. So we end the movie with everything back to normal but with one big difference, the hero has won or lost the goal, and has learned valuable lessons.
Producers and production executives often lack the patience needed to develop a good script. It might take three or four full drafts to get a screenplay into decent shape. The standard two drafts and a polish deal is usually inadequate if the author is a first-time writer. Screenplays must work on many levels: dramatically, cinematically, narratively, and all within a time limit. The producer has to be patient and understand that it’s difficult for a writer to achieve everything in two drafts. That is why the script conferences are so important. With the 8 points in hand, you can go into the conferences at least somewhat armed.
The area of rewriting is where most “development hell” raises its ugly head. Sparse development introduces problems where the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing.
The poor writer is subjected to being interrupted by people coming in and recommending script and scene changes without the changes being discussed and agreed upon in the script conferences first.
This is one of the scariest things an inexperienced writer faces. The other is being replaced by another on the project/script they originated. The reason for the script conferences is to help the writer create greater character development and depth, to enforce genre rules and open the door to transcending the genre and expanding the writer's creativity and knowledge…
… and creating a film that will slay ‘em at the box office.
When the proposed changes have been discussed and agreed on, the writer goes off to rewrite. Don’t give the writer endless notes because they actually don’t help but hinder the creative process. The meeting-rewrite back and forth continues as many times as the contract requires.
Editing a screenplay is a little like a puzzle—you change something, it throws everything else out of whack. This is why breaking down the script into its structure elements is so important. You have to be deeply involved in the process to edit a screenplay, and you get involved through discussion, reflection, and then more discussion. To really know the problems is to sympathize with them; this reflection will bring you closer to being able to help the writer and director solve the problems.
The catch phrases that development people sometimes use are clichéd and the rules they follow are too general. It is a mistake to use terms such as "character arc" and "character journey" when reviewing a screenplay. Using language like this only serves to alienate a writer. It’s not beneficial to the creative process to try to reduce screenplay writing to a formula.
Don’t try to develop projects without a director. Most writers feel more at ease developing a screenplay with a director rather than a producer or executive. The director has a great deal to do at this period in helping the writer to expand their visual horizons. Every scene means something and extracting this meaning with the writer's help and their intention for the scene makes the director and writer a great creative team. Two heads are better than one, and even a comment like “The family ain't Jewish enough. Here's how we make them more Jewish” can help the writer considerably in creating 3D characters that jump off the screen and archetype to the audience. This is why it's important to bring a director in at development rather than treat them as a director-for-hire before principle photography and say “Here's the script, direct it as written”.
Also, be careful of overdeveloping the script. Overdevelopment happens when a producer has trouble setting up a project and thinks that by adding certain more commercial ingredients it will magically make the script work better.
A producer often panics and asks the writer to change something after hearing one or two negative things about the script. This is unprofessional and unproductive behavior.
The Package
The package is extremely important because it affects your ability to secure a distributor or sales agent, and, consequently, your ability to secure financing.
Banks use distribution contracts and sales agent estimates to determine whether to lend production financing, and private equity investors are more apt to invest when they recognize the cast members.
When the developed script has been completed, it’s now time to break down the final draft and do a full budget. The other team members can now start post-production preparation, finding distributors and completion guarantors, and getting interest from and locking in major cast ready for pre-production.
Financiers, such as equity investors, lenders, distributors, syndicators, co-producers, and others like you, need film product from independent producers in order to stay in business. They are not doing the producer a favor by financing a film. They make money by investing in film production.
You have to convince financiers that the project satisfies two criteria: a). you have to establish that the production crew is sufficiently experienced, well organized, and capable of completing the film; and b). that the project is sufficiently commercial so that projected revenues will return both the principal amount invested plus a return of interest and/or profit. By demonstrating knowledge of film production, including budgeting and an understanding of the producer’s obligations that remains, the producer will enhance his or her chances of obtaining financing.
There are many reasons why film finance packages fail. But, there are three major reasons:
1. Lack of equity;
2. Perceived lack of competence; and
3. Poor oral presentation.
People like success and investors will invest in successful people. If a producer starts out small with a small project but demonstrates that they have made money from it, the end result is that they have made a profit. Now they have a profit making “credit” as well as a production credit. Success breeds success.
There are also some factors a corporation or organization considers in deciding whether or not to sponsor a film.
1. The subject matter of the script,
2. The interests of the company,
3. Product placement
4. Positive use of the company name/premises as advertising or as a location within the film.
The Film Finance Package
1. The Executive Summary
2. Supporting Documents
You should attach documents that will be of interest to the investor/ such as:
a) Organization papers for the production entity
b) Letters of intent and/or agreements with key member of the cast and crew
c) Budgets
d) Option agreements, literary property acquisition agreements, copyrights, WGA registered
e) Distribution agreements.
f) Letters of credit, and/or letters of intent from other financiers and/or distributors
g) Insurance policies; and/or h. any other documents evidencing important legal commitments and rights
Most importantly, these should be included in the package for investors
1. Cover letter
2. Logline
3. Synopsis
4. The developed script, Including Grant of Rights
5. Biographies of the key cast, crew and staff, including yourself.
6. Letters of Intent from the Producer, Director, Key Cast, and Key Crew, including fees
7. Budget - 2 Page Top Sheet, including Completion Bond & 10% Contingency
Larger investors may require:
1. The Budget of the Film: This should exclude any estimate of bank fees, bank legal costs or bank interest on the production loan. It should include a full 10% contingency, completion guarantee fee, and a projected cash flow schedule referencing the projected draw dates under the proposed facility.
2. Production Schedule:
3. Start of pre-production
4. Start of principal photography
5. Completion of principal photography
6. The Delivery Date. Back end delivery date (including allowances for unforeseen circumstances).
7. Details of Completion Guarantor: Letter of Intent from a reputable and financially strong bonding company that they intend to bond the project, protecting the bank and the distributor or investor who puts up the collateral for the loan. The collateral must be in an amount sufficient to cover the negative cost of the film as well as all financing charges, including an interest reserve for the entire term of the loan, inclusive for the "Force Majeure" period, loan fees and bank legal fees which are paid by the borrowers.
8. Synopsis of Film Theme and Plot: One page maximum
9. Details of a Reputable Producer/Director: Complete biographies are required to verify experience.
10. Cast Biographies: Biographies of principal cast members.
11. Contract Details: Details of the principal distribution or a pre-sale contract from a financially strong and reputable Distribution Company, evidencing a minimum guaranty for certain rights of the film in a particular market.
12. Names of distributors, territories and rights acquired.
13. Payment terms of minimum guarantees.
14. Details of any L/C or bank guarantee support for and of the above.
15. Details of any holdbacks that might restrict any initial release of the film.
16. Confirmation that minimum guarantees are stated net of withholding tax.
The Agreement must be for a specified dollar amount (as opposed to a percentage of box office receipts). The Agreement must be payable at a date certain or determinable.
Now that the hard work is over, you can now wait for the funding to be okayed ready for the greenlight to go into production.
NOTE: Remember, pre production is part of the production phase, not the end bit of development.
