Method Writer

I think most people would agree that wannabe filmmakers and TV show creators are visual people. They may not be big readers. They may only write because it's a means to an end.  So with that said, what would make anyone think that interns at production companies, agencies and management companies, who aspire to be filmmakers and TV show creators really want to sit around all day and read scripts? Answer: They probably don't... Well at least, human nature tells me that if I'm not a "big reader", then I'm not going to happily sit around and thoroughly read a stack of scripts from unproduced writers.  Some of the material probably sucks. A lot of it is probably the same old, same old.  SO if you burn out a reader with those types of scripts before they are able to reach a possible gem, then you're doing the entire world an injustice. Just sayin'. And if they're just out of high school, then what do they know anyway? What have they watched t

Yesterday, I attended the "Inktip Pitch & Networking Summit" in Burbank, CA. www.inktippitchsummit.com I brought five scripts along with me. Onesheeted and index carded my way through six hours of the madness. All in all, it was great experience. I would recommend this event highly to anyone interested in taking a stab at pitching their scripts to producers, managers and agents. At the very least, you'll get an idea of what people are interested in and what they're not. I would say that out of the forty-plus people, I sat in front of, I got several read requests, an assignment, and many, many "follow up with me's". Only six of them gave me "crickets" or a weird vibe until my very last pitch... Yeah... Things were going great until I sat at the table of negativity. Wow. They could've just said, "pass", but instead, I got to hear their version of the history of production. Yes, please talk down to me as if this was my firs

When we as writers come up with new story ideas, the excitement level can often be compared to the discovery of a lost civilization. Not that I'd know, but let's assume. So, when I recently created a new character and "world" for a TV show idea, I spent days and days writing interesting situations, dynamics between characters, and dialog. Then I thought, "wow", maybe I shouldn't go in that direction and instead try to make it be more like something that's a variation of what's on some of the networks, right now... Let's say it's a crime show. So, after I read it, I had several people give me reads with wonderful responses. Of course they're not people, who are regularly buying and selling literary material. So, when I began pitching it out, I had a literary rep immediately pass because there are several of the same type of show being released this fall.  What? Where did I go wrong?   The answer is simple. My original idea was

After the Hollywood Creative Directory stopped publication of their paperback and online directories, it certainly left a huge hole for folks in the industry needing contact information. Of course there is IMDbPro and Done Deal Pro, and various other little searches and tricks, we all use, but there was nothing all in the same place, like HCD. I was happy to see  F + W Media, Inc. ( The Writer's Store in Burbank, CA) come up with their own directory the Fall 2012 "Hollywood Screenwriting Directory". It has 1,500 producer listings from studios, to independent, to financiers. They also include a quick how-to for query letters, etc.  What I like about the listings is that there are many email addresses included. And they're not all info@'s, which we all know usually hit the virtual circular file. They also include the submission policies, genres, addresses, phone, fax, staff, and IMDb addresses.  I like the fact that it's a smaller paperback. I plan