book

Screenwriting for Profit

Name: Screenwriting for Profit
Author: Andrew Stevens
ISBN: 9781317361756

by Andrew Stevens

June 2017

Intermediate to advanced

216 pages

6h 59m

English

Routledge

Read now

Unlock full access

Cover
Title
Copyright
Contents
Introduction
Prologue
1 Critical Criteria Before Determining Your Subject Matter
Understanding the Global MarketplaceShelf LifeStudio FilmsDistribution CostsIndependent FilmsUnderstanding Sales AgentsSales Agents’ Responsibility to BuyersHow Films Are Bought and SoldFilm MarketsFilm FestivalsTermRightsTerritoryBuyersHow Sales Are DocumentedSales Agents’ ContractsBuyers’ RepsProducers’ RepsNorth AmericaMarket Value Is Critical for Screenwriters to UnderstandThe Market-Savvy ScreenwriterOther Ways of Gathering Trending Information
2 The Independent Film and Television Alliance and the American Film Market: Services and Opportunities That Benefit Screenwriters
Legal ContractsGlobal Research and TrackingAdvocacy EffortsThe American Film Market Seminars and Conferences Financing FinancingAFM—Pitch Me Your ScriptBenefits of Attending Film MarketsA Writer’s Goal While Attending the AFMGet in Touch With the MarketplaceHow to Navigate the AFMThe American Film Market and Connections for Screenwriters
3 The Cannes Film Market and Festival
JuriesSelection ClassificationsEventsWhere Film Sales HappenPre-Sale Marketing
4 Writing for the Marketplace
Trends + Analysis = ProfitThe Necessity of Developing ScreenplaysKey Territories and Associated ChallengesSecond Level of SellKnow Before You WriteUnderstanding Territorial Desires and WhyGenre Beats and Running TimesAn Example of Developing a Script Based on Market DesiresA Catchy TitleWorking With the Department of DefenseDevelopment RecapThe Creative ChallengeWriter Wannabes vs. Career ProfessionalsAnomaliesBuyer and Sellers: Screenwriters Are SellersThe Creative Process in the Real WorldThe Cognizant Writer

5 Building a Career—Everyone Starts Somewhere
Study the Market and Ask QuestionsPay Attention to What Is SellingSuccess Breeds SuccessApply What You LearnPre-Determined ProfitThe Market Often Dictates Story StructureOrganic Integration and Running TimeImportance of the Second Level of Sell in Multiple Genres
6 Historical Context of the Recent Evolution of Media Gives Writers Perspective
Directors as Well as Writers Need Market AwarenessThe Trend Shifted and New Media EmergedThe Historical Evolution of Audio-Visual MediaFilmmaking and Emerging MediaNew Media and Distribution PlatformsMarketing Challenges in New MediaAttracting DistributionStar Name Recognition HelpsWriters Should Be Aware of the Fiscal Realities of DistributionVisual ConceptsSales CampaignsMarketing via Digital PlatformsNiche Marketing—Identifying the Target Audience for Your Story Building Awareness for Your Film
7 Screenplay Structure and Components
Three-Act StructureAct Structure for Television FilmsThe Syd Field ParadigmThe PrologueEntrance and Exit of Major CharactersScenesWord of Mouth ScenesMemorable LinesPlant and Pay-OffExposition
8 Inspiration, Sequels, Remakes, and Reboots
InspirationDraw From the World Around YouSequelsRemakes
9 Character Development From an Actor’s Perspective
Most Screenplays Lack Depth of CharacterPersonalizationTransference or Substitution and Sense MemoriesSynergy of Writers and ActorsA Personalization Exercise for WritersAn Example of an Actor’s BackstoryAn Actor’s Prep for a Television Pilot and SeriesAn Example of an Actor’s TimelinePreserving the Writer’s IntentSome Actors With Power Have No Regard for a Writer’s Words
10 A Screenwriter’s Perspective
The World Before Final DraftTwo Sample Writer’s Character BreakdownsExamination of Character BreakdownsArchetypesThe Four Basic ArchetypesWeaknesses, Needs, and Super ObjectivesPhysical Description (Physiology)SociologyPsychologyUse What Works for You
11 A Director’s Perspective
The Writer/DirectorCriteria and Process of a Film DirectorWriters RewrittenIt All Starts With the ScriptDirectors’ Preparation TechniquesSuggested Criteria for Being a Successful Film Director
12 A Producer’s Perspective
Assimilating How the Business WorksCertain Writers for Certain ProjectsThe Business Changes, but the Paradigm Remains the SameWhat a Producer Looks for in a ScreenplayA Producer Isn’t a Producer Without a ScriptAn Example of a Malleable Writer
13 Writing for Cost-Effective Budgets
Night ExteriorsLimit Locations and Company MovesLimit Speaking RolesWorking With MinorsWorking With AnimalsResidualsAn Example of When Theatrical Film Residuals Become Due for Various MediaReduce or Eliminate Distant LocationsReduce the Number of Shooting DaysRethink and Modify Costly SequencesRecap
14 Financing
Equity FinancingSelf-FinancingBank FinancingCompletion GuarantorsLimited PartnershipsPitching a Deal to Equity Investors Is Like Pitching a ScriptSocial Media and CrowdfundingGrantsSubsidiesSubsidies: Too Good to Be True?Multiple Source Financing
15 Writing Is a Team Sport
Content Is Dictated by the Coaches and FansLiterary DevelopmentTelevision DevelopmentStudio DevelopmentIndependent DevelopmentReadersPost-Production StorytellingNational Research GroupGathering Information From Demographic GroupsAvoiding Major CompetitionDeclining Audience ShareThe Tent Pole Danger ZoneCalculating Audience ShareAudiences Can Dictate Editorial Cuts of FilmsCurrent NRG Screening ChallengesAltered Content
16 Studio Due Diligence: How the Big Boys Cater to the Little Boys
Comic-ConMillennials
17 New Media—New Model—As Significant as the Majors
NetflixAmazon StudiosAmazon PrimeHulu and Hulu PlusYouTubeYouTube Red
18 Non-Union vs. Union Writers’ Agreements
Writing for Independent CompaniesWriters’ AgreementsWritten Agreements Are EssentialUnion and Non-Union RatesWGA Low-Budget Rate Tiers and FeesRewrites on Spec ScriptsRestrictions, Obligations, and Penalties to a Producer or Production CompanyRevision of the ScreenplayInitial Release in a Non-Theatrical MarketReportsCost ReportRight to AuditMinimum TermsP&W Contributions and ResidualsPractical Contrast of Union vs. Non-UnionUnion Overview From an Independent Perspective
19 Writers’ Protections
Ideas vs. StoriesWGA RegistrationCopyrightsThe Library of CongressSteps to Registering a CopyrightUnderlying Source MaterialChain of TitleExample of Chain of Title
20 Non-Disclosure, Non-Circumvention, and Confidentiality Agreements
Sample Non-Disclosure AgreementNon-Circumvention AgreementsSample Mutual Non-Circumvention, Confidentiality Agreement
21 Screenplay Submissions
Query LettersSteps for Constructing a Query LetterReal Examples of Bad Query LettersSamples of Query Letters That Got My AttentionWhat If I Don’t Get a Response From My Query Letter?Alternatives to Query LettersSubmission ReleaseSample Submission Release FormA Real Life Illustration of Why Producers and Studios Protect Themselves From Litigation
22 The Pitch
Personal PresentationGetting the Job: The 7 KeysRecap

Content preview from Screenwriting for Profit

Chapter 8Inspiration, Sequels, Remakes, and Reboots

Inspiration for a scene or a screenplay can come from almost anywhere, a piece of source material like a magazine or newspaper article, a current or historical true-life event, or a personal experience. Inspiration often comes from the most unlikely of places. As writers, we need to be constant, open receptors to opportunities that allow inspiration to absorb into our consciousness and creatively stimulate us. I often think of single-frame cartoonists in the daily newspaper, like “Dennis the Menace” or “Family Circus,” whose authors and illustrators must perpetually listen receptively and gather little nuggets of inspiration that they can use for their comics on an everyday basis. ...

Become an O’Reilly member and get unlimited access to this title plus top books and audiobooks from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers, thousands of courses curated by job role, 150+ live events each month,
and much more.

Read now

Unlock full access

More than 5,000 organizations count on O’Reilly

O’Reilly covers everything we've got, with content to help us build a world-class technology community, upgrade the capabilities and competencies of our teams, and improve overall team performance as well as their engagement.

Julian F.

Head of Cybersecurity

I wanted to learn C and C++, but it didn't click for me until I picked up an O'Reilly book. When I went on the O’Reilly platform, I was astonished to find all the books there, plus live events and sandboxes so you could play around with the technology.

Addison B.

Field Engineer

I’ve been on the O’Reilly platform for more than eight years. I use a couple of learning platforms, but I'm on O'Reilly more than anybody else. When you're there, you start learning. I'm never disappointed.

Amir M.

Data Platform Tech Lead

I'm always learning. So when I got on to O'Reilly, I was like a kid in a candy store. There are playlists. There are answers. There's on-demand training. It's worth its weight in gold, in terms of what it allows me to do.

Mark W.

Embedded Software Engineer

Publisher Resources

ISBN: 9781317361756

Cloud Computing

Data Engineering

Data Science

AI & ML

Programming Languages

Software Architecture

IT/Ops

Security

Design

Business

Soft Skills

Screenwriting for Profit

by Andrew Stevens

Chapter 8Inspiration, Sequels, Remakes, and Reboots

Inspiration

Become an O’Reilly member and get unlimited access to this title plus top books and audiobooks from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers, thousands of courses curated by job role, 150+ live events each month,
and much more.