Marvin V. Acuna

“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?” “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat. “I don’t much care where—” said Alice. “Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat. “—so long as I get SOMEWHERE,” Alice added as an explanation. “Oh, you’re sure to do that,” said the Cat, “if you only walk long enough.”

– Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”

2009 is almost over. As of this writing we have just over a month left. Time flies. It seems like just yesterday that I moved out to LA, and that was over fifteen years ago.

This past Saturday I invested three hours to simply break down two personal goals I intend and am committed to accomplish in 2010. As of December first I will devote an hour each night and three every Saturday until I have mapped out all my personal goals and commitments for 2010. I’m determined to be clear on what I want, what I must do to get there, and more importantly — define landmarks, set deadlines and status review sessions to ensure I’m on track.

Additionally, this upcoming Monday my business partners and I will complete mapping out all our business goals and set an entire calendar for 2010.

As you can see I’m a firm believer in goal setting AND setting dates. Huge believer! It always surprises me that so few folks set goals, much less build a calendar. I’m not sure why it surprises me, but it does.

Maybe someone should invent a mapquest.com for people’s dreams, then they could simply print out directions like all people do when they set out on a trip. That would be nice.

There is overwhelming evidence that goal setting and schedules lead to results.

Consider the following:

• If you sold a screenplay to a studio the agreement would include a very specific timeline of payment and the schedule for rewrites. In fact, the delivery of a rewrite is tied to the payment schedules.
• If you sold a pitch to a studio the agreement would also clearly state your writing schedule.
• And finally, if your project were to be produced, an entire schedule, with extreme specificity — drawn from the script — would be created along with budgets. In fact, if you have never done a production schedule breakdown of your script I would HIGHLY encourage you to take a class on how to. It’s a powerful exercise.

Hear me: You have chosen a profession that requires every available advantage to succeed. This is your business. No one will ever care more about your business than you. It’s so important. If you just invest a little time into yourself and your business by mapping it out… I promise it will have profound, measurable results.

Here are a few tips to get you started:

• Schedule — You need to block off time to set goals and build a calendar. Use a timer. Let people know you are not to be distracted. Turn off the phone, the internet… in essence anything that can be a distraction.
• Reflection — begin your goal setting sessions with a thirty minute exercise of reflection. Sit in quiet and write down a few of this year’s accomplishments. Jot down HOW you accomplished them and most importantly how it makes you feel knowing that you accomplished them. Personally, I find it sets the tone, the mood, and the belief that you have found success and are extremely capable of attaining your goals.
• Why — You need to be clear — crystal clear — on why you wish to attain this goal. There must be a strong belief that there is something in it for you to accomplish this goal.
• Calendar — I cannot stress it enough… As you break down your goals set the action steps to actual completion dates.
• Share — Choose someone you trust, admire, respect, and who desires to see you succeed. It makes all the difference in the world when you have someone to discuss your goals with, and more importantly to hold you accountable to staying on track. They can also be the perfect person to celebrate with at each milestone.

My hope is that these tips will ignite a fire within you to create the production schedule of your dream for the upcoming year.

I’ll say it one last time… this IS YOUR BUSINESS. No one will care about it more than you. I hope you invest the time to begin mapping out your dream. No one will do it for you. No one!

By Jesse Rosenblatt, Esq

Collaborations can take many forms, even ones that you may not intend. The two most common forms of collaboration I see are:

• Two People Intentionally Collaborate From The Beginning Of A Project

This is exactly what it sounds like. You and another writer come together to create a single collaborative work and the presumption (in the absence of a collaboration agreement to the contrary) is generally that 50% of the work is owned by each of you and that both of you will share equally in any revenues from the project.

This is all well and good, assuming both parties share the same expectations about each facet of the project. However, once there’s a disagreement, a standstill or one collaborator wants to walk away for any reason, problems begin, often leading to a stalemate which freezes the project indefinitely. At that stage, unless both parties can find a way to reach an agreement with respect to each other’s rights and obligations going forward, there is often no way to proceed effectively to finish or exploit the work.

• A Solo Writer Inadvertently Lets Someone Become A Collaborator In Their Project

This can happen in a variety of ways. Letting a friend casually contribute notes/suggestions/additions/alterations, etc. to your work can create a collaboration. Incorporating a producer’s (or other third party’s) notes when conducting a rewrite can create a collaboration.

As just one common example of how this may play out, let’s say a producer is interested in your screenplay. The producer may say that they want to see a rewrite from you before deciding how they want to proceed, and, to shape the project more to their liking, the producer contributes notes/suggestions/additions/alterations to your script. Once you incorporate those notes, you have inadvertently given that producer a rights interest in your project.

Now, even if that producer elects not to option or purchase your script (or if they option it but don’t ever exercise their option), technically that producer still has rights in your material, since you incorporated and expressed their ideas in your work. There’s now the potential that if you want to option/sell your script elsewhere, this producer may fly in (often out of nowhere once they get wind of your impending deal) and demand to be compensated for their work and/or involved in the project somehow.

Whatever the case, once someone’s intellectual property finds its way into your work, that collaborator has an argument that they have an ownership interest in your project. This dilutes your absolute interest in your own work and can potentially inhibit your project from ever seeing the light of day. If a third party is excited by your work and anxious to make a deal with you, it can be problematic (and potentially expensive) to have to seek out a signed document from your collaborator granting you all of their rights. It’s also unlikely that the excited third party will wait around while you sort things out and negotiate with your collaborator. Without the ability to grant 100% of the rights in your project to a third party, you may have great difficulty finding anyone willing to offer you a deal.

Jesse Rosenblatt is the founder of the Law Office of Jesse Rosenblatt, an entertainment law/consulting firm servicing corporate and individual clients across all segments of the entertainment business. He has over 10 years experience working and negotiating with many of the most powerful players in the entertainment industry.

For more information, please visit www.jesserosenblatt.com or contact Jesse at jesse@jesserosenblatt.com.

Christopher Vogler (CV) and I conducted a wonderful tele-seminar a few weeks ago, it was great fun.

We had a stimulating Q&A session. However, due to the abundance of questions and the limited time we were unable to take and respond to everyone’s questions on the live call.

But, I promised everyone on the call that they would get their specific question answered and emailed to them directly. At this point everyone has received their individual response from CV.  Cool, right?

Well, it occurred to me that it may be beneficial to share some of it with you so I have randomly selected and posted a handful of the screenwriter’s questions and CV’s response here.  Enjoy part 3 of 4.

My hope is that it serves you.

**********************************************************************************************************

Suzanne-Muncie, Indiana
When you have limited funds and you know that you have an exceptional
script, what is the best way to get it into the right hands?

CV:  Do your homework.  Figure out who the critical people would be to
get your project made.  Who’s the ideal director?  Studio to release
it?  Actors to play the leads?  Find out the names and addresses of
their companies from sources like IMDB.com or the invaluable Hollywood
Creative Directory that lists all the major players.  Make your wish
list and send out query letters saying “Would you like to read a
terrific screenplay about X?”

Carmen Cifuentes-N. San Diego
After 11 months of research, writing and rewriting with a professional
coach I finished my script. It is a modern romantic comedy. An
executive at Overture says it’s high concept and wants a ‘dialogue
rewrite’. While concept is my strength, dialogue is my weakness. What
do I do? Dialogue writers are too expensive (thousands of dollars).
Please advice. Thank YOU.

CV:  You’ve been thrown a challenge.  Sounds like you’re going to have
to make a collaboration and find yourself someone at your level who
has the necessary skills.  You kind of have to turn into a producer if
you don’t feel confident growing a new brain as a dialogue expert.
(This could take years of study and practice to make any noticeable
change if it’s not your strong suit.)  You’ve got qualified
encouragement there so it’s worth some effort.  Can you get involved
in a local writer’s group and approach the best dialogue writer in the
group about a collaboration?

Amy-Irvine
In your opinion, what are the three biggest mistakes screenwriters
make? And do you have any recommendations on how to best avoid making
those mistakes? Thank you!

CV:  1.  Beginners sometimes overexplain and spend too much time on
introductions and details of backgrounds and action.  Solution:  Give
your writing a clean shave – go over it one time with one question in
mind: What can I do without?  You’ll be amazed by how much better it
gets when you start throwing stuff out.  It will read faster which is
a great selling point.

2. Beginners sometimes don’t differentiate characters enough.
Everyone sounds the same, and most often they all speak in the voice
of the writer.  Solution:  Make sure each character has a distinct way
of speaking that reflects something about his or her personal history
and attitude towards life.  Some people speak in incomplete sentences,
some people run on and interrupt themselves, some people use a big
vocabulary and colorful expressions while others are blunt and
literal.

3. Some writers fail by losing sight of their main theme, or perhaps
they don’t really know yet what the story is really about.  Solution:
Ask yourself “What is the one word that describes what I’m writing
about?”  It should be some basic human emotion or drive, like Love,
Trust, Betrayal, Loyalty, Friendship, Ambition, Terror, etc.  Make
sure every scene in your script somehow expands our understanding of
that single word, your theme.

Mark-Los Osos
Do you put any stock in scriptwriting software that seems to draw on
your book for inspiration? And If you don’t have an agent or known name, what will get you noticed so that someone will read your script? I have a fantasy rom-com that has been optioned. A known director likes it, but says it isn’t quite “studio ready”. Is this some kind of code? What should I look for and change if I don’t receive notes?

CV:  First, Not personally.  All the software I need is inside my skull.  But
hey, it couldn’t hurt if Vogler-inspired software helps you formulate
a thought.

Second, a truly great script that makes people excited enough to want to
tell somebody else to read it.  There is no other secret.

Lastly, it means he saw some good features in it but can’t see himself
sticking his neck out for it.  Trust your instincts on this one – you
can usually “smell” what it is that shot you down.  Something struck
that director as too corny or far-fetched, too underdeveloped, too
esoteric, or too much like other projects floating around the studios.

On the 30th of January I hosted a tele-seminar with my friend Andy Cohen, an established literary manager and producer, to offer tips and insights to all those who participated. We had a blast!

The kind words that we received, from soooo many of you, via email at the conclusion of the tele-seminar were very generous and appreciated, thank you.

During the call we offered the participants the opportunity to ask questions and we made every effort to address as many as possible, but time was limited and questions were abundant.

I thought this would be a great forum to address some of those unanswered questions. Over time, I will sporadically select questions (a handful at a time) and will share my personal insights with the hope that the answer will be helpful.

Again, thanks to all those who participated and contributed. Here we go:

Vincent Fahy-Mayo, Ireland
Hi, Just wondering when one gets representation, does that then become a pressure situation? Are there particular demands? E.G. You must write a screenplay within a certain period or you must produce a certain amount each year! My reason for asking is I believe that a writer would work better without stress or am I mistaken in that?

***

Dear Vincent,

If I opt to work with a writer, then I do have expectations and frankly most representatives I know do as well. The primary expectation is that you are creating content, delivering material to sell or to use as an opportunity to land you a writing job. If a writer is not working on a rewrite for a studio, on set for production rewrites, working on a television show, then I expect them to write new material. I expect them to always be writing new material — that’s your job.

Now I don’t call my writers everyday, nor do I do business with writers that need me to prompt them to write. But, more to your point. I, like most representatives, run a business, if our business partners (the writers) only generate one spec screenplay a year then that’s not much of a business partner. Keep in mind that if a studio paid you to write a screenplay, your contract would provide you with roughly 12 weeks to deliver the first draft.

I think screenwriter John August said it best, ” … amateur. I want you to banish that word, because you need to treat everything you do from the moment you walk out the door as a professional. This is now your job.”

Representatives are seeking professionals.

Again, thank you for participating.

May Your Life Be Extraordinary,

Marvin V. Acuna

Craig Lew-Rancho Santa Margarita
Is having coverage (Consider) attractive to Manager’s and agents? Which agency is most respected?

***

Dear Craig Lew,

Thank you for participating.

Coverage may be helpful to a manager and/or agent if it’s from a trusted source, but it’s their trusted source. Coverage from some random individual or entity that you paid doesn’t help your pursuit of a representative.

The top tier agencies in the business are CAA, Endeavor, William Morris, UTA, and ICM.

Again, thank you for participating.

May Your Life Be Extraordinary,

Marvin V. Acuna

Donte-Seattle
Generally, how long are your first drafts of your scripts? How do you plan to attack your second draft. And how do you decide to cut the fat?

***

Dear Donte,

I’m not a screenwriter so I will address the question from my perspective, a producer. A first draft should generally be between 90 to 120 pages. Upon review of the draft, I offer constructive criticism to the writer in the form of written notes then we meet to discuss. After the meeting the writer implements the changes that serves the story most.

In your case, it may serve you to share the material with a group of writers that you trust (if you are not part of a group, join one) or to stage a reading to collect feedback and determine what is working and what is not working.

Again, thank you for participating.

May Your Life Be Extraordinary,

• How to Steal a Million

Marvin V. Acuna

Ketevan-Tbilisi
Hello, I live in republic of Georgia… do I need an agent to sell my screenplay? If not, how can I contact producers?

***

Dear Ketevan,

It certainly would be helpful to have an agent, but until you have an agent to navigate the business with you (not for you) then you can use the Hollywood Creative Directory http://www.hcdonline.com/ to identify producers who are suited for your material and their contact information.

Again, thank you for participating.

May Your Life Be Extraordinary,

Marvin V. Acuna

Tim-Show Low

If we have a celebrity attached to our script in writing, will this help us get an agent?

***

Dear Tim,

To be clear, there is a very distinctive difference between a celebrity and a star. I don’t know who your celebrity is, but if you do have a celebrity of any real note (true value) interested in your project then your focus should be on getting it made not finding an agent. But, if you choose to pursue an agent then emphasize your logline, not the celebrity (unless it’s a star).

Again, thank you for participating.

May Your Life Be Extraordinary,

Marvin V. Acuna

Bruce-Indianapolis
How do you know what type of material a production company is looking for?

***

Dear Bruce,

Read the trades Hollywood Reporter, Variety, visit IMDB.com and check out who is making the types of movies your writing, etc. These are a few examples of internet resources available to help you.

Again, thank you for participating.

May Your Life Be Extraordinary,

Marvin V. Acuna

Michael-Princeton , NJ
What is the working definition of a ‘good movie’? And can anyone really tell ahead of time if a script/movie is ‘good’? Nobody wants to produce a ‘bad’ movie, but there are tons of them out there.

***

Dear Michael,

I’m not certain that there is a standard definition for a “good” movie. Art is subjective. I don’t believe people set out to make a “bad” movie, but there are some people who simply choose to make a film because it makes good business sense.

Again, thank you for participating.

May Your Life Be Extraordinary,

Marvin V. Acuna

B. Daniel Martinez-Redondo Beach
Why do so many of those in power have to put their fingerprints on a script when many times it destroys it?

***

Dear B. Daniel Martinez,

The film business is a collaborative process. The saying, “it takes a village to raise a baby” is absolutely true in this business. It’s never simply one person that gets a project off the ground. Unfortunately, some ideas don’t serve the project, but I don’t feel that anyone ever intends to “destroy” the project.

Again, thank you for participating.

May Your Life Be Extraordinary,

Marvin V. Acuna

Stan-Iowa
Do you think there’s a minimum number of completed scripts a writer should have before contacting a manager or agent about representation?

***

Dear Stan,

Absolutely! But, that’s my opinion. How enthusiastic would you be if the agent and manager that was interested in your material only had one personal relationship in the business or no working knowledge of the business? I’d guess that it may not be that thrilling to know that the person you are entrusting with your work knows as much about the business as you do.

You should have an abundance of material. The more the merrier, but if I had to be pinned down to a number…I’d say at least three. But, these scripts should be multiple drafts deep, not firsts.

Again, thank you for participating.

May Your Life Be Extraordinary,

Marvin V. Acuna