Marvin V. Acuna

This Video Series is your chance to ask any questions you feel may be holding you back from the screenwriting success you deserve!

So ask away!

Who knows, next week I may answer your question!

And if you have any comments about THIS tip – good OR bad – please leave it below.

May Your Life Be Extraordinary,

Marvin V. Acuna

P.S. – Do me a favor and go to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D91jglS9FQ4

Watch this tip there, Rate it, and Comment there as well!

Thanks!

- M

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