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Industrial Scripts is a
London-based script development and training organisation, founded by leading
UK script analysts and backed by major companies, delivering script
development services to filmmakers.
INDUSTRIAL SCRIPTS NEWSLETTER - NOVEMBER
2013
Dear Karen,
The Industrial Scripts November newsletter
is here, marking the last bulletin you'll read this year without the fog of
flu or an office party hangover clouding your vision....
Industrial Scripts open
through the holidays...
Whether you're celebrating
Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, the Winter Solstice or just taking a
hard-earned break from work, Industrial Scripts remains open for script
submissions throughout the festive period - so you can get a jump-start on
that New Year's resolution to hone your script here.
Syd Field Passes Away
The Screenwriting world lost
one of its giants this month, as trailblazing teacher Syd Field passed away
on November 17th. Acclaimed by many as "the guru of all
screenwriters", Syd's 1979 tome 'Screenplay' set the benchmark for
three-act critical analysis and helped give birth to an entire
sub-industry of screenplay deconstruction, laying the trail for Robert McKee,
Christopher Vogler, Michael Hauge et al to follow.
Syd built on the rich but
somewhat esoteric and academic works of writers such as Joseph Campbell,
whose 'The Hero With a Thousand Faces' married ancient mythology to modern
storytelling. Syd's accomplishment was to bring analysis out of a select few
universities and make it comprehensible to the world at large - inspiring
many a DIY screenwriter to take up a typewriter in their makeshift office -
leading to a far richer world of storytellers and cinema.
Syd's work extended beyond his
well-received and bestselling screenplay books - chairing committees with the
WGAW, lecturing at USC, and consulting with a who's who of studios and
production companies - even if you've not read his books, you've likely seen
Syd's (invisible) hand at work on many Hollywood films. A warm and engaging
speaker, he'll be missed in the screenwriting world. He made it seem so
simple....
Major
UK Screenwriting Opportunities
This month sees the BBC Writersroom and the Red Planet Prize open for
submissions. These schemes represent amazing industry access for aspiring
screenwriters; DEATH IN PARADISE writer Robert Thorogood was discovered
through Red Planet's 2008 prize. Make sure your script is up to industry
standard before submitting; BBC Writersroom deadline December 16th 2013, Red
Planet Prize deadline January 6th 2014.
Industrial
Scripts November Articles
 Alongside our monthly shot of
film intel delivered to your inbox, Industrial Scripts are rolling out articles on our news
page mixing craft insight, industry analysis and some
good old fashioned top-10 lists. This month's articles include an
essential collection of must-follow Twitter accounts, a deceptively simple
analysis of MIDNIGHT COWBOY's use of contradiction - and how many aspiring
screenwriters would benefit from its lessons -before rounding out with a look
at how to frame scenes in original expressions to maximise their impact -
using rom-com BEGINNERS and its multitude of inventive scenes.
“Twitter Accounts
Screenwriters Must Follow”
"MIDNIGHT COWBOY -
Lessons in Highly Effective Simple Screenwriting"
"Framing Scenes for
Maximum Impact - Lessons from BEGINNERS"
Final
Draft Free Upgrade Offer
Our sister software site
Wordsworth Writing Store is running a tremendous offer on purchases of
Final Draft – buy version 8 now, and receive a free upgrade to version 9 upon
its release next year.
Ensure that your script hits
the industry standard of presentation, safe in the knowledge that you’ll stay
at the cutting edge with v9’s features.
Amusing
Snippet of the Month - Honest Movie Trailers
 We've all been sucked in by
film trailers; the glossy production values, hints of sex and danger, and
promises of life-changing experiences, all delivered in a bassy,
earth-shaking voice (usually that of Don LaFontaine, and paid fantastic
homage by Lake Bell in the recent IN A WORLD...) but let's face it, most of
the time we're being lied to; the few choice cuts from a sub-standard product
glammed up to ensure a mega opening weekend before word of mouth kills the
product dead. "But the trailer looked so good..." we lament,
wishing for two hours of our lives back.
"Plot holes? What plot holes?"
Wouldn't it be refeshing if
trailers told the truth? Thanks to the good folks at Screen Junkies for
cutting through the spin to the dirty reality; their Youtube channel is chock
full of honest trailers for Hollywood fare. From WORLD WAR Z to PACIFIC RIM and
AFTER EARTH (a bad movie too far for their narrator) you can get the real
deal on that latest blockbuster. They even respond to requests, so make your
suggestions...
OPINION
PIECE
The
Bechdel Test, Women in Screenplays and Female Screenwriters
Gender studies has come to the
foreground of the screenwriting world in recent weeks, as select Swedish
cinemas have elected to put their films through 'The Bechdel Test', a short
questionnaire about onscreen female representation. For those not in the know,
The Bechdel Test has its roots in the musings of Virginia Woolf, and
found expression in Alison Bechdel's 1985 comic strip 'Dykes To Watch
Out For', in which characters debate the merits of women's representation in
films. To 'pass' a film must;
1) Have at least two women...
2) Who talk to each other...
3) About something other than a
man.
This is a great gag, and very
quickly reveals the male-centric nature of most films and the accessory
status of many female roles. However, its limitations are obvious - it is
after all a punchy, short observation in a medium known for its brevity
rather than a deep critical discourse into cinema and society. Taking it too
literally - as is the case with the select Swedish cinemas - will lead to
erroneous conclusions. A contained drama biopic about Angela Merkel at a G8
world leader's summit would fail, whereas a film which includes the recent
internet joke 'two lesbians in bed talking about the Bechdel Test' would pass
(of course, The Bechdel Test is designed to point out the lack of female
relationships onscreen, as opposed to the lack of strong female leads -
something lost in recent discussion). There is great intent to examine gender
equality onscreen, but The Bechdel Test is a faulty measuring stick. But
crucially, it does help raise awareness of a thorny issue in screenwriting.
 Why are most films destined to fail this test? Though multi-plot
films are becoming more common, for the most part western cinema focusses on
the Hero's Journey; a set story from a single protagonist's life. As such,
any scene which does not find relation to the protagonist's story is
superfluous; secondary characters who discuss issues beyond the protagonist's
plight are often wasting our time. And when the majority of protagonists are
male, we see the cause of most films failing this test; male protagonists.
As one reader's experience analysing 300 scripts shows,
approximately two thirds of spec scripts feature male protagonists, and
around 90% of spec scripts submitted were penned by men. These numbers are
broadly reflected in Industrial Scripts' experience, though we see a higher
female ratio in the UK industry. However, the vast majority of scripts by
female writers contain female protagonists. Is the solution to increased
onscreen equality one of encouraging more female writers (targeting the
content producers) or of encouraging more female protagonists to be written
by a male dominated industry (targeting the content)? Or even shaping
audiences to be more accepting of female leads (targeting the consumer)?
"Why yes, Michelle, I
suppose you could do your laundry on their washboard abs"
And thus they failed the
Bechdel Test for being overly specific regarding laundry location
Does either approach seem likely to succeed? Writers of either
gender are often driven to express that which is familiar; whether in story
world, role experience or characterisation. A male writer is more likely to
write a male protagonist, just as an ex-spy might be likely to write spy
tales (John Le Carre) or an ex-nurse might be likely to write a hospital set
dramedy (Jo Brand's excellent GETTING ON). Experience shapes material. If men
are to be criticised for writing too many male protagonists, then women too
must be criticised for writing too many female protagonists. Should a
well-rounded writer be able to excel in either camp? Does 'lack of
experience' excuse men from writing female leads? Does 'there's enough men
writing male leads' excuse women from writing male protagonists?
Will the industry ever find a balance in male-female writers?
Casting an eye around screenwriting seminars, networking events and a
production company's slush pile shows a great gender imbalance in
participation, and this is perhaps to be expected. For many, though it
may be their passion, screenwriting can be an inefficient life choice. Many
hours of solitude, obsessing over a product which has a slim chance of ever
succeeding; this behaviour, in many realms, is more heavily associated with men
and one would expect an excess of male participants (and here there comes a
whole world of discussion about the cause of gender behaviour - genetics,
society, role models, reinforcement mechanisms etc).
Increasing the numbers of professional female screenwriters is
certainly something the industry should hope for; but conversely, should the
industry be encouraging more aspiring writers, regardless of gender? Agents'
submission piles (or inboxes these days) are overwhelmed with scripts from
poorly trained, novice screenwriters; it's THE X FACTOR auditions writ large
on 120 pages of screenplay. Can the field of aspiring participants become
gender-balanced by encouraging more female writers? Unlikely. It's a
high-risk, low-reward life strategy, something which clashes with
long-standing evolutionary gender divides. Participant equality is more
likely to be achieved by discouraging so many men from trying to enter the
field (similar in vein to the over-subscribed university system arising out
of 1990's political policies), though no policy should ever try to limit
voices from finding expression. More likely, 'aspiring participant' equality
is not something which should be targeted by policy.
If Bradley Cooper undoes a few
more buttons, would AMERICAN HUSTLE show greater gender equality? Does the
fact that both a male and female character wear a perm show a subconscious
symbol of equality from the writer's mind? Or is this article just an excuse
to show Jennifer Lawrence pictures? Social analysis; tricky.
When readers at Industrial Scripts see a female writer's name on
a script we rejoice. Why? Because the script probably won't be bad. Not even
winning an Academy Award can ever be a seal of excellence in the next project
- but in our experience, the average quality of a female penned script is far
higher than that of a male penned script and there is an abstract seal of
minimum quality. Why? It likely comes down to that life-choice
strategy.
 Women who pursue screenwriting likely do so from a careerist
perspective, with greater investment in personal training and few produce
amateur schlock. Its roots sit in that risk-reward,
guardian-of-the-continuation-of-the-species role.
Those women who do dip their toes in the screenwriting
waters are armed with scuba tanks and flippers, and on average produce
stronger work. Of course, 'on average' is eventually irrelevant; it is only
the cream of screenwriters who will see their work produced and sustain long
careers.
It's okay; they're not
talking about Hugh Hefner.
Making your film pass The Bechdel Test will achieve little for
cinematic gender equality - but fundamentally questioning your approach to
gender can help dramatically.
1) Does this character have to be this gender? Have I simply
assumed their gender rather than consciously decided it?
2) Do my characters blindly conform to social roles? If so, why?
Writing reflects society and rebellion without reason is often empty. But
what am I subconsciously saying when repeating those roles? If I am breaking
those roles, why?
3) Do I describe my characters through superficial traits, such
as looks or choice of outfits? Are my female characters all defined by the
way they look, specifically by stating their attractiveness? (please writers,
enough of this!)
4) Am I using sex and allure to sell, or for story specific
reasons?
5) Does my character matrix allow for female-female or male-male
relationships? Would the story be improved by introducing either?
6) Are characters of both genders active in chasing their goals?
Each story is unique and has its own idiosyncratic requirements.
But bear in mind some of these questions, and your work will likely elevate
above the plethora of cliches and seen-too-many times scenarios which hamper
many spec scripts.
In addition;
A gender test inspired by PACIFIC RIM, The Mako Mori Test
A great infographic on gender
inequality in US film
WordsWorth Writing Store powers forward
We are delighted to reveal that
our sister company, WordsWorth Writing Store ,
which opened for business in January, continues to build up steam with a
whole raft of sales and customer interest.
In development for many months,
the store stocks a comprehensive range of storytelling and physical
production software, available at the most competitive prices and with
brilliant FREE b
 onus packs, unique to us,
attached.
However what we're particularly
pleased about is that we will be the first UK software company to provide ongoing phone support
to our customers, so rather than tearing your hair out on hold to some call
centre in Kenya you can call us any time if something goes wrong.
Unheralded
Scene of the Month: COLD SOULS (2009)
In our "Unheralded Scene of the
Month" section, our consultants nominate a classic film
or TV scene, which in their view hasn't received the admiration it deserves.
***Warning:
plot spoilers below***
 Unheralded Classic: COLD SOULS
The film: BEING
JOHN MALKOVICH infused with the melancholy of Paul Giamatti, COLD SOULS
represents the feature debut of writer-director Sophie Barthes. A
high-concept existentialist dramedy examining identity and art...
The plot: Paul
Giamatti (playing himself) is an actor crumbling under the emotional weight
of performing Chekhov's Uncle Vanya. When he sees an advert for a
soul-storage company, he elects to lighten his psychological burden by
undergoing a soul-extraction procedure. With his chickpea-like soul stored in
a jar, Paul finds a balanced mental middle ground - but his art suffers
immensely. Deciding he wants his soul back, Paul hits a slight snag - it's
missing. Investigations lead to a Russian soul trafficker who wants to help
his talentless soap actress wife...
The scene: After
leaping into the great unknown with the soul extraction, Paul hits the boards
for theatrical rehearsals. What results is the hilarious aftermath of an
actor who cannot tap into truth or emotion - stilted, happy-go-lucky and completely
inappropriate, leaving his lead actress and director bewildered - to the
point of abandoning faith in their star player.
You can watch the scene here
 Why it's unheralded: The
film was largely unseen on release (taking $1.1m at the box office) and as
with awards nominations, comedies are often overlooked. Yet this is a funny
scene which also accomplishes a wealth of secondary functions.
Why it's great: This
is the classic 'promise of the premise' scene, the trailer highlight reel for
what happens when an actor removes his soul. It shows a character in a
diametric position to their ideal; talentless and devoid of truth - and
accomplishes this early in the film's running time. In the grand tradition of
story-telling, it's a 'careful what you wish for' morality tale. In plot arc,
Paul starts the scene on top of the world - happy and care-free - and ends it
realising that he's made a terrible mistake; plot and character direction
spin 180 degrees in a short space of time. This is also an example where the
devil is in the details; a nonchalent Paul nibbles on potato chips as his
director scolds him, and it subtly drops exposition regarding a time deadline
('curtain up' in one week). Crucially, this is a marriage of comedy and plot;
too often films and spec screenplays stop to 'mug' and raise laughs, before
putting the plot engine back in motion. This achieves story and comedy in one
fell swoop; a big comedic set-piece which rests seamlessly in the unfolding
tale.
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SCREENPLAY
SPEC-SPOTTER: NOVEMBER 2013
 Information is power in the film & TV industries, so here is our vital
burst of screenwriting-related intel for your mainframes!
Former Seth Rogan assistants
Matt Bass and Theodore Bressman sell R-rated comedy pitched as BAD SANTA in
the world of politics. Rumours that they simply transcribed Toronto Mayor Rob
Ford's antics have at this stage yet to be refuted.
Brit-American writing
partnership Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani sell coastal thriller spinning
out from tragic accident which is covered up; revenge on the cards.
Christopher Wheeler's
action-thriller script sells big, but picks up Craig Rosenberg for a
re-write.
Joe Burke & Kevin
Oestenstad make freshmen sales of thriller; a woman disappears after walking
out of a small town cinema to answer her cell phone; can devoted husband
track her down?
Cory Miller worked as an NYPD
Internal Affairs investigator; he's parlayed that experience into a spec
script sale to Lotus Entertainment.
Because writer-director Stephen
Sepher has hijacked it as collateral for a group of bank robbers in his Las
Vegas set action-thriller.
Brian Pittman and Rachel Long
sell THE CIVILIAN to Millennium Films; Bourne-esque thriller sees a doctor
mistaken for a spy; must complete the spy's mission to clear his name.
Jonathan Levine's follow up to
WARM BODIES likely to star Channing Tatum.
Chris Parker script UNLEASH THE
MULES picked up by producer Joe Roth.
Steve Hanulik's crime-thriller
BLOOD TIES is picked up by Nasser Entertainment.
Anyway that's about all from us
for another month, but just scroll down for details of our script development
services and upcoming training courses, not to mention our exclusive Insider Interviews series.
The Industrial Scripts
Team
Industrial Scripts,
Europe's #1 Ranked Screenplay Consultancy
3rd Floor, 33 Newman Street,
London, W1T 1PY
info@industrialscripts.co.uk http://www.industrialscripts.co.uk |
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At Industrial Scripts
we run premium, high-quality training courses which deliver serious value
to participants. Our courses are tailored to suit the requirements of the
industry, and are led by professionals with proven track records of success
in their own individual area of the business.
For 3 and a half years we've been
running training courses in script reading, low-budget filmmaking and
screenwriting. We currently run 3 courses:
HOW TO WRITE A SCRIPT - SCREENWRITING FOR BEGINNERS is our
first screenwriting course and has been designed for creative individuals who
possess great ideas for films or TV shows, but don’t know where to begin. It
delivers a huge amount of information, condensed into one intense day, to
participants new to screenwriting, new to writing, or both. Focussing on both
the writing process, and the industry writers find work in, the course aims
to heavily de-mystify the process by which people become professional
screenwriters, and help new writers navigate the sometimes precarious early
years of the screenwriter.
Next course date: Saturday
21st December 2013
Our EFFECTIVE SCRIPT READING 1-day
training seminar continues to go from strength to strength, winning
consistently stellar feedback from participants...:
The course includes
comprehensive contacts documents detailing all the paid script reading
outlets in film and TV in the UK, and also offers attendees indefinite,
ongoing email and phone support once the course is over. We can't turn you
into a great script analyst overnight, but we can speed you up and save you a
lot of time and effort in the process. Click here to book.
Next course date: Friday 20th December 2013
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We formed Industrial Scripts
to provide writers and filmmakers in the independent TV and film sector with
high-quality, industry-standard script development services not usually
available to them. Our consultants all have considerable experience working
for and with the very best companies, and are currently very active in
development (we don't believe in trading on past glories). We offer 15 different types of
script development service, some are listed below, but you
can visit our website
to view them all...
"Should I spend
6...12...18...months of my life developing this project?" is a question
that haunts many writers, who invariably have more ideas than man-hours. Here
writers submit 10 loglines (without synopses), and Industrial Scripts will
put them in order of excellence, encouraging writers to channel their efforts
into promising ideas rather than, as above, wasting time and energy writing
themselves to a dead end. This service also includes an overview (up to 250
words) on why particular projects merit more attention than others.
Coverage Report - £124.99 * eligible for TALENT CONNECTOR
This report on feature-length
scripts consists of 3+ pages of notes and feedback to help the writer move on
to his or her next draft. This is most suited to writers either in the early
stages of development (at 1st draft stage, for example) or right at the very
end of the development process, when notes to help "tweak" the
script are required, rather than offering substantial changes.
Detailed Development Notes - £269.99 *
eligible for TALENT CONNECTOR
Our Detailed Development Notes
service delivers an extremely detailed analysis of your feature script,
together with lengthy suggestions on how to move forward to the next draft.
These reports run to 10+ pages, and offer a truly forensic analysis of the
script, which will leave you in absolutely no doubt of how to improve the
project and move it forward.
Through our resident Script
Doctors we offer writers, producers and directors the opportunity to have
their project re-written, doctored, polished, re-structured and significantly
improved according to their requirements. Fees are by negotiation, to book
any of our doctors to work on your project or to request a quote please contact us with as much detail as possible
about your script, and your requirements.
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FROM THE BLAST
FURNACE: "THE INSIDER INTERVIEWS"
 Industrial Scripts brings you The Insider Interviews
- exclusive FREE
content from leading industry professionals that you can't access, anywhere
else. Click here to access these free interviews and
either download them to your iPod, or read them online:
STORY Guru Robert Mckee
"Charlie
Kaufman...what an as*...he's Mr. Theory! He's not an anti-theorist!"
Screenwriter Kevin
Lehane (GRABBERS)
"I think the horror-comedy
is a really tough genre...I wanted to write a monster movie, like TREMORS, or
GREMLINS". Download the podcast...
Head of Development
Sophie Meyer (Ealing Studios)
"If I had to boil it down
to one thing it would be "does it make you care?" Download the podcast...
Writer-Director Ben
Wheatley (KILL LIST, DOWN TERRACE)
"Short films are a waste
of time...I thought if I was going to put in that much effort, I may as well
try and make something I can sell..." Download the podcast...
Screenwriter Jack Thorne
(THE FADES, THIS IS ENGLAND '86, THIS IS ENGLAND '88, THE SCOUTING BOOK FOR
BOYS)
Producer Richard Holmes
(RESISTANCE, EDEN LAKE, WAKING NED, SHOOTING FISH)
“I thought to myself "this
is filmmaking: doing something you don't want to do and for which you will
probably be punished by God!”” Read more...
Film Journalist Nev
Pierce (Editor-at-Large, Empire magazine)
"Interviewing directors is
my favourite thing...it can be thrilling if you're meeting someone you
admire...to sit down for 2 hours with David Fincher...I feel incredibly
blessed to have that kind of opportunity". Download the podcast...
Producer Gareth Unwin
(THE KING'S SPEECH, EXAM)
"I'd done something a bit
daft just through eagerness and I said to someone within The Weinstein Co. -
"I hear I'm not in Harvey's good books anymore" and she said
"Harvey doesn't have good books, there's just people he hates less that
week!" Download the podcast...
 Actor Tom Hiddleston
(THE AVENGERS, THOR, WAR HORSE, ARCHIPELAGO)
"(when the THOR call) came
in I was just about ready to sing and dance...it was the longest audition
process I've ever been through...". Download the podcast...
Literary agent Rob
Kraitt (Casarotto Ramsay)
'I once sold a book to Tom Cruise - it was before he and Michael Mann made COLLATERAL. It was a big six-figure deal and doesn't happen very often.' Download the podcast... [at the time of recording Rob Kraitt worked for AP Watt] Literary agent Nick Marston (Curtis Brown Group) 'There are these moments in agencies when one generation wants to leave and the other generation has to somehow find the money to take over... and in our case that came from the 'honey pot' of the Winnie the Pooh estate.' Download the podcast...
Studio Executive Alexei
Boltho (Paramount Pictures)
'A typical working day for me? Smoking cigars, that's about it really!' Read more... Screenwriter Stuart Hazeldine (EXAM, THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, KNOWING) 'I had to keep the faith, and finally the phone rang and it was a big agent from ICM in LA saying he had read my two scripts and wanted to take me on...'. Read more... Screenwriter David Scinto (44 INCH CHEST, SEXY BEAST) 'GANGSTER NO.1 is one of the best scripts we ever wrote, sadly in other hands it was ruined. Bastardised. Mutated. Amateur.' Read more... |
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