Some real world advice from people who write and produce movies for a living. 

Are you ready? 

Stop networking and get brilliant at rewriting. Your script just isn't good enough until you've gone through it at least 14 or 15 times. This is where 99% of all screenwriters fail. Don't rush the process.

Ok, I know what you're thinking. Don't I need to find contacts? It's all about contacts, right? 

Yes. True. You need contacts. And you will find those contacts the moment you have a great spec screenplay. 

The real key to screenwriting success is mastering the rewriting process. 

Makes sense to me.

Don't peddle your products in the marketplace before they're ready. 

Rewrite on! 
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Yesterday I asked my daughter, a 4th grader, to put on her what's funny and different radar goggles, while we were out and about on the town, and share her thoughts with me. The following list of observations is what she came up with.  

Here goes:

-- Birds like to poo on our car because it's white.  The toilet bowl is white too. Every white car has more poo on it than the cars that are blue or red or... Daddy, can we get a green car?

-- That guy looks like a lady.  Is he a lady? Daddy, I really don't know.  
  
-- What is that dog doing?  Oh my God. Look at that.Is he trying to sit on top of the other dog?

-- So gross. He just lost his teeth. I'm serious. Look. He bit into the bagel with cream cheese and his gummy tooth thingy just flipped out of his mouth. He's cleaning it now! Look. He's cleaning it. That other woman is watching him too. 

-- I feel bad for that guy.  Why are there homeless people?That's not right. He dresses better than Grandpa. The government should take care of him.

-- Is it strange that they still have their Xmas tree up?  It's February. Why would anybody have their Xmas tree up in February?  

-- Those teenagers have so many earrings on their lips.  Doesn't that hurt? What if they get married someday? If they kiss each other they're going to stick together.

-- The sign says: wash your hands.  He didn't wash his hands, Daddy.  He's like the pastry test eater or something.  Did you see him lick the frosting off his fingers and wipe his mouth? I wouldn't buy that scone. What if he has the flu? Are you going to buy that scone?

Hold the scone!  

Then the guy behind the counter gave me a "whatever" look, wiped his nose, and put the scone back on the shelf for some other lucky customer. 

"That's not very good customer service, is it Daddy?"

These observations came from a 4th Grader, folks.  What do you think?  Not too shabby, right?  I might even borrow a few of these observations for the comedy I'm writing.  

What was the point of this exercise?

Everything you need to know about human nature (and dog nature) is right in front of your face, all the time. You just need to know how to pay attention.
  
Back to work now. 

Write on!
-TB
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Go to www.brownetom.com
Write on!
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1) Don't overthink things - just let the words flow through your fingertips.

2) Don't worry about spelling and grammar.

3) Show don't tell (think of every sentence in a screenplay as the next picture you will see on the screen).

4) Only sit your butt down and write when you are feeling good and confident with yourself. 

5) Make sure to write without distractions. If you have a distracting roommate, tell him to beat it. If you have a wife/husband and kids, let them know you're locking the door to the den (bathroom works, too) and writing your screenplay for the next 2-4 hours. 

6) Don't ever drink and write dialogue unless you're Irish and over 21 (Europeans are exempt from this rule). 

7) Write a quick blog post about, "keeping your focus while writing a screenplay," before focusing on writing your screenplay.
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-- WRITE FAST!  Trust your first instincts, and you will reap the rewards of having a more original, creative, first draft screenplay. 

-- Don't overthink your idea, and don't worry about story structure yet. As long as you have a major problem that needs to be solved, you will be able to write a first draft.

-- Know who your good guy is and what he wants and fears most. (This will allow you to mess with his life.)

-- Know who your bad guy is and what he wants and fears most. 

-- Make sure your good guy and bad guy want the same thing, and that only one of them will win in the end. 

-- Create some kind of plot twist for your hero every 10 pages, and try to make each twist bigger than the last one. 

-- Give all of your supporting characters unique personalities, and make sure they serve the needs of your good guy and bad guy. 

-- Have a lot of fun when you write! Don't censor yourself.  Be rude, crude, funny, perverted, violent, creepy, angry, romantic, jealous or overly sensitive, if that's how you're feeling at the time your quill is moving. 

-- End your screenplay with your most emotional and exciting scene possible, bringing closure to your main character's problem. 

-- Your screenplay should be no less than 103 pages and no more than 120 pages, with very few exceptions.  And lastly...

-- Don't procrasterbate!  Write now!
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Finding the right writing partner is a lot like finding the right spouse. Although you may have to kiss a few frogs along the way until you find the perfect match, once you do, it can be a rewarding and worthwhile experience. 

Here are a few strategies on getting along with a screenwriting partner as well as some benefits (Benefitwitterisms) to having one:

1) Double your chance for success in the film industry.

2) If you're going to write with a partner, make an outline of your screenplay first. Agree on the story that you both want to write.

3) If you're struggling with focus and the rewrite process, a writing partner could be the answer. Just make sure you respect your partner's work.

4) A good writing partner can cut the rewrite process in half.

5) Some screenwriters are better at starting while other screenwriters are better at finishing. Which one are you?

6) Learn the craft before writing with someone. Write at least five screenplays on your own. 

7) Get to know YOUR strengths and weaknesses as a screenwriter before writing with a partner. Partners need to complement one another.

8) Your writing partner should make you a better writer. And you should make your writing partner a better writer.

9) Why write with a partner? If your story gets stuck in a corner you have 2 hearts and minds working together to get it back on track.

10) With a solid partner you're always able to test new ideas aloud. You can sell each other. Be honest with your answers. When your partner is sold then you know the idea is strong.

11) If screenwriting is your business then you need a great final product before you can start selling it. Can you create a great final product on your own? A partner can help.

12) Sometimes you just need somebody to kick you in the ass and tell you to write. A good screenwriting partner will do that for you. 

Some of the best screenwriting teams today include: 
The Coen Brothers (Fargo, True Grit, loads more...)
Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor (Election, Sideways...)
The Farrelly Brothers (There's Something About Mary)
Johnathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan (Memento, The Prestige, The Dark Night...)

BTW... I just finished my first script with a partner (also my spouse) and it was a great experience! We're already hard at work on our 2nd script together. The his/her perspective brings a lot of creativity to the table. Very cool!

Cheers, scribes!
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Got an important sales pitch coming up?  Then you need to read Peter Guber's new book "Tell to Win: Connect, Persuade, and Triumph with the Hidden Power of Story." 

It's hands down one of the best books I've ever read on how to sell - and I've been in sales for over 12 years! 

(Here's Page 215 in the book)
  1. Get yourself into state; it's about attitude, not aptitude. 
  2. Bring high energy - the catalyst for great story telling.
  3. Your listeners may be on or many, but they're always an audience, and audiences expect experiences.
  4. Demonstrate vulnerability; it isn't a liability, it's an asset.
  5. Persist, persist, persist to turn "no" into "on."
  6. Be aware that your body is talking before your tongue moves.
  7. Capture your audience's attention first, fast, and foremost.
  8. Be interactive - engage your audience's senses early and often.
  9. Arouse your listener's curiosity.
  10. Choose carefully the props, tools, and resources that support your tell.
  11. Listen actively; it's a dialogue, not a monologue.
  12. Be ready and willing to drop your script when the situation calls for it - and it always calls for it.
  13. Surrender control and proprietorship of your story; your audience has to own it to tell it forward.

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Love it or hate it, sales is part of the game and you need to learn how to do it if you want to get your script read by the right people. 

Here's an updated list of Sales Twitterisms (based on what I've learned over the years in my day job as a sales guy) that hopefully will help you when you're ready to show your screenplay to the film business world. 

1) Many sales leaders today believe it's no longer about selling something to somebody, it's about "coaching" somebody into buying something.

2) All people buy something because of what the product or service will do for them.

3) Selfish, emotional instincts drive an artist's creativity, just like an executive is driven by his selfish, emotional buying instincts.

4) If you do have to leave a voicemail (sometimes you do) then space your messages 3/4 days apart. You don't want to come off like a stalker.

5) The best time to try and contact an agent, producer, CEO or manager by phone is between (5:00 PM- 6:30 PM). 

6) Matching and mirroring is a great way to build trust and rapport. It's normal human behavior.

7) Matching and mirroring in meetings. It's a way of subconsciously telling another that you like them and agree with them. Very persuasive.

8) What are executives really thinking before buying? Is the screenplay (product): a safe bet, proven, enjoyable, entertaining, creative and guaranteed.

9) Most people think in pictures, not words, so create vivid word pictures in your sales pitches to keep your audience emotionally involved.

10) When pitching your script to those who can help your writing career, speak with confidence about your project.

And that's it, for today. Now go write, rewrite, rewrite again, and again, and again... then begin your sales process.

Cheers.
TB
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I love you. 

You're really beautiful. 

Let's be friends forever. 

Isn't the sunshine just lovely? 

My, that sure is a nice looking haircut you got there. 

I'm just a janitor.

I'm never sad.

My mother says the sweetest things. 

Her Facebook picture is pretty. 

I'll be back.

I'll have what she's having. 

Can these seemingly uninteresting lines of dialogue actually be used effectively and with more meaning? Of course. It all depends on the scene you create. 

Here are some examples:

Line: I love you.

Have a romantic couple kiss each other, say the line, then pick up their axes and run through a crowd of flesh eating zombies. 

Line: You're really beautiful.

Use this line during a touching first kiss scene between a human being and a ten-eyed, two-assed, green alien from another planet. 

Line: Let's be friends forever.

Go for a tearjerker moment and have this line come out either on the battlefield or at the "just about to die" moment in a hospital bed. 

Line: Isn't the sunshine just lovely?

No, it's not, because the sun is GMO BOB: the genetically modified firefly with shark teeth! Have GMO Bob bite the head off the character who initially thought the sunshine was lovely.

Line: My, that sure is a nice looking haircut you got there.

I like a prison setting for this one. Have the line come out in a shower scene between two death row inmates, the day before one of them will be executed. 
 
Line: I'm just a janitor. 

No character should be who he says he is. Make sure this line is used after he uses his super cool Jackie Chan moves on three baddies and sends them to the morgue. 

Line: I'm never sad.

This line can only be interesting if we know the character is actually really sad. 

Line: My mother says the sweetest things.

A line Norman Bates might use after sleeping with his dead, naked mother in a prequel to Psycho. (You know Hollywood wants to make another Norman Bates movie, don't you?) 

Line: Her Facebook picture is pretty.

Have some creepy stalker character say this line while drinking a glass of milk and massaging his hands with baby oil. Your thriller practically writes itself, doesn't it? 

Line: I'll be back. 

Watch Arnold in the original Terminator and remember the moment he throws out this great line. Timing is everything with lines.

Line: I'll have what she's having.

I hope you know what classic movie this line is from, especially if you're trying to write a comedy. A great scene, and the famous line was delivered by the director's mother.

So there you have it. Some quick tips on how you can make your very non-fancy lines more fancy and meaningful for your script. 

It's all about the scene you write.

Hasta la vista, screenwriters! 








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Indiana Jones is afraid of snakes and commitment.

James Bond is afraid of emotional commitment. 

Michael Corleone is afraid that he could be just like his father.

Dorthy is afraid she will never get back home to Kansas.

Nancy is afraid of Freddy Krueger. 

Ripley is afraid of Alien.

Sarah Connor is afraid of the Terminator. 

My friend James is afraid of his multiple personality suffering ex-wife Megan.

You see where I am going?

The reason why you love the characters in the above mentioned films so much is because the screenwriter made sure to do his homework about his characters fears.

Fear, baby! That's the ingredient that drives all of us to action in life. 

And when you know at least one big fear for each of your main characters, you can mess with their heads throughout your screenplay, which I personally get a sadistic kick out of doing. 

After all, we're writers, man. Masters of our domain! 

Screenwriting time is our time to be God and create drama (drah-mah) in every scene. 

All of your "turn-screw" plot points are going to come from how well you know the psychological make-up of each of your characters.

If you haven't done it yet, take an hour or two to play therapist with your good guy and bad guy. Ask them all the important headshrinker questions. Questions like: 

What are you most afraid of? 

What do you love? 

Do you believe in God? 

Are you married? 

Do you have children?

Have you ever cheated on your spouse? 

Did you have a great relationship with your parents?

Do you love yourself? If not, why not?

What do you wish for most in life? 

What is your worst nightmare?

Have you ever had a homosexual thought? 

Do you know who invented liquid soap and why? (stolen line from the "Sure Thing." A great 80s movie with John Cusack.) 

Bottom line, if you don't know how your characters tick internally (especially not knowing what scares them the most), then you will never be able to create a compelling emotional drama, comedy, action, horror or thriller screenplay that keeps a reader's attention. 

Fear matters!

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