Selling Screenplays From Outside LA

Here is a story from Hal Croasum’s blog that will be of interest to writers outside LA.

For the last 50 years, a screenwriting had to live in Los Angeles in order to be part of this industry. It is just the way things are…

…but there is change in the air.

We recently finished up an event where I interviewed 16 producers and 2 agents in Los Angeles for a group of our writers. One of the questions that came up over and over was…

“Is it possible to create a screenwriting career from outside L.A.?”

In the audience, we had writers from all over the world. Only a few lived around L.A., so this one question was pretty important to the group.

WHAT WAS THE SCORE?

I’ve done interviews with producers for twelve years. Up until recently, the typical answer to the “selling from outside L.A.” question was “The odds are against you.” But this year, there was a change.

QUESTION:  Can writers sell scripts from outside L.A.?

15 producers said YES.

1 producer and both agents said NO.

QUESTION:  Have you optioned or bought a script from outside L.A.?

8 producers said YES.

3 producers had already made movies with writers from outside the U.S.

It’s not a perfect score, but it means that it is possible for a writer to succeed from anywhere in the World.

FIRST, THE BAD NEWS…

…which isn’t really bad.   Let’s get the “nos” out of the way.

The producer who said no was from a big production company on the lot of Universal. He likes to see writers face-to-face.  He does a lot of meetings. For his way of doing business, you would have to live in town.

For the two agents, their whole success depends upon you being active in the Hollywood community. They want you meeting producers, going in for assignment jobs, and generally, making money – for you and the agent. That doesn’t mean you can’t get an agent or manager from outside of town;  you can. Just don’t go for the big agencies.

Those three represented the “standard Hollywood model” of working with writers  It is how things have traditionally been done and it will continue to be the standard for a while to come, but…

NOW, THE GOOD NEWS

Fifteen producers said YES.  Half of them have optioned scripts from writers out of town. They have found that working with writers can be done on the phone or on the net. In fact, some of them have become quite proficient at it.

When I asked what had attracted them to work with a writer on the net, they gave answers that remain a constant in this industry.

-          Intriguing concept.

-          Great characters.

-          Quality of writing.

-          Interesting voice.

They are looking for writers who bring in professional quality scripts. And that makes sense because the producer is looking to make great movies.

WHAT’S YOUR PART IN THIS?

You need to do everything you can to make it easy for producers to work with you. If your producer is new to the net, walk him through the process and MAKE SURE IT WORKS. He will always remember you for liberating him from the old model.

WHERE CAN YOU FIND PRODUCERS?

In the last few years, many of the mid-level producers in Los Angeles have joined Social Networks. They’re on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and others.   You can also subscribe to online databases like inktip or Script PIMP. Some are actively looking for scripts.  Some are just exploring the territory. The Hollywood Creative Directory is also available online and contains email addresses of agents and producers and the sorts of scripts they are looking for. Set up your own contacts database.

But if you strike up a relationship, you never know what might happen. The odds are more and more in your favor every day. Many screenwriting competitions accept applications globally. Entering will at least get your script read.

Writers I have spoken to from interstate send all their query letters via email. They don’t mention that they living outside LA and treat their location as a non-issue. All industry magazines are available online and scripts can be emailed. If a meeting is called, they can telephone, skype, IM, chat, or say they can be there in a day or two for a face to face chat. The world really is getting smaller. However, make sure your agent/ manager is in LA so they can follow the buzz.

Try to  visit an LA maybe once or twice a year such as the Screenwriting Expo. Nothing beats the personal touch. After all, would you propose via email?

Also visit screenwriting forums (actually it’s fora) and chat with other screenwriters. There will always be someone on them from LA. Don’t feel isolated. Be part of our community!

7 Point Outline

Here’s a simply paradigm to outline your script in 7 (yes 7) easy steps. This will help you identify the key structural elements of your script before you start to write. Note that the page numbers are approximate and must be organic to your story. You will notice story rhythms in your script, so an first plot point at the end of act 1 at page 40 will “feel” a little late.

Firstly, begin with your central premise. What story/ theme is your main character telling?

• Line  1 Introduce protagonist and their world (first 10 pagees)
• Line 2  Inciting Incident (around page 10)
• Line 3  First plot point, end of Act 1(around page 25-30)
• Line 4  Mid point ( around page 45-55)
• Line 5  Second turning point, end of Act 2(around page 75-80)
• Line 6  Third turning point, end of Act 3  (around page 95-100)
• Line 7 Resolution (page 100-110)

Also, notice how I’ve ended the script at page 110 rather than the traditional 120? Brevity is gold to Hollywood readers these days. A 120 page script is considered too long!

Sundance 2010

The grand finale of the 26th Sundance Festival championed by Robert Redford to support independent cinema ran from January 21-31 in Park City. Despite the agonizing but expected closure of Miramax, it appears that the deals sealed at Sundance this year confirms there is a place for such cinema among audiences. There was substantial check signing activity, which is always welcome news for film makers.

There were a few significant deals inked. Lisa Cholodenko’s (High Art, Six Feet Under), “The Kids Are Alright” sold to Focus Features for just under $5 million. Despite it’s unappealing title, it’s a comedy about a lesbian couple’s children establishing contact with their biological father. Bittersweet is the only way to describe this film. Poignant with lots of laughs and no cheese. Look out for it later this year.

Joel Schumacher’s nasty, teen horror/thriller ‘Twelve” was snapped up by Hannover for $2 million, while Lionsgate gobbled up the rights to Ryan Reynold’s thriller “Buried” for $3.2 million. These are respectable figures in a market cautiously reeling from the deep sting of last year. There wasn’t the glut of films that have previously blinded distributors.

Spaniard Andrea Puig Rodridgo was the talk of the town with her entertaining short called “My Invisble Friend”. Jake Scott’s “Welcome To The Rileys” about a grief-stricken Indiana couple, starring James Gandolfini, also caused waves at the festival.

IFC paid over $1 million for US rights to “The Killer Inside Me”, Brit vet’s drama about a disturbed cop. This stars Casey Affleck and Jessica Alba.  The Weinsteins took US rights to Blue Valentine, a courtship drama about a couple tracing their relationship issues to their dating days. This gem stars Ryan Gosling (I’m still reeling over his striking performance in Lars and The Real Girl) and Michelle Williams (Heath Ledger’s widow).

It was also refreshing to see documentaries taking a slice of the sales pie with titles including “Joan Rivers – A Piece of Work” and “Teenage Paparazzo”. Mark Ruffalo’s Jesus DJ spoof “Sympathy For  Delicious” also generated some heat.

The dramatic grand jury prize winner was awarded to fellow Melbournian David Michod’s crime family drama “Animal Kingdom”. Ten films have found homes, and counting.

So, the indie film machine is gradually creaking back to life.

Copyright – Do You Need Protection?

As prolific screenwriters, we need to protect our original work from theft, plagiarism, debasement, derivation, reproduction, exploitation, distribution, public performance or any unauthorized modification. Basically, copyright law is intended to maintain the ownership and integrity of the original work, unless permission is granted otherwise.

Copyright is granted to authors globally as a means of legal protection of their work. In the USA, copyright protects the artistic expression of literary works. In general, titles, characters/names (although superheroes and cartoon characters are protected under trademark law), concepts or ideas are not protected under copyright law. This mainly occurs to prevent ungrounded claims of plagiarism in the case of similar storylines being written and to encourage freedom of speech. Whenever a screenplay, treatment, synopsis or other form of literary work is copyrighted, it is best to execute the idea as fully as possible in case of a dispute. For instance, copyrighting a story about a long distance runner who wins the Olympics is not possible.

Copyright is granted automatically to all screenwriters upon completion of their work. How privileged do you feel? The only way to legally document your copyright in the USA, is by registering your script with the Library Of Congress US Copyright Office. Registration with the WGA or sending a copy of the script to yourself only creates a paper trail, but is not considered hard evidence in court. To aid the legal process, copyright can only exist if the work is in a fixed tangible form. This includes a script scribbled on the back of a napkin, voice recordings on your ipod, but not personal thoughts, dreams or premonitions. The law states that a copy is a form that can be ‘visually perceptible’ either by itself or with aids such as films, music or electronic devices. There is no legal requirement to give express notice of copyright using the © symbol, although it does look impressive on your title page. The typical format of copyright notice is the © symbol, followed by the year of creation, followed by the creator’s name.

In the case of joint authorship, the copyright is assigned equally between all parties.

Copyright duration varies between countries, but is generally between 50 and 100 years, before it enters the public domain. In the USA, the period is 70 years after the death of the author, or in the case of anonymous or pseudonymous work, 95 years after it was first published. Most countries have reciprocal agreements, so copyright exists universally. These countries are defined as signatories to the Berne Convention for the Protection Of Literary Works or the Universal Copyright Convention.

A screenwriter can only copyright original work. In the case of work for hire, the copyright exists with the rights holder, usually the production company. Unpublished and unproduced scripts can be copyrighted. Similarly, the copyright for rewrites, translations, adaptations or other forms forms of derivation lies with the original copyright holder. Writers can even copyright a group of works (such as a trilogy or series) if they are submitted together in a single application.

Since copyright protects your personal literary property, it can be transferred by contract. Producers call this ‘obtaining the rights’. It must be done before a novel, for instance, can be made into a film. A “fair use” policy applies, so a script can be discussed in a class for educational purposes. As is the case with other published works, you can reproduce up to 10% of the work for such “fair use” purposes. This protects against frivolous claims of copyright infringement.

Copyright is recorded as soon as your literary work arrives at the relevant Copyright jurisdiction, either electronically, or in had copy, provided all documentation is in order. You will always be notified when your materials have arrived and the exact date.

You do not normally need to renew copyright of your script, or register every draft, unless of course it has been substantially reworked and virtually unrecognizable from the original script.

In all probability, script theft is a rarity in the film business. Since it is typically one of the lowest priced items in a film making checklist, there is little incentive to steal. Furthermore, studios don’t want the hassle of a lawsuit or the bad press.

So there you have it folks. A short legal lesson before you get back to your writing.

Manage Your Time While Firing Your Creativity

Does this sound like an oxymoron? It may, but it shouldn’t. As working professionals (or aspirants) we need to establish good writing habits. Your tax accountant doesn’t wait for inspiration to strike before filing your tax forms, so why should you? Okay, the analogy may be a little harsh because your accountant doesn’t need to design a new tax form for each client. However, some rules of working habits still apply.

I’m not a fan of writers’ block. I get writers’ fatigue, which means I need a break. I can’t say I’ve ever been short of ideas. I always keep a notebook on hand, wherever I am, in case the muse strikes. I jot down anything that resembles a story idea, no matter how raw. I refer to my notes often whether it be a line of dialogue I heard or a scene. This stokes my subliminal mind. If I have a deadline, I put a post-it on the wall with some keywords of a scene I need to develop eg John loses his dog who’s also his only friend. Each day I add a post-it to progress the story. I have also done this with flow charts. This ensures that my subliminal creative mind is working, but the thoughts don’t sink too far into my subconscious or unconscious mind.

Follow your mood. Changing your mood can be difficult, so work with it. Many psychologists believe we are at our most creative, when we in a positive frame of mind, but at our most passionate, when we are angry and negative! Sounds like a win-win situation because the latter fires our desire to tell a story, while the former allows us to execute it. When we are in a positive mindset, our mind is conducive to unstructured, loose activity. When we are in a negative state of mind, we work better with structured, linear and ordered tasks.

Think about love and things you love; people, pets, objects. Some psychologists believe that love triggers the release of biochemicals in the bloodstream that enhance the creative process. We dream, consider endless possibilities and are generally uninhibited in such states. Conversely, sex is associated with adrenaline release to fulfill an immediate reproductive need. Not much creativity there from your mind’s perspective. Sex tends to lead to more linear, analytical thinking which is less conducive to the creative process.

We tend to be at our most creative during periods of reduced consciousness. This can be very early in the morning, when it is still dark, or very late at night, when the infomericals have stopped playing on tv. I have heard stories of writers coming off their 12 hour shifts and spending an hour writing before getting some rest You can  too.

If you’re anything like me, you like to dither and procrastinate. Sitting in front of your computer for endless hours may not always be the most efficient use of your time. If it takes you a while to crank up your creative motor (like me) set a time limit for those distracting online tasks like emails, facebook, banking, ebay etc. Stick to it.

Set a time limit and structure for your work session. Say 30 mins for emails and personal tasks, 2 hours writing, 15 minute personal break, 1 hour writing. Write it down before you commence work and stick to it. There is software online that can physically disable your internet connection for a period of time. Don’t forget to plan for leisure time. This is vital in keeping your creative subconscious bubbling while performing other activities.

Some experts suggest keeping regular writing times, such as between 5-7 am before the kids wake up, or Saturday afternoon between noon and 3pm. This time is highly personal and intensely private; much like praying. There are no distractions allowed. If you need to reschedule from a particular writing session,  plan an alternative time beforehand.

Set outcomes. Some writers don’t like to be tied down to specific writing times, especially if they aren’t in the mood. They simply decide to write for a fixed period of time each time, say one hour. Others are more outcome based and decide to write a set number of pages each day, regardless of the time taken. I know of writers who have vowed to write something everyday, ignoring all time and page count parameters.

Write during your lunch/ coffee breaks. Jim Cameron, used to park his truck back in the day and write a few words at the truckstop. Now we know why his deliveries were always late. Go to sleep an hour later or wake up an hour earlier. Statistics show that there aren’t more hours in the day in 2010 than there were a hundred years ago.

Decide if you are writing a freeform session of structured one. One spurs the other. This is a wonderful tool for me. These are the essential blocks for building your screenplay. Within a few weeks you’ll have completed your script. Even research is classed as writing time. Make sure you can account for each writing session.

Some people prefer to  set weekly goals; say write for ten hours each week. If you miss a day, you can make up for it on another one. Keep a writing diary, so you can monitor your achievements over the course of any given time frame.

Reward yourself regularly. Given that you in this for the long haul, give yourself a treat once a task is finished, no matter how small. No need to wait until your script is finished. You will experience ample rejection, so you need something to keep you motivated. Hold off buying that video game until you complete your script. Conversely, punish yourself, if you do not achieve your goals, if you’re into that sort of thing.

Once you develop regular and consistent habits, there’s no stopping you. So hit those keyboards. You may have more time available to write a feature film script, but in television writing, the production train waits for no-one, not even you.

A typical Hollywood writer has a lead-in period of about ten years (some as early as five, others as late as fifteen) before they break through. Stories of “overnight success” are invariably apocryphal. Once produced, the lifespan of a typical Hollywood writer with a voracious appetite for new voices, is about five years. Despite these sobering statistics, the rewards can be mammoth. Remember, taking a while to be produced is not a failure. You are a writer as soon as finish your first script and promptly begin your second. Someone who writes one script over five years as a hobby is dabbling, but not you. Remember to stay humble, Treat each script as a virgin experience; a Pandora’s box filled with delightful surprises. Even when you become successful, stay humble. The Greek gods  frowned upon men who manifested hubris; an arrogant, unfounded pride. Don’t fuel their wrath. Obey your muse.

In ancient Rome, art and sex were almost synonymous. They spoke of tortured, pained, troubled souls in both cases. In fact both were described in unpleasurable terms. Call it passion rather than pain.

“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs, ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who came alive.” – Howard Thurman

If not me, who? If not now, when? – Hillel The Elder

Between The Lines

After speaking to a few screenwriter friends, I thought it would be cool to start an interactive blog about what producers, managers, agents and anyone who can help greenlight your script into production, really means. Feel free to add to the list. My aim is to create a dictionary of at least 100 expressions these people use and what they really mean. Let’s get the ball rolling:

1. I  love your work: I’ve only read the first two pages. The use of additional adjectives suggests they have read more.
2. Your script is great: I haven’t read your script. Please refresh my memory.
3. Thank you for submitting your script: We’re passing.
4. Great first draft: Needs a lot of work.
5. Thanks for turning in your script so quickly: We hate it, or occasionally, we still haven’t read it.
6. We’re really excited: We’re always excited!
7. Your script has generated a lot of interest: A few people have read it.
8. Your script can be produced at a price: We don’t want to pay you for it.
9. Not for us: We love it, but don’t realize it yet.
10. Thank you for your time: Go away.
11. We’re passing: We can’t sell it.
12. We’ve got traction: People outside our company are interested.

Creating New Age Characters

Before I launch into an alternative way of looking at characters, let me wish you all a truly wonderful Happy New Year. I hope writing on 1 January 2010 tops your New Year’s resolution list.

I recently started reading the works of Abraham-Hicks who consider humans to be transmitters and receivers of vibrational frequencies. More common, or palatable expressions include characters radiating “positive” or “negative” energy, “being in sync” or on the “same wavelength”, having “good vibes” or a “good feeling” about someone. Whatever your preferred model of human behavior, it all relates to the same thing; understanding how we operate, and for writers, how to enrich your characters.

Very briefly, the teachings of Abraham define humans as having a Source, or a vibrational core. All vibrations flow in a positive, joyous stream. There are no negative vibrations. We only affect their flow by either allowing or resisting them; much like a light switch with a dimmer. We attract joy by focusing on what we desire, and resist it by focusing on what we don’t. We experience an emotional discord when the external vibrational patterns are misaligned to our Source. This basically means that we react negatively when our desires are not met by our environment.

We operate on a scale of 22 emotional set points ranging from positive to negative, as follows:

1. Joy/ Knowledge/ Empowerment/ Freedom/ Love/ Appreciation
2. Passion
3. Enthusiasm/ Eagerness/ Happiness
4. Positive Expectation/ Belief
5. Optimism
6. Hopefulness
7. Contentment
8. Boredom
9. Pessimism
10. Frustration/ Irritation/ Impatience
11. Overwhelment
12. Disappointment
13. Doubt
14. Worry
15. Blame
16. Discouragement
17. Anger
18. Revenge
19. Hatred/ Rage
20. Jealously
21. Insecurity/ Guilt/ Unworthiness
22. Fear/ Grief/ Depression/ Despair/ Powerlessness

We all strive to move to the highest set point as possible. How does all this relate to creating characters in your screenplay? We generate tension and interest in a scene by inviting our audience to travel with our characters through as many of these emotional set points as possible. Otherwise known as an emotional roller coaster or journey. Make’ em laugh. Make ‘em cry. And everything in between.

If the basic template of of any story can be reduced to a hero battling a problem and it’s resultant emotional imbalance until a resolution is reached, we can essentially say that a their goal is to move to a higher emotional set point i.e from fear to joy.

Donnie Darko (2001) reduced our emotional states to a continuum of either fear or love. Some psychologists reduce basic emotions to five, while others to eight. I strongly recommend studying the following link summarizing basic emotions. Regardless of which theory you chose, the same types of emotions arise in each one. It is also of interest that joy and fear are considered hard-wired emotions, while surprise, disgust and acceptance are considered to arise from biological or learned responses.

As writers, it isn’t essential to delve too deeply into the psychology of emotion, but rather understand the different types in terms of character development.

Colour Your Plot

In the ever-changing world of story telling and formats, the way of adding interest to your plots is changing. Consider non-linear, mobile phones, audio bytes, virals and online formats which have revolutionized the way we can propel our plots. Many techniques can also be used in conventional storytelling media. Here are some of them:

ADDING CHARACTER TRAITS: Many years ago when non-linear storytelling was in it’s infancy, I was working on an interactive war game. I proposed adding more of “alpha” traits to a character, such as aggression and anger or “beta” traits such as calmness and reason. It was a hell of a lot of writing because I have to include a continuum of behaviours. In the end the project fell through due to it’s complexity.

BREAKING THE FOURTH FALL: No this isn’t anger management class gone horribly wrong. It simply refers to a character talking directly into the camera to the audience. Woody Allen and Mel Brooks have used this technique many times.

DREAM SEQUENCES: These can include daydreams, such as the ripple dissolves in “The Simpsons”, flashbacks, flashforwards as in “Flashforward”, premonitions as in “Medium” or fantasy sequences. The help break the monotony of linear stories.

MAKING OF: These can include reality tv,  projects such as “Paranormal Activity” or “behind the scenes” shows, when the characters are aware that they are being filmed. The can also include documentary formats such as Michael Jackson’s “This Is It”. They add a sense of immediacy and intimacy as the audience feels it’s directly experiencing the events in the story.

MONTAGE: These are sequences of images used to speed up the storytelling process. A music montage can also be used, for instance to depict an era or the trajectory of a band’s career.

AUTEUR: These are obvious nods to distinct directorial styles. I think Hitchcock is one of the most directors in terms of style.

SUPERNATURAL: These can include ghosts, a character’s conscience or guardian angels. “Lovely Bones” is a modern example of a girl observing her family after she’s been killed.

NARRATION: This can via text boards, voiceover or graphic narration. Use these sparingly because they’re often overused to cover internalized thoughts, which generally make bad cinema. Show don’t tell.

PARALLEL STORY LINES: Consider “The Hangover”, a basic bachelor party comedy with concurrent storylines, as the characters try to piece together what happened last night to find the groom. Split screen is also a good example of this.

FRACTURED STORYLINES: These come under the realm of non-linear storytelling. They can be as loose as “Reservoir Dogs” where dead characters reappear later in the film, or more stylized, such as “Memento” which was meticulously told in reverse snippets.

NEWS FLASH: These can include newspaper headlines, live news reports, photographs, headlines,  letters or leif motifs to move story forward.

ROSHOMON: A delightful technique often used in procedural tv as detectives piece together how a crime may have happened. It is basically  the same scene executed from another point of view. A good example is Tom Tykwer’s “Run Lola Run”.

RUNNING GAG: Something that pops up from time to time throughout a story

IDENTITY SWAP: This could be as simple as falling into someone else’s body such as “Freaky Friday”, reading minds such as “What Women Want”, gender swaps, going to another part of a character’s life such as childhood or old age, or you could even pull a “David Lynch” when one character simply transforms into another character to add to the confusion. Hey, if David Lynch made sense, he wouldn’t have such a dedicated fan base.

TIME TRAVEL: This is self explanatory. “Back To The Future” is a prime example. Characters are transported to a distant time and place.

I’m sure I’ve missed out a few, but you get the idea. Audiences will always be hungry for stories and they will always be delighted by innovative ways of telling them.

Creating Compelling Characters

Characters are arguably the most important component of your story since they drive action, which in turn, drives the theme. Characters in your screenplay are a composite of human traits, rather than a replica. It is therefore essential that your characters are given three dimensions to make them believable and more attractive to your audience. You can give your character opposing traits to give them a sense of balance. However, their characteristics must be skewed predominantly towards one cluster of traits. After all, human behaviors lie along a spectrum and they rarely sit at the poles. Nobody is entirely good or bad. Not even Hannibal Lecter.

I previously mentioned setting up character profiles for each of your main characters via a questionnaire. Decide basic characteristics such as gender, age, place of birth, education level, marital status, job and such like. I often ask additional questions such how would they react if…? These are useful in scene construction as they will guide you to drive your character in the right direction as your plot progresses. Questions include; how would your character react if their parents died in a car crash, had unexpected guests at dinner time, found a million dollars. found out they were about to be fired/ dumped, went to a nudist colony? I ask what does their bedroom look like? What do they wear to bed? What do they have for breakfast? It’s not vital to answer all these questions in your profile, but it helps you get to know your characters better. Think of it as speed dating. It also helps avoid character cliches such as the gangster who loves art, or is afraid of his mother, the prostitute with a heart of gold, or the icy librarian jilted at the altar.

Who else knew more about human nature than the supremo of psychologists; Sigmund Freud himself. He talked about human development in terms of inner drives and desires, or ego states.

• The Child State (Id). From birth, humans have to make their immediate selfish desires such thirst, hunger and discomfort known. It  is driven by the avoidance of pain and the seeking of pleasure. This is known as the pleasure principle.  If these basic needs are not met, they are manifested by heightened emotional states, such as tantrums, tears, shouting for instance.

• The Parent State (Ego). During the next three years, we understand that visceral responses such as tantrums and yelling are increasingly inappropriate. We learn what is right and wrong within our social constructs and that our actions have consequences. This is called the reality principle.

• The Adult State (Superego). By the age of five, we develop a conscience based on prevailing morals and social values. We learn to reason, debate and argue form multiple viewpoints.

We can see that these paradigms are also mirrored in Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs ranging from basic physiological to self actualization. These have been discussed in an earlier post. Freud also believed that we are all products of our pasts. As we progress through each ego state, we are imprinted with experiences that remain with us throughout life. This is called creating a backstory for your character as it helps us determine what motivates them. An example might be the ruthless CEO who was bullied at school. How would the same CEO behave if he/ she was loved and felt a sense of belonging at grade school? They must want something so badly, they’ll stop at nothing to achieve it by actively making decisions and taking actions. Characters must take both large (plot) and small (nuances) actions.

Feud also believed that the majority of our life experiences are not readily available to us on an emotional level. He used the ‘iceberg’ metaphor, with the tip above water level representing our conscious state, while the bulk of the iceberg being underwater and representing our subconscious and unconscious states. Our conscious state represents our highest level of awareness (superego) and relates to our immediate surroundings. Consider it the RAM of your brain to use a computer analogy. The subconscious or preconsious state of awareness (mainly ego, although it covers the entire spectrum of consciousness) lies just below sea level, and can be prompted for access. This relates to past experiences which influence our current behavior. Think of it was your hard drive. The unsconscious state (id) occupies the largest area of your consciousness because these experiences haven’t formally influenced your behavior/ personality yet. Think of it as an unformatted/ blank hard drive.

A little basic psychology can add substance and truth to your characters and give them authenticity. Here are some definitions you may find useful:

CHARACTER: a representation of a person or class of person (type).

PERSONALITY: a group of behavioral, temperamental, emotional and mental attributes that define and individual

TRAITS: broad dimensions of personality; usually defined in terms of the “Big Five”.

• Openness – appreciation for art, emotion, adventure, unusual ideas, curiosity, and variety of experience.
• Conscientiousness – a tendency to show self-discipline, act dutifully, and aim for achievement; planned rather than spontaneous behavior.
• Extroversion – energy, positive emotions, urgency, and the tendency to seek stimulation in the company of others.
• Agreeableness – a tendency to be compassionate and cooperative rather than suspicious and antagonistic towards others.
• Neuroticism – a tendency to experience unpleasant emotions easily, such as anger, anxiety, depression, or vulnerability.

TEMPERAMENT: a mood or disposition of an individual

I hope you’re all  doing some writing after your Christmas lunch.

State of The Indie World

I’ve previously discussed the current dire state of studio-based cinema, but have neglected to discuss the state of independent cinema. For much of 2009, it was widely considered that indie cinema was laid to rest, with many studio-based or affiliated distributors such as Warner Independent, FOx Atomic and Miramax either shutting their doors or being usurped by their studio parents in a reduced form. A decreasing number of companies such as Focus Pictures and Fox Searchlight were left carrying the distribution baton for most of the year.

Despite this, there has been considerable activity in the independent world. Jeremy Juuso, a Los Angeles based consultant, tracks independent film releases and writes business and marketing plans. His astuteness and business acumen stems from his Harvard economics background. He publishes monthly reports on independent cinema on his website in the film data section.

Each month, he publishes the AKA report which outlines the independent releases in North America (USA and Canada). There is a lag in data, so the following relates to releases from January to September 2009. It makes for refreshing reading. Of the 308 films released, 279 (90%) were independent and the remaining 10% were studio financed. Of those independent films, around 50% were privately financed (60-70% of budget) and 16% were distributor financed via pre-sales. This is encouraging to see since pre-sales had previously suffered a dramatic downturn.

84% of independently  made films debuted at film festivals, so they still remain significant avenues for sales and marketing.  The key festivals at which these films were screened are Sundance, Toronto and Cannes. Tribeca, Berlin and Venice remain major second tier festivals for independent films to be represented. Magnolia Pictures, IFC Films and Sony Pictures were the main distributed who purchased these films. It is of note that 22% of independent films were self distributed.

Just under half (48%) of these films were dramas. This in direct contrast to studio films which were almost exclusively comprised of action, comedy and thrillers. Documentaries were also well represented (22%) in the independent sector but barely seen in studio system. It is also refreshing to see that 33% of films, were in non English languages. According to reports from the AFM in Santa Monica last month, this figure is set to rise as film goers mature and embrace globalization. Diversity can only benefit independent cinema since it is not strangled by the high financial stakes plaguing studio films. Hopefully, we’ll see more “Slumdog Millionaire” type films, which was made on a modest ($15 million) budget, yet made a welcome impact at the box office. It would be ideal to see the profits filtering through to more independent films, so the industry can become self sustaining. Unfortunately, the majority of these films fail to recoup their budgets, let alone return a profit to investors.

It appears that the independent film market is competing for different audiences with different types and more varied films. It is rightly referred to as the specialty film business. However, such diverse films must be nurtured and delicately marketed to the boutique arthouse crowds in the face of blanket advertising of studio fare.

Given that the majority of independent films rely on a mix private equity and government funding, it is difficult to obtain reliable data on the proportion of films making a profit. Since much equity funding is regrettably purposed to generate a tax loss for high net worth individuals, and government funding simply supports local film makers with scant regard for factors such as market penetration, demand and profit, independent cinema remains a dubious business proposition. Hopefully, as distribution channels such as video on demand (VOD), cable tv and ancillary markets such as hotels mature, we will see more accessible independent films spread across a greater variety of platforms, and therefore stand a better chance of financial viability in the marketplace.