Veteran Screenwriter Jurgen Wolff has a solution. He is hosting a virtual Massive Action Day on Saturday, Oct. 1.

Here is a quick description of Massive Action Day:

On the Massive Action Day YOU declare a goal for the day on the MAD website and then check in once an hour to report on your progress and say what you’ll do in the next hour.

Jurgen offers tips on a short hourly live video feed and participants encourage each other via the chat window–it’s motivating and makes it fun to focus on getting a lot done.

One participant said it was the most productive day of her life.

Massive Action Day is all online and it’s all FREE…

Jurgen even gives away prizes along the way. He stays online for 17 hours, so it works for just about any time zone. You can get more information and sign up here: www.WritingBreakthroughStrategy.com/MAD

Screenplay Image via Wikipedia

Some screenwriters think that just about every screenplay should open with a bang of some kind: perhaps a literal explosion, or a murder, or a chase.

Those may well be good choices for certain stories, but my take on this is that what an opening actually needs to do is to prompt two questions and one feeling in your audience.

The questions are simple:

1. Who are these people?
2. What’s going on?

I’m not saying that your first scene has to answer these questions, just to raise them. They might be answered in the second scene or the third scene, or sometimes not until the very end in the case of a mystery.

The feeling should be some kind of emotional involvement. Often at this point it’s just curiosity but sometimes it’s sympathy—even when we don’t know who is being chased, usually our sympathy automatically goes to the one running away.

Sometimes it’s empathy—a character experiencing something that’s happened to us, too, so we relate. It could be somebody floundering at a job interview, or being asked for a date she obviously doesn’t want to go on, or somebody getting a big bill at a restaurant and realizing he’s lost his wallet.

I think checking whether your opening scene achieves this is a good way to tell whether or not it will grab the reader—and eventually the audience.

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Jurgen Wolff has written more than 100 episodes of TV, several TV movies, the feature film, “The Real Howard Spitz” starring Kelsey Grammer, and has been a script doctor on films starring Eddie Murphy, Kim Catrall, Michael Caine, Walter Matthau and others. His plays have been produced in New York, London, Berlin, and Los Angeles. He is the author of 9 books including “Your Writing Coach” and “Creativity Now.” If you would like to find out more about “The Seven Things That Are Stopping You From Writing And How To Overcome Them,” check out Jurgen’s screenwriting website: www.ScreenWritingSuccess.com

Sometimes one of the people they’re filming dies or decides to stop cooperating. Sometimes they’re following a process with an unknown ending–for instance, the life of a contender in the Olympics. If she wins gold , they have a great story. If she gets silver or bronze, it’s still a good story. If she comes in fourth, there’s the drama of such a near miss. But if she comes in sixth, or has to pull out because of an injury, the story line isn’t so clear.

Sometimes documentary makers end up with hundreds of hours of footage without a clear story spine. That’s when they have to dig deep and sometimes they find a story that’s much more interesting than the one they hoped to get. In the case of the Olympic athlete, for instance, it might be her relationship with her father, who is also her coach. Or it might be the aftermath–what does an athlete do when it’s clear she’s peaked?

I think what we can learn from documentary makers is to pause before we launch into the obvious story and dig deeper to see if there’s a more interesting, perhaps more subtle, one lurking underneath.

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Jurgen Wolff offers a new screenwriting tip here every Tuesday; also see his site, www.ScreenwritingSuccess.com and his book, “Your Writing Coach.”

“What shouldn’t you do if you’re a playwright? Don’t bore the audience! I mean, even if you have to resort to totally arbitrary killing onstage, or pointless gunfire, at least it’ll catch their attention and keep them awake. Just keep the thing going anyway you can.”

Of course you don’t really want totally arbitrary events in your script, but if you need to capture their attention, put it in and then in the next draft work your way backward in the story so it has some motivation or at least is foreshadowed and work your way forward in the story to make sure it has a consequence.

(Jurgen Wolff offers a new screenwriting tip here every Tuesday; also see his site, www.ScreenwritingSuccess.com and his book, “Your Writing Coach.”)

However, as my screenwriter friend Jurgen Wolff points out, “While most people are honest, in every business there are people who steal. Once in a while you read about such cases in the media but others are kept quiet as a condition of the settlement.”

Jurgen would know. At least twice in his career someone stole, and took credit for  his material.  As a result, he lost hundreds of thousands of dollars because he didn’t know how to handle the situation, and he listened to bad advice.

So when I saw Jurgen’s product focused on helping writers “stop the rip offs,” I thought it would be helpful to you. In full disclosure, this is an affiliate product and I will get a commission for any purchases. But with that said, I know Jurgen personally and can’t think of too many people who are more willing to share their expertise. So if you are interested in finding out more about Jurgen Wolff’s “Stop The Rip-Offs” system, you can do so by following this link.

Why?

Can you think of any other industry where culture dictates you must first garner permission before you “start your own business?” What are you waiting for?

Here is a simple solution for all you actors, screenwriters and filmmakers.

STOP asking permission!

Instead get together and start your own production company. Write a screenplay that you can produce this year and grab a camera. In this scenario, the writers write. The actors act. And the filmmakers stop talking and start doing.

This is a far better use of your time than waiting for someone to open your mail, read your query letter or watch your short film… If you’re a Modern MovieMaker, you already know what I’m saying. If this is new for you, and you like it, welcome to the filmmaking world of Jason Brubaker. Get on my mailing list here.

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Luck? Screenwriters have to make their own!

Everybody needs some good luck along the way, but it’s fatal to wait for it to spark your career as a screenwriter. It’s much better to make your own. Let me give you an example:

Back in the Paleolithic Era when I first went to Hollywood, I arrived with no contacts and very little money. I quickly realized that the business was not waiting for me with open arms. I daydreamed about talking to successful writers, agents, producers, and others who knew the score and getting them to tell me their inside information on how to get started as a scriptwriter. Of course those doors were closed, but then I wondered–who DO these people talk to? To journalists! But although I’d done some free-lance journalism, I wasn’t working for any publications.

The solution? I started my own. I called it The Hollywood Scriptwriter. I bashed it out on a typewriter (yes, this was just before word processing on computers took off). I did the layout myself and had it printed at the local copy shop. My first interview was with Danny Simon, comedy writer, from whom I was taking a class. My second was with a producer who’d been a guest speaker at Danny’s class. That gave my modest little publication credibility, and it got a further boost when I sent it to the L.A. Times and they gave it a nice write-up.

Suddenly the doors that usually are slammed in the face of a new writer in town opened. I got to interview Hollywood’s top TV producer, Stephen Cannell, and the creator of the TV series, M*A*S*H* Larry Gelbhart, and many more. I applied their advice and information, got an agent, and started working regularly, first writing sitcoms, then TV movies, then doing feature script doctoring.

When I started teaching screenwriting and wanted to get a bit more visibility, I and my friend Kerry Cox, to whom I sold the publication when I got too busy to do it anymore, pulled together a batch of the interviews and other materials into a book that was published by Writer’s Digest. I did another one on Sitcom writing for St. Martin’s Press,and Kerry and I did a third book of just interviews for Lone Eagle Press.

I wish this showed I’m a genius, but I’m not. I’m just a guy who realized fairly early that marketing yourself and your writing is a crucial part of what we scriptwriters have to do, and that if we’re as creative about that as we are about the writing itself, we can move forward ahead of the pack.

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If you would like more of Jurgen’s screenwriting advice, check him out at www.ScreenWritingSuccess.com

Once your screenplay is complete, how do you get a screenwriting agent? Image via Wikipedia

Somewhere in the world someone has just finished the first draft of his first screenplay – ever.

Full of enthusiasm, the unknown screenwriter breaks out a hammer and puts the final touches on the two brass brads that hold the 90-120 pages together. It is at this point when this writer asks himself the obvious question:

“How do I get my movie script produced?”

This is the point when things get confusing. Should the unknown screenwriter send his screenplay to contests, to agents, to the family friend attorney who is willing to pose as the “entertainment attorney” and hopefully shepard the script through the guarded gates of Hollywood?

Or should the first time screenwriter decide instead to send the work to producers? And what if somebody steals the idea? And why don’t producers accept unsolicited screenplays? UGH!

“Allow me to offer some perspective.”

One of the reasons I am excited you’re reading these words is because I can help you avoid my early mistakes. What I just described was me a decade ago. I was still in York, PA. I had just finished the first draft of my first screenplay.  And frankly, I thought I was brilliant. I thought my story was awesome. And I actually thought Hollywood would just knock down my door.

Of course it didn’t happen like that. After I wrote my script, email was the new thing. So I started sending email querys to various production companies. And surprisingly, a few companies did respond to me. But after I sent out my script, it wasn’t long until I either got a rejection letter or heard nothing. Back then, I still had a lot to learn.

“Would you like me to tell you the secrets of getting your work produced?”

Ok. I don’t have all the secrets. The truth is, if you have an amazing script that is totally polished, marketed towards your intended audience of producer types who have a history of producing your type of work – and you have a way of accessing them and getting your brilliant work read, then your success is (a little more) probable.

But for the rest of us, taking that route is an eroded path and (in my humble opinion) requires that you ask too many people for permission. I mean, doesn’t it make you feel a little whorish to ask so many people for validation? “Please read my screenplay, it’s great!”

“UGH. I hate asking for permission.”

And agents? Forget that route. At least right now. Yes, you can send out query letters and market the heck out of yourself. But if you’re an unknown screenwriter living outside of LA, the odds of getting your work read are slim to none.

Remember, agents make a living getting material sold. And chances are, those folks already have a dozen clients. They don’t have time to take notice of your material unless your work already has buzz.

So how do you break through? Here are 5 screenwriting tips… (But I don’t think you’ll like them.)

1. Quit asking permission. Production is getting less expensive every year. Produce your own material.
2. Seriously. I know it sounds crazy, especially if you never considered producing your own material.
3. Grab a $2000 dollar DSLR camera and start shooting projects on the weekend.
4. Surround yourself with your local film community. Get some help.
5. As your confidence builds, write a feature that can be done on the cheap.
6. I recommend horror comedy or something memorable and controversial.
7. When your script is complete, get a creative production manager to break down and budget your script.
8. Once you have the budget, start raising money.
9. When you get the money, decide to direct or hire a director, cast and crew.
10. Then make your movie.

While I know most screenwriters would rather just write a script and then ask someone like me to produce it – I got news for you, don’t do that. Stop asking permission. Instead, I want you to start thinking like an entrepreneurial screenwriter. I want you to start thinking like a producer. I want you to make your movie now!

Of course, a large majority of screenwriters will think these ideas are bonkers.

If that’s you then please ignore me and keep writing query letters. For everyone else – It is far better to have your work produced than to put it in a dark drawer, even if you have to produce your first screenplay yourself.

So you wrote a screenplay? Now what?

I’ve been getting a lot of questions from folks who just finished their first screenplay… And like many, they don’t know what to do next.

That brings back memories!

Almost 10 years ago, when I was a fat, beer drinking, cheeseburger eating appliance store salesman in Pennsylvania, I too had just finished my first screenplay. And like many first time screenwriters, I had no idea what to do next. Besides, I thought just finishing a screenplay was enough of an accomplishment to get Hollywood knocking at my door.

Boy was I wrong!

It wasn’t until some years later, when I worked for a producer in New York City that I was able to see the other side of the business. So today, I want to reveal some secrets and share a little bit about what I learned.

In short, we received…

1. screenplays from agents that sucked.
2. screenplays from friends that sucked.
3. screenplays from known writers that sucked.
4. screenplays from friends of friends that sucked.
5. unsolicited screenplays that were written in hand.
6. unsolicited screenplays with artwork and movie poster designs.
7. unsolicited screenplays with long, drawn out cover letters.
8. screenplays that had no plot.
9. screenplays that had a plot, but no character development.
10. screenplays that had a gazillion spelling and grammatical errors.

And every-so-often, we received a script that was so AWESOME that we jumped up and down in excitement.

So assuming you finished your first screenplay and you can’t wait to get it into the hands of Hollywood producers, here are my suggestions on what to do next:

1. Enter the script in screenplay contests.
2. Do you know anyone friendly with a Hollywood producers, agents or managers?
3. If not,  I reccomend you print some business cards and then, learn how to produce.
4. Do you have any friends who know up-and-coming Hollywood actors?
5. Write another script.

That last piece of advice – write another script – that comes from experience.

Many writers put all of their focus on a current screenplay, that they fail to expand their body of work. Writing a stack of screenplays is like creating inventory for your store. The more products you have on the shelf, the more you can eventually sell.

Since agents and managers and producers make their living by finding good material, it is in your best interest to have some good material. Don’t send anything out, unless it it is amazing. Then assuming you capture the interest of a Hollywood Heavyweight, you’ll be ready to take your career to the next level.

Image via Wikipedia

Assuming you get your script into hands of potential buyers, I want to help you avoid the trash. So here are some things, when I was reading, that got my attention in a negative way:

1. The script was not in proper format.
Seriously, they have software for this. You’re a professional. Go out and get a copy of Final Draft. FD is industry standard.

2. The script was bound wrong.
Go get some brass brads ASAP. Please don’t even think about those pretty, clear binders you get at Staples. That sort of thing can be annoying and distracting.

3. Make sure you use spell check.
Many readers spend their time reading mediocre scripts. That’s bad enough. Finding misspellings makes the reading experience worse.

4. Please proofread your script for errors and confusion.
I can’t tell you how many times I was introduced to a character named Jed, who was later named Ted – Obviously the writer chose to change character names somewhere in the story, but failed to make this change consistent throughout.

5. Keep the cover letter brief. Don’t forget the release.
Make sure you remember to sign the release and agree not to sue the production company. Additionally, please do not write a long, drawn out cover letter, telling the producer why your script is going to be the next multi-million dollar blockbuster.

Again, please make sure your script is targeted to the correct buyer.

If you like this article, check out: www.filmmakingstuff.com