FILMMAKING STUFF Filmmaking Stuff is a resource for independent filmmakers, including articles on independent film finance, screenwriting, production, movie marketing and film distribution, as well as interviews with Hollywood producers, movie directors, screenwriters and other filmmakers.

I’m going to ask a few questions today and also take us back in time…

Have you ever watched a movie where the story seemed like it was just a bunch of Visual Effects, with no substance?

Conversely, can you think of a movie where the FX and VFX were just icing on the cake?

When I first started out, the movie The Matrix was all the rage. I don’t know if you remember but at the time, that movie was fresh and exciting and as a filmmaker, inspiring. I remember enjoying the movie because first and foremost, it had a great story. The visual effects and fancy camera techniques were secondary, complementary and completely necessary to tell the story. (By the way, I’m not talking about The Matrix 2 or 3… I didn’t understand those movies.)

Two important lessons I learned during that time:

1. The super cool techniques used in the movie were nothing new.
2. And if you were making movies back then, you may have been inspired to mimic similar VFX in your own work.

I know this because, if you traveled the festival circuit after that movie, you would have seen all sorts of short films that tried to incorporate similar Matrix-esq gimmicks into a story that-didn’t-quite fit.

Why?

While your opinion of what makes a movie good might differ from mine, hopefully we subscribe to a similar filmmaking philosophy — That is, anything that we include in our final cut must fit the story and push the story forward.

We all know that staging locations in a recognizable city or adding overhead shots or adding some other nifty, super cool camera tricks can work to make your movie look more expensive than it is – But sometimes if you’re really honest, these fancy tricks aren’t necessarily complementary to your story.

And as filmmakers, this is where we run into trouble. Sometimes it’s just downright difficult to cut all those super cool shots from our movie. (Some of my filmmaker friends would argue that the folks responsible for the most recient Indian Jones movie and the Star Wars prequels may have fallen into a similar FX-for-the-sake-of-FX trap.)

So as a rule of thumb, if you add an element or location or some other nifty, neat-o trick to increase the production value of your independent movie and the element is not inline with your overall story, you run the risk of distracting your audience and taking them out of the movie.

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Posted under Filmmaking

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.

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Posted under Screenwriting