Screenplay writers spend time working on – and polishing not only their script, but their logline and pitch. Then we continue to work on scripts, while entering contests and traveling to Inktip for pitchfests.
Here’s the question you need to consider: What happens next when you move forward?
Let’s say you win a contest, and industry people actually express interest. A manager signs you, and you bump noses with (just picking a name) Jerry Bruckheimer. You ask in a joking tone if you can pitch a movie to him, and he looks you in the eye and says…
“What you got?”
Door’s open. Now, deliver the pitch to him in a professional, peer to peer manner that conveys you’re excited about it.
This is the platinum rule for writers, your first rule – if it doesn’t excite you, it won’t excite them.
Jerry nods, and says, “I like that. You free this afternoon?”
BANG.
Door has shut. Behind you, not in front of you. You’re in. This is what you’ve been praying for, working towards, working on, preparing for, and never expecting. It just happened.
What now?
This is the moment you need to know three more important things. The first is, Be a Professional Screenwriter.
You now have to be professional. If you shake hands with Jerry at two this afternoon, and at three you meet (picking another name) Spielberg and he says, “Hey, aren’t you the writer with the movie about the ninjas riding the great white sharks? That’s awesome.” Here’s where you play politics – “Oh, yeah. I just shook hands with Jerry Bruckheimer on that this afternoon. But hey, after his project is done, I’d like to pitch an idea or two your way.”
Why was this important? You’ve promised it to Jerry. Stephen will respect integrity. And you told him you have it. And you even cast the hook further by saying that you have ideas you think Stephen would be interested in.
Guess what? Spielberg’s now going to be emotionally invested in whatever leaves your mouth next. He’s probably going to say, “What you got?”
If it’s good, you may have TWO movie deals in one afternoon. Why?
Integrity is a coin you can spend only once. If you throw it away, you never get it back. That’s the second thing you need to know.
It may sound surprising, but rumor has it there’s unscrupulous people in the movie business. There’s too many in Hollywood, I hear. And if you show yourself to be the shining diamond, you’ll stand out. They’ll rush to do business with you.
If on the other hand, you say to Stephen, “yeah, Jerry and I were talking about it, but no sale yet….” you may get the movie sale, you may not. But that’s going to rapidly cut your chances from here on out. You don’t want any producer saying, “Don’t work with him/her”.
Okay, now you’re settled in, a desk in a corner in a studio, typing away in Final Draft. You deliver the re-written script to Bruckheimer, and head out to Ihop for coffee (why? less expensive than starbucks). You see a producer sitting with his short stack and boysenberry syrup. He sees you, and says…
“Hey, you’re the writer with the shark ninjas!” You get into a conversation, and he says… “What’s the full story?”
You could think, “Jerry never had me sign a non-disclosure agreement”. But you shook hands with him, right? You got the go-ahead. You got the deal. So here’s what you tell the other producer…
“We’re in re-writes right now, so just about anything can happen in the script.” If pressed, say, “Don’t want to give anyone wrong impressions until we’re in production.”
Because you know once you’re in production, he’s not going to ask. You can’t copyright an idea, so someone can just call a starving screenwriter and say, “Hey, I got an idea…” and that screenwriter will think, “Hey! I got the call!” And they’re off and running…
…with your idea. Even if you don’t have an NDA signed, don’t talk about the project and say anything more than what the producer is telling people. If your producer has a web site for it already, refer people to that. “You can get the inside look at sharkninjamovie.edu” or whatever.
It’s not that people will steal an idea (I assume), it’s that they all have imaginations, and they can hear an idea, and something similar gets in their mind – and they’re off and running. Remember fifteen years ago when two “Comet hits the earth” movies came out at the same time? I don’t know for a fact that’s what happened, but… just funny it happened.
These three things you need to know will help keep your career a long one. Keep this in mind. Be professional, be excited about your work, always show integrity (even if nobody around you does), and don’t tell more about the project than the producer does publicly.
Happy writing!
