Hitchcock, Bombs and Anticipation

Matt Byrnes leads the Venice Beach Screenwriters group, and he's written some good stuff on the screenwriting craft. In one recent article he talks about anticipation, and how to build it in your audience.
He also co-wrote an article in the winter ScriptWritersNetwork newsletter (a downloadable PDF) about organizing a staged reading of your script. Check out the ScriptWritersNetwork website, as well as Matt's own screenwriting site, InScreenwriting for info on the Venice Beach Screenwriters.

Access Hollywood? I Don't Think So ...

The never-ending debate over whether or not screenwriting consultants are useful or just snake-oil salesmen with leased Maseratis won't be resolved anytime soon. As was mentioned here in previous columns, there are many willing to read your screenplay, give notes, and even, so they claim, provide access to producers, agents and stars who get movies made.
Getting notes on your script is fine. A knowledgeable story editor can help shape up a script, find weak points and zero in on places where character development and conflict can be punched up.
Those who offer access for a handsome fee, however, should be viewed with skepticism--even if a story editor does have access to some Hollywood power players, she can hardly offer to present your script, sight-unseen, to the movie-making elite. Here's the reason: The business's upper echelon only has time for the best of the best scripts. So, say your story editor presents your good, but not great, script to one of those Gods of the industry, who can green light a script, package it with a star and a director and secure funding. The script goes to one of the mucky-muck's underpaid assistants, who reads it and writes coverage. And when the coverage come back the likely verdict is: "Stink bomb." Well, both you and your story editor buddy are henceforth pariahs in that producer's office. You won't necessarily be banished from Tinsel Town, but a couple more stunts like that and you'll be asked to move to the Valley. So, a consultant couldn't possibly offer unconditional access without burning out his friendships in short order.
And in this town, friendships are more important than a few ill-gotten dollars swindled from some unsuspecting novice screenwriters.

Forget the Bull, Get a Bulletin Board

These days, scriptwriting software does almost everything for you--thankfully, so far, none of the top programs can pitch your scripts for you, take lunch at The Ivy or collect a 10 percent commission on your earnings. But give them time.
 Some screenwriting software allegedly, and I emphasize the word "allegedly," walks you through the process of constructing scene structure for a feature film script--holy Ishtar!
By far the most useful tools I've found, other than my Macbook pro, and Final Draft screenwriting software, are low-tech products that have been around since before there was any such thing as movies, let alone screenwriting software. It's the standard bulletin board, push pins and index cards.
This is not news to readers of Syd Fields and other screenwriting instructors. But for myself, it was a revelation after years of resisting the bulletin board. Turns out, it's a flexible, inexpensive way to plot out your entire script, and its most obvious advantage is that you can take in the entire story at a glance.
If you establish a set number of cards that you will post to make up a script--the standard being 40, at least for me--you can immediately tell what part of your story is missing and needs to be filled in.
Save yourself a lot of headaches by using these tools and you'll be amazed by how much easier it is to keep your story on track.

Diversify or die ...

Everyone's figuring out ways thrive in this bad economy and filmmaker as no different. Among the panelists speaking at this year's Redstone West Film Festival, the bi-coastal yearly Boston University student event, were actor, director and producer Jerry Levine ("Everybody Hates Chris," "Monk," It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia"). "Diversify within a field that you know something about," he said. "Crossing the line dilutes the skill of that creative (endeavor)" He recalled that when directing an episode of "Monk," series star Tony Shalhoub suggested that Levine play one of the small roles in that episode. He declined because he believes you should not cross the line into another creative discipline.
Makes sense, but then again that would have been bad advice for Orson Welles, who starred in, co-wrote, directed and produced "Citizen Kane." Of course, the world has few like Orson Welles.