11. BUDGETS
It has been interesting to me to note that, particularly when it comes to thrillers, writers often think in terms of low-budget films. I have found that one of the biggest disparities between low- and high-budget thrillers is often simply the casting. Why not think in terms of a high budget when you first enter the game with a new screenplay? If that doesn't pan out you can always try the lower budget, independent market later.
What I am trying to tell you is to play it straight. It doesn't matter if it's a comedy, tragedy, drama, or action film — keep your characters and stories honest and true to themselves. For new writers trying to get into the mainstream of Hollywood it is best to keep these rules in mind. You will always find exceptions to these rules but don't let that fool you. Start out with a good, simple story and hone your craft. Remember why you want to tell a particular story. Does your movie inspire, entertain, and teach a life lesson? These points are not easy to accomplish, but they are always in style at the studios and the box office.
• • •
1. Reread your own screenplays.
2. Change anything that doesn't coincide with the above information.
3. See if you can simplify your plot and complicate your characters.
4. Check the “calendar” section of your Sunday newspaper every week to see what the studios and production companies are making.
5. Keep a list of these films for future reference.
MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL 6
Presenting yourself seems simple enough. You simply show up. Are there right and wrong ways to present yourself? You bet. I'm sure you think that you are cool, hip, and with it. You think you know how to dress yourself properly and in an acceptable manner, especially since this is show biz and you've heard that anything goes. You believe that since you are a “creative type,” most standard value systems don't count for you. You think of yourself as an artist who can do things your own way. Not!
It's not just the way you dress; be aware of the many elements that are very important in how you present yourself. Hopefully you will be meeting with important people who will have a profound effect on your business and creative life. These people need to be comfortable with you and they need to believe that you are dependable and trustworthy. Remember that in a sense you are asking them to spend millions of dollars on you and your work. This is a tremendous responsibility for you and for them. These are very busy people with many others vying for their time. If and when you finally get that chance to meet with them, you don't want to blow it over some minor infraction that you don't even realize you committed, such as wearing flip-flops.
You may be a writer, but you are looking for a writing career. The career part is what you may be playing fast and loose with by way of your personal presentation. Remember grammar school? Neatness still counts and so do a lot of other things that may have slipped your mind since childhood.
Here are ten do's and don'ts, based on my years watching clients destroy themselves in ways that had absolutely nothing to do with their writing talent and ability:
1. DRESSING WELL
You have a meeting at a studio or production company or you have signed up for a “pitch” session. You are going anywhere where you might meet someone who is connected in any way with the entertainment business. You are going to hear a speaker at a writer's seminar or to meet with a possible agent or manager. It's jeans, right? Okay but what about that T-shirt? Wrong. What about shorts, baggy or otherwise? Wrong. What about high heels and a tiny, tiny skirt? Wrong.
First of all everything needs to be clean. That includes your shoes, pants, tops, purses, hair, skin, and fingernails. The jeans are fine if worn with a sport shirt (preferably with long sleeves, rolled up) or a collared knit shirt. With regard to women, the same principles apply vis a vis the jeans and a nice blouse or shirt. The people you are meeting will notice if you are a mess or unkempt. You want them to notice your work and ideas, not your dirty fingernails or great legs. You don't want to overdress in a suit and tie, and you may not want to dress in the long-skirt-and-turquoise-jewelry look or as the “artiste,” since these outfits may be more dominant than your screenplay ideas.
Try to keep your wardrobe simple. Let the people you are meeting see you, not your outfit. Let them hear what you have to say, not focus on your costume.
I once represented a writer who co-wrote a spec comedy, which sold for $850,000 and was produced and released very quickly. It was a hit and the writers were wooed all over town. They had decided to write separately after that script, but since my client had been a TV comedy writer, most production companies wanted to see him right away. I set up meeting after meeting for him. Some of the companies that wanted to meet with him had mentioned that they had open writing assignments they thought he could fill. As time went by and nothing came of these meetings, I finally asked him to stop by after one of them. He walked into my office and I was appalled by his appearance. He was a big, muscular man who was wearing hiking shorts, a skimpy tank top, and hiking books. He looked like an ad for some macho man magazine. (I'd only met with this writer a couple of times and he was always dressed in a casual, but respectful manner.) Then he sat down and didn't stop talking for twenty minutes straight. That's how I found out why he would never work again and he never did.
2. ARRIVALS
If you are on time, then you are late. Get to your meeting-place a little early. Remember you have to find a parking place, find the right office or building or restaurant, and most important, you do not want to keep your meeting waiting. If you are ten minutes late they will hate you, if you are fifteen minutes late they will probably not see you. The people you will meet are extremely busy or like to think that they are and want you to think that they are. You are the low man on this totem pole so you must arrive early. It shows you respect their superior position. If there is some emergency that keeps you from being early, you must call their office and explain and ask if you can be late or if you should re-schedule, as you apologize profusely. It better be a damn good reason. Early on in my agency career I was Larry Hertzog's first agent. Larry was always early to a meeting, admitting that if “one isn't early, then one is late.” Larry became a most successful television writer, executive producer, and series creator. He created Tin Man and Nowhere Man, and wrote and produced many shows for Stephen J. Cannell Productions as well as others. Even after all of his success, he was still early to meetings. Larry once told me that he always sort of “skulked” around outside of my office suite, until it was time for our meeting. I found that to be very endearing.
3. DEPARTURES
This one is hard to quantify but I'll try. Don't overstay your welcome. Be sensitive to body language, roving eyes, clock-checking, and taking calls. These are sure signs that the meeting is over. Once you've been served your coffee or fancy water, had a five-to-ten minute social chit-chat session, pitched your project or yourself, and heard what the other guy has to say, the meeting is usually over. Most meetings don't go over thirty to forty-five minutes. Once you see them start to shove their chairs back, you must stand up and begin to thank them for their time and interest, then leave. Don't hang around with long goodbyes. These are painful to busy people and may cost you dearly.
No one wants to work with a pain in the ass and if you can't end