Future Hacks

What if all TV Networks and Premium Cable allowed their audiences to pick their pilots?

Post by Sean Hood:

What if they all did it like Amazon?

Post by Sean Hood:

“Haunting Melissa” Both Scares and Innovates

Post by Neal Edelstein:

Haunting Melissa

Answer by Sean Hood:

Creators who want to tell complex and sophisticated stories for adults have moved to TV.  Likewise, adults are less and less likely to make it out to the theater… certainly not when they could watch Madmen or Game of Thrones in their living rooms.

Answer by Ken Miyamoto:

I’m going to answer this within the context of the emotion I felt when I read this question, and other questions like in the past.  If you’d like to get a feeling of my initial delivery, a sense of my reactionary emotion, then watch this clip from Adaptation and picture me in the Brian Cox role of Robert McKee while the questioner is Nic Cage as Charlie Kaufman. 

 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVVzR8zIvoA
Now that you have a point of reference, here’s my initial reaction (and note that this is all in good fun… it’s a great question)…

Questioner:  Why doesn’t Hollywood make ambitious films for adults anymore? 


Ken:  They don’t make ambitious films for adults anymore? Are you out of your  f***ing mind? People are making great films every year. There’s Zero Dark Thirty, There Will Be Blood, Life of Pi. Every f***ing year, somewhere in the world, somebody is pushing the envelope and risking their careers to bring ambitious films to you. Every f***ing day, someone,  somewhere is making the next Avatar, Titanic, Troy, or Inception. People take risks, like with The Master, and lose because audiences aren’t showing up. For Christ’s sake, a director makes the epic The Impossible and barely anyone goes to see it. Someone produces Silver Linings Playbook or Beasts of the Southern Wild, and yet people still say that great films aren’t being made. Steven Spielberg makes Lincoln! If you can’t find that stuff  in the cinemas, then you, my friend, don’t know crap about films! And why the  F*** are you wasting my two precious minutes with your question? I don’t have  any use for it! I don’t have any bloody use for it!

Okay, now that I’ve got that out of my system, allow me to elaborate without the tongue-in-cheek. 

First off, one could answer your question in two different ways because there’s the initial question of lack of ambitious films.  Then in the details you seem to be pointing to epic films, like those you mentioned.  Then you end with asking where the great producers are that have vision and make great movies. 

On The Epics

Original epics are costly and in this day and age, it’s a huge gamble to create an original epic.  Huge gamble because audiences are moreso choosing the comforts of their own homes and Home Entertainment systems and Big Screens as opposed to seeing films where they should be seen, the theater. 

So why should all major studios and producers spend what now costs upwards of $200-$300 million on original (i.e. non sequel, non superhero movies) epics when no one is going to go see them?  Or if just one or two out of a dozen are a success. 

And for the record, Hollywood IS still making these films.  I’ve mentioned some above and we have epic movies in the making right now with big names, including a new Moses film, new Noah film, etc. 

And again, we had Lincoln last year.  War Horse the year before (Which I hated… and he’s my favorite director).

On the Specialty Films that ARE Original and Great

• Silver Lining Playbook
• Beasts of the Southern Wild
• Amour
• The Master
• Django Unchained
• Argo
• Seven Psychopaths
• The Sessions
• Looper

Those are just a few… from last year.  You can add almost every original Pixar film made.  And add multiple films not mentioned here and the film representatives of the last 40 some years, since those days where Hollywood only made great films (That’s what many think, but it just isn’t so).

In fact, there are more great film being made today than there were in the sixties and seventies.  And about those decades, as I mentioned above and likely in many other Quora answers over the years, they made some pretty terrible films back then as well.  Hindsight is 20/20, so we remember all of these now classic films and look at the decades they debuted in within the context of those great films. 

More films are being made today.  More great ones, and yes, more bad ones.  Studios are often working more as distributors for many of the greats, sure, but that’s just the current business module.  The studios develop the tent pole pictures like sequels, remakes, reboots, superhero flicks, big adaptations, etc. Anything with almost guaranteed large grosses, especially in the international markets.  This keeps the studio owners (corporations… shareholders) happy, keeps the money flowing, and allows studios to take some risks (Inception) and handle their own specialty divisions as well as co-finance and distribute specialty films that they may acquire. 

My point?

Besides the differing business modules, cinema as a whole is much the same as it was back in the “glory days”, only more people are getting a chance to make great films (and yes, bad ones too). 

What cynics see are the multiplexes.  They see television marketing.  They see posters and magazine covers.  All focused on the big ticket event films that audiences go to see in droves.     

There are great producers out there.  I don’t even need to name them.  Go find them yourself.  They are out there.  And go see them in the theater because every time the audience doesn’t show up, it makes it all the more harder for such great producers and filmmakers to make great original films.

And don’t worry, the epics are out there and they are being developed and made as we speak.  Take a look at the time spans between the great films you mentioned, and the many more you didn’t.  Such films take time.  Some fail.  Some succeed.  Others are lightning captured in a bottle, groundbreaking, amazing, and decade defining.

Oh, and Dino De Laurentiis’ last film credit as producer?  Virgin Territory, starring Hayden Christensen.  ;)

I’ve been reading scripts for production companies for a while. It’s a great job, but sometimes I find myself becoming too critical of movies, including those I’m watching outside of work. I also feel like too much of a gatekeeper when I know that even some of the worst scripts I read have the potential to be something better.

Perhaps this is just the nature of the job, but I’m trying to strike a balance between having a critical eye and maintaining the sense of wonder and enjoyment that made me want to work with movies to begin with.

Post by Sean Hood:

Original Filmed Content For Apps

I have a bucket that I carry with me wherever I go. I collect things in it, hour by hour, day by day. Some of the things are ordinary like a piece of string or a broken watch, but other things are quite unexpected, like love letter or the lens of a telescope.

Yesterday I found a thumb tack on the bottom of my shoe; it went in the bucket, along with three dried chips of turquoise paint and an empty Coke bottle. While in the shower a bright yellow frog appeared by the open window, and I would have put it in too, but I left my bucket in the car, and by the time I fetched it, the frog was gone.

You have to be quick.

Often I will steal things, usually from my closest friends. They’ll be talking and a little golden coin will drop out of their mouth and tinkle on the floor. I’ll snatch it up when they aren’t looking and then call it my own. I don’t feel bad about it because they do the same thing to me. Just the other morning I spied a little porcelain bird that a friend had copped from my pail and had put into hers. I think she felt guilty, but I didn’t mind; in fact, I was glad that she could use it. I just couldn’t find a place for it anywhere, and it suited her collection perfectly.

I know people who leave their bucket at home most of the time, only taking it out when they think they need something. Of course, after just a few hours of searching they get bored or frustrated about not finding the thing they were looking for, so they put the bucket away. What they don’t realize is that you have to keep your bucket at all times and you can’t be so picky about what you collect.

Me, I’ll pick up anything.

Some people like fancy buckets made of tin, old-fashioned buckets made of wood, or electric buckets with flashing lights, but I’ll use whatever is handy. The container isn’t as important as the things you collect. You can use a cereal bowl or discarded Starbucks coffee cup, or even your pocket in a pinch. The mistake is to see something and tell yourself, “I’ll get that later, when I have more time,” because as soon as you turn your eyes away (from the bronze nail, the dead caterpillar, the silk yarmulke) it will disappear. You’ll never find it again.

Recently I’ve gotten in the habit of getting up very early and meeting friends at coffee houses. They bring their buckets too, and together we sort and sift and show each other what we’ve found. Often we trade: a rusty license plate for a silver toothpick, a rubber ball for scrap of shag carpet. It’s fun to share.

But most of the work I do alone, dumping out the contents of my bucket and deciding what to use, what to throw out and what to save for later. It’s really amazing what turns up if you keep your eyes open and you make sure to have your bucket with you.

For instance, while driving in my car, my cousin appeared in the passenger seat - not as she is now, a middle-aged mother of two, but as a child with fiery red hair and a doll that was missing its left eye. I didn’t know why or how she appeared, but I didn’t ask questions. I just collected her and her doll in the bucket as soon as I reached a red light, keeping an eye on her in my peripheral vision to be sure she wouldn’t vanish.

I sometimes put expressions in the bucket, like “posilutely splificated.” I put sounds in the bucket, like the popping of bubble wrap or the giggle of a barista. I collect attitudes, poses and gesticulations. I gather confusion and doubt. I pick up itches, headaches and ennui. I take things I don’t believe in, like ghosts or trickle down economics. It’s important not to be judgmental, and accept whatever appears in your path. Anything.

Do I sound crazy to you?

Well, if you haven’t guessed, I’ll tell you that the “bucket” is just my notebook. And the things I find are seeds: seeds for writing, seeds for filmmaking, seeds for acting, seeds for understanding, seeds for meaning. If you are an artist or creative person, you need to have a bucket, you need to take it with you everywhere, and you need to collect whatever you find. Whatever idea flashes in your head, write it down. Anything and everything.

Just put it in your bucket – it may look dusty and ordinary, but you may discover something rare and beautiful in it later. Don’t wait. Do it now. Right now.

Before it disappears forever…

View Post on Quora

Answer by Sean Hood:

I have developed pitches to studios, to networks and premium cable, and to “angel investors” for both startups and indie films.  In the next eight weeks, I’ll be pitching a TV series pilot, a feature film spec, and I will joining a larger team to pitch a startup to VC’s.  Quite a lot comes to mind when I compare the two worlds, especially as those worlds continue to merge.

Honestly, the biggest similarity is just the anxiety and dread I inevitably feel before attempting to sell myself and my idea.  People attracted to screenwriting and technology (or both) tend to be introverts, and not natural salespeople.  Pitching to anyone about something you care deeply about can feel like going up on stage to do a tap dance routine… wearing clown make-up and a speedo.

(For first hand account of stage fright, check out How NOT to Pitch to A Studio.)

However, my personal neuroses aside, I’ve noticed three fundamental similarities:

• You Must Tell A Story

You begin the pitch with a hook that grabs attention of your audience and moves them emotionally.  They think, “Wow, this is a story I want to hear.” Then you tell a tale about people with a BIG problem and a hero with a unique solution.  The story is exciting because both the hero and the people want something very, very badly, but there are seemingly insurmountable obstacles to getting it.  The story ends with a payoff, punchline, twist, a solution and the audiences says “Ahhhhh, now I understand!”

The best pitches I have ever heard seem effortless.  They are delivered like a spellbinding anecdote told over martinis at a dinner party.  If the pitch is for a startup, the protagonist is the entrepreneur him/herself, but the structure of the story is the same: a big problem with unique solution executed by heroes who are the only ones for the job.  The “twist” or “punchline” of the story is (in startup lingo) your “secret sauce.”  It’s the unique quality of hero, his or her “superpower,” that will allow him/her to save the day.

These stories are told with passion. They aim for the maximum emotional impact and personal connection with the audience.  Charisma, eloquence, and authenticity are all essential when pitching your story. 

However…

• It’s All About Execution

In both stcreenwriting and startup circles you often encounter the meme: Your Idea Means Nothing. 

Well, this isn’t exactly true.  Said Michael Wolf in answer toWhich is more crucial to the success of a startup: the idea or the execution?, “I’ve never met a VC who told an entrepreneur, ‘don’t tell me about your idea since it doesn’t matter!’”  Likewise, I’ve never met a producer or studio executive who told a screenwriter, “Don’t bother pitching me your story. Ideas don’t matter. It’s all about execution!”

However, when you walk into an office to pitch a great idea, what you are really selling is your execution of that great idea.

This often comes down to who is already “attached” to the project.  In movies and television, this means that a major star, a powerful producer, or a hot director has already committed to doing your project should it get set up.  Likewise, in start-ups its good to have a great programmer, a great marketer, proven businessman or some other “rockstar” on your team.

For example, if you went into a room and pitched a dark tale of madness set among dancers in a production of the ballet “Swan Lake,” you would likely be shown the door.  However if your director is Darren Aronofsky and your star is Natalie Portman, you have a much better shot.

Perhaps the key element in the execution piece is answering the question “How the hell does this make money?“  In movies, this often comes down to having the exclusive rights to a “property,” a popular book or famous movie that can be remade.  Having a built in audience assures the investor that that their is enough potential interest in the story to turn a profit. In startups, this often comes down to a “proprietary technology,” something that distinguishes you in an established and lucrative marketplace. In both cases, the burden is on you to convince the investor that there are actually people or businesses out there who might pay money if your idea is realized.

• Who the Hell ARE you, anyway?

“Who you are” will set the tone, the receptiveness and level of enthusiasm in the meeting before you even walk in the door.  Often I can sense how a pitch is going to go, just by gauging the energy of the participants in the first 60 seconds.

In both worlds, it’s easiest to pitch to people who either already know you, or already know you for something.  Whether you have already had a popular movie, you have already sold a spec script, you have already been a key player in a successful company, or just have “buzz” around you and your project(s), it’s good to have “heat.”

Let’s face it, if you pitch a Question and Answer website, no matter how good your idea may sound, nobody is likely to care unless you just happen to have been players in the development of Facebook.

If you are unknown to the person you are pitching to, the first thing they will do before the meeting is google you.

For example, before a movie pitch, the executive will first look at my IMDB page, my blog, and often a link to my Quora answer What’s it like to have your film flop at the box office?, all of which (for better or for worse) show up on the first page of my Google results.  Likewise in startups, your online “brand,” as defined by your Linkedin profile, online articles written about you, or your website itself, will define “who you are.”

If you are a complete unknown and have no established reputation, what matters is who you know.  Someone important -  a powerful agent or producer, a powerful entrepreneur or expert in your business - has to vouch for you to get you in the room. 

“Who you know” particularly important because of the notorious nepotism and cronyism in the film and television industry.  Truth be told, the best way to sell a pitch (or to become an actor, director, or producer) is to be the related to somebody famous.  While connections matter in every business, the startup world is far more concerned with proven qualifications.  Hollywood is NOT a meritocracy.

For example, if a an entrepreneur graduated at the top of his class from Harvard, Stanford, MIT, or Caltech, with a host of awards and achievements, that would carry weight with a potential investor.  Conversely, I graduated from USC School of Cinematic Arts, arguably the best and most Hollywood-connected film school in the world, I had close to a 4.0 grade average, and I won several awards and scholarships.  Yet, while the time I spent there was invaluable to me in my development as a filmmaker, my USC degree means virtually nothing to anyone listening to a movie pitch.

• Bonus Similarity - The Rejections

Even if a  pitch is ultimately bought, 99% of the people you talk to are going to say, “no.”  It takes a lot of strength, dignity and most of all, passion to weather the long storm of rejection and indifference.  The King’s Speech took a decade to get funded, even with Geoffrey Rush attached.

In both worlds, the job of the person you are pitching to is to say NO.  Their task is to listen to dozens of pitches a day, and figure out a good reason to pass on almost all of them, because they (and their company) can only say yes to a very limited number of projects.  You can’t take it personally, and you can’t see the rejection or even many “reasons” given for a pass as indictment of your core idea.  You just have to take a deep breath, make adjustments if necessary, and move on to the next one.

The only thing you have keep you going through the long slog is the (sometimes delusional) belief in your core idea and the authenticity of your “story.” 

So, as it turns out, whether or not you have hot properties, great connections, or rockstar attachments, your “story” may indeed be the most important thing after all.

(P.S. If you are now terrified at the prospect of pitching, read Jeremy Drysdale’s Coda in the comment section below.  He has a very, calming and no-nonsense perspective.  No need to panic.)