Best Of The Web – Now via Twitter

If you were missing our weekly Best o/t Web, I’m afraid in this instance we’ll have to blame Google. We had set up a great workflow that would allow us to sift through 1,000+ blog posts weekly and bring you the top 1 percent… Unfortunately Google decided to change the technology behind their Google Reader, forcing … Read more

The Biggest Mistakes I Encounter In Each Genre (1/2)

I was reading away last weekend, burning through script after script, each one in a different genre,

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Video: Michael Hauge on Pitching

Last week we linked to Michael Hauge’s lecture on High Concept.
Known for his “Selling Your Story in 60 Seconds,” while he was in Australia, Michael also did his pitching spiel. Here’s the 21 Mins summary of the “60 Secs” lecture.


This is not about how to approach a pitch meeting, but rather what to do when you have the producer, agent etc. on the phone, at a pitchfest or in a networking situation. It’s really about those rare, super short windows of opportunity you might have with someone in power.

Here’s Michael’s first tip:

“The first thing you have to avoid in that situation
is trying to tell your story. It’s the biggest mistake most writers or filmmakers make, when pitching their project.”


With thanks to Dana Skowrnowski and Adrian Kok.

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Video: Michael Hauge on High Concept

Earlier this year Screen Australia invited Michael Hauge again, this time to explain to local screenwriters what High Concept means.
If you’re still struggling with that concept, this video might help.


If you don’t have the time to watch the whole video – despite the thorough editing there’s a lot of silence in between the words – here is Michael Hauge’s definition in one sentence:

“A high concept is a story concept that is strong enough
that it will draw an audience without any other components.
It is not dependent on casting, name director, execution, good worth of mouth, […] it is simply the story idea alone
that will promise an emotional experience.”

Obviously the key skill is not in knowing this definition; it is in being able to find an idea that fits the definition.


With thanks to Dana Skowrnowski and Adrian Kok.

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