by Steve Kaire

When you get the notes back, you are devastated. The comments you get are scathing. They inform you that your plot is weak, your characters aren’t developed fully enough, and your structure is lacking.

The first thing you need to remember is that your script is always a work in progress. And as painful as it may seem, many of the notes you will receive will really improve your material. More times than not, writers will send out their material prematurely even when they know in their heart of hearts that their script is not ready to be shown. They’ve written the script so many times that they’ll say to themselves that it has to be ready by now even though it really isn’t.

Many of the notes you will receive will really improve your material.

I had a writing friend who I would submit my work to for feedback. He would always be consistently negative about my material. I came to expect that he wouldn’t like whatever I gave him to look over no matter how well it was written. But despite his overall negativity, he would be right about one or two elements regarding my scripts. And fixing those specific things that needed improvement was worth it even though I had to listen to a lot of other overly critical comments.

The bottom line in receiving criticism is to try as best you can to separate yourself from your ego. Decide what suggestions about your material to accept and incorporate into your writing that will actually make it better. Also decide about what comments you get back that you honestly disagree with and just disregard them as being off base.

Most of all, understand that receiving criticism and rejection is a normal part of any creative endeavor whether it be writing, art or music.

– Steve Kaire

Steve Kaire is a Screenwriter/Pitchman who’s sold 8 projects to the major studios without representation. The last project he sold, he’s Co-Producing for Walden Media. A screenwriter for over 30 years, he holds a Masters in Dramatic Writing and has taught writing classes at the American Film Institute.

Steve was featured on the Tonight Show’s, “Pitching to America” and was voted a Star Speaker at Screenwriters Expo three years in a row. His top rated CD, “High Concept – How to Create, Pitch & Sell to Hollywood” is a best seller. You can find his website here.

Jamie Campbell

Jamie Campbell is an author, screenwriter, and television addict.

Jamie is proud to be an Editor for The Story Department.

Her latest series Project Integrate is out now.

jamiecampbell.com.au

:: Great Scene: “No Country For Old Men”
:: Is Screenplay Structure Theory Ruining Movies?
:: Speedrun: “The Matrix” and “The Big Lebowski”
:: Anatomy of a TV Spec – Don’t Trust the B— in Apt 23
:: How to End It All (Tv Shows)
:: It’s Not What You Say, It’s How You Say It
:: Screenplay Review – Asylum (2002 Draft of “Batman vs. Superman”)

Script Perfection

:: Character = Function
:: Should I Use “is” Construction Verbs or Not?
:: 10 Screenwriting Tips from ‘Fatal Attraction’
:: Taking Feedback Notes
:: Eliminate the Unnecessary (or…. Axe those Adverbs)
:: Scriptnotes, 106: Two ENTJs Walk Into a Bar (And Fix It)
:: The Most Important Thing You’ll Ever Add To Your Script

Pitching & Selling

:: What Is So Interesting About Wonder Woman?
:: Tribes and the Reality of Worldview

Best of the Rest

:: Hanging out with Actors? I’m Dead Serious!
:: HBO Orders a Pilot for Westworld TV Series
:: ’12 Years a Slave’ is a Profound Cinematic Achievement
:: September is Scene-Writing Month: Day 3
_______________________________

With thanks to Jamie Campbell.

Enjoy!

Karel

Jamie Campbell

Jamie Campbell is an author, screenwriter, and television addict.

Jamie is proud to be an Editor for The Story Department.

Her latest series Project Integrate is out now.

jamiecampbell.com.au

:: The Four Types of People Most Likely to Murder Their Families
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:: Scene Description Spotlight: ‘Wall-E’
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:: Oblivion: From Concept To The Screen
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Script Perfection

:: How Professional Writers Structure Their Scripts
:: 30 Indispensable Writing Tips From Famous Authors
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:: Scriptnotes, Ep 102: Hits, Misses and Hedge Funds
:: 10 Screenwriting Tips from Sunset Boulevard
:: Screenwriter Interview – Alex Felix (Part 1)
:: Busy
:: The Self-Defeating Quest for Simple and Easy

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:: I Will Not Read Your Fucking Script
:: Does Feedback on Your Screenplay Equal Disappointment?
:: Universal Posts $1.8B Best Year Ever At International Box Office
:: Scott Neustadter and Michael Weber on How Execs Should Talk to Writers
:: 25 Steps to Being a Traditionally Published Author

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:: Interview: Jeffrey Lieber — Part 1
:: See Badger’s Star Trek Story, Animated
:: Ray Liotta Set For Crime Thriller ‘Violent Talent’
_______________________________

With thanks to Jamie Campbell.

Enjoy!

Karel

Jamie Campbell

Jamie Campbell is an author, screenwriter, and television addict.

Jamie is proud to be an Editor for The Story Department.

Her latest series Project Integrate is out now.

jamiecampbell.com.au

by Hayley McKenzie

Being commissioned/optioned is a fantastic endorsement of you as a writer and marks a huge step forward in the industry. What many writers come to realise is that it is the beginning of a very different process and one that requires just as much skill to navigate as breaking in did.

The development process in the film and television industry can feel like its own special kind of hell and the often interminable months and often years spent ‘in development’ can be utterly demoralising. That euphoria of having ‘made it’ begins to fade and gives way to despondency and a sense of hopelessness as your fantastic film/tv show looks further away from getting made than it did before you even typed ‘fade in’.

At this year’s London Screenwriters’ Festival I had the great pleasure of being on a panel with Jason Taylor (Bad Hat Harry Productions), Rob Sprackling (Gnomeo & Juliet) and Jed Mercurio (Line of Duty), discussing what happens AFTER your script’s been optioned. What was clear was how different writers approached this process depending upon what they wanted to get out of it.

For Jed, having significant creative control over his projects was of paramount importance and so collaborating with the right production company was essential for him. While Rob had ‘passion projects’ that he tries to protect through the development process, he was sometimes happy to take the pay cheque knowing that in doing so the chances of retaining creative control might diminish.

That euphoria of having ‘made it’ begins to fade

What everyone agreed was that having your work commissioned or optioned did not guarantee it being made but that at least it was now a possibility. Every development process is unique but here are some of the oft-encountered hurdles you might face and how you can overcome them:

Unpaid rewrites – As development budgets get smaller everyone is trying to get more for less and, unhappily, that includes getting writers to do more work for less money. How you respond to this depends upon how much you want to avoid upsetting the apple cart, how you feel about the changes you’re being asked to make, and whether you feel those asking for the changes (ie the producer) are themselves putting in work for no money.

While development can be poorly paid for writers (a £1 option agreement is not uncommon), it’s often even more poorly paid for producers who have to invest huge amounts of time trying to get your project off the ground without any guarantee of any success or financial return. If you think your producer is working hard for your project and you think the changes will make the project better, it’s probably worth the effort. An agent, if you have one, if often great at helping make this kind of judgement call. If you don’t have representation, ask around for advice from the writing community.

Script notes you don’t agree with – As a script editor my hope is always that all the notes I give to a writer are met with a knowing smile as it confirms problems they subconsciously knew were lurking in their script but they just hadn’t be able to identify, unpick or solve. However, the reality is that even brilliant script editors aren’t always right about every note and as a writer you’ll develop an ability to spot the notes that might change your script but aren’t necessarily making it better.

Then there are the notes that are good and will transform your script but sadly transform it into precisely the kind of project you absolutely don’t want it to be. There’s a great joke in ‘Only Fools and Horses’ in which Trigger tells Del Boy he’s been looking after his granddad’s broom, he’s “maintained it these 20 years. This old broom’s had 17 new heads and 14 new handles in its time”! Once you’ve been asked to change everything you love about your project, is it really the project you love any more?

This is the time to make a choice – do you take the money and write the script you’re being asked for (even if you hate it) or do you try to convince the note-giver to have faith in your vision of the project? If you try but fail to convince the note-giver then you may have to contemplate taking the project back from the producer, if that’s contractually possible. I’ve seen writers take each of these different routes and, as long as the decision is made not in haste but after serious consideration of the consequences, then it has always ended happily.

Every development process is unique.

Radio silence – This is something that annoys the heck out of everyone working in development and it’s my pet hate. For writers, who are often at the bottom of a very big chain, it can feel as if your producer (that same one that promised you the earth when convincing you to let them option your script for £1) has disappeared off the face of the earth.

It is perfectly reasonable for you to expect your producer to keep you up to date on progress but not all producers do this as often as they should. If you find yourself in this position, it doesn’t do any harm to give them a nudge. I’m not talking stalking here, just friendly, polite ‘what news?’ ‘is there anything you need me to do?’ kind of approaches.

Sometimes the radio silence is because they are just, temporarily, snowed under on something else that’s suddenly taken off. The great thing about option agreements is that they END and you can decide at the end of the option period whether you want to renew with that producer. Don’t be afraid to ask them what they’ve actually done to make your project happen in the time they’ve had it. If you’re unhappy with the answers then start looking elsewhere for someone who will be more passionate about your project and actively do more to get it made.

Being fired from your own project – This is not uncommon in films but is, thankfully, very rare in television. Whether or not you can be fired from your own project very much depends upon the kind of contract you’ve signed. While you (and your agent) will want to do everything you can to avoid this outcome it isn’t the end of the world if it happens. While it’s unheard of in authored television drama it is an all-too-frequent occurrence in both feature films and continuing drama series. If it happens to you, take heart from the fact that you’re not the first and won’t be the last to suffer this fate and it doesn’t mean that others in the industry will think any the worse of you in the future.

There are many elements within the development process, some of which require more input from you, like honing the script, and others which require your patience, like your producer raising the finance/convincing a tv network commissioner.

The key is balancing being positive and pro-active whilst waiting for things to happen without you. While everyone involved is (hopefully!) working hard to make your project a reality, there is no guarantee your project will move into production.

My advice is to keep yourself equally busy dreaming up the next brilliant project that is going to wow the industry. Before you know it you could be so in demand with projects shooting and in development that you’ll wonder why you ever doubted your ability to do this amazing job.

– Hayley McKenzie

Hayley McKenzie is a Development Consultant for film and television with a passion for great stories and great writers.

Hayley runs Script Angel which offers development services to producers and writers.

Photo Credits: Graphic Stock, Hayley McKenzie

Jamie Campbell

Jamie Campbell is an author, screenwriter, and television addict.

Jamie is proud to be an Editor for The Story Department.

Her latest series Project Integrate is out now.

jamiecampbell.com.au

:: Visual Mindscape: Anchors, Triggers and Writing Flashbacks – Oh My!
:: Damon Lindelof on Blockbuster Screenwriting
:: Scene Of The Week: ‘Dirty Harry’
:: “Breaking Your Story”
:: Writing Indie Friendly

Script Perfection

:: Watching the Detectives (and the Crooks)
:: 10 Screenwriting Mistakes To Avoid Courtesy of Southland Tales
:: Scene Description Spotlight: “Star Trek” (2009)
:: TV Writers Podcast Ep, 081 – Jeffrey Lieber
:: Scriptnotes, the 100th Episode — Transcript
:: The Un-Rules of Screenwriting
:: Scriptcat Checks in With 3 More Essential Survival Tips for Screenwriters

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:: The Wrong Way to Network
:: What To Do After Finishing a Draft of Your Script
:: When You Sell Your First Script

Best of the Rest

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:: Interview: Declan O’Dwyer
:: Finders Keepers?
_______________________________

With thanks to Jamie Campbell.

Enjoy!

Karel

Jamie Campbell

Jamie Campbell is an author, screenwriter, and television addict.

Jamie is proud to be an Editor for The Story Department.

Her latest series Project Integrate is out now.

jamiecampbell.com.au

by Trevor Mayes

(Note: This post has little to do with the development phase where you’re incorporating notes from executives. It deals with the rewriting phase of your script where the only people who have seen it are friends, family, peers, script consultants, etc.)

5 Things to Consider When Incorporating Feedback

1. Does it resonate with you?

If the note you receive on your script doesn’t make sense to you, you should never incorporate it. There has to be some recognition of its inherent validity for it to be considered. Never follow a note blindly, no matter who’s giving it to you.

2. Is everyone saying the same thing?

While it’s important to stay true to your artistic vision, ultimately you want a script that appeals to your audience. If you consistently get the same note back from your respected readers, you need to seriously consider incorporating it.

Never follow a note blindly.

3. Does it hint at an underlying or alternate problem?

Suppose you’re absolutely sure that some story beat needs to stay in your script, yet your readers keep flagging it. It’s entirely possible that the setup to the beat, or some other aspect of the scene or script needs tweaking. Part of your job is to read between the lines of what people are saying.

4. Are you resistant to a suggestion because of the work involved in correcting it?

Sometimes we’ll bristle at a suggestion, and immediately think, “No frikken way!”. Usually that happens when the suggestion involves a major change.

When you receive such a note, take a deep breath, let the feedback wash over you for a couple of days, then try to evaluate it as dispassionately and honestly as you can.

If you decide the feedback is valid, it might take you a few extra weeks, even months, to rewrite your script, but that’s a much better alternative than hoping no one else will see the problem… because I promise you they will. You’ve come this far, you might as well give your script the best chance of selling.

Sometimes we’ll bristle at a suggestion, and immediately think, “No frikken way!”

5. Who’s giving you the note?

If you’ve just written a raunchy teenage comedy and your grandma thinks some of the lines are too offensive… you should probably take that with a grain of salt.

But that’s an easy call. Often you’ll have peers who are accomplished in one particular genre, but may not have expertise in your genre. Or maybe you’ve given them harsh criticism on their last script and they’ve been itching for some payback.

On the other side of things, if someone who’s been around the block for a number of years tells you something that no one else has told you, it’s possible they’re bang on with their feedback and they’ve seen something that more casual readers have missed.

Either way, make sure you run the feedback through all five of these litmus tests before you start incorporating it. And remember, no one knows your story better than you do.

-Trevor Mayes

Trevor Mayes is a screenwriter, script consultant, and cat whisperer who absolutely loves movies.

Through his website Scriptwrecked he has helped dozens of screenwriters, at all levels, improve their craft.

Photo Credits: Stock XChng

Jamie Campbell

Jamie Campbell is an author, screenwriter, and television addict.

Jamie is proud to be an Editor for The Story Department.

Her latest series Project Integrate is out now.

jamiecampbell.com.au

:: Missing – Compelling Characters
:: Zero Dark Thirty Screenplay Analysis
:: Screenplay Review: Olympus Has Fallen
:: Plot=Character=Story — The Magick Formula
:: Plot – What Happens Next?
:: 10 Essential Screenplays Every Aspiring Screenwriter Must Read
:: Carter Blanchard-Interview: ‘Glimmer’
:: Ashleigh Powell: ‘Somacell’
:: The Two Types of TV Stories
:: 10 Screenwriting Lessons You Can Learn From ‘Trainspotting’
:: Tell The Story, Tell The Story, TELL THE STORY!

Script Perfection

:: The Best Feedback Notes… Ever
:: So You Want to be an Author…
:: Get the 411 on 5-0!
:: Take an Improv Class B*tch (And Become A Better Comedy Writer)
:: You Don’t Have to Take Every Note
:: Tales From Development Hell
:: Scriptnotes Ep: 82
:: TV Writers Podcast Ep: 073
:: Interview: Deadpool Screenwriters
:: (Multi-)Genre Storytelling in the Social Media Age
:: What’s Your Story About?
:: What the Hell Happened to Comedy?
:: Ball of Steel Goes Into the Writing Room
:: 17 Phrases That Make You Sound Like A Hollywood Rookie

Pitching & Selling

:: Do You Need to Live in Hollywood to Establish Your Screenwriting Career?
:: 5 Sure-fire Ways to Cripple Your Screen Writing Career
:: Pitch, Learn & Network at Screenwriter’s World Conference East
:: How NOT to Query Your Screenplay
:: How do Readers Get Hired?
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Best of the Rest

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:: The Many Ways Hollywood Destroys the White House
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:: Top 10 Lesbian Movie Clichés
:: Academy Conversations: “Olympus Has Fallen”
:: Martin Scorsese Developing ‘Gangs of New York’ TV Series
_______________________________

With thanks to Jamie Campbell.

Enjoy!

Karel

Jamie Campbell

Jamie Campbell is an author, screenwriter, and television addict.

Jamie is proud to be an Editor for The Story Department.

Her latest series Project Integrate is out now.

jamiecampbell.com.au

:: Writing a Scene in 11 Steps
:: V.O: A Christmas Story
:: Enhancing Your Story
:: Character is the Basis of Story Structure
:: The Happy Ending
:: Flashbacks: Casablanca
:: Flashbacks: Once Upon a Time in the West
:: The Unlikable Protagonist
:: Screenplay Review: The Conjuring
:: Building the World of Your Screenplay: Your First 10 Pages

Script Perfection

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:: How To Write a Blockbuster
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:: 10,000 Hours of Practice

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:: To Option or Not to Option Your Screenplay?
:: Interview: Justin Kremer 2012 Black List
:: How Bad Do You Want It!
:: The Top l0 Lame-O Excuses For Why You Can’t Sell Your Screenplay
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:: 10 Tips to Prepare for Opportunities When They Knock
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_______________________________

With thanks to Jamie Campbell and Brooke Trezise.

Enjoy!

Karel

Jamie Campbell

Jamie Campbell is an author, screenwriter, and television addict.

Jamie is proud to be an Editor for The Story Department.

Her latest series Project Integrate is out now.

jamiecampbell.com.au

This is what I’m getting myself into. I spotted this constructive feedback on a music video I wrote and directed last month. Having given this a fair amount of thought, I still haven’t quite figured out what the person who posted this was thinking when they wrote it.

by Ben Cox

“Probably the gayest clip ever made.” Really? The gayest ever? I dunno, perhaps it was meant as a compliment? I mean, the gayest clip ever would be a hell of an achievement. I just wish they hadn’t prefixed it with probably, keeping me in a perpetual cloud of doubt. What do they even mean by “gayest”? I’m so confused, annoyed and hurt.

Ok, that’s not true. I did give this some thought but not because it bothered me. I gave it thought because my reaction was to smile, and I began thinking about how I came to a place where it became such a positive relationship in my life. I think criticism is an essential part of writing, not just because of what can be gained from it, but also because it’s so unavoidable.

criticism is an essential part of writing,
not just because of what can be gained from it,
but also because it’s so unavoidable

You see, my relationship with criticism is an important one, not just with YouTube hate mongers or bloggers, critics or reviewers. It’s also a huge part of being a writer. Meeting with script editors, producers, directors are a part of everyday life, and they all have an opinion. Actually, everyone has an opinion don’t they? Just about every friend or family member with a suggestion on how they would have done it. It’s something that’s unique to writers I think because you’re essentially trading in ideas, and everyone has ideas.

I’m currently a freelance writer/director with 7 short films and 4 music videos in my credits. I specialize in ‘outside the box’ thinking and have yet to meet an idea I didn’t think I could turn into something entertaining. Despite this I’m quite sensitive by nature, so criticism has never been easy for me to deal with. It mixes interestingly with my hypercompetitive nature as well.

It’s easy to take criticism personally. To sulk and dwell on it no matter how many people also tell you they really like something you’ve created. We’ve all been there, and yet so many of us spend our time worrying about the negative feedback whilst brushing off the positive. The whole process can be debilitating. So why do I like it so much? My personality type certainly shouldn’t lead to me being good with criticism, and years of coping with it very badly as a teenager don’t suggest I should enjoy it.

So many of us spend our time worrying about the negative feedback
whilst brushing off the positive

However.

Although criticism can be crippling, it can also be liberating. When I’m sat in front of a notepad or laptop and debating whether I should write that thing which might really annoy/upset someone or their friend might think it’s rubbish, why am I doing that to myself? I have no control over how other people choose to consume something I did, so why worry about it? It’s the same as when I’m on a plane, why worry if something might go wrong? It’s out of my hands. That’s such a great feeling to have. As a writer I spend so much of my life trying to control things, my characters, my plot, my turning point two, that it’s nice to know there are things I can’t control, and don’t have to, so I don’t try to.

If you’re no longer worried about the response from your audience,
what you’re left with is whatever your imagination can come up with

Freedom from criticism is also freedom from expectation. If you’re no longer worried about the response from your audience, what you’re left with is whatever your imagination can come up with. That’s about as exciting a place as you can hope to be in. For me, this is what allows me to write from the heart about whatever I want to.

And as for that comment. It’s quite funny in an ironic way isn’t it?

You can decide for yourself here:

– Ben

After gaining his B.A in English Literature at Loughborough University, Ben Cox spent 4 years as a musician, playing bass in the band Kyte, touring internationally and releasing a top 5 selling album in Japan.

He left the group to pursue a career as a director and writer.

Since graduating from the International Film School Sydney in 2012, he has written and directed three music videos.

Photo Credits: Ben Cox

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:: What is ‘Voice’?
:: Creating Memorable Characters
:: Don’t Leave Your Ending to the End
:: How to Write an Omniscient Narrator

Script Perfection

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:: How to Write a Better Logline
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:: Why 2nd Best Isn’t Good Enough
:: Tips for Subbing to Mags
:: Don’t Forget to get Your Screenplay Reviewed!
:: Script Feedback Advice

Best of the Rest

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:: The Treatment – Interviews with Industry Bigshots
:: Tim Burton Brings us a Story Form His Own High-School Nightmares
:: John Cleese talks Creativity
:: 5 Tips for Directing Children
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:: A Pedantic Take on the Physics of The Hulk
:: The Dark Knight Rises Wows Fans at Early Screening
_______________________________

With thanks to Jamie C. and Brooke Trezise.

Enjoy!

Karel

Jamie Campbell

Jamie Campbell is an author, screenwriter, and television addict.

Jamie is proud to be an Editor for The Story Department.

Her latest series Project Integrate is out now.

jamiecampbell.com.au