“Go Into The Story: The Quest” — Questions and Answers
As this post goes live, we are 10 hours and 1 minute away from the time I will begin accepting logline submissions for “Go Into The Story: The Quest.”
What is “The Quest”? It is my attempt at creating a new pathway into Hollywood for aspiring screenwriters: A 24-week online screenwriting workshop which I will offer for free to as many as 4 writers. In “The Quest,” I will mentor you through 8 weeks of intensive screenwriting theory, 6 weeks of story prep, and 10 weeks of writing a first draft with the possibility that if I deem your script to be a strong, commercially viable story, I will take it on as producer and try to get it set up and you representation.
I introduced the idea in this post. Then I followed up with the following explanatory posts:
“The Quest”: Why is story concept critical to your success?
“The Quest”: Why do you need to think in terms of genre?
“The Quest”: Why is your passion for your story important?
“The Quest”: How should you write a logline?
If you are interested and haven’t read these posts, please do so now.
Here is a thumbnail review of how you can apply for “The Quest”!
Follow these steps precisely please!
* Email address: GITSblog at gmail dot com.
* In the subject heading, type “QUEST”.
* Present your story as a logline. If you need guidance on what a logline is or how to write a logline, go here.
* If you have a title for your project, please include it.
* If the genre of your story is not clearly indicated in the logline, please note that in your email. If you need guidance about genres, go here.
That’s it. Nothing else. No bio. No special pleas. No attachments. No scripts. No treatments.
BECAUSE OF THE NUMBER OF SUBMISSIONS, I ONLY WANT YOU TO SUBMIT LOGLINES!!!
Over the last week, GITS readers posted many questions and I answered all of them. I have aggregated most of those Q&As here. If you are interested in applying for “The Quest,” click here for more information.
Here is a list of questions and answers.
What is the cost for writers who are selected to participate in “Go Into The Story: The Quest?”
It is free.
How many writers will you possibly accept into “The Quest”?
Four.
Who may apply to “The Quest”?
Any aspiring screenwriter who is not a member of the WGA or equivalent professional writing organization [Caveat: You may be a member of the WGA or equivalent organization and apply if you have not made any money writing for film or TV]. Writers do not have to live in Los Angeles, and may be located anywhere in the United States or internationally based. Writers may be any age, gender, race, etc.
When will the workshop run?
July 2-December 16, 2012.
What is the open submission period?
May 29-June 8.
How will you determine who gets accepted?
There are three key standards. (1) Story concept: I am looking for strong story concepts that I believe when executed as a script can get set up as projects in Hollywood. In other words, I am almost exclusively interested in commercial high concepts. I will make exceptions if the story elements make me think the project is a marketable one, but the concept has to be extremely strong if it is not high concept. (2) Writing ability: I will ask applicants who make it past the first cut to send me a sample of their writing, as well as a detailed description of their background as a writer and a statement about why they want to be a screenwriter. (3) Personal interview: I will have a one-on-one conversation with applicants who make it past the next cut in order to assemble a group I feel will be compatible with each other.
What are the stipulations if I am accepted to participate in “The Quest”?
If you are selected as one of the four participants, you must be willing to do the following three things:
1. You have to commit yourself fully to the workshop. That means active participation in constructive criticism and feedback, all writing exercises and assignments, and most importantly pledge you will finish the first draft of your original screenplay.
2. You have to write a weekly journal entry about your experiences in the workshop. As part of “Go Into The Story: The Quest,” I will be doing something akin to reality programming in that each week, I will post something on GITS about the group’s progress including excerpts from your journals. This is a great way for the GITS community to track how you are doing, something of what you are learning, see the ups and downs of the writing process, and so on. I may augment those weekly GITS posts with audio excerpts from our weekly teleconferences.
3. If you write a script I believe has strong marketable potential, I am attached as a producer. At that point, I will take you on into rewrites and we will officially be in producer-to-writer mode. Once your script is finished, I will take the lead in getting it to managers and agents, and try to get the project set up and you established in Hollywood.
What type of time commitment do you imagine would be required for “The Quest”?
That is hard to say. So much depends on how well/fast you read and write, how well you can focus on your work.
For Core, it’s a 5 page lecture every day of the week, forum Q&As, and a weekly writing exercise. Plus a teleconference and your weekly journal entry. So perhaps 10–15 hours per week.
For Prep, it’s a weekly lecture around 6 pages each, plus weekly writing assignments, some of which including the brainstorming and outlining will require a substantial commitment. Plus you will be responsible to read others assignments and provide feedback, plus teleconference and journal entry. I’d say minimum 15 hours per week.
For Pages, it’s a weekly lecture around 4 pages each, plus weekly writing assignments of around 10–15 pages. Plus reading & critiquing others pages, plus teleconference and journal entry. I’d say minimum 15 hours per week.
It’s a commitment, no doubt about it. But this is what is required to immerse oneself in the craft and one’s story. It is an intensive workshop, but one of those experiences I believe you get out of it exponentially more through the immersive aspect. It’s like 1 + 1 = 3. Or 4. You just start ‘seeing’ things in a new light, you understand dynamics and begin to grok them on an instinctive level.
If I agree to participate, who owns the rights to my story?
The writer owns the IP. If I do not choose to pursue the script at the end of the workshop, the writer is in the free and clear to do whatever they want. If I choose to go forward into rewrites and promote the project as producer, then we will move forward on good faith.
I will ask participants to sign a pledge re the three commitments: (1) Fulfill all reading and writing assignments, and be actively in terms of providing feedback on others pages; (2) Agree to finish the workshop and the first draft of their screenplay; (3) If I choose to go forward with their project, I am attached as producer.
Most producer-writer arrangements in Hollywood are based on trust. I will assume as one human being to another, especially given my commitment to the writer and their project in the form of a half-year of my life dedicated to working with them, that writer will abide by that good faith. If not, then that’s a writer with whom I don’t wish to be involved anyhow.
Why you as a producer?
In Hollywood, there is a saying: “A producer is a dog with a script in its mouth.” That’s an acknowledgement about how easy it is to call oneself a producer: You have a connection to a scripted project and you’re trying to set it up. It’s also an acknowledgement that some producers may do very little to end up becoming attached to a project.
I want to do more than be a dog with a script. I will be putting in hundreds of hours of work with the writers during “The Quest,” teaching them, mentoring them, even at times serving as a ‘pastor’ to work through the inevitable down times of writing. There are many different ways of being a producer. One of them is working with writers in developing stories. With “The Quest,” that’s what I will be doing.
In sum: (1) I will provide you with a set of essential screenwriting principles and practices that will engender your ability to write a great script. (2) Those principles and practices will also give you a much better shot at developing a career as a screenwriter because you will have a solid writing foundation in place. (3) I will help steer you through the Prep-writing part of your script process. (4) I will mentor you through the Page-writing part of the process. (5) If I choose to go forward with your project, I will mentor you through the Rewrite-process. (6) In addition I will use my Hollywood contacts to get the project set up.
The risk I’m taking is that I’m doing this for free with the hope that some of the projects may turn out to be great scripts. The reward for that risk is me being a producer on those projects.
After the first cutoff [loglines], what is involved in the next steps in determining who will participate in “The Quest”?
If there are four or more loglines that interest me, then I will contact those people and ask them to send me the following:
* A brief bio of their background.
* A complete dossier of their screenwriting education [books, courses, screenwriting ‘gurus’ who have influenced them].
* A list of all the scripts they have written with titles, loglines, genre.
* A statement about what their aspirations are as writers and where they want to be in 10 years.
* Why they want to do The Quest.
* A writing sample: It could be a script, a first act, a short story, even a story treatment depending upon ‘literary’ the approach to the narrative [i.e., not an outline, but a story].
Based on that, we will go to the next round and I will do individual phone calls with each person who has made the cut that far.
Then I will make a determination in concert with the input of Producer Scott.
Who is Producer Scott?
He is my alter ego, a hard-ass producer type who makes sure I stay in touch with the mania of commercial movies that exists in Hollywood.
With your emphasis on “high concept,” if I’m interested in adult dramas or independent movies, does that mean I should not apply?
I’m a huge adult drama and indie movie fan. If someone hits me up with an absolute winner of a story idea that is not Action — Comedy — Thriller, I could be convinced to include that writer and project in the workshop. I do know some people in the business who traffic in those type of stories. But I highlighted those concepts in that list to (A) demonstrate what high concepts are and (B) give people a reference point for the main focus of my attention and certainly Producer Scott: mainstream commercial movies [which by the way I also love, especially when they’re done well like both The Hunger Games and The Avengers].
Is “The Quest” open only for feature film screenplays or also for TV scripts?
Only movies.
What should I do to submit a story for consideration for “The Quest”?
Follow these steps precisely please!
* Email address: GITSblog at gmail dot com.
* In the subject heading, type “QUEST”.
* Present your story as a logline. If you need guidance on what a logline is or how to write a logline, go here.
* If you have a title for your project, please include it.
* If the genre of your story is not clearly indicated in the logline, please note that in your email. If you need guidance about genres, go http://gointothestory.blcklst.com/2012/05/the-quest-why-do-you-need-to-think-in-terms-of-genres.html">here.
That’s it. Nothing else. No bio. No special pleas. No attachments. No scripts. No treatments.
BECAUSE OF THE NUMBER OF SUBMISSIONS, I ONLY WANT YOU TO SUBMIT LOGLINES!!!
May I submit more than one / multiple loglines?
Yes. But hold yourself out to the highest possible level of scrutiny by asking in all honesty: “Is this story concept a movie”? Can you see the film? Can you imagine the trailer? Can you envision the poster? Can you visualize opening night and your movie is screening in 4,000 theaters? Are there 5–10 million people who would be willing to spend their hard earned cash to go see this story?
If you have any doubts, do not present that logline to me.
Multiple mediocre story concepts = pass. One great story concepts = I’m interested.
May I submit multiple loglines for a single story?
No. Put together the best logline possible for each story.
Will all loglines submitted be kept private?
All loglines will be kept private including those of selected participants so they can develop and write those scripts without jeopardy of someone else jumping on their idea.
If my story is based on a book, may I still submit it?
In order for me to consider a project for “The Quest” based on a book, the writer in question would have to obtain an option to the rights of the book. That’s not as hard as it sounds, if the rights are available and if the owners of the rights aren’t demanding a huge sum of money. I’ve known writers who have gotten options on books for a dollar [seriously]. So if you’re interested in that route, get started now to see if the rights are available. If you don’t know how to do that, contact the book’s publishing company to start that process.
If I have worked in Hollywood in a ‘below-the-line’ capacity, may I apply?
As long as you are not a member of the WGA or equivalent organization, you may apply. I have major respect for ‘below-the-line’ people in the film and TV business, and love to see them succeed as writers if that’s their dream.
Can people submit existing script projects that need rewriting, or are you only interested in starting from scratch with writers?
You can submit a project that you have already written, however we will be approaching it from the ground floor up. In effect, you would be doing a Page 1 rewrite.
May I submit a treatment?
No, not at the first stage. Only a logline. If I like your logline, I will request a writing sample and a treatment may suffice.
If I get to the point where you request a writing sample, what qualifies?
The best example of your writing. A short story. Treatment. But probably the best thing would be the first act of a script.
I need to know a potential participant can write. See if they love language. Where they are in terms of screenplay style. Do they have a voice.
Can a writing duo apply and participate?
Yes, but both writers have to agree to participate fully in the entire workshop process.
Can someone apply if they’ve done one piece of this Screenwriting Master Class curriculum on the project already with you?
Anyone who has taken an SMC course can apply. No favoritism and if it was any of the Core classes, they would be repeating that content. But if it was Prep or Pages, since that is literally workshopping a story, a completely different experience.
If I am based outside the United States, may I still apply?
Yes. My primary interest is in facilitating those writers who want to pursue careers in Hollywood, and that extends to internationally based writers.
If I live in a country outside the U.S. and am interested in my script being produced locally, would you still attach yourself as a producer?
No, as I would add nothing to your package. Instead I would take some form of ‘ownership’ of the script in the way of a percentage of the sales price (e.g., 10%) or a shared ‘story by’ credit to be negotiated in good faith.
What about the weekly teleconferences and participant’s time schedules?
We use Skype because I can record the sessions and make them available for review. This is important especially when we are in Prep and Pages because oftentimes, the ideas we come up with when critiquing story elements or script pages are terrific, and this way they don’t get lost in the ether, the writer can always go back and check the ‘tape’ to transcribe those notes. Also the recordings are important because sometimes writers aren’t able to make a session.
Now specifically re the schedule for teleconferences: I have been teaching screenwriting online since 2002 and using live teleconferences or live text-based chat sessions the entire time. I have worked with writers from England, Ireland, Scotland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, France, Switzerland, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Japan, South Korea, India, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, Canada, Mexico, all over the United States, and even a U.S. soldier during the war in Iraq. [I’m probably forgetting a few countries, too]. Somehow we always figure out a teleconference schedule that works for everyone.
What happens if you choose someone and don’t like the choices they are making for their story?
Having mentored hundreds of writers through script projects, I think I’m pretty good at this, respecting the writer’s creative sensibilities, yet always presenting them with what I think are other options. We discuss each choice, weighing upsides and downsides. In this situation, I will lean a bit more heavily on the writer if I feel a choice I am suggesting is better than the one they are considering, as I am involving more of my producing sensibilities in the process. But even there I have to be judicious because if a writer can see a choice, then chances are they’re not going to write it well.
I must say I rarely have problems with this because the focus is on the story, not the writer’s or my ego. And when we approach the story as an equivalent partner in the process, invariably the story shows the way.
So the long answer to your question: We will engage in a very active back and forth dialogue about story choices, and always look to the story itself for the way through. But if I feel strongly about something from a producing and writing standpoint, I will certainly press that point. No matter the outcome, it will prove to be an educational experience for the writer because if they want to work in Hollywood, they have to be able to handle story notes. Lots and lots of story notes.
Are you planning on doing “The Quest” again?
If it is successful the first time, I am planning on trying it again, yes. But that all depends upon my workload, my own writing, etc.
If you have any other questions, please post them in comments.