Exclusive Q&A Inteview: Jason Scoggins (Part 5)
Last week, we had two posts so GITS readers could submit questions to Jason Scoggins:
Jason Scoggins is a manager and partner at Protocol, a Beverly Hills-adjacent literary management and production company. He represents writers, directors and producers of film and TV alongside Protocol’s founding partners Brian Inerfeld and John Ufland. After getting his start in the entertainment business as an assistant at ICM, Scoggins became a TV Literary Agent at The Gersh Agency, followed by a stint at Writers & Artists Agency and then several years in the wilderness. He returned to the business in 2007, just in time to be impacted by the run-up to the WGA strike.
Jason also has a great website called Life On The Bubble, which tracks movie box office and the spec script market.
GITS readers asked some good questions and Jason has responded with some valuable insight into screenwriting, the spec script market, and working in Hollywood. In Part 1 on Monday, Jason provided his take on the current state of the movie business. In Part 2 on Tuesday, he gave his opinion on the status of the spec script market. In Part 3 on Wednesday, Jason answered a common question: Does a person need to live in Los Angeles in order to break in as a screewriter? Yesterday in Part 4, Jason took on three questions related to spec scripts. And in today’s final session, Jason discusses what elements he considers to make a great spec script:
What kind of screenplay material does Jason Scoggins like to represent?
— E.C. Henry
The good kind. (Cue rim shot.) I’m a popcorn movie guy, and have been since I saw STAR WARS as a kid. Sci-fi, thrillers and big action movies are my favorites, followed by smart comedies (not highbrow, necessarily, but smart on their own terms, like THE HANGOVER and 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN).
What are the key elements that make a great spec script stand out from the crowd? — GITS
A fresh take on a great concept (There are no new concepts, after all; Hollywood is all about “Give me the same, but different.”)
Three-dimensional characters, including a hero with whom I can readily identify
A story that grabs me by page 5 and doesn’t let me go until the very end
A universal theme woven into the narrative that provides depth and heft to the story without being too on the nose
Cohesive story structure (there’s no one way to go, but I think the late Blake Snyder’s “Save The Cat!” methodology is very useful)
Crackling dialogue
Compelling and cinematic action, regardless of the genre
Generally artful writing, and a distinct voice on the page
Do most or all of the above and you’ll grab people’s attention, believe me.
On behalf of all GITS readers, I’d like to thank Jason for taking the time to provide some insight from his insider’s perspective on the spec script market and what it takes to succeed as a screenwriter. And you can thank Jason yourself by visiting his blog Life On The Bubble.
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