Live-Blogging: Courier 12 Screenwriting Conference
Today, Saturday, October 8, the DePaul University School of Cinematic Arts is hosting its 5th annual Courier 12 Screenwriting Conference which is being simulcast live on the DePaul Visiting Artists Series YouTube channel.
I am live-blogging today’s panels:
Project development
1 p.m.
Brian Banks, executive in charge of production at Nickelodeon; and Samantha Olsson Shear, head of development at Kickstart Entertainment, discuss project development in the entertainment industry. Screenwriter and DePaul faculty member Chris Parrish will moderate.
Brian Banks on getting read by production executives: “You have one shot so make sure you go out with your best script.”
Samantha Olsson Shear on writing for tweens today: “It’s minute to minute. What you pitch this year is different than what you pitched last year.”
Brian Banks on TV pitching: “When I hear a pitch, I always ask, ‘Why is this person the one to write this story.’ Their personal connection.”
Samantha Olsson Shear on pitching: “It’s like a job interview. For us, it’s a six to nine month commitment, developing material with the writer. Is this someone we feel comfortable working with?”
Brian Banks on TV pitching: “First, know where you are. Have an awareness of what else is on at the network. In contrast to movies, less plot, more character, setting, tone. The best pitches convey plot and moments by talking about character. Answer the question: What is the way you are going to tell the story?”
Samantha Olsson Shear on pitching: “Keep it under 20 minutes. Tease us. Give us the flavor and emotion of the story, but leave us wanting more. For a movie, think of it like a trailer, what are the best parts of your pitch. Get us excited.”
Brian Banks on TV pitching: “If you’re pitching a high concept or fantastical idea, give us a sense of where it goes season to season. If I ask, ‘Where does this go,” and you say, ‘I don’t know,’ that’s a problem. You have to have that worked out, where the storylines will go. Demonstrate you have a vision for this.”
Samantha Olsson Shear on pitching: “It’s about specificity, but also being concise. Give people enough of an in where they’re tantalized, and want to know more about the story, but not too much.”
Brian Banks on moving to L.A.: “Try to start working anywhere you can in the business, get in any way you can. Once you’re in it, you start meeting people. Eventually you can work your way into the segment you want to work in. Make relationships and put yourself in a position to make success happen.”
Samantha Olsson Shear on moving to L.A.: “You must be able to hear ‘no’ a million times. It’s like a marathon. Whatever you do, keep writing.”
Strategies for emerging writers
2:30 p.m.
DePaul University professor Anna Maria Hozian will discuss strategies for emerging writers and feature a panel with Thor: Ragnarok screenwriter Stephany Folsom, script coordinator Zach Cannon, and Marc Manus from Zero Gravity Management.
Stephany Folsom on film school: “I think it’s really important for writers to know how the entire filmmaking process works.”
Marc Manus on screenwriting contests: “I’m reading a lot of material from them as a judge. But mostly I get scripts through personal referrals. In that way, a writers’ network is hugely important.”
Zach Cannon on writers groups: “One of the things I did when I got out of film school was to start a writers group. It’s good to have opinions you value, people who can be honest with you, and make you accountable.”
Stephany Folsom on film school: “Making the Black List is really helpful because studio executives are so busy, to get a script to the top of their reading list is a big deal.”
Marc Manus on a writer’s brand: “Voice is crucial. What that means to me, you have a point-of-view. You have an understanding of how to marry themes with subject matters and characters that are meaningful to you. And you have a unique way of expressing that. On the page, there is a voice.”
Zach Cannon on what he chooses to write: “Mostly family stuff. My dad was a cop for 30 years, starting in Miami in the 80s. It was a different perspective than most families. At a certain point, you just have to give into your narcissism and write what you know and have. Write what is real to you so it comes to life.”
Stephany Folsom on writing Thor: Raganarok: “I didn’t really know Thor all that well. I did my research, of course, but I think why I am getting hired for these world-building movies is I bring an outsider’s perspective.”
Marc Manus on query letters: “They get a bad rap, but I signed a writer from Canada based on a query letter, I could feel her passion. A sparkly idea, it felt vibrant. I got the concept of storytelling from her.”
Zach Cannon on advice to writers moving to L.A.: “It’s a huge city. Find your circle of people to support each other. I got my manager through a friendship I made at a festival. But you have to be ready when that opportunity comes.”
Stephany Folsom on advice to writers: “Be open. Show people your work. Don’t pay attention to the shiny stuff — what will sell. You have to focus on the craft, on the work. It’s just you and your words on the page.”
Marc Manus on generosity: “When someone says, ‘Can you,” you say, ‘Yes, you can.’ All of my successful clients, past and present, there’s a great sense of openness and generosity, and the ability to constantly generate. They finish something, then it’s, ‘I found this article, I have this new idea.’ Don’t rest on one. It’s not one and done.”
Writing for diversity in Hollywood
4 p.m.
Brad Riddell, a DePaul faculty member, will discuss diversity issues in Hollywood with “Friday Night Lights” producer Aaron Rahsaan Thomas and “Law and Order: SVU” screenwriter Kam Miller, author of the new TV-writing book, “The Hero Succeeds.”
Kam Miller on what to write: “Write what you’re passionate about. I do primarily pilots. I sold and developed eight of them. I get brought a lot of ideas, I know I’m going to have to invest in a lot of sweat equity. Compelling characters, strong story engine, and a compelling story world, that’s what I look for. Is this something I can wake up in the middle of the night and can’t’ stop thinking about.”
Aaron Rahsaan Thomas on what to write: “It’s very difficult to get anything made. If you get what you wish for, it could be on air for eight to ten years. Long hours in the room, long hours on the set. So something you really believe in, that’s important to me.”
Kam Miller on what is selling: “What is going to break that signal-to-noise ratio and get people’s attention? That’s key.”
Aaron Rahsaan Thomas on TV business decisions: “If I (network) am going to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in a series, I’ve got to know the writers are passionate about the project.”
Kam Miller on staff writing: “Your job on the staff is to make everyone’s job easier. Contributing in some way. Write a scene. Covering for someone who has something going on in their personal life. That is a big part of your job.”
Aaron Rahsaan Thomas the importance of persistence: “You can get a lot of ‘no’s’, but all you need is one ‘yes’.”
Screenwriting for blockbuster Hollywood films
5:30 p.m.
Screenwriter Jack Epps Jr., known for films including Top Gun and Legal Eagles, and writer and producer Steven E. de Souza, who wrote Die Hard and 48 Hrs.” will discuss writing blockbuster Hollywood films with screenwriter and DePaul University faculty member Scott Myers.
Admission to the event is free and open to the public. Press:
FOR THOSE UNABLE TO ATTEND, THE EVENT WILL BE BROADCAST LIVE ON YOUTUBE HERE.
Twitter: #C12DePaul.
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