Screenwriting 101: Ron Shelton

“When I pitch, I pitch like Roger Clemens or brush them back like Sal Maglie used to do. I’m throwing everything I’ve got at them from the moment I walk in the office, even if I don’t look like it. The most important thing is which piece of furniture you sit on. Never sit on the couch. Then the executive sits on the chair and he’s higher than you. Second, when the secretary asks if you want something to drink, always say yes. You’re conditioning them into giving you what you want. Don’t say you’ll take anything: tell them you want a Coke… in a glass… with ice. You have to be specific. That tells them you know what you’re doing. You’re setting the tone. After all, you hope you’re going to be working with them for a couple of hundred grand by the end of the meeting. Pitches deal with concepts. Good scripts deal with characters. They’re different animals.”

— Ron Shelton (NY Times, May 3, 1992)