tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post114964586113432507..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: Glengary GlenHollywoodBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-1149846793795601502006-06-09T02:53:00.000-07:002006-06-09T02:53:00.000-07:00A while back there was an article in the NYT or LA...A while back there was an article in the NYT or LAT re: <B>pitchfests</B>. The poor souls who fork out mucho moolah to get a few minutes of exec's time... what scams they (most often) are... how the pre-pro writers (they are the market for these things, after all, who else has to pay a couple hundred for the right to pitch?) spend their hard-earned cash - take a day off work, fly in from behindape'sarse, pay for accommodation - and still come out of a horrible pitch meeting feeling that it was worth it for the "learning experience". (You might as well throw your money at contests.)<BR/><BR/>They also talked to execs who had much to say about the perks <B>they</B> get when they do those things. <BR/><BR/>I'll have to remember to search for that article. It's worth posting.<BR/><BR/>Also - Rossmedia now offers a bargain. Only 50 $ to pitch to an exec over the phone.A. M.https://www.blogger.com/profile/03377852337454923971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-1149692012722190692006-06-07T07:53:00.000-07:002006-06-07T07:53:00.000-07:00I write my screenplays because I have a movie play...I write my screenplays because I have a movie playing out in my head and if I don't get it down on paper, I will go insane. If one of them ever sells, wonderful, I can pay off my student loans once and for all. If not...that doesn't diminish my pride in my scripts, the joy of writing them, or the wicked fun of telling people "I'm a writer" in a falsely-slurred voice over a glass of whiskey.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-1149688184211519582006-06-07T06:49:00.000-07:002006-06-07T06:49:00.000-07:00I am going to run and hide in my room. If the popu...I am going to run and hide in my room. If the popular girls from my school have ended up as Hollywood execs, that might explain things...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-1149685421435395632006-06-07T06:03:00.000-07:002006-06-07T06:03:00.000-07:00I thought Beth was gong to finish by saying ..."An...I thought Beth was gong to finish by saying ..."And Mel took that pitch and script, and turned it into "The Passion of the Christ"... Well, that's Mel.... "Braveheart," "The Patriot," "The Passion"... Weren't they all pretty much the same movie?....<BR/><BR/>Seriously though, good advice, Ken. I took a couple of screenwriting seminars and workshops while living in LA, and one of the things they sadly spend too little time on is the reality of maybe having to pitch a story, if you're in a situation where it's needed or called for. Out of maybe two eight-hour days, you get about 20 minutes at the end of the second day, by which time everyone is yawning and wondering where the nearest Carl's Jr. is located because the catered lunch consisted of Brie and Triscuits which you could wash down with a bottle of water that came from the 99 Cent Store... (oh, did I mention -- it's usually an agent that's sponsoring these things, and everyone knows how lavishly they like to spend money)...<BR/><BR/>At any rate, yes, you're better off writing the spec, and getting it out there for circulation. If nothing else, you'll give the 22-year-old reader that CAA just promoted from the mail room something to do over the weekend besides spending all his time on Santa Monica Blvd, trying to pick up hookers....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-1149652537508395412006-06-06T20:55:00.000-07:002006-06-06T20:55:00.000-07:00Thank you for the link. Vince. Actually, a couple ...Thank you for the link. Vince. Actually, a couple of years ago, I attended a workshop taught by Randall Wallace, screenwriter of one of my all time favorite movies: Braveheart. So not a comedy. He talked about getting 'the call'. Mel (Gibson) read your script. They're interested, but you have to pitch. (paraphrasing here) He relayed a fascinating story about him pitching a story he was passsionate about to Mel Gibson and several studio execs. <BR/><BR/>Wallace stepped up to the plate. Hit a home run. As then, is now... I'm in awe.Beth Ciottahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02251212401535078560noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-1149649401699573542006-06-06T20:03:00.000-07:002006-06-06T20:03:00.000-07:00Here's the article. I wonder if this is more preva...<A HREF="http://www.calendarlive.com/movies/la-et-goldstein6jun06,0,3261871.column?coll=cl-nav-movies" REL="nofollow">Here's the article.</A> I wonder if this is more prevalent in selling comedies.Vincehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11473441336451528462noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-1149649103324458222006-06-06T19:58:00.000-07:002006-06-06T19:58:00.000-07:00Has anyone been able to find the link? I couldn't ...Has anyone been able to find the link? I couldn't find it on the LA Times site... I'd steal a peek at my neighbor's paper but it's the Montreal Gazette.Alex Epsteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15907202981846590399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-1149647714564140622006-06-06T19:35:00.000-07:002006-06-06T19:35:00.000-07:00Holy crap. I'm just gonna write the spec.Film writ...Holy crap. I'm just gonna write the spec.<BR/><BR/>Film writers go through all that for a pitch and then when it comes time to make the movie they've probably been rewritten five times and aren't allowed on the set, right? Forget that.Adam Fontanahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06266437311700401403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-1149647479988865462006-06-06T19:31:00.000-07:002006-06-06T19:31:00.000-07:00Well, jeez. That was totally depressing. And here ...Well, jeez. That was totally depressing. And here I harbor a desire to write a screenplay. Well, at least I did. Before reading this post. Me thinks I'll stick to the evil I know--romantic fiction.Beth Ciottahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02251212401535078560noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-1149646803467414752006-06-06T19:20:00.000-07:002006-06-06T19:20:00.000-07:00me = officially disheartenedme = officially disheartenedAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com