u/SuspiciousPrune4

I’m writing out a thorough treatment for a feature I’m writing.

Do you:

A: Write it out in “casual” prose, similar to how a movie’s synopsis looks on Wikipedia?

B: Structure it by individual scenes, no matter how small? So you’d end up with 40-50 small scene descriptions, in order.

If B, do you always include scene headings for every scene (INT., EXT., etc)

Also do you break up the structure with any other headings like Act breaks, heroes journey steps, or titles of any sort?

I’m so curious about this. For those of us who don’t have managers or agents or any connections to the industry, we can’t exactly get in the room to pitch our projects (at least to “legit” people who can actually get things greenlit and produced). Those pitch meetings are exclusively for proven writers with representation.

So the only thing we can really do is the dreaded cold query, where most of the time it’s ignored. Can’t blame them, I can’t imagine the amount of “please read my project” emails that managers and producers get.

But I wonder, how many successful screenwriters (successful meaning they are well paid and in demand on big projects, also selling specs of their own) got into the industry by cold querying? I have a suspicion that it’s pretty close to 0.

Same thing with the Blacklist (the site, not the official one). I don’t know if there are any successful (see the criteria above) writers in Hollywood right now who first got in my posting their script on that site.

Which just makes me wonder, is it worth cold querying at all if it has a close to zero success rate? I have a few projects that I’d love to send out (not even to get made, but just to get representation so that I can start getting in rooms and pitching), but it’s disheartening to know in the back of my mind that it will get me nowhere.

I’m writing a script where there is an action sequence that would take up around 10 minutes of screen time. Follows a few colonial era soldiers as they investigate two docked ships to find illegal weapons and a ledger, then their cover gets blown and they have to fight their way out while they try to find what they’re looking for.

Currently I have it around 6-7 pages, but I’ve written it out describing most of the actions. Not in an annoying amount of detail, but enough to paint a good picture for the reader of where each character is, what they’re doing, etc.

But I’m wondering, should I be typing all this out? I’m bouncing between “INT. SHIP ONE, EXT. SHIP TWO, EXT. DOCKS, INT. SHIP TWO” every couple of lines since I’d imagine this whole sequence would be cutting between the various characters/fights.

At the end of the day it would be up to the director and stunt coordinator to figure out the exact motions. So would it be better to just be brief and say something like “Character 1 fights on ship one as character 2 fights on ship two. Character 3 finds the ledger on ship 2 then joins character 2 in the fight”.

I mean that’s bad writing but just an example. But if I were to submit this to competitions or anything like that, what would readers want to see? Would it be unprofessional to just describe in broad strokes what happens?

I’m pretty fresh out of film school and i want to get into development or producing. Entry level jobs there are mostly assistant jobs or starting in an agency mailroom then getting on someone’s desk.

Thing is, looking at my resume I don’t have much to set me apart from other candidates. But I’m wondering what an ideal resume would be for whoever is hiring for that position, what would they want to see? For those of you who have worked jobs like this, what set you apart to get the job?

Since Covid it’s seemed like all doom and gloom.. The pandemic threw a wrench in theater attendance and lockdown pushed more people towards online content, then there was the writers strike, actors strike, interest rates going up, the streaming bubble popped, etc all within a few years. Posts on here were all about how barely anything is getting greenlit and there’s no work to be had. Theater attendance was in the shitter and the younger generation just didn’t seem to have the attention span to go to the movies or even watch movies anymore, everything was now all about short form content.

But it seems to have rebounded lately with box office numbers going up again, plus renewed interest in original movies like Obsession. I’ve heard of a few recent original spec script sales also which seem to be unicorns.

For those of you that have been in the film industry before and after the pandemic, have things been looking up lately?

I know to get accepted for a lot of writers programs you need to submit spec scripts for existing IPs. Like a spec episode of a TV show or something, to show that you know how to match a style or to write for existing characters.

Or I think the same thing can be done if you’re submitting a sample to a production company if your goal is to get staffed on a show, or write features for that actor/producer’s prodco.

Can you do the same thing on the blklst site for features?

For example if I had a script for an existing IP like Resident Evil or Silent Hill or The Matrix or whatever, can I submit it to the site for feedback? I know it wouldn’t get made but if it scores highly would I be able to use those scores in queries to managers/agents? If it’s good I guess it would show that I’m capable of writing for an IP.

Sorry if this is a dumb question but I’m curious…

Apparently the cutoff for joining the police in NJ is 35, except if you served in the military, then those years can be deducted. But I’ve seen some threads on there where people say they had much older people in their academy class which gives me hope.

Does anyone here work for NJ LE? Is it possible for me to become an officer? My end game is to be a detective or investigator, but I wouldn’t mind being patrol for a while and work my way up to it.

If not, are there other LE career paths that may be available for me at my age in NJ? My other option is moving to NY somewhere, where the age limit is higher.

Rami Malek, Christoph Waltz and Javier Bardem were all hot off their Oscar wins when they were cast as Bond Villains.

Do you think this trend will continue or was that a Broccoli/Wilson thing? I think there are lots of good options - Michael B Jordan, Adrian Brody, Cillian Murphy, etc.

I could see any of those guys as the villain (although I think Murphy would make a great Q). But my personal pick would actually be the Best Actress winner Mikey Madison, I think she would make a fantastic Bond villain.

I would throw Anya Taylor Joy in there as an option also (not because of awards but because she has a history with the screenwriter who wrote Peaky Blinders) although I don’t see her as a villain, I think she would be a perfect Bond Girl.

I don’t necessarily need a job that involves media/film/tv or anything like that. It’s just that this is the degree I have.

I wouldn’t mind any job really, even if it’s clerical/administrative, I just need a job. But I feel like my completely irrelevant degree might be holding me back.

I’m also a certified teacher in NJ (K-6) if that helps.

But looking at various jobs on USA Jobs, the majority of them seem very specialized, like I would need a specific degree to get that job.

Like I said I really just want a stable job with good salary progression, I really don’t care too much what the job is, I’m sure I could learn on the job how to be good at it.

Any suggestions on what positions to look for? I’d prefer to stay in North NJ if at all possible (or remote).

They’ve worked together several times before (Sicario, Prisoners, Blade Runner) so it would make sense, but also Deakins has already done a Bond movie (Skyfall) and he’s very picky about the projects he does now (he’s stated that he’s not retired but he doesn’t want to do big blockbusters anymore, only smaller scale stuff) so I’m not sure if he’d want to do another one.

His other main option (assuming that Villeneuve will want to work with someone he’s worked with before) is Greig Fraser, who would be fantastic (he shot Dune 1 & 2, The Batman, Hail Mary and many others).

There’s also Linus Sandgren (who shot the upcoming Dune 3) but he was the DP on the last Bond movie (No Time to Die).

So do you think it will be Deakins, Fraser or Sandgren? If not them, anyone else you’d love to see as DP?

I see so many ads for startups on Instagram - protein shakes, candy, gum, chips, THC gummies, drinks… and a lot of them are the founders who talk about the origins of the company like, “me and my friend were just talking about how this would be a good product, so we went ahead and made it!”

And I always look up interviews with the founders to see how they got the funding to start/build their company, and they never go into that. They just talk around it, as if they got the idea then the next day just leased a factory and ordered a bunch of supplies then went to market. And it’s not even like these are groundbreaking product ideas, they’re simple things.

But that’s the one piece of information that I want to know: HOW DID THEY GET INITIAL FUNDING??

Did they have an inheritance or hundreds of thousands of dollars in savings? If not, how did they find a financier? Did they get a bank loan? If so, did they put their whole life up as collateral?

For those of us who have startup ideas and business plans for them, we can’t just cold email a VC firm and get a pitch meeting with them. We also probably aren’t in a financial position to get a bank loan (if the business doesn’t turn a profit we’ll lose our house/car and be repaying the loan for our entire life).

So whenever I see these Reels or listen to the interviews I just want to yell at the screen “HOW DID YOU GET FUNDED??”

Seriously, if you have a startup idea, how do you get an investment to get it off the ground (without the risk of ruining your life with a bank loan)? Do all of these people in the Reels have personal connections with VCs?

I see so many ads for startups on Instagram - protein shakes, candy, gum, chips, THC gummies, drinks… and a lot of them are the founders who talk about the origins of the company like, “me and my friend were just talking about how this would be a good product, so we went ahead and made it!”

And I always look up interviews with the founders to see how they got the funding to start/build their company, and they never go into that. They just talk around it, as if they got the idea then the next day just leased a factory and ordered a bunch of supplies then went to market. And it’s not even like these are groundbreaking product ideas, they’re simple things.

But that’s the one piece of information that I want to know: HOW DID THEY GET INITIAL FUNDING??

Did they have an inheritance or hundreds of thousands of dollars in savings? If not, how did they find a financier? Did they get a bank loan? If so, did they put their whole life up as collateral?

For those of us who have startup ideas and business plans for them, we can’t just cold email a VC firm and get a pitch meeting with them. We also probably aren’t in a financial position to get a bank loan (if the business doesn’t turn a profit we’ll lose our house/car and be repaying the loan for our entire life).

So whenever I see these Reels or listen to the interviews I just want to yell at the screen “HOW DID YOU GET FUNDED??”

Seriously, if you have a startup idea, how do you get an investment to get it off the ground (without the risk of ruining your life with a bank loan)? Do all of these people in the Reels have personal connections with VCs?

I’m 42 years old.

I spent my 20s making no-budget short films and a couple of music videos.

When I was 30, I got the opportunity to direct a feature with grants from my country, and thought this is it. Well, I made the movie, but I couldn’t translate what was in my head onto the screen. I guess that means I’m not as good a director as I thought? I ended up really disappointed but with a bit more experience.

Then, I got the opportunity to redeem myself and make another feature. I told myself I wouldn’t make the same mistakes this time. But again, the final product wasn’t as good as I hoped it would be.

I really thought directing features would be my big break, but they just sort of came and went.

I had young kids at that point so I just kind of gave up. Stepped back from the industry and spent the next decade raising my kids, and to make ends meet I went back to directing shorts, and worked on a collaborative film with 10 other directors from my area.

… Just kidding, this is actually the story of Denis Villeneuve.

At this point, in his early 40s, he saw a play that he loved and got permission from the playwright to adapt it to film - this ended up being Incendies, and it got him an Oscar nom for best foreign language film, and put him on the radar. Then starting at 46 he went on to direct Enemy, Prisoners, Sicario, Arrival, Blade Runner 2049 and Dune.

Don’t lose hope!

————

*Originally made this post a few years ago on a different account but I feel like people need to hear it again, as I’m seeing more posts about people losing hope and giving up and wondering if they’re too old.

Obviously this movie is getting a ton of praise, and it’s well deserved - the writing, directing, acting, cinematography, score, etc are all great.

But I’ve heard nobody talking about how much heavy lifting the sound design did. There are a ton of moments where an audio cue would fly in and enhance the scene. The weird warbling silent hill-esque sound that played when Nikki reverse-walked.. the hit when Nikki grabbed Sarah’s chair from behind and pulled her back at the party. The hits when she stabs herself in the face soon after that, the bassy braaams when she’s screaming in Bear’s face at the end. There’s so many.

I’m wondering, who did those? Was it the composer? Or someone else on the sound team?

I’m curious to hear from those that know about how profits are split when a movie does really well.

Did Curry Barker have backend participation in the profits?

Jason Blum/Blumhouse wrote the check to finance the movie so did they get all/most of the profits? I guess there would be the distributor also (Focus was the distributor I think)? How much did they make?

But I’m just so curious, with like $500 million in profit, how exactly is that divvied up? How much did Barker end up making? How much did Blum end up making? And who else/where did the rest go? Like with a number like 500 million, someone must have made an absolute killing. But who made the most, and how much was it?

“Still sucking cock at the county fair” is diabolical 😂

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dioVSDhj-IERZzF4WkkmdiVaXaW9tMlA/view?usp=drive_link

Logline: Orphaned as a child and ostracized for his blood addiction, a young vampire must confront his own demons when he's tasked with going undercover in a ruthless cartel to find a missing duchess.

This is a couple of years old but I wanted to get some feedback on it. It's in vertical format so it's easier to view on mobile. Does it seem like a compelling pitch for a series? I'm not going to send it out to query with as it is now, so I wanted to see what I can do to polish it up.