I’ve heard thousands of pitches in my 30 years as a screenwriter. What I’ve found is that the majority of pitches were too long, unfocused and boring. First of all, you should pitch what your story is about, not what happens in your story. Pitching what happens in your story is a recipe for disaster. [...]
How high is your Screenwriting IQ? Take this quiz and find out how much you know about the business of screenwriting. True or False 1. After a certain period of years, the original writer of an unproduced screenplay can purchase the project back from the buyer. True, but it’s going to be very costly. 2. [...]
How high is your Screenwriting IQ? Take this quiz and find out how much you know about the business of screenwriting. True or False 1. High concept scripts sell for more money than non-high concept scripts. True. 2. Bringing in a poster of your movie won’t help sell it. False. When pitching, having your potential [...]
How high is your Screenwriting IQ? Take this quiz and find out how much you know about the business of screenwriting. True or False 1. Producers have a call back list of 50 people per day. False. Their call back list is more than 200 people per day. 2. Pitch Festivals give you 15 minutes [...]
How high is your Screenwriting IQ? Take this quiz and find out how much you know about the business of screenwriting. True or False 1. You should always take a journal with you to every pitch meeting. True. Record the date, name of the company and what projects you pitched to them as well as [...]
There is no absolute method of protecting your ideas or screenplays. There are however, a number of steps you can take to give yourself the maximum protection possible. Ideas and loglines are the written material that are the least protect-able. I recommend expanding any story idea you are planning to pitch to a three- to [...]
How high is your Screenwriting IQ? Take this quiz and find out how much you know about the business of screenwriting. True or False 1. The reaction you want when you’re pitching is “Why didn’t I think of that idea?” True. 2. The title of your material is not important. False. The title is the [...]
How high is your Screenwriting IQ? Take this quiz and find out how much you know about the business of screenwriting. True or False 1. “Pay or play” is a term that means a writer has to be paid whether the buyer likes the material that’s been written or not. That’s true. 2. For a [...]
How high is your Screenwriting IQ? Take this quiz and find out how much you know about the business of screenwriting. True or False 1. The first five pages of a screenplay should be devoted to giving exposition and the character’s back story. That’s false. The back story should be layered in gradually throughout your [...]
How high is your Screenwriting IQ? Take this quiz and find out how much you know about the business of screenwriting. True or False 1. Projects that go into turnaround are often purchased by other studios and have a better chance of being produced. That’s false. Turnaround projects have heavy costs that have accrued and [...]
Debra Eckerling is a professional writer and coach with expertise in feature articles, corporate communications, and public speaking, as well as social media and live networking.
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The leader of Write On!, Debra has been a professional writer for more than 10 years. She has expertise in feature articles, corporate communications, and public speaking. Write On! is a virtual - and live - writers support group, which helps writers of all abilities, mediums, and specialties take their projects to the next level.
