Getting Tips -y about Screenwnting

The Movie Biz is a crazy biz. It can bring a person to tears or drive you to drink.

Hollywood dangles the million $ carrot and we all run after it. Fortunately, some of the runners drop out along the way. If you’ve got the stamina and talent, you may hurdle over the Great Wall of Hollywood.

You need to know some secret passwords: spec, formatting, grammar, the rules.

Don’t make the same mistakes that everyone else does. Learn from those who can smooth the way.

There are those who won’t listen to advice and have to make their own mistakes–don’t be one of them.

While there is no one “right” way to make your dreams come true, but there are plenty of “wrong” ways that will prepare the way for failure.

I’m going to give you tips for success and ways to make the whole process less painful.

IS YOUR CONCEPT A "HIGH CONCEPT"

High Concept: You hear the term bandied around and you've tried to figure it out to no avail. The truth is, it IS a hard concept to grasp. Not only is it hard to grab initially, it tends to get slippery later and run away from you.

All of which leaves you scratching your head or pulling out what's left of your hair wondering why you ever thought you could do this in the first place.

It should be simple. A High Concept can be described in very few words, appeals to a wide cross section of moviegoers and puts a new spin on the subject.. Easy? NOT

This is your biggest challenge as a screenwriter: to tell a story that hasn't been told before and do it in a way that nearly everyone will be dying to see.

The good news is that Independent filmmakers aren't as caught up in the High Concept web as Hollywood is.

The good/bad news is that if you CAN come up with a High Concept, you'll be able to sell your script that much more easily.

Time is money and High Concept is all about the shorthand. High Concepts take little time to be explained. You can instantly see the story, albeit without the nuances. Decisions can be made quickly. Everyone can almost hear the popcorn machines working overtime and cash piling up.

You can take courses that will "teach" you how to come up with a High Concept, but even having one is no guarantee that your script will sell or that your film will be a roaring success.

On the other hand, if your story appeals to the heart, you can at least know that you've succeeded in touching some human truth. That may be worth more than money. But it's your decision.

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