Save the Cat! Strikes Back: More Trouble For... (18 page)

► Is it a clear act break that tells us our hero is moving into a
new world
?

► Did the hero make a
proactive
choice to move into Act Two?

► Does the hero have a
clear goal
as he/she enters Act Two?

►
Who
or
what
is the B Story?

► Does the B Story have a
spiritual lesson
to teach the hero?

► Does it provide a needed
breakaway
from the A Story?

► Does it show the
promise of the premise
?

► Do we have enough
set pieces
?

► Is there a
touchstone scene
that defines what this movie is all about?

► Is there a clear
false victory
or
false defeat
?

► Are the
stakes raised
? Is there a
time clock
?

► Is there a
public outing
or a
party
that exposes our hero and forces him/her to declare his/her new way of being?

► Does the quest become
harder
for the hero?

► Are there enough
external
and
internal forces
attacking the hero? What is the
awful truth
the hero cannot admit?

► Do we see the hero being
stripped of
his/her
comfort zone
one piece at a time?

► Is there a
whiff of death
, physically or emotionally?

► Does it feel like the hero's
lowest point
?

► Is the All Is Lost as
devastating
a blow to the hero as we can make it? And what is his
shard of glass
?

► Does the hero
confess
his/her flaw, secret, or ugly truth, and have a
moment of clarity
?

► Does the B Story
prompt
our hero into Act 3?

► Is the Theme Stated
re-enunciated
at this point?

► Is it a
clear
act break?

► Does the hero
move
the story through the act break?

► Does our hero have a
new goal
?

► Is there a
storming of the castle
which our hero leads?

► Is the Act 3 world the
synthesis
of Act 1 and Act 2 worlds?

► Is the
B Story
clearly resolved?

► Is it the
opposite
of the Opening Image?

► Do we get a real sense of
transformation
for our hero?

► Is this the
right way
to end the story?

► Does every scene move the plot forward through conflict and emotional shifts?

► Do all the minor characters play a key role in our hero's growth, and do they change and learn a lesson as well?

► Is there any line, scene, or character that is cliché, and is there any place where we can push what is expected?

► What is new about this movie and, given its genre, does it move the art forward?

► Who is this movie for and does the script do anything that veers from that target audience?

As we get better at reading scripts and giving notes to others, this checklist becomes second nature. The idea of it is only to make the rewrite process less like hell and more like heaven. Because here's a surprise: With the right input, rewriting can be heavenly — if you know the process isn't about wrecking your vision, but bringing out your best!

As long as you are willing to strike back, you, too, can win! And over time, as I've become a veteran of this process, it becomes all about doing it again… and again!

Yes, a lot of our business is about repetition, and there is no greater example of that good habit in action, than successfully selling your script… and yourself.

So let me introduce a slogan I first heard at the Alameda Writers Group, which I adhere to, and hope will soon be yours:

Write. Sell. Repeat.

Blake's Blog /
April 24, 2008

“As we look out on the landscape, the more specific we can be, the better. When we target our careers and our scripts, we see a vision that becomes the truth, so it's important to pick well. And dream big.”

Oh! The joy! The splendor! that is selling a script.

It always seems so easy once it happens.

Colby Carr and I spent the days leading up to our spec sales telling each other: “
Someone
has to buy this, don't they?” — a mantra we hoped would be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

And very often, it was.

We'd done the work, turned our well-written 110-page screenplay over to our agent, were totally confident… and yet there was always that nagging doubt: Would anybody buy it?

As the spec sale began to unfold, and the bids started coming in, I still felt like we'd beaten long odds. It was on days like these, with multiple offers competing for our team's approval, when you had to restrain me from driving down Wilshire Boulevard past Agency Row in Beverly Hills and whooping out loud:

“That's right! I'm
baaaad!
”

Because when a sale sticks and you're “in” — oh, man!

The one-day spec sale is a rarer animal these days. Yes, it happens, and discovering the intersection of Art and Commerce never fails to be a rush. Whether it takes one day or several weeks to get a script “out to the town,” the process is the same.

So how do I get in on it, you ask?

Some of you are just starting and are sure it's about “who you know.” Others have sampled success, but wonder, after being lost in the desert lo these many years, if you will ever again drink the rejuvenating waters that can only come with a “Yes!”

For until that shining day, we are all in the wilderness.

The trip to the Promised Land took Moses 40 years. If you look at a map, it's an 11-day journey. What was the hold-up? Why did Moses meander for decades when the end point was staring him in the face? The answer is the same for all who assay a goal. For as important as it is to envision success, and even more important to take steps to secure it, it is every bit as vital — however you will it into being — that you believe success can be yours.

Because that is key.

You will get here, I swear. But one thing I know for sure: A sale is just the beginning of securing a career.

And it all starts with saying:
I can have this!
out loud.

In the beginning was the Word.

But very soon after that, the Word had to get an agent.

Let's call it “spreading the Word,” because that's what agents do. And that's what this chapter's about: getting you out of despair and into the sales zone, and casting a new light on the selling process — hopefully with a check at the other end.

While having an agent is key to that — and I cannot stress enough the importance of finding one who can position you and your script and continue working with you to raise you to the level of greatness you deserve — let's not get ahead of ourselves. Right now you may not have an agent, and I'm here to tell you:

That's okay.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: You may think the lack of an agent is what's stopping you; you will say to yourself: “If only…” and let it be a barrier. But I hope to calm writers when-ever they veer into a rant about representation by telling them this truth:

An agent is not the most vital thing on your to-do list
.

Can an agent change your life? You betcha. Can the right agent pull off miracles for you that will elevate you to great heights? Absolutely. But here's a shocker: I have never, ever, gotten any job, or sold any script, without doing my part first.

And that goes for you, too.

Lately, I not only get to cite the experiences of long-time veterans like myself, but also tell you about new writers like Ben Frahm who have shown me a thing or two when it comes to the guts it takes to win. To be honest, I rely on Ben's experiences quite a bit, for they prove two things beyond a whisper of doubt:

1. Like me, Ben is a go-getter with a positive attitude and a drive for success. Yes, that still works! And…

2. … Nothing's changed. Yes, the business is different, the sales less spectacular. But we can all still win!

Ben and others like him prove that if you follow the steps I suggest, you too have a shot at success — still! —
always!

I hope Ben's example inspires you as much as it does me.

I first met Ben after he moved to L.A. fresh from Cornell University, discovered my first book, and emailed me. I suggested he come to one of my early workshops, those wild and woolly days when we tried to work out all 40 beats in one weekend. After Ben recovered, and followed the procedure I recommended for getting his script to interested parties once it was completed, he was contacted by Underground Management, which has a long track record of successfully working with new writers and getting them careers. But it wasn't until another production company expressed
interest in Ben — which Ben let Underground know about — that their eagerness to step up and commit to working with him came about.

I still marvel at what Ben did. As I suggested, Ben sent 100+ queries to agents, managers, and production companies in the
Hollywood Creative Directory
. He got about 4 or 5 responses back (a fairly good return, believe it or not), but it was enough to let this bright kid parlay one firm against another to make sure they knew with whom they were dealing. Was he fair? Absolutely! Was he honest and forthright? Totally. But he knew what he wanted. And because he had taken our workshop and had feedback from others about the project he was pitching…

He also knew what he had.

And yet, Ben's journey was just beginning.

No, Underground did not sign Ben. They instead agreed to work with him on many drafts of
Dr. Sensitive
to get it in shape.

And that took time.

Between multiple rewrites, and Ben's busy work schedule (this young man had a day job as a special-needs teacher at a school here in L.A.), he would call me up and, frankly, whine. Where was this going? Why didn't his newfound managers who loved him so, or said they did, sign him? And the number one complaint on
Ben's Top Ten Greatest Whines
was: Why don't I have an agent?