Breaking into the Business…
Readers’ Questions…My Answers…Read the article:
http://www.newenglandfilm.com/magazine/2013/09/screenplay
Su-City Pictures East, LLC
Screenplay & Film Consulting By Susan Kouguell
Category: ASK THE SCREENPLAY DOCTOR COLUMN (page 2 of 5)
During the Locarno International Film Festival in August, I interviewed Manakamana filmmakers Stephanie Spray and Pacho Velez where their film had its world premiere: at the Festival’s Concorso Cineasti del Presente (Cinema of the Present competition), which is dedicated to emerging directors from all over the world. Just days after our interview, Manakamana was awarded the Golden Leopard, the top prize in its category
To read more of my Interview from the Locarno Film Festival with Manakamana award-winning filmmakers Stephanie Spray and Pacho Velez…
Click on: http://www.newenglandfilm.com/magazine/2013/09/sprayvelez
Ask the Screenplay Doctor: Top Five Tips … How to Really Find an Agent
You may be a talented and brilliant screenwriter, but for many, getting an agent can be a tough and overwhelming challenge. Sometimes it might feel like the only way that you’re going to get an agent is if you open a fortune cookie that reads: “Today you will find an agent. Look at the person sitting at the next table.” And, poof, that agent is seated with arms outstretched, awaiting your script.
Yes, there is nepotism, egotism, and many other ‘isms’ in the film industry, but when you venture on your quest to seek representation, it’s time to check your pessimism and cynicism at the door. It’s time to take control.
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Interview with Emmy winner Jeff Greenstein
As the credits roll on some of the most critically acclaimed and groundbreaking television shows, including Friends, Will and Grace, Desperate Housewives, and Parenthood — writer, producer, showrunner, and Emmy award winner Jeff Greenstein’s name is seen prominently.
In his own words, here’s Jeff’s biographical background: “Jeff Greenstein grew up in Atlanta, Georgia and attended Tufts University in Boston, where he started as a computer science major and careened through the art history department, and ended up with a degree in film and dance. This proved the ideal prelude to a glorious career in television comedy.” His first job was on HBO’s Dream On, where he stayed for five seasons, rising from staff writer to showrunner and garnering several industry awards, including the coveted and sadly defunct CableACE. He then signed on for the first year of NBC’s Friends, earning Emmy nominations as both a producer of the series and as co-writer of the show’s first Thanksgiving episode. That same year he co-created Fox’s Partners, starring Jon Cryer and Tate Donovan, which won plenty of critical plaudits but, alas, no second season.
SHOULD SCREENWRITERS GO TO FILM SCHOOL?
My interview with Professors Garland Waller (Boston University) and Richard Walter (UCLA)…
One question I repeatedly hear from aspiring screenwriters and filmmakers (as well as their family members, who contribute financially and emotionally to their loved one’s dreams) is this: Is it worth it to go to film school? The word “worth” should be interpreted subjectively and not just in dollars and cents — and the word “film” is the umbrella term that, in the context of this question, includes television.
In this month’s column, I ask two very prominent professors to discuss their respective film and television programs: Professor Richard Walter, Chairman of UCLA’s graduate program in screenwriting and Professor Garland Waller, Director of the Television Graduate Program in the College of Communication at Boston University.
To read more:
http://www.newenglandfilm.com/magazine/2012/12/screenplay
Screenwriting Advice from
Award-Winning Screenwriter and Professor Barry Brodsky
In October, I was a guest speaker for Professor Barry Brodsky’s Industry Night at Emerson College, to discuss the business of screenwriting. Professor Brodsky kindly took time out of his busy schedule to be interviewed for this month’s column.
Barry Brodsky teaches screenwriting at Emerson, Boston University and Lesley University, and serves as the Director of the Emerson College Screenwriting Certificate Program. He is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter; his short screenplay I Miss You (directed by Fethi Bendida) is premiering at the Algerian Film Festival next month.
To read more:
Since 1990 I have consulted on screenplays through my company Su-City Pictures East, LLC. Over 1,000 worldwide clients later, I still hear from (if not sometimes commiserate with) writers and filmmakers who are stymied, motivated, stuck, enthused, overwhelmed, underwhelmed, joyous and frustrated about their screenplays. I provide detailed feedback on their scripts and films, as well as encouragement mixed in with a dose of reality about the challenges many face in a film industry that is often fraught with rejection and false promises. For over two decades I have listened to their success stories and disappointments — their insecurities and their hopes to make their dreams come true — that finally, one day, their words will appear on the screen.
Some words of advice I offer to my clients and students that many tell me stayed with them over the years is this:
If you are not passionate about your screenplay, neither will be the film executive reading your screenplay.
Writing a screenplay demands commitment and passion for the material. Screenwriting is indeed challenging, but receiving feedback on your work, submitting your work to contests, producers, and so on, means baring your soul. And, over the years I have heard many stories of both triumph and frustration, and sometimes I must remind my clients that I am not their therapist but their Screenplay Doctor!
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My interview with Tariq Hager, co-director of the Prague Film School…
Prague Film School: An International Melting Pot for Filmmakers
Screenplay Doctor Susan Kouguell spent her summer at the Prague Film School. She interviews Co-Founder and Co-Director Tariq Hager about his school: a haven for passionate filmmakers of all shapes and sizes tucked away in a city that is as beautiful as the program is intense.
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Getting to Hollywood and Tracking Down Agents
Knocking on Hollywood’s door not only means also using the doorbell, it means knowing how to find the right representation and companies for your screenplay. And, without question, your screenplay must be the absolute best it can be before you submit it for consideration.
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Whether you’re writing a feature-length film or a short film, good dialogue will enhance your characters and bring life to your screenplay. Want to grab the attention of film executives? Write good dialogue!
Characters’ voices must be distinctive and not interchangeable with other characters. Readers must be able to identify who is speaking without needing to look at your character headings. Characters’ speech patterns, idiosyncratic phrases, staccato responses, and even their pauses, will enrich their dialogue and make each character identifiable. Keep in mind less is often more — the less said can prove more poignant.
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