Amateur Vs. Professional

I was recently having a discussion with someone via Twitter about the difference between amateur and professional.

My personal opinion is that if you want to make it as a filmmaker, screenwriter, or other creative endeavor, you need to think like a professional. It's also one of the first things they teach you in the UCLA screenwriting program. You need to think of yourself as a professional.

Here, in my humble opinion, are some examples of the differences between amateurs and professionals:

1. An amateur hates criticism and avoids anyone who doesn't like their work. A professional enjoys criticism and enjoys getting feedback.

2. An amateur listens to advice from anyone who gives it, especially if it agrees with their world view. A professional takes advice with a grain of salt and considers the source of advice.

3. An amateur will take anyone on as a mentor who is willing to help. A professional limits their mentors to one to three people who are successful and knowledgeable, who have been in their profession for ten years or more.

4. An amateur looks for shortcuts and ways to cheat the system. A professional figures out the way the system works and uses it to their advantage.

5. An amateur talks about the things they are going to do. A professional does them and lets the work speak for itself.

6. An amateur considers they know everything after doing something once or twice. A professional is constantly learning and growing.

7. An amateur assumes people are successful because they just got lucky. A professional knows that most people are successful because they put in the hard work required.

8. An amateur gives up after a couple of tries and assumes things are good enough. A professional tries to do everything to the best of their ability and does not give up.

9. An amateur does not plan or prepare. A professional plans, prepares and then executes.

10. An amateur is quick to take credit for others' work and thinks they can do everything by themselves. A professional is quick to give credit to others and tries to hire the best people to compensate for their weak spots.

So those are some quick thoughts on the difference of mindset between amateur and professional. I haven't even mentioned money which is a small part of the equation. I'm sure I will think up more in the future. Any other ideas on the difference between amateurs and professionals? Leave me a comment.

Day 5 and 6 - Amsterdam to Brussels

The last two days were incredibly hectic. I'll try and summarize them quickly.

Day 5 - Amsterdam

A full day of meetings in Amsterdam. Luckily, the city is pretty easy to get around.

I started out the day by going down to the breakfast buffet. In my mind, it was overpriced at 20 Euros for a basic buffet of cold cuts and croissants. I learned my lesson it wasn't worth it. Usually I try to only do the breakfast buffet if it's included in the price of the hotel room, like in Iceland.

I took the tram up to meet with SBS. It was a very nice meeting then I took a taxi over to the train station in preparation for my trip out to Hilversum. The irony is that the taxi to the train station cost more than the round trip ticket to Hilversum.

I was originally going to meet with the buyer from RTL at a restaurant for lunch. But as I was walking, I passed their offices and it was starting to rain. So I figured I would stop in at their offices and see if he wanted to walk over to the restaurant together. I was a little early, but it was fine. I got to sit in the lobby with a cup of coffee and watch RTL while I waited for him.

We borrowed a couple of umbrellas from reception and left to walk to the restaurant. The walk to the restaurant was a lot longer than I expected. But it was nice because the path went through the woods behind their office. It reminded me of growing up in the Santa Cruz mountains.

We got to the restaurant, which was a lovely Indonesian place. I'd never had Indonesian food so I had no idea what to expect. It was verry good and had elements of Thai and Chinese cuisine, but was it's own unique cuisine. They had a set menu for lunch, which involved several smaller dishes that we could share. The name of the restaurant is Spandershoeve.

After that, I took a taxi on to meet with Disney Channel. They are in a small media complex there along with companies like EOne and Endemol. I would have met with EOne while I was there, but the buyers were both in London this week. They have a lot of big movies such as Red, Machete, and Fair Game, and they have bought a couple of ours. There were standess from some of their movies in the lobby.

Coming into the lobby, the stairs leading up to Disney channel, had a huge standee for Toy Story 3 that arched over the stairway. Upstairs, there were a ton of toys and the place had an open layout, similar to the MTV building in North Amsterdam. Had a nice meeting with the buyer, then took a taxi back to the train station.

Unfortunately, the driver took me to the Hilversum train station instead of the Hilversum North train station, which my ticket was for. I got on the train and hoped that I didn't get caught or kicked off the train. Luckily, I made it back to Amsterdam in one piece. However, by the time I got there it was pouring rain. I tried to buy an umbrella from one of the shops there, but they wouldn't take credit cards, only cash. And I was out of cash. Instead I figured I would just take a taxi instead. This was a big mistake. I got in the taxi line and waited for a taxi. I was wary of the taxi from the beginning. It was a plain white van with only a small taxi sign atop.

So we get back to the hotel, and instead of the usual 10 Euro fare, he charges me 20 Euro. And on top of that he wouldn't take a credit card. So we had to drive to a nearby ATM, which wasn't working. We went back to the hotel to see if I could get cash from them. But of course they couldn't help me. But they pointed me to a different ATM. I ran over to that ATM and got cash and paid the guy. I've learned to always ask before stepping into a cab. I don't like carrying a ton of cash around on me and prefer to charge things when I can. It helps me to track my expenses easier.

So I got back to the hotel, showered and changed. I called a friend of mine who lives in Amsterdam to come over and meet me. We'd arranged to meet for beers that evening. I met him through the UCLA screenwriting program, it's just by coincidence that he happens to be Dutch. So we had 3 or 4 beers each and chatted about screenwriting and his post UCLA life. He's living here with his fiance, looking for a job. It was nice to catch up with him. Then I headed back to the room and fell asleep.

Day 6 - Amsterdam to Brussels

I woke up early as always, packed up my things and got ready to head out. I headed out in search of breakfast, since I didn't want to pay 20 Euros for the breakfast buffet. I walked around the city at 7 AM in search of anything that was open. But all of the shops were closed. But it was an interesting experience to see the empty streets of Amsterdam. The streets were littered with garbage bags, waiting to be picked up. It was like seeing the aftermath of a party before it was cleaned up. Finally, I found a Starbucks and grabbed a muffin and coffee.

I checked out and grabbed a taxi to the train station. I got there 45 minutes early because I didn't want to miss my train. I grabbed a sandwich and soda for the trip because they don't feed you in coach class and I would need something for the 2 hour train ride. The only issue is that they don't announce which platform ahead of time so you have to wait until 15 minutes beforehand and rush over to the platform. So I stood in front of the monitors with all the other tourists, waiting for the platform to be announced. Finally, we got our announcement and headed over.

Got settled into the train and enjoyed the Dutch countryside. It was still a bit cold and drizzly so the sky was a muted gray color. It was not exactly postcard picture weather. About an hour into the trip, the train stops for no reason. An announcement came on telling us that there was a problem with the signal and they would be about 20 minutes late.

Eventually, they got the train started again and we made our way into Brussels. Got out of the train station and hopped into a cab. Luckily, I had cash just in case. The traffic in Brussels is crazy! At one point we were going down a one way street and several cars were coming at us from the wrong direction. The driver had to swerve to avoid getting hit and scraped the front of the car against the curb. He had to stop and check the damage to make sure it wasn't too bad. But eventually I made it to my hotel.

Got to the hotel and of course, they have the wrong dates for me. They had me arriving on Saturday instead of Thursday. The woman at the reception sorted it all out, but she didn't have a room that was ready for check in. So she said to come back in a couple of hours. I checked my bags at reception and rushed off to my next meeting.

Hopped the tram off to my meeting with VRT. For some reason Google maps had me getting off at the next stop over and then walking all the way back. So I was about 10 minutes late. I walked all the way back to their address. VRT has a huge, industrial campus. The building is secure so I had to check in with a receptionist that didn't speak English. Finally, I got my little sticker pass and headed into the campus.

Walked over to the main building and headed up to the seventh floor. Luckily, I had his office number so I walked over to him. He was surprised to see me because the receptionist never called him to let him know I was there.

We went to one of the conference rooms and started talking. About halfway through, another group came and had to use the conference room. So we had to move to a different one. We finished up my meeting and I headed off to Central Station for my meeting in Mechelen.

So I get my ticket and the man at the ticket counter tells me to take the train on platform 3. So I head down there and get on the train. It's a lovely train with old 50's style train compartments. I felt like I was in some sort of spy movie.

Now the train keeps going and there's no sign of Mechelen. So I start to get worried. So I ask the ticket taker and he says I am on the wrong train. So I get off at the next stop. By now, I am 20 minutes outside of Brussels in the middle of nowhere. It's cold and rainy and I have no idea where I am.

One of the station attendents tells me which train to take back to Brussels. I barely miss the train and have to wait for the next one. Then the sign changes to indicate that it is running 15 minutes late. I emailed my meeting to tell him I was going to be late. Unfortunately, he is only going to be there for another hour. If the return train had been on time, I could have made it. But it was not to be. So I had to reschedule for tomorrow.

So I had to email another of my meetings to reschedule to a breakfast meeting. I took the train back to Brussels Central station, bought an umbrella and walked back to my hotel. Got into my room, took a shower and headed off in search of a bite for dinner. While I was coming back, I stopped at a corner store and got some water and some chocolate for the room. While I was waiting to check out, I spied their beers. They were selling Belgian beer for about a Euro per beer. And we're talking quality stuff like Chimay which is ridiculously expensive in the US. So I grabbed a beer as well. I went back to the room, enjoyed my beer and my chocolates and tried to forget the troubles of the day.

My last day is Friday and it's a full day of meetings. Let's see if I can pull off 5 meetings in one day in a city like Brussels with the horrible traffic.

Day 3 and 4 - Reykjavik to Amsterdam - Meetings

The last two days have been so hectic. This is where I earn my salary. It can be a lot of work running around a foreign city, meeting with different clients. But it's an important part of my job. There's nothing that can replace going to see them in their office and getting a better sense of their programming and their needs.

Here's a quick rundown of the past two days. It should give you an idea of the kind of schedule we face on sales trips.


Day 3 - Reykjavik


My first full day of meetings. In a small town like Reykjavik, there are only a handful of people to meet so it's difficult to schedule more than 3-4 meetings while there.

My morning begain with a meeting with ITC Skjarinn, a local broadcaster that recently switched from free TV to a pay TV service. After the financial crisis in the country, they were forced to switch to a pay service in order to survive. They previously aired our miniseries Bollywood Hero with Chris Kattan and were quite pleased with how it perrformed. They have about four channels, including a channel devoted soley to golf. Their main channel is SkjarEinn (Screen One). Some of their shows include The Good Wife, Survivor, and CSI. Their channel tends to be more female focused.

After that, I took a taxi to downtown Reykjavik to meet the buyer from 365 media for lunch. 365 is the main commercial broadcaster in Iceland. They have several channels and radio stations in the country. Their biggest shows are shows like NCIS and Ghost Whisperer. We went to a really nice Italian restaurant. The food was delicious. Apparently the owner is good friends with Jamie Oliver. But the weird thing is that the restaurant was completely empty but for the two of us. So it was a bit awkward.

After that, I called my next meeting to see when he would be available. I had some free time, so I went to a local coffee shop and made notes on my previous meetings. Then I walked around the town for a bit and wound up at the statue of Leif Eriksson, along with the beautiful church Hallgrimskirkja, that sits atop the hill. The national religion is Lutheran. So almost all the large churches are Lutheran.

Then I got a taxi out to my meeting with Samfilm. They are the largest theatrical distributor in Iceland and have output deals with Warner Brothers, Paramount and Disney. Apparently their offices are actually inside one of their theater complexes. It's a family business and the owner runs it with his sons. After our meeting, I met with his son Thor, who handles the theatrical acquisitions. He had just come back from seeing the new Transformers movie. He raved about it and said it was much better than the second one. His only complaint was that at over two hours it was too long. As distributors, they don't like movies over two hours long because they can only schedule so many screenings in one day. They also told me about a huge megascreen they recently built that is verging on being an IMAX sized screen.

One of his sons Bjorn drove me back to my hotel. During the drive we had an interesting conversation about piracy and the future of film content in the country. It's gotten so bad that there is no market for non theatrical movies in the country. They make all their money in theatrical and their DVD revenues have been plumeting. It's a common story I hear in every country around the world. Piracy is killing the DVD business. Of course this means there will be less and less opportunities for independent filmmakers as they can't rely on DVD revenue and VOD is only bringing in about a tenth of what DVD used to bring in.


Day 4 - Reykjavik to Amsterdam


Got up early and took the 5AM bus to the airport. Thankfully, Reykjavik buses are very clean and reliable. Made it to the airport and it was a madhouse, swarming with people. Luckily, I was flying business class, so I got the shorter line. I was checked in and through security in no time.
Had a cup of coffee and a croissant. Then spent the remaining Kroner I had on another souvenir. Iceland is in the process of joining the EU. It will be so much more convenient if they do. That was I can just use Euros, instead of having to get specific currency just for Iceland. The same problem is there in Scandinavia as well. A Danish Kroner and a Swedish Kroner are two seperate things and you have to constantly convert your currency while travelling through Scandinavia.
Icelandair is so nice and clean. It's so much better than Delta. If I come out here again, I will definitely fly them again.

Landed in Amsterdam around 1pm. I assumed that would be enough time before my next meeting at 2:15pm. Unfortunately, we had to wait about 20 minutes for our baggage. Apparently, there was some sort of snafu with the baggage, which caused the delay. I had intended to take the train when I got there. But seeing as it was about 1:45pm when I got out of there, I ran and grabbed a taxi to the hotel. Got to the hotel at 2:10pm, quickly checked in and got my key cards. The hotel is a beautiful historic hotel dating from the 1900s. They have me staying on the second floor at the end of a labyrinthian hallway up several small flights of stairs. Struggled to my room, sweaty and flustered. Had just enough time to set my bags down when I got a call from my next meeting. He was down in the lobby waiting for me.

I took a moment to compose myself then headed down for my meeting. I met with one of the buyers from Npo, the Dutch public broadcaster. They have three channels they are buying for. The first channel is the mainstream channel similar to BBC 1. Their second channel is news and sports and the third is more irreverent and younger skewed. As a public broadcaster, they don't buy a lot of American programming as it is too commercial for their tastes. The American shows that they do acquire are shows like Dexter or Boardwalk Empire. We walked to a nearby cafe. I just had a Coke because I couldn't imagine having a coffee since I was all sweaty from running around.

After that, I had a meeting with Comedy Central at the MTV building. I had to take a taxi to the building as they are across the river from Amsterdam. It took me about 45 minutes to get there. I emailed my buyer to let them know I was running late. I always love meeting the buyer from Comedy Central. Their channel is small, maybe 2% of the market. Their biggest shows are old American sitcoms like Dharma and Greg and Married With Children. They also have shows like 30 Rock and South Park, but they don't perform that well.

Their offices are in the old shipyards. The area is being converted into a media area. There are offices from other broadcasters such as Discovery and Red Bull. He showed me around their offices. They share the same offices with Nickelodeon and MTV. The building is all wood and exposed beams. It's got a very open feel as there are just desks with no cubicles or private offices. In a way, it's nice. It has a very egalitarian feel to it. He also showed me the free water taxi that will take me directly to Amsterdam Centraal Station. So I saved myself the 45 minute taxi ride.

Got back to Amsterdam, walked back to my hotel room and set off my bag. I took a shower which felt so good. Then went off and grabbed some Chinese takeaway for dinner, which was delicious.

Today will be interesting as I have to meet with SBS before taking the train off to Hilversum to meet with RTL and Disney.

Reykjavik - Day 2

Day 2 was all about doing the "Golden Circle" tour of Iceland. It's an 8 hour trip through the beautiful countryside of this country. Normally I am against doing tours because I prefer to go at my own pace. But seeing as I only had one day to do the touristy stuff, I felt like it was the best option.

I booked my ticket online, since you get a discount. I think it wound up costing about $68 for the ticket. The bus picked me up in front of the hotel at 8am, then took me to the central terminal. At the central terminal, I had to pick up my actual ticket, which is kind of weird. This also meant I lost my seat, so by the time I got to the bus, the only window seat available was way in the back.

Eventually the bus lurched off and we headed up into the mountains. As we drove, the tour guide gave information but I couldn't hear a word she was saying. She spoke in a low, monotonous, heavily-accented voice. It's just as well. I didn't care what she was saying. I just wanted to see the sights.

The first stop was a picture spot overlooking the valley. It wasn't much to see. But it was nice. We all got out, took pictures then left. The bus turned around and we headed to the first real stop.

The first stop was Thingvellir, a national park and the site of the original Parliament in 930. It also sits atop the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, so you can see where Europe and North America are separating from each other. It wasn't much to look at. But it was interesting. I guess it's more important from a historical perspective.

The next stop was the most impressive and definitely a must see, the Gullfoss waterfalls. That's me in the picture in front of them up above. The waterfalls are actually three steps where the river above falls to the river canyon below. As jaded as I am, I found this a truly spectacular sight. Pictures just don't do it justice. It's something you have to see for yourself. We also had a break to grab lunch, so I grabbed an overpriced sandwich from the shop there.

Next we saw the geysers known as The Great Geysir and Strokkur. Apparently the Great Geysir is no longer that active. But Strokkur goes off every couple of minutes. It's an impressive thing to see. At first. By the fourth or fifth time, it loses its interest. The interesting thing is that you can also see several other hot springs in the area, with the telltale smell of sulfur along with the incredibly hot water. I did stop and buy a few souvenirs for friends/coworkers/family. There are souvenir shops at all the major stops, selling overpriced, cheaply-made crap with "Iceland" emblazoned on them.

We also stopped at another smaller waterfall which wasn't nearly as impressive in comparison to Gullfoss.

After that, everything else was anticlimactic. We stopped at Skalholt, a cathedral. Frankly, it was pretty unimpressive as cathedrals go. By this point I was tired from walking around all day and couldn't wait to get back on the bus.

Lastly, we stopped at some tourist trap/local greenhouse. I assume they must have some sort of arrangement with the owners to get the tour buses to stop so they could sell ice cream and sodas to the tourists.

Overall the geysers and the waterfalls were worth seeing. I could have done without the cathedral and the tourist trap at the end.

I tried to exercise a lot of patience during the day as I have a natural loathing towards tourists. I managed to make it through. But by the end I had a massive headache and couldn't wait to get back to the hotel. The bus let most of the people off back at the terminal then drove the rest of us to our respective hotels. Naturally, I was the last stop. As the massive bus lurched around the corners of Reykjavik, I cringed every time we passed a street lamp or signal light, narrowly missing by inches.

I was thankful to finally get back into my room, where I quickly passed out from exhaustion and fell asleep. Now today is all about meetings before I head to Amsterdam Tuesday morning.

PS - If it sounds like I am not having fun, it's not true. I am enjoying my time here. It's just some of the touristy things aren't all that impressive.

Reykjavik - Day 1

Greetings from Reykjavik!

The journey here was quite an adventure. First, I was talking with the driver taking me to the airport and it turns out he is an actor. So we talked a bit about the film business. But mostly we talked about the horrible traffic in LA.

Then I got on the plane and found out that Delta's business class is anything but. It was an old Boeing 767, with none of the amenities you get on other business class flights. Most business class plaes have the in seat monitor in back of the seat in front of you. But instead, they had a tiny flip up monitor. In addition, there was no under seat storage so everything had to go in the overhead compartments. On top of everything, we took off 30 minutes late due to "weather" in New York.

I was halfway through the flight to JFK when I look over and see that the woman next to me is working on something for My Little Pony. It turns out that she works for an advertising and marketing firm that does a lot of business with The Hub, who are in the same building where I work. So I told her that I work in international distribution and we started talking about foreign adaptations of American TV series.

Got to JFK, had an hour layover. So I went over to the business class lounge and grabbed a cup of coffee and a cookie before heading down to the gate.

The flight to Iceland was pretty uneventful. At least with this flight they gave you a glass of champagne upon boarding. It's a nice touch that airlines give to business class passengers. But it was still the old model airplane that hadn't been remodeled, so still the tiny monitor and no under seat storage. Got maybe an hour or two of sleep before we landed.

We got into Iceland around 10AM. A group of us coming off the plane made a wrong turn and somehow managed to get back into the boarding area. They escorted us back down to the immigration area. After a long line for immigration, I went and got my bus ticket to take me into Reykjavik proper. It wasn't nearly as cold as I thought it was going to be. The temperature was in the mid 50s. Cold enough to need a coat but that's about it.

The bus ride took about 90 minutes, even though it's only about 40 miles away, because the speed limit here in Iceland is 50 kph (30 mph). Got to the airport and it was close to noon. Unfortunately, my room wasn't ready so I had a couple of hours to kill.

Thoughts on Reykjavik:

So I walked around Reykjavik for a couple hours. I walked down Laugavegur, which is the main street here in town. The town itself is pretty small, population is 120,000 for the city proper, with approximately 200,000 people in the greater Reykjavik area. It has a weird, artsy vibe to it from what I saw. There were a lot of museums and craft stores. There was also a lot of graffiti and street art. It felt like a combimnation of Vail and Santa Cruz, with a touch of Helsinki. The architecture here is very minimalist and unpretentious. It's got a very Scandinavian feel to it. Scandinavians love their minimalism, as anyone who has been to Ikea can attest.

I did stop in at their equivalent to the 7-11, a small Video store/diner comination and had a hamburger and fries. I did some research by looking to see which distributor had which titles. Visiting other countries is not just about meeting the broadcasters, it's also about doing research, finding out what movies are in the theaters, who distributes the different DVD titles, and what's on the different TV channels.

Finally got back to the hotel and my room still wasn't ready, so I grabbed a coffee and sat down in the lobby, reading my book. Finally, the woman came over and gave me my room keycard. By that point I was so exhausted, I was glad to be in the room. I struggled to stay awake as long as possible. I watched some documentary on Joe Strummer that was on TV, took a shower, then went to bed around 3pm.

It's about 3AM now here in Reykjavik. It's still light out. I don't think the sun ever fully goes down at this time of the year. Today I'll probably dome some more touristy things like check out the Golden Circle, which includes waterfalls and other sights to see. There's also a geothermal blue lagoon that is supposed to be a must see.

There you have it. Tried and failed not to be too verbose. I'll keep you updated on my sales trip through Europe over the next week.

Finished!

Last night we reviewed Act 3 of my second script for the UCLA Professional Screenwriting Program. Then afterward a bunch of us went out for beers.

It was nice to be done with the program and done with both scripts. We will be getting our certificates on June 14th.

Here are some initial reflections on the program.

Even though the program is only a year program. I still learned a great deal. I can honestly say that I am a much better writer having gone through it. Before I started, I had completed about 3 scripts. Although I had started probably about 20 scripts that I never finished. It was nice to have that time constraint that forces you to sit down and write every week. Probably the best thing I gained was the daily routine and habit of constantly writing. It has become so ingrained into my system that it feels weird not to write.

In terms of the program itself, a lot of the basics were review, stuff we already knew. But it was nice to go over it again, since these are important building blocks that can take years, perhaps even decades, to master.

The students in the program varied in skill level. In my workshop of six students there were people who were fresh out of college, writing their first or second script. And then there were people like me who have been writing for a good 10-15 years and have several scripts under their belt. It was beneficial to have a varied level of experience, especially in getting feedback. Since everyone has different levels of opinions. I'm also personally biased towards the younger members, simply since they are closer to the average movie goer. People under 25 are much more likely to watch movies and television. And they are much bigger consumers of entertainment.

The structure itself was interesting. We had two classes a week. The first class would be a lecture covering one aspect of writing. Then the second class would be a workshop of 6-8 people. Each week we would bring in pages and get reactions from the members of the class. Of course, you always have to take notes with a grain of salt. First drafts are usually pretty bad and unfocused. I know for myself, during first draft I'm usually trying to break the story and figure out what it is really about.

The first two quarters are spent writing a script. This averages out to about 10 pages a week. The third quarter you write another script. It's a race to get the script completed in time. Of course everyone complains about having to write a script in such a short time frame. The studios might give you ten weeks to a first draft. But if you work in the independent world or for TV, you will have to write a first draft in a few weeks. So this is good discipline to learn for your writing career, depending on where you work.

Of course, both of the scripts that I finished are nowhere near ready to send out. It will take probably 5-6 rewrites before I'm ready to send to anyone in the industry. But the key is to have a network of people that you can show your scripts that will give you valuable feedback. There's nothing worse than showing a draft to someone too early.You have to figure out where in the chain you can show it to someone. There's this idea that on your first draft, you want to send it to the people who are least critical. And with each subsequent draft, you send it to people who are more and more critical. It also seems best to only get notes from 2-3 people before doing another draft. More than that and you are wasting resources.

Those are my thoughts for now. I can easily go on. But I don't want to bore people.

Good luck and keep writing!

Agent/Manager Panel

As many of you know, I am finishing up my year in the Professional Program in Screenwriting at UCLA. It's been a long year but I have two scripts plus hundreds of hours of writing experience to show for it.

The culmination of the program is a panel with Agents and Managers. This is probably the most anticipated class of the year, as we plan our strategy on trying to make the next step in our careers.

I won't mention them by name for privacy's sake. But there were agents from ICM, Paradigm, and Kaplan-Stahler, in addition to managers from Benderspink and Underground. So we had various viewpoints from people in different areas of the agency/manager world.

Here is my usual disclaimer that the following notes are just the opinions of the speakers and may be different from what you have heard or what you read in the trades. These are people speaking mainly from their personal experience in their world.

Here are some notes, in no particular order:
1. Agents/Managers can handle different numbers of clients. The usual number is somewhere between 20 and 60, depending on how many clients they can handle at one time.

2. The bigger agencies will split between TV and Theatrical agents, whereas the smaller agencies might have agents that handle writers of various types. However, most have a team attitude where they will help each other out if possible.

3. The major difference between an agent and a manager is that an agent is more focused on the individual script or project. The manager is more concerned with developing the talent, helping them to find their voice and getting ready for the pitch. It's pretty common to have both but once you are established, it's less necessary.

4. Web Content - There is no money in making web content. However, it is a good way for beginning writers and directors to showcase their talent and get noticed so they can move up to the big leagues. They are constantly looking on Youtube, Funny Or Die, Vimeo, and other websites looking for original voices. They consider how many Twitter followers and how many Facebook fans you have.

5. Consider multi-platform and reverse engineering your script. They are also looking at other formats, books, graphic novels, blogs, shorts. Sometimes it's better to start as a graphic novel and then sell it as a movie.

6. Almost all of them said they do not consider unsolicited submissions. They said the best way to get read by an agent is through a referral. Find someone in the industry to read your script, a producer, a development exec, or even an assistant. If they like it, have them refer you to an agent or manager with which they have a personal relationship.

7. Assistants! I know I've said this before. Be nice to assistants. Get to know them. Because one day they will no longer be an assistant. They will eventually become an executive. If you develop that relationship, your career can grow with theirs. As an added bonus, they are generally more receptive. Their job is to find new talent and find new scripts.

8. The biggest mistake that writers make is being too precious and not being receptive to notes. If you don't want notes, don't send it to anyone. If your script is so precious that you can't change anything, then you should just go out and shoot it yourself. This is a collaborative business. They are there to help you and they talk to the studios and producers all the time. They have an idea of what they are looking for. If they give you a note, it's because they are trying to help you.

9. What are they looking for? A VOICE! They are looking for someone who is unique and original. They are looking for someone with their own style that has something to say. If you don't have this, it can be developed. This is where a manager helps. They can help you to develop your voice and figure out who you are as a writer.

10. Beginning writers also worry a lot about being pigeonholed or typecast. This is a good thing. You want to be the go-to guy for a certain type of film. Once you have a couple of features or script sales under your belt, then you can try to break out of that and try something different. If you want to break out of that rut, the best way is to write a kick ass spec script of the genre you want to try next. But you may have to take a pay cut since they will be taking a chance that you can deliver on something outside of your repertoire. If you try to write a bunch of different genres, they won't know how to sell you. So you will have a much harder time getting meetings or getting any jobs.

11. For TV writers, everyone right now is looking for an original pilot script as a writing sample that shows your unique voice as a writer. (I've said this before.) Another possibility is to write a spec script for an existing show but do a new and original take on it. For example, a couple of guys wrote a Small Wonder spec script but they positioned it as a very dark comedy. Another writer wrote a Jersey Shore spec script. They won't sell these, but they get you noticed.

12. The best way to start as a writer is to find a manager who can work with you to develop your voice and to help you perfect your pitches and to help you get your scripts ready to go out. Then you would go and get an agent when you are ready. (I've heard that sometimes managers aren't for everyone. If you know who you are as a writer and have ppl that can provide feedback, it might not be as necessary.) Managers will sometimes go over a pitch with a writer about 7-10 times to make sure it's perfect before they go to meet with the studios.

13. Some of the larger agencies have in house lawyers that you can use. But they almost all recommended you get your own outside lawyer who is looking out for your interests. An in house attorney at an agency probably has hundreds of contracts they are working on so you won't get an attention from them.

14. Interestingly, they said they rarely looked at film festivals or screenwriter labs. They all said that by the time a project is at a festival or lab, they've probably already seen it. However, they did recommend a couple of screenwriting contests like the Nicholls, Page and the Goldwyn awards.

15. One last note, right now they said no one is buying period or straight drama pieces. But you really shouldn't limit yourself. Write what you want to write. Just because period pieces aren't selling right now, they might come back in style in a couple of years. Don't take production issues into mind when writing. It's better to write a great script, sell it, then have to tweak it to fit the needs of the producer or studio.

Ok. Those are the major points that I got from the panel. So get out there and start networking. Find an assistant to harass. Develop your voice. And sell your script!

Common Mistakes By Independent Filmmakers

I watch a lot of movies for my job. Over the past ten years, I've probably seen thousands of movies. Most of these are from independent filmmakers looking to gain distribution. There are certain mistakes I see independent filmmakers making time and time again. It's not even beginning filmmakers, this is common among people that have made 10 or 20 independent films. They keep making these mistakes and that's a large part of what's holding them back and preventing them from transitioning to the mainstream.

Here are a couple of common mistakes I see all the time:

1. Trying to do it all yourself. When I see the same person has written/directed/produced/edited/filmed the piece, I know it's going to be bad. Find your strengths and stick to them. There are a lot of really talented people who would love the opportunity to work on your film. Let them. Find the best editor you can. Find the best director of photography.

2. Don't get too married to the script. I've seen too many films with stilted and artificial dialogue. Or unfunny jokes kept in that should have been cut. Writing is rewriting. If you see something isn't working, rewrite it. Allow your actors to improvise. Some are better at it then others. If they come up with something good, keep it. Don't let them say whatever they want. But if a certain line doesn't feel right, change it. Of course it goes without saying that you need to lock your script at least a week before shooting. Nothing annoys actors more than constant changes right before they film. But also, allow for discovery and improv while shooting. Sometimes a throwaway line that they come up with on the spot can be better than anything you could have written.

3. No resolution to your film. Too many filmmakers try to be arty by leaving the ending open. It very very rarely works. Try to wrap up the story as much as possible. Then once you have the resolution, end the film as quickly as possible after that. Unless you have an interesting twist or new bit of information at the end, then there's no need to keep it going. Although the end of the film isn't exactly a place to put out new information. Just finish it and move on.

4. Info dump at the beginning. If you start the film with a fourteen minute monologue about everything that has happened before the film, there's no way an audience will stick with you through that. It's best to space out the information over the course of the film. If the audience doesn't absolutely have to know it, then cut it out.

5. Don't depend on your friends. I know this sounds harsh. Unless your friend works in the film business, it's best not to use them. Sure you can have them come in for a day and be an extra. But anything above that is setting yourself up for disaster. I learned this the hard way. It's better to find eager, hard working film students or other people who want to work on films. They will work their hearts out to try and make the best film possible. Your friends are only there to help you as a favor. They don't want to be there. If you want to retain that friendship, let them come to the premiere and leave it at that.

Those are five common mistakes I see in independent films. I'll post more as I think of them. What do you guys think? Are there certain mistakes you guys see in independent films that happen a lot? Let me know in the comments.

A Negative Hole Of Despair

No. I am not talking about myself. I am talking about other people. You know how you meet some people and instantly your hackles are raised? You get a sense that there's something just not right with this person. I met a person like that tonight.

In my 37 years on this planet I've learned it's best to simply avoid people like that. Don't try to engage them. Don't try to fight them or get sucked into their black hole of despair. It's best to simply smile at them and walk away, knowing that it's them, not you, that has the problem. I've learned that people like this want others to join in their despair by bringing you down.

When they enter the room, it's like all of the oxygen has left the room. When you tell a joke, they look at you blankly. You smile at them and you're greeted with nothing other than a blank stare. Others have told me to stick it out, try to make it work. But my gut is telling me it's not worth it. My gut is telling me to run away so that I am not forced to spend the next ten weeks with this person. My experience has been to ignore my gut at my own peril. It's been a hard earned lesson.

I also practice this at work. I work in sales and prefer to do business with happy and well adjusted people. You run into people like this occasionally in the line of work. And frankly I think it's better to say "I'm sorry. Doesn't seem like our two companies are right for each other" and walk away. If there's one thing I've learned is that if people are difficult in the buying process, they're going to be just as difficult down the line when you try to fulfill their orders, get the contract signed and get paid. It's money not worth taking. There are other people who are more than willing to give you their money and do it with a smile. Life's too short to deal with people like this.

So I am in the process of trying to change things so I won't have to do with this person ever again. Sometimes it's just not worth the hassle and frustration. I have to ask myself, is it worth all the pain of dealing with this person in order to get what I want? I'm at a stage in my life where I have the luxury to avoid people like this. It's a wonder what having money does. It gives you enormous freedom to walk away from things that don't make sense for you.

But I guess this goes back to what I have said before about turning down jobs that don't seem right. The things that bug you in the interview are going to become huge fucking obstacles if you decide to work there. So weigh your decisions carefully. Sometimes it's just not worth it.

Tips On Pitching

Recently we had a lecture in class from Michael Colleary, the writer of such films as Face/Off, Tomb Raider and Firehouse Dog.

Part of his lecture was several useful tips on pitching. Pitching is an important part of being a writer in Hollywood.

The ritual of the pitch:
1. Show Up. (Get there early.)

2. No drive on. (You'll get there and they won't have a drive on pass for you. It's not personal. But give yourself time for them to sort this out.)

3. Water - If they offer it to you, take it. They will take you to the reception room, where you will wait.

4. Conference Room - They will usually take you to a conference room. The person who comes in after you is the one who can say maybe. (The real decision maker probably won't be at your initial pitch.)

5. Chitchat. Don't dive directly into your pitch. Get to know them as people before starting.

6. Eventually someone will say "Okay." From then on, the room is yours, you are in control. Just remember that you are there to convince them that your idea will make them money and will make them rich.

7. Start by laying out your plan for the pitch. "I'm going to..., then I will answer questions." That way they won't interrupt you during the pitch and mess with your rhythm. Start with Act 1 "We begin in..." Set the time and place for the story. Orient them. When you get to the end of Act 1, then say "End of Act 1. Act 2 begins with..." Otherwise, they might get lost and not know where in the movie they are. When you are done, say "The end." Don't pitch every little detail. Leave room for questions. Entire pitch shouldn't take more than 10 minutes.

8. When you are done, get out. Say "Thank you." and leave. Don't leave anything behind. No outlines or anything else. If they need to tell someone else, let them know you can come back any time to pitch their boss or whoever else needs to hear it. But don't dawdle. Make them feel you are very busy and on to your next meeting.

That's it. Simple. The more you pitch, the better you get. Most writers I know hate pitching. But it's an essential skill that can be the difference between being a working writer and being stuck working at a coffee shop.

Questions To Ask Potential Distributors

Seems I get this question from a lot of first time filmmakers facing the daunting task of what to do after you finish your film. The traditional route is to go to film festivals, then seek out a distributor. This is not necessarily the best course of action for every film. But since I have spent the past decade in independent film distribution, I thought I would take a moment to give some quick advice on how to qualify a potential distributor.

We've all heard the horror stories of independent filmmakers that have been ripped off by shady distributors that cook the books, refuse to pay royalties, or charge weird fees with no explanation. I hate these guys as much as you do. They give the rest of us a bad name. If this does happen to you, contact IFTA, the Independent Film and Television Alliance. The alliance is an organization of independent film distributors and keeps track of the different distributors out there. Also check to see if they already have complaints against them.

Since the world of distribution is a closed world, not many people are well versed in all of the independent distribution companies. I've been doing this for awhile and there are new companies popping up every day.

So if you are seeking distribution, or you have been approached by a potential distributor, here are 5 quick questions to ask them:

1. What are some of the other films that they have acquired? Are they theatrical films or TV movies? Are they films similar to yours?

2. Who do they do business with? Do they sell to theatrical distributors, broadcasters, VOD platforms? Basically, you want to know their level of reach. If they can't point to a successful track record of selling films to major distributors or broadcasters, then what makes them think they can do it with your film?

3. Which film festivals/markets do they attend? You want to be sure that your film will get the exposure needed. If they aren't out in the market selling your film, then how do they expect to sell it? Some of the major film markets include Cannes, Toronto, EFM in Berlin, AFM, and FILMART. The major TV markets are MIPTV, MIPCOM, ATF, and DISCOP. Don't think that only TV buyers go to TV markets and vice versa. Broadcasters go to film markets and Theatrical distributors go to TV markets.

4. What type of company are they? Are they a producer's rep, sales agent, or distributor? Typically a producer's rep or sales agent will take a percentage but offer no money up front. A distributor will usually pay a license fee as an advance against sales and take a small percentage of the sales that they do. One is not better than the other. If you are starting out, it may be difficult to get yourself a distributor without a sales agent or producer's rep guiding you through the process. Whatever you do, do not pay a sales agent or producer's rep to handle your film up front. I've heard of some unscrupulous agents charging as much as a $5,000 fee to handle your film. If they think they can sell it, you shouldn't have to pay them. If they are asking for a fee up front, then they think they can't sell your film. You're better off doing it yourself.

5. What sort of marketing presence do they have? Do they have a website with trailers and artwork posted? Do they take out ads in the trades? What sort of an online presence do they have? Do they have a Twitter feed and a Facebook page? Also important to look online to see what people are saying about them.

This is just a start. For a more in depth view of distributors, please check out Mark Litwak's Dealmaking Tips.

Just be aware that if you have a small self-financed film with no stars, that an advance is not likely. When I started out, you could get six figure advances for small films with no stars. Nowadays, that sort of advance is increasingly rare. This is why it is more important than ever to vet your distributor and make sure they are the right partner for your film.

Also, be sure to check out my other post: 10 Tips For Independent Filmmakers Seeking Distribution

Writing, writing, writing.

Haven't been blogging a lot of the past few months, simply due to overwhelming workload. Between working full time and the UCLA screenwriting program, I have very little time for anything else.

But I have gotten a lot done on the writing side. So far I have finished the rewrite of Dead Joan and it's currently out to a couple of people for their feedback. I'm also about 40 pages into the first draft of Run For The Money, a heist movie that I am writing for class. I'd have more written but they only want you to do 10 pages a week, which takes me about two days to write. (Or one day if I am on a deadline.) I also have a sci-fi action film that I started writing over the holidays, I'm about 38 pages into that one. The title is a secret. I'll just call it AFC for now.

My writing schedule is pretty intense. I write two hours a night Mon-Thursday and about 4 hours on Saturday and Sunday, which gives me Friday as my night off if I want it. Although I sometimes write that day as well. This week was a little different. I wrote Friday night and took Saturday off.

I'm really enjoying it. Although I am not sure I can keep up this schedule indefinitely. It's pretty intense. I think taking some time off to do rewriting is probably useful. By this summer, I should have 3, maybe 4 scripts that are completed. Of course, they'll still need to be rewritten. But that's for another day.