John August

QandA

As good as the Good Book?

Adaptation, QandA

questionmarkRegarding Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, do you believe that the new version, the 1971
original, and the book should all be separated into different levels,
free from critique of each other? They all have their uniqueness, just
based on the same story.

I’ve never heard someone say “Oh yes, Passion of the Christ was great, but it wasn’t as good as the Bible.”

— Caleb Aaron Osment
Tasmania, Australia

I don’t have an answer — it’s not really a question — but I like your analogy.

Curse of the Pop-In

Film Industry

flandersJosh Friedman, whose purported screenwriting blog is actually just an excuse to make up pseudonyms for our mutual acquaintances, recently wrote about almost bailing on an assignment because he didn’t want to drive to Santa Monica.

While that may sound ridiculous to most readers, I can relate. I increasingly share his Life’s Too Short principle, particularly when it comes to dealing with westside traffic.

His attempted solution is smart, but runs into a vexing problem:

Agent’s Assistant calls Producer Friend’s Assistant and says I want to convert Santa Monica meeting to a lunch. The assistant explains that this is not possible as Producer Friend’s Fancy Boss wants to “pop his head in the meeting.”

As far as I know, “pop-ins” are strictly a Hollywood phenomenon. Basically, the powerful boss who is too busy and important to have a sit-down meeting with you has several goals with this maneuver:

  1. Confirm that you are an actual person who appears sane.
  2. Establish dominance over the junior executive.
  3. Be able to say, “I met with Josh Friedman last week…”

Just this morning, I survived a pop-in. They’re not always bad.

But what can be very frustrating is the Pop-In That Never Comes. Here’s how it happens.

The meeting starts. You talk about the weekend’s movies. Executive says, “Fancy Boss will be popping in at some point.” You say, “Great.” You talk about the project. You make decisions. Someone takes notes. Everything is going well.

And at just the moment the meeting should be over, Executive realizes that Fancy Boss has never popped in. She goes to check on Fancy Boss, to see if he’s going to be able to stop in. Yes? No? Two minutes? How soon will he get here?

(You hear this conversation while you’re sitting in the Executive’s office, wondering why every single person in Hollywood has that big fat CENTURY book on her shelf.)

Executive comes back and apologizes, saying “Fancy Boss is running late, but he really wanted to meet you.” At this point, you’re officially screwed. You could demur and say that you have to get back to feed the baby (note: babies are handy excuses), but there’s no question that all the positive mojo has now been lost in a sea of awkwardness.

What usually happens is that just as you come up with your excuse, Fancy Boss swoops in, shakes your hand and then hurries away. The total encounter takes less than 30 seconds. And then you get a call later from your agent saying, “Fancy Boss said he really liked you…”

Sigh.

Should I fudge the date on the cover?

Formatting, QandA

questionmarkI have a question with regard to whether or not you should date scripts when sending them out.

Would it put someone off from looking at a script if they saw a date on the cover page that was one or two years old, (or more!) and therefore subconsciously make them think the idea is no longer “current”?

— Danni
Los Angeles

Yes, put the date on the cover. And as much as possible, try to keep it accurate and consistent. That way, when you’re talking with someone about your script, you can be assured you’re both talking about the same draft. More than once, I’ve sat down at a meeting and glanced at their script, only to realize they were looking at an old version.

That said, if you’re giving the script to someone new and important, and it’s been six months since your last revision, change the date. I don’t know about most readers, but I always tend to notice the year on the cover. Given the choice between a 2003 script and a 2005, I’ll always choose the more recent vintage. It’s a psychological thing.

And while we’re on the topic, there’s no need to put “First Draft” or “Second Revision” on the title page. The date is plenty.

Inevitably, a few days after a major revision, I’ll notice a bunch of typos. If it’s really just simple misspellings, fix them and keep the old date. If making the corrections changes page breaks and whatnot, use the new date.

Someone actually wants to read my script

Film Industry, QandA

questionmarkI am an aspiring writer/director who works for a major
studio in LA — nothing too exciting, just an entry
level position. But, the job allows me to run into
people who might be able to help me along the way.

Just tonight, I struck up a conversation with a woman
who just so happens to represent the writer of the TV
show at which I was working. I said that I was a
writer. She then handed me her card and said that
she’d like to read my scripts. I can imagine that she
probably hands out her card to many aspiring actors,
but I figure since she did tell me to send her myself,
I might as well. How should I go about that? What
should I include in the letter that I attach to the
script?

— Ryan
Los Angeles (originally from Michigan)

That sound you hear is the collective gasp of one thousand readers wishing they had your luck.

Pick your best script, the one that everyone likes. Write a short letter that says basically, “I really enjoyed meeting you yesterday at WHATEVER SHOW. I promised I’d send you my script, and I’m a man of my word. Attached is TITLE OF MY SCRIPT, a GENRE set in LOCATION that a lot of people seem to like. Here’s hoping you do, too.” And be sure to include your phone number or email, both on the letter and the script (in case she loses the letter).

Hurry, man! Run! Don’t waste a day and risk her forgetting who you are.

And let us know what happens.