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gracenote
05-10-2009, 10:10 PM
I submitted my script to a major production company who said they liked the story and if I made it "more studio" they would consider it. It's a slightly subversive romantic company, somewhere between an Indie and a mainstream film. Any suggestions and guidelines on making it it "more studio?"
madyellowduck
05-10-2009, 10:15 PM
I submitted my script to a major production company who said they liked the story and if I made it "more studio" they would consider it. It's a slightly subversive romantic company, somewhere between an Indie and a mainstream film. Any suggestions and guidelines on making it it "more studio?"

Make it non-subversive :)
gracenote
05-10-2009, 10:33 PM
Make it non-subversive :)

Actually they said they liked the subversive element, which they described as a "Juno-like curiousness, post-taboo and commercial." It has more to do with the setting, placing it against a bigger backdrop, heightening the subplots, giving it more scale... Maybe someone has some examples from other romantic comedies...
BattleDolphinZero
05-10-2009, 10:51 PM
Actually they said they liked the subversive element, which they described as a "Juno-like curiousness, post-taboo and commercial." It has more to do with the setting, placing it against a bigger backdrop, heightening the subplots, giving it more scale... Maybe someone has some examples from other romantic comedies...

Dude/or Chick, what they say is heroine poppy ****.

You look at the movies studios are making. THAT'S what they want. Every writer thinks they can be the one who writes that "different" thing the studios will make, yet the studios are making less and less "different" films every year. It gets more rigid by the day.

If you're gonna go for it, don't gild the lilly. Go for it. And "Juno" ain't it, regardless what they say.

All IMO of course.
gracenote
05-10-2009, 10:53 PM
Dude/or Chick, what they say is heroine poppy ****.

You look at the movies studios are making. THAT'S what they want. Every writer thinks they can be the one who writes that "different" thing the studios will make, yet the studios are making less and less "different" films every year. It gets more rigid by the day.

If you're gonna go for it, don't gild the lilly. Go for it. And "Juno" ain't it, regardless what they say.

All IMO of course.

Agreed. So how do I make it more studio? I'm not sure what that means...
madyellowduck
05-11-2009, 12:41 AM
Agreed. So how do I make it more studio? I'm not sure what that means...

If you're looking to get usable suggestions, it's too difficult without anyone having read the screenplay or at least have some idea of what the story is about.
jodeb
05-11-2009, 04:18 AM
It has more to do with the setting, placing it against a bigger backdrop, heightening the subplots, giving it more scale...

IMO, they gave you a few clues right there. If it's set in a simple apartment with the female and male leads on the same level, add some obstacles: Possibly have the male wealthy, living in a mansion with snobby parents who look down on the simple *Junoesque* heroine.

Add more involvement of your subplot characters, perhaps some from the *wealthier* group, a few from the average group. Give them a life, their own story, maybe a sister of the wealthy guy who gave up her poor lover to marry one of the wealthier types and is secretly miserable. Maybe she even meets her old *poorish* boyfriend on the side?

Just some thoughts to make the screenplay less linear as it dips into the subplots and gives them more life, but still interwines with the central plot?
scruffdiva
05-11-2009, 10:22 AM
Maybe a silly question but did you ask them what "more studio" meant?
Ravenlocks
05-11-2009, 02:05 PM
Trying to read between the lines without having read the script, my guess would be they mean the stakes aren't high enough.
Telly
05-11-2009, 02:25 PM
Maybe a silly question but did you ask them what "more studio" meant?

winner, winner, winner!

Just call them, "more studio" is too subjective to ask in here. The easy answer is call and ask them yourself.
odriftwood
05-11-2009, 02:56 PM
So how do I make it more studio? I'm not sure what that means...


I would take this to mean "how can we sell this to a studio?" Do you have decent trailer moments in the movie? If it's a romantic comedy does the title tell you everything you need to know about the story (i.e. WEDDING CRASHERS, 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN).

studio means more money for budget means return on their investment means solid marketing means trailer moments.
docgonzo
05-11-2009, 03:07 PM
Honestly, I think you're better off posing this question to someone (preferably more than one) who has read the script. They'll give you a much better answer than anyone here. You part of a writer's group? Have a select few trusted readers? Ask them.
scruffdiva
05-11-2009, 04:20 PM
I still think you should probably ask them what they mean because this could be taken in so many directions. Asking for too many opinions might take you so far away from what they mean that you might miss the deal in the long run.
foolishdalit
05-13-2009, 06:45 PM
Maybe it's a metaphor. Like "Needs more cowbell"?

Being an incorrigible subversive, I say make it as dumbed down and one-dimensional as they want it, just brimming with fluff and bathos, but then hide all the really cool stuff in Kierkegaardian duplicity that isn't detectable by the naked eye without LSD. Nobody even knows they're getting their heads messed with. They think it's a happy family film and you're rolling in the aisle in laughter. Now, that's Studio!