How risky is this move?

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  • #31
    Re: How risky is this move?

    Originally posted by nojustice View Post
    But asking writers to come up with 10 ideas a week diminishes them as writers.
    How?

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    • #32
      Re: How risky is this move?

      Originally posted by michaelb View Post
      And for the thousandth time, all of the unrepresemted writers on this forum need to combine execution with a commercial idea. Most here do not have the talent to go write jus anything and knock it outdo the park. You have to counter that lackmof talent with commercial ideas.
      Thank you for that comment. Makes me feel better about the effort I expend on idea triage. Of course, that's the opposite of the kind done at the hospital; I'm looking for the one that looked best when it came in. Doesn't make things easy; just less likely to result in death.

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      • #33
        Re: How risky is this move?

        Originally posted by michaelb View Post
        That's wrong on so many levels. A manager and a writer's relationship should be viewed as a partnership. You can't just go off and write an idea because you like it without vetting it by your manager. What if there are 10 other projects like that? What if it is not a viable idea? I could go on and on, but the main point being, run the idea by your reps.

        If a strong idea is often "unwritable", then it was in fact, not a strong idea.

        Message arrived. Thanks for the input.

        I see that the manager owns a fishing fleet of writers and wants them to go to Newfoundland to get their catch, and not to the arctic circle or the Sargasso Sea (where it's kind of tough to fish), even thought the writers might think it's a more inspiring place to fish.
        "Ecco il grande Zampano!"

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        • #34
          Re: How risky is this move?

          Originally posted by Ulysses View Post
          Message arrived. Thanks for the input.

          Would you say it's better for the writer to think ideas through before presenting them to his manager? Having a story outline rather than just a logline or a lonely paragraph?
          It can be as simple as "What about 4 guys that go to Vegas for a bachelor party, but get so hammered they lose the groom and now must find him before the wedding." From that core idea, your reps can say "Hmm, sounds pretty good, tell me more" and then you can write out the paragraph. The X amount of ideas per week just need to be that, simple ideas to vet with your reps.
          twitter.com/mbotti

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          • #35
            Re: How risky is this move?

            Originally posted by michaelb View Post
            The X amount of ideas per week just need to be that simple.
            The reason I think this practise diminishes writers, is because it perceives the writer as a purveyor of gimmicky ideas, and I don't believe this is the way great or memorable movies are written.

            Have you ever asked them to come up with ten themes in a week?

            And you haven't answered my question, not that you're obliged to of course, but how many of these ideas have you eventually sold as a spec?

            Are we able to know the titles?

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            • #36
              Re: How risky is this move?

              Originally posted by michaelb View Post
              It can be as simple as "What about 4 guys that go to Vegas for a bachelor party, but get so hammered they lose the groom and now must find him before the wedding." From that core idea, your reps can say "Hmm, sounds pretty good, tell me more" and then you can write out the paragraph. The X amount of ideas per week just need to be that, simple ideas to vet with your reps.

              Didn't this very thing happen to a rep or something? Spinks maybe? Or am I misremembering?

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              • #37
                Re: How risky is this move?

                Originally posted by michaelb View Post
                Maybe naive for you. Sorry, but I work in the business at a high level. I represent great creative writers and directors. I know many writers that write 5 ideas down per day, let alone 10 per week. If you can't think of 10 ideas (good or bad) per week, you're probably not working in the same level of Hollywood that I am. And even if you are "diving into the script", almost all writers are able to multi-task. To survive in Hollywood, you have to.
                I know plenty of extremely successful screenwriters who would tell their newly minted manager to go fvck himself if he demanded that they e-mail him ten ideas a week.

                Different writers have different processes. Some develop ideas constantly; some take one idea and hone it until it's great. (Adaptation did a fantastic job of showing two of those archetypes.) I would think that part of being a good manager would be understanding that not all of your clients will benefit from one particular exercise.

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                • #38
                  Re: How risky is this move?

                  Originally posted by nojustice View Post
                  The reason I think this practise diminishes writers, is because it perceives the writer as a purveyor of gimmicky ideas, and I don't believe this is the way great or memorable movies are written.

                  Have you ever asked them to come up with ten themes in a week?

                  And you haven't answered my question, not that you're obliged to of course, but how many of these ideas have you eventually sold as a spec?

                  Are we able to know the titles?
                  You are understanding this wrong. If you were a working writer in Hollywood then you probably would understand (don't take that as a shot, the fact is, Hollywood writers know they have to come up with ideas unless they are the big level guys that are always writing on assignment, and those guys don't need the same help coming up with ideas).

                  Yes, those ideas have gone on to be set up around town and major companies. That being said, I don't need to defend what I know (I'm working on Hollywood, most here are not).
                  twitter.com/mbotti

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                  • #39
                    Re: How risky is this move?

                    Originally posted by Hamboogul View Post
                    Didn't this very thing happen to a rep or something? Spinks maybe? Or am I misremembering?
                    Yes, on Tripp Vinson's bachelor party. You can read about it on deadline. It was the basis of the idea for The Hangover.
                    twitter.com/mbotti

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                    • #40
                      Re: How risky is this move?

                      Originally posted by MrEarbrass View Post
                      I know plenty of extremely successful screenwriters who would tell their newly minted manager to go fvck himself if he demanded that they e-mail him ten ideas a week.

                      Different writers have different processes. Some develop ideas constantly; some take one idea and hone it until it's great. (Adaptation did a fantastic job of showing two of those archetypes.) I would think that part of being a good manager would be understanding that not all of your clients will benefit from one particular exercise.
                      Successful writers don't need help coming up with ideas the same way newly established ones do. And again, 10 is an arbitrary number. The point being, which was the whole point of this thread, is you should run your ideas by your reps. And while you are in that "what to write for Hollywood" stage, you should be sending in X amount per week.

                      Yes, I understand clients all work in many different ways. Maybe an aspiring writer should understand that those of us who have working clients know what we are talking about, as we know how the game is played, and perhaps shouldn't be arguing mundane points? Just saying....
                      twitter.com/mbotti

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                      • #41
                        Re: How risky is this move?

                        Todd, you were right. BDZ was right. Don't engage. I get it now.
                        twitter.com/mbotti

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                        • #42
                          Re: How risky is this move?

                          Originally posted by Kermet Key
                          My junior year I took a one-on-one elective course with my screenwriting professor (he had been a Nicholl's finalist) where I was to design the course and the goal. I wanted to write a feature that semester (first draft) and I had created my first assignment: pitch 10 ideas that we would eventually whittle down to the best 2 and I would pick the one I wanted (it included writing 5 two page treatments - Lew Hunter style - for the top 5). I came up with those 10 ideas in one evening. You dedicate 1-2 hours to come with up ideas and you'll come up with 10 ideas easily. Then you can spend the rest of the week doing whatever it is you do. 10 ideas a week is nada. No one is saying all ten will be good, or even decent, but if you can't come up with 10 ideas a week you lack imagination and you're in the wrong business. That's not intended to offend or debate, it's just fact.
                          Exactly.
                          twitter.com/mbotti

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                          • #43
                            Re: How risky is this move?

                            Originally posted by michaelb View Post
                            Todd, you were right. BDZ was right. Don't engage. I get it now.
                            Me, too!

                            Comment


                            • #44
                              Re: How risky is this move?

                              I think you can practice coming up with ideas just like you can practice anything else. While reading this thread I was just watching this show on TV and I thought "How could I make this into a script?" and then I had a pretty damn good idea that I think I'm going to pursue. I do that all the time - just stop whatever I'm doing and think about how to turn it into a story. Sometimes that idea is stupid. Sometimes it's not.
                              Chicks Who Script podcast

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                              • #45
                                Re: How risky is this move?

                                Originally posted by michaelb View Post
                                Successful writers don't need help coming up with ideas the same way newly established ones do. And again, 10 is an arbitrary number. The point being, which was the whole point of this thread, is you should run your ideas by your reps. And while you are in that "what to write for Hollywood" stage, you should be sending in X amount per week.

                                Yes, I understand clients all work in many different ways. Maybe an aspiring writer should understand that those of us who have working clients know what we are talking about, as we know how the game is played, and perhaps shouldn't be arguing mundane points? Just saying....
                                Maybe you should drop the condescending tone and allow for the possibility that there are pros on this site beyond the three people you know. One of whom made a number of interesting points earlier, which you completely blew off.

                                The point beneath the "mundane" of this argument is that some managers think their role is to advise their clients and some think their role is to direct their clients. I have seen the latter do a lot of harm to numerous writers--aspiring or otherwise.

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