Bad in a Room

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  • Bad in a Room

    I just read Ricther's "To Live in LA" post, asking what he/she should be doing as a screenwriter while living there. I didn't want to hijack the post, so thought I'd start a tangent.

    I often hear the adage that screenwriters need to be "good in a room." I sort of bristle at this. I became a writer because I'm decidedly bad in rooms full of people. I have a couple of books under my belt--put out by a decent publishing house in NYC--and I had an agent who was good in a room for me.

    How important is it for a screenwriter to be a salesperson or a passionate advocate for their projects? Does having an introverted, off-putting personality doom one as a screenwriter? Am I better off locking myself in my basement and cranking out books?

  • #2
    Re: Bad in a Room

    I feel you and I share your problems. After x-teen meetings with various producers and execs I've found there are several points to keep in mind. Those work for me, at least.

    This is an industry of oddballs and egomaniacs. People are used to the crazy and believe me you're not the least socially apt person they're talking to today. Especially if they're meeting writers.

    That said, being as normal as possible goes a long way. Forget turning into this crazy-ass salesman whose pitches steal everybody's hearts. Be polite and smiling and don't brag and don't ****-talk anyone. The primary goal of an industry meeting is finding out if you're insane. If the answer is negative, you've already won. You want to be normal, non-problematic, enthusiastic and polite. A grown-up in the room. Don't try to impress anyone.

    The only thing that might be harder than your regular talk with a stranger on a bus is that you need to present a degree of enthusiasm about your pitch or whatever you've come with. Be excited and positive. That's all.

    In the order of importance:
    1) not insane, unproblematic, trustworthy
    2) excited, enthusiastic about project
    3) N/A

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    • #3
      Re: Bad in a Room

      Pitching is very important for a screenwriting career. 95% of my income comes from pitching, either my own stuff or to land open writing assignments. Good news is, you don't need to be an incredible pitcher. Plenty of writers aren't. But you still have to do it, it's part of the job. And you'll get better. Don't sweat it, you'll find a groove.
      https://twitter.com/DavidCoggeshall
      http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1548597/

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      • #4
        Re: Bad in a Room

        Originally posted by ProfessorChomp View Post
        Pitching is very important for a screenwriting career. 95% of my income comes from pitching, either my own stuff or to land open writing assignments. Good news is, you don't need to be an incredible pitcher. Plenty of writers aren't. But you still have to do it, it's part of the job. And you'll get better. Don't sweat it, you'll find a groove.
        What the good Professor said, and to help in that regard I've found that improv classes can help with pitching as well as character and dialogue.
        Just my 2 cents, your mileage may vary.

        -Steve Trautmann
        3rd & Fairfax: The WGAW Podcast

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        • #5
          Re: Bad in a Room

          Thanks for the insight. You've all been very helpful!

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          • #6
            Re: Bad in a Room

            I've seen Improv do amazing things for shy people.


            Ditto that suggestion.


            P
            A
            R
            D
            A
            C
            K

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            • #7
              Re: Bad in a Room

              I think you should def be passionate about your own project - and not in a cheesy, parody-of-a-pitch kind of way. Just passionate in the same way you would be if you were at a bar and you were telling your buddy about this great idea you were writing.

              There are tons of bells and whistles that really help "sell- yourself and your project these days. If you're pitching an original you will most def benefit from a pitch deck, a sizzle reel, casting ideas. People prefer pictures to words and honestly standing in front of execs and blabbering on for 20 mins without any visual aid is SUPER hard. Some people are excellent at turning it into a performance (mainly- you guessed it- actors turned writers). But often those guys write shoddy scripts because the curtain is pulled after they sell the pitch.

              If you pitch on an assignment you definitely have to take into account that you are competing with other writers. Sometimes the approach of NOT going all jazz hands will serve you better because the execs could see through the performative stuff and just focus on the writing itself.

              Another example comes to mind. A friend of mine lives in New York City and has been hired on a dozen high-end assignments. He is an assignment killing machine. The amazing thing is that every single one of his pitch meetings has been over the phone. People are aware of his writing, they have met him in general meetings, so he just conducts these assignment meetings over the phone with a document in front of him clearly breaking down what he will present to them. Of course they cannot see this document so what they hear on the other end is a highly polished guy delineating his idea to them clearly and confidently.

              I wouldn't lock yourself in a basement . There are many amazing screenwriters who aren't great in a room. Just make sure you know where your strengths lie and compensate for your weaknesses in a clever, creative way.

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