Featured: the pitch
Why I bought Face/Off when every other studio passed Coming soon
What a buyer is really reacting to when a high-concept spec lands on the desk, and what the other studios missed.
The blog
Notes from the other side of the desk.
What studio executives actually look for, from someone who spent thirty years as one. On ideas, pitching, outlining, structure, rewrites and the business.
Coverage & notes
Script coverage, from the side of the desk that reads it
What's in a coverage report, what pass, consider and recommend really mean, and why I give mine on a live call.
The idea
How to write a logline: what a studio exec reads first
One sentence decides whether your script gets opened. How long it should be, what goes in it, and what to leave out.
Treatments & outlines
How to write a film treatment that gets read Soon
Length, tone and what to leave out, from someone who read hundreds of them at the studios.
Treatments & outlines
How to outline a screenplay before you write page one Soon
The outline is where most script problems are cheapest to fix.
Structure
Three-act structure examples from films I worked on Soon
How Face/Off and Pretty Woman actually break down, and why structure is a diagnosis, not a formula.
Television
How to write a TV pilot that sells the series Soon
A great episode isn't enough. Buyers need to see the engine for season two.
The pitch
How to pitch a screenplay: lessons from the buyer's chair Soon
What happens in the room after you leave, and how to shape the pitch around it.
The pitch
How to pitch a script to Netflix (and what really happens) Soon
Why streamers don't take unsolicited scripts, and the realistic routes in.
Coverage & notes
Script coverage example: what a studio reader's report looks like Soon
A sample coverage report with the pass, consider and recommend grid, explained by a former executive.
Coverage & notes
How to take script notes without losing your voice Soon
Separating the note from the fix, and knowing which notes to ignore.