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The process of rewriting the script during development is usually too tightly controlled. If you try to over-control and structure a writer through strict outlines, long sets of notes, treatments, etc., you’ll miss out on the marvelous things that come out of a good writer’s head when encouraged to improve on his work in a more constructive way.

Be constructive in your analysis of the various drafts with the writer. Focus more on the good things in the work than the problems or plot holes. Consult the writer’s creative understanding of the problems in the script, gently. Saying, “I like this bit, but I’m not getting it fully”, and suggesting you act out or improvise the scene with the writer goes a long way and helps them discover the plot hole or problem themselves… and they learn something.

Don’t coddle them, but urge them gently to do their best work. You need to always keep in mind that most talented writers are usually sensitive people who need a lot of support. You need to allow for the personal equation in the development of stories, which many people on the business side of film simply don’t understand. If you want a good script, you have to allow for it, because the best writing is the projection of a unique personality.

Every script, no matter how experienced the writer, will have technical errors, and these need to be ironed out with a director's and script editor’s discerning eyes. This is also where the group discusses the direction of the story and the strength of the story and scenes.

When you go into the development phase, the first thing that has to be done is to break down the script and restructure the story. In many cases, you have a script that was written using the 3-act structure or doesn’t contain a structure at all.

By tightening up the structure and developing the plot and characters, you have a better chance of entertaining the audience and making money at the box office.

Those attending the script conference should be the director, producer, writer, and PA. In some cases, sometimes further on in script development, you would include the director of photography, all who read the script and discuss elements of improvement. All those involved in the script meetings during development MUST possess screenplay-editing skills in order to correctly identify areas that need improvement and provide solutions. The reason for assigning a PA to the group is to mark up the script with all the agreed-upon improvements that have been discussed and give it to the writer.

Before sending it to you, most writers have already sent their script to a script analyst or script doctor who goes through the script with a red pen and makes notes right on the page (where the mistakes are made) where the writer can see them and can then make the recommended changes. To change this standard procedure and just give the writer reams of notes on separate paper is a useless exercise and most often won’t even be read, much less applied.

The first thing to do after you’ve greenlit a script for development is to break that script down to its structure parts. There are about 22 structure beats or plot-points to great stories, but the 8 listed below will give you the best basic framework to start with Surprisingly, these 8 points are missing in 90% of scripts, but every one of them are present in the twenty top grossing films of all time. Firstly, you want to know (in order):

1. The difficult situation the hero finds him or herself in at the beginning of the story.

2. The lack within the hero that has to be fulfilled by the end of the script if the hero is to have a good life. This is a personal problem like a fear, phobia or addiction. This doesn’t really have an effect on anyone but the hero (and those closest to them). On the other hand, you also want to know how the character acts in a negative way towards other people. This is character motivation—and what the actor means when they ask, “What’s my motivation? What is the justification for the character to do this or act like that?” Apart from what the hero and other characters do in the story, the audience has to have an emotional connection to the characters.

3. What does the hero want to achieve by the end of the movie? What’s his or her goal? Externally, the hero has some character flaws and his goal is directly connected to the problem he faces at the beginning of the story. We’re going to watch the hero fight overwhelming odds—over the course of the story—to get to his goal. But that’s not all. Internally, the hero also has fears, phobias, or addictions they have to overcome by the end of the story and become a better person and these are some of his obstacles to his goal. He’s getting in his own way on an emotional level and he’s treating people like crap. Overcoming this underlying lack in his life and learning how to treat people properly is what makes him go from wimp to winner or from a cynic to a participant in life.

4. Who is going to stop the hero from getting to his goal, and why? If the hero is having problems, there is always someone that is the major cause of them and who wants to stop the hero from getting to their goal. In order to have conflict we’ve got to have someone keep the hero from getting what he wants. For that Opponent to be a true opponent, he should have the same or a similar goal as the hero. He should also be the best person to expose the hero’s fears, addictions or phobias (their dark secrets) and stomp on them mercilessly. This competition is made more powerful if the opponent is a shadow aspect of the hero. In the Scottish play, Hicate is the shadow aspect of Macbeth.

5. The hero needs to have some kind of plan of how he’s going to reach his goal and deal with his opponent. In order to overcome the opponent and reach the goal the hero has to have some idea—some set of guidelines—that will help him reach that end. But so does the opponent. This punch-counter-punch is going to play out in the second act.

6. If you’re going to have an argument, it needs to lead to a battle. During the middle of the story, we have an escalating conflict where the hero and the opponent both fight for the goal. That’s the moment when the hero and the opponent battle to decide who is actually going to win. Punch-ups are boring and the two sides never learn much except that punches hurt. It has to be a battle of values, not a case of who is physically stronger or who has more power over the other. And someone will reach the goal in the battle. It’s a test. And by going through that battle, the hero must will undergo change or the writer must show clearly why they didn’t.

7. This test is so intense that the hero is forced to see himself for the first time as he really is. This is the Self-revelation. And this insight is so powerful that it does one of two things: either the hero realizes who he is for the first time and this gives him tremendous strength or what he learns about himself is so negative that it destroys him.

8. So we end the movie with everything back to normal but with one big difference, the hero has won or lost the goal, and has learned valuable lessons.

Producers and production executives often lack the patience needed to develop a good script. It might take three or four full drafts to get a screenplay into decent shape. The standard two drafts and a polish deal is usually inadequate if the author is a first-time writer. Screenplays must work on many levels: dramatically, cinematically, narratively, and all within a time limit. The producer has to be patient and understand that it’s difficult for a writer to achieve everything in two drafts. That is why the script conferences are so important. With the 8 points in hand, you can go into the conferences at least somewhat armed.

The area of rewriting is where most “development hell” raises its ugly head. Sparse development introduces problems where the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing.

The poor writer is subjected to being interrupted by people coming in and recommending script and scene changes without the changes being discussed and agreed upon in the script conferences first.

This is one of the scariest things an inexperienced writer faces. The other is being replaced by another on the project/script they originated. The reason for the script conferences is to help the writer create greater character development and depth, to enforce genre rules and open the door to transcending the genre and expanding the writer's creativity and knowledge…

When the proposed changes have been discussed and agreed on, the writer goes off to rewrite. Don’t give the writer endless notes because they actually don’t help but hinder the creative process. The meeting-rewrite back and forth continues as many times as the contract requires.

Editing a screenplay is a little like a puzzle—you change something, it throws everything else out of whack. This is why breaking down the script into its structure elements is so important. You have to be deeply involved in the process to edit a screenplay, and you get involved through discussion, reflection, and then more discussion. To really know the problems is to sympathize with them; this reflection will bring you closer to being able to help the writer and director solve the problems.

The catch phrases that development people sometimes use are clichéd and the rules they follow are too general. It is a mistake to use terms such as "character arc" and "character journey" when reviewing a screenplay. Using language like this only serves to alienate a writer. It’s not beneficial to the creative process to try to reduce screenplay writing to a formula.

Don’t try to develop projects without a director. Most writers feel more at ease developing a screenplay with a director rather than a producer or executive. The director has a great deal to do at this period in helping the writer to expand their visual horizons. Every scene means something and extracting this meaning with the writer's help and their intention for the scene makes the director and writer a great creative team. Two heads are better than one, and even a comment like “The family ain't Jewish enough. Here's how we make them more Jewish” can help the writer considerably in creating 3D characters that jump off the screen and archetype to the audience. This is why it's important to bring a director in at development rather than treat them as a director-for-hire before principle photography and say “Here's the script, direct it as written”.

Also, be careful of overdeveloping the script. Overdevelopment happens when a producer has trouble setting up a project and thinks that by adding certain more commercial ingredients it will magically make the script work better.

A producer often panics and asks the writer to change something after hearing one or two negative things about the script. This is unprofessional and unproductive behavior.

The package is extremely important because it affects your ability to secure a distributor or sales agent, and, consequently, your ability to secure financing.

Banks use distribution contracts and sales agent estimates to determine whether to lend production financing, and private ****** investors are more apt to invest when they recognize the cast members.

When the developed script has been completed, it’s now time to break down the final draft and do a full budget. The other team members can now start post-production preparation, finding distributors and completion guarantors, and getting interest from and locking in major cast ready for pre-production.

Financiers, such as ****** investors, ******s, distributors, syndicators, co-producers, and others like you, need film product from independent producers in order to stay in business. They are not doing the producer a favor by financing a film. They make money by investing in film production.

You have to convince financiers that the project satisfies two criteria: a). you have to establish that the production crew is sufficiently experienced, well organized, and capable of completing the film; and b). that the project is sufficiently commercial so that projected revenues will return both the principal amount invested plus a return of interest and/or profit. By demonstrating knowledge of film production, including budgeting and an understanding of the producer’s obligations that remains, the producer will enhance his or her chances of obtaining financing.

There are many reasons why film finance packages fail. But, there are three major reasons:

People like success and investors will invest in successful people. If a producer starts out small with a small project but demonstrates that they have made money from it, the end result is that they have made a profit. Now they have a profit making “credit” as well as a production credit. Success breeds success.

There are also some factors a corporation or organization considers in deciding whether or not to sponsor a film.

4. Positive use of the company name/premises as advertising or as a location within the film.

d) Option agreements, literary property acquisition agreements, copyrights, WGA registered

f) Letters of credit, and/or letters of intent from other financiers and/or distributors

g) Insurance policies; and/or any other documents evidencing important legal commitments and rights

6. Letters of Intent from the Producer, Director, Key Cast, and Key Crew, including fees

1. The Budget of the Film: This should exclude any estimate of bank fees, bank legal costs or bank interest on the production loan. It should include a full 10% contingency, completion guarantee fee, and a projected cash flow schedule referencing the projected draw dates under the proposed facility.

6. The Delivery Date. Back end delivery date (including allowances for unforeseen circumstances).

7. Details of Completion Guarantor: Letter of Intent from a reputable and financially strong bonding company that they intend to bond the project, protecting the bank and the distributor or investor who puts up the collateral for the loan. The collateral must be in an amount sufficient to cover the negative cost of the film as well as all financing charges, including an interest reserve for the entire term of the loan, inclusive for the "Force Majeure" period, loan fees and bank legal fees which are paid by the borrowers.

9. Details of a Reputable Producer/Director: Complete biographies are required to verify experience.

11. Contract Details: Details of the principal distribution or a pre-sale contract from a financially strong and reputable Distribution Company, evidencing a minimum guaranty for certain rights of the film in a particular market.

15. Details of any holdbacks that might restrict any initial release of the film.

The Agreement must be for a specified dollar amount (as opposed to a percentage of box office receipts). The Agreement must be payable at a date certain or determinable.

Now that the hard work is over, you can now wait for the funding to be okayed ready for the greenlight to go into production.

NOTE: Remember, pre production is part of the production phase, not the end bit of development.

WSAI Virtual Studios

Michael Wilde

WSAI Virtual Studios

Westgarth Production Services

Phone: +61 043 506 4350

Email: wildeprods@yahoo.com

Web: www.myspace.com/offworld

Cyn Felthousen

Cladda Films

21014 Dumetz Rd