I will be presenting workshops on “Creating Series Ideas for Television” and “What Makes a Great Scene” at the first “Studio Networking and Screenwriting Conference” October 12-14 at the Westin LAX.

It’s put on by the people at Script-a-Wish, and 100% of profits are being donated to the Make a Wish Foundation!

They’re offering a huge discount on registration ($299 vs. $699) to people who learn about the event through me…

I created a “beat sheet” for Bridesmaids for the folks at Save the Cat — it’s now up on their website.

Which of Blake Snyder’s genres and subgenres do you think this hugely successful comedy fits?  Take a look to find out…

I just saw trailers for five new movies which all fit clear “Save the Cat” subgenres – my favorite tool for developing viable script ideas.   I haven’t seen any of these films yet, as they haven’t been released, but these previews in each case seemed to be selling a very specific type of story which has been done many times successfully in the past – and which happen to fit one of the fifty such types Blake Snyder presented in Save the Cat Goes to the Movies (with five subgenres each for the ten “genres” he presented in the original “Cat” book).  See the “Save the Cat” subgenre chart on the “Cat” website for a handy breakdown of same.

I highly suggest watching these trailers, and checking my work here.  Don’t each of these feel like they fit with their listed predecessors in presenting a very clear kind of emotional story/problem experience for an audience?  And might it help in our own writing to make sure our movie ideas do the same?

Here are the titles, and my take on the subgenre for each (click on the title to see the trailer)…

Tower Heist.  The “Caper Fleece” subgenre of “Golden Fleece” – in which a team of people band together to try to pull off a seemingly impossible (and lucrative) criminal plan, usually against a much worse and more powerful criminal of some type, who clearly has it coming…  See also Oceans Eleven, The Sting and Sneakers.

The Thing.  The “Pure Monster” subgenre of “Monster in the House” – in which our heroes are trapped in an enclosed place with a deadly and terrifying creature they don’t fully understand how to deal with…  See also Alien, Jaws and Jurassic Park.

Moneyball.  The “Sports Fleece” subgenre of “Golden Fleece” – in which a ragtag sports team with no chance at victory attempts to pull off the miraculous – which will have huge personal consequences for all concerned…  See also The Bad News Bears, Rocky and Cool Runnings.

The Odd Life of Timothy Green.  The “Surreal Bottle” subgenre of “Out of the Bottle” – in which magical forces create bizarre challenges and an opportunity for relatable people…that make them wonder, “How and why did this happen?”  See also Field of Dreams, Groundhog Day and Heaven Can Wait.

War Horse.  The “Pet Love” subgenre of “Buddy Love” – in which some huge complication gets in the way of the relationship between a human and an animal – and the main thing the audience is emotionally invested in is the question “Will they end up together?”  See also The Black Stallion, Free Willy and Beethoven.

Note that all these trailers are focused on the presence of a big challenge, problem or mystery that needs to be solved.  This is where I always start in evaluating a movie premise – is there a singular problem the story focuses on which is big, important, time-sensitive, complicated, and hard enough?  (I use the acronym BITCH to remember this.)  Do they develop a goal and plan to resolve things, then face complications along the way, which are compelling, authentic, real and entertaining to watch?  (In other words, will we CARE?)

To my mind, making sure a movie idea fits within one of these specific story types is the most important first step a writer can make to have a solid chance of achieving this.  Though on the surface, these genres might look like a limiting formula, I am continuouslyimpressed by their flexibility – and by the wide array of successful movies that can still be clearly seen to have all the key elements of one of these very specific story types.  I’d even go as far as to say that I’ve yet to find a great movie I’ve loved that does not.

At the same time, I find that the majority of script ideas I come across do not quite fulfill the criteria of any of these genres, although they might have surface elements similar to some of them.  So the first thing I usually do when working with a writer is to help get clear on which type of movie they’re really going for, and focus on making adjustments to ensure that their idea really will fulfill that “type’s” requirements, and thus have a better chance of impressing industry readers, and moving a mass audience.

A writer I work with as a consultant recently shared a phrase with me that came from her friend Craig Hammill (thanks, Craig!), which perfectly encapsulates a point that I often make with writers: “Don’t withhold; reveal, and complicate.”

What that means is this: withholding information – especially information about your main character and what they think, feel, want, plan, and are trying to achieve – tends to distance readers and audiences from your material, rather than drawing them in.

It’s a very common issue I come across in scripts, especially ones that are saving some sort of big reveal or twist for late in the movie.

The problem with this is that when readers don’t really understand what’s driving your main character, they have a very hard time connecting with them, or engaging with your story – and they will tend to read from a detached distance (which you don’t want!), rather than as an emotionally engaged participant in what is going on (which you do want!).

As I said in another post about the importance of a subjective main character point-of-view in screenplays, perhaps the most important task for all writers is to first make the audience care – and “whether I care” is the main thing I am noticing as I read a script (just as we all are doing when we watch a movie).

Or you could say more specifically that we’re asking (often subconsciously), “Am I emotionally engaging with this character, invested in their problem and goal, entertained by the process of them pursuing it, and wanting to see how it turns out?”

I believe that for us to achieve this primary, essential goal – and to sustain that caring throughout a story – we need to go much further than writers often do to make their main character’s thoughts, feelings, desires, plans and scene-by-scene motivations crystal clear at all times.

I sometimes teach a workshop on “What makes a good scene”, where I read excerpts from the screenplays for three very successful movies: (1) the scene in The Godfather where Michael prepares to shoot Solozzo; (2) the scene in Pretty Woman where Vivian is called into the hotel manager’s office; (3) and the scene in Jerry Maguire where Jerry tries to get Rod Tidwell to “help me help you”.  What is strikingly evident in the writing of each of these three scenes is how much they focus on the emotions of the main character, as they deal with a very clear problem, and try to achieve a very clear goal.  One can’t help but get drawn into what they’re going through.

This, I believe, is what screenwriters want to do with virtually every scene.  We want to reveal information about our main characters (including emotions, desires and intentions), and then complicate their situation through the conflicts they run into as they try to pursue those intentions.  When we withhold, instead, we leave the audience guessing as to what’s really going on.

I understand why writers sometimes do this.  We have all seen great movies with shocking twists at the end that seem to memorably and climactically “make” the story.  Perhaps the best example of this is The Sixth Sense.

But here’s the catch: throughout that movie, the audience knows everything they need to know about Bruce Willis’s character, to be able to emotionally engage in his efforts to try to help Haley Joel Osment.  You understand Willis’s motivations and emotions from scene to scene, and you want him to succeed. The story is an ongoing process of revelations and complications, where viewers are understanding what the main character wants, and are with him emotionally as he tries to achieve it.

The twist that happens at the end only adds an additional dimension to the story. It doesn’t change or betray everything we’ve been invested in up until that time. It isn’t even required for the story to work. It only takes it to another level.

I believe this is true, in general, of such twists. The audience has been absolutely engaged in the problems of the story as they reveal and complicate, and they have been sharing the perspective, motivation and emotions of the character who is at the center of it all – with a big problem they’re trying to solve (including, for instance, Chazz Palminteri in The Usual Suspects and Richard Gere in Primal Fear – two other “big twist” movies).

What I’ve noticed with some screenplays that are going for big reveals like this is that they fail to engage readers prior to the twist because, in order to make the twist work, they have to withhold so much information about the main character and their overall story problem, that there’s not enough to grab onto emotionally – not enough that the audience is interested and invested in, and wanting to see resolved.

In my view, it’s not worth it!  Big reveals should be in service to a story that is already working without them – not the one thing that will hopefully make a story work when they finally come out. Getting readers’ emotional investment in a story problem is the name of the game, in my opinion – and giving them the information they need to build and maintain that investment should come first.

I presented workshops for a third straight year at the 2011 Screenwriting Expo, at the Westin LAX in Los Angeles.  Great new location this year, and I really enjoyed meeting all of you who attended!

On Friday 9/16 at 9 AM I taught Finding and Writing the ‘Story’ in True Stories, followed by Creating and Pitching Series Ideas for Television at 11 AM.  Then on Saturday 9/17, I presented Throwing rocks at your main character: how to keep a story moving forward, at 9 AM.  

I had a great time presenting workshops, speaking and hearing writers’ ideas at the Willamette Writers Conference in Portland, OR  August 5-7.  Thanks to all who attended and staffed the event for making it such a pleasure!

I’ve begun teaching as an Adjunct Faculty for National University’s online Master of Fine Arts in Professional Screenwriting Program.  I recently created and am now teaching a television writing course, where students  learn about the different series genres, pitch multiple concepts for original shows, and ultimately outline a pilot episode for one of their ideas.  The class is running from January through March and I am set to teach it again later in the year  (it’s called SCR 684/684P, for those in the program).

I’m also continuing to teach an intro to TV writing course (SCR 665) throughout this year, which I’ve taught three times  before.

There’s a great Script Magazine article about the program online.

Using this flyer, you can get a $50 discount ($250 vs. $300) on the event.  Please mention my name if you do…

Some description of the event from the folks at GAPF…

Many of the most valuable screenwriting classes you will ever take will be presented completely free of charge.  It is your chance to come out, meet with other great writers, and learn from the best in the business.  There is no cost to attend.  You just need to RSVP to info@pitchfest.com.  More than 20 free classes and panels will be presented, so be sure to check out the schedule and various free classes offered by visiting www.pitchfest.com.

For the first time ever, the legendary Robert McKee will be presenting a full day master class that was specifically created for the Great American PitchFest , as well as a Friday night Pitch Prep Master Class with the fabulous Pilar Alessandra.  These two Master Classes do have a fee, but all other sessions are free.  Details are available on the website at www.pitchfest.com. The Saturday is the free day with all the Writer’s Store All-Star classes, but you can also get a ticket to attend the Pitchfest which will be held the next day on Sunday, June 5^th.

Approximately 120 production companies, agents, managers, and studio execs will be there to hear your pitches, and you can pitch to as many companies as you like (most writers pitch to about 20 companies in a day) for one price.  Invitations to the companies will not be going out until about six weeks before the event, but they always have great companies like 20^th Century Fox, Imagine Entertainment, Focus Features, Original Artists Agency, etc.  It’s a great event and many of the writers who attend have had their scripts optioned, been hired for writing assignments, or signed with agents or managers.

If you have questions about the event, please visit www.pitchfest.com or email info@pitchfest.com to learn more.

I hope to see you there!

If you could use help in how to craft your pitch (and the “one-pager” on your script that pitchees often ask to read, before agreeing to look at the whole thing), I’m immodest enough to say that I’m very good at that!  If you’re interested in knowing more, you can comment on this post (I’ll keep all inquiries private) or send me an e-mail at Erik@FlyingWrestler.com.  We can set up  a quick call to discuss how I might assist you in putting your best foot forward…