Helen Beacham's Lounge Discussions

Hi everyone, I've read several S32 posts from writers who have received a pass on either a script or a pitch. I've pasted 2 links below of such conversations. In the pros, when we get a pass, sometimes we try to address flaws, and sometimes we accept that the material is not a good fit for that person/company, and we move on. (Please note that when pros get a pass, it often comes from a different level of exec/talent than when amateurs get a pass, but I'm writing in a way that I hope can help emerging pros and amateurs.) Here are some things to factor in as you decide how to further develop your material after getting a pass. - The person who passed might not have given you precise or accurate reasons for the pass. - Imagine if every salesperson you met at a shopping mall or every produce farmer you met at a farmers' market asked you exactly why you didn't buy their product and expected you to give them a polite, well-reasoned, constructive answer. Imagine if the salesperson at The Gap asked you why you didn't buy the jeans, so he could report back to product design. - The person who passed has already moved on. He is unlikely to prioritize your request for him to properly formulate his thoughts in a way that is clear, encouraging, and helpful to you. He has other things to do that day. Giving you helpful feedback is not a priority. He already knows he's passing, so what's the upside to his spending another 20 minutes putting together a helpful list of reasons why? There may not be an upside, unless he finds you quite promising, and he wants to set aside time to build a win-win relationship with you. - For any number of reasons, he might not want you to know precisely why he's passing. He doesn't owe you a thoughtful, well-composed, constructive, honest response. - He might not know how to tell you why he's passing in a respectful, encouraging way. His real reason might be too discouraging for whatever reason. Maybe you pitched a body-switching movie. Maybe he's tried to sell 10 body-switching movies and failed. He may not want to burst your bubble by telling you that. Maybe you pitched a rom com. Maybe his best friend just wrote a rom com and couldn't sell it. But if he tells you that, you'll be very upset, and he wants to spare you the pain. Why hurt someone? Just say, "It's not for me, but don't give up. It could be for the next guy." And IT COULD BE for the next guy, so we don't want to discourage someone from trying. - It's kind of liking breaking up with someone you've only dated once or twice. Why go there? Why ruin their day? Just say, "It's not you, it's me," or something generic, something inoffensive, and move on. The next person each of you date might be a better fit. - It's actually easier to give a generic pass. When I first started taking pitches on Virtual Pitch Fest, I tried to give pitchers constructive feedback. That was a mistake. Multiple people wanted to debate me. The VPF Founder instructed me to give more generic feedback, so the pitchers would not feel the need to debate. For example, if I said, "Unlike As Good as it Gets, your protagonist's neuroses are not reading as likable." That specificity encourages a debate. "No, you're wrong, my guy is likable too..." If I reply with a generic response, "Thank you, but I'm sorry the project is not my cup of tea," there's no debate. (On many platforms such as Virtual Pitch Fest, there is no mechanism to support a debate. Follow-up debate was causing a variety of problems for everyone involved - details are too hard to explain in this post. For practical reasons, we had to cut off debate.) So when it's appropriate, how do you tease out feedback that is actually constructive? You probably need to have a good relationship with the person who is reviewing your material. He will need to invest time to formulate constructive, encouraging feedback, when he doesn't owe you that. Or your agent/manager/producer needs to have a good relationship with the person, and they can get the feedback on your behalf. (This is one reason why it's helpful to have a good agent/manager. They have long-term relationships to leverage on your behalf.) If the person likes you, even if he barely knows you, he is more likely to make time for you. If he likes your project and/or sees promise in you, he is more likely to spend extra time constructing helpful feedback. If he sees an obvious fix that could turn the whole thing around, and if he feels he can deliver that fix in an easy, encouraging way, he might stick his neck out. IF you obtain thoughtful, constructive feedback after a pass, THEN you might consider how to re-develop your project. But the quick, casual feedback you receive MIGHT OR MIGHT NOT be thoughtful and constructive. It MIGHT OR MIGHT NOT be constructive feedback that should be applied to further development. Threads on passes/feedback: https://www.stage32.com/lounge/screenwriting/Everyone-passes-for-a-diffe... https://www.stage32.com/lounge/screenwriting/So-why-DO-they-Say-Pass My thread on relationship-building: https://www.stage32.com/lounge/screenwriting/Create-a-Win-Win-Exec-Etiqu...

Here are some best and bad advices some seasoned TV writers and producers have gotten over the years; something to think about when we write our specs: -"Do the show you want to do because in the end they're going to cancel you anyway.' - Ed Weinberger. -'Whatever you write, don't fake it. Find a way to mean it. Be fearless; don't think of the audience as 'the other'. You are the audience. Impress and entertain yourself.' - Barbara Hall. -'When we had just started 'ER', someone at the network/studio asked: Does there have to be so much medicine?' - Lydia Woodward. -"Get rid of Anthony Edwards. He's not a TV star!" This was from CBS after watching a pilot of mine. Six months later, Anthony was doing 'ER'. Meanwhile my show (with Tony's replacement) was canceled after five episodes.' - Dan O'Shannon. -'Regarding "Everybody Loves Raymond" The show should be 'hip and edgy'; less of that scary brother.' - Phil Rosenthal. -'An executive once said to me: When you take a comedy and remove the humor, what remains should still be funny.' - Al Jean. -

Hey guys, I am just curious about how you guys write yours. Tony Gilroy says that he always writes the dialogue first. How many of you can relate to this? And what is your reason behind it? Do you find this technique easier for some reason? Or... Do any of you guys write all the action first, and then go back to the dialogue? I am interested to learn whether it is common to write in either fashion! Thanks in advance :)

I tried my hand at pitching a TV pilot drama script. My first pitch I was told by the executives who read it was a bit too long and the concept 'didn't push the envelope' enough. I had never done any pitching before so this process was a bit daunting for me. I took their comments as constructive criticism and I attended one of Joey's pitch prep sessions before going back to work on it. I trimmed it down and went straight for the heart of it, no details. I even did the same with the script. I got a hit! Hopefully the pilot will live up to the pitch. I understand that ultimately it comes down to a matter of taste but I must say that Joey's pitch prep really paid off. Thanks!