Can I stand being judged even more?

So we've all had to get used to being judged by other writers as we joined writing groups, took classes, shared our work. There's been many stages of being judged by my peers. It took me some time to get comfortable with opening myself up to critiques. And at this point feel like I've developed a pretty thick skin. Even having some actor friends sit in on a past writing group, and not flinching to notes by fellow writers, and my actor friends saying, "Wow, the people here are pretty harsh." And I didn't even notice they were. So it seems like I could pretty much handle any kind of feedback. But as I start getting ready to see my stuff be on film, it has reached a whole other level of being judged: By the public! And we know how harsh they can be. Especially critics who are looking to tear apart writers for the pure enjoyment of it. And what about the reviewing audience where half of them are probably in a bad mood from having a horrible day at work or miserable marriages, and getting to rip apart your movie is perhaps the only joy they'll have all day. The thought of it is all too much! Of course that can't stop us writers as we see our dreams of seeing our screenplay actually on the big screen. But I must say, the thought of all those critics can almost send me into a panic. I guess the only thing we can do as we get closer to that, is take some steps to realize what it all means. First off, we know we can't read the critics. Sorry critics! But you're not going to help us at that point. 2nd, ask friends who are really going to give you good notes. Not your parents or friends who are proud of you for getting any film made, but your writing friends that will tell you like it is. 3rd, remember whatever ends up on the screen isn't always up to you. I remember one of my favorite screenwriting teachers had a movie destroyed by the actor/producer's wife who started writing pages. His movie got panned and he hid for months! It was a shame because the guy is a great writer. 4th, just remember that wonderful saying, "Opinions are like assholes, everyone has one" and take all the feedback with a grain of salt. 5th, be proud of yourself if you get something that actually goes from script to screen. Such a huge feat, as we all know. We can only do our best. So if you did your best, and it didn't turn out as you wished, then learn from that. Be allow yourself the time to be proud of yourself. No reason beating yourself up when there will be enough critics and audience members who can do that. Lastly, remember that you cannot please everyone. You just can't. I think I wrote about this in an earlier post, that the writer of The English Patient, Anthony Minghella won the Oscar for that, and then the next day he opens the paper in England and reads, "The English Patient - the worst movie ever!" It made me laugh. Him too. And you just have to realize, some people will like what you write, and some just won't. And if you made half the audience like it, then you're doing something right. Writing all this sort of calms me down. I talked to the indie producer and she said she wants to produce our script this November. I got excited and frightened all at once! I guess it's that same feeling I had when I found out I was pregnant. Like, "Yay! Here we go!" and then at the same time, gulp, and go, "Uh-oh, here we go." But I know it's what I've always wanted, to have a career as a paid and successful screenwriter. So in order to do that, we need to get our work out. We can't let our fears take over. We have to move through our fears. Because that's all they are. And what if, all our fears never even happen. Who knows, maybe we're on our way to becoming the next great thing. Now how nice would that be?

Combining a producer's notes with your writing

When you're finally working for someone else, there's going to be those times where they have what they want and that doesn't mean it's what you want. Of course you don't want to be difficult, so you have to do your best to please them and yourself. So how do you mesh the producer's notes with your own? As I'm doing a rewrite of a script I've had several passes on, plus another writer came in after me and before this last pass, I'm wondering who do I please most? Me? or the Producer? I've combined both versions in the way the producer asked me, so I got that down. But now I have to go over the script and make sure it's the best script that it can possibly be. I've done everything the producer asked. I definitely got rid of some things that I felt really did not belong, even if the producer thought they did. My feeling is that if I provide a really strong script, then that's what matters. I didn't do anything crazy to it, so it's not like there's anything jarring. But it's so hard to know if I've truly made it the best script possible. Sometimes when you're so close to it, when you've read it so many times, how can we tell? Well, I guess only time can. I think I'll sit with it, really go over everything I've written. Everything I've taken out. And hope for the best. I almost wish I was more cocky, because then I'd probably just cut more of the other writer's stuff with ease. But I'm not like that. I felt he was a good writer and well, perhaps some of his stuff does belong as is. It's a weird thing writing over another writer, at least for me. When I read another good writer, I don't feel envy, I feel inspired. So I read it and I go oh, okay, I can see what they were going for, and it's cool! But I think that actually might be a detriment to me as a writer if I'm keeping stuff that possibly doesn't belong there. I think I have to come in it with a clear idea of what the script needs. Come into it fresh and be willing to cut anything that can be. I hope I have that in me. And I guess if not, hopefully when the producer comes in, she will be the one who can. If not, there's always the director or the editor!

Part 3 of pitching when you're "there".

So this was what happened after we pitched to the Big Networks. The first time we pitched to the head of the Network. The next time we pitched to the head of comedy. I had a friend who has worked with her, and said we'd love her and that she would be more relaxed and easy to read, someone I'd see myself hanging out with. Sure enough, she was really great. We had practiced our pitch like we did the first time, so we had comedy in it, memorized it, really felt ready. And she gave us feedback that let us at least know she liked what we had to say. She laughed at the right spots, kept telling us, "Great pitch!" She really had a great time. It was what let me realize, I really enjoy doing pitch meetings. I really get a sort of high out of sharing ideas like this. You get such a charge with the excitement of doing it. I just feel really alive and am not shy at all, so I really enjoy the challenge, if that's what it is. Afterwards my partner asked me how we did. I was like, well, she kept laughing and saying how funny the idea was and "great pitch". Sounds good to me! It wasn't picked up, and like I said, I learned that unless you really have a history of working as a showrunner or head writer on a show, chances of selling something are slim to none. But still, I really enjoyed the experience and learned a lot. And our idea was something I was really proud of. In fact, I read about a year later that the writer of Veronica Mars sold literally almost the identical idea. I mean it was the same idea, but he didn't steal it. These things happen all the time. And I don't know the guy, and didn't tell him it, so obviously he just came up with it at the same time. I had a screenwriting teacher call it a zeitgeist. Said that ideas are floating in the universe and many people at the same time just pluck them out at the same time. So it happens. But it did show me, we had a great idea and for that, I'm proud. And like I said, this meeting lead to working with a TV producer friend. I already wrote about that last time, if you recall. If you didn't read it, I think you might enjoy it.

How to do well in a brainstorming meeting

So yesterday was a big meeting for me. I seem to have had a few of those in the past week. So that's a good thing. Met with a producer friend on a show I think I'm going to be working on with him. We haven't really nailed down the details yet. This is a show he's worked on a few years now. And one of the Network execs was in town to discuss the show. Thought I could share some of my experience to help you learn from it.

So first off, I was told that the execs were coming and what they were hoping to change this year. He told me to watch last years clips that were still on the Network's site. So when you are in this kind of situation, please by all means, watch what they ask you to do. Then, see what other clips you can watch also based on this show you are going to be talking about. Then, look up everyone who's worked on the show in previous years. Try to figure out who the players might be and what else they've done. Then, take notes relating to what they asked to change. Ask yourself, if you were to make those changes, what would you want them to be? When you go into a meeting like that, you want to be as prepared as you possibly can be.

I was even supposed to have a phone meeting for something else I'm pitching, that morning. But I moved it because I wanted to be as prepared for the afternoon meeting with the execs. You can never give yourself too much time to be prepared, in my book. The more prepared you come, the better you look, and the more chance they'll want to work with you again.

So I arrive to the meeting early, which is also a good thing. When the Execs show up, they're nice, easy going, people. So they make me feel comfortable right away. Thank goodness! I of course know my TV producer friend, so that helps, but luckily everyone was nice.

So we start talking about the show, what they want, where they see it going. Now, normally in the past when I'm new to a pitch brainstorming session, I find I tend to be a little shy at first. But these people flew in from NY and it's the only day I'll get to brainstorm with them. So I don't have time to be shy. So I have to work up my nerve to just dive in with both feet. And you know what? They liked what I had to say. Of course not every idea was a home run, but I could tell they liked more ideas than not.

And I find just having an opinion, and being able to back it up, speaks volumes too. It lets them know your views on what you like. And that's a good thing. It helps them trust your abilities.

Also, all the homework and notes I took before I met them, spoke volumes too. I wasn't left wondering what they were talking about. I wasn't left saying, "What show? What sketch?" I had seen everything, I had formed opinions, I could call upon segments I watched. It all gives them the impression that I am ready to work and ready for this meeting and I'm going to work as hard as they need me to.

So overall, it went pretty well. I don't know what the next steps are as far as my involvement goes, because my friend and I didn't get to discuss it yet. But hopefully there will be more meetings like that. It sure was fun!

Put yourself out there

So at some point in your writing career, you have to take chances. I'm not sure how you know you're ready, but you sort of do. Sure a lot of people think they're ready and they're not, so it's hard to judge when you really are ready. I think I sent my scripts to my producer friend, but I'd only do like one a year. I waited to see what his feedback was. Over the years, I could tell I was getting more and more positive feedback. That's when I started to pitch TV shows. I could tell my ideas were getting strong and more commercial and that I was understanding how this biz worked.

So when I got into the doors of the Big Networks, and my TV producer friend noticed and was impressed, then I asked if he wanted me to help develop shows with him. And that took a lot of courage on my part. So that's what I'm talking about when I saw, put yourself out there. Maybe you're the type of person who can ask someone these things, but most people can't. Most people let this kind of fear of rejection stop them in their tracks.

Now I've known this TV producer friend for most of my adult life. And I never ever asked him before that time. I waited till I could tell he was impressed with what kind of doors I was getting opened on my own. I think that's key when you approach these successful people. Make ways on your own. Then you can say hey, let's work together.

So when we did work together, we worked really well together. We were trying to pitch some shows when he had some down time. But he got super busy again, so we stopped working together. But this year his assistant producer moved out of state to have a baby, so again, I put myself out there. So this time I approached him and said, I understand your situation with your producer, I'm obviously not her, but we did work together, maybe there's some way we could work together again. And he was totally into it! But I had to put myself out there, willing to risk hearing a "no" and feeling dejected. But guess what? I wasn't! And today I'm meeting with him on the first show we might work on together. The execs of the Network will be there too. It's all exciting. But I never would have gotten these opportunities without willing to ask. You have to ask and be wiling to hear a no. Because most likely, if you've done your work, it will be a "yes".

Finally had my lunch with the big producer

Yay! It was supposedly going to be in January. Here we are April. Oh well. I'm just glad we finally had it. He actually called me that morning, 10:30, and said, my lunch plans got cancelled. I know it's last minute. Can you meet? I was going to make it work no matter what. I was waiting for this since January! So said yes, and rushed to get ready. Rushed! I had been at spin class that morning and was sitting in my workout gear. So was not ready for a producer lunch! It was raining harder than I think it's ever rained in LA. Ever! But whatever that would not stop me.

So we met for lunch. Had a nice time hanging out. Luckily I know him through a friend that he dated years back. So we already have a comfort level that I just wouldn't otherwise. So it makes it a little less stressful. Not all, but less. But once we started chatting I instantly felt at ease. He seems like a great guy so super excited to be working with him. So after our lunch, he starts telling me, these are the ideas I think I want to do. He gets that my strong suit is high concept comedy. So he tells me a few angles he can see going with a feature. I instantly sort of glom on to one direction, so tell him my spin on it and he loves it!

So now I'm brainstorming and seeing what my take can be on it. I'm coming up with two different ways the story could go, that way if he doesn't like one, perhaps he'll like the other. Considering bringing it to my writing group tomorrow first to see what they think. Then planning to send his way on Wednesday.

But it's all super exciting. Feel like I'm finally on the "other" side of this writing journey. He told me his one writer friend emails him ideas every single day. So not that I'll go that crazy. But it's nice to know the door is open and I can send him ideas whenever they come to me. Maybe I won't even wait till Wednesday to send. Maybe I should just trust my own judgement and send them when I feel they're ready. We'll see. Just thrilled I'm finally at this point and can't wait to see where else it will go.

Make money or do what you love?

I stumbled upon an article on Harvard Business online. Yes, that's how I roll. And I was struck by the article because it's surely a question we artists deal with often. Do we choose to make money or do what we love? And can they become one eventually? We always hear that if we do what we love, we'll make money from it. But is that so? And as we wait for that to happen, is it something we want to endure?

Well the article on Harvard Business brought up a nice point. That as we are working, making a living, that if we do what we love in our off hours, that's not a bad thing at all. We're at least working towards something that maybe will be a career we can do instead. And if that never happens, that at least we're doing something we love. That's a win-win! They found that people who had something they loved were happier overall. Makes sense.

They say pretty much, don't give up your day job if it means you can't pay your bills. But having that creative output means a happier life, and that's a good thing. A great thing! And by being happier, then it just means you're aligning yourself for more opportunities that will open up for you in that direction. Whether you think it's energy, or just by your attitude, who cares! If doors are open for you because you've got a great attitude about life, then that's a good thing too. Because people want to be around people that are happier. Don't you?

So take those steps towards doing what you love. If it doesn't make you money someday, it will at least make you happier. And truthfully, I have a feeling, it will one day make you money. But that's me.

Here's the article if you'd like to read it in full.
http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/03/choosing_between_making_money.html

Pitching to the Big Networks

This is my part 2 of Pitching when you're "there": The Big Networks. So, I kind of need to back track first in order to explain why I even got in to a big Network in the first place when I had no experience of writing on a TV show. See, apparently that just doesn't happen. But it did, for me and this is why.

What happened was I found out about this contest for people who had previously written on Network shows. My writing partner had, so I said, why don't we write something and submit for it? We had to create our own pilot for it plus a sample of a show on TV. But then after we submitted for the contest, we found out we BOTH needed to have worked on a sitcom, not just him. So that was the end of that. But, I thought, wait, this idea is too good to leave it there. So I start contacting some of my friends that could possibly get it to places. And my partner tells me, well, I know the head of "Said" Network. So I look up his person and lo and behold, the guy is head of the Network!

Apparently my writing partner had been a Page at one of the studios when he first started in the biz. A Page, from what I gather, is what Kenneth is on 3rd Rock. It's the low guy on the totem pole basically, or at least one of them. So his friend who was a Page way back then, went on to run one of the biggest Networks! Yep! Just goes to show, be nice to everyone in this biz! You never know where they will end up. Like Head Of The Network!

So my writing partner knows this guy. So I tell him, you're contacting him this week! For some reason my partner listened to me. I mean, what could I have done if he didn't?! haha Any way, he calls the guy's office and the guy calls him back like the next day. My partner tells him he'd like to pitch him an idea, a sitcom, and the guy says great, lets set something up with the head of comedy. ahhhhh!!!! So I'm excited and freaked out at the same time! What the heck am I doing?! Of course I want to pitch my idea, but OMG am I ready for this?! I've pitched Disney now. But the head of comedy at a big Network. Yeeks!

So luckily we each have a few friends who have pitched and sold shows. So we ask them what to expect and how to get ready. So this is what I can share with you to help you. We were told to know our pitch backwards and forwards, memorize it. Be able to talk about it as if it was a normal conversation. Our entire pitch was probably about 5 pages long, and we had the whole thing memorized. If it's a comedy like ours, add humor in the pitch. Don't go in and perform like a circus act, but do show them you have the comedy chops by adding some humor. If you can't get them to laugh in the pitch, there's no way they will think you can get them to laugh in a TV show.

We wrote down what each character would be like, and how they would add to the story weekly. We talked about possible future episodes so that the Executive could see that this wouldn't be a one season show but could easily go on for years. Be sure to mention the theme of the show. What is the one thing that you'll see each and every episode? For instance, the theme of something like Modern Family is probably "No matter how crazy families are, we all love each other." So through all the funny drama, there's still always each family member loving one another.

So we finally felt ready. We knew our pitch. And then we hear from said Network Head that we're not going to pitch to the head of comedy, he wants us to pitch to him. Ugh! As if I wasn't scared enough! But okay, that's cool. We can do this. Argh!

The day of the pitch comes. We are told to go to the Penthouse floor. (Because where else does a head of a Network work?) We enter the main lobby on that floor and they tell him they'll let him know we're there. Yikes! We're really doing this! So then we're told okay, he's ready for you. We walk down the longest hall everrrrrr! Along the way, there are huge photos on the wall of every celebrity that is on TV for this Network, almost as if to intimidate us even more! We don't need help in that department! Thank you very much! So we get to his office and his two assistants sit at their desks and say, he's ready for you, go on in. OMG!

So once you go in, be sure that you make small talk. Find something you have in common. Let them know you're comfortable to be there, even if you're not. And we weren't! Luckily my partner had the common ground of already knowing this guy. I also have a good friend who's been a producer on a couple of his shows, and had just been in Napa and saw a photo of said Network Executive at the winery with a celebrity. So I was able to bring up those names. It never hurts to let them see you run in the same circles.

So the pitch begins by him asking, what do you have for me? We go into our pitch. And we do awesome. We're comfortable and we remember the whole thing. This executive is not one for hanging out after, and basically shakes our hands, says thank you, and we leave. We walk out, looking at each other going, Uh, how'd we do? LOL But you know what, it didn't matter. For us, it was the fact we got a meeting with this huge executive and we did the best we could do. Those are all things that help you propel your writing career forward.

After a few days we hear, the guy passed on our idea. But that's okay, because like I said, I did learn that the chances of you selling a show without having had plenty of experience on a show on your own are slim to none. But that's okay. Because we did get to land another pitch at this Network, which meant we did do well on our first pitch to the head, or we'd never have been brought back. Plus, the friend of mine who produced shows for the Network Head was so impressed I'd gotten in to him, that he's had me work for him now. So, you just never know what each opportunity will bring. A closed door can really become an open door somewhere else. Next blog: our pitch to the head of comedy.