Balls of Steel: Marathon Pitch via Kickstarter
Source: @scriptmag @jeannevb
#screenwriting #film #screenplay
“Kickstarter: A site dedicated to crowdfunding artistic projects, including independent films. I’m sure by now you’ve all had at least one friend send you their link, asking for support.
Try being “The Twitter Pimp Angel.” I get dozens of links tweeted to me every day.
How do I decide which ones to back and which to pass on? I have to believe in the person’s ability to deliver on their promise of completing a quality film, and I have to like the premise of the project.
Basically, I have to like their pitch.
When director Michael Bekemeyer and I decided to crowdfund our short film, Impasse, we knew it would be a marathon pitch. Sure, I’ve pitched before, from 5-minute pitchfest sessions to 45-minute studio meetings, but to sustain a 33-day pitch would require stamina… and a plan.
Every project starts with a script. You, the writer, know how compelling your script is, and your job is to convince other people of its value.
There are two ways to grab a backer’s attention: Your Kickstarter video and the text description of your project.
Jane Espenson (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Battlestar Galactica, Game of Thrones, and Once Upon a Time),Brad “Cheeks” Bell, and the cast and crew of Husbands, did a great job on their Kickstarter, raising $60,000.
Are you shocked someone of Espenson’s writing experience is doing crowdfunding? Don’t be. Other famous writers, directors and actors are too, such as Peter Riegert (Animal House, Local Hero, Traffic, Sopranos, White Irish Drinkers, etc) who launched his campaign for his documentary, Prospect, and met his goal in just a few days and will undoubtedly raise much more before his campaign ends.
If run well, crowdfunding works.
Some say our Impasse video was too fun and not enough about what the story means to us, or what it would mean to our audience. But we thought it was equally important to show our personalities and introduce ourselves. The reality is, that “fun” video got the interest of cast and crew because they watched and said, “Hey, I want to work with those two.”
Or maybe they just wanted our liquor.
We also wanted to keep the video as short as………”

Little Screen, Big Characters
Source: Living the Romantic Comedy
#screenwriting #film #screenplay
“By now you’ve heard the news, if you haven’t already articulated the meme yourself. War’s over: The movies lost, and TV won. For both the writers and the fans of good storytelling, the action used to be at the multiplex on Friday and Saturday night, and now it’s in your living room on Sundays.
I mean, really: If you’re over 25 years old, can you think of a single feature release in the past couple of years that has galvanized your attention and made you care, fiercely and consistently (in an OMG, I can’t wait for the next episode way) as a season of Mad Men, Game of Thrones, or Breaking Bad? Sub in your own recent small screen addiction of choice, be it The Walking Dead or Downton Abbey, et al (I’m in the “Killing, you cheated on me last year, and you’re dead to me now” camp, but you may be more forgiving), and now quick: Name me the movie that excited your passions that intensely.
The Artist? AH-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…
The industry/cultural reasons for this have been chewed over in print and online so extensively that I won’t waste your shortened attention span with the details, except to highlight one that doesn’t always get its due emphasis: It’s the characters, stupid……”



