This is a transcript of SYS Podcast Episode 092: Screenwriters Adam Egypt Mortimer & Brian DeLeeuw Talk About Their New Film Some Kind Of Hate.
Selling Your Screenplay Podcast – #92
Adam Mortimer and Brian Deleeuw
[00:00:00]
(Typewriter Keys Tapping)
Ashley: Welcome to episode #92 of Selling Your Screenplay Podcast. I’m Ashley Scott Meyers, Screenwriter and Blogger over at www.sellingyourscreenplay.com. Today I’m interviewing, Brian Deleeuw and Adam Egypt Mortimer, who wrote a film called, “Some Kind of Hate.” It’s a very candid conversation about the struggles they went through to get this movie made. So stay tuned for that.
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A couple of quick notes, any websites or links that are mentioned in the Podcast. Can be found in my blog, or in the show notes. I also publish a transcript with every episode, in case you would rather read the show or look something up later on. You can find all the Podcasts on the show notes I have on – www.sellingyourscreenplay.com/podcast. And then just look for episode # 92.
Just want to mention two things. A free webinar I’m doing on Wednesday September 30th. Basically redoing the webinar I did in August. I had a lot of people who weren’t able to attend. So, I’m going to do the exact same one again, but this one will be live. It’ll just last longer, I’ll be taking questions. The last time we had about a hundred questions, and every question got answered. So if you still have questions? Especially questions related to marketing your screenplay. This is definitely a good webinar. Once again, it’s free. The webinar is titled –
“How to Effectively Market Your Screenplay and Sell it.” I’m going to go through the various online channels that are available to screenwriters. And give my unfiltered opinion on them. I get questions all the time. Does the “Black List” work? Or, how does Ink-Tip work? Which contests should I enter? I pretty much try every marketing channel available to screenwriters. And I’m going to give you my unfiltered opinion on each one. And tell you which ones have worked the best for me, and kind of how they worked. Again, this webinar is completely free. Don’t worry if you can’t make it to the live event. I’m recording this event, so sign-up. Even if you sign-up and don’t care about attending it? I’ll Email after the event with a link to the recording. So just sign up and leave your Email address into that. And I will be sending that out probably in a day or two after the event takes place. To sign-up, just go to – www.sellingyourscreenplay.com/freewebinar. Free webinar is all one word and all lowercase letters, like selling your screenplay.com /freewebinar. And of course I’ll link to it in the show notes as well.
A few quick words about what I’m working on. I’m still doing re-writes on script that I talked about. It was a writing assignment about the first draft in a week. That I get to re-write drafts the week after that. Last week I didn’t do a lot, but this week it looks like I’m going to get back on that. And the director contacted me yesterday, and wants to meet up again. He’s planning on shooting fairly soon, so. I don’t think there’ll be a lot of drawn out re-writes on that. I also got another variety writing assignment from a production company. Whom I have dealt with a little bit in the past. This one is a spoof, it’s just a pure broad comedy spoof.
And they don’t need the script in a week. Luckily they needed it in about a month. So, I’ve got to hand that one in the middle of October. So, that’s basically what I’m working on. These scripts are actually polar opposites as you can tell. One is a serious medical drama. And one is a very broad silly comedy. So it’s a nice balance to be working on two projects that are so different. Kind of using different, a different skills, and just different and thinking different things. The jokes I come up with, I can put towards one of them, put towards the comedy. It’s just a d-note how I landed these two writers. So, I’m just going to run through this real quick. Just so it’s real clear, because I do believe that pretty much anybody, you know, with a little bit of work ethic could have probably have gotten these assignments as well. It was not solely based on my writing talent entirely. The scripts that I submitted as an example. So, this first one, the Medical drama that I’ve been talking about the last couple of Podcast episodes. As I said, that one, it came about I was doing in, I think June? I was doing a blast to my list as the Email Fax Blast that I have. I did a blast to all the producers on that list. And I basically said, “Hey, I am putting together I’m compiling a lead monthly newsletter for screenwriters. And one of the directors who held that list. This I mentioned in a Podcast. This is one of the services that I do for SYS members. It’s a monthly news article that goes out to producers. So, to get that newsletter started were to get people on the list. I sent an Email out to all the producers that I had their Email address: Directors, producers, and said, “Hey, do you want to join this monthly newsletter?” As I said, we are up by the 160-170 producers have joined. But one of the people who have responded, who was a director I liked that I interviewed on the Podcast. He remembered me from the Podcast. So, there was some, you know, connection in there. But of course, he got this cold Email from me. Basically talking about this newsletter. But he’s like, hey, I got this project. We met right after, this was in June, when we met. We talked about that project, but for whatever reason that project didn’t take off. He needed that one quickly too, but he didn’t quite have the funding for that project. It was very early in development. I actually think it was a good idea. Maybe we’ll circle back to that project? But, anyways, I didn’t hear from him after that for probably six weeks and then, about 3-4 weeks ago? He Emailed me this, I got another project I need ya and he needs written back in about a week. That’s how that one came about, again it was a combination of interviewing on the Podcast, him getting his cold Email about this producer’s newsletter that I’m setting up. And then I did send him some few scripts too, I forgot to mention that. I did send him a couple of scripts. In last June when he contacted me. He said, “I read a couple of your scripts.” And apparently he liked them enough to trust me with this current project. It was really a combination of a couple of factors, according to the Podcast, which you’re listening to now. And I have an interview in two days. So, that’s part of networking, just getting to know people. And then it was also the combination of doing this cold Email Blast again. Running SYS Select and running Selling Your Screenplay.com during this Fax Blast to these producers. I had wondered if I had done, I do a lot of Blasts to these same producers who get my own scripts when I am finished with them. So, don’t know if the timing was just right for what he was looking for a write? I wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t sent him one of my cold quarry Emails pitching him my project? If he would have come back to me? Since he was at that specific moment looking for a writer? I’m not sure, but anyways? That’s how that one went down.
The spoof that I’m writing. Again it’s interesting to look at all the different dynamics come together. These guys that are in the script, they’re producers and they are also doing distributing and agents.
Meaning, they get finished films and try and turn around and sell the thing, feature films. But, they also want to produce some of their own material, you know. They have resources and experience producing in it. And they also have the infrastructure to sell a movie. So that’s a real good combination to be able to produce a movie. So that’s kinda what they’re doing? And what I did was they did a movie called, they did the international distribution of a movie called, “Ninja Apocalypse.” Which is a movie I wrote in 2013, I think? It actually got finished in ’14. I think I wrote it in 2013? They were the international distributors. Now, they, the producer who had hired me to write it, he was already connected to these guys, these international distributors. As well as some domestic distributors. And they helped him with the script. And why I’m telling you this? Why this is important? Is because the producer smartly wanted to create a movie that could actually sell. The working with the distributor, if the distributor, the marketplace is covered with and constantly changing. What movies are going to work? What movies are not going to work, is a very dynamic situation. It’s different, it’s not always that clear. So, working with distributors, or trying to get a distributor input when you’re creating a writing script. And producing a movie. And very, very, important thing to do. And it can really help in increasing the chances of your movie recouping its costs. Obviously this is harder said than done. Out of screenwriters that don’t notice distributors. A distributor’s time is valuable. They are going to help you with, you know, if you just pick-up the phone. Cold call them, or sign them. And let them know that there is a likelihood that they develop and sort of help you. But, keeping this in mind, just keeping your eye on that. And keeping this in the back of your mind, it’s kinda what I did. Was, I remembered these guys were talking about. So, anyways? Last March, which was March of 2014. So, about 18 months ago. I was sending out my blast for whatever script I had. And you could probably go back and listen to the Podcast in March 2014. Not really sure what episode that would be? But somewhere March 2014. I’m pretty sure I mentioned it? The Podcast as well. I said something to the effect of meeting distributors during “Ninja Apocalypse.” In March of 2014. Again, that’s 18 months ago, before. And being that we had a very good meeting. And then talking then about producing some movies. And “Hey, can you produce this?” or “Hey, can you write that?” type of a script. And they had a whole bunch of different ideas. I said, “Sure, I’d be happy to do it.” And so, we started talking, we’ve been Emailing that possible, back and forth for two months. As I said, there are either Fax Blast, so every time I finish a script, I send out an Email Faxes Blast, just to, for my own scripts, so they, get it. Mostly, they will see it and return it. Now, again, one of these things I say in my quarry letter, is that I list my credits that I wrote this movie called, “Ninja Apocalypse.” That they recognized, that little bit. When I sent them this inquiry letter in March of 2014. They recognized, Oh, well we know that movie. They actually just co-incidentally, they have also know some of the other films that I have done. They were working with a distributor who was doing that over at another film that I wrote called, “Martial Arts.” And that was actually March of 2014. They were actually vying for the position of doing the distribution on a movie called, “Martial Arts.” Another movie I wrote. And so they were very familiar with my work, when they happened to get this cold call quarry letter. And again, we had all been in talks for eighteen months. Finally I met with them three weeks ago, and they seemed more and more interested to do something. And then last week I went in to meet with them and they said, “Let’s go ahead and write that.” So, I’ve actually been working on that.
But last week, coming up with that. Let’s put it that way, I’ve got about four or five weeks to write that one. So, they called me and we spent a week or two coming up with a very detailed outline. And then I’ll write the script in two or three weeks, and that will be that. But, again, I think it’s interesting to note kinda how it all came together? Number one, it was a very sore process. And, you know, I wasn’t waiting around for their phone call or their Email. I just kept every time they said, “Okay, are you ready to run a project?” And they would come up and say, “Hey, are you ready to write this part?” And I’d say, “Sure.” And then I wouldn’t hear from them for two months. And again, part of the issue was that the, as the distributor. The marketplace is constantly changing so that you never quite felt confident about the project. Not so much I don’t think me as a writer? I think it was more just, hey, let’s have Ashely write this project. And then they kinda soured, a person, I don’t know if we’re going to be able to sell that movie, so let’s hold off a bit? And then a couple of months later they’d have a new idea for me. And they’d say, “Hey, can you write, this project?” And I’d say, “Sure, man.” You know, I would never hit a phone for three or four months. And then again, I sent them a cold quarry letter with a recent script, in June, I think? The script, this script I used for kick start, and Black List. I blasted that out just to see what kind of a major star I could get? And then I got that. But actually, now that I’m thinking about it? She got this meeting, this current round of meetings. Where as a guy in my writers group can. He wrote a movie that was just finished, and I watched it, and I thought it was actually pretty good. And so I told him, I said, “Hey, I know these guys, distributors.” Do you want me to pass the movie to them? He said, “Yeah.” So I sent each distributor, this was probably a month now. I sent them an Email, and said, “Hey, my buddy Dan did this movie. You guys might want to check it out? And perhaps be the distributors on it?” And that’s kinda how this whole thing? This current round of conversations got going. And in the middle like, Oh, yeah, we’ll check it out. They said they watched Dan’s movie. And they said, “By the way, why don’t you come in for a meeting. We’ve got a couple of ideas we’re working on. So that was, as I said, was about three weeks ago. Then last week I went in and I actually got everything finalize. My word, is like, you people should work with me on the contract that should all be finalized. And actually start working on the script. And as I said, I had to begin. It’s really interesting to as how all this went down. And the different connections, following-up with these people, and not in like a weird way. “Hey, man, what are ya doing tonight? Got anything for me?” Just, I was just legitimately passing on a letter this guy Dan. Who I really thought his movie was good. I thought these guys as far as the distribution, I thought it was very similar of, “Ninja Apocalypse.” An action movie alone, a bunch of action movie. So, I thought, hey, with these guys distribution of Ninja Apocalypse. I thought they fit for it legitimately. After all that I sent that, and they seemed appreciative of that as a distributor. They are always looking for new pieces to potentially distribute. And that’s kinda the kernel that got this current round of meetings and this writing assignment up. But again, it was eighteen months of, you know, staying in touch with them, these guys. And it was also the writing of that initial script, the “Ninja Apocalypse” script a couple of years ago. So, things kinda snowballed, it’s not one thing specifically. Like, gee, it was a cold quarry letter that got this, or, oh gee, it was networking. I guess it was a combination of several things, I think, that’s really the key. One of the things I get quite often in my Email and Fax Blast Services, people are of one off. Hey man, I wrote this script, they don’t want to be screenwriters. They just want to be, they just want to sell this one, script. And I always tell them, I don’t think my Blast Service is a good fit for you guys. And part of the value you get out of my Email Fax Blast Service is just the networking.
Getting to know people. And while all you want to do is sell one script. You’re not really taking advantage of that. You don’t want to be a writer, a career as the writer. These things, just exactly what I described to you. Two writers does have exactly the sort of value you can get out of this Email or Fax Blast. It’s on the specs. scripts, I know this director who was on my list. So, this director that hired me to at the moment. He’s been getting my cold quarry letters, and just deleting them, annoyed, then maybe I’m his fan, I don’t know? But for whatever reason, I’m bad for him, he’s been getting those because it’s something I do when I Email, Fax, Blast, I send it to him. Everybody. So, but, for whatever reason, he’s the one and that’s how I got things going. But just, really think about what I’m saying in terms of the sort of holistic approach to networking. And trying to get a script optioned and pre-used. Because it often times not just one simple thing. It’s often times several things in combination. That what they get what they need. Anyway, that’s what I want. It’s been a little long winded explanation for what I’m working on. But, it is what I’m working on currently. I’ll probably head down the next couple of months anyway.
Now, let’s get into the main segment. Today I’m interviewing Brian Deleeuw and Adam Egypt Mortimer, here is the interview –
[14:48]
Ashley: Welcome Adam and Brian, to the “Selling Your Screenplay Podcast.” I really appreciate you guys coming on the show.
Brian & Adam: Thank you.
Ashley: So to start out, I was wondering if you guys could give us a quick overview of your career. How you got started in the entertainment industry? And eventually get to the point where you wrote and directed this most recent feature film? Brian, why don’t you start?
Brian: I came at screenwriting from being a novelist first. I wrote my first novel close to six years ago. It was called, “In This Way I Was Saved.” And I moved out here four years ago. Continued writing fiction. I had a second novel, come out this year. But also, sort of diversify guess? Into writing screenplays as well. It was something I always wanted to try, and the screenwriter is always interested in writing are very different from book writing. I was much more interested in writing genre. A huge Wellard fan from all the way back from when I was a kid. I always had trouble handling writing horror and Sci-Fi and horror scripts. So, I had experience writing, but it was a different, obviously in a very different form. Since it’s been about three years at screenwriting now? This is the first produced screenplay, which I narrate together. The second one we wrote together. Producing we actually circled back on that one. A yeah, that’s how I kinda got into it.
Ashley: Okay, did you kinda have success with these novels?
Brian: A, They did find success, they were published, you know. I mean, when the first one can see. Yeah, the first one is published by “Shoestring” and the second one is done by “Ploom Imprint a Penguin” It’s called, “The Dismantling.” It came out in April. They are well viewed, I mean, they’re not, you know, massive “Best Sellers.”
Adam: They did better than Johnny and
Brian: Yeah, that’s right. Um, which is statements.
Adam: Yes. Yeah, no. I mean, something we continue to do it for sure. Wow, it’s just now not exactly career related fiction, you know? You always have to do something? See as people are pure a do grad school teachers or they work in publishing. There’s always going to be something else. And something else for me is screenwriting. And so I am basically kinda spending my time in writing fiction, in writing features, eh.
Ashely: Perfect, perfect. How many, give us the same kind of synopsis of your career.
Adam: A while ago, I lived in New York City. I was like an experimental musician and artist. But I transitioned into starting to direct music videos. First, I directed videos for like my friend’s bands, it was like experimental avant-garde things. I moved to Los Angeles and started getting hired to direct for major label bands. There was a really fun interesting transition for me when, the guy who runs music videos at Warner Bros. Others Emailed me and said, “Hey, I saw your totally insane experimental avant-garde thing. We want to hire you to do a little thing a video for like a pop-concert. I thought that was really, it made me love Los Angeles. It was the one, where people are able to hear to see like a certain skill, or point of view. Even if it’s like from a completely different place. And know that you can apply it to that. So, that’s like the honest music video career for me. And I was trying to figure out how to make movies within that. I was writing scripts and I was looking for material. And I kept writing things that had potential. But were above the budget that seemed to ever be able to get? I met Brian at a dinner party and engaged him only about his novel. And I immediately read it, and said, “Hey, I love your novel, I would love to try and make a movie out of this.” And so we wound up collaborating on that. And we adapted that first novel. We saved, and he wrote ultimately a great script that we loved. But even that was like, Ahhh, like I lead you down a terrible path, Brian. I don’t think we’re going to get the money to make this movie. But why don’t we write something incredibly low-budget. I think if we bring no harm and really low-budget. And statement, I think we got the money made. And we can get the money to get the movie made. So, he was aware, we started on our second movie that became made eventually.
Brian: One of the best things he said was? And audio thing, because I know, there’s some noisy things happening back there?
Ashley: He sounds good to me. So I think we’re good. So, just to touch on that a little bit. So you didn’t when you started directing these music videos? You didn’t have any experience in production? Like you won’t a film school graduate in college? So you had done a bunch of productions. You just dove in and a camera and just started shooting.
Adam: I didn’t go to film school, but I was always interested in doing, like, making my own weird little music video projects. So, like, when I was in New York. I did other film live bands playing. And you know, learn how to edit and things like that. Anybody else, I conned my way into getting a job at Nickelodeon. Where I was producing promo infomercials for the network. Which was much like going to film school. I sort of got them to hire me as a producer. And I knew, I didn’t quite have the skill sets. But while I was there I quickly learned how to edit and produce and that, and direct. And that’s where I actually learned how to do it, anything technical. But, yeah, I didn’t, I sometimes wonder, it’s funny the things you take it. I never sort of worked my way up. I did my PA on other sets, I didn’t go on film school. I just claimed that I was a director, and time to do that until I retire. So, if you take that kind of approach sometimes. You feel like, I don’t know what I’m doing? But, like, I have no idea, what a set is or whatever? Like, between, like, the very first video I did. It was like, me with a camera in my hand and some wierdos, and working my way up. Until those sets got bigger and bigger, and more expensive. But ultimately, we learned how to act like a professional.
Ashley: Yeah, yeah, yeah, okay. Let’s dig into, “Some kind of Hate.” To just start out, give us a quick log line or pitch of the film. I always link to the trailer. But in case people haven’t seen it? Maybe we’ll give them a quick pitch.
Adam: Sure, well that, idea that was originally, we wanted to make a movie that was a slasher film, like “Nightmare on Elm Street,” “Candyman.” That iconic film character. In the midst of a secret national slasher like they used to make in the ‘80’s and late ‘80’s. But to treat it like an emotional drama. So to kind of take that kind of story idea, and make the characters three dimensional and shown and make that emotional interaction realistic. That was what started it, I said, “Brian, can we make a movie like that?” And then he came up with the pitch.
Brian: Yeah, we wanted to do something that had to do with belaying, I thought that was really interesting way to get the issues of revenge and cycles of violence. Which was two things I was interested in wearing. So, the sort of plot line or pitch is, you know, a kid is a bully. And is sent to reform school in the middle of dessert. He ends up with a summons of a dead girl, who died there many years ago, who herself is bullied. And she starts taking retribution on his bullies. And it sort of spins out of control from there. And he is, or has to put her back in the box. And it becomes a struggle between the two of them. And I, we just thought that it was a really interesting way to get at these issues of violence and revenge. Which I am always interested in, kind of all those things I like. So, and the method.
Adam: Did we talk about the method? Anymore? Okay.
Brian: Way too much.
Ashley: Yeah, yeah.
Brian: She cuts herself, and then it appears in her victims. So, anything she does to herself, appears in the person she’s targeting. Because she’s super-natural.
Adam: I can’t think of these things?
Adam: So, she like, smashes her head into a wall. Your head will sort of open up and the wound if she’s targeting you. And you know, fanatically, is about this girl who had picking and a lot of abuse, taken on a lot of pain. Which is alive, and then coverage, which is alive. And now she’s given the power to fan that pain outwards. Due to put it out on other people. And part of that was the question, like if someone has been abused ad bullied, and picked on? What, if you were to give them this power to get revenge, what would they do with it? And revenge, what if they went too far? What is justified? And that is sort of the questions that were swirling around in my head a week, I came up with for the concept.
Ashley: Yeah, I’m curious? I’m most curious about process? And how people come up with the ideas and stuff. The way it sounds to me, like, you know, Adam just described, he came with you, just described some ideas. But honestly, it almost intuitively the opposite. You come up with the story, and Adam would come up with a sort of approach to that story. So, um, what Adam came into really a lot of different ways. Maybe you could describe that process? How do you come up with, sort of the concrete plot. When Adam comes to you with these sort of very vague ideas about how he’s going to do it?
Brian: Yeah, I think the thing is, what he came to me with was a bit more specific. I mean, it is, he came with a great clarity, of what kind of movie he wanted to make. And
Adam: And we talked a lot about some of the influences, before we got going.
Brian: Yeah.
Adam: Movies, so when we talked about it. We wanted it to be like, “Nightmare on Elm Street.” One of these kinds of things, but also much more contemporary horror films that are a lot more emotional, realistic, like, what they’ve done.
Brian: A reticulated bunch of horror films of 2000.
Adam: Yeah, so it was like martyrs on the inside and high tension. I said, look resolve all these amazing movies. That we can re-conceptualize what movies are. And treat them a bit more radically and dramatically. But no one has taken that approach with slasher films.
Brian: And I actually wasn’t really very familiar with those French films. Adam basically, I hadn’t seen any of them really? He wanted to before. So they were kind of an eye opening to me. You know, you have these super-natural slasher films that would look great. The one that we loved, I really didn’t see a way to make them. To take that feeling, and to take some of the aspects of those movies, and make it feel current, and new. And those are some of the awful, of the path that I think. They’re just cool. So, just very specific, it wasn’t just like, hey, let’s make a low-budget slasher. It was this very specific idea, of what the weapons would be. What the
Make-up would be, like stylistically. And so, I don’t know, I honestly don’t remember how exactly I came up with the one. We talked about it, for sure. It wasn’t like, I didn’t turn around and present it fully formed. Because I think you had it, bling.
(Cross Talking?)
Adam: And it grew-up that way.
Brain: Yes, I wanted to have a female.
(Cross talking?)
Adam:
Brain: I think both of us wanted to have that old slasher film. That’s just something you don’t see a whole lot. Female ghosts, you say? I wanted more of a traditional ghost story memories.
Adam: Gotcha. Japanese horror.
Brian: Japanese horror. Like, “The Ring & the Glove.” It’s very often you seen that. So, ghosts. When I guess certain of that. And you know, the nuts, in too much the slasher movie. So, we both wanted to do that, because it was real interesting. Again, this was a couple of years ago. Bullying, teen girl bullying, cyber bullying, being particularly very much in the news. I think it had always been happening, but, something about the way in which it was happening particularly? Online bullying was not new. And was not, it was just a new story that was very in the air. And that we thought would be a really interesting thing to explore. So, I just kinda put all those things together. And except I want to do with a female star, I want to sell this story of bullying. We have all the incidences, and from there we came up with the story.
Ashley: Okay, okay. Now, I want to dig into sort of that thought process just a little bit more. Like you’re telling me about cyber bullying, which is a very timely issue. We’re talking about the types of movies you liked, movies in the 2000’s. Remember he was from the 80’s. Did you get, were you talking to producers, were you talking to distributors? Like did you know, or did you think, at least from talking to them, that there was a market for this movie? Or was it just pure, “Hey” I like this movie, so let’s go do it! Was there any influence to fund distributors, producers, with experience, anything like that?
Adam: Not to the degree that we were talking to anybody that was helpful.
Brian: Not when we were forming, like the uniform circuit.
Adam: We were looking at what movies were. And understanding. Any idea that were really based around it. We could figure out a way to do this as inexpensively as possible, we’ll be able to get it done. And we understood, the landscape of some producers and companies that are out there that we would have loved to work with. But, you know, what it’s like. It’s a slasher movie, it was a really cool movie, a really cool tone, and let’s do it really as inexpensively. We’re also looking at what’re the other movies that are incredibly cheap? Like, “A Horrible Way to Die.” By Adam Wingard. As you look there’s always a handful of ways of getting these movies made. So, let’s get this done, and then follow that path. I mean, that didn’t pan out.
Brian: It didn’t work out. As suitably as we had anticipated. It never does and we had, and we’ll get into that. That’s the answer for you I think?
Adam: We really started with a script and sort of an idea of what the production plan would be. But, not so much, you know, we weren’t talking about five distributors. To hell, they wanted a buck right there.
Brian: They knew we were really interested in doing it.
Ashley: Sorry.
Brian: And then kinda went from there.
Ashley: Perfect, perfect. So I’ve written a bunch of scripts with partners, so I’m always curious to hear sort of how well these teams work? Maybe you can just describe the actual physical process of writing? As to why you guys write in the same room. Do you come up with an outline first? And then how does it all, how the script actually materialize?
Brian: Actually, we were just discussing this yesterday. Because we were revising it, another script. Correct me if I am wrong but, we do write, not the script. We actually assign each other, like, chunks to go do? With Daniel, the first time around.
Adam: No, we had, no, no, first we sat in your office.
Brian: No!
Adam: Downstairs, once.
Brian: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Adam: Arts and a board and…
Brian: Yes, yes, yes. We came back for dinner.
Adam: And we wrote it all out I didn’t remember?
Brian: The first time I remember. The first time, we would say, you take these twenty pages, and I take these twenty pages and come back with them. And then revise them and stuff. With this script we did not do that. We just wrote together.
Adam: Yeah, we sat together.
Brian: That, yeah, we sat across the table from each other, with the computer, screen sharing. Ah, the computers we were just writing it.
Adam: We actually watch words appear, then erased them. We would constantly write stupid jokes. When our characters would always say stupid things.
Brian: Yeah, the passive aggressive erasing, we would type it without saying anything and Then look at the next line.
(Laughing)
Ashely: Now explain screen share? That’s like something on Apple? I’m not an Apple guy?
Adam: We tried to use, I think, Final Draft? They claim to have this? It didn’t work. It would have never been able to make it work? Yeah, I think with Apple there’s a way to just open up your computer to screen share, so that he’s sitting there over a local network.
Brian: If you’re on the same height.
Adam: And talk, appears on his screen. So I open up the software, and it opens on his and we can just about type simultaneously.
Brian: Yeah, we’re on the same kind of network on one of the computers, is sort of like, host computer and it invites the other person to share the screen.
Adam: We actually had a lot of development on that. Because I remember, we talked kind of a lot of different ways. Like we were trying to do it over IChat for a while.
Brian: Yeah.
Adam: Then this thing and that thing. Like Skype, there were all these different things?
Brian: Yeah, right.
Adam: Until finally we sort of figured that out. But that was, I think that was the real important way to do it. It was really nice to feel like, because I don’t know? Because we just have one thing. Like, you’re both sitting there with your fingers on the keyboard and, you can talk, and you can type. It’s a really nice way to work.
Brian: It’s a regency sign transcriber.
Adam: Right. So, right, it wasn’t like I’m piecing, smoking, like, and then we, yeah, no, like that. So I think we wrote it, a draft or two of it. But I do also remember times when I would be at home, I think we even could screen share remotely?
Brian: Yeah. It didn’t work as loud.
Adam: We would like revise scenes on our own remotely. Around San Diego and back again.
Brian: Yup.
Adam: It was para-battle also.
Brian: Yep.
Adam: But it was actually really smooth, like at first, for some reason? We aren’t in need very much.
Brian: No.
Adam: We written three scene plays and then, it’s been like, very intrinsic, it’s been like really low conflict.
Brian: Yeah. It’s easy to read the scene as the other person is putting it together, versus the ones that I’ve written alone. It’s like this, and the ones you written alone. It is kinda like half way between our styles. Like are you have read the ones I’ve written, versus the ones you’ve written. So, you’d be like, these are like, wildly different styles you know. And then the ones that take a really split the difference, you know? There isn’t any way, hopefully in a good way.
Adam: Yeah.
Brian: But yeah, I mean, I think because of that, like I’m not trying to, no one else is trying to oppose to our own styles on the other person too much.
Adam: Let me pick the styles, I would have done diagrams of things, we’re interested in.
Brian: So, yeah.
Ashley: Yeah, well. That’s a good tip to screen share, I’ve never tried that, that does sound good too. Okay, so let’s dig into a little bit of the marketing of the script. Because you’ve got a draft of the script, it’s done. What are your next steps after that to getting it produced?
Adam: God, this is so hard.
Ashley: That’s the first thing. When was this?
Brian: It was three years ago. Three years ago, I said,
Adam: “Let’s do a slasher movie.” And maybe at this point, little bit more than three years ago. And it’s one of those funny things? It’s like, okay let’s see how quickly we can make this movie? So we can move on to other things. It’s like, three years man. It’s like, man, I think you’re wrong. A vision, like right at this summer, we’ll be shooting this film and I don’t really care what turns out? Well, you just want to shoot our first movie alone. And then it comes out, it only took three years. It was a huge struggle and we had to make it as awesome as it can be. And it turns into your life’s work.
Brian: Yeah. It was not the easiest thing to top off, but there was a sense of. We just wanted to make what we were interested in. Stories, but we really wanted to make them. That was like the first movie maker quickly. See if we could do it, learn from it, dig our next one. And shoot ours then.
Adam: That’s why we invested all this time, and money into it. And you’re like going to obviously be like a perfectionist about it at that time.
Ashley: Let’s take some of that.
Adam: So we had a movie, no producers. So we just started calling up people that were fair close to. And saying, Hey, we have this thing, a horror movie. And view it, and see if you like it? And at that stage, that’s where we stayed for a couple of months. People would read it, and often times like it. And say, I want to help you make this movie. Here’s some notes, here try this? Good-bye and then kinda went on for a while and nothing happened. And then more people ranging from, close friends to professional contacts who anybody we could serve. Talk to, and in a couple of cases, like, a production company with like an office in Santa Monica. Employees would come on and be interested. Had some revisions to the presentation. And then they are going to go get money. And like, paid, and we just kept on not working the way that this ought.
Brian: Yeah, and then we found a producer who actually at times came to Santa Monica.
Adam: No, what actually came first, a man said, my wife was working in development at a big company. She quit her job, because she had studied to be a producer. And saw our script as her own. The way it would make our first movie was also her opportunity. Yeah, so she quit her job, and came on as the producer. And created a budget.
Brian: Right, right.
Adam: And brought on Gabby.
Brian: Right.
Adam: And then created a working partnership. And then they started working on it. And at one point they found somebody, and this is where we go into the long part of the journey of.
Brian: Yeah.
Adam: So we switched, and that was going along well. They found an investor, not an investor. He was a company that had financing.
Brian: That was three months later though.
Adam: Seriously though, loved the movie, wanted to do it at a much higher budget than we had originally intended. And we, foolishly and regrettably, said, “Yes.”
Brian: Yeah.
Adam: And then, months went by. During the course of that nine months, we went and lived in Vancouver for two months.
Brian: I didn’t.
Adam: The man and I, as we were told, we’re going to finance the movie in Vancouver, with Canadian financing and financer. We cast Colberg as the movie. We hired an entire crew for scouting, workers, we were like, making this movie for two months in Vancouver. And then the financing never appeared. We had to drive back to L.A. with nothing, except a gut against the film.
Brian: Yeah.
Adam: And then go back to the film and the original plan of how do we make this movie cheaper?
Brain: Yeah, and then at that point we figured, we should have been earlier interested in it. Came back around and knew that we had come back. And hadn’t been able to make it on a larger budget a little. And this express dreams.
Adam: And that was Calaber Media that wound up coming on and being our chief financing. And producing partner on it.
Ashley: Had this company in Vancouver had pitched you about optioning the script from you?
Adam: No, I mean, no, no, no, no.
(Cross talk)
Brian: Yeah, but.
Adam: It was.
Brian: Yeah, it was in the paperwork that, it was still there, and like we never actually signed anything.
Adam: Right. So he was like, did you get it? The people in Vancouver, you know, with the money will be watching. And we will tempo money when you really at a distance. We were really working closely with him.
Brian: Yeah.
Adam: And he, will it be a fancy operation once we’re on our feet? And fancy things? I should have known things I guess?
Ashley: No, no, no, no. I just kidding, because I think this is important for people to hear the struggles and be prepared for these types of things. And when.
Adam: The truth is, I knew. I knew, I knew, I knew! I’d done this before. I’d developed things that were bigger. And they fell apart, and it was like, why are we doing this?
Brian: The thing is, you know, we had written this in a certain time. And this was literally, ten times that budget level. And so that was like, very attractive obviously. But it also became very suspicious. Yeah, because it was a clear idea of why this movie has to be at this budget level. Of course everyone wants to have more money in the first place. Its movie, but you also want it to make money, and see you largely make another movie. So this idea of like, why it needed to be around a certain budget. That this company saw it as this much bigger thing. I think in that, you know, it’s got like this probably a one inside. You know, when we came back Dallas had been interested in a movie before. And his conception with the budget was more in line with what we had originally conceived of it.
Adam: And I think this is an important tip here, have an idea of what the budget is, or should have been? Was super in line with what the market for a movie is. And I think up until that point. We didn’t understand it? So, we didn’t look at other movies. Like, Adam Wingard, or whatever? He did this for, $20,000.00 particularly $10,000.00 or whatever? We needed to do that too. That’s seemed like an achievable in a month. But that was sort of arbitrary, right? It was only one. When we arbitrarily started dealing with Dallas. And we started explaining the way the market works in relation to since even 2008. It was like, if you make a horror movie that is pretty good. You will definitely be able to sell it. You will definitely, absolutely, be able to take it to market and sell it. To readers, you will not possibly get more than a couple of hundred thousand dollars for it, if you’re lucky ever in your life. So making a movie.
Brian: It’s the movie, not us, right or wrong. For the total sale of your product.
Adam: Just a few years ago, when we were still buying DVD’s and things. You did like, maybe we’ll make a couple of a million dollars. So there’s a lot more possibilities. The reason why you have to make a movie, for $20,000 is? You can’t possibly recoup more than that, it could be more than that. Unless something really spectacular something totally out of your hands ever happens. Which people don’t want to take into account.
Ashley: Right, right, right. Tell me about the debt? You guys mentioned, you came back from Vancouver, some debt associated with this script. Were there, was that just your own personal debt? For having to spend money to live there? Or what? Is there some debt with this?
Adam: We were hiring, hiring people to work on the movie, literally.
Ashley: I see, I see.
Adam: We got an abridged loan, from another plan, from another agency. But look we had to hire, we had to have a location scout in Vancouver. Taking us, you know, all across the landscape. And we hired people to do designs. We would constantly put out. It was as if it were a real movie.
Ashley: Yeah, and do you think this guy was some sort of scam artist, or do you think he was just very optimistic in what he could actually raise?
(Cross talk)
Brian: That’s how he got to be wealthy in the first place to do that? I actually think he’s more like….
Adam: He’s actually talk too much.
Ashley: Not to mention any names, I mean, I’m curious.
Brian: I mean, he’s a scam artist. But he didn’t
Adam: Na, na, na, na, na. I don’t think he’s a scam artist. I think he’s somebody who is extremely, maybe he’s from the opposite. But also who would rather. See, he promised us this money. Instead of saying, I don’t think this is actually going to happen. Or, I don’t know. Or maybe this deal might not be happening. I don’t know, he simply can’t say, “I don’t know.” So, instead of saying, “I don’t know, let’s put a hold on it?” He would continue to say, “It’s coming in, it’s coming in. This week, this week.” Because that’s what he said at the start. As he isn’t incapable of admitting. I think he was wrong, as opposed to telling the truth. Because he said, I’m going to go to such and such person for the financing, such and such company or whatever. And when you get this money I’m doing a deal with them. If you don’t get the money and it doesn’t come through. I’ll give you my own money. And then that didn’t happen. I don’t think we should get too much into this.
Ashley: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. Fair enough, so let’s go ahead and.
Adam: It is something to look forward to. Look man, to other people who are writers. If you’re sitting down with your buddy? And say, let’s write a super low budget of a slasher movie that we can afford to make, don’t change your mind.
Ashley: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think your point is a very, very good valid one. Bottom line, the market can only support at this stage a $200,000.00, so if you’re going to spend a lot more than that. Your chances of recouping that are seriously under minded.
Adam: I think it’s super, super.
Brian: A lot of things stylus.
Adam: Yeah, if you can find a debt. Right, if you can find change to hold it, a whole different thing. How do you do that? So, the other lesson that we learned more than phenomenally interesting was? When it was written here or in Vancouver, the movie was still made out to $200,000.00. And we had our whole production out. We had our schedule, we finished up for twenty days, I had to fight for even that many. We had to later bite to get twenty days. We had to light people on fire, we had planned stunts, we had all this cool locations. Fax that we had worked out. When we wound up actually making the movie, for 10% of that budget. We shot exactly the same production plan. We still shot for twenty days. Which are bought for again. And in fact an extra day of pick-ups. We lit people on fire, we squeezed right through special effects. We built a greenhouse in the middle of the dessert. That’s the setting we needed, people smashed through windows. It’s like, all of these are different locations. We shot exactly the same thing. So, I mean, the difference, everybody’s feels were lower to zero. But the shoot and production were the same. And it’s so important to know that you have that option. You know, like, ah, how am I going to make this movie?! DON’T MAKE IT!!! Like a $200,000.00 movie. You’re still shooting the same movie.
Ashley: Did you ask for some more money for cast? I mean, were you pretending, and guess some bigger names?
Adam: Yeah, we had bigger names.
Brian: Slightly bigger names.
Adam: Slightly bigger.
Brian: It was bigger, it wasn’t like we were going after.
Adam: We had someone shoot cast.
Brian: Yeah.
Adam: Yeah. Somehow after the money was gone, yes.
Ashley: Okay, okay. So let’s.
Adam: No, he was getting the same sign, no. It wasn’t like we were offering like, somebody $300,000.00 to do the work?
Female voice: Everyone we called said.
Adam: Our producer filling in the blank. Let’s not, that’s not what the question is? We weren’t like it, attracting big stars with more amount of money. We risked everything, $200,000.00. Where everything is? More expensive.
Brian: Yeah, where this new movie comes, it’s a certain budget. And all these like, costs kinda pile under it. Simply because it’s at that budget.
Adam: Yeah we had to like get like bonded. And like the bonding agent made us hire a. More accountants, and hire a line producer, we didn’t understand we were making fun. And now we can only shoot for eight hours. It would have been worse, you know? It’s like, Oh my God, it’s $2 million dollars?! No, were now silver surfing.
Brian: This is a production, but a production that’s not as lean and flexible as.
Adam: Yeah.
Brian: As a true low budget.
Adam: Yeah.
Ashley: Yeah, yeah, fair enough. So let’s just talk a little bit about? You’ve got your movie shot, and then what was the next step? Were you guys already have, it sounds like you already had a producer on board. Did he already have access to distributors? Did you talk about film festivals?
Brian: A yeah. Dallas’s Caliber Media, when he came on as the financer, producer, he also came on as the model sales agent. But he’s
Adam: So he’s, when he was finished, he went out to, he sold. He had.
Brian: Oh, yeah. a writer, no it’s too late.
Adam: When he was ready, we were able to get him his first film festival. In Colorado, that was our a. Our world premiere.
Brian: Yeah.
Adam: So, right at that time while a bunch of us was talking to multiple buyers. We had a really stellar premiere. And that clinched the deal with image talked about.
Brian: And we had finished the film, very, very shortly after that. Awesome, I was like, “Done!” Right under the wire.
Adam: I think that’s like typical for film festival submissions and stuff, the version I saw was probably almost finished, but not quite finished.
Brian: That’s right. Basically we congrat.
Adam: We basically sent it out to them, right after deadline and.
Brian: Yeah.
Adam: We were super lucky, that they wrote that. I guess we didn’t get into the Stanley film hook. What, the whole festival thing was like, Oh my god, you never like, wanted acceptance from your peers more, than when you finally get a movie out. It’s just, it’s the worst, right? So, we, waited to hear back from Stan Lee. And then, you know, Stan come with to the festivals. There’s this amazing festival, which takes place in Colorado. At the “Overlook Hotel” that inspired Stephen King’s, “The Shining.”
Brian: The “Stanley Hotel”
Adam: What did I just say?
Brian: “The Overlook.”
Adam: “The Overlook” is the one in the movie?
Brian: Right, right. That was the fictional one.
Adam: Anyway, we didn’t hear back from them. And we had heard from our friends, “Oh, Dude I got into the Festival, the film festival is going to be so much fun! Like we’re all going to have fun together. And we’re like, “Oh, I don’t think we’re in it?” This is one of the worst questions when one of your friends, goes. And you tell them, “Oh, I don’t think we’re in that festival?” And they go, “Why not?” Well, I don’t know, we been in like in a movie, what do you want me to say?” However, anyway, so for April fool’s Day, of all things. It’s 6:30p.m. We get an Email from Landon, their programmer, who says, “Guys, I’m sorry to take so long to get back to you. But, it’s actually because you submitted it so late. But it was like, difficulty scheduling it. But welcome to the movie, we want you to please show. Please let us know if you will accept the offer? Because we are announcing placement in 45 minutes.” And we’re like “hell yeah.”
Brian: Hell yeah. It’s good thing you’re on the, you remember that time?
Adam: Yeah.
Brian: Yeah, yeah, that was where we were from here. And the deal came out of that festival.
Ashley: Okay. Did you go to many more festivals? Did you go to some more festivals?
Adam & Brian: Yes!
Adam: We went to this one called, “Fantasia” in Montreal. Which is a huge awesome festival. We, a year ago, we had showed clips of our movie while it was in progress. They had this, in progress, a bit of a market frontiers. So we had our return a year later with the finished film. And have our Canadian premier. And that audience was insane! It was like screaming laughing, and clapping. It was totally rad.
Brian: Yeah.
Adam: We also just went to some Corp. Play Fest. Which is in London. And that was also, that one was also amazing. Three screenings, we’re all cold, people had like really strong branching in which we got really strong using. From people who were really angry about the movie being really, really angry. Like we were controversial. And then from the professional itself, has just launched in impromptu, went through icons and bought a rubic from the U.K. That was by far in sighting.
Brian: And it’s playing at out of other European Festivals. Like Citrus, but some places like that.
Adam: But we can’t do any more traveling. I’m sorry. So,
Brian: it’s going internationally, because once obviously, if there are any more festivals here. It can go internationally. I bet a few more in the fall.
Adam: Yep.
Ashley: Perfect, perfect. Maybe you could tell us, how people can see “Hate?” What’s the schedule “OnDemand” throughout international?
Adam: Yes, “Some Kind of Hate” comes out on September 18th. Which is today’s Friday, next Friday. September 18th it’s in ten theaters in ten cities including “Runway Music.” Hall in Beverly Hills Los Angles, Billy G’s in New York. That same day it will be in available on ITunes, Hands on and B & D.
Ashley: Okay, perfect, perfect. I always like to wrap up the interview just asking how people can find and follow along with what you’re doing. Potentially get in contact with you. Like, if you have a Twitter handle, you can mention that, a Facebook page mention that. Anything you feel comfortable sharing. Maybe you can give that?
Adam: My Twitter is – adamegypt@ I’m on Twitter. Our Facebook, I think it would be to search for “Some Kind of Hate.” Word. Facebook, we’re really active on Facebook also. What’s that? It’s on Twitter? Oh? Yeah, that’s courage. SKAHO movies to that. I don’t know?
Ashley: You don’t have a Twitter?
Brian: It ain’t too bad.
Ashley: Okay, yeah, yeah. You know those links? You know those links round up and up and up… But they’re in the show notes. Well, this has been the most candid interview I’ve ever done, so I really appreciate you guys coming on and talking with me. Well done, as I wish you guys luck with this movie.
Brian: Thank you.
Adam: Thank you.
Brian: We really appreciate it.
Ashley: Thank you, we’ll talk to you guys later.
Adam: Take care, bye.
Ashley: Bye.
[49:36]
Ashley: Just a quick note, for Email and Fax Blast Quarry Service, it lasts 24 months. I optioned ten scripts and sold one script and had seven full paid writing assignments. And all of that came from using my own Email and Fax Blast Quarry Service. I’ve also just set-up a successes story page. So if you want to check out some of the other people who have tried this service and send. Just go to – www.sellingyourscreenplay.com/success.
Well a bunch of other writers are sharing scripts and getting writing assignments as well. If you have used this service in the past? And have had some success with it. Please do let me know, I would love to include your story on the success page. And perhaps bring you on the Podcast to share and talk about your experience.
So here’s how the Blast Service works? First join us via – Select. Then you post you Log-on quarry letter on the SYS Select form. I review your Log-on and quarry letter and make them as good as they can be. Then you purchase the Blast and I send it out for you. You know, they sound as if they are from your Email address. So all reply’s go directly back to you. You can exclude companies if there are specific companies you don’t want to send to. Check out –
www.sellingyourscreenplayselect.com that’s www.sellingyourscreenplayselect.com to learn more.
In the next episode of the Podcast, I’m going to do an interview with – Michael Polish. Who, recently directed a drama with Kate Bosworth. He hadn’t started writing and directing and indie film called, “False Idaho.” It was a big Indi hit. We talk a little bit about how it jump started his career. So keep an eye out for that episode next week.
To wrap things up I just want to touch on a few things from today’s interview. I want to weigh in on sort of scams and what the situation that they ran into is? To me, this doesn’t really sound what I would call or qualify as a scam. It sounds to me like the producer, you know, he’s an older, overly opportunistic sales guy. Who was kinda stringing these guys along. He was probably trying to get funding for this movie. And my guess is, since the way they described it? These film makers didn’t actually pay him anything. But they were actually spending their own money on pre-production. Which was thought would be paid back, once they got funding. So my guess is he was going along and trying to actually raise the money. But, instead, as I said, he was a overly optimistic and very opportunistic in doing this. He probably had numerous projects similar to this. And was rolling a long and was just hoping to get some of it going. And get some of it. And my guess is that he was actually working on raising the money. But it was a very hard thing to do. From his perspective, what’s the down side? Oh, I get these guys going on this movie and then it does actually get them funding. Because a way to go, who doesn’t lose anything. And even if he does raise the money. Then the other ones are out the money for the production. Him, I think that is my big take away from that. And be for this is, you don’t spend your money if you know what you’re doing. I would say, don’t spend you hard earned money on pre-production, or any of these other things that you might need to do to get your film into production. And that’s really a producer’s job. And I have heard a of, if you want to start talking about some of the production scams that I have seen? What kind of scams have I seen? And I have heard from writers who have come back to me. Again, my guess is that really drill down to the so called producers who are, you know, doing the scam. They are probably at least in some small way, trying to actually do what they say, and say what they do. But anyway, what I’ve seen is a very promised scam. It is, you get a producer who contacts you, and then? Some of these producers will troll sites like, “Stage 32” or any number of other sites. These so called producers on these sites. And then when you, I want to tell you all. I don’t know about “Ink-Tip?” Ink-Tip is pretty good in writing their producers. So, I don’t know if I’ve ever seen them. But I definitely seen them in places like “Craigslist” where you have basically a free for all. Any producer can post it, so you want to be careful. Especially in these paid services. Probably something like “Ink-Tip” or the “Black List” where they really vet the producers. It’s much less likely to happen. But the common scam, as I said, is something like, anybody can place an ad, and anybody can respond to it. You might see a producer hear him looking for a script. And then when you contact him it’s, “Oh, I love your script, but you just got to pay some of these album costs, so we can get the seed money, and so I can raise money. I wonder what these album costs will be? $2000.00, $3,000.00, $5,000.00, up to $50,000.00, which I’ve heard of writers being approached to having to pay, you know, producers trying to get like, $50,000.00 seed money to get this project going. Again, I don’t know what is with these people who are actually doing this scam? And so I don’t know, can’t really see what’s in it at heart? But, my guess is some other, most of them probably take some of that money. And they do try and get the movie made. But it’s such a small chance of that happening. It really boarders on scam. I mean, it just boarders on completely unethical. And I’ve heard of this old one over and over again. I’ve had screenwriters Email me and say, “Hey, you know, I’ve got this producer, and he really loved the script. What are the telltale signs that I’ve fallen for the scam?” I mean, a lot of the times, you can tell. The producer hasn’t even read the script yet. And to me that’s a telltale sign of, you know, they’re not that worried about that. They’re just worried about, they don’t want to waste their time reading scripts. If the writer isn’t serious about putting up some money to pay them to help them produce the movie. So that’s one of the things that I’ve gotten from some of these Email. You know, the Emails sometimes screenwriters will follow me in what these producers are saying. It sounds like it, they don’t actually say, I haven’t read the script yet. But, it sounds like to me from the Email, that they haven’t read the script. Their praise is very generic, it’s not very specific. And you know, they just don’t really talk that much about the script. They just say, “Oh, I love you script, it’s great” it’s very generic. It doesn’t sound like there’s anything they actually liked about it. And again. My hunch is, they don’t want to read the script. Because 99% of them, the writers are going to say, no I’m not going to give you the money.” They want to see if these the writers are opened to paying some of these costs at first. So that’s what scams I’ve definitely heard of. You’ll know of any producer who wants you to pay some seed money. Again, if you’re not producing the movie, than let them do their job. They are the producer, they should be the ones raising money. They should be forking money out, until the seed money is raised, that should be coming out of their pocket. Not yours, you are providing the script, the action. Sometimes you might give them a free option? You’re not actually going to pay money out of your pocket, so they can go out and join you to raise more money, that doesn’t make sense. I mean, you don’t really need a producer, if you’re going to be paying for the commercial start-up cost. You can just hire someone, at least then you’d be more in control of more things. Or you could just do it yourself, pay yourself to do these things. Once you’re the one paying for the producer, to raise money, you are in fact the producer. You really don’t even need them. So that’s one scam, be real careful, if anybody has hit you up for money up front like that? That’s one scam.
Another very common scam I’ve heard, and this one is very similar to that is? And I actually got, was approached with when I first started my career. I sent some cold quarry letters, very, very early on. And this again, was a very common scam where a producer announces, and again, high praise, “Wow, this script is great, and believe me, this script is absolutely choice.” We just need to hire a writer to bring it up to standards. The other writer is going to cost about
$6,000.00-$7,000.00, but yeah, this is a bargain. Usually they can charge us $25,000.00. I think I can get them to agree to rewrite this, since the material is so great, I can get them to rewrite it for
$5.000.00-$6,000.00. Or something, I don’t know the exact number? But it was somewhere in that like, $4.000.00 – $5,000.00 range. And that’s basically the producer makes whatever deal he wants, and wants me to hire a friend who was a screenwriter to who was to rewrite this script, and bring it up to industry standards from this producer. Of course feel free to write multiple copies if it raises funds. Of course that’s why the concept was so brilliant. And I can tell you now what the back was back then, it was enough. Luckily I was fresh out of college. In fact, I think I was still in college when I actually first started. I can still say, when I didn’t have much money.
The other thing that felt really strange to me was? I wanted to grow up and be a screenwriter. So, it didn’t seem likely to pay someone to rewrite my script. And I wanted to be a writer as well. But in any event, I don’t think that these guys, in their heart of hearts, they are not scammers. In their heart of hearts they’re like, hey I’m going to help this screenwriter get his script to the next level. And take it out to the marketplace. They had a couple of credits. This one was before IMDB, before it got really big. So, it wasn’t that easy to know about people and go on the grants. I have seen, it’s done that. Since the last every now and then. And then I’ll think, gee, what ever happened to those guys? And I’ve actually gone on to them and looked them up. He crowed the bay to tell me about, back in the mid ‘90’s. Is exactly the same credits that they still has, though they haven’t done a lot since then. So, I don’t think these guys were really very legitimate. But then again, in their heart of hearts they probably thought they were doing them a big favor. But I think ultimately, it really was just a scam. So, those are the things I’d really watch out for. Like paying money for stuff, just really starts to get in the rears. People who are asking you for money to re-write the script, or for seed money to produce a film. I would say, stay away from that.
Anyway, that’s the show this week, thank you for listening.
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