Development: Take 3

Here are some more insights on development from one insider's POV (that would be me). In order to avoid inducing narcolepsy in my readers, I'm writing these pearls of wisdom in segments. Today's development data takes an "at-a-glance" outline form.

If the structure of script sales is old hat to you, go ahead and skip to the bottom now and collect the goodies that await you there. For everybody else, I strongly suggest you take the time to read the facts first. They could help you write and sell your next script.

Fact One

In the U.S., development is costly so only the major studios or well connected independents (part of the Independent Film and Television Alliance) can develop an idea to its full potential and back it up with the marketing muscle it needs.

Fact Two

The more stable the studio the more they invest in development. If they don't like the result they shelve it or put it in turnaround.

Fact Three

7 out of 8 development projects never get produced. With the rising cost of virtually everything the studios rely more on packaging.

Fact Four

Packaging is shorthand for attaching a director and/or talent to a script so it has a guarantee (or the appearance of one) at the B.O.

Fact Five

Sales agents work with banks to calculate receipts and demographics to determine how much a talent is worth, where in the market.

Fact Six

Everybody has the same playbook which says, "if X is in it, we can count on Y sales". Studios want to see the bottom line in advance.

Fact Seven

The smaller the aggregate talent "number" in a package, the smaller the budget and the less likely it is to get studio distribution.

Observations & Conclusions

What I've just outlined is the skeleton key to script sales in Hollywood. There are exceptions, of course, and the Internet is opening doors in all sorts of ways but the basic structure is still intact so be aware of it and act accordingly.

The good news is, there's more creative method to the madness than just number crunching. In fact, some labels are beating these odds. Fox Searchlight and Focus Features, for example, consistently put together product that we think of as "independent". They aren't, they're owned Fox and Universal respectively, but who cares?

If I were pitching a lower budget, indie type script (usually character driven pieces that live outside a genre), I'd go to either of them. The other piece to that is the studios aren't all looking for the same thing. So what Fox Searchlight buys, Focus Features might not and vice versa. Disney's likes are not the same as Warners, etc.

JUNO, last year's winner from Fox Searchlight, gave us the bright new actress Ellen Page and another relatively unknown but gifted writer, Diablo Cody. If you haven't seen it, rent it and listen to the dialogue. You might even turn up the sound and leave the room periodically to experience the picture without the picture.



Notice that BABY MAMA (a Universal release) is number one at the box office this week. This demonstrates yet again that one home-run deserves another (very much like it). Baby Mama is more mainstream because it takes the adult-and-can't-conceive woman's POV and recasts the teen as a clueless adult. It's a slam dunk (oops, mixed metaphor) and it's now playing on a screen near you.



Seldom is a script so strong that it stands alone. If it IS that good, the writer will find friends fast. Or is that find fast friends? Anyway, your new buds won't want to let you out of their sight. It simply isn't true that great material gets passed over. There may be politics or the timing may not be right or there are too many other things like it on the collective development slate but great writing can't fail. People will notice a fantastic writer, guaranteed! Feel better?

Don't fall under the illusion that people will automatically shower dollars (euros, yen, whatever) on your head. No matter how amazing you are, a strong agent and a savvy entertainment lawyer are indispensable. If the script needs work (and it will), the studios often fire the original writer and hire one they already know and trust to make the changes they think will improve it. Sigh.

I don't mean to end on a downbeat so if you've got a few minutes ... click here for some inside chats at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Cheers!