Advice — advice

This past summer (1999) 12 movies earned more than $100 million at the U.S. box office. Though they ranged from low budget horror to big budget sci-fi western, and included romantic comedy, broad comedy, children's special effects comedy, mystery thriller, occult thriller and a classic animated love story/adventure, they all had five things in common: 1. Each one had a HERO, a main character we rooted for, and whose motivations drove the story forward; 2. We IDENTIFIED with the heroes, we put ourselves inside those characters psychologically, and experienced emotion through them; 3. The heroes each pursued at least one...

If creating a successful romantic comedy really was as easy as plugging a couple of stars into a standard boy-meets-girl, boy-loses- girl, boy-gets-girl structure, the market would be glutted with genuinely funny romantic comedies. But can you remember the last truly great 'rom-com' you've seen? Only one or two in the past few years topped the box office. And as a story analyst who sees-and rejects romantic comedy specs on a weekly basis, I can tell you that the ones that really work are all too rare. So in the interest of helping fellow writers (and good date movie-starved audience...

I would like to address a problem that many writers contend with every day. It's a problem that can delay a project's completion by a few days, or it can stop work dead in its tracks, leaving it permanently unfinished. It can hinder a single project's momentum, or it can lay waste to an entire writing career. And the most amazing aspect of the problem is that most writers don't consider it a problem at all. What I consider a plague on the entire creative process is something many writers would consider an ideal, a work ethic, something to struggle...

Question: I keep hearing about these mysterious story analysts who will be charged, hopefully, with reading my script. Who are they and what are they like? Marisa D'Vari responds: Story analysts (or readers, as they are sometimes called) come in two types. The full-time studio or production company reader is required, in most places, to read and analyze at least two scripts a day. They show up for work like everyone else, have their coffee, put their feet up on the desk and read. Many are exceptionally well-educated, and have advanced degrees, with law degrees particularly prevalent. Despite their education,...

Question: I have completed my screenplay, but I never wrote a treatment. I met a producer who wants to see a treatment only. Some people say a treatment should be three pages long, some say 12. Any advice? Michael Halperin, author of 'Writing the Killer Treatment,' responds: Before starting out on a treatment based on a completed screenplay, you have to ask questions. Does the producer actually want a treatment, or does he want a synopsis of the screenplay? Some producers continue to confuse one with the other. Writers go off and write their treatments and deliver them. Producers wonder...