Thursday, May 8, 2008

Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain

If this campaign season was a movie, which one would it be?  Three Amigos?  Definitely not.  I think the campaign has actually become a reality show, and this one never ends, well it has to soon.  It's a combination of Survivor, Dancing With The Stars and The Dating Game.

Survivor without the wit, instead of dancing it's really using and juggling the stars, and every now and then they have to sit down and answer some questions that all of their potential dates propose to them.  Unfortunately the answers aren't as much fun as The Dating Game.  Maybe that's the solution!  Put our presidential candidates on the Dating Game.  

We're gonna' be hand in hand for four to eight years.  That's like an Oliver Stone movie! 

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Monday, May 5, 2008

Script Analysis

A lot of people ask, what's the difference between script analysis, script coverage and script notes. I say: good question. Script notes are pretty cut and dry. They usually consist of somebody telling you what they liked, what they didn't like along with any formatting errors and misspelled words they could find.

Script coverage is usually performed by a studio and is how they figure out if your project is something they're interested in. Most of the scripts are read by a studio reader or an assistant, and based on their coverage of the script, the executive they work for will determine if they add the script to their already large weekend pile. They grade the story, dialogue, the project and the writer. With way too many scripts to read, they are looking to eliminate yours as quickly as possible. If your expecting constructive and detailed criticism here, don't.

That's where script analysis comes in to the picture. You don't want to just know what somebody likes or dislikes, you need to know why. How else are you going to become a better writer. With the aim of making your script the most impressive it can be, you will have a better chance of impressing the people that make decisions. Since they usually only perform coverage once on the same script, a script analysis will ensure that your chances improve. In the numbers game that is Hollywood, you need every chance you can get.

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