Question on Spec Script Sales

I’m in a dilemma. In a pickle. In between a hard place and a harder place. And you, my loyal reader, can help.

Here’s the deal. Each month I post script sales here on ye ol’ blog and I am not ashamed to inform you that I get my data from Done Deal Pro. Their details on script sales are – well, shall we say – not very consistent. Anyway, here’s my dilemma – pickle – hard place: If a writer/director makes a sale and the source of the material is not identified as an adaptation, assignment, true story, or a pitch… can I safely assume that the screenplay is a spec? I mean, after all, it is original material and as original material can it be declared a spec?

Let me know what you think because if I am wrong, my stats on script types – adaptation, assignment, pitch, remake, etc. – are skewed. Tell me what you think.

Keep Writing!

Sales Charts June ‘09

Here are some statistics for you to mull over.

Keep Writing!

Script Sales for June ‘09

There were 79 sales this month.

Genre                                Type                        Studio                                Production Co.

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Action                               Sequel                     Paramount Pictures         Bad Robot

Action Adventure            Adaptation             Columbia Pictures            Arad Productions

Action Adventure            Adaptation             N/A                                    Summit Enter

Action Comedy                Pitch                        Paramount Pictures         Montecito Picture

Action Comedy                Pitch                        Paramount Pictures         Skydance Prod

Action Spy                        Assignment            MGM                                 EON Productions

Action Supernatural        Spec                        Paramount Pictures         di Bonaventura Pics

Action Thriller                  Adaptation             N/A                                    Lionsgate

Action Thriller                  Rewrite                   N/A                                    CBS Films

Action War                       Adaptation             N/A                                    Omnilab

Action Western                Adaptation             Universal Pictures            De Luca Productions

Adventure                        Pitch                        Columbia Pictures            Right Coast Prod

Adventure                        Rewrite                   20th Century Fox             N/A

Comedy                            Adaptation             20th Century Fox             N/A

Comedy                            Pitch                        DreamWorks                     N/A

Comedy                            Pitch                        Universal Pictures            Benderspink

Comedy                            Remake                   Paramount Pictures         Montecito Picture

Comedy                            Spec                        N/A                                    Chockstone Pictures

Comedy                            True Story              Universal Pictures            Imagine Enter

Comedy                            Adaptation             N/A                                    Henson Company

Comedy                            Rewrite                   20th Century Fox             Prime Universe Prod

Comedy                            Spec                        Universal Pictures            Type A Films

Comedy Adventure         Adaptation             Universal Pictures            Imagine Enter

Comedy Buddy                Rewrite                   N/A                                    Focus Features

Comedy Children’s          Adaptation             Universal Pictures            Gotham Group

ComedyFamily                 Spec                        N/A                                    Wind Dancer Films

Drama                               Adaptation             Fox 2000                           New Regency

Drama                               Adaptation             20th Century Fox             Yorn Management

Drama                               Adaptation             N/A                                    GreeneStreet Films

Drama                               Adaptation             Warner Bros.                     Unique Features

Drama                               Adaptation             N/A                                    L+E Productions

Drama                               Pitch                        Paramount Pictures         Appian Way

Drama                               Spec                        N/A                                    Imagine Enter

Drama                               True Story              N/A                                    Halcyon Enter

Drama                               True Story              N/A                                    Reel One Enter

Drama                               Turnaround            Warner Bros. Pic               Gold Circle Films

Drama Bio                         Adaptation             N/A                                    Time Inc. Studios

Drama Bio                         Assignment            Warner Bros.                     Unique Features

Drama Mob                      Adaptation             N/A                                    L+E Productions

Drama Romance              Spec                        N/A                                    Castle Rock

Drama War                       Adaptation             N/A                                    Brilliant Films

Fable                                 Pitch                        Walt Disney                       Monsterfoot Prod

Family                               Pitch                        DreamWorks Anim          Netter Productions

Family Action                   Adaptation             Universal Pictures            Imagine Enter

Family Adventure            Adaptation             Universal Pictures            Illumination Enter

Family Adventure            Pitch                        DreamWorks                     Kurtzman/Orci

Family Comedy                Adaptation             N/A                                    Magic Lantern Enter

Family Comedy                Remake                   Dimension Films               Foster Productions

Family Comedy                Rewrite                   N/A                                    Walden Media

Family Western               Adaptation             N/A                                    821 Entertainment

Fantasy                             Adaptation             N/A                                    Unique Features

Fantasy Adventure          Adaptation             Warner Bros.                     Unique Features

Fantasy Children’s           Adaptation             Sony Pictures                    Stars Road

Fantasy Children’s           Adaptation             N/A                                    Framelight Prod

Heist                                  Pitch                        N/A                                    Overture Films

Horror                               Remake                   Universal Pictures            Imagine Enter

Horror Dark Comedy       Remake                   Dimension Films               Furst Films

Horror Supernatural       Assignment            N/A                                    Vertigo Enter

Horror Supernatural       Assignment            N/A                                    Gold Circle Films

Musical                             Adaptation             Universal Pictures            Zadan/Meron Prod

Musical Comedy              Adaptation             N/A                                    Unique Features

Musical Comedy              Remake                   MGM                                 N/A

Rom Com                          Adaptation             Fox 2000                           Radar Pictures

Rom Com                          Spec                        N/A                                    Overture Films

Sci Fi                                  Adaptation             N/A                                    Red Giant Media

Sci Fi                                  Adaptation             DreamWorks                     Bay Films

Sci Fi                                  Remake                   Columbia Pictures            Original Film

Thriller                              Adaptation             N/A                                    Unique Features

Thriller                              Pitch                        N/A                                    Summit Enter

Thriller                              Remake                   N/A                                    Lionsgate

Thriller                              Spec                        N/A                                    Intrepid Pictures

Thriller                              Adaptation             N/A                                    Chockstone Pictures

Thriller                              Adaptation             N/A                                    Dark Hero Studios

Thriller                              Adaptation             N/A                                    Smuggler Films

Thriller                              Spec                        Fox Searchlight                 di Bonaventura Pic

Thriller                              Spec                        N/A                                    Screen Gems

Thriller                              Spec                        N/A                                    Mandate Pictures

Thriller Legal                     Adaptation             N/A                                    Gran Via Prod

Thriller Suspense             Adaptation             N/A                                    Overture Films

Keep Writing!

I’m Baaaaaaaaaaaaaack!

Did you miss me, my two or three loyal followers? No? Really? No? No matter.

I’m here and not going away.

Where have I been, you might ask? Vacation. No computer. No writing. Isolated. From writing anyway. And now, I am well into my ninth screenplay – somewhere around page 60 – and should have the first draft by mid-July. After that I will be taking an on-line class through the UCLA Extension Program: From Inspiration to Completion: Finding Your Movie.  I’m really looking forward to this class as I have a dy-no-mite story idea I am eager to develop.  More later.

Finally, something special for my two loyal fans out there in cyber-space. Look up at the top of my blog and you will see a tab labeled Script Page. Here you will find the first ACT (more or less) from seven (7) of my spec screenplays. Read’em. Analyze’em. Tear’em apart. Give me some feedback.

Looking forward to hearing from the both of you.

Keep Writing!

Script Sales May ‘09

Ever have one of those moments?

If you have been lurking around here for a while you know I’ve ostracized my self to a Screenwriting Gulag for the past month or so – trying to understand and improve on my weaknesses as a writer.

But during this time I had a ‘brain-fart’ of an idea for a new screenplay and started down the road of outlining, character development – using what I have learned at the Re-education Camp (see posts: Weak Characters, Shallow Stories) – and developing the plot. I had what I thought was a High Concept Story – The Holy Grail of screenwriting: an iconic character – someone everyone ‘knows’; a familiar situation – something everyone has experienced; and high stakes – a worldwide disaster. Then earlier this week I pitched some stories to a fellow screenwriter – of the produced variety – and we both agreed that one idea was worthy of exploration. He suggested that I put together a short synopsis – what’s going on at the beginning of the story, what happens at the end of Act I, Act II, and Act III. I did this and voila!

It became clear to me that I can write this.

Now.

In all fairness the story idea is based on a short story I wrote a year or two ago, so the majority of the story is already in place. The problem – and this was true of the short story too – is with the ending: too damned ‘preachy’. But, developing the synopsis showed me a way to overcome that preachy ending – an ending that should be ‘acceptable’ to the audience. I’m shelving the first High Concept work-in-progress and turning my attention to this new, High Concept screenplay.

So, my question to you – my loyal two or three fans – is this: have you ever started a story then suddenly made a hard U-turn down the road of a different story? And if so, how did that work out for you? Was the new story easy to write? Was the first story ever completed?

Share with me, please.

Keep Writing!

Are you connected?

Go over to Pamela Schott’s blog gr@itude http://pamelaschott.blogspot.com/ and check out date stamp: 4 p.m., april 30, 2009.

Look at those pictures – think about them. Do they make you feel alone, or connected? Being one out of six billion makes me feel so very alone, yet these photos — everyday activities and objects – reveal just how connected we all are.

Sometimes, when I stand outside at night and stare up at the sprinkle of stars tossed across that gray blanket that covers my urban sky, I wonder — are we alone? Then, I think about what might be happening on the other side of the Earth: babies are being born; children are struggling to get an education; slaving in fields, tending to crops; subjugated to sweat shops. People are laughing, crying, drinking, eating, sleeping, and making love.

Others are dying.

But each one of those six billion souls is part of life and living and connected – to each and every one of us.

Keep Writing!

Lazy Writer, Shallow Stories – Allies and Adversaries

I hope my two loyal fans are still lurking about because today I would like to continue our conversation about Lazy Writing as it pertains to characters.

Last time around I mentioned that I never took the time to know my characters and that I ‘developed’ them on the fly. I’ve come to realize that if you don’t know them, how in the hell can you motivate them? How can you possibly know how they will react in different situations? I publicly admit guilt. Mea Culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.

But there’s more.

Other aspects of character we as writers need to understand are who are our characters friends and who are their enemies. If you know a man’s friends and his enemies, you know the man. So here is the grist for this week’s mill: Allies and Adversaries.

You need to know your character’s allies at the beginning of the story, in the middle of the story, and at the end of the story. Allies morph and change and switch sides throughout the narrative – or at least they should if you want an interesting story. The same goes for adversaries. So ask your characters the following:

1. Who are your three most significant allies in order of importance? For each identify the ally’s name, relationship and type.  
2. For each ally, tell me why he or she seems important.
   1. Because:
   2. Because:
   3. Because:
3. Briefly describe what these relationships suggest about your values, beliefs, and current situation.

Do this for the beginning of the story, the middle, and the end. Then, substitute adversaries for allies and ask the same questions.

Now you have a better understanding of each of your main characters and – with a little luck and imagination – this exercise will help you develop your story’s narrative. By having allies and adversaries shift in importance throughout the script means your story is dynamic, shifting, growing too. So, you end up killing two birds with one stone: character and story.

That’s a wrap for now.

Defy Gravity – Keep Writing!

April ’08 Script Sales by Genre and Type

                            Script Sales by Genre

                       Script Sales by Type

Defy Gravity — Keep Writing!

April ’08 Script Sales

74 script sales last month

Genre               Type             Studio                Prod Co.
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