Students of the biz know that superhero-anything right now is in a bad place. Unless the project is based on well-known source material, they’re super tough to get read right now. They’re right down there with WWII movies and period dramas in terms of not-so-much marketability. And so it was that none of the CI…
The spec market is finally showing signs of life, after a long period where many pro writers had to resort to bagging groceries to keep the rent paid. If your script is a tight consider, you will hopefully get reads and doors will open. But wait — there’s one other important part of this, and…
I read something just the other day that gave me pause. In fact, it triggered this article. The writer wrote something like this: INT. PETE’S CAR – DAY Pete eats a sandwich while he makes a phone call. Okay, so what’s wrong with that? It paints a picture. We can see the…
We are almost four weeks into Get Repped Now and, as expected, we’ve seen a lot of pilots with amazing ideas so far. Alas, many of them are afflicted with a dread case of pilotitis — an insidious malady affecting four out of five of the the 1-hr pilots we see. This is our not-so-affectionate…
Only a few weeks in to Get Repped Now, and we’ve already got our first “consider” of the season. Jason Sotolongo’s 1-hr pilot REDPOLL is a compelling spy yarn tinged with sci-fi. Sotolongo is an award-winning producer and director for commercials, docuseries, branded content, social media content, and promos for major networks and brands….
Get Repped Now returns March 17th. So we’re kicking off Get Prepped For Get Repped, a series of weekly giveaways, articles, and more, to help you BRING IT. To start it off with a bang, we’re giving away 60 FREE PHONE CONSULTATIONS (you read that right.) Plus we’re launching our 23rd Anniversary Sale at CoverageInk.com….
There’s a whole hidden infrastructure in Hollywood devoted to tracking and scoring Open Assignments. Come get some. (Note: This article was originally published in 2019, and some of the people mentioned have moved on.) It’s not just about specs. The vast majority of a working screenwriter’s income often comes from assignments. We spoke…
Yes, we know, eyes are glazing over at the thought of yet another missive about formatting. Look, guys, you don’t want to give the gatekeepers a reason to pass on your script before they’ve even read it. And if they open the PDF and it’s clear that the author doesn’t know the difference between sheeeit…
SLUG LINES are one of the most useful tools in a writer’s arsenal. Get to know them and love them! They serve many functions. Of course, we all know they can tell us where we are… INT. JOANIE’S CLOSET – DAY But they can also be used to call attention to a certain character or…
According to the WGA, no one is supposed to write anything in Hollywood without getting paid for it. Yeah, about that… by Jim Cirile Here’s a topic that may shock those of you who hope to one day sell a spec or maybe even make a living as a screenwriter. And that is:…
