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Hollywoodlitsales.com Newsletter Vol. 4 #9 You Want Hollywood Access? You Got It At Hollywoodlitsales.com!
Voted one of the "101 Best Web Sites For Writers" *************************** NEW FROM HOLLYWOODLITSALES.COM Coverage and Development Notes This is a referral-based business. Sure you can try and get the word out there yourself, but author-submitted material doesn't get the same attention as referred material. We can remedy this problem and get your career started. If you've got the goods, we have the contacts. If your work needs improvement, our experienced industry readers will pinpoint any problems. A small sampling of our contacts: PRODUCTION COMPANIES: Deep River (BIG MOMMA'S HOUSE), Davis Ent. (BEHIND ENEMY LINES), Mike Karz Ent. (MAX KEEBLE'S BIG MOVE), Team Todd (AUSTIN POWERS), Outlaw Prods. (TRAINING DAY), Warner Bros. and many more listed on our website. AGENCIES AND MANAGEMENT COMPANIES: Above The Line, Acme Talent & Literary, Brillstein-Grey, Jon Klane Agency, Jaret Entertainment, Larchmont Literary Agency, Niad Management, Nine Yards Entertainment, Original Artists and many more listed on our website. *We don't take a commission on sold or optioned material. **Plus, as a special bonus to our newsletter readers, we are offering a $10 discount on any of our new coverage or development services. This offer ends May 30, 2003 so hurry up!! When material is sent to us, mention discount offer HLSNL6 on the submission form. Can't be combined with other offers. Discount will not be allowed after the material is sent. http://www.hollywoodlitsales.com/coverage/ ************************************ INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
1. THE MATRIX RELOADED REVIEW By Tom McCurrie ************************************************** 1. THE MATRIX RELOADED by Tom McCurrie Ah, yes, the approach of Summer heralds many things. Warmer weather. Kids out of school. Scantily-clad babes frolicking on the beach. And, of course, sequels like THE MATRIX RELOADED. (Warning: Spoilers Ahead!) Now there have been some kick-ass sequels in our time. THE GODFATHER, PART II, for instance. THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK is another. But most sequels don't live up do their predecessors. Why? Because we've seen it all before -- the premise is no longer fresh. As a result, sequels have to go the extra mile to keep our attention. Written by the Wachowski Brothers, THE MATRIX RELOADED (otherwise known as MR) does just that, at least visually. We open with a startling sequence involving Trinity trading lead with an Agent as they're both plummeting from a skyscraper. (Great freakin' opening, guys!) But this is nothing compared to what comes later. In fact, MR contains two of the most inventive, and utterly hair-raising, action sequences in recent memory. One has Neo battling a zillion copies of his old nemesis Agent Smith, the other is a fourteen-minute freeway chase that makes THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS look like two kids fartin' around with Hot Wheels. Wow! (Action sequences like these are precisely what was missing from the otherwise solid X-MEN 2.) But if MR goes the extra mile with the action, it doesn't do so with the script. The man vs. computer premise is the same, of course, but it's no longer fresh enough to pack a punch. And the story is extremely thin: Neo searches for the "Keymaker," a program that will lead him to the heart of the Matrix. This is a thirty-minute plot stretched to well over two hours. And unlike the first film, there are almost no surprises or revelations to juice our interest. True, there is an excellent twist at the end when Neo learns his rebellious behavior is as programmed as anything else in the Matrix. But this is at the end; too little, too late as far as I'm concerned. (The movie could have taken a chance and killed off Trinity, but the filmmakers wimp out and have Neo bring her gunshot body back to life in two seconds. [Warning: Mega-spoiler about X-MEN 2!] In this case, X-MEN 2 outclasses its rival by knocking off Jean Grey.) Making matters worse is the endless, tiresome philosophizing that peppers the story. Neo has protracted conversations with Councillor Hamann, the Oracle and Merovingian about destiny vs. chance, free will vs. choice and the love-hate relationship between man and machine. Compelling enough themes, but they are presented in such a dry manner, and at such length, you're hoping for a slew of Agents to come along and shut them up. These conversations do nothing to propel the narrative or enrich the characters, so they're like dead air to a DJ -- they stop the show dead in its tracks. It would have been better to whittle these babies down to sound bites. Of course, the dead spots wouldn't be a problem if the characters were interesting. But the people in MR are more archetypes than anything else. Neo is the strong, silent icon, Trinity is the tough-chick icon, Morpheus is the spiritual guru icon, etc. Without a compelling story to prop them up, the anemic characterizations become more apparent. Only Merovingian proves to be memorable, because unlike the rest of the cast, he is given a sense of humor. (Of course, the scrumptious Monica Bellucci is memorable as well, but for two other reasons, heh, heh.) In the end, MR suffers the fate of most blockbuster sequels -- the action is new and improved, but the story ain't. Responses, comments and general two-cents worth can be E-mailed to gillis662000@yahoo.com. A graduate of USC's School of Cinema-Television, Tom McCurrie has worked as a development executive and a story analyst. He is currently a screenwriter living in Los Angeles. ****************************** 2. SPEC SCREENPLAY SALES DIRECTORY - 2003 EDITION Published by Hollywoodlitsales.com since 1997. More than 1,200 screenplay sales are documented and cross-referenced several ways. This is not just a list of sales! It's a database in book form. Discover who buys and sells your type of material. Screenwriter Antwone Fisher ("Antwone Fisher," directed by Denzel Washington for Fox Searchlight) said this about the book: "Packed with great information for any screenwriter." http://www.writersstore.com/product.php?products_id=404&cPath=22_45_79&affiliate=ZAFFIL132 *********************************************** 3. ADVERTISEMENTS
Sell Your Scripts!*** 3/5 ************************* PROTECT YOUR SCRIPTS WITH PROTECTRITE Longer coverage period than the WGA. Cheaper than the WGA. Online registration. What more can you ask for? Register your material today at: http://www.protectrite.com/default.asp?SessID=591587789&AffID=ZJLa6tab3r ****************************************************** THE SCREENWRITING CONFERENCE IN SANTA FE 2003 Last Chance!
Simply The Best Screenwriting Conference in the World *********************************** 4. ON WRITING CONFLICT - BOOK EXCERPT FROM THE PLOT THICKENS BY NOAH LUKEMAN Reprinted with permission from St. Martins Press Chapter 6: Conflict
"Any conflict, whether it takes place within the body or outside, is always a battle against the self." As much as we may wish to ignore it, conflict is rife in our daily lives. Who has not gone through the day without a basic time conflict? Conflict is inherent in the very creation of the earth: the Earth is poised against the Heaven, the Waters are poised against the Land. The animal kingdom thrives off conflict: animals eat each other, fight for the same food source. In one sense, life can be viewed as a series of choices: who we choose to marry, how many children we choose to have, where we choose to live, where we choose to work, how we choose to spend our time. . . . Our choices dictate our lives. And every choice implies a conflict: if there weren't two (or more) conflicting options, then no "choice" would be necessary. For every choice you will make today there will be a conflict: what you wear (you could have worn something else), what you eat (you could have eaten something else), what channel you choose (you could have watched something else). . . . Some people will go to great lengths to avoid conflict, but as a writer it is your job to embrace it. Conflict serves many functions: it involves the reader by requiring him to take sides (and thus sympathize), it creates a rift which paves the way for resolution and satisfaction, it aids in suspense, it can lend a work a sense of direction, and it can be unexpected and thus create unpredictability. Conflict can also teach us about our characters: who initiated the conflict? Who fosters it? Who tries to mediate? There are endless forms of conflict-both inner and outer-and endless to ways to help create it. In the book I discuss 13 basic ways; here (for lack of space), I will mention one:
#1: The Characters If your characters are authentic (not types), then the results might be unexpected. Let's say a gay liberal and a homophobic conservative are forced to room together; one would expect conflict, and indeed the potential would be high. But you can also play against that. Perhaps these two characters find common ground; perhaps the gay liberal sets up his roommate with his beautiful female friends; perhaps the homophobic conservative is able to help his roommate with calculus; perhaps they both come from domineering fathers; perhaps they both have the same taste in music, movies, fashion, food. . . . Maybe, despite their seeming differences, they get along fabulously. Regardless, the potential must exist. Every character in your work must have the potential to conflict with every other character, whether that potential is realized or not. This holds true even if they are best friends, even if they are lovers-even if they never find out about the other's source of conflict, and even if they never actually have the conflict. This way, you at least have the option; you also, more importantly, create another level of suspense for the audience, since they will wait for the conflict to erupt at any time. And even if the conflict never erupts, it is far more interesting to watch two conflicting people get along. Keep in mind that in order for there to be conflict, your characters must be invested-they must care. For instance, if two Army and Navy fans don't strongly identify with their teams, there will be no conflict if they meet; however, if they are each vocal, die-hard fans, conflict will be inevitable. Also keep in mind that characters with no innate reason for conflict might come to conflict as a result of the circumstance: two gladiators who must fight to the death; two boxers who must fight for the title. But then you're relying on circumstance to create the conflict, and could end up forcing extreme circumstances in order to make up for weak characterization. Both are necessary, but ideally, the circumstance will arise from the characters, and not vice versa. In general, if you find yourself working hard to create a conflict which isn't naturally there, something's wrong. In such a case, it's time to go back and reexamine your character choices. Exercise
* Collective Character Conflict Gauge If the characters are happy together, what could drive them apart? Conflicting agendas? Different classes, races? Which characters in your work spend time with each other? Are they the characters with the most potential for conflict? If not, should these characters interact with different characters? Noah Lukeman is a New York-based literary agent and author of the best-selling books The First Five Pages (Simon & Schuster, 1999) and The Plot Thickens (St. Martins Press, 2002). He has contributed to Poets & Writers, The Writer, and Writers Digest and will be anthologized in The Practical Writer (Penguin, 2004).
You may purchase THE PLOT THICKENS at most major book stores and online at: *************************** 5. MAJOR TV MOVIE PRODUCER LOOKING FOR A ROMANTIC COMEDY Stan Brooks who produced the recently aired THREE'S COMPANY REVISITED TV movie wrote to us and said: "We have an opportunity to sell a completed, high concept, romantic comedy script to a network. ...It needs to be a really great concept, with very relatable characters." Send a one paragraph synopsis (this means one paragraph) to Stan at oncupnatim@aol.com ******************************* Want to advertise on our site or in a future e-mail newsletter? Reach thousands of writers and industry pros for as little as $50! This is the best deal on the net to reach the filmmaking/screenwriting audience.
Go to: We are running a fantastic special if you book a banner ad for at least six months or an e-mail classified ad (we have more than 13,000 readers) in at least 10 consecutive issues. *********************************** You may send this e-mail newsletter to others. All we ask is that you keep all the contents intact. Copyright 2003, Hollywoodlitsales.com, Inc. |
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