As a narrative developer, primarily focusing on series (this is not for promotional purposes), I have a question for producers, if I may. My strength lies in conceptualizing stories, which I develop into synopses and sometimes treatments. In other words, I don't (nearly) write scripts.
My question is: is this approach valuable, and do producers work with dedicated story developers, or do they prefer writers who can also pen scripts?
Cheers,
Dolf
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It always takes a team to make a movie or show and this initial stage is no different. If you are good at some things but need help in others, you can partner up with people that fill in the gaps. This can be a writer or different types of producer. This means that when you are approaching co-producers, financiers etc. you're walking into the meeting with more than just an idea you want someone else to do the work on.
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Thanks Ewan, for your view on this. However, I'd like to know what producers generally prefer or what is common practice.
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Your ideas are 100x more valuable as scripts. Producers will shy away because they will have to sign a contract with you and pay, then find the right writer, sign a contract and pay, and if the script isn't good then the producer is out of pocket X number of dollars. A producer can read your completed script and say yay or nay.
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I understand what you saying, but don’t producers have a number of writers they work with?
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For the comicbook adaptation of "Storm and Ember" we apporached a high profile screenwriter with the question if he could write the first screenplay of the series on spec. You can consider that comicbook series as a very good movie idea as it has exciting stories, stunning artwork and was published a.o in Heavy Metal. So I wouldn't know if an excellent pitchdeck would work for you, but in order to get producers involved there need to be some sort of (marketing) hook to it.
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All my concepts have been developed into extensive pitch documents, including the synopses.
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So to answer your question: Will your approach be valuable depends on to the work itself, what is its potential and do you have or can you find a producer that actually believes in the project and can make something out of it. But in general you can say that there's no business in concepts and synopses when it comes to feauture film making. It might differ for a (TV) series, but than again; what is the property and wouldn't we be discussing formats. Also a producer like John (de Mol) might think differenlty about it, but that is off course because he has some money to spend that can actually make or break any kind of idea.
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I exclusively write concepts that are ultimately intended for series.
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So does AI.
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As a producer, ideas mean nothing to me unless you have ownership of IP. Otherwise, I need a script. And if you can bring a script and some other value, even better.
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To me as a director ideas are everything. Maybe this AFI clip might shine some light on that. https://youtu.be/S2RFMCmfRmc?si=L_15qhHVTa3CGdwR
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Of course, Willem Elzenga. But the film doesn't get made without financing and producers.
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That's true, but will they recoup.
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Richard "RB" Botto What would you advise me as someone who likes to develop ideas and experiment with high-concept storytelling? A collaboration with someone who writes scripts?
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I concur with Richard "RB" Botto - if you don't have a script (and/or some killer IP and hopefully both) then it's extremely difficult to get things moving - not just for you as a creator but for the producers, themselves, which is one of the reasons its so tough. You need to come in with the tools that producers can take and work with to build something. One of the main reasons the script is so crucial is that a movie or TV show is not an idea - it's a take and POV of an idea. The Sopranos isn't an idea. It's David Chase's appraoch to the characters and material and tone and world building and dialogue. Actors don't attach to ideas - they attach to a script and a character and a tone. Directors don't attach to an idea. They attach to a script that they connect with and visualize when they read the writer's work - that they we're meant to tell this story this way. Of course, some creatives have ideas that they develop themsleves and writers are often re-written, but the spark for meaningful talent to bite is the script most of the time. So most producers need that because they know if they take on an idea, they have to get a script written to do the job (most of the time). It's an extra heavy lift. As for action steps, partnering with a screenwriter is a good idea and you can network here until you find someone you connect with. Turning your ideas into IP - like graphic novels or a podcast or a book - can be a good start, and may involve different partners and collaborators. And maybe consider taking some screenwriting courses here and writing a draft of one of your ideas - Stage 32 has amazing screenwriting courses and educators that can take you from zero to sixty. That would give you the tool you need to start more meaningful conversations with producers. These are all just suggestions. Wishing you success in your creative journey. If you want to see some of the screenwiritng courses I'll share a link here so can check them out: https://www.stage32.com/education/collections/screenwriting
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Dolf Van Stijgeren that's exactly what I would suggest. You need to find someone as passionate as you are about your story. Fortunately, there are over 130,000 screenwriters on this platform, so you'll have a deep pool to network with. And that's the first step. Dive in here, make yourself visible, contribute where you can. This happens to be Introduce Yourself Weekend, so the timing is perfect. Go over to the Introduce Yourself Lounge and make a post about you, your story, your goals and so forth.
Beyond that, I couldn't agree with Sam Sokolow's suggestions more. They're spot on.
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Richard "RB" Botto Sam Sokolow I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you. I’m not here to prove myself right, but to learn. Your advice is sincere, though not the easiest path—especially since English is not my native tongue. I’m going to download a scriptwriting program (WriterDuet seems fine) to start working on my scripts.
One more question (do you remember Inspector Columbo?): I have at least five developed concepts (and another five in the works). Would it be a good idea to write the script for only the first episode of each series? This way, my style and characters will be clearly established.
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Dolf Van Stijgeren - thank you so much for the kind words. I'm excited for you to take these steps in your creative journey! Never hesitate to reach out to me directly at edu@stage32.com if I can be of any guidance or suggest any Stage 32 screenwriting courses. The Writer's Room at Stage 32 is also an amazing resource you should consider joining. Your worlds are yours to create and you've got support all around you here.
In terms of developing each of your concepts, in my experience a pilot episode and series outline are the best tools. The pilot shows the tone, characters, dynamics and sets the path for the series. The outline let's the reader/buyer/producer know the trajectory of the show and how everything that's set up in the pilot will play out. More than not, when a series gets cooking, if the original writer is not an experienced showrunner, then a showrunner comes on and a writers room is opened. From there, episodes are honed and written and the series takes on a new life. So the pilot and outline are your best chance to set the tone and trajectory. Unless its a major establised brand, like a David E.. Kelley, its rare that one writer writes a whole series (and even Kelley has writers who work with or for him, regardless of credit), so writing episodes 2 and beyond is often a waste of time and energy and can even be a turnoff to the showrunner, who has a job to do. You want to create the show and build momentum toward production and this has been the best way I've learned to do that - a strong pilot and series outline.
And, yes - Columbo is an all time favorite. Quick side note - I watched the Columbo pilot a few months ago and found it to be gripping - the writing was great, the direction top notch, of course Faulk was amazing - and when it ended and the credits came up it had been written by Steven Bochco (eventual creator of HILL STREET BLUES, LA LAW, NYPD BLUE) and directed by Steven Spielberg. I was blown away and it was another lesson to always keep working and creating and striving. That Spielberg guy started in episodic TV and went on to direct some pretty good stuff.
I look forward to hearing how all progresses for you.
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You're so very welcome, Dolf Van Stijgeren. This is the spirit of which this platform was built on - collaboration. We're all in this together.
Good on you for taking the initiative. This is an exciting journey you're setting out on. Enjoy it!
And yes, I would only write the first episode or what's called the pilot. Start there and then we can talk about decks for the series.
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And what Sam Sokolow said :)