Mike Thompson's Lounge Discussions

Once Upon a Time...my former writing partner and I sold a script for the biggest screenwriting deal in Hollywood history. And so began my ultimate education in how Hollywood works. .

Please check out my latest Film Courage segment where I take a trip down memory lane and impart all that I learned. :

https://youtu.be/3iniBdf0oX4?feature=shared

You'd think we all instinctively know how people talk by virtue of the fact that we listen to people talking every day. And yet capturing that authenticity on the page in script dialogue is a far more challenging proposition.

Please check out my latest post where I break down the elements that I find most important to writing great dialogue:

https://open.substack.com/pub/mike187/p/the-way-people-talk?r=52wtb4&utm...

Have you ever wondered how the sausage is actually made behind the scenes of a spec screenplay sale to a Hollywood studio?

Please check out my latest Film Courage segment for an inside take:

https://youtu.be/Mfh-88LU8PQ?feature=shared

Hey all -- in my work with clients, I've noticed some consistent formatting mistakes that some folks are making in their scripts. If formatting is mishandled, especially early on in a script, many professional readers will quickly dismiss the writer as an amateur, assuming that the quality of the work itself must also be lacking. To that end, I've written a post on my Substack dedicated to providing some formatting guardrails that I use in every script I write. If you have any questions about how to format certain aspects of a screenplay, please do check it out below:

https://open.substack.com/pub/mike187/p/industry-standard?r=52wtb4&utm_c...

Greetings! Allow me to introduce myself -- my name's Mike Thompson, Hollywood writer/producer of feature films, Dragonfly, starring Kevin Costner, and Love Happens, featuring Jennifer Aniston. I also co-created the FOX television series, John Doe, and have written and produced indie film and award-winning documentary features as well. In addition to my produced credits, I've written and sold dozens of high-profile spec scripts, pitches and teleplays to nearly every major Hollywood studio, including multiple seven-figure deals and at one point, the “highest-paying scripter deal ever" ~ Variety. I've collaborated on projects involving the likes of Tom Cruise, Denzel Washington, Johnny Depp, George Clooney, Will Smith, Edie Falco, Chris Pine, Richard Gere, Michael Keaton, Academy Award-winning director Robert Zemeckis, and blockbuster producer Jerry Bruckheimer.

I also provide Script Consulting, Screenwriting Coaching, and Pitching & Representation services to screenwriters of all stripes and stages of experience. And as I'm always looking to meet like-minded folks who've been bit by the screenwriting bug, I figured Stage 32 would be great place to say hello.

I look forward to meeting all of you and starting a conversation!

~Mike

Greetings! Allow me to introduce myself -- my name's Mike Thompson, veteran Hollywood writer/producer of feature films, Dragonfly, starring Kevin Costner, and Love Happens, featuring Jennifer Aniston. I also co-created the FOX television series, John Doe, and have written and produced indie film and award-winning documentary features as well. In addition to my produced credits, I've written and sold dozens of high-profile spec scripts, pitches and teleplays to nearly every major Hollywood studio, including multiple seven-figure deals and at one point, the “highest-paying scripter deal ever" ~ Variety. I've collaborated on projects involving the likes of Tom Cruise, Denzel Washington, Johnny Depp, George Clooney, Will Smith, Edie Falco, Chris Pine, Richard Gere, Michael Keaton, Academy Award-winning director Robert Zemeckis, and blockbuster producer Jerry Bruckheimer.

In my role as a Script Consultant and Screenwriting Coach, I'm always looking for better ways to appeal to and provide value for my potential clients. So, aspiring screenwriters out there, I ask -- what are you most in need of help with (ie. loglines, structure, pitching, finding representation, etc.) and how do you prefer to receive said help (ie. webinars/workshops, e-courses, Zoom consultations, etc.)?

Thanks in advance for those that might take the time to respond!

~Mike