100 Day Challenge – Fave Video of the Week

By Danny Manus

This blog is especially for my 100 Day Challenge Program participants, but also applies to everyone else as well.

My favorite video of the week and one of my favorites from the whole series thus far, is not just about YOU but also your CHARACTER. And it’s the video about Comebacks, Second Acts and Redemption.

This is what your character arcs are all about. Characters that fall from grace in some way that must fight their way back. The themes that cause our real-life comebacks, obstacles and redemptions, are the same universal themes that can (and should) be worked into your story to make your character more relatable and your story more universal – meaning sellable overseas.

The 7 steps laid out in the video to stage a comeback are incredibly relevant to what your characters should be doing. And quite frankly, what YOU should be doing personally as you try to break in and work in this business.

1. Refuse to Die – this is the attitude your characters must have, that inner motivation that no matter what happens – they will not die. It’s what makes them a hero. They accept disaster and then go from there. You need to have this attitude in your own life as well!
2. Decide to fight – it’s the acceptance of the adventure we talked about and managing their (and your) fears through the adventure. Regroup and plot and plot again. This is what your character should be doing – and also what you need to do every time you get a rejection letter.
3. Get Mad – this is one of the parts of the 5 stages of grief your character experiences that we talked about a few weeks ago. Use the emotion as fuel for your story and character.
4. Get Creative. Duh! Hello! This means don’t JUST have your character do what’s expected – get creative with it. Stay natural to your story, but find creative and visual ways for your character to do what they need to. And, get creative in how you’re breaking in and forging new relationships and promoting yourself and your work.
5. Focus on Results – know the character’s motivation and what the ultimate physical and emotional result for your character is. But also for you writers yourselves – know what YOUR end goal is. Is it to sell your script, is it to break in, is it to get hired for other work, is it just to finish a script and say you did it? Is it to make this a career or just to have a creative outlet?   Know your goal and focus on your results. Because if you focus on your process, it’s probably going to be very hard to see the end goal and succeed.
6. Take a chance. Take a risk. This goes for your characters too. Your characters are taking a path they may not know.
7. Enjoy the ride. Not only should your character enjoy the journey, or at least how they get out of it, but the audience must enjoy the ride. And while the journey of breaking into Hollywood is not always fun or enjoyable, if you don’t find the business an enjoyable ride – then you won’t be in it for very long.

And as the video says, look at every obstacle, setback, rejection, and constraint as an opportunity to show your character’s true colors, make a connection between them and the audience, show emotion, flesh out their arc, and really make a compelling character and story.

And for you as real live people, the same should apply. Look at all the setbacks and rejections you get and wear them as badges of honor, because you can’t get rejected unless you’re in the game. So as long as you’re getting rejections, you’re still IN it. Maybe not in the way or to the degree that you’d like yet – but much like your characters and their goals, you’re working towards it.  Good luck and keep writing!!

Happy New Year/New Resolutions

Happy New Year! 

I’d like to take this time to send a big THANK YOU to all of my readers, clients, students, twitter followers, and writers in general who have kept me going and kept me inspired.  The end of the year is a great time to look over what you’ve done and what you’ve accomplished, give thanks to those who helped you accomplish it, and make plans to get everything done in the New Year that has escaped you thus far. 

It’s been a truly crazy year for me and No BullScript. We went from just being one of the hundreds of other consultants out there to one of the Top 15 “cream of the crop” consultants. I’ve written over 80 weekly articles for Business of Show Institute, as well as articles for Script Magazine, Moviebytes, Storylink E-Zine, Logline E-Zine, Virtual Pitchfest, and more!  I’ve redesigned my website, I’ve brought on a new script analyst in Naomi Beatty, and I’ve produced a short film titled “Wake Up.”  And in the last year, I’ve taught hundreds of students all over the country at events like Screenwriting Expo and Great American Pitchfest and to groups in LA, NY, Vancouver, Chicago, Santa Fe, Portland, Idaho, Dallas, etc.

And while it’s not screenwriting related, I’ve lost 30lbs and…I turned 30. Ok this last one I’m still iffy about.

So what about YOUR goals? What did YOU get to do this year and what do you need to do in 2011?

With every New Year, come new resolutions. Though many of mine look a hell of a lot like they did one year ago, so that’s probably not a good sign. I think my resolution for 2011 is to be more positive, optimistic and disciplined! Here goes…we’re all going to be become rich and famous and sell our scripts and books and studios are going to open their doors to every unrepresented writer out there and No BullScript will become the number one script consulting company in America! Whew! Okay…I got that out of my system… now back to reality!

It’s a good idea to have realistic goals and resolutions much like it’s a good idea to have realistic expectations about your projects. When a writer asks me how quickly they think they will sell their first script, my eyes roll to the back of my head. I wish everyone could sell their first script, but realistically, 99.9% of first scripts don’t sell.

You should certainly try, but you shouldn’t get down on yourself if it doesn’t happen. Your first script is practice. It’s about getting your ideas on the page, finding your rhythm and technique and a process that works for you.  It’s all about the learning and growing experience and whatever you learned on your first script, you will bring to your second and hopefully have more luck…I think that’s as optimistic as I get. Ha!

It’s good to set realistic and do-able timelines to get things done so that you don’t become overwhelmed or disappointed, but instead stay productive and inspired. Create a routine for yourself that optimizes your productive and creative swings. This has always been my personal downfall despite the OCD-like To Do Lists I’ve been making every day since I was 11 years old — so let’s create a new routine together.

Are you working on an outline for a new project? I am. So let’s set a realistic goal together – in three weeks, we will all have finished our outline. Are you working on a first draft, trying to flesh out your storylines and characters? Set a goal of two months, which is probably an average amount of time. Everyone works at his or her own pace, but sometimes the smell of a new year makes people anxious and excited to start a new project. So cash in on that excitement while it lasts.  Good luck and keep writing!

I’m Back Teaching at the Screenwriting Expo! Get the Info Here!

It’s the largest screenwriting conference of the year with tons of great speakers, seminars and exhibitors, so you knew we had to be there!

If you haven’t bought your tickets or gotten your passes, please click the link below to do so!

http://csorders.com/cgi-bin/sc/ref.cgi?storeid=*166792a1603291a807d0a44e61&name=2010ExpoAffiliate-DanielManus 

WHEN: Oct 7-10, 2010

WHERE: The Hilton Hotel at LAX

             5711 West Century Blvd

             Los Angeles, CA 90045

I’ll be teaching 3 seminars over the weekend – 2 on Thursday and 1 on Friday! And if you want to have a successful Expo, they are not to be missed! Here’s the lowdown -

Thursday 1-3 PM – Loglines, Query Letters and One-Sheets…Oh My! 

Class will cover how to construct proper loglines, query letters and one-sheets, what to include and what not to include, the difference between loglines and taglines, what executives are looking for in each, and how to write ones that grab attention and sell! Writers should bring their loglines with them and we will go through and improve them in class!

Thursday 4-6 PM – No B.S. Guide to Pitching and Pitchfests

If you’re pitching this weekend, you HAVE TO take this class!!

Topics include: The Do’s and Don’ts of pitchfests, Who should be pitching and who shouldn’t, what you should and should not be pitching, what execs are looking for at a pitchfest, How to prepare your pitch (everything before you sit down), What to include in your first minute and making first impressions, Making the most out of 5 minutes, The top 15 concepts execs have already heard, The Magic One Sheet and Horror stories and Success stories!

Friday 11am-12:30pm – Become Your Own Development Executive

Writers always ask, ‘What is an executive looking for? How come they don’t see what I see?’  This class will teach writers how to think, read and write from the executive perspective. Topics Covered include:
How a Development Exec reads a script – what they’re looking for and the difference between how a writer reads and an executive reads; The 3 questions executives think of while reading; The Top 13 Notes an executive gives and how to avoid them; How an exec hears/interprets a pitch; What it takes to get a “recommend” from a script consultant/reader; The development process – giving and getting notes – what to expect and how to survive it with flying colors; Q&A.

Hope to see you there!!

New TWO-READER Service Launches! Meet New Analyst Naomi Beaty!!

What’s better than getting professional, constructive feedback from an executive? That’s right – getting it from TWO! So I am thrilled to announce that No BullScript Consulting is now offering a Two-Reader Conference Call Service. And I’d like to introduce and welcome Naomi Beaty to the No Bull Family!

Naomi Beaty was a development executive for Madonna and Guy Oseary’s Maverick Films working on numerous projects, most notably Twilight. Before that, she worked for producer/manager Craig Baumgarten (Hook, Shattered Glass).  Naomi has covered material for Ice Cube, Ray Liotta and Madonna and was also a script analyst for The Script Department. Naomi worked closely with the late Blake Snyder on his 2nd best-selling book in the Save the Cat series and has taken pitches at pitchfests across the country. But now, I’m thrilled that out of all the consulting companies she could work with, she’s decided to join No BullScript!

The Two-Reader Conference Call Service works like this – you submit your script and both Naomi and I will read it, make our notes, discuss your script, and will then have a 60-90 minute conference call with you to discuss them! We’ll go through all the important elements of your script that need fixing and even some page by page notes! Get the full “development notes call” experience just like you would with a studio!

Please note: the service does not include written notes.

We both look forward to working with you!!