Eric Heisserer on Dealing With Studio Execs

More from Eric Heisserer on pitching and dealing with studio execs:

- In a meeting recently, an exec pitched me a movie title and showed me the poster. That's all they had. Plus marketing's word it was "gold."

- You don't build a goddamn house by starting with the furniture. I don't care what the IKEA lady said, you're gonna have a bad time.

- This kind of mindset is actually common in the studios. Why? THEY DON'T CREATE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY. That's our job.

- So what can they do? They can think up movie titles and walk them into the marketing department and get some poll done at a mall.

- No studio wants the motto: "Patiently waiting for original material." They don't want to believe that's a reality. They want control.

- The good news is: An original story with a universal message will win you keys to the city. That right there is the REAL gold.

- But if you're struggling to get a foothold in this crazy upside-down business, sometimes your only way in is with a studio property. *cough*

- So what can you do in the scenario when facing an exec pitching you CATNADO? If you're struggling to pay bills? Character.

- It will feel like the most bizarre thing to go at it talking about theme, character, and metaphor, but crack that, you'll get hired.

- The mid-level people are all focused on the trailer, the poster, etc. But the top execs? They want to keep relationships with actors. How?

- By delivering great CHARACTERS in their movies.

- If you want to pitch CATACLYSM or whatever "summer tentpolecat" open writing assignment, make it something a star would love to star in.

- I pitched for a project last year by showing up with a scripted monologue for the hero. I said, "This is the kind of person he is."

- That was above-and-beyond, but I saw the whole movie through that lens, and as a writer my most convincing weapon is actual writing.

- On top of all this, you ABSOLUTELY CANNOT be cynical about the business. Even if you feel like Charlie Brown w/ Lucy's football.

- Way more execs than you realize can smell cynicism. Can sense when you truly believe they're the enemy. That attitude is cancer.

- There are amazing people in the studio system, at all levels. They can be hard to find, yes! But good attracts good. Seriously.

- The people making STORY OF YOUR LIFE believe in movies with ideas. They have big hearts. They don't care about the 'fuckability factor.

- There are screenwriters who've found their way to producing positions. They know the plight of the writer. A lot of them are way cool.

- You have to silence that voice that warns you'll get fired for pushing for quality, and assume it's a monogamous movie relationship.

- Also! The studio system isn't the only game in town. I got HOURS made entirely out of that world, with one producer and financiers.

- None of these paths are simple or easy. You will get exhausted swinging at them. But great material gets attention. Maybe quick, maybe slow.

- If your goal is to sell a screenplay, you are in for a world of hurt. Because those shouldn't be your goalposts. A sale = a START to career.

- Another one: DO NOT dare watch a crap movie and think you can make it in the biz because "I can write better than that!" No no no.

- That is called the "shit plus one" dilemma. It means your goal was to produce something marginally better than shit.

- And consider maybe that crappy movie actually started as a GENIUS script, way back when? And some writer cries over the monster it became.

- So let's reach for really damn awesome writing. Let's raise the median, skew the grading curve, build a new floor.

- If you're looking for total creative autonomy, you're bound for heartache in this business. It's collaborative by design.

- Want your words to reach the audience directly? Cool! Write a novel. A script is a thing to build what the public eventually sees.

- That means when you're working with producers, directors, cast, execs, etc., you have to think about what will help them in your writing.

- The spec script gives you freedom to do whatever you want. Put in all the needle drops you desire. Paint the world blue. Go nuts.

- The moment that spec sells, understand the realities that set in: Song rights are expensive/impossible. Digital coloring troublesome. Etc.

- The biggest lesson I learned as a writer was to work on my social skills. Shyness cost me jobs early on. Fear of introducing myself, mainly.

- I hate the term "networking." It's not really accurate. It's also a staid business term. What we do? Seek friends. Mentors. Peers.

- When I write a script now, I don't write for the studio, I write to impress @jonspaihts, @jonrog1, @garywhitta, and my other writer friends.

- So this began with me bitching about the exec with a movie poster and no script, but it ends with: They need us to show them the better way.