NEGOTIATING

Q. A producer wants to me to write something, but I'm afraid it will step on a spec I wrote.

Negotiations don't have to be zero sum. The key is understanding what you most want and what the other person can give away without losing anything. For example, I reserve the print rights to my stuff when I option it. The print rights aren't worth much until a film or tv series is made, so the producer isn't going to fight too hard to keep them. (A studio might, for reasons of precedent.) Or, let's say you're optioning a TV show idea. You probably can't keep the movie rights for yourself. Not owning the feature rights would cut into a producer's upside something fierce. But, it will not cost the producer anything if you insist on writing the first draft of any eventual feature. Someone is going to have to write the first draft, and it might as well be you. After all, if they don't like it, they can always throw out your draft. If you're talking about a big budget feature, they may decide to hire Babaloo Mandel to rewrite for a million bucks. But in that case the lousy sixty g's they pay you for the contractual first draft won't significantly impact their bottom line. So I always ask for right of first refusal to write any feature based on a tv show I'm optioning.

As a writer, your goal is to get paid to write stuff. You don't need to own it. You just want to get paid to write it, and you want your name on it. Negotiate your deals so they get what they need and you get what you need.

MFG 5 A 7

The Montreal Film Group, in coordination with the WGC, is hosting a 5 à 7 get-together this evening at the Café des Éclusiers at the bottom of McGill Street in Montreal; the cafe is in the park next to the sluice gates of the canal (hence the name). Admission is $7; all are welcome.

Just thought you might want to know.

STRETCHING CREDIBILITY

Hunter and I went to see Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men's Chest last night, and liked it so much we rented the first movie tonight.

I feel there is one moment where my credibility is stretched too far. Oddly, it is not anything to do with cursed Aztec gold or undead pirates. It is when Commodore Norrington lets Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, and his beloved Elizabeth all disappear when he had all of them in the palm of his hand.

It seems out of character.

The undead pirates are all true to themselves. So is Jack Sparrow, in his loose way. Norrington is true to himself until the very end, when he does something that makes very little sense, I feel.

A film has to be consistent within the world it creates. It's fine if it creates a world that is different from the one we live in. But it has to stay true to its school.

THE MOMMY STATE

I really have to pay more attention to the gravy train. A new friend of mine is participating in one of the many "Industry Initiatives" at the Toronto International Film Festival. I am not sure why she needs to -- she's already produced a film. But Canada supports its filmmakers with a bewildering array of organizations, grants, subsidies and other programs. They're not restricted to newbies, either. Some are explicitly for experienced filmmakers. You're a fool if you don't take advantage of them when you have the time. I'm kicking myself I didn't sign up for any of these.

One might well wonder why, if we have so much support, we're not getting more success in our film industry. Part of the problem, I think, is the lack of money for marketing. People just don't go to see movies if they don't see ads for them.

But I would also argue that with L.A. on our doorstep, if we didn't have all the support, we might well not have any local industry. The alternative to support isn't a more vibrant, populist, commercially-driven business. The alternative is, I think, what Ohio or Illinois have: no movie industry. Without the support, why would any filmmaker stay here? Why not just go to LA and try to make it there?

ON THE AIR

I'm pretty she'll be airing [the interview] tomorrow. It's from 7 to 9am, and she usually broadcasts my pieces between 7:30am and 8:30am

Ack. Well, if you happen to be up at that hour, and you're in Montreal, check out CKUT 90.3 FM. If you don't and you're not, it should be archived soon enough.

LESSONS FROM THE POKER BOT

I've been playing a lot of poker on the computer lately. Poker teaches all sorts of interesting lessons for life and story telling. For example, if you only play the best hands, you will lose -- because people will realize you're only playing value hands, and they'll fold on you. And, you'll get beat often enough by some joker who's playing loose and aggressive, and draws out on you at the river. To win a tournament, you'll almost always have to play some hands loose. Once the blinds get big enough, you are practically forced to play some hands loose or the blinds will bleed you to death. But (especially in limit poker) it's hard to bluff your way to a win. You want to bluff with something you might be able to draw out on.

You may draw your own conclusions for plotting.

I also HIGHLY RECOMMEND taking up poker for anyone who does not feel completely confident in negotiations. The most obvious lesson is that you will make more money if you're willing to turn down some jobs than if you are not. Sure, you'll lose some jobs, but you'll get paid more for the other ones. But the elaborate dance of raises and calls and folds you learn in poker will give you a whole set of intellectual and emotional tools for handling the negotiation dance.

(This doesn't apply to absolute beginners who need to take any job just to break in and meet people; but it applies to anyone who is actually being dealt some cards to play with on a regular basis.)

Not to mention, poker is a good excuse to invite show business people over to your house. They might not give you a meeting, but they'll come to drink whiskey and gamble.

INTO IT NOW;

I'm into my third pass on The Alternative now. Now I am rereading my work every day, to see how it flows. I read through until I bump on something, and then I try to fix it. Could be something small -- a line, or the way a scene flows. Could be something big. For example, Jay and Vanessa's courtship isn't working. She was supposed to be too passive, though she really liked him; he was supposed to be too square. I let my love of the banter run away from me and he didn't come out that square. Or at least, it's not clear that squareness is supposed to be his problem. She's passive in some scenes but not in others. More importantly, it is not that much fun to watch someone be passive. It's almost always more amusing to watch someone be actively self-defeating.

I'm also struggling with page count. It's a little obsession of mine. It's easy to know if you've managed to knock off a couple pages; everything else is subjective and therefore much harder. The script is clocking in at 115 which I feel is long for a romantic comedy. When Harry Met Sally is 96 minutes long. Annie Hall is 93 minutes long. That's the minimum length of a straight-to-DVD movie (right, Bill?).

I'm playing a little looser with the plot than I would have in the past. For example, the story takes an eight minute detour to explore one of the supporting characters, just because it feels interesting and amusing to me. In the past people have felt that my plots are too straightforward. I'm allowing myself to be a little less predictable. The plot might lose some forward momentum, but it might gain some jazz.

Or, I might wind up having to cut the last scene of the detour.

Up'n'at'em...

ANOTHER INTERVIEW IN THE PIPE

I had a very nice interview with Mahalia Verna of CKUT radio. It's so nice when interviewers have read, and got, the book. Stay tuned for info on when it airs, and I'll also throw in a link to the mp3 when it goes up.