The Screenplay Pitch that Really Sells!
One thing I discovered over the years of testing various talents (or lack of!) is that constructing thoughts by using words on paper is not much different than creative expression working with paints on a canvas — both elicit the final results of an image, real or imagined. Both arts require a creative spirit, naturally, but without the learned skills, the realization can end up sloppy and communicate badly.
If you love putting your thoughts and feelings into words — words that will be meaningful to others — then do yourself a favor to hone your skills and perfect your ability to communicate your ideas.
There are lots of ways of doing just that…because here in Paris, the literary arts are so highly respected and appreciated. We are surrounded by some of the most brilliant wordsmiths in the world, who come here not only to write, but to share their knowledge, skills and experience with others who have the same burning desire.
Last Fall, Judith Merians, a Hollywood Entertainment Lawyer, Studio Executive and Consultant to Independent Producers for the last 30 years, taught an eager group on how to write a script that would sell and how to sell a script that was written. It was so true…most writers write because they have something they need to say, a story to tell, an idea that must be conveyed, without understanding how to turn it into a saleable item. Lots dream of seeing their names on the silver screen and their characters come to life in technicolor, but don’t know how to get it from paper to film.
Judith Merians has been an entertainment lawyer and executive, literary agent, and film school professor in Los Angeles for over 25 years. She has participated in hundreds of development and production meetings, worked with untold number of writers, and bought innumerable scripts and films for the Hollywood studios. She brings to these workshops the inside information on how buyers think, what they need, and the ways to impress and influence them.
Judith taught us about “Date” movies, “Chick Flicks” and “Niche Market” films. We learned that the story must fit the budget and that a big budget film must have a star role. We learned we must write a “log” line that sells the story in just a few words. And we learned that living in Paris can be a real “cachet” and have appeal to the producers to spotlight the writer as someone special. I walked away after three hours of all the valuable insight itchy to start working on that next great hot script!
Don’t distress if you missed it…Judith is back with another great workshop.
This coming Saturday, April 21, 2007, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., Judith Merians is going to teach us how to tell and sell an idea, make it clear, communicate a story in dramatic and visual ways, and describe a full length work in a few action-packed verbal minutes. Imagine you’ve spent months or years developing your screenplay and then, if you’re lucky, you’ll get to pitch it to someone who has the power to make your dream come true. Don’t miss this opportunity to get the inside information on the rules and customs of the pitch meeting and how to make the listener say “Great, I want it.”
Led by Judith Merians and sponsored by Parler Paris, don’t miss this 3-hour session…THE SCREENPLAY PITCH THAT REALLY SELLS…Saturday, April 21, 2007 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at La Pierre du Marais, only 30€ per person! Spaces are limited, so register now!
For further details and to register, please visit /frenchproperty/conference/ or email Judith Merians at [email protected]
See you there!
A la prochaine…(and happy writing)…
Adrian Leeds
Editor, Parler Paris
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P.S. Watch Parler Paris for announcements about our upcoming Living and Investing in France Conference July 7 and 8 in San Francisco, co-sponsored by the Alliance Française of San Francisco! Visit /frenchproperty/conference/ or email Schuyler Hoffman at [email protected]
P.P.S. If you are more a poet or travel writer or are working on your next great novel, then don’t be sure to learn about the other workshops coming up…7th Edition of the Paris Poetry Workshop, May 13 – 18, 2007 with Cecilia Woloch…The Ultimate Travel Writer’s Workshop and The Ultimate Travel Photographer’s Workshop, May 16-19, 2007 at the Paris Hilton next to the Eiffel Tower and the Champs de Mars…The Writing Salo
n and Other Adventures with James Nave…just click here: /frenchproperty/conference/
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