Test Your Screenwriting I.Q., Pt. 11
Steve Kaire’s back, debunking some misconceptions of the industry.
True or False
1. Producers have a call back list of 50 people per day.
False. Their call back list is over 200 people per day.
2. Pitch Festivals give you 15 minutes to pitch your projects.
False. You have a strict five-minutes.
3. Production companies generally read your material in two to three weeks time.
False. It’s around two to three months.
4. Partner pitching is permissible with one partner pitching one part, the other pitching the other.
That’s true.
5. Good dialogue is using full, complete sentences.
False. Good dialogue uses phrases and short sentences.
6. The easiest way to structure a screenplay is viewing a similar movie and structuring your script the same way.
True.
7. You should expect brutal criticism of your screenplay from a studio reader.
True. Rumor has it that they’re frustrated writers themselves.
8. There’s no easy way to find out who’s buying what.
False. Many screenwriting magazines including Script Magazine and websites list what’s being sold and to who.
9. The Great American PitchFest and Screenwriting Expo are the two biggest pitch festivals in the country.
True.
10. Sometimes writing about what you know makes you too close to the material to be objective.
That’s true.
STEVE KAIRE is a Screenwriter/Pitchman who’s sold 8 projects to the major studios without representation. The last project he sold, he’s Co-Producing for Walden Media. A screenwriter for over 30 years, he holds a Masters in Dramatic Writing and has taught writing classes at the American Film Institute. Steve was featured on the Tonight Show’s, “Pitching to America” and was voted a Star Speaker at Screenwriters Expo three years in a row. His top rated CD, High Concept - How to Create, Pitch & Sell to Hollywood is a best seller.
