by Lucy V Hay
TIPS: Don’t ‘work on’ your craft, then; INVEST in it. Do you even know what you need to invest in – what are your weak points? How do they compare to your strengths? If you don’t know, why not? If you do know, what are you doing about it? And by when? You need to be the whole package, too, and you need to be it ASAP or you might as well go home. You have to be willing to challenge your writing to be the best it can possibly be, otherwise it doesn’t matter how great you are at selling yourself: the screenplay will let you down and you won’t see others for dust. With this in mind, then, it’s time for our final case study – a drama screenplay still in development, just like yours, and how its writer/director plans to get it made, whatever it takes… just like you!
CASE STUDY 8: THE GUERILLA FILMMAKER
ROCKETBOY
Writer/Director: Chris Jones
Produced by: Judy Goldberg
Budget: Unproduced (so far!)
Q: What’s good about it?
A: In a corner of the market overtaken by both American Media Imperialism and animation via the likes of Pixar, DreamWorks and Disney, Rocketboy offers a rare chance for family audiences to glimpse a decidedly ‘British’ 1960s story world in which the Great Outdoors meant adventure, summers were never-ending and friendships felt like they would last forever.
MY LOGLINE: An old man recounts his childhood building rockets with his grandfather in the 1960s, detailing how he fell in love along the way.
Writing and Selling Rocketboy
This case study is slightly different, because the movie is as yet unproduced (the only reason I would ever obey the ‘no spoilers’ rule, in fact!). What’s more, no book on taking your filmmaking destiny in your own hands would be complete without a word from the original Guerrilla Filmmaker, Chris Jones. Known for his stirring ‘Do It Yourself’ books and classes, and working out of the iconic Ealing Studios, Chris is also director of the London Screenwriters’ Festival, overseeing the rest of its many classes year round. But in an industry in which trainers often haven’t actually done what they teach, Chris has: he practises what he preaches. He’s written screenplays, raised finance, plus made and sold the films… and in the case of LondonSWF’s 50 Kisses initiative, even crowdsourced them and got them in the Guinness Book of Records! So I was only too happy to give Chris notes on the two projects currently in development with Living Spirit, his filmmaking arm: one, a horror called Transplant, was an intriguing tale about playing God, which I liked a great deal, but felt (at that time) to still need work. However, it was the other script, a family drama called Rocketboy, that really caught my attention and fired up my own imagination.
Including a family drama AGAIN may seem like a strange choice at first glance (but then this has become a recurring theme in this book). But many family dramas include elements of comedy or action-adventure, surely taking them beyond the ‘usual’ remit for a drama story? No, says Chris: ‘Family drama is not about being the fastest, or getting the girl/boy, or winning the game… it’s about taking a stand for what you believe, and then acting with courage for that belief. And core to this is that kids MUST know that failure is always a possibility. I feel many stories are afraid of upsetting kids, not remembering all the great ones had real jeopardy, consequence and often loss.’ I totally agree with Chris. When I consider the movies that made the most impression on me as a young child, the list reads like a Muppet/Puppet Appreciation Society: The Dark Crystal (1982), a tale of how everyone has the potential to do both evil and good, so tolerance and understanding are a must; Labyrinth (1986), a story of how family ties matter more than sibling rivalry; and The NeverEnding Story (1984), a dark and epic journey of self- actualisation via the power of the imagination. Interestingly, all of these movies are quest narratives drawing on Homer’s Odyssey, in which their protagonists are tested and even betrayed in the course of the story, facing heartbreak and loss. As Chris points out: ‘I believe kids are robust and hungry for experience they can relate to, stories they can grow from… the playground is a battlefield!’
An emotional response is absolutely key to most family dramas. Also, like many produced dramas destined for more adult audiences, family films frequently mine those six themes I identify in the course of this book: ‘joy’ is the most obvious, but even devastation, on occasion. After all, what adult now, growing up in the eighties, can forget Atreyu’s horse, Artax, succumbing to the Swamp of Sadness in The NeverEnding Story? But it’s a family movie more recent that is Rocketboy’s biggest influence: Disney’s Bridge to Terabithia, the story of two opposites, a country boy and a city girl, who create a fantasy world of trolls, monsters, ogres and giants, which they rule over together as king and queen. ‘I wanted to capture those first moments when we, as young people, fall deliriously in love, even if the experience is confusing, scary and overwhelming,’ says Chris. ‘It’s a love letter back to my former self.’ But, most importantly perhaps, family dramas frequently have messages for their young audiences, moral or otherwise, that adults can also relate to. Yet that doesn’t have to mean being preachy with it, Chris argues: ‘Kids are small adults and really sharp as tacks. Let them live emotionally challenging experience through drama, so they feel informed about who they would like to be when similar problems manifest in their own lives… inspire them to be the most courageous they can be.’ But how does a writer ‘capture’ emotion, so this might be transferred to their target audience, via storytelling?
When I think of the two family dramas that have elicited a strong emotional response in me recently, the first that leaps out immediately is Frozen (2013). As the highest-grossing animated movie ever, Disney’s Frozen needs little introduction; it is a retelling of the classic ice queen fairy tale and contains not one but two three- dimensional female characters. Elsa and Anna are princesses and sisters, with one’s ‘gift’ (or ‘curse’) coming between them, isolating them from each other as they grow up. Elsa’s ability to create ice is seen by some as a metaphor for being gay; others as being symbolic of mental health issues, disability or other things that may make a teenager socially ‘awkward’, in comparison to the bubbly, lonely (but otherwise ‘normal’) sister, Anna. But it is not Elsa’s story: it is Anna who must recognise her sister’s right to be whoever she needs to be… only then can Anna truly be there for her. One of the things Disney does especially well in my opinion is relating their stories to girls in the audience, so I was gratified when my little girl, just seven years old, quipped, ‘I feel very emotional right now!’ as we were leaving the cinema.
The second family drama that left a lasting impression by eliciting that all-important emotional response in me was Epic, also 2013. Despite its rather poor title, Epic is the story, not only of the importance of being environmentally friendly, but of how to cope with grief. After the loss of her mother, city girl Mary Katherine (MK) goes to live in the countryside with her eccentric and estranged botanist father, who insists there are little people called ‘Leafmen’ in the woods. Of course, MK’s father is correct and she finds herself caught up in the little people’s war with the Boglins, putrefying creatures symbolic of deforestation and pollution. Strikingly, Epic features a female protagonist who is a teen, rather than ‘tween’ (ten to twelve years old). This is not only very unusual in family dramas (teens are frequently cast in the antagonist’s role, especially as the older brother or sister), but forms part of the moral message of duty and sacrifice that underscores the whole movie. When Queen Tara of the Leafmen is mortally wounded by the Boglins, she passes the role of finding her successor on to MK, who happens to be present. Tara explains she realises MK doesn’t know what her place is in their world, but that everything is connected and she must do this quest for Tara, so the balance of both their worlds can be preserved. This is a brilliant piece of writing, because very often teenagers are not sure of who they are, or what their place in the world is. As a result, they may underestimate how everything and everyone is connected, which can lead to conflict between them and other people,
especially figures of authority like parents and teachers, who usually have their best interests at heart. Here, then, in Epic, is a way of ensuring older kids have that same chance Chris describes of ‘living through drama’ so they too can become ‘courageous’, just as MK has to be in the course of the quest against the evil Boglins.
American titans like Disney, Pixar, DreamWorks and, to a lesser extent, Blue Sky (which produced Epic) have cornered the market. But, unlike Epic or Frozen, Rocketboy is not an animated film. Also, Chris and his team are not as heavily financed as Disney, which made Bridge to Terabithia for a budget of about $30 million. That may be chump change to Hollywood, but is a figure out of the grasp of most indie filmmakers, especially British ones. ‘I don’t plan to compete, just to make the best movie I can,’ Chris explains. ‘When I get to distribution I will assess the market at that time and make choices based on the landscape then, not now. What I can tell you is that it’s better to sidestep the bull in the bull fight, with effortless grace, than it is to directly engage the bull head on.’ So, with its large cast, plus its larger-than-life arena that includes an entire rural off-shore island (complete with lighthouse!), not to mention its period setting in the 1960s and stunts involving actual rockets and children in the water in capsized dinghies, how on earth does Chris hope to get this film funded?! ‘We are living in a massive evolution for all creative industries,’ Chris replies. ‘There’s always money for the right project… we will find money from the traditional sources such as the Enterprise Investment Scheme (tax relief), broadcasters, but also new tools and ideas and, of course, the crowd.’ It’s so easy to talk down such plans and dismiss them as pipe dreams. But Chris’s enthusiasm calls to mind Alison Owen and Kelly Marcel on Saving Mr Banks. Some might have called the women ‘crazy’ for even considering potentially ‘wasting their time’ on a project that could so easily have faltered, had Disney not come on board. Yet Saving Mr Banks now exists, proving perhaps you have to be both passionate about your project AND ambitious to be in with a chance of making something of worth. I have faith Rocketboy will come into being on the same basis.
Write Tips:
• Family drama isn’t about ‘just’ winning or losing, but taking a stand for what you believe in, so they often involve sporting contests or ‘battles’ of some kind against figures of authority, especially parents, teachers, nasty neighbours or baddie businessmen. Often such battles are metaphorical, with the target of the child protagonist’s resentment completely unaware of how s/he is seen. In the case of Bridge to Terabithia, Jess casts his father as the antagonist and they can only find their way back to each other after a tragedy, ‘seeing’ each other for the first time in years. In the best family dramas, there is a very real sense of jeopardy and potential loss: the days of ‘it was all a dream’, where characters can just ‘wake up’ Alice in Wonderland-style, is no more tolerated by children than it is adults!
• Though many family dramas stray into realms of fantasy, science fiction and/or action-adventure, many, such as Bridge to Terabithia and Rocketboy, create world views from a child’s POV, giving us a glimpse of how their psyche works, rather than being ‘event-driven’. Family dramas are most typically in the ‘Joy’ subtype, but frequently include elements of ‘Wonder’ and ‘Bittersweet’, as well as ‘Devastation’, which Bridge to Terabithia does brilliantly with Leslie’s shock death. Family dramas infrequently use ‘Shock and Awe’, since this most often takes the characters into action-adventure and event-driven, rather than character-driven, storytelling, but not always.
• Family dramas often rely on the quest as a metaphor for growing up, especially in the case of ‘coming of age’ dramas. As Chris suggests, children and teens can ‘grow’ via drama; they’re making sense of the world around them. So how can you relate your story to this concept? What did your childhood mean to you? To other people you grew up with? To those you don’t know? What would you tell yourself ‘back then’ that you know now? Ask everyone.
Selling Points:
• Family drama is an underrated opportunity to use various methods of storytelling, arenas, symbolism and allusion to disseminate a complex message to an eclectic group of people, both young and old. In my experience, there are relatively few family dramas in the spec pile and almost all of them are American, which I always find interesting. British and European children have relatively little to watch that originates in their home countries in comparison to their American counterparts, and whilst it is difficult going up against the ‘Big Three’ (Disney, Pixar, DreamWorks) and other large animation studios, as I’ve already said multiple times, the more difficult path is often the most worthwhile. Plus, as Chris points out – don’t compete, sidestep instead! There’s room for everyone if you play it ‘right’.
• Enabling children in the audience to link stories and relate them to one another, so they can ‘live through drama’, as Chris suggests, is a smart move. Children are more media literate than they have ever been, so if they can work out hidden meanings in your story, you will keep their attention longer. What’s more, parents love their kids learning stuff in their leisure time, so get parents on board and you’re likely to sell tickets or DVDs, because it’s adults who hold the purse strings.
• Everyone has a favourite family drama from when they were a child – and I mean everyone! Reference them, pay homage to them or update them (without doing an out-and-out adaptation) and you may find this a great way of getting other people on board with you.
• Make decisions based on what is going on at the time. The industry is constantly in flux, so you can’t plan for every minute eventuality in advance. Every film is essentially a leap of faith, but you can make that leap ‘shorter’ by knowing how the industry works and what opportunities are available to you, such as tax breaks. There is always money for the ‘right’ project. Lots of writers and filmmakers don’t believe this, but there are always ways of making it happen for your drama screenplay if you’re determined enough and willing to go the long haul.
And remember…
Ambition is great, but passion is key. None of the dramas in this book were ‘easy’ to pull off. Most productions are not easy in truth, but, as mentioned, you may at least have a starting point or ballpark for genre. So if you’re hoping that someone will come along and just take your drama screenplay off your hands and make it, you should probably write something else. Seriously. But if you can throw yourself into this story; research it; challenge yourself; write and rewrite times infinity; plus stick with it NO MATTER WHAT and find others who will commit to doing the same, you might just have a produced drama, about ten or twenty years from now! So I’ll wait for my invite to the Oscars, Golden Globes and BAFTAs… See you there!
WRITING AND SELLING YOUR OWN SPEC DRAMA SCREENPLAY
A NEW B2W RESOURCE
As mentioned in this book copious times, far too many spec drama screenplays are simply ‘movies of movies’ and lack emotional truth, thus failing to connect with the industry pro they are targeting. Scribes often believe ‘drama = depressing’ and thus recycle tired tropes and clichés ad nauseam, failing to grasp that the best drama screenplays offer myriad personal POVs and emotional stories about struggling through life and its many inspiring, wonderful and/or devastating challenges. With this in mind, then, I have created a new resource* to walk you through not only writing your own spec drama screenplay, but finishing it and getting it ‘out there’, to the people who matter to you in your own filmmaking journey.
You will find a copy of this resource to download to your desktop on the Kamera Books website at kamerabooks.co.uk/resources
Elements you must consider in advance of writing include (but are not limited to):
• WHAT is this story?
• WHO is it for?
• WHY does your project stand out?
• WHERE do you want to send it?
• WHEN do you want it done by?
First, though, a warning: this resource is NOT so
mething you can simply fill in over the course of a single afternoon; it will require mulling over for a matter of weeks, minimum. Dig deep into your psyche, be brave, tell the truth to YOURSELF about what matters to you… and that all-important story, its characters and its audience will follow. Good luck!
NAME & CONTACT DETAILS
You may end up using this document (or a version of it) to interest others in your project – why not? – but, if you do, NEVER forget to put your contact details, including your email address, on it. Documents get moved around from folder to folder, Dropbox to Dropbox by industry pros, and who-sent-what gets forgotten. So never let them forget you or your work!
WORKING TITLE
Remember: always check out titles on the likes of IMDb, try them out on friends, social media, etc. Do not go with the first thing that enters your head! A drama should not sound like a thriller or horror, for example; dramas typically are atmospheric, or use main character or place names. Avoid very odd-sounding titles, the names of iconic movies (or similar) and avoid song titles (there are soooo many in the spec pile!).