As "The Passion of the Christ" approaches North American box office records, Mel Gibson is reaping the benefits of breaking "Hollywood's Ten Commandments" of movie marketing and distribution.
Gibson has orchestrated a success story that could serve as a case study for film schools for years to come. "Passion" could end up somewhere around $1.5 - $2 billion worldwide, which would send it past the $1.8 billion haul of all-time champ "Titanic."
In breaking or bending so many of Hollywood's basic rules, Gibson showed considerable courage that's paid off big-time. Given reports of how distributors around town turned down the chance to release "Passion," it's clear that nobody -- including Gibson himself -- saw this as being the moneymaker it's become.
Here's a quick look at the Ten Commandments Gibson opted not to obey and how not doing so helped turn "Passion" into a blockbuster.
1. THOU SHALT USE OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY TO FINANCE YOUR MOVIE.
2. THOU SHALT LET A GOOD FILM SPEAK FOR ITSELF BY SCREENING IT EARLY FOR THE MEDIA.
3. THOU SHALT KEEP NETWORK TELEVISION ADVERTISING AT THE HEART OF A FILM'S MARKETING CAMPAIGN.
4. THOU SHALT HOLD PRESS JUNKETS BECAUSE THEY'RE THE BEST WAY TO GENERATE PUBLICITY.
5. THOU SHALT HONOR THY SUPERSTARS BY PAYING THEM BIG BUCKS TO GENERATE BIG OPENING WEEKEND TICKET SALES.
6. THOU SHALT AVOID R RATINGS, SUBTITLES, STRANGE LANGUAGES, BLOOD & GORE AND GRAPHIC VIOLENCE BECAUSE THEY LIMIT A FILM'S AUDIENCE.
7. THOU SHALT SCREEN YOUR FILM AT FESTIVALS TO ATTRACT A STRONG INDEPENDENT DISTRIBUTOR.
8. THOU SHALT RELY ON A PLATFORM RELEASE IN NEW YORK AND L.A. TO GET WORD OF MOUTH GOING.
9. THOU SHALT COVET PROMOTIONAL PARTNERS IN FAST FOOD, FASHION, COSMETICS, TOYS AND VIDEO GAMES BECAUSE THEY ADD BIG DOLLARS TO YOUR MARKETING CAMPAIGN AND GENERATE AWARENESS FOR YOUR FILM.
10. THOU SHALT CONTROL YOUR DESTINY AS A FILMMAKER BY WORSHIPPING THE GOLDEN IDOLS OF WALL STREET TO RAISE MONEY FOR YOUR OWN MAJOR STUDIO.
All of us creative types have things we're naturally good at, and things we've learned to do, and things we aren't that good at (yet). This creates a creative trap: when approaching a project, we often work on the part we understand best — the part that scares us least. So if you're good at plot, you write the plot first, and then fill in the characters later. If you're good at characters, you write up the characters and then feel your way towards a plot.
Everyone pursuing a screenwriting career will eventually realize this journey is not for the thin of skin or for those who cannot handle the emotional ups and downs this business brings. If you haven’t yet experienced the soul crushing disappointment of finally having written a script that goes into development, but it doesn’t make it to production and sits on a shelf, I don’t envy you. It’s happened to me a handful of times out of my nearly two dozen paid screenwriting assignments. Learn this early — there are no guarantees in the screenwriting game. You take your lumps, heal, and move on to the next screenplay and the next one.
I love Readers! Yes they are the gatekeepers to the Promised Land and like it or not they do have power. But just how much? Well, I’m here to show you. I got my hands on a classified document folks, the holy grail… An actual copy of a real STUDIO MEMO covering GUIDELINES for their READERS.
Scenes must have a reason to exist in your screenplay. Each scene must advance the plot forward through dialogue and/or visual storytelling. Characters’ journeys drive the script’s narrative, and each scene must steer their journey forward. Although some scenes might not even contain any characters, these scenes must still provide information about your plot, as well as your characters’ lives and actions. There is no set rule as to how many lines, paragraphs, or pages constitute a scene.
The following has nothing to do with wet t-shirts. This entry is actually about screenwriting contests - a subject with little marquee value. One of the most popular category of questions that I find in my e-mail box is about screenwriting contests. As I say over and over, I believe that most are a waste of energy and entry fee. Some - like the Nicholl and Disney Fellowships - are very reputable and have launched a few Hollywood careers. Regardless of how reputable any contest might be, the screening process for most seems tenuous. Low fees for contest readers and a bulk of scripts guarantees a sloppy vetting system.
"Lowtide" writer, director and producer Kevin McMullin has sold his short story "Bomb" and is tabbed to write the script for "low seven figures" and "Gladiator" director Ridley Scott is attached to Direct. According to reports, 20th Century beat out studios Apple, Netflix, Sony, and Warner Bros.
Books are the fastest and easiest way you can learn from an expert. In screenwriting, it’s no different. Some of the best screenwriters and those who have mastered the craft, have created countless books trying to encapsulate all they’ve learned in their work. If you’re a new screenwriter and looking to improve or simply to learn how to create better scripts, these three books will help you out.
Everybody has a perspective. Everybody in your scene has a reason. They have their own voice, their own identity, their own history… But if you don’t know who everybody is and why they’re there, why they’re feeling what they’re feeling and why they’re doing what they’re doing, then you’re in trouble.
What is a successful second act? One that keeps the reader engaged, moves the story forward, and successfully delivers it into the falling action; that being the third act climax and the denouement. A bad screenplay has a second act that simply doesn't keep the narrative trajectory in place and thus the spine of the story sags; meaning rising tension and conflict is not taking place.