THE BEST LAID PLANS Or Why Being a Screenwriter Makes You Want to Rip Your Head Off and Throw It Across the Room
When I wrote my first post on this site, I had dreams of making regular entries about my experiences at the New York Film Academy during the eight week screenwriting intensive I was participating in at the time. My plan was to walk people through the screenwriting process from an academic perspective, to provide aspiring writers who didn't have the opportunity I did to benefit from the experience I had been offered, and answer questions about why there are so many bad movies out there.Like the saying goes, if you want to hear the sound of God's laughter, tell him your plans. Before I knew it, the eight weeks was over, and the rarified experience of being able to talk about writing, attend seminars about writing, critique movies as homework, then, write, all day, every day, was gone. I finished the screenplay I wrote at school, and somehow, miraculously, made the Second Round at the Austin Film Festival with the script and even found a producer. This past winter, I had the chance to start writing again and used everything I learned at NYFA to rework two of my favorite scripts; LUCKY 13 about the Women's Air Service Pilots in World War Two, and PEARL HART, THE BANDIT GIRL, about the only known female stagecoach robber in American history.After eagerly submitting both scripts to every major screenwriting competition; the Nicholls Fellowships, the Austin Film Festival, Slamdance, Scriptapolooza, the Nantucket Film Festival, and the Page Awards, I realized those competitions, for the most part anyway, don't announce the winners until October.It's the end of April, and I have to do something to get the scripts out there right? So I signed up with a company that bridges the gap between new writers and production companies or studios, sent the script to The Black List, and hunted down a list of actresses with their own production companies who could get these movies made.That's when things got really frustrating.One of the people I sent the scripts to, an Academy Award winning actress who started her own production company after seeing six of her favorite actresses "fighting over a really crappy role in a movie," threw the scripts, the release form and the query letter in the trash because "we don't accept any unsolicited material". An agent I sent the script to said he wasn't legally allowed to read it because he didn't ask for it, so I told him to ask for it, and he said he wasn't legally allowed to do that either.I started submitting written pitches of LUCKY 13 to several major production companies through a paid service that costs $45 every time you send it out. A written pitch is a short, two page synopsis of the story, characters, character arcs, and resolution as well as the actors or actresses you would like to see cast in the film. It's difficult to include every nuance of your script in two pages, so the value of your material is judged by how well you write the synopsis, not how well the script itself is written. The pitches are selected about half the time, and right now LUCKY 13 is with some VERY good agencies and producers, but it can take up to three months to get a response, if they bother to respond at all. Even so, some major players have passed on the script for what I think are some pretty hysterical reasons:"This is a very interesting and mostly forgotten piece of US history to tackle and I think Denise did a good job of crafting a story based on the pioneering lives of these women. With that said, the film does not feel like a big studio film to me and I wish there was some larger role the female pilots played in the war itself in terms of actually being in combat. While their role was very dangerous as well, the finale lacks a certain build when they are just paving the way for the men to get to war. Ultimately, cool part of history, but not quite something for me. Pass"
LUCKY 13 is so obviously a passionately researched and written script, the characters and history is alive and jumps off the page. The dialogue is snappy and feels both a part of its time and everlasting. The story it tells is one that rivals similar films like A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN and TOP GUN, basically taking bits and pieces of both of those films, but marrying it to a real historical event. The interplay between the two leads, Gwen and Bunny is heartfelt and achingly real, and Gwen's desire to fly planes, her fiery character, and her spunky wit is so accurately drawn, its easy to imagine that she's based on a real historical figure, even if she isn't. The action scenes are well written and detailed, and the only thing that would make them more exciting is if they were combat scenes, which historically they cannot be.
This is an excellently told story, and it is a true story that many people might not know. The characters are great and the action is as well. The only things that might hinder its prospects are the fact that, while it contains great action scenes, there is no threat of combat, which might turn some viewers off, although there was no stated threat of combat in TOP GUN either. Additionally, films with strong, well-written female leads are staggeringly hard to come by, and this should attract a strong cast (whether that leads to box office results is, however, hard to say). It has the potential to be a film people watch again and again because its fun, its informative, and its an enjoyable story to follow.The second review got an overall rating of 6.
Full of action, suspense, and female empowerment, this script does an excellent job dramatizing the story of the Lucky 13 without sensationalizing it with salacious details or overdramatic events. Gwen is the perfect protagonist to lead the story: she has all the traits--glamour, strength, and confidence--that will resonate with a young female audience, as well as just enough flaws to make her seem real and relatable. Her neverending zeal for life and her lust for adventure contrasts against the rigid and sexist society she comes from in provocative ways, and the group's ability to break away from the mold is empowering and cheer-worthy. The script perfectly addresses the world in which the story is set: the blatant, unapologetic sexism the women face is dramatically startling, and also creates the level of authenticity the story needs to set the stage. Gwen and Bunny's relationship allows the script to show a softer side to Gwen, and Bunny's death is poignantly heartbreaking and a great catalyst to launch the events of the third act. Gwen and Bryant's relationship also develops nicely as well--it's somewhat predictable; however, they remain a couple to root for, and their relationship is a great place to explore each character individually and strip away the layers to reveal the strong souls underneath tough exteriors.
US audiences love heroic war stories such as this one, and the unique twist that comes from having a female-centric, home-grown cast makes this script stand out immediately. Given the high-octane action, the compelling protagonists, the brewing forbidden romance, and the patriotic spirit, this story could easily attract a good director and make its way into production. This is a huge opportunity for any actress looking for a strong role to take on, and audiences across the board will definitely appreciate the story being told here. The story is similar to FLYBOYS, but much more modernized and relevant. With all the strong female-driven leads in today's culture--Katniss leading the pack--this story definitely could find a home on screen. It's refreshing to see the women challenge conventions in a male-dominant world, and these heroines have the cleverness and vibrancy to compel a widespread audience. The fact that it's based on true events makes it even more compelling, and given the current climate and social issues taking over today's headlines in the feminist movement, the feeling persists that this film would be hugely embraced.
Now, I'll be honest with you. A few close friends of mine in the film business tell me I have no right to me frustrated by these rejections because I am wasting my talents writing period pieces with female driven leads. I do have that right though. I wrote screenplays about characters I want to see on the silver screen, and they are really good scripts. LOTS of good writers with material better than mine get turned down all the time, or there wouldn't be a VERY lucrative cottage industry in offering screenwriting contests for writers, or pitch meetings for writers, or writing workshops, or coverage for writers. It gets frustrating, and discouraging and demoralizing and EXPENSIVE to put yourself out there over and over again, only to be told, "this script is GREAT, its a PASS."So yes, I do have the right to be unhappy about that. But I also know that it only takes ONE person to see what I see in these scripts. And while its considered REALLY bad form in Hollywood to share your rejections with "the outside world" I also think its a bit precious to think writers are supposed to take their licks and keep their mouths shut about it.I have a voice, and like the characters I write about, I want it to be heard. I worked hard for a seat at the table. I'm not owed one because I wrote something I am crazy about. No one is. I love this journey, even when I don't always like it. And having been on both sides of the film-making experience, as some one who once loved going to the movies, and as someone who has practiced her Academy Awards speech at least a million times, I think screenwriting really ain't for sissies.But isn't it fascinating to see behind the curtain???
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