Showbiz Management Advisors, LLC

(602) 708-4981

The Right Way To Do Hollywood Accounting!

 

SCRIPT MANAGEMENT

WILL YOUR BOOK MAKE A GOOD MOVIE?

Authors must make sure they own the ISBN to their book. Sometimes, vanity publishing houses give you a ISBN on a rental basis and the publishing house owns the rights to your book. Movies are 90 to 120 minutes long. This translates usually into a 90-120 page manuscript. If your book is longer, what parts are you going to eliminate/trim without destroying the “meat” of your story. Do not destroy the primary storyline in your book. Some books naturally lend themselves to adaptation. Consider the number of characters, number of different scenes and how much time elapses during the story (days, months, or years. Studios are very budget conscious and do not like movies that cost them too much to make. Many stories are interesting and provide depth of character. However, some are simply not written to where they could be easily, or practically, made into a movie.

WORKING WITH A SCREENWRITER 

If you work with a screenwriter get it in writing. You should have a written agreement between you defining who will be doing what and how monies will be distributed among all those involved. A screenplay written can be paid up front or work on spec and get paid when the movie is made.  Do not be surprised if Hollywood chops up the script, re-arrange parts, puts in scenes that you never wrote and shows a movie that has nothing to do with your original book. Most of the changes have to do with the screenwriter who has been hired to rewrite the original script and actors/directors who want to put their own personal viewpoints into their characters.  Dialogue is critical. Books allow you to use your imagination, On the screen, every word, action, movement must be choreographed by the screenwriter. Often, scenes are enhanced with action to keep the audience focused. Other times, scenes are re-arranged for dramatic effect. Remember that the public will hear it for the first time, and hear it one time only.

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