No More Bullscript!

No BullScript Consulting

Becoming a member of the the Independent Filmmakers and Screenwriters has lead to me to meet some amazing and talented people. As you may or may not know everything starts with a great script. It is the films “Bible” or blueprint for success. A great script will enrapture the imaginations of the actors so they can let their imaginations run amuck with character development, it inspires the director to create a unique and powerful vision and it breeds confidence for all that work on the project. This is why the work that script consultants such as Daniel Manus is so important. Getting the professional opinion on your script from someone like Daniel is huge stepping stone to part of the final proces of getting your script ready for market.

Please enjoy and takes notes of our interview with script consultant Daniel Manus:

“No BullScript” love the name!  But why such vulgar language?

Haha, well if you think that’s vulgar, then you may want to rethink Hollywood. Haha. Actually, the name came about because of a class I teach called the No B.S. Guide to Pitchfests, which was based on an article I had written by the same name that got published in a few places. And I’ve always been a really blunt, honest guy – I have been known to stick a foot in my mouth on occasion and say things others are only thinking. And No BullScript was just the clever wordplay that came from that. But, everyone seems to love the name – I do! And I think it describes me perfectly – honest, blunt, and wickedly clever. Haha.

What else can you tell us about yourself?

Hmm, well I grew up in a comically dysfunctional household on Long Island and always loved to write. I went to school to study journalism but soon found that not creative enough – plus I got into a huge fight with the editor of the school paper, so I turned to the TV station, and realized my passion for writing TV and film. I have always been a TV whore – I still am – so I changed my concentration to screenwriting. And when I moved out to LA to start my TV writing career, no one was hiring PA’s. So, I took an assistant job at a feature company, was being mentored by my boss, a prolific writer named J.S. Cardone (The Covenant, Prom Night, etc.), and then started getting promoted and running their development and loved it. So, I stopped writing my own stuff and started fixing everyone else’s and found a new track for my career- development. I am a huge procrastinator, so to not have to set deadlines for myself while still having the ability to be creative and write was perfect for me…Oh, and I love dogs but don’t currently have one.

So how did you convert from being a development executive now into to script consulting?

Well, I worked as a development exec at a few different companies, but all indies, which equals not much pay. So I was working as a script reader on the side for a few companies but never loved the way they structured their notes or held back on comments. So, after leaving Clifford Werber Productions (with whom I still work as a producer), the job market for execs was incredibly tough so I decided to launch my own script consulting company so I could say what I want, how I wanted to say it, and hopefully find and help some great talent.

Tell us about your services, why should a screenwriter hire you to receive their coverage?

Well, I like to say there are 3 types of consultants – the Simons, the Randys, and the Paulas. The Paulas tell you you’re fantastic and everything you do is great, the Randys hem and haw and fill the page with nonsense that doesn’t really help you and you, and then there are the Simons. The Simons are a bit more blunt and honest and critical, but they know what they are talking about and they are respected for that. And they’re usually right. Now, I’d never be as mean as Simon Cowell, but I would rather give you 4 pages of what to change to improve your writing and your script then 4 pages of what you did right just to boost your ego and get your repeat business.

But even more than that, I approach my clients’ scripts from a different perspective than other companies. I craft my notes from the Executive Perspective. And that’s who you’re going to be submitting your scripts to anyway, so you’re getting comments from a perspective that can really help improve the chances of selling your script. Of course I go through all the story elements – a 20 point grading system actually – but the last questions I ask myself before giving the project a recommendation, are “would I pass this on to my boss,” and “would I put my name on this?”

And the other reason to hire me is that I am very reasonably priced and can create a package for every writer and their project and offer lots of different services, not just notes. I do query letters, pitches, synopses, brainstorming sessions, and mentoring. And I read everything myself – there’s no farming out to anonymous readers!

Why are you so direct with your clients, I mean, what about their feelings?

I love writers. I came out to Hollywood to write. And I never forget that. But, some writers are used to living in their own dream worlds and sometimes they need someone to pull them back down to reality and say ‘No, your epic period piece satire about Hitler being an alien and making love to his grandmother can’t sell – so stop writing that!’ I never ever try to hurt anyone’s feelings – I’m not cruel or mean – I’m just honest. If you have a great idea but you’re not sure what to do with it, I want to help give you options and get it to a great place. But if your idea is completely without any merit and your writing reads like a 3rd graders’, then I want to save you the blood, sweat, tears, money and time and tell you that maybe this isn’t the right (write) way to go.  And in the 14 months No BullScript has been running, I have never had a client not appreciate that. And almost all of my clients come back with a second script. In fact, I was recently ranked in the top 15 “Cream of the Crop” script consultants by Creative Screenwriting Magazine! So I must be doing something right.

Some first time filmmakers don’t really go about the business of working that hard on their scripts, they just go and shoot, what would you say to them?

I say that’s fine, but then they can’t complain that Hollywood produces a bunch of crap. Without a good script, it doesn’t matter how good the acting or the directing or the visual effects are. If you are a director who wants to shoot a movie but you can’t write, then find someone who can instead of half-assing it yourself. It’s only going to hurt you in the long run.

What separates the good scripts from the bad ones? Are you seeing a common thread?

There are a million things that separate good from bad – poor structure, unclear tone, a boring story, confused demographic, unrelatable characters, dialogue that doesn’t feel genuine, stakes that aren’t high enough, etc.  And I do find some common threads and I think the two biggest ones are; 1. The writer hasn’t found his or her voice so the script doesn’t read as original or interesting or memorable. And 2. The writer hasn’t done their research so they don’t realize that their script is unsellable or unoriginal. My advice to writers is “knowing is half the battle” – so if they aren’t reading the trades, or the news, or what’s selling, or what’s doing well at the box office, then they will be clueless about their scripts’ chances in the marketplace. If they don’t know what types of scripts win contests, then they won’t know if their story is worth entering.

But the real question is – what separates the good scripts from the GREAT ones? But that’s a whole other story.

Why so many sequels? Nothing seems to be that original these days. There are some great exceptions but it seems much more emphasis is on the sequels, the remakes, the retold stories.

Well, I think that might turn around soon. But this happened because the spec market died for a while (it’s still on life support) and studios were scared to take a gamble on new, original material with new, unknown writers (and actors and directors), so they started to rely too heavily on huge name producers and agents to package material so that the studios didn’t actually have to do much work. Studios don’t want to be in the development business anymore. No one makes any money during development – you only SPEND it. So, if an agency owns the rights to a videogame and they can attach their own A-list writer, director and actor clients and sell the whole damn thing as a done deal, then the studio knows what they are going to get – it’s less risk.

Now I think “Inception,” which is totally original, is going to blow the roof off the summer box office. But yes, studios think audiences want something they recognize – a brand name, a nostalgia factor, a comic book, a videogame, a board game, a sequel, etc. And do you know why they think that? Because audiences keep going to see that crap! It’s simple supply and demand. When they stop going, studios will stop making it. And I think now after the “A-Team” and “Jonah Hex” and some other box office bombs, you will start to see a change in focus. But there are about 50 more projects like those in development, so it’s going to take a few years.

Any good screenwriting books you recommend?
Hmm, well I am partial to my own E-Book, “No B.S. for Screenwriters: Advice from the Executive Perspective,” which you can buy online by contacting me. But besides that, I’ve always been a big fan of Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat series, Marilyn Horowitz’ book on structure, and there are some great books coming out in the next 6 months or so by Pilar Alessandra and Julie Gray that you should look out for.

We run a screenwriting group here in Atlanta… Any advice as far as general guidelines I should implement for in-coming writers?

Here’s where I usually get in trouble because while I think writers groups are wonderful for networking and setting deadlines for oneself, I think sometimes it’s the blind leading the blind. Now there are some wonderful groups out there – as I’m sure yours is – you just have to make sure that the group has at least a few members who have sold something or optioned something, produced something or won a prestigious contest, had (or has) representation, and has written at least one complete script. If a writer finds that all their fellow members have less experience than they do – then why would they take their notes? You could be doing more harm than good. So, I say the pickier a writers group is, the better.

Great advice! While I am filmmaker and host the meeting we are being developed by script consultant for Rainforest films, Gina Partee, and also invite more established writers out to our group to mentor us.

Most, if not all, screenwriters would want to have a hand in producing their scripts into features. Any general advice for this kind of ambition?

Good luck. Every writer wants final say on their projects, but that’s not what happens in Hollywood even when you’re an A-List writer. If you’re a first time writer, don’t even think about making those types of demands unless you have an awesome agent, put a sellable package together through your own connections, or are financing the production yourself. If you have some credits and have been doing this a long time, then maybe you can finagle a producing credit and have more say, but it’s rare.

Oh – did we leave anything out?
Well, please check out my website www.nobullscript.net and you can follow me on twitter @nobullscript.  And I wish you all the best of luck!

- Daniel Manus

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Award winning director and owner of Blank Stage Productions, Brent Brooks has served as a director and a producer in the film and television industry for well over 12 years.

‘Art of Suicide’, winner of the “Best Underground Film” award at last year’s Indie Fest, is Brooks’ second independent feature film and showcases his talent as an “actor’s director”. Brent and the Blank Stage teamed just wrapped production on “Between Love & A Hard Place” a faith -based film that features Thelma from the his TV show Good Times, Irone Singleton the villain from ‘The Blind Side’ and R&B Gosbel singer, Canton Jones. Brooks was also honored with a “Telly Award” by the International Academy of the Visual Arts for his documentary “The Artisan Resource Center: A Creative Enterprise”.

Brooks has pioneered a new film brainstorming technique called “ImprovAstorm,” manages “The Blank Page” screenwriting meetings and created “Under Budget,” the filmmaker accelerator course. Brent and a team of filmmakers are currently in-development of several exciting projects.

contact: Brent@blankstageproductions.com

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