Screenwriters; Do Not Make This Mistake When Pitching To Producers by Rafal Zielinski & Gina Wendkos Video Lecture | Screenwriting: From Beginner to a Pro - Career Development

if someone were to say you know I'm more
introverted and I love coming up with
wonderful stories and characters and
being in a room with my cats or dogs and
just working on this stuff which sounds
wonderful to me by the way um you need a
partner and that partner would be
somebody that is um I mean I have a lot
of most of my friends that I've made
from the business or not writers because
you know sometimes writers are kind of
boring to talk to frankly but producers
because they have these great if they're
successful producer
you must have a sparkle to you you know
and but some of my friends or are really
you know a producers are very aggressive
and they're like if they see someone in
a restaurant you know they dive they got
a script in their trunk you know others
like you know that they're very reserved
they're more of the English style you
know you know not that I'm saying this
as a general I don't know zillion
English producers but you don't get the
sense that they're you know stepping
over each other um you know Brian Grazer
as an example is you know and Ron Howard
is partner you know Ron's like you know
very mellow guy Brian is from another
world you know and he's brilliant like
less I pitched him sold him a movie once
and you know I always bring in I never
ever ever looked at my paper you know
funny young kid is listening you know
because it's like who wants to hear
anybody you know do an oral report but I
bring it in cuz you know I in case I for
some reason forget we're an act break is
or whatever and Brian whose brain works
like that at a speed different than most
humans he's like you know he's he
vibrates you know he's very energetic
and he can you know think of like 18
things at once
and he's just a different kind of brain
it's a good brain it's fast but the
first he's like oh hey hi Gina you know
a little you know
how you doing but within two minutes and
not two minutes one minute he saw that I
had you know is probably five sheets of
paper he goes oh shit are you gonna read
that like you know I you know I'm like
no don't worry and he's like I couldn't
sit there for all that you know an
estimate you know when when young
writers go in with their paper and
they're like well Act one you know
either a seasoned producer is just
cannot you know they don't want their
time is so valuable you know I think a
good rule of thumb for a young writer
and/or director you know it's got it you
know because when you get to a certain
level then they're trying to please you
you know but you always have to please
somebody like Brian you know because
he's you know it doesn't matter what
level you are Brian's brain so fast so
um you know think of them like lawyers
that you pay by the hour every second
you're sitting there is costing you
money because their time is really
valuable as you drive her to yeah yeah
The Meters running
yes running and the more that they're
sitting with you you know it's like they
are where they are not because they're
polite you know like they're not going
to sit there if if they don't like what
they're hearing because they've got
there's a thousand of you so you've got
to be respectful of their time and come
really prepared and if you're not
prepared you have no business in the
business you know because whoever you're
asking to help you whether it's a help
or buy something this is the other thing
that writers a lot of writers don't
understand they don't understand in my
mind that you have to earn their
attention to flip the page you know like
a lot of writers well it gets better
later well to hell with later you know
it's like when I read a script of
somebody's if I'm not there in ten pages
and I figure that's the same way you
know a lot of writers are so you know
there's a difference between vanity and
narcissism to me you know all artists
are narcissistic in order to think we
have something to say
worth it you know it takes a certain but
vanity is thinking that you don't have
to earn it and you know if you want me
to take time away from television or
getting a massage or eating or something
that is an instant pleasure you better
make sure that's good to take my time
and that's you have to have that respect
for the for the studio and your friends
and producers that you're you know some
friends hand me these scripts and you
know which is why it's never a good idea
to show it to your friends because you
can't trust them you know and you know
you're sitting there and you're reading
directing your life you have no more
respect for my time like give it to me
when it's good you know don't make me
your prefer like and that's a big thing
with young writers there's just so
impressed with themselves or young any
you know before they learn the thing of
value that to value the other person's
energy
you