things have been hectic, so it’s been a while since my last post ... i’ve got a few posts in development hell, but i need some mental space to look at them again, before i inflict them upon the world at large
instead, i’ll just outline what’s been happening with Rain Dogs, thus far
so best stop reading now – i would
the first step – i started playing around with what became Rain Dogs back in April 2017
since then, i’d been working on it, off-and-on, whenever i had the time to deal with it ... and when my brain didn’t seize that opportunity to run off to play with other newer, cooler ideas (stoopid brain)
i’ve covered parts of this journey in previous posts – see RAIN DOGS: Where did they come from? and How not to keep a writing diary
one day i may do a post about the ENTIRE PROCESS of writing Rain Dogs, show how the sausage is made, as they say – not because it is something to be studied and duplicated (far from it) – but rather to share with other wannabes the messy mess that is developing a screenplay – and, in doing so: [a] perhaps make them feel a little less ‘alone’ on their journey, and [b] maybe help them learn from my mistakes
as that old jokester, Otto used to say: “Only a fool learns from his own mistakes. The wise man learns from the mistakes of others.”
so this post skips past all that creative grind – and instead i’ll “quickly” outline how i “put Rain Dogs out to market” – followed by the responses i’ve received to date
PUTTING RAIN DOGS OUT TO MARKET
STAGE ONE was creating this WEBSITE so that there was a location where PPs (Potential Partners) could learn about me and the screenplay, should they be interested
i explain this in more detail in my inaugural post, Welcome
i also set about gaining a rudimentary understanding of INSTAGRAM, in the hope that it may attract some attention and direct potential PPs to this website
STAGE TWO was to build a mailing list for my EMAIL BLITZ
as an outsider to the business, i’d always planned to put my screenplay up on The Black List, but i knew that that would not be enough and that i should try to create some buzzz around it if possible
particularly in Australia where, i suspect, The Black List is not so deeply entrenched in the screen business as it is in the U.S. and elsewhere
so i thought i’d do a little email campaign – and for that, i needed email addresses
i found them by making use of IMDbPro’s generous one month free trial
i’d already collected a list of “Australian” movies that were in the horror/sci-fi/fantasy/action/thriller genres (or near enough) and used IMDbPro to find the email addresses of the producers and (occasionally) the directors that worked on these movies – this took (in total) two-to-three days
of course, not every producer has their contact info on IMDbPro and not all “producers” are Producers – and the contact details of many of the people behind the movies and/or shows i thought were a really good fit, were just impossible to find … well, for me, at least
also, trying to find the right name in some of the larger organisations was, by design, near impossible – or required filling-in a lot of forms to apply for this or that program ... which is not to say that i won’t get around to applying to these programs when I have the time, but these organisations obviously couldn’t be part of the blitz
anyway, by the time i was done, i had a list of just over 100 addresses [don’t ask]
STAGE THREE was getting my script up on The Black List – i did this for two reasons
one, it means that any professional Producer, anywhere in the world, can find and read the screenplay ... without having to deal with some angsty writer
and two, for a small fee, you can get a second (or third) opinion on your screenplay from an industry professional – as i’m not a part of a screenwriting group or community, this was important to me
SURE … over a dozen people had read an earlier draft of the screenplay some months (years?) before this time, but none of them are screenwriters – and so, while the response was generally positive and a number of issues were identified (and resolved) ... there was (is) always that lurking dread that me and my friends are all just fooling ourselves – my hope was, that getting an opinion from someone outside my bubble would provide me with a valuable reality check
registering, uploading, paying etc wasn’t too difficult, even for a curmudgeon like myself – although i was surprised by all the questions and lists of check boxes that were part of the process
both before and since i’ve searched for some kind of checklist guide that takes you through the process of placing your screenplay on The Black List, but haven’t been able to find one
there are some articles, but they tend to be of the sort that claim to be able to help you get your screenplay onto THE Black List – their annual list of the favourite scripts written that year as voted by Film Execs
if i can’t find a checklist guide, i’ll see if i can find some time to knock one out – both as a checklist for myself and for other first-timers, so they won’t find themselves suddenly confronted by a load of questions they were unprepared to answer
STAGE FOUR – with the script up on The Black List and waiting to be evaluated, i was almost ready for the email blitz ... all i had to do was put the Rain Dogs page up on my website
as you can see, it’s pretty basic – logline, synopsis and some chat about “the vibe” of the movie ... oh, and a pretty cool poster, even if i do say so myself
WHAT I DIDN’T DO – i am not, nor have i ever been, on Linkedin, Twitter or Facebook (and yes, I know Instagram is owned by Facebook) – frankly, i was never really interested in any of these platforms – and “recent” revelations of their business models has only deepened my disinterest
... that said, Twitter has, of late, gained some cred for (finally) taking a small stand against one of its worst abusers
STAGE FIVE – writing and sending the emails – back in the day, i’d read a lot of “how to write a query letter” articles ... but i thought that in these stressful times, something quick and courteous might be the go
the subject line was: RAIN DOGS available now – and the body of the email read as follows:
hi [NAME] –
I hope this finds you and yours all safe and well. Apologies for the uninvited interruption, but I’m doing a bit of an email blitz to announce the availability of my new screenplay, Rain Dogs.
Here’s the logline:
An estranged father, his ex and their 10-year-old daughter struggle to escape from a secluded valley infested with vicious, otherworldly monsters ... monsters only the young girl can see.
If you’re interested, you can learn more at assortedprojects.net/rain-dogs or read the screenplay at The Black List.
thanks for your time,
– Robert
ASSORTED PROJECTS
---
PLEASE NOTE: You have probably received this email because I came across your contact details on IMDbpro while searching for people who, in the past, had been involved in an “Australian” genre movie that interested me. Don’t worry, I won’t be contacting you again. Well, not until I launch my next screenplay.
the “PLEASE NOTE” section was in small print and (very) occasionally included a personalised note re the recipient’s previous work
included in the 100+ emails were about half-a-dozen recipients who i contacted through their website’s CONTACT FORM
THE RESPONSE TO THE BLITZ
to date, the email blitz has generated nine responses – of which six were a request to see the screenplay
based on my experiences working on direct marketing campaigns back in the day, this response rate was pretty good – whether it was the “brilliance” of the logline or the boredom of iso that got me as many hits as i did, is open to conjecture
i thanked the three “not receiving unsolicited screenplays at this time” for getting back to me, and sent the six interested respondents the screenplay
from the six readers i received two replies ... the responses were mixed
first there was this:
Thanks for sending your screenplay RAIN DOGS, unfortunately it is a pass from us.
What got me interested in your pitch was the opportunity to come up with something quite unique in the way of the “threat” ... but instead we find the “threat” is...
[here the writer repeated an excerpt from the screenplay in which a creature is described]
I have to say it has all BEEN done before? This is nothing new.
Take a look at A QUIET PLACE again ... Why this film stands apart from these sort of films is the sheer genius of the concept of - “sound” - this lifted this genre film into cult status and let’s not forget the massive box office that came with it.
One other point - these horror/thriller-type films should sit at a running time of 90 minutes (working off 1 minute per page) - your screenplay at 118 is nudging a 2-hour movie - this is fine for Hollywood blockbusters but not an independent Aussie genre pic.
Hope my comments are helpful.
All the best [etcetera]
not a great start – and, while i didn’t agree with everything that was written, i appreciated the feedback and thanked them for their time – i finished by writing that i hoped that my next screenplay would be more to their liking
needless to say, i was gutted
and then i got this from a producer/director:
I did enjoy it - it's really cool. Really cool concept. Love the monsters and characters and great writing.
Love to hear more about it, has it been out to the market, is anyone attached, etc etc etc.
best [etcetera]
well this is better – no offers or anything, just what appears to be some genuine interest (and a bit of affirmation!) from someone in the industry – i replied, answering their questions and once again, thanked them for their time
MY EVALUATION FROM THE BLACK LIST
The Black List do a good job at keeping you informed of the progress of your screenplay through their system, but even so, i was surprised when i got an email explaining that, due to the fact that they’d received “a higher volume of evaluations lately than we expected” and, as my screenplay had been in queue for over three weeks, i’d be given a month of free hosting for my troubles – so, cool
a couple of days later, i received my evaluation – like the responses to the email blitz, it was mixed:
PROFESSIONAL EVALUATION #1
Overall Rating 6/10
Premise 6/10
Plot 6/10
Character 3/10
Dialogue 6/10
Setting 9/10
Era
Present
Locations
rural Australia, forests, houses, roads, waterfall
Budgets
Blockbuster
Genre
Family, Family Adventure, Horror, Monsters
Logline
An estranged father, his ex and their 10-year-old daughter struggle to escape from a secluded valley infested with vicious, otherworldly -- and invisible -- monsters that somehow only the young girl can see.
Strengths
Humorous moments add levity & entertainment to this action flick. Standout dialogue: the funny “Max is my friend ... her”; the frightening “Like, even if ... darker”; the evocative “To Burning Man ... photos”; the tense “for posterity ... thing”; the clever, “Checking…vampires.”// The action sequences & Wokker encounters are very well executed & choreographed for the most part, successfully tense & frightening; they’re also varied in setting & situation, never redundant, including the boulders falling in the Cutting, hiding in the garage, setting the Wokkers on fire in the “castle,” & the epic waterfall background. // Dan & Casey’s dynamic is extremely fun to watch, for his unease around her, her intelligence & sass & love of fire, & their love for one another are endearing. Her smart use of the rake to secure the door ingratiates her to the reader from the get-go. // The mystery of Dan & Mo’s past is intriguing, especially with: “You were wrong about me ... about you, too”; but waiting until the final scenes to reveal the meaning behind this is much too late, for then it’s easy to skip over any emotional resonance their split had on most of the plot of the film. // “I thought you were cool ... insane” is a seamless way to show Dan & Mo’s disconnect, their differing world views perhaps contributing to their breakup. Such moments are never over-wrought or heavy-handed.
Weaknesses
Dan & Mo’s philosophical conversation on 43 is fascinating, but b/c this idea is never returned to in script, it feels unnecessary. Waxing poetic about a big idea in the middle of a crisis distractingly suggests it has more significance than it does: maybe the Workers aren’t real? Similarly, “Her Chinese ancestors ...” is interesting but doesn’t play into her choices, so weave it into her story so that is has meaning. // Logic holes abound; namely, the unknown origin of the Wokkers: why now, why Australia, and why does the news take so long to report on them? Also, 82’s Wokker nightmare is cool but it’s unclear how the shared element of the nightmare will be visualized onscreen. Also, it’s unclear who can hear the Wokkers’ brain noises. Also, “You can “see” what the Wokkers see?” is not evident until Dan says this; clarify the mechanics of what it is she sees, and through how many Wokkers. And all of the exposition in the break room scene on 94 is confounding, for it’s unclear how they can possibly know all of it. // Other unclear moments include: “Mo can see their faces ... dangerous” — why do they look sick?; 49: Who is Sasha to them?; “I don’t think we can do it tonight” (35) — to what is Mo referring?; 53: Whatever they’re doing with the fence is unclear; as is the inverted fruit bowl usage; Clarify how Mo’s seeming death is a trick
Prospects
Numerous emotional/character threads are set up without proper development or payoff, making the final act disappointing. There’s enough character development set up to create full arcs for each of the characters, but they never materialize. Without emotional stakes for the family members, their choices fall flat-- the film won’t grab audiences. Not only does the ending fail to explain the Wokker mythology, it never clarifies what Dan wanted from reuniting with his daughter, what he's left behind, what he was missing as a father prior. There's a "so what?" quality to this story. Dan’s inexperience parenting Casey is more of an interesting detail than a story brick; when he yells at her for “blubbering,” expand upon its consequences or causes. When she says he’s “Scared and selfish,” for example, include a moment in the end where she looks at him like he’s a selfless hero. Also, Mo’s obsession with eco-protection: how does it inform her choices when fighting Wokkers? Does this mean anything when it comes to her choice of Jill over Dan? Does environmental degradation speak to the Wokkers' origin? // The unique concept & imagery of these monsters will frighten & surprise moviegoers, and their exciting action scenes are ripe for the family-targeted summer blockbuster market. Translating Australianisms to American lingo is smart.
once again, i (obviously) didn’t agree with everything that was written – but i did appreciate the feedback ... and i would’ve thanked them for their time, if there was some way of contacting them
AFTERMATH
AT THIS POINT, my initial intention was to discuss the feedback so far – but as i’m waiting on a second evaluation from The Black List, i’ll leave that discussion for another post
despite the “less than glowing” evaluation, i’ve set my preferences on The Black List so that anyone, producers and writers, can read it ... i mean, what’s the point in hiding it? and besides, you never know what may perk someone’s interest in my little story
once i have the second evaluation, which i’ll share here when i get it, i’ll make some final tweaks to the script and re-upload it to the site for another month or two ...
in the meantime, i’m re-writing two screenplays in prep for the “friends read” and developing a couple of other ideas i have ... so, no rest for the wicked
okay ... that all said, there is one thing i would like to address and it’s the term “BLOCKBUSTER” in The Black List evaluation – i think it’s over-egging it a bit – sure, the ending is BIG-ish, but i’ve seen similar pyrotechnics as set pieces mid-season on various streaming series ... so we’re not talking Avengers: End Game here – but then, my understanding of the term may be off
till next time