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Want To Write For Working Title? Tim Bevan Tells You How

3/13/2016

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Tim Bevan is a rock star of the British film industry, responsible for some of the greatest films of the past 30 years. Charles Harris and the Euroscript Team hosted him in the BFI’s Blue Room on Wednesday last, and I was privileged to be in amongst the jam-packed audience. Tim was forthright and generous with his answers, launching into asides and entertaining anecdotes. We were hanging on his every word…
 
Everybody begins in obscurity
 
Tim started as a runner for John Cleese’s corporate video production company, which made training videos. From there he went into music video production, which really took off in the early 1980s with the rise of MTV.
 
The Early Days of Working Title
 
In 1983 Tim founded Working Title (WT) with Sarah Radclyffe. In this early phase the company was what Tim calls “properly independent”. It benefited from the confluence of several external factors:

  • energy injected into the entertainment industry by music videos
  • founding of Channel 4, which had money to invest in content
  • Thatcher smashing the unions, filmmaking having been heavily unionised
 
In this brave new Britain, Tim approached established directors to make music videos. The results weren’t all that great, but he built a network of relationships. One director he got to know this way was Stephen Frears.
 
Then Channel 4 approached all the resident writers at theatres in the UK and asked them to write a script. Hanif Kureishi, writer in residence at the Royal Court Theatre, submitted “My Beautiful Launderette”, a tale of an inter-racial homosexual relationship set in a launderette.
 
Nobody had ever seen anything like it before. Kureishi’s script, Frears’ directing and a star turn from Daniel Day-Lewis delivered WT’s first major hit. Originally intended as a TV movie, it enjoyed a six-month run in UK cinemas and was Oscar-nominated for best original screenplay.
 
Lessons Learned from Stephen Frears
 
Stephen Frears insists on the writer being on set and being available to him. He sees himself as the interpreter of a script. After working with Stephen, WT began to accord more importance to the script and to make it central to everything they do. Tim learned that the films that work best are where there’s a strong collaboration between the writer, the director and the producer.
 
Meeting Richard Curtis
 
After the success of “My Beautiful Launderette”, one of the next seminal moments in the development of WT came when they decided to make a feature film written by TV comedy writer Richard Curtis. Financed through London Weekend with the help of Harvey Weinstein, for whom this was the first foray into the British market, “The Tall Guy” starred Jeff Goldblum and Emma Thompson, and despite a memorable apartment-smashing sex scene, didn’t do great business at the box office.
 
One day, long after everyone had given up on the film making any money, a royalty cheque arrived. Tim could have used some creative accounting and found a way to keep all of that money in-house, but he decided to be honest and sent Richard his share. Richard was so pleased to receive the money, he called up and offered Tim his next script: “Four Weddings And A Funeral”. Since then they’ve gone on to make several successful films together.
 
The Polygram Deal
 
By the early 1990s, Tim and Sarah’s vision for the company had diverged. Tim was more commercial, while Sarah was more indie arthouse. Then in 1992 WT came to an agreement with Polygram, intended to free them from financing and distribution, so that they could focus on with the business of making films. Sarah left and Tim struck up a new partnership with Eric Fellner.
 
The company had always been comfortable coming and going between London and L.A., but now they decided to be properly ambidextrous and set up development teams in both markets. There’s no getting away from it. Hollywood is the centre of the film industry. If you’re financing a film, at some point that money is going to go through Hollywood. Same thing if you’re distributing a film; at some point Hollywood is going to be involved. The difference between the two markets from WT’s perspective is that in London they have to be more proactive in finding material, while in L.A. they are in reactive mode because there is just so much of it.
 
Working Title’s Development Process
 
A project will either be assigned to Tim or to Eric. They will of course be aware of what the other is working on, but this allows them to cover more ground and avoid ‘divide and rule’ stratagems by other parties. Each project will also have one of the heads of development on it, Liza Chasin in L.A. or Amelia Granger in London, plus a junior development person.
 
They source their material from three areas:

  • Books and articles (e.g. “Bridget Jones’ Diary”, “Captain Corelli’s Mandolin”)
  • Ideas that arise from talk and banter amongst themselves (e.g. “Elizabeth”, “French Kiss”, “The Interpreter”)
  • Pre-existing creative relationships
 
If something needs to be written, they will put together a list of writers. Given their firm belief that it is important to champion new writing, this list will include one or two new writers as well as more established writers. The brief will be sent out to five writers and WT will meet with the ones who respond. Writers who are bold and have a take on the material are the ones that get hired.
 
Part of the selected writer’s job will be to write a two-page beat-sheet, which may go through several iterations. Only when this is right will the writer move on to do the script. The beat-sheet will tell them what the story feels like, where the act breaks will come, and so on – it’s essentially about story structure and emotions. They may even card the movie on the wall so that they can see its shape.
 
Once this work is complete, the writer will do the first draft of the script. This is where the character work is done. The writer creates characters the audience can empathise with and who can carry the story.
 
Tips for Writers Who Want To Work With Working Title

  • If you want to get onto WT’s roster of writers, make sure the junior members of the company know you. Theatre is very important – junior staff members will go out to see plays two or three times a week. TV is also important. Nevertheless, the company will take on a new writer via other routes if they have a truly outstanding idea.
  • Another way in is through their Writers’ Room initiatives. They did one for the last Bridget Jones movie and they intend to run another one for the next Johnny English movie. The idea is that writers spark off one another and come up with fresh and funny situations to feature in the final script.
  • As with any production house, it is essential to be aware of what WT likes. Tim has a preference for clear genres. “So many things today are feathered fish,” he says, by which he means cross-genre.
  • Also bear in mind WT is commercial. It’s not all about the deal, but they are in this business to make a return so that they can carry on and make the next film. A WT film has to have a compelling hook and a star part. Tim gave the example of “Legend”. When Tom Hardy told him and writer/director Brian Helgeland that he wanted to play both of the Kray twins, Tim immediately knew he had his hook – that’s the reason people will pay £10 to see this movie.
  • These days releasing a trailer is almost as big as releasing the film itself, so think about those trailer moments and be clear what they are when you’re talking about your script.
  • One of the most valuable things a writer can do is to spend room in the editing suite. A movie is made three times: once when it’s being written; again when it’s being shot and the final time when it’s being cut. In the editing suite, the script doesn’t matter any more – image is paramount. You have actors who can cover five pages of dialogue with just one look.
  • When you’ve got momentum on a project, don’t stop. Maybe it’s only 70% ready, but keep going, because you can catch up on the other 30% as you go. If you stop, you may never be given the chance to make the project again.
  • Final tip: CONFIDENCE. Nobody knows anything. Nobody can really tell what will work and what won’t, but they may just give you the money if you’re confident. 

Sharpen your writing skills by attending London Screenwriters' Festival, September 2-4, 2016.
Apply discount code KTPARKER-16X to receive a £23 reduction on your ticket!
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Words Of Wisdom From Wonder Women Of Film & TV

3/2/2016

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BFF Symposium, YouTube Space LA.

On Thursday, February 25th last, I was privileged to attend a screening of “Jack Of The Red Hearts” in the company of filmmaker Janet Grillo, screenwriter Jennifer Deaton, producer Lucy Mukerjee-Brown, leading lady Famke Janssen and special guests Geena Davis (founder of the Geena Davis Institute and the Bentonville Film Festival), Oscar-nominated screenwriter Phyllis Nagy, filmmaker Catherine Hardwicke, A+E Networks SVP Danielle Carrig and “The Wrap” Founder/CEO Sharon Waxman. These wonderful women all participated in the post-screening panel.
 
“Jack Of The Red Hearts” is a film about what it is like to live with an autistic child. There were several things I LOVED about this movie – above all, the authenticity. It was clear the screenwriter and director had either had first-hand experience of autism, or else had done their research. The writing was great. There was not one dull or cliché character. Even the supporting male characters were complex and memorable. How I wish supporting female characters were written with the same generosity in male-centric stories.  The colour palette Janet Grillo chose for the film was so bright and sunny, it brought a cheerfulness to a topic usually treated in a sombre way, and that served to place the emphasis on all the love inherent in the story.
 
Speaking about the strength of the mother-daughter bond depicted in her film, Janet Grillo said: “On an airplane we are told in the security drill to put masks on our own face first and then on our children, but no mother would ever do that. For me, the mother was my way into the story of “Jack Of The Red Hearts”. It was originally a secondary role, but we beefed it up.”
 
The film won last year’s inaugural Bentonville Film Festival (BFF), founded by the Geena Davis Institute, to promote greater diversity in filmmaking. One of the exciting aspects of this new festival is that it guarantees distribution for the winning film. Janet Grillo joked that getting distribution is even harder than making a film, so BFF’s focus on that aspect of the process is particularly welcome in the filmmaking community.
 
Geena Davis set up her institute years before the #OscarsSoWhite debacle; a decade ago, in fact. During the panel discussion she recounted how motherhood made her more sensitive to the both the lack and the type of female representation on screen. Wanting something better for her children, she decided to do something about it. The Geena Davis Institute lobbies the studios to reflect the population in their films and proactively supports diverse talent in the indie sector through such initiatives as the BFF.
 
Every woman on the panel had something fascinating to share, which gave me new insights into the film industry and left me inspired. Here are some of my personal highlights:
 
Geena Davis: Why haven’t there been more movies like “Thelma & Louise”? Because Hollywood does not believe men will watch women. Every time a landmark female-centric film comes along, the press showcases it as the harbinger of change. But then things stay the same. Despite all the evidence that women buy 51% of tickets and make up 51% of the audience, Hollywood still caters almost exclusively to a male audience.
 
Janet Grillo: The Hollywood business model is predicated on an audience of teenage boys, but teenage boys are fleeing the cinema for gaming. Hollywood does not have much product for women!
 
Catherine Hardwicke: I am interviewed on the topic of diversity in filmmaking every other day by journalists from all over the world. Nobody wanted to make my first film, “Thirteen”, so I just had to will it into existence.
 
Jennifer Deaton: I was told by a male producer that my writing wasn’t any good. I believed him and shelved my work. It took time to develop self-belief. As a writer you have to learn to discern good notes from bad.
 
Phyllis Nagy: While it is difficult to make your first film, it is often even harder to get the second one made. It’s taken ten years and an Oscar nomination for me to get to make my second film. “Whirlpool” is the story of the last 18 months of Welsh actor Rachel Robert’s life, leading up to her suicide in 1980. Academy Award winner Rachel Weisz will play the lead, but all I am ever asked about is who will play the male roles. There is a perception amongst investors that female actors don’t drive sales.
 
Famke Janssen: Awards come at the end. We need to fix things earlier on in the process. The ultimate goal is to be able to say we are a writer / director / producer without having to say “female” in front of it. Part of the problem is the lack of role models. We should be role models ourselves and support and inspire one another.
 
A big thank you to all the inspirational women who took part in the panel, and who continue to lead by example, and especially to screenwriting buddy Dee Chilton, who forwarded me her invite. In the UK, London Screenwriters' Festival does a phenominal job of promoting diversity in filmmaking, particularly at the script stage. It's a global event, attracting screenwriters, directors, producers and actors from all over the world. This year's festival runs from September 2nd through to September 4th. You can obtain a £23 reduction on the ticket price by quoting discount code: KTPARKER-16X

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    One of my uncles calls me, “Kim the Intrepid”. Adventures include an African revolution, questioning by the KGB/FSB and being guest of honour at a Turkmen wedding.  What else would I want to do but write? 

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