Screenwriting Basics

5 Comments to “Breakfast with Sharks: A Screenwriter’s Guide to Getting the Meeting, Nailing the Pitch, Signing the Deal, and Navigating the Murky Waters of Hollywood”

1. 

   By HumorReader, October 30, 2009 @ 12:25 am

   First a disclosure – I am not a screenwriter. I am an avid reader. So the fact this book didn’t thrill me may mean nothing. If you’re in pursuit of this dream you may have the background to assess the advice proffered.

   From purely a readers point of view I think the book could flow better. I have a keen interest in most things Hollywood, and those chapters dealing with Hollywood as town were intriguing. Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need
   Rating: 3 / 5
2. 

   By D. Taylor, October 30, 2009 @ 3:16 am

   I found this book empowering. It provided tons of insight into the industry and practical ways of breaking in.
   Rating: 5 / 5
3. 

   By California Page Turner, October 30, 2009 @ 5:40 am

   This book is a great insider’s guide to the inner-workings of the Hollywood machine. I found it not only enlightening and helpful, but entertaining as well. The author often illustrates a point or principle with personal anecdotes that brings the issue to life. In fact, I wish he’d done this with virtually every subject he discussed. He also dwells heavily in the world of pitch meetings: how to get the meeting, how to prepare, what to do, even what to wear (not a suit) and how to sit (not on the couch if possible).

   Lent goes into great detail on the function of all the major cogs in the movie-making wheel: producers, directors, actors, agents, managers, creative executives, and more. For those of us with a script to sell but little in the way of industry know-how this is an invaluable course.

   On the downside, I’m sure most people reading this book are relatively new to the business and the first questions on their mind are: “Do I need an agent, and how do I get one?” Lent, in my opinion, wrote the book in the wrong order. I would have addressed this point up front, but instead you have to wait 123 pages for your answers. And it’s not just burning curiosity that would serve this order, Lent often speaks about ‘your agent’ in the first 100 pages as if he’s assuming you’ve got one and I don’t think that’s a fair assumption. My second fault with the book is his exceedinly sparse coverage of the screenwriting contest world. This is a vital topic for new screenwriters, one he devotes an astonishingly petite 4 pages to. The topic is well represented online, but we turn to Lent, again, for an insider’s view on this milieu and are very disappointed with the lack of coverage.

   Overall, a quick and easy read that provides loads of useful and applicable information.

   Rating: 4 / 5
4. 

   By Davalon, October 30, 2009 @ 5:53 am

   I bought this book at the Screenwriters Expo 2007, but I didn’t read it until this year. What’s unfortunate is that I didn’t read it when it first came out (2004), and, what’s more unfortunate is that it wasn’t available when I first got involved in scriptwriting in 1997.

   “Breakfast with Sharks” is a very honest assessment of what it takes to sell a script in Hollywood. The author, although not associated with “big” movies” (in fact, his IMDB profile only lists one film, “Cashmere,” as writer), nonetheless has obviously gone through the ringer and had the meetings, done the pitches and written the assignments — and lived to tell about it in a clear (and occasionally hysterically funny) fashion. BWS is NOT about how to write a screenplay, so do not buy it for that purpose. But for what it offers, it is an excellent read.

   What I liked most about BWS is that Lent suggests a five-year plan to “make it” in Hollywood. He realizes (and points out) how this type of “dream career” can wreak havoc with “real” life (relationships, marriages, family, “real” jobs) and takes on the role of a helpful older brother who points out what awaits us if we decide to wade into the undertow of Hollywood’s enticing waves.

   Lent also is one of the few writers who addresses the harsh realities of “older” writers who try to sell their scripts. He doesn’t hold back on anything and tells it like it is. At least he respects older writers and I appreciate his concern and sympathy for them.

   In addition, he obliterates all the fairy dust and sparkle by pointing out what the handful of working screenwriters earn (85k/yr), making it clear that the idea of writing a script and becoming an overnight millionaire probably only happens in the movies (there… an idea for your next script!).

   He has occasionally scathing observations, and I did sense that he was somewhat jaded and bitter — although I do not blame him, because Hollywood is the cruelest town on earth. He’s had his ideas stolen from him, he’s had major projects placed in his lap — then had them canceled at the last second — he’s taken assignments so he could survive, and not because he necessarily wanted to — and he’s dealt with the egos, the fakes, the phoneys — you name it, he’s been there, except, it seems on a major motion picture; again, I do not hold that against him. One doesn’t have to be associated with a major motion picture to understand what it takes to write and sell a screenplay, and he clearly does. And he makes an excellent effort to guide the clueless and the misinformed through the muck so that they can sell their screenplay (or at least understand why they may not sell it, no matter how good it is).

   He encourages people to make several short films and to have several scripts before coming to Hollywood or before hitting the pavement, and I couldn’t agree with this advice more. So many people have stars in their eyes that they think the brilliance of their “high-concepts” will have them in their penthouse above Sunset before the sun sets. Highly unlikely, and Lent makes that clear, too.

   The only thing I would criticize is that he mentioned a friend of his who worked the midnight shift at a copy shop so that he could have his “days free” to take meetings and write, etc. He mentioned this about three times, I’m not sure why. But the bottom line is: If you are working 12am-8am, you are going to have to sleep and it is not healthy or productive to imagine that you can have your “days free” to pursue your dreams. The only thing that has worked for me, personally, is to stop working (except for once a week gigs) and dedicate huge chunks of time to finishing my script(s). Now I can say my script is almost done because I had the time to focus on it and hardly anything else. That is a luxury, I know, and Lent makes suggestions for jobs you can do while you’re trying to reach your star. To that I would say: If you say you are a writer, that’s what you are. If you say you are a “personal assistant,” that’s what you are — you become who you say you are, and others view you that way. Just a tip to keep in mind that I have learned the hard way.

   Overall, thumbs up on this book.
   Rating: 4 / 5
5. 

   By Madyellowduck, October 30, 2009 @ 5:55 am

   This is by far the best, most well-written and most practical book to be written, by a screenwriter, for screenwriters, on the business of being a screenwriter. Many screenwriters make the mistake of thinking that they can leave the ‘dirty business’ of dollars and cents, and wheeling dealing to their agent. Their job after all is just to write surely? But a writer who understands how the industry works and the business of entertainment functions, is better equipped to deal with its vagaries, and most importantly, be in control of their career. And this is a book that lets you do that.

   I recommend this book however be bought only by writers who are ready to move in the direction of seeking representation with an agent/manager rather than someone who is at the beginning stages of screenwriting. This is the book to read, after you’ve read McKee’s story and countless other ‘how to’ books. This is the book to read when you don’t need to read more advice on how to write your screenplay, but you need advice on how to conduct yourself as a professional screenwriter/writer. This is the book to read when you’re trying to figure out the difference between an agent and a manager, and how the cogs and wheels of Hollywood grind, as far as the writer is concerned. The book is well-structured, and contains a very important chapter on the integral subject matter of moving to Hollywood. There are a wealth of practical tips on a range of subjects, from screenwriting competitions to writing a query letter to conducting yourself in a meeting and how to handle your first meeting, treatment, pitch and assignment. You could trawl all the screenwriting forums out there, or you could read this book (and trawl the forums).
   Rating: 5 / 5

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