"First rate analysis at a cut-rate price." — Creative Screenwriting

Have you ever wondered why Hollywood passes on good scripts?  Or why so many bad films get made?  Who are the gate-keepers at the studios?  What do they look for in a screenplay?  And what happens in "Development Hell"?

Michael Ray Brown, our key script analyst, is interviewed in the December 2003 issue of the movie industry magazine SolPix.  A former development executive, Michael shares his experiences as a Hollywood insider.  Having served in the story departments of seven major studios, he offers insight and advice to writers trying to break in.  The following is an excerpt, reprinted with the permission of the editor, Michael Neff:

Neff:  Please tell us the major elements a screenplay needs to survive coverage.

Brown:  The short answer is that it has to be an intriguing story well-told.  Ask any studio executive what they're looking for, and invariably they'll tell you "a good story."  The reader needs to believe that he could go to the mat.  The story has to be so well constructed that they can defend their decision to recommend it, even if the executive decides to pass.  We've all read log lines that sound terrific, only to find that the script isn't very well developed.  To me, it often boils down to whether there is sufficient jeopardy.  Someone once defined a story as how a character copes with danger.  It doesn't have to be physical jeopardy.  A character can be in emotional jeopardy.  Love stories are built around emotional jeopardy, for example.  Unless there is something at stake, the audience isn't going to care about what happens next.

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Copyright © 2008 by Michael Ray Brown.  All rights reserved.
Last modified: August 12, 2011