Posted by: Scott Westby
Those who read about screenwriting often bump up against the same group of tips/rules time and time again. This time around, as we wrap up phase 2 of our NSI Features First program, I’ve punched out a new draft of Synapse and I’d like to share some things I’ve learned that AREN’T those same old boring (but of course important!) rules.
Nerds unite! The time is drawing near for the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo. Every year, we’re honoured to speak on a panel or two about filmmaking and new media. This year, however, Matt and Scott will be on four panels throughout the weekend. We invite everyone who wants to pick our brains to join us! Here’s the schedule, still marked as “tentative”:
Our final day of Phase 1 for the NSI Features First program consisted of a full-morning mock pitch session. We were lucky to meet four Producers from some of Canada’s top production companies, who came in for some one-on-one 20-minute pitches.
We welcomed Elise Cousineau from Sienna Films; Sonya Di Rienzo from Whizbang Films; Mark Montefiore from Montefiore Films and Kevin Krikst from Rhombus Media.
So what’s the best way to pitch your film?
Wow. Day 4 was enlightening in vastly different ways than our previous days at NSI Features First. Today we met with Broadcasters, Distributors, Telefilm and Marketing Strategists. It was definitely a day for the Producers, though Screenwriters should absolutely be paying attention to these lessons.
We met with three literary agents during our first phase of the NSI Features First program, and enjoyed some enlightening discussions about the nature of the screenwriter/agent relationship, the producer/agent relationship, what working with an agent is like and what agents look for these days.
Here are our Top Ten Tips from those conversations:
Our second day at NSI Features First was far busier and more knowledge-filled than Day 1… Somehow.
This morning was Full Swing’s turn in the hot seat as we read through Synapse. We also sat down with a Chain of Title lawyer and some great Talent Agents, all with fantastic knowledge to share.
Let’s focus on the Synapse read.
Once we completed a marathon script note session on our first day at The NSI Features First Program (which you can read all about in Scott’s post), we hopped in a convoy of taxis and made our way to Deluxe Toronto, just a few blocks away from our hotel.
Very happy to report Features First is already exceeding expectations.
Enough fluff, let’s get right into it.
The day started much like this post. A brief moment of introduction and pleasantries and we rolled up the sleeves and dove in. Day 1 consisted of a table read of 2 of the 4 projects, with all Producers and Writers sitting around a table, joined by
Posted by: Scott Westby
Matt and Scott have embarked on their 10-month journey through the National Screen Institute’s Features First program on the road to producing Synapse. Their first phase was an intensive week-long session in Toronto, where they were deep into story editing and discussions with agents, distributors, executive producers and more!
They blogged all week, as well as shared key learnings on Social Media. If you’d like to follow along and learn as they do, bookmark this post and they’ll update it throughout the program.
Ahhh Alberta Filmmaking Grants… what polarizing, frustrating, wonderful beasts. Whether you love ‘em or hate ‘em (or both), you can’t deny that a grant can make the difference between a screenplay and a finished film.
Full Swing has had modest success with our grant applications over the years, and as we find ourselves in the middle of the early-year grant application season, we wanted to share a few grant-writing tips we’ve learned along the way.