Ahhh, it’s my favorite time of year!
I love autumn leaves, cool weather, and the coming holidays — especially Thanksgiving.
I also love this part of the movie season, the “quality films” that will be up for Oscar nominations, always followed by “holiday films” that is the family friendly fare we love.
We’ve had a good summer, solid box office, with one runaway hit and a slew of lesser ones. Oddly, my favorite “popcorn” movie was Ironman. And some of my other favorites include House Bunny, Kung Fu Panda, and Tropic Thunder. Silly, yes; fun, absolutely. That’s what summer fare is about.
But that’s why the counter weight of more serious subjects is so welcome every Fall.
This is also one of my favorite seasons as a writer — spec season! And though it’s possible to sell a script all year round, it seems to be two times per year in which I’ve had good luck selling specs. It’s either in that period from the end of February up through June (during which time studios have their budgets in place and are buying a lot of specs) and that second shorter period between Labor Day and Thanksgiving with a little dab of a window between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Ah! The intersection of Art and Commerce!
I hope you’re ready! If you’ve been preparing this summer with a new spec or pitch, now’s the time.
And we are very busy here at Save the Cat! Industries. I am wrapping up Book 3, about to record audios, giving speeches to wonderful groups of writers — as I did last Saturday for the hugely successful Final Draft Take a Meeting event here in Los Angeles — and hopefully I will also be traveling to see the films I have been consulting on go into production on location. Lots going on, all amazing stuff!
It’s been a great year, and it’s only getting better!
I want to make 2008 your most successful year yet! And we have just a few months to make those New Years goals come true. I am happy to do anything I can to help you succeed. Please check out our Forum for other writers who have access to resources you need, please come to one of our final classes for the year, and join our many Save the Cat! Writers Groups around the country — and the world!
And check out the success stories on our News page and imagine yourself telling us about your sale, option, newly acquired agent or manager, or screenwriting contest win! With enough Discipline, Focus, and Positive Energy, I know you will!
Please also contact me with any pitch, question, or concern. If I can provide an answer in an email, I will!
You can do it! I’m here to help!
Here we go! Let’s make each day count in this your most abundant year to date!
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This is a perfect time for all you cats to pick up Stephanie Palmer’s GOOD IN A ROOM if you don’t have it already. Blake’s provided you the tools to write a killer story and Stephanie equips you to sell it.
Thanks for keeping us pumped, Blake.
And I second Mike’s endoresment for Stephanie’s book.
The perfect companion to SAVE THE CAT is Stephanie Palmer’s GOOD IN A ROOM!
I wasn’t born good lookin’, rich, connected, freakishly lucky or socially adept. Thank heavens for GOOD IN A ROOM. Stephanie details the inner workings of a script meeting and offers tons of brilliant advice about successfully navigating the social expectations.
GOOD IN A ROOM provided the social empowerment and confidence-building information I needed. Thanks to my new skills, my luck is improving, I’m building powerful connections, I’m certain my next script meeting will be a bright success and I’ll be paid a phat fortune for a spec, (or be hired to pen an adaptation of a not-yet-existent graphic novel, or a remake of a forgotten ’70’s TV show), and with the money I’ll finally be able to make my cosmetic surgery dreams a reality and become, good lookin’. But I digress.
SAVE THE CAT and GOOD IN A ROOM are truly indispensable tools.
I also would like to endorse GOOD IN A ROOM. Not only is this book informative and accessible, it’s a fun and fast read. I consider this book required reading for anyone serious about pitching and taking meetings. You’ll explore every aspect of a meeting, different types of meetings, preparation, goals, asks, desperation, teasers, trailers, when to get out, the importance of Q&A, and most notably, building rapport. I also cannot stress enough that everyone subscribe to Stephanie’s free bi-weekly tips on being good in the room. I find them invaluable. Stephanie is your one-stop place to develop, refine, and take the fear out of pitching.
I also would like to endorse GOOD IN A ROOM. Not only is this book informative and accessible, it’s a fun and fast read. I consider this book required reading for anyone serious about pitching and taking meetings. You’ll explore every aspect of a meeting, different types of meetings, preparation, goals, asks, desperation, teasers, trailers, when to get out, the importance of Q&A, and most notably, building rapport. I also cannot stress enough that everyone subscribe to Stephanie’s free bi-weekly tips on being good in the room. I find them invaluable. Stephanie is your one-stop place to develop, refine, and take the fear out of pitching.
Thanks, Blake, for all the help and support you give us.
Great to hear you are feverishly working on STC! Part III … look forward to getting AT LEAST by Christmas!
I hope you can also co-ordinate getting some of your lectures online, or on DVD, that’d be wicked, Blake!!
Blake, are you going to be at the Screenwriter’s Expo???? I’ve been waiting to see you mention it in a blog and now I’m getting worried! I pray you’re going to be there as I had to miss last year.