How to Turn Your Friend’s Stupid Movie Ideas Into Gold
Posted by Jennifer Girling on Monday, March 08, 2010 in Articles • Featured Articles • Writers • Dwayne Alexander Smith • Script Development • Business Tips • (6) Comments • Permalink •
Screenwriters get their ideas for movies from many sources. I’ll spare you the obvious by not listing these sources. That’s not what this piece is about. What I will do is reveal to you one of my favorite sources of inspiration. By far, I have sold more material spawned by this source than by any other.
I don’t know what to call the process so I’ll just make something up. Hmmm-- Wait, I know , let’s call it… PLOT SPITTING. Yeah, that sounds sexy. You’ve all done a little plot spitting I’m sure. You sit around with your buddies spitting out crazy ideas for movies. Usually what ends up happening is one idea gets more chuckles than the others, everyone elaborates on that idea, and before you know it you and your buds have concocted the next billion dollar blockbuster franchise. Now all you guys need is for Hollywood to wake up and recognize your collective genius.
By now I guess you’re asking yourself… “this is really how you get sellable movie ideas?”
Yes. Sometimes. You see it’s not all fun and games when I gather the fellas to spit. Well, “the fellas” might be in it just for the yucks but I’m actively mining for marketable material… and once in a while I do strike gold. Here’s how it usually goes down.
First of all, most of my friends are very smart and creative people. Almost all of them work in the film industry, above and below the line. The quality of your spit partners is key to spawning good stuff. If you’re plot spitting with a bunch of pot heads and internet junkies who actually believe that Transformers is a kick-ass movie… then I’d say your chances of walking away with something sellable are slim to none.
Second, you must have a good ear to know when you hit that mother lode. As the ideas begin to fly back and forth and you and your buds laugh your asses off you’re sure to hear a few ideas that sound great, especially if you’re drinking, but most of those ideas are just fools gold. Having an ear for the real McCoy is something that you must hone over time along with your screenwriting Kung-Fu.
Next comes the tricky part. Once you hear that potentially profitable idea you have to be able to stake a claim on the story, beating out all of your pals who just contributed to its creation. You could just keep your trap shut, write the screenplay, and laugh all the way to the bank, but if you do I suspect that your friends will suddenly turn very unfriendly and maybe even sue your sneaky ass. This is especially a problem if you’re spitting with savvy industry folk like I do. And when I say savvy I mean greedy. Two of the members of my spit circle are screenwriters like me so you can imagine the battles that erupt when a good idea springs forth. All of a sudden we’re negotiating who’ll write the script, who’ll get story credit, etc. Yes, it’s nuts… and believe it or not it happens all the time. Even my friends who work below the line in jobs like set decorators and location managers often try to weasel a piece of the story credit. Rat bastards. Do I come to their jobs and try to nibble on their cheese? Anyway, the unspoken rule is that the first screenwriter to cry out “I’m writing that” gets first dibs to write the screenplay and generously offers co-story credit if someone raises a stink.
Lastly, plot spitting is a fantastic way to get your friends to help you flesh out an idea without giving your pals a damn thing. Just make sure that at the start of the spit session you clearly state that the idea that your tossing into the ring is a project that you are currently working on. If your friends are anything like mine you’ll probably have to bribe them with the promise to buy them a steak or hookers if you actually sell the script. I’m serious about the hooker part. But hey, small price to pay for nailing that million dollar spec, right?
As I write this the Academy Awards are just one week away. All of my very smart and creative friends are gathering at my place to watch the festivities. Lots of plot spitting will ensue, I’m sure, and I can’t wait. See, there’s one more unwritten rule of plot spitting. If a spit session occurs in your place of residence or where you do the majority of your writing…. all resulting ideas are automatically your property. Yeah, baby!
Dwayne Alexander Smith is working professional screenwriter represented by Circle of Confusion. He's sold four spec screenplays and has been hired by studios for numerous rewrites. In 2009, Dwayne created a hidden camera show called True Colors for Sony Television’s website Crackle. Currently, he's adapting Jim Croce’s classic song Bad Bad Leroy Brown into an action comedy for Parallel / Zide.
