Thomas Lennon and Ben Garant Interview WRITING MOVIES FOR FUN AND PROFIT
. Sure, these movies aren’t the ones you prominently feature amongst your ever-growing movie collection, but they earned…let’s see…$1.467 billion at the box office. Say what you will about the films themselves, but they’re profitable as all hell.Over the years, Garant and Lennon have wrangled together no small amount of experience, stories, and wisdom working in Hollywood, and next week they’re releasing a book containing said stories, wisdom, and experience: Writing Movies For . The book itself is outstanding (stay tuned after the interview below for my mini-review), and when the chance to speak to Lennon and Garant about their first book arose, I jumped on it: I’ve been a fan of these guys for some time, and their book contained a slew of great ideas and valuable information. I had a bajillion questions (but, unfortunately, just 20-some-odd minutes to speak with them).
And so, I sat down with Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon earlier today to discuss the book, the advice found within its pages, and what we can look forward to from the pair going forward. Before we get into the interview proper, here’s a few highlights:
- Lennon on why the book’s so brutally honest: “(No one else) is qualified to write a book like this.”
- Lennon and Garant agree that fans of The State is as popular as it was because “every man, woman, and child” in the world could relate to its premise.
- Lennon: “The risk of anything ever turning into a sloppy blow job is a risk we’re willing to take”.
Here’s the full interview:
I got your book a couple weeks ago and read it in two sittings. I thought it was awesome, I loved it. I was actually in the middle of working on two scripts myself when it showed up, and it answered a shit-ton of questions I had. So, first of all, thank you for that.
THOMAS LENNON: Oh, thank you man. That’s great!
It’s easily the most brutally honest books about screenwriting or working in Hollywood that I’ve ever read. Why do you think more people aren’t this frank and honest about the industry?
LENNON: Honestly, I don’t think anyone is qualified to write a book like this. If you look at all the other screenwriting books on the market, they’re written by people who teach screenwriting, not by screenwriters.
Script Writing Sample - News
To get this number in a sample this small is really unusual, and the findings are so far out of the norm. I only can say that because I have looked at thousands of brains for a long time. This isn't something that you just see.
GARANT: Or that if somebody in film school had explained that your first spec is not probably going to ever get made, but it's really your writing sample, it would've been really helpful. Our first script that we wrote was You Are Going To Prison,
Not necessarily a writing topic, but getting it published took some time. It took two months for me to write The Jerk and one month to find a publisher. During that month, I made about fifteen to twenty queries and sample chapter submissions.
If I add a new command in the .as script file by writing a "void newcommand(int arg1, bool arg2)" function, then my C++ code won't know the types of arg1 and arg2. So, I donT' know what and how often to call the SetArg..() functions.
Writing has always been that thing where I was going to do it anyway, and if someone wants to pay me to do it, awesome. Most of the stuff I've drawn for Marvel or DC has been because I'm sending around samples or hitting up editors.
Sample Query Letter 1 Script Writing
Date Name
Company Name Address
I have just adapted a best-selling children's book, entitled A ROYAL PAIN, which I would like to submit for your consideration.
A ROYAL PAIN is a "Clueless In A Castle" - type comedy about an American teenager who learns she was switched at birth - and that she's really the princess of Arcania, a tiny European country. Once the mix-up is discovered she's off to begin life as a princess -every girl's dream, until she finds out that the country is broke, its teenagers in revolt, and she's about to be married off on her sixteenth birthday to a major creep, in order to replenish the state's coffers. Add to that a royal advisor determined to control her every move, and one pissed-off ex-princess - and all of a sudden princesshood doesn't look like everything it's cracked up to be.
I won the K.A.S.A. Screenwriting Award for my original screenplay SAVING FAITH, now in development with Kingman Films; and have adapted another children's novel, BOW DOWN SHADRACH, in development with Irish Dreamtime.
Looking forward to discussing this project with you.
All the best,
Sandy Eiges
DID YOU KNOW?
1. Registering your script with the WGA is necessary, but not sufficient, and not a legal protection. You can further protect your work by copyrighting it. You will need Form PA from the Copyright Office, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20559. You can also order it by phone, at (202) 707-3000.
2. Many agents, managers and production companies will insist that you sign a release form before they will read your script. Here's what a release form looks like - if what you're signing looks substantially different, in terms of producer rights over your material, you should consult an entertainment attorney.
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