Most screenwriters have heard tales of Ron
Bass. Bass, who wrote Rain Man and other well-known movies, was
a huge screenwriting machine back in the nineties. At one point he had an insanely lucrative
deal with Sony and was purported to make as much as a million dollars per
screenplay for up to seven scripts a year.
But what may be most memorable about Bass for
screenwriters is the way he worked.
He was known to hire multiple writer assistants
to give him constant feedback and creative suggestions. He would send out scenes for mini-coverage as
he wrote them, ask questions and generally get whatever help he needed from
these writers. His impressive credits
strongly suggest that this cycle of feedback worked extremely well.
Ron Bass – as talented and accomplished as
anybody – understood something. He
understood that constant feedback makes the screenwriting process much more
efficient and much more likely to succeed.
While the idea of an ingenious writer sitting
alone in a room tapping out a masterpiece sounds great, it’s not actually how
most great movies get made. Most great
scripts are born of many revisions based on frequent constructive feedback.
Why is feedback so important? Here are a few reasons:
One is that you need to “show” a story on screen
rather than “tell” it. It’s much easier
to write a clear essay or even a clear short story than it is to write a clear
screenplay. It’s often tricky to guess
how much to show in order for an audience to understand what you’re trying to
get across. With a second set of eyes on
your pages, you don’t need to guess what’s clear and what’s not. You can find out right away.
Another reason is that comedy and drama are
tricky subjective beasts. It’s not
always easy to predict how others will respond emotionally to a story. And I’ve read work from many writers who,
while absolutely capable of writing funny stuff, sometimes have trouble
guessing which of their comedic bits are working the best. Feedback cuts to the chase on these topics,
helping you make quicker decisions earlier in the process, so you can finish
your scripts much faster.
A third reason to seek feedback is that it’s like
having a coach. A coach is incredibly
helpful in many arenas. A coach can remind
you of the fundamentals, help you keep your discipline and motivate you to stay
on track.
The big difference between a screenwriting
consultant and a coach is: Unlike,
coaches, script consultants aren’t in charge.
They’re more like assistants. The
writer is always in charge.
That’s why Ron Bass’s scripts didn’t end up
feeling like scatter-brained committee affairs. He was at the helm making all
the final decisions and maintaining a consistent vision.
Because a process of constant feedback provides
so many benefits – and because a number of writers have asked me about it – I now
offer a service beyond traditional coverage.
For an hourly rate, you can be Ron Bass with me as your virtual writer
assistant. I provide constant revolving
feedback on whatever materials you send me: scenes, outlines, notes, etc. I never take over the creative process; I only offer
feedback and suggestions. It’s up to you
the writer to make all the final decisions.
So far it’s been a positive experience for all involved, and I look
forward to working with more writers in the future.
Please see my Services and Rates page for more
information.
