"Of course, you can say that." Franklin smiled and nodded, "However, more often than not, the scripts we pick out will still be rejected, and ten scripts out of ten thousand scripts will be selected, and only one script can be favored by the producer." Most of the time, our work is surrounded by frustration. ”

Lance looked puzzled, "Really? However, every time I try to find a project to put into production, I face the same problem, why is that? ”

Franklin was a little speechless for a moment, unable to think of a valid answer, he knew that Lance was a producer, but no producer had ever asked him this question before. Every time they can't find a suitable script, the producers just ask for "more scripts", and they take it for granted that this is a dereliction of duty in the early development of film and television, or that there is indeed no suitable good script recently.

In recent years, there has been a general perception throughout Hollywood that the quality of original scripts has declined, and there has been a gap in talent, which is a common phenomenon.

"The producers complained that there were no great scripts, but at the same time, there were so many great scripts that were left out and no one wanted to shoot them." Lance further instructed, "It's like the 'soul singer', you keep selling, selling, and even pestering, which makes Heckford nod. ”

Franklin's train of thought opened up with Lance's words, and he shook his head with a smile, "No, no, these are two things, different in nature. Lance showed an inquiring gaze, waiting for Franklin's answer, which made Franklin a little excited, because it is rare for a producer or director to calm down and listen to his opinion, "When choosing a script, we generally divide the script into two types, one is in line with the fashion trend, you know, in fact, it is the box office trend; One is of excellent quality, but unique in style. ”

"In other words, it's a commercial script and an artistic script." Lance interrupted Franklin's words and concluded.

Franklin tilted his head, "No, that's too general. While that's true, I'd rather put it in a different way, scripts from major studios and scripts from independent studios. "To put it simply, the big studios are more willing to make on-trend genre films, while independent studios are more willing to explore different genres, which may be a bit of a generalization, but on the whole, it's true." Of course, we submit both scripts to the producers, but the results are often unexpected......"

"Producers always pick the former." Lance spoke the answer in Franklin's place, and Franklin nodded helplessly in agreement. "But the problem is that for a small company like Chaos Pictures, we're eager to find great scripts with a unique style......"

"For example, the 'City of God.'" Franklin could feel the friendliness in Lance, and his mood relaxed, and he spoke much more freely.

"Exactly!" Lance snapped his fingers, "Or 'a glass of wine'." Franklin nodded at Lance's example, a script like "A Glass of Life" would never have been produced in a major production company, unless the screenwriter column said it was Woody Allen. "This makes things even worse, because the big studios are missing out on so many great scripts and still can't find the right project; Independent production companies struggle to find the right script, only to be disappointed. Isn't it possible to exchange script resources between companies and companies? Mutual benefit for both sides? ”

"Hehe, you can try." Franklin chuckled, but the joking tone was obviously the opposite, "Actually, the script resources owned by major companies are all similar, and there may be some differences, but not too much." After we have screened the scripts, they will go back to the writers' union or agents, and then they will be selected by independent companies. So, I guess, all you need to do is wait. ”

It's like a pyramid where companies at the top of the tower win the right of first refusal, and then they are eliminated layer by layer, and the independent production companies at the bottom can only pick up the slack.

"So, you are not only repeating boring work, but you are also repeating inefficient and even ineffective useless work." Lance did not criticize the industry rule of "big fish eat small fish", but put forward a fresh point of view, which Franklin did not expect, he subconsciously asked "what", Lance gently pursed the corners of his lips, "I mean, you have never thought of exchanging your reading lists, and then cutting out those parts that are repeated and extracting the scripts that everyone thinks are excellent, which can not only greatly improve work efficiency, but also make the options of the producers more qualitative." ”

Franklin was lost in thought by Lance's words, and as a pre-development manager, he knew better how the work worked, but Lance's proposal opened a whole new door for him, and countless thoughts came flooding out.

Finding that Franklin didn't respond, Lance knew that his words had finally worked.

In fact, Lance did not expect to meet Franklin at the nomination luncheon today, and his original plan was to connect with the Writers Guild as his own screenwriter, or find a suitable producer like the Coen brothers, and find a recommended film and television pre-development manager, and then push forward with further plans.

Because Lance knows that the film and television pre-development manager is a very small circle, and an outsider who rashly breaks in cannot gain their trust, so he must find an inside line to launch this change from the inside, and then the film and television pre-development managers themselves will promote the entire project and attract the attention of the industry.

Before coming to talk to Franklin, Lance was talking to Richard-Linklater, Charlie Kaufman and others, all of whom are representative figures of independent cinema and really have a lot in common with Lance. Later, Lance stumbled upon Franklin - although he wasn't sure if he was the blacklist advocate from the previous life, and he had only seen his picture on the Internet, he decided to take the initiative. That's where the conversation just came about.

Lance only paused for a moment, leaving Franklin with a blank slate, but then kept a puzzled expression, as if he didn't know what was going on, "Or is it forbidden too?" Because there is competition between the big studios to avoid discovering their best projects, so everyone reads the same scripts and forbids them to communicate with each other? ”

Franklin came back to his senses and shook his head repeatedly, "No, it's not. There were so many thoughts tumbling in his brain that he had to let out a long breath, "I mean, there's competition between companies. But the work between us is also completely open, and after a good script comes out, companies can be open to competition. After all, the style of selecting works varies from company to company. ”

Although on the whole, large film production companies are mainly engaged in the production of commercial genre films, there are still many differences in subtle aspects, such as Warner Bros. is most willing to spend money, and they invest in projects with a cost of more than 150 million yuan, ranking first in the United States; Disney, for example, is hardly willing to invest in R-rated films, and as of 2005, none of the productions they have produced or distributed are R-rated; Another example is that Universal Pictures has always been cautious and tends to make small and big productions, especially comedy films.

Therefore, for those screenwriters, there are also skills in submission.

"So, why aren't you willing to exchange information with each other?" Lance asks a very normal question.

But the question puzzled Franklin, and he couldn't help but smile wryly, "yes, why not?" But then Franklin shook his head again, "The company will not agree to this, we can only communicate with each other in private." ”

"Why?" Lance frowned slightly, and asked curiously.

Franklin took a deep breath, "Because the company still needs a commercial script that is suitable for filming, remember?" Two scripts? So, if it's appropriate, they'll definitely nod their heads; But those rejected scripts, even after integration, are still rejected. ”

"No, I don't think so." Lance denied it with a smile, "You see, once you put together a list of good scripts, you can open it up for reading, and let all the companies join in and pick the projects that they are willing to invest in filming." After all, this is a list that has been picked and recommended by a number of experienced upfront managers. Maybe it's an independent film company, but it can also be a big production company. Lance turned and looked into the noisy hall, "You see, if you're working alone, maybe you're submitting a list of scripts that only three producers are reading, at least in one company; But now that all the pre-managers have united and made the list public, it also means that the entire list is open to all producers, and the chances of good work being discovered or even produced have skyrocketed. ”

Franklin followed Lance's line of sight, looking at the bustling scene in front of him, and he couldn't help but sketch such a scene in his mind, he understood what Lance meant, but reason told him that it was only an ideal state, "If I submitted such a list, the company would just say that I was not doing my job." For Jesus' sake, even for a script like 'The King of Soul Singers,' I risked being expelled to find Heckford in the first place. Universal Pictures would never want to see such a thing happen. ”

Franklin turned his head and smiled apologetically at Lance, a hint of regret flashing in his eyes. But Lance still kept that smile, "So, what if I invited you to Chaos Pictures and start this kind of work?" (To be continued.) )