Process

Phase 1 (1 – 6 Months) Interviews Packet: Letter, Schedule and Glossary, Sample screenplay and books, Profiles, Contract Length of project Estimation of phases 2 – 4 Downpayment Logline & Synopsis – Phase 2 (1 – 3 Months) Consulting Meetings Setting Characters Type of Project Plot Background materials Research trip (if needed) Review and Reading Logline & Synopsis A logline is a one-sentence summary of the project Most projects are explained in a synopsis of 75 ­ 100 words Often, the logline and synopsis are approved by client, allowing writing to begin Drafts – Phase 3 (2 – 9 Months) Writing Usually conducted independent of client Ends with a Milestone Draft Monthly checks (beginning with two months after the first check is submitted) Editing Additional drafts are usually submitted Testers Testers review and make comment, reviewing Milestone Draft (optional) Ends with a Bankable Draft (optional) Production – Phase 4 (9 – 36 Months) Pitching Discussions with (and lobbying of) production companies and/or third-party agents Production, Distribution, Marketing, Screening Glossary AUDIENCE Audience demographics should always be considered: gender, age, social status, buying power. CHARACTERS Who are the main and minor characters? Sometimes simple characters can be combined into one composite character, just as a complex character can be divided into separate people. CHARACTER ARC A character arc is the development of a character from the perspective of the audience. CONTRACT A simple one-page contract reflecting the intentions of both parties will be presented and must be signed at some point, usually formalized during the synopsis. DEADLINES With an unbiased ghostwriter, the writing process is faster. For similar reasons, a person can hire an exercise personal trainer (for a fee) to achieve a specific goal by a deadline. Realistically, consider all of the books (or movies) that are written by busy people with someone else. DRAFTS In order to maintain his deadlines, Mr. Vovak reviews information prior to meetings and often is required to do extensive reading for a variety of clients. Around meeting 5 – 8, he submits Draft ‘A’, which is a printing of ongoing work in his computer, on which the client should scribble notes (in red or blue ink). Ultimately, a readable and professional Milestone Draft is submitted. Later, a Bankable Draft is usually submitted, that can be sold to a third-party. FEE (for book and screenplay services) Description Fee per check Total Fee Client-Writer Ownership Minimum fee: corporate ($25,000 + $5,000 per month for 5 months) $50,000 100% – 0% Minimum fee: individual ($5,000 + $1,000 per month for 5 months) $10,000 70% – 30% NOTE – Rates apply to Metro Washington, D.C. area. Thus, travel increases the fee. FEE (for website services) Fees for website services are handled on a case-by-case basis. FICTION The first decision is whether the project is: Non-fiction (100% true) Based on a true story (50-99% true) Fiction (1-49% true) Fantasy (100% imagined) HOMEWORK Clients will be officially assigned frequent homework with fixed deadlines. Please take these assignments seriously, as what you give reflects what you receive. INDUSTRY BUY-IN Clients permanently own their projects for a fixed fee, with Mr. Vovak’s expenses (and potential risk) capped. Mr. Vovak retains an ownership stake because it allows him to ethically pitch projects to others in the industry, often with an industry buy-in of $10,000 to $400,000. INSPIRATION, SPIRIT AND TIME CONTRIBUTION Clients should not walk into their projects naively, believing a ghostwriter can magically write an acceptable story. It is the ghostwriter’s job to provide inspiration for his client and the client’s job to portray a spirit for the project, which includes a time contribution outside of meetings (even by the client). The ghostwriter shapes the messages that the client wants to portray, making the ghostwriter valuable — not only in writing text — but in drawing out information that supports a story to a target audience. A client pays a ghostwriter a fee to accept and to apply his advice, not just to listen to it. LENGTH The length of most screenplays is 85 – 120 minutes. Most adult books are 100 – 300 total pages. LOGLINE A logline, or one-liner summarizes a project to insiders. Nothing trumps it in importance. MEETINGS Most projects are 12 – 15 total meetings. Meetings should be held at a consistent comfortable location over food and drink, usually where strangers cannot overhear conversations during lunch or dinner. Since Mr. Vovak has a B.A. in psychology, most of his clients receive peace when he listens (and develops) the intimate stories that have shaped their personalities. PLOT, STORYLINES AND THREADS The main river flowing through the project is the plot. Many clients initially believe they have two stories to describe. Those are usually called storylines or threads (tributaries feeding the main river). The decision for the plot direction is usually determined by the ghostwriter, who is neutral. RESEARCH TRIP Some projects require a research trip (3 – 7 days), when the ghostwriter (and the client) can familiarize themselves with the content. SCREENPLAY A screenplay or script is a blueprint for a motion picture or television production. It can be adapted from a previous work such as a novel, play or short story, or it may be an original work. Most screenplays are 90 – 120 minutes, with each minute being one page of a script. SETTING When is the setting: During the Civil War, in the Roaring Twenties, in the 1960s, or in the future using a retractable queue barrier system? Where is the setting: In the United States of America, in Africa, or in Europe? Although characters move during scenes, a consistent setting is important to root the audience in a location, like in a diner, at an office, on a porch, or while riding a bus? SLUGLINES In screenplays, clients explain various stories into 15-second to 3-minute scenes, usually from important moments from their lives, placed under a heading called a slugline. SYNOPSIS The synopsis is a summary of a project that is 75 – 100 words, which must be signed before any writing begins. TIMELINE What is the timeline of the project? Does it occur over several years, a month, a week, or a 24-hour period? This decision is initially difficult for most clients because they cannot easily separate themselves from their characters. TURNS Each act is composed of at least two turns, usually at the beginning and at the ending of each act. These are dramatic moments when the plot shifts. TWIST Any retractable barrier system project is permitted one unique twist, an unbelievable idea that is allowed by an audience. VISION The vision for a project is directed by a client. As much as the ghostwriter can help organize and further a project, its believability to the mass market purely rests in the client’s vivid imagination. VOICE OR TONE The voice (or tone) is usually developed late in a project. Is the project in first person or in third person? Is the voice neutral, or angry, or hurt? Is there a retractable belt barriers narrator? The importance of the voice is critical, similar to how music must be played at a proper volume to be enjoyable. Samples To read a PDF sample of a Screenplay, click here.   Home Projects Movies/TV Books Process Video About Copyright © 2007-2009 Greenwich Creations