That's a lot to ask from an untried product.
To make matters worse, development is an inexact science. There's no set path. No formula. In fact, it can be a hair-tearing, caught-in-the-middle, ego-bruising experience. It's as if the mythic hero's journey was invented to describe you and your attempts to get a good story green-lit.
What if there was a better way? What if you had a team dedicated solely to helping you turn your story into an undeniable, must-have property?
The Next Development
Sceneplay is your development crew. Before you ever turn on a camera, before you even finish your latest draft, we'll show you your story. We'll test it. Make it work harder; grow stronger right in front of your eyes. You won't have to guess. You'll know it's working.
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"It's a fantastic process, and I'm stunned that it doesn't exist on all movies. We don't think the script is finished until we do this. Just because something reads well doesn't mean you've thoroughly examined it."
Akiva Goldsman, writer of The Da Vanci Code, Cinderella Man and A Beautiful Mind referring to his own simple process of readings with a director and actors
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Think of it as live animatics. We call it Rapid Story Prototyping. It's a method for testing and improving your product - the story - quickly and efficiently. Using live actors, directors, storyboard artists and a proprietary process, we can model scenes from your movie before a single frame is shot.
No More Black Box
At Sceneplay we understand that even after you find the right property it's never camera ready. You're headed for a protracted re-writing process. See if this sounds familiar...
You give script notes to your writer. He takes your notes and disappears into a black box. Time passes. The writer emerges with another draft. Some things are better. Some aren't. You give more notes. You cross your fingers and repeat.
Or you find a new writer -- and repeat. And repeat.
What if instead of just waiting and wondering you could see the script taking shape?
Sceneplay lifts the lid on the black box. We create a better, more interactive and collaborative re-writing process. Sceneplay supports you and the writer in creating the best possible story. Yet you and your writer remain in complete editorial control of the content.
Imagine a process that:
- Generates new material rapidly allowing you to see more options and sort through them quickly. You can see immediately which options are strong, vital and dynamic.
- Solves problems immediately. Not only does our interactive process expose weaknesses, but is suggests solutions and reveals new possibilities. Rapid Story Prototyping is fine-tuned to help create more conflict, beef-up relationships and flesh-out characters.
- Inspires the writer to greater creativity, clarity and productivity while maintaining his or her autonomy.
- Creates a genuine partnership between you and your writer allowing you to work in true collaboration, each bringing your unique strengths to the table.
- Reduces Risk. Because you see your story earlier in the process when you've spent the least amount of money, you'll know sooner whether to keep pushing for the green light.
- Saves money. Write faster, do fewer rewrites and spend less time in development. Plus, you won't be using your most expensive resources to write the script -- namely the cast, crew and gear. And with less "extra" coverage and fewer re-shoots you'll have to find another way to generate bonus material for DVD's.
- Makes more money. A good story has legs. With a longer shelf life a good story will make more money over its lifetime no matter what the budget. But there's no recovery from a bad story.
The Collaborative Art
The synergy of hundreds of talented artisans breathing life into a film project is part of what makes movies so magical and creates such indelible experiences for people around the globe. Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of creative resources get marshaled behind the actual production. Development often gets the short end of the stick. It can be a lonely, risky, bump-along-in-the-dark road.
At Sceneplay we bring the energy, innovation and genius of groups into the writing and development process. We're your own private team of professional collaborators. We serve you, the writer and the story. Our only goal is to help you realize the full potential of your story in order to get your picture made.
Oh, and did we mention, the process is wildly fun?
The Story Team
It's like having your own ball club.
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"Without that constant feedback from the audience, writing can become ungrounded. Audiences show up too late in cinema; you don't get a chance to fix it after they get there."
John Patrick Shanley
Oscar, Pulitzer Prize, and Tony award winning writer
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Your Story Team will consist of a minimum of 9 professionals: a script consultant, two directors, a minimum of four professional actors (or as many as necessary), a storyboard artist and a videographer.
Before your Rapid Story Prototyping session begins we'lltake your notes and do our own thorough analysis of the script. We'll also analyze the script for key imagery and perform a detailed scene-by-scene director's analysis including given circumstances, moment before, subtext and character objectives. The directors and a storyboard artist will also work together to create key panels from the script as visual guide to the heart of the story.
The Session
We begin with a quick table read of the current scene and then put it on its feet. The actors perform the scene as written to get grounded in the material.
Then the real fun begins...
Using a system of proven, highly leveraged improvisations we begin to map out new territory for the story. Probing the material for conflict, relationships and action we'll get under the skin of your story in a way that simply isn't possible with any other process. After all...
You know a great story when you see one.
A powerful thing happens when you turn your script over to a group of actors, a director, and an audience.
It becomes real.
So real, in fact, that's it's impossible to hide the truth. You know instantly what's working and what's not. It's as if a window has opened into the heart of your story allowing you to see connections you simply couldn't see on the page.
Rapid Story Prototyping will:
- Generate lots of new material quickly
- Increase conflict
- Create truthful and powerful relationships between characters
- Generate natural dialogue
- Reveal more authentic character moments
- Make the scene more visual, less talky
- Identify the pivotal turning point in your scene
- Reveal connections between scenes
- Create momentum between scenes
- Add layers of dimension to your scene, your sequence and your story
- Sharpen and define the central arc of your scene and your story
- Enable the writer to sharpen and define their own voice
- Reveal a richer, more powerful story
Throughout the session the storyboard artist and videographer will help explore and record the visual terrain of your new story. At the end, you and your writer will walk away with written recommendations, a DVD recording of the session, storyboards of the new material, and a plan for further re-writing.
You'll also walk out inspired; flush with excitement and a sense of possibility. Isn't that why you got into development in the first place?
Best of all, it yours. Every word, every bit, every idea generated belongs to you -- free and clear. You and your writer may use the new material as your see fit. There are no credits, no residuals, no back-end, and no hassles.
Come And Play
Use us as your laboratory. A place to test, to tinker, and strengthen your product. Before architects hand over blueprints to clients they build a model. They play with their ideas in space. And when they do they make discoveries. Some things work beautifully, others - not so much. But the best part is discovering new possibilities. Things no one could have imagined.
Sceneplay is the fastest, most direct way to reveal problems, expand potential, and generate new possibilities. Given how powerful it is, the real question is...
Why isn't every script done this way?
Give us one scene and we'll give you a better story. Guaranteed.
For your free, no obligation consultation to see how the Sceneplay team can help your story please click here. |
