Check out Corey Mandell's two full video interviews on TH-cam here: th-cam.com/video/cj5tlCDEdcE/w-d-xo.html and th-cam.com/video/hZgWw5juPJ8/w-d-xo.html
Only according to some of the people that Film Courage interview. But I've found the real naysayers are hacks (I check their IMDB pages) that don't want to be outshined.
This hits home for me. I can relate to everything he said. I live in Michigan and was granted by a producer to come out to L.A. for about 25 meetings in a week. I gained representation from a well known agency and management. The producer told me to have about 5 solid pitches ready and a couple of scripts finished. One pitch everyone loved so I wrote the script. From there I received a graphic novel deal, a game on iTunes and a movie deal from a major studio. That one script has been to 4 major studios, a major tv network, rewritten and now just had a well known director attached. All of this in roughly 8 years. I always keep in mind what a producer told me and that is "Hollywood buys ideas not scripts". So if you have a high concept it will most like squeeze through but you must keep building relationships also.
What I take away most from this video is if you are a writer of any sort, script, songs, comedy, any of those things, the key is to never stop writing and to always have a new project on the go.
Curious to see a followup series on how COVID-19 has affected the film industry and, with so many people now working remotely, how much more or less need there is for a screenwriter to live in Los Angeles.
Solid advice from Corey :) Aaron Sorkin gets started on his next script just before he finishes the one he's currently working on. MOMENTUM and discipline is paramount. If you lose either one of those; you're screwed!
Yes. Move to LA. It is unimaginably tough no matter where you are, but LA is the place where people have the sorts of jobs where they are looking for great scripts. If youre not in LA, have multiple scripts written and submitted to the major competitions every single year. Pay extra so you get the actual feedback.
Atlanta is where it’s at right now. I’m here now as a film student in screenwriting and writing my first script. There’s sooo much work here and costs less than LA. People in LA are moving here for some work I noticed but LA is the end stop still.
For me, I have to start writing the next script before I finish the current script. I usually get bummed out when I finish a screenplay; but I’ve found that if I start a new one before I finish the one I’m on then it makes the transition easier to my next project. This way I have something to look forward to write about; rather than sit and wait for the phone to ‘not’ ring. Lol. I think every writers goal is to move to LA and be surrounded by the shear number of creatives. I know it’s mine. Good luck everyone!
A critical point Corey made, was to have your script at a “pitch perfect” level. Because, if it’s not…… your name can, unbeknownst to you, wind up in an industry database of writers not to use. And yes, inside the industry, such a database exists.
It's all about the Writing in my humble opinion. If the writing is an "absolute standout" then opportunities will come looking for you no matter where you live. Personally, I write better when I'm travelling and/or away from all the brouhaha. But that's just me.
You should interview the iSafe woman. She was on the set of Midnight Hour, 🎬📽🎞🎭. She created the Safety For Sarah movement. That is a important topic for new film makers, crews, actors, producers.
Film production has 3 phases. Pre Production, Production and Post Production. Know what Jobs fit into those 3 spots. If its writing then its Pre, if its editing then it Post, if its acting then its Production. LA still dominates in Pre and is a force in Post.
Think this is true to a point. If you wanna make British films or Anime, you don't go to Hollywood to get a script like that greenlit. Depends what type of industry you wanna be in.
I hear everything that Corey is saying in this video, but it's a shame that he has not mentioned anything about having a career in independent filmmaking, which also can be done wherever you live that is not LA. I am going this route to make the films that I would like to make and not what the higher-ups in Hollywood want you to make. I am a DIY person and I am taking the steps in the indie arena to make my films.
The problem with face to face versus zoom is that we're so incredibly calibrated to read body language, facial micro-expressions, sub-vocal sighs and etc - and as fast as the internet is, there is still latency over a connection. So the body language or micro-expressions will be time-shifted incorrectly by latency. Picture fidelity and room lighting might not capture the details well enough even with a good webcam, and your microphone is not always going to capture subvocal sounds accurately. It's a bunch of little things - but they add up to make Zoom an imperfect medium for getting to know someone. Once you know someone, you can calibrate to give them the benefit of the doubt in all these things - on a Zoom call with your Mom, you know her expression even with your eyes closed: but not with a stranger. Always try to meet people face to face first, and then you can Zoom for subsequent meetings much more successfully.
This advice only address LA, but LA is not the only city in America where large production companies have set up shop. The two biggest production hubs that have grown up besides LA are New York and within the last eight to ten years Atlanta has grown to the size where it rivals LA in the number of productions it's producing. I myself have found it easy to find work in the film industry and I don't live in LA, but at the same time, I'm not working as a screenwriter either and as such I'm a part of a different union. He mentioned New York for a brief second but I'd be very interested to know how it affects your chances if at all if you live in one of those two cities instead. Is it lesser to some extent, or about the same?
New York and Atlanta do have productions but they are not as large as LA. My guess is that in New York there are less productions and you are not going to get staffed or have meetings unless it's for a production that is based there for example, SNL. For Atlanta, there are many productions but all the above the line crew comes from LA. The pre-production is going to happen in a LA and then they will come to shoot in Atlanta. If it's something based in Atlanta like a Tyler Perry production or Walking Dead, then maybe it would be easier.
Excellent video. Thanks for making it. What about NYC? Is living in the NYC area nearly as beneficial as LA? Or is LA the only place to be if you’re serious about filmmaking?
I can’t even afford to move out of my hometown, let alone to Los Angles. Filmmakers who already live close to Los Angles have a huge advantage, but most of them refuse to recognize that fact.
Is that your experience we don't appreciate it? I do. I live Inland and I appreciate it. Haven't come a cross anyone who didn't. But it's not a common topic unless it is "Is Inland close enough?" which is being conscientious. Corey hints at surprise meetings requested for 1hr away. If I'm showered and ready, maybe it is doable. But it's still iffy. But yes easier. And I appreciate it. Are you assuming we don't?
@@filmcourage . Corey warns: Perhaps a meeting would be requested in an hour's notice. For people who live Inland, is that too far? Our region is sprawled now that even LA people moved and commute from places like Yucaipa and sinilar areas. But those people have reliable schedules. How far is close enough for writers breaking in? How far is just a bit too far for those execs weighing the viability between two writers? "One lives in LA. The other in Redlands." Most "Should I move to LA" videos and articles deal with LA vs what is definitely too far away. But what about us in the gray areas? 😉 I hope I said this well enough. Thanks as always.
Film production has 3 phases. Pre Production, Production and Post Production. LA is the center for Pre Production. If writing is your thing then LA is the place. I think its possible in New York but the opportunities are limited
@@redcoltken If you want to be part of an LA based production, what Brade Bronson is trying to say is that movies and TV shows aren't only made in LA. Every country has their own set of TV networks and their own film industry. LA isn't the centre of film for the world, just for the USA. Also, in terms of the USA lots of production companies in Georgia now. The point being made is that LA isn't the whole thing if you want to write
This guy is throwing a lot of big names about but he's only got two IMDb credits - one for a TV movie in '91 and Battlefield Earth in 2000. Battlefield Earth FFS!!!! Has he made a living selling pitches that never got made? Can you do that?
Brisdad53 Atlanta is rising behind. Tyler Perry studios is bigger than WB and he is renting his space to soooo many production companies from ALL over the country.
In how many cities you think you think people can actually live with the money they're paid to write? Sure, there are movies in many countries, but it's not a industry, almost nobody can make a career out of it.
How bad does a script have to be when you launch? Because isn’t that subjective? Some people will like it, some people won’t. Do you mean like a script that’s just not written well at all?
He seems like he's giving good advise, but he only has 2 writing credits with terrible IMDB scores. Love Kills (TV movie 1991. 4.8 IMDB rating. Then Battlefield Earth (2000) 2.5 on the IMBD score. And he's giving lessons on screen writing? I'm noticing lots of screenwriting teachers who were either readers or only have a couple of bad credits.
This isn't exactly a profile in courage. I wish he had the balls to talk about the "rumors" he heard about what was going on behind the scenes during the making of Battlefield Earth on a daily basis -- that $cientology leader David Miscavige was acting as a sort of ghost director and pulling the strings. I guess Corey is afraid of them coming after him if he talks about those well-known rumors.
Los Angeles sucks. Avoid it at all costs. With the digital age almost anyone can break into the entertainment industry if they are creative and ambitious enough.
"I thought this was just going to be lighthearted joking about what can go wrong mixed with finger pointing... but it was incredibly heartfelt. I learned a lot and can see why he is a lauded teacher" - th-cam.com/video/bwMcg6_AU_g/w-d-xo.html
Check out Corey Mandell's two full video interviews on TH-cam here:
th-cam.com/video/cj5tlCDEdcE/w-d-xo.html and th-cam.com/video/hZgWw5juPJ8/w-d-xo.html
Is there even a launching of a career to be done? Career screenwriting kinda feels like a big club that nobody else is allowed into.
Only according to some of the people that Film Courage interview. But I've found the real naysayers are hacks (I check their IMDB pages) that don't want to be outshined.
This hits home for me. I can relate to everything he said. I live in Michigan and was granted by a producer to come out to L.A. for about 25 meetings in a week. I gained representation from a well known agency and management. The producer told me to have about 5 solid pitches ready and a couple of scripts finished. One pitch everyone loved so I wrote the script. From there I received a graphic novel deal, a game on iTunes and a movie deal from a major studio. That one script has been to 4 major studios, a major tv network, rewritten and now just had a well known director attached. All of this in roughly 8 years. I always keep in mind what a producer told me and that is "Hollywood buys ideas not scripts". So if you have a high concept it will most like squeeze through but you must keep building relationships also.
Who is the director?
Bruh who is the director?
Who are you?
What I take away most from this video is if you are a writer of any sort, script, songs, comedy, any of those things, the key is to never stop writing and to always have a new project on the go.
Curious to see a followup series on how COVID-19 has affected the film industry and, with so many people now working remotely, how much more or less need there is for a screenwriter to live in Los Angeles.
If you haven't yet, I strongly suggest you to watch Jamie Kennedy " Why Hollywood Is Dying" Part 1 & 2 on his YT channel. It's very interesting.
Solid advice from Corey :) Aaron Sorkin gets started on his next script just before he finishes the one he's currently working on. MOMENTUM and discipline is paramount. If you lose either one of those; you're screwed!
Yes. Move to LA. It is unimaginably tough no matter where you are, but LA is the place where people have the sorts of jobs where they are looking for great scripts. If youre not in LA, have multiple scripts written and submitted to the major competitions every single year. Pay extra so you get the actual feedback.
Atlanta is where it’s at right now. I’m here now as a film student in screenwriting and writing my first script. There’s sooo much work here and costs less than LA. People in LA are moving here for some work I noticed but LA is the end stop still.
Are you still in Atlanta?
This was a useful (and somewhat intimidating) video. This was one of the clearer answers to the LA question I've heard.
Thank you so much for such a realistic description of what to expect!
Finally a straight up answer to this that is super thorough. Thank you this has been very helpful for me personally
For me, I have to start writing the next script before I finish the current script. I usually get bummed out when I finish a screenplay; but I’ve found that if I start a new one before I finish the one I’m on then it makes the transition easier to my next project. This way I have something to look forward to write about; rather than sit and wait for the phone to ‘not’ ring. Lol. I think every writers goal is to move to LA and be surrounded by the shear number of creatives. I know it’s mine. Good luck everyone!
My biggest drawback with wanting to become a feature script writer is having to spend extended time in LA.
yup
Excellent advice! Believable and concrete. Thank you so much! I am just happy that your channel exists! :D
Would love to see a post-Covid followup interview.
Very informative. Thanks. Have a great holiday season 😎
A critical point Corey made, was to have your script at a “pitch perfect” level. Because, if it’s not…… your name can, unbeknownst to you, wind up in an industry database of writers not to use. And yes, inside the industry, such a database exists.
Short Answer: Yes.
Another GREAT video with Mr. Mandell. Thanks!
Do you have any further insights or examples to add to this dialogue?
It's all about the Writing in my humble opinion. If the writing is an "absolute standout" then opportunities will come looking for you no matter where you live. Personally, I write better when I'm travelling and/or away from all the brouhaha. But that's just me.
You should interview the iSafe woman. She was on the set of Midnight Hour, 🎬📽🎞🎭. She created the Safety For Sarah movement. That is a important topic for new film makers, crews, actors, producers.
Film production has 3 phases. Pre Production, Production and Post Production. Know what Jobs fit into those 3 spots. If its writing then its Pre, if its editing then it Post, if its acting then its Production. LA still dominates in Pre and is a force in Post.
Think this is true to a point. If you wanna make British films or Anime, you don't go to Hollywood to get a script like that greenlit. Depends what type of industry you wanna be in.
You gotta decide how committed you are. At the end of the day, being in LA will never work against you.
Very thorough and helpful.
I hear everything that Corey is saying in this video, but it's a shame that he has not mentioned anything about having a career in independent filmmaking, which also can be done wherever you live that is not LA. I am going this route to make the films that I would like to make and not what the higher-ups in Hollywood want you to make. I am a DIY person and I am taking the steps in the indie arena to make my films.
" if you build it, they will come "
In an age in which we have email and video calls I don't understand why it's necessary to live in Los Angeles.
i wonder if zoom calls will become more prominent now? i agree that face to face is better but it'll make it a little easier.
The problem with face to face versus zoom is that we're so incredibly calibrated to read body language, facial micro-expressions, sub-vocal sighs and etc - and as fast as the internet is, there is still latency over a connection. So the body language or micro-expressions will be time-shifted incorrectly by latency. Picture fidelity and room lighting might not capture the details well enough even with a good webcam, and your microphone is not always going to capture subvocal sounds accurately. It's a bunch of little things - but they add up to make Zoom an imperfect medium for getting to know someone. Once you know someone, you can calibrate to give them the benefit of the doubt in all these things - on a Zoom call with your Mom, you know her expression even with your eyes closed: but not with a stranger. Always try to meet people face to face first, and then you can Zoom for subsequent meetings much more successfully.
Thank you for this:)
This advice only address LA, but LA is not the only city in America where large production companies have set up shop. The two biggest production hubs that have grown up besides LA are New York and within the last eight to ten years Atlanta has grown to the size where it rivals LA in the number of productions it's producing. I myself have found it easy to find work in the film industry and I don't live in LA, but at the same time, I'm not working as a screenwriter either and as such I'm a part of a different union. He mentioned New York for a brief second but I'd be very interested to know how it affects your chances if at all if you live in one of those two cities instead. Is it lesser to some extent, or about the same?
New York and Atlanta do have productions but they are not as large as LA. My guess is that in New York there are less productions and you are not going to get staffed or have meetings unless it's for a production that is based there for example, SNL. For Atlanta, there are many productions but all the above the line crew comes from LA. The pre-production is going to happen in a LA and then they will come to shoot in Atlanta. If it's something based in Atlanta like a Tyler Perry production or Walking Dead, then maybe it would be easier.
What about New York?
Excellent video. Thanks for making it.
What about NYC? Is living in the NYC area nearly as beneficial as LA? Or is LA the only place to be if you’re serious about filmmaking?
Film making - Its LA. But the first phase of networking can be done in New York. Rodney Rothman started in New York.
I can’t even afford to move out of my hometown, let alone to Los Angles. Filmmakers who already live close to Los Angles have a huge advantage, but most of them refuse to recognize that fact.
Is that your experience we don't appreciate it? I do. I live Inland and I appreciate it. Haven't come a cross anyone who didn't. But it's not a common topic unless it is "Is Inland close enough?" which is being conscientious. Corey hints at surprise meetings requested for 1hr away. If I'm showered and ready, maybe it is doable. But it's still iffy. But yes easier. And I appreciate it. Are you assuming we don't?
In the next location video, could they address the issue of people living in outlying areas of LA? Thanks!! 😊
Can you flesh out your question more? What would you like to know? What are your deeper concerns?
@@filmcourage . Corey warns: Perhaps a meeting would be requested in an hour's notice. For people who live Inland, is that too far? Our region is sprawled now that even LA people moved and commute from places like Yucaipa and sinilar areas. But those people have reliable schedules. How far is close enough for writers breaking in? How far is just a bit too far for those execs weighing the viability between two writers? "One lives in LA. The other in Redlands."
Most "Should I move to LA" videos and articles deal with LA vs what is definitely too far away. But what about us in the gray areas? 😉
I hope I said this well enough. Thanks as always.
@@filmcourage ps. Maybe people who live too far away but cant afford LA may consider outlying areas if execs are cool with it.
Can we please get an update on how COVID has affected this?
How does someone know they’ve entered the career launching phase?
What about Bollywood?
Country club....i have so many novalas just cant ...dont know of anybody to show them to...what do i do...
Well, now we know the launching part....the only thing left is to write "the one" -- and then another one
What about Texas? There alot in entertainment here most dont notice until you get out there
whens pitch season
What if you live in New York, Toronto, or Vancouver? Tons of production companies there and filming as well?
Film production has 3 phases. Pre Production, Production and Post Production. LA is the center for Pre Production. If writing is your thing then LA is the place. I think its possible in New York but the opportunities are limited
@@redcoltken If you want to be part of an LA based production, what Brade Bronson is trying to say is that movies and TV shows aren't only made in LA. Every country has their own set of TV networks and their own film industry. LA isn't the centre of film for the world, just for the USA.
Also, in terms of the USA lots of production companies in Georgia now.
The point being made is that LA isn't the whole thing if you want to write
This guy is throwing a lot of big names about but he's only got two IMDb credits - one for a TV movie in '91 and Battlefield Earth in 2000. Battlefield Earth FFS!!!! Has he made a living selling pitches that never got made? Can you do that?
You don't have to live in LA. If that was the case, there would only be LA made films, which is not the case. Film is international.
Brisdad53 Atlanta is rising behind. Tyler Perry studios is bigger than WB and he is renting his space to soooo many production companies from ALL over the country.
Smiley Adventures besides Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, what other MAJOR studio is in Atlanta?
In how many cities you think you think people can actually live with the money they're paid to write? Sure, there are movies in many countries, but it's not a industry, almost nobody can make a career out of it.
How bad does a script have to be when you launch? Because isn’t that subjective? Some people will like it, some people won’t. Do you mean like a script that’s just not written well at all?
He seems like he's giving good advise, but he only has 2 writing credits with terrible IMDB scores. Love Kills (TV movie 1991. 4.8 IMDB rating. Then Battlefield Earth (2000) 2.5 on the IMBD score. And he's giving lessons on screen writing? I'm noticing lots of screenwriting teachers who were either readers or only have a couple of bad credits.
Most writers are paid writing assignments but without credit.
This isn't exactly a profile in courage. I wish he had the balls to talk about the "rumors" he heard about what was going on behind the scenes during the making of Battlefield Earth on a daily basis -- that $cientology leader David Miscavige was acting as a sort of ghost director and pulling the strings. I guess Corey is afraid of them coming after him if he talks about those well-known rumors.
Los Angeles sucks. Avoid it at all costs. With the digital age almost anyone can break into the entertainment industry if they are creative and ambitious enough.
Watching these people talking and watching mainstream Hollywood movies makes me wonder if 99% of this is bullshit xD
Glad you lost that white T-shirt. Go Corey!
Oh, There is a Blacklist... What a terrible business.
Why should we care about the advice of someone who wrote Battlefield Earth?
"I thought this was just going to be lighthearted joking about what can go wrong mixed with finger pointing... but it was incredibly heartfelt. I learned a lot and can see why he is a lauded teacher" - th-cam.com/video/bwMcg6_AU_g/w-d-xo.html
I applaud anyone who even has ONE success. I'm guessing while you people who are snubbing him have how many under your wing?zero?