The Muse:😌 Find Your “Breath Out” // 📽️Industry Insights // ✍🏽 Visual Script Editing & More

Dear Writers,

Director Jamila Wignot’s beautiful film Ailey is being released this week after its Sundance premiere earlier this year. The documentary illuminates the life of pioneering African-American choreographer Alvin Ailey and the cultural legacy he left behind through his New York-based Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

Near the end of the film, the company’s Artistic Director, Emerita Judith Jamison, drops this simple but profound statement: "Alvin breathed in. We are his breath out." I take this to mean that she and the other dancers led or influenced by Ailey are the product of his existence; they would not be who they are without his having been who he was in their lives and in the world.

We are all someone’s "breath out." And so are the characters in your screenplay, which can be easy to forget since you’re usually writing about a specific moment in time. Still, your characters wouldn’t be who they are without those who came before them. Even if those ancestors and influencers don’t appear in your work, knowing who they are will help you create a more authentic and believable cast of characters.

So, this week, I invite you to consider who had to breathe in for the people in your story to become their full selves. Who shaped them, for better or worse, and how does that show up in the actions they take on the screen?

Meanwhile, read on below for insights and writing tips from the storytellers of the Sundance network.

See you on the page,

What is your overall mandate and vision for the work you acquire or produce?

At NEON we’re approaching development and production very similarly to how we build our acquisitions slate. The theatrical experience is a high priority for us, so we’re looking for films that are original and singular enough to draw audiences off their couch and into the cinemas. That goes hand in hand with working with filmmakers who have original, singular, cinematic voices.

What types of scripts or work are you currently looking for?

We're agnostic on genre, flexible on budget, and love working with first time filmmakers as much as established auteurs. As long as it hits the marks above, we're very open!

How does someone get a script to you and at what point in development do you want to see it?

Typically, the earliest we get involved is when there's a near-complete script and a director attached. We've evaluated material at earlier stages when there's an original pitch or piece of IP tied to a writer, director, or producer, but because deep development isn't our core business, those are very selective cases. There's no one way we source scripts, but, usually, it's either through our own tracking or incoming calls from producers/reps.

Do materials other than a script help you? What are you looking for in a pitch?

Generally, the more information we can use to evaluate a project, the better. A visual component or directing sample alongside the script is always helpful. For projects without a director attached, any additional materials that give us a sense of the intended look, tone, and world of the film is great.

To write, I must turn off the internet! I have to really discipline myself. No email, no texts, no real-estate sites (my online porn). When I find myself googling answers to life questions, it's time to shut it down.

When my kids were little, I used to set a pot of coffee to brew every day at 4:30 a.m., and the smell would lure me out of bed. As long as I managed to pour the cup and sit down at my desk, the rest would come. Now that my kids are older, and I have more autonomy over my time, my approach is much more flexible. I don't actually write every day. I trust myself to know when to write and when to ponder. I usually write longhand when I'm starting a project, so the ideas can flow more freely. Even better if it's unlined paper. I like to be able to circle words and slash out text and draw arrows. Film is visual; my creative approach is visual, too.

Playwright and filmmaker David Mamet famously quipped, "Scenes are like parties: you have to come in late and leave early." Starting in the midst of action keeps things interesting and the audience alert and engaged. If one of your scenes is feeling too drawn out, try pushing the start of the scene as late into the action as possible and ending the scene as early as possible.

Things to think about:

Starting the scene late might make it seem like we "missed the beginning". How much of that beginning do we really need? Can we get caught up during the scene?
Ending the scene early might make it feel like it lacks resolution. Could that be an advantageous ambiguity? Can the resolution be suggested earlier?
Could you create a hook and payoff, where the beginning or resolution that you cut appears in another scene?

For more prompts in a live setting, join our free Writers' Cafe each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.