Eldon Thompson on screenplay writing

ELDON THOMPSON

There are many local places for writers to learn about the ins and outs of writing just about anything such as Writers and Books of Rochester.  However, as wonderful a resource that is, there are many gifted and talented writers out there who not only want to share their experiences, but learn from doing so.  Please welcome back one of the most interesting and talented writers this examiner has ever met: Eldon Thompson.  

Which came first, writing screenplays or writing bloody, epic fantasy novels?

 My first fascination was with novels. As a young kid, I really had no concept of the fact that someone wrote the stories that played out on the big screen. But I understood the idea of books well enough. The school and city libraries were filled with them, and I couldn't read through them fast enough. A friend in high school suggested writing for Hollywood, but by then I was so entrenched in writing novels that I didn't give his advice a second thought. After I had graduated from college, there was a time when I grew frustrated with the novels I was writing. My thinking at the time was that the 1,000-page epic fantasy book had been done to death... but there were precious few memorable fantasy films. So I made up my mind to move to Los Angeles to study the craft of screenwriting. From that moment on, it became a dual pursuit, writing both books and films and letting fate decide which would hit first.

 Do you have a preference?  If so why?

Ha! Depends on the day. Like most things in life, each has its pros and cons. With novels, it really is a one-man show. You may turn to others -- friends, agents, editors -- for advice, but the ultimate responsibility for each and every story decision is the author's alone. And as you well know, there are a lot of decisions that go into crafting a novel-length story. On the upside, you get to be your own boss. The downside is, it can be a lonely, arduous pursuit. Screenwriting is pretty much the reverse. As a writer, you often feel like everyone is your boss. I mean, I wouldn't tell the caterer how to frost her cupcakes, but even the caterer and her dog will have a note or two on how to improve your script. That's not necessarily a bad thing, because sometimes they're spot-on. Point is, it's a collaborative effort, which can be a lot of fun, and is much less lonely. Unfortunately, few if any Hollywood writers have any sort of final say over their product, which can be a little scary. I'm generally much more passionate about my books because I have to take full and complete ownership of the product; whereas, with scripts, strict passion is generally frowned upon, because producers and executives want their writers to be amenable to change of any kind, at any time, from any quarter. If writing a book can be likened to owning your own company, then working for Hollywood is more like punching a clock at a big corporation: At day's end, would your contributions really be missed?

How did you get involved in screenplay writing?

I mentioned earlier a time in which I despaired of having anything to add to the world of fantasy books. That drove me to Southern California and UCLA's professional program in screenwriting. I'm not one to approach anything half-heartedly, so, while I might have been able to teach myself a thing or two about the format by studying books on the subject there in Idaho, I opted instead to leave my job and go learn from some of the most knowledgeable instructors in the industry. After knocking out a couple of practice scripts, I set my sights on adapting my favorite book of all time -- Terry Brooks's The Elfstones of Shannara. I did it originally as an exercise, but the script turned out well enough, I thought, to shop it around town. Of course, I had to secure Terry's permission to do so, since I had no claim to the underlying story rights. Thus began an eight-year odyssey that finally concluded (for the moment, at least) in 2007, when Warner Bros optioned my script and Mike Newell stepped forward to produce and direct. I say "for the moment" because an option is no guarantee of a film actually getting made. And if this one doesn't go through, I have every intention of championing it again once the option expires. With this particular story, there's no question of if it will get made. It's only a matter of when and by whom.

What was your first screenplay?  What was the first screenplay to sell?  How many have you sold?  Written?

The first script I ever wrote, during that initial semester at UCLA, was an adaptation of a book manuscript I'd written called Dyers Eve. It was an epic fantasy, of course, originally written in high school. The story underwent some radical changes in making it work for the big screen... and later underwent further radical changes when being re-envisioned as the book that would eventually become my first published novel, The Crimson Sword. This was also the first script that I had optioned, back in 2005, I believe. That option has since expired, and if the producers went through with making a movie, they forgot to tell me. The Elfstones of Shannara was the first script of mine to get picked up by a major studio, earning me an associate membership in the WGA. I've written six or seven others across multiple genres, and had several close calls in terms of sales, but nothing yet that would really put my name on the map. With Hollywood, you are either inside the industry or outside the industry, and I still consider myself to be an outsider. I've done enough that folks are at least polite to me when I knock on their doors. More and more, A-list companies are receptive to reading my material, and I've had numerous opportunities crop up with other "fringe" professionals. But I can't yet claim to be a full-time working screenwriter. I'll be buried, incinerated, or ground up into dog food before I stop trying, though.

Any thoughts about acting?  Directing?

Acting? Maybe in some background capacity... like one of the many extras who get stomped into the mud during some epic battle sequence. Directing? Lord, no. My brother Neil is a director. We shot an independent short film last year entitled Thorns. After seeing what all went into that, I can honestly say that I have no desire to wrangle all aspects of the filmmaking process the way a director has to. As much as I might grumble from time to time about being ignored as a writer, I much prefer that than tackling the full responsibility of directing. I imagine myself as more of a backseat driver, buzzing around the director's ear and offering suggestions when I feel they are warranted. Knowing how much directors hate that -- particularly from writers -- I think it's safe to say that if ever there comes a time when I feel the urge to direct, I'll do one of two things: a) write a book, or b) call Neil and ask him to take the job.

How similar is writing a novel to writing a screenplay?  How different are they?

From a story-structure standpoint, they're not as different as one might guess. Any well-crafted tale, regardless of medium, can still be broken down to a three-act structure that chronicles some form of journey for the protagonist. It's still about a goal and the conflicts that arise as obstacles to the hero's desire. Screenplays are typically more rigid in their adherence to this three-act blueprint (25% for Act One, 50% for Act Two, and 25% for Act Three), but a good novel doesn't deviate too far from this. The primary differences are largely matters of formatting. With a novel, you generally need a fair amount of description -- particularly if you're writing in a fantastic or alien world -- so that readers can picture the setting and characters. With film, the setting and characters are visual, so you don't have to go into depth describing them. In fact, you're not allowed to. In writing a script, a dog is simply a dog. Unless the breed matters to the story, it's not your job to define it. Some production designer or art director will come along and determine that particular nuance. Screenplays, then, are primarily about dialogue. Where with novels we can tell you what a character's secret motivations are, with screenplays, we're limited to what can be seen or heard. If it's not apparent onscreen, it doesn't go in the script. Aside from that, novels obviously have more room to roam, so to speak, allowing the author to explore sub-plots and secondary characters in greater depth. With film, time is limited, so the focus really has to remain on the primary characters -- with secondary characters and plotlines explored only to the extent that they affect those that are primary.

What is the process of selling a screenplay?

Ha! Mankind will put astronauts on Jupiter before they crack that particular equation. The basic theory is to either a) find an agent to help get your scripts onto the desks of the right producers, or b) find a producer who's interested in one of your scripts, at which point the agents will come running. There's a bit of a chicken-and-the-egg, catch-22 there. To break in, you simply have to approach both entities and try to bring them together, sticking with that process until you find a chink in the armor, so to speak. The pursuit is not all that different than finding a book publisher in New York. The chain of command for approving a movie, however, is much larger than that for a book. With the New York publishers, two or three "yeses" can secure you a book deal. With Hollywood studios, you might string together six or seven "yeses" while shopping a script and still fall woefully short of a sale. The investment risk for movies is so much higher than books, and no one wants to be the first one to jump into the pool. My biggest shock since coming to Hollywood has been the number of people I encounter who say they want to make movies, but never find the courage to actually support a project. I'm talking about producers and development execs who have been employed for a decade or longer, feeding off the studio system without saying yes to a single script or film. An inordinate amount of folks here are concerned only with keeping their jobs and playing the role of moviemakers, as opposed to taking the risks involved with actual moviemaking.

Do you need a separate agent for your books and screenplays?

In most cases, yes. The agents I've talked to all say pretty much the same thing. The worlds of publishing and filmmaking are just too big for any one person to be entrenched in both. If your book agent is successful enough to excel at his or her job, then he or she is spending all day keeping a finger on the pulse of publishing -- building relationships with editors, knowing who works where, with whom, and who is buying what at this moment. They're negotiating deals, handling foreign rights sales, searching for new clients, etc. Hollywood lit agents are doing the same thing out here in La La Land, with their relationship network obviously centered on producers, studio execs, casting directors, and more. It's difficult to know everyone in Hollywoodand everyone in New York. My book agent is among the best there is in his chosen field. And he does have contact with Hollywood agents. He may occasionally join forces with a film agent over a particular project or refer my work to someone. But the agent who can successfully cross over and handle clients in both fields is extremely rare. There's just not enough time in the day to properly manage both industries -- not without a team of agents working under you. Looking at it another way... for every Deion Sanders or Bo Jackson out there who successfully juggled professional careers in both football and baseball, there are thousands upon thousands of dual-sport athletes who ultimately had to choose one or the other in order to succeed at the highest level. The vast majority of agents are more or less in the same position.

Do you have to live in LA to make it as a screenwriter?

Not necessarily, although your odds of stringing together the connections needed to actually push a project through the studio system increase dramatically if you live where movie are made. By "made," I'm not referring to physical production, but to the deal-making and development process that sets a film into motion. It takes a lot of meetings to package the components of most film projects, and those meetings are much easier to take if you live where all of the big agencies and production companies reside... as opposed to flying in from Iowa or Rhode Island. That's not to say that a 15-year-old kid living in the Ozarks can't land a script on the right desk at the right time and start a snowball effect that will have his film in theaters within a year and him showing up at the premiere in a Ferrari. But with the kinds of odds you're looking at there, you stand a better chance of winning the Powerball lottery.

What craft books do you recommend for writing?  For screenplay writing?

For novels, I'd recommend The Novel Writer's Toolkit by Bob Mayer, Write Away by Elizabeth George, Sometimes the Magic Works by Terry Brooks, and On Writing by Stephen King. For screenplays, I'd recommend Story by Robert McKee, The Writer's Journey by Christopher Vogler, and The Screenwriter's Bible by David Trottier. There are some great books by several UCLA professors, namely Screenwriting 434 by Lew Hunter, Write Screenplays That Sell by Hal Ackerman, and Richard Walter's Screenwriting: The Art, Craft and Business of Film and Television Writing. Finally, I like to steer new screenwriters to www.storysense.com/format.htm, which is a resource I still use on a regular basis in order to remind me about some of the trickier formatting issues encountered from time to time in the screenwriting process.

What advice would you give a writer trying to sell a screenplay?

As with any form of writing, it begins with making your work itself as bulletproof as possible. That means studying the craft and working through your script over and over and over again. In terms of shopping it, do your homework. Look at the production companies behind films similar to yours and focus your efforts there. A good deal of companies won't accept unagented submissions, but I've actually had stronger interest from producers than agents -- you just have to perfect the art of the query letter. The other big key is attachments. Since no one wants to put his or her neck on the chopping block by being the first to say, "this is great!" you have to make your project marketable somehow. If, for example, you can entice your favorite actor (many of whom have their own production shingles financed by the studios) to express interest in a role, go for it. A script with Julia Roberts attached is going to get a serious look, whereas a script that stands solely on the merit of the words on its page... well, development offices here have no need of insulation, because they have stacks of scripts lining their walls to do the trick. I'm not trying to be discouraging. I'm merely suggesting that, in today's crowded market, a story by itself will seldom suffice. Heck, the first time an interested producer read my screenplay for The Crimson Sword, he said he loved it, but that he couldn't do anything with it unless it was based on some proven property. Months later, I had a book deal and, all of a sudden, the exact same script was snatched up. Why? Because if a major publisher like HarperCollins had already said yes, then the assumption was that the risk factor to a studio had just gone down. Crazy, yes, but that's how it usually works. Folks in the film industry look first and foremost at what they stand to lose, as opposed to what they might gain. Find a way to lessen the risk factor for a potential buyer, and you'll have a much better shot at sliding your story through the Hollywood meat grinder. Best of luck!

Thanks Eldon!