INTERVIEW WITH JULIE GRAY
Chicago Seminar April 17-18, 2010

 By Mary Harris

 

     Julie Gray is a force of nature, part nurturing Earth Mother, part stormy Goddess of Words, all pure energy.

     Want to write better? She will cuddle you in a feathered nest of techniques to get your structure and story aligned just right.

     Have a sloppy premise line? Need to sharpen the words on the page? She will kick the junk outta your trunk so fast you’ll be reeling. And thankful for the beating from a veteran of Writers Boot Camp.

     Take a look at her website, www.justeffing.com <http://www.justeffing.com> . Her resources range from classes to competitions to tips and links, to her blog, voted one of the Top 50 by Moviemaker Magazine.

     She shares her knowledge passionately, from erudite discussions of the classical 12-sequence Hero’s Journey through very funny stories of what she and other Hollywood readers have covered in studio and indie scripts. One of Julie’s seminar handouts includes the Top Ten Things Readers Hate, a funny but sadly true list of 11 problems most new writers’ scripts have.

     After working at Bedford Falls and other boutique studios, and getting her feet wet (or scalded) at larger commercial studios, Julie decided to stalk good scripts (which seem rarer than white truffles in LA) and open her own shop, The Script Department; view the success stories and services offered at www.thescriptdepartment.com <http://www.thescriptdepartment.com> . Her dream of making poor scripts better and good scripts great is coming to fruition. She’s also generous enough to pass along scripts to the many producers who call her daily, begging for decent material.

     Along the way Julie decided to start the Silver Screenwriting Competition (see either website for dates and details). Several of the scripts which have won or placed have moved on to more acclaim and are being scouted.

     Her teaching also branched out: Warner Bros. Studios liked her so much they told her she was coming back regularly to teach a closed seminar (WarBro employees only!). West England University, Bristol, and Oxford University (shades of Lord Peter Wimsey!) love her. San Francisco University in Quito, Ecuador welcomes her often and has dedicated an oxygen tank for her use only. Julie’s numerous seminars, in California and worldwide, are listed on www.justeffing.com <http://www.justeffing.com> .

     Her enthusiasm for good writing leads her to participate in many Los Angeles events as well. You can see her at The Great American PitchFest and The Creative Screenwriting Expo, to name only two.

     Julie’s seminars include 3 unique methods for getting your idea to the page and then to the screen: the Ménage á Flaw, for writing unforgettable character-driven scripts; the Tracking Map, to test structure and arc in a logical way; and the WWYD worksheet, to find the compelling question in your script which makes your story both personal and universal. The tools also include something most books and seminars forget: the audience. Julie has designed, as part of the Tracking Method, a way to manage pacing and beats by clarifying What The Audience Suspects, and, What The Audience Knows.

     The subjects thoroughly covered in her 2-day seminars fill both sides of a handout. Single-spaced. You certainly will get your money’s worth with this woman. And the learning leaps from the practical to the emotional. Julie drives home the point that most scripts don’t get anywhere because the writer has not fully tested the idea, and then the discussion centers on many ways to test your idea. What’s the hook? Most producers know that most audiences want to be entertained in a familiar way (Bruce Willis saves the planet… again) but how is this script different? That’s your hook, and that’s for you to figure out. If this seems too Hollywood, remember: your job is to entertain. But, Julie adds, it’s also your job “to reflect or to predict.” This is what gives your script its emotional scope. This also keeps you from writing a BOSH script: one where a Bunch Of Shit Happens.

     Julie also emphasizes that you want to pick one genre and become the go-to writer for that genre. A component of that is to be working on several projects at once. Another is to keep an “idea folder” where news items, new ideas and fragments can combine to form a high-concept script which leaps out of today’s zeitgeist.

     Work on the character, especially your Main Character, takes a lot of time. Julie knows that most writers fall in love with their MC and don’t push the MC’s flaws or obstacles. Her advice is to not fall in love with your MC in the beginning, but “fall in love with who your MC will become, and make your MC earn it.” The beginning of the journey you take your audience on is your MC’s Flaw. This leads to her/his Want, leading to Need, leading to Stakes.

     The business end of the craft of screenwriting is worked on for the entire second day. Does your pitch grab a producer’s attention? Is your premise line universal and individual? Is your idea commercial? Yes, it’s horrible to take off your writer’s hat and put on your business hat, but it’s called the Movie Business for a reason. Julie says, “Movies are an emotional delivery system”, which means you have to have the content you want combined with the high-concept script the producer wants. “Writing should be joyful and playful,” Julie continues. “But you cannot write for the marketplace. You must write from the heart.” This helps you define the emotional content you want on the page. “(But) writers should write what scares them. It’s the only way to reach deeply enough to put meaning on the page.”

     Finally, Julie focuses on feedback. She says that if this is your first script, or a couple down the road, or it’s your first draft, don’t, repeat DO NOT, spend the money on a Hollywood reader. Have people you trust read the script, then grill them on what they liked and didn’t like; they need a reason why something thrilled them or turned them off. Being in a writing group could help, but only if the other writers are on your level or higher. Good feedback means being honest, and kind. “A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down,” Julie repeats. Starting off with a mention of several things in the script that work is a good way to move on to the things which don’t. And if you feel you can give good feedback, do it! “Good feedback is paying it forward,” she says.

     Julie’s love of good writing and of movies shines from her face whether she’s teaching or listening. Fun moments in the hours of hard work include trading favorite lines, listing your ten best movie picks, laughing over mistakes (her Rouge Wave story is hilarious!) and making sure you watch everything on www.angryalien.com <http://www.angryalien.com> , 30-second remakes of famous movies by Bunnies Theater, and featuring… bunnies.

     In the next few months, Julie’s production company will open. Evil Genius already has five scripts on its slate, and will focus on thrillers. Does she need more to do? Absolutely! Her first book, Just Effing Entertainment, will be published by Michael Weise Productions in April, 2011.

     Julie’s final wise bits of advice? Come to Los Angeles for networking events at least 1 or 2 times a year. Try to include a Julie workshop! Internet networking is important, too. Also, look for newer prodcos; they’re hungry, and the established studios use agents and managers as a filtering device but the smaller prodcos usually don’t. If your script is fewer than 90 pages, producers will think you don’t know what you’re doing. If your script is more than 110-115 pages, producers will think you don’t know what you’re doing. Either you’ve left out some of the basics, or you can’t control your story. Comedy, on the other hand, can come in nicely at 100-102 pages.

     And yes, typos count.

 A special thanks to contributing editor/writer Mary Harris

 Check out Mary Harris at: http://maryharriswriter.com

     

HOME

It’s over but read the interview.
She’ll be back next spring.

ChicagoHollywood Presents: