Current Projects of the Visual Writer Author

Brief prospectus on Scott's current movie projects

Note: Because of the unique nature of these projects, their descriptions are intentionally vague, and a non-disclosure agreement is required for more information (until a formal working agreement is entered into).

• Nowhere Man (working title) - Are we all going to die? - Script development phase: current project in development. Blog!
• Shore Legs (working title) - Those in need, enter here warily - Script development phase
• Reo (working title) - Hot women, Dirty money, Bitter betrayal - (Script development complete - in producer's hands)

Coming: Script development

Brief bio and writer/producer role of Dorian Scott Cole

Script development

Over the past 15 years I have seen TV productions increase in quality and movie productions rise in quality and then decrease. Most of the TV pilots I've seen have a lot of flaws, and they are easily fixed. Many of the movies I see have flaws that easily could have been fixed.

Coming: I offer two services for script development for independent productions:

1. A rigorous development process that will take a script at any development level, analyze and critique the characters, plot, and evaluate the movie audience appeal using up to 70 proprietary criteria, create a new synopsis, target a production budget, rewrite the script, bring it to a superior level, and consult with you during the entire process.
   
   First you will get a report on areas needing improvement and suggestions for improvement for $300.00. Turnaround time is two weeks.
   
   Next, if mutual recommendations are accepted (there shouldn't be disagreement at this point), turnaround on rewriting is ~four weeks. Your charge for the rewriting service is $3000.00, and you will also get a script breakdown with a preliminary estimated budget, and organized for shooting scheduling, with soundstage shooting recommendations. (Color coded script breakdown file (EP Scheduling), but no strip board.)
   
   Note that the budget estimate will include a worst case forecast for everything going wrong and everything being very expensive. Directors and production designers may want to make very different choices, which can't be accounted for. You will need to have a line producer fine tune the budget for items like property doubles, the exact cost of your crew and any deals, director choices, etc.
    
2. Audience potential: For scripts for which I do development, I also offer pre-production focus group analysis of a mini-production for story marketability and movie distribution. Cost is around $25,000.00. This does not apply to high action movies. It's better to spend $25,000.00 and fix it now, than to risk 1 to 5 million on a hope that the audience will like it.

Note:

• I can't project budgets that include stars or expensive action sequences due to the wide variability in these costs. Budget estimates can be at union scale or non-union for various parts of the cast and crew.
• I prefer stories that are both character and plot driven. I can do primarily plot driven. I do not do stories that are strictly character driven, slice of life stuff, with no discernible plot.

Contact through the TechGenie Media Web site.

Brief bio and writer/producer role

What the ?? is a writer/producer? I have a lot of experience to leverage and am jumping into this with both feet because of my up-to-my-ears involvement in writing, planning, and evaluating the Reo production. I see my role as understanding the market, creating the right product, and then bringing various unique creative elements to a production, putting the script through a strong development process that targets the audience and a realistic budget in which the movie can be made, and then being involved in a production in a creative way and as a manager. The creative emphasis I bring is architecting unique characters, unique plots, and superior screenplays that an audience will want to see.

The business experience I offer is unique marketing methods, and sound management abilities. The writer is not God. It takes a wonderful creative team of producers, a director, actors, and a talented production crew to bring a creative vision to life on screen. Having worked with actors before, I respect their input and interpretation. I appreciate the amazing magic done by a good director. But out of all the great ideas that are born, someone has to select the right ones and stick to the original concept, and make critical budget decisions. I'm the person who can do that. As a producer, I can leverage my product and am vested in Profit Participation. It just makes all of the business sense in the world.

My writing skills have improved significantly since these earlier spec scripts from the 1990s, but for an example of what I research and write, see:

• Cult of Superstition. Does repressed memory happen? Psychological drama. PG-13 for sensitive sexual topic. This must be downloaded and unzipped due to the sensitive topic.
• Riverboat Justice. Drama, action. General audience, PG-13 for some violence. Read online.

Dorian Scott Cole, Creative Experience:

Writer, researcher, screenplay and film critic, screenplay judge, development analyst, and PR, independently and at National Writers Workshop, L.A., which was supported by many major studios, major actors, and major directors in the 1980s and 1990s.

PR, and staged reading and Hollywood presentation organizer for National Writers Workshop, and later PR and marketing manager for other companies.

Author of How To Write A Screenplay (the publication - only - of which was supported by American Film Institute (AFI) through National Writers Workshop. It is non-curriculum but used in school systems and available on the Visual Writer site (www.visualwriter.com). Writers Workshop Script Doctor (no longer in print, but the topics have been available on the Visual Writer site since 1996), What's in a Word? (Internet published on Visual Writer). Most recently Ontology of God - The Voices of the Ancients Speak (available at Amazon.com). Author of several screenplays and related novels.

Theoretician and practitioner on semiotics (especially the use of visual symbols in screenplays).

Formal training in acting, video production, and radio. Makes radio commericials.

Internet author and publisher of the Visual Writer Web site: www.visualwriter.com, with over 600 articles on writing for all media, and the human condition (since 1996). Business: TechGenie Media (www.techgeniemedia.com), a media communications company. One Spirit Resources (www.onespiritresources.com).

I learned from my creative experiences that without discipline (and money), you get nowhere, but if you are disciplined and work hard at your tasks, learn, and apply what you know, you can accomplish great things.

Dorian Scott Cole, Management Experience:

Management experience in a Fortune 10 corporation (13 years) with budgeting, sales forecasting, and profit and loss responsibilities of $1.2 million. Inventory control responsibility in which I enabled others to reduce the field inventory by 50% with no loss in customer satisfaction. Met double-digit financial forecasts. Supervision responsibility of 15 people in 10 Midwest states. Training development and presentation responsibilities for multi-week training courses. Customer seminar organization and presentation responsibilities. Marketing manager in two companies (2 years total). Interfaced with many large companies in symbiotic relationships. Involved in focus groups for 8 years.

I learned from these management experiences how to delegate responsibility to people, keep them happy, train them, turn loose of the reigns, trust them to do their jobs well, and get the best results from them. The priority has to be developing for the market - no market, no sales. I learned the value of organizational skills, creative planning, and working the plan. I learned to resolve problems from anywhere at any time. There is a time to be creative and a time to produce results. My motto for 15 years was "Make it happen," and I did.

What I can do as a producer is: Analyze and test the market. Supervise a creative/production team in their work; produce pre-production services: Develop the screenplay as needed from investor, test audience, director, analysis, actor, and other feedback. Do script breakdowns for financial budget analysis and the shooting schedule. Develop a production budget with the assistance of a line producer. Do pre-photography market testing (pre-production focus groups). Develop a production schedule with the assistance of a production manager and director. Determine personnel needs. Assist in locating and selecting talent (director, director’s crew if needed, and actors), and other production personnel. Rehearse actors (I have a couple years of formal acting training and have directed my own plays). Find locations. Do marketing by creating buzz through the Internet, and through other traditional sources. Assist in finding a possible distributor. Keep communications flowing smoothly. Interface with outside agencies, investors, and other outside personnel. Do other services as needed. I don't know everything, but I ask questions, do research, and find out.

What is it like to work with Scott or a TechGenie Media project?

I respect creative artists and crew. Most people want to do a good job and I make sure they have the training and skill, turn them loose, give them the freedom to at least try new things, watch over the result, and only consult when needed. People should be having fun at what they do, or do something else. Creative people need to be creative - that and the result are their fun. I don't hire people with attitude problems, and if I find them I get rid of them before they become destructive. I have a strong background in psychology and develop good relationships with people, develop them, and know when to cut bait.

There is a lot of value in creative spontaneity and there's a lot of value in planning. I learned from being raised in an independent area to quickly throw things together and make them work, and to resolve problems quickly. I learned from years of management experience that long processes (such as a movie production) require doing most of the creative thinking up front, plan the work, work the plan, and manage the project as a process that usually doesn't go exactly as planned. Without solid planning you are flirting with disaster. But you have to be able to make mid-course corrections to reach the objective or a good outcome. My management strategy is process management and outcome based.