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Jul 2024
1h 13m

The Burden of Unpaid Work, Ramping Up Yo...

NO FILM SCHOOL
About this episode

At what point should you get paid for the work you do to develop a project? What types of conversations should you be having with your agent? How can you show up confidently for potential projects, even though you’re feeling utterly afraid?


In today’s episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins, Jason Hellerman, and guest Carrie Solomon discuss:

  • Smart ways to save money as a filmmaker
  • How to build rapport with your reps and make sure you’re on the same page
  • The truth about doing development work and how you should approach being paid
  • An important question you must ask yourself when writing a spec
  • When Carrie realized she needed to scale up the story for A Family Affair
  • Getting in the habit of reading scripts
  • Why she quit working as a PA on Ingrid Goes West
  • Being thrown into the world of studio writing
  • How doing improv helped Carrie have less fear when going into meetings
  • Embracing failure and welcoming fear
  • The most intimidating part about writing A Family Affair
  • The difference between likeability and lovability in characters 



Memorable Quotes

  • “It's hard to get money out of Hollywood right now. You’re squeezing water from a stone.” [19:59]
  • “The only way to make money in this business is if someone loves your idea so much.” [22:35]
  • “I try to read as many scripts as I possibly can. I’m usually not picking up a book, I’m picking up a screenplay.” [29:00]
  • “From a very young age, I was a storyteller. And by that, I mean as a child, I was a big fat liar.” [37:54]
  • “Everyone has their own terrible little journey with finally getting their fingers on the keyboard.” [50:50]




Mentioned

A Family Affair



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