[Watch the video interview on Youtube here]
Film Courage: Corey, you say if you can’t answer this one question your script will be rejected?
Corey Mandell, Screenwriter and Screenwriting Instructor: Yes, true story. I broke in the business by selling a pitch to Ridley Scott called Metropolis when I was in film school and then I was flown to London to work with Ridley to flesh out the story before I go to write it. So it was really crazy, I mean I’m in film school and then I’m on a plane flying first class, which I didn’t…not only have I never flown first class, I didn’t know it existed. This is how dumb I am, they were coming by like Food and alcohol! and I was like No, no because I can’t afford any of that. Then when I was in London someone was like You don’t pay for that in first class, we paid for it. So I ate really well on the way home but anyway I’m in London and my big thing is I don’t want Ridley to realize I’m a student and I don’t know what I’m doing and I just don’t want to get fired the first day. I want to survive one day before I get fired. I was very freaked out. I go into the meeting, I’m just trying to act like I belong. I don’t feel like I do but I’m trying. Ridley Scott is a hero of mine. Anyway, we come down to business and he’s like:
Ridley: So, Metropolis, what’s it about?
I give him the plot overview like if you’re flipping through your DVR and there was like a description and he said:
Ridley: Oh yeah, yeah, what I mean is like what’s it really about, like at its core, what’s it about?
I remember going two thoughts:
Corey: Oh boy, I’m done. No one taught me this in film school. I’m not even sure what he’s asking.
Then the other thing is to:
Just look confident (because I was doing a lot of improv at the time), look confident and give an answer. I’m like:
Oh, that’s what you mean (I gave him an answer)
Ridley: Oh that’s interesting, but what do you think it’s really about?
Which is a nice way of saying swinging a miss kid and I kept giving him answers and he kept saying:
Ridley: What do you think it’s really about?
Eventually he took mercy on me, he changed the subject about something I could do, we talked for a while and we were done.
Then we were going to meet the next day and my plan was first time in London (an American in London), I was going to go get into trouble and see the sites but no, went back to my hotel room and called everyone I knew in LA:
Corey: What’s he asking me? What do I do? I don’t want to get fired!
Someone was married to a professional writer and she was nice enough to get on the phone with me and explain what Ridley was asking. I’ll get to this a little bit.
Then I had to figure out what he’s asking is (at its core), what is the one thing, the unifying thing that everything is about and I will continue the Ridley Scott story in a moment, but I just want to impress upon everyone listening how important this is because I wouldn’t have known this…(Watch the video interview on Youtube here).
About:
Corey Mandell is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter who has written projects for Ridley Scott, Wolfgang Petersen, Harrison Ford, John Travolta, Warner Brothers, Universal, 20th Century Fox, Fox 2000, Fox Family, Working Title, Paramount, Live Planet, Beacon Films, Touchstone, Trilogy, Radiant and Walt Disney Pictures.
Corey teaches screenwriting via private online classes using video conferencing to allow participants to see and hear each other in real time. His highly popular classes draw students from across the US, Europe and Australia.
His students have gone on to sell or option scripts to Warner Brothers, Paramount, Sony Pictures, Disney, Fox, Fox 2000, MGM, Universal, USA Network and Lifetime. Others have gained admission to the USC Graduate Screenwriting Program, the AFI Conservatory Screenwriting Program and Sundance Screenwriter’s Lab.
STUDY WITH COREY MANDELL
Coreymandell.net/professional-screenwriting-and-television-writing
CONNECT WITH COREY MANDELL
Coreymandell.net
Twitter
MORE VIDEOS WITH COREY MANDELL
https://bit.ly/2v8SPgy
Advertisement – contains affiliate links
(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases)
Check out Film Courage on Patreon!
More affiliates:
Camera we use for interviews – https://buff.ly/3rWqrra
Sound we use for interviews – https://amzn.to/2tbFlM9
Other books on Amazon that Film Courage recommends – https://buff.ly/3o0oE5o
