One Woman's Writing Retreat: Craig Interview

Tom Craig

Interview by Catherine Tudor

Based in Hollywood, WriteMovies.com talks to hundreds of studio, agency, publishing, TV and production company executives every week. The site includes contests, a newsletter, a writers' forum, and informative articles written by the film industry's top players. MovieMaker Magazine has called WriteMovies.com "A virtual monopoly on the concept of . . . world cinema".

CT: Where were you born? Where have you lived? Where did you go to school? What kind of work did you do before you became involved in film?

TC: I was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado, was brought up in Princeton, New Jersey and Bennington, Vermont. I went to Darrow School near Pittsfield, Mass. and to college at Colorado College. I started a small bookstore before moving to Los Angeles and worked in book publishing before getting a job as a story analyst at Warner Bros..

CT: What originally drew you to the film industry?

TC: I loved to read and I loved going to the movies so I naturally gravitated toward a job reading screenplays. The job evolved into other areas of film-making.

CT: Am I right to assume the type of work you do involves a great deal of risk? If so, what types of risks are involved? Which is riskier: working in independent films or working with the studios in Hollywood?

TC: I have never looked at film-making as more or less risky than any career where you rely on your own talents. You must have a passion for what you do and in the end that passion will make your efforts worthwhile. Even if your film or screenplay does not make money, the experience of producing it can be very rewarding. You do risk failure all the time in the film-making process, but the real failure is in not trying.

In terms of risk it makes no difference if you work for a studio or make independent films. Budgets are generally higher for studio productions, but extra money does not insure success.

CT: The first time I learned anything about producers was from watching the 1952 film, THE BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL. Kirk Douglas plays a genius with a gift for producing hit movies despite all odds. He coaches a lead actress who has a drinking problem (played by Lana Turner), encourages a reluctant novelist to write a screenplay, and decides to direct one movie himself. How involved is a producer with all these elements of film-making today? Is the producer still in charge of casting, choosing a director, refining a script, advertising, marketing, budgeting, scheduling, working as a liaison between the studio heads and what goes on at the set?

TC: The definition of a producer in today's film-making world varies from movie to movie:

A producer can be someone who encourages or finances a writer but steps aside once the actual production begins.
A producer can be someone who influences a name actor or "hot" director to become involved with a project. A producer can be the person on the set making sure the production moves along smoothly.
A producer can be the person who secures the financing for a project.

Many producers do all of the above as well as have a say in the marketing and distribution of a film.

CT: How did you learn your craft?

TC: I learned the business by working my way up through the studio system. My job was to oversee many productions from the studio's perspective (i. e. was the producer staying within the financial guidelines that had been set up and was the director staying within the creative guidelines that had been agreed upon). This gave me the opportunity to watch and learn from some of the top directors, producers and writers in the business.

CT: Describe the process involved with the foreign distribution of films. How important is the overseas market to the success of an American film?

TC: The world is split up into two major distribution sections:

1) The United States and Canada (domestic distribution).

2) The rest of the world (foreign distribution).

The foreign distribution is then split into territories (i. e. Spain, UK, Japan, etc.). The rights to distribute a film can be sold separately to one or many of these territories or a major distributor may buy the entire world.

Foreign distribution is very important to the success of a film as in recent years the foreign market has grown to an average of 60% of a film's profit.

Foreign distribution is also important in raising money for independent films. Sometimes a producer is able to pre-sell a film project to a few territories thereby raising enough capital to finance production of the film.

It is interesting to note that certain genre films do better in certain parts of the world than in others. For example: action or horror movies do well in Latin America and Japan. Jerry Lewis or Jim Carrey sells well in Germany and teen comedies or sports movies play better in the U.S..

CT: You have been involved on an executive level with SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE, WHITE PALACE, RAIN MAN, HEART AND SOULS, BEETHOVEN, PRINCE OF TIDES, LEAVING NORMAL, THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST among others. What type of creative control have you personally had in any of these movies?

TC: Working as a studio executive you have a certain amount of creative control during the development of the script and the pre-production (budgeting) of the film. This is the time the financers, the producer and the director agree on what the movie will look like, who will star and how much it will cost. Once the movie gets the greenlight the director's vision takes over and a studio executive has much less control over the production.

CT: Do you have a favorite in your long list of accomplishments?

TC: It's hard to pick a favorite from the list of films I have been involved with. Each has memories, some good, some bad, but as I have said, you leave a little of yourself in each one, so even though they may not have been a success there is always something positive to take away from the experience.

CT: What are some of your all-time favorite films and why?

TC: I love movies so again it is hard to make a list. But:

DR ZHIVAGO. As an epic film-maker David Lean is unsurpassed, Julie Christy is beautiful, the Russian Revolution is fascinating.
MEAN STREETS. Martin Scorsese and Robert DeNiro as emerging talents--the gritty streets of New York.
MASH. The best anti-war film and very funny.

THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE, THE GREAT ESCAPE, TOOTSIE, THE LORD OF THE RINGS, etc., etc., etc..

CT: What usually gives a project a greenlight?

TC: Films get the greenlight for any number of reasons. For a studio film it is usually a great script, a star actor, a top director or a combination of all of the above. For an independent film it usually boils down to the passion and persistence of the filmmakers. In all cases, however, it is using the script, the star, the passion to attract the MONEY.

CT: Is the essence of a blockbuster easily defined?

TC: The essence of a blockbuster is not easily defined. If forced I would say a blockbuster consists of a known character or story (HARRY POTTER, SPIDER-MAN) that has top box-office stars. The story has to combine action and real emotion making the audience laugh, cry and sit on the end of their seats. Usually a blockbuster has to appeal to males, females, the young and the older. This said there are many examples of disappointments that have started with blockbuster potential. Nothing is a sure thing.

CT: Why are some screenplays or stories optioned, but never produced?

TC: There are many reasons why a screenplay may be optioned but not produced. There is an intense competition between the studios for the best product and as a result good projects are often caught up in bidding wars. Only after the deal is made does the studio try to attach a director or an actor and sometimes the elements do not fall into place.

Often times an executive or a financer will be attracted to an idea or concept in a poorly written screenplay. They will option the project for the idea and do a re-write. (Or they will simply buy a pitch and commission a script.) If the re-write does not deliver, the project never makes it to production.

Studios will also buy material for their favorite directors or actors, but if the talent loses interest, the project will go on the shelf.

CT: Should a writer be concerned about budget during the initial stages of creation? For instance, historical dramas might be expensive to produce so the author wonders if maybe the story should be set in present time. Should a writer ever worry about who might play the lead roles, whether or not the characters are castable?

TC: The most important thing a writer must do is tell a good story. Budget, casting, marketing hook should stay in the back of a writer's mind, but unless story, emotion, humor are present a project will not go too far.

CT: I have heard conflicting opinions about the importance of research. Some say tell a good story first, even if you have to change the facts to fit the situation. Others believe accuracy is of the utmost importance because the story will lose credibility with the audience if they catch a detail that doesn't ring true. What is your view on this?

TC: I say tell a good story first. That said, the plot and characters must be credible. You don't necessarily have to be absolutely true to history, but you must be true to the story you are trying to tell.

CT: How can writers learn how to pitch their work?

TC: Some writers feel they are not doing their job unless they tell every detail of their story in a pitch. Others feel if they tell jokes and "dance on the table" they will sell effectively.

Neither of these methods really works. A writer must put himself in the mind of the person he is pitching to. In most cases a writer must first interest an executive. Then that executive must sell his board on the idea. A pitch should be designed to give the executive ammunition to sell his colleagues.

At the end of the day we are in the film "business" so the buyer's first question is, "OK, how do I sell this idea?" A good pitch should answer that question. While developing a pitch a writer should think about what their story will look like on a poster or as a two minute trailer. Then pitch it that way. If a buyer wants more details they will ask.

In this way your listener will get what they need and you will not bore them with too much.

CT: Should new writers submit their work to contests? Why or why not?

TC: A writer will never sell his work if no one reads it. A new writer should get as many people as possible to read their work and contests are an excellent place to expose your work.

CT: You teach master classes through WriteMovies.com. What do you hope to accomplish there?

TC: Good movies can't be made without a good script. Many good scripts come from within the Hollywood system, but even more come from outside the system. There are many writers with stories to tell that for one reason or another have not been discovered yet. I have spent my career working with writers from Academy Award winners to first-timers. I love working with all of them, and if I can help a new writer become successful I become successful as well.

CT: How do you unwind at the end of the day? Do you go to the movies, read, or are you active in any outside hobbies or sports? With such a stressful lifestyle, how have you learned to balance private time and work?

TC: Unwind? Relax? I'm not familiar with those words. Seriously, spending time with family, spending time in Maine, playing and watching baseball and hockey with my son, talking about movies with my wife or anyone who will listen are times I am most relaxed.

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Catherine Tudor (formerly C.T. Atherton) founded One Woman's Writing Retreat in 1996 in order to create a network for writers at all stages in their careers. Read more about her here.

Relevant Links:

WriteMovies.com (Master Classes)
International Film and Television Workshops (Faculty)

Filmography links courtesy of IMDB.com:

Accidental Tourist, The

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