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Welcome to Film Broads, See?, a podcast for women who want to learn how to write and produce a film they love. If you're a newbie writer or filmmaker or an actress who's tired of auditions for one dimensional roles, if you're overseeing yet another badly written script from a mediocre white man and you want to do something about it, You're in the right place. Get inspired by the pioneering women of the golden age of Hollywood through to today's change makers and disruptors with practical how to's to finally write and produce your damn script already. I'm your host, Emily Grace. Welcome to the show. Welcome to episode 13. This is the last episode of season one. Which means you're ready to spread your wings and start scripting. It's so exciting. You made it maybe. I am so excited for you to finally write your damn script already. And for it to be a project that you absolutely love because isn't that the whole point of why you're doing this. to create a story that matters to you, that your passionate about. And that's so high quality. It's going to rally a community of fans around you. It's going to put you on the map in this industry and open the doors to bigger opportunities. I'm going through my own version of this process in real time. Right alongside you. So let me give you some quick updates on my two short films. Shadow work, which I'm co-producing is being edited. As we speak we're on like the fourth edit at this point, we have such an incredible editor on board. And I have to say. She has been able to work so quickly because we had an amazing script supervisor on set. I do intend to do a bonus season this summer. I'm thinking called from the trenches. Which is going to be about the biggest lessons and reminders I've learned going through my own self production process that I want to share with you while it's still fresh. And one of the best things you can do on your own production is to get a top notch supremely organized script supervisor on your team. It's going to make your post-production process so much easier. And then we have my short film pigeon. Now officially retitled the pigeon because apparently there are at least two other recent short films that are titled pigeon. Now, I think I'm probably going to reach out to those filmmakers at some point when, when my pigeon is done. So we can do like a back-to-back screening of all the short films that are about pigeons. I'm so excited that on this final episode of season one, I can officially announce that the team who brought you shadow work will also be bringing you the pigeon. We've got the same director and director of photography. And then Katie who wrote, produced and starred in shadow work. Is going to be my co-producer and assistant director. So we're just sort of swapping places on each other's films. And this is a theme that has come up often on this podcast with the film broads that I've introduced you to from old Hollywood, there's this running theme of. Once this pioneering woman had a great group of collaborators, she would tend to work with those same people again and again. And it makes sense if you have a great experience and a great working relationship with someone, you want to be able to repeat that as often as possible, because you don't always have great experiences in this industry, unfortunately. So when you have those people that, you know, you can trust and rely on, they're going to do a great job and you just get along. You want to hold onto those people and find ways to keep working together. So I am so thrilled. That we had such an amazing experience on shadow work, that everyone is excited to repeat it. On this next film. We've got our core creative team in place. The crowdfunding pigeon PASI is prepping for our campaign launch. And I can't wait to share this film with you. Our crowdfund is launching soon. So if you want to follow along on that journey, go to write your short.com. There will be a link. About the pigeon so that you can of course donate. And I will be asking you to donate because it's, you know, every dollar counts we're doing a micro budget and we need all of the money that we can get. So yes, I would be. Honored and grateful for your financial contribution and. I want you to follow along on this journey as a podcast listener, you've heard me talking about this. Film for a long time. And now we're right on the precipice of actually making it. And of course, I want you to be included on the journey. So even though the podcast will be on hiatus, so that I can focus on making the pigeon. You can follow along, just go to write your short.com and find the right link. To be up to date on what's happening with the film. And since this episode is about finally writing your script, writing an amazing compelling professional level script. I want to talk about two incredible TV shows that I've been so compelled to watch because the writing is so, so good. It's Ripley on Netflix and Shogun on Hulu. Ripley stars, Andrew Scott, who played hot priest in Fleabag, which I think is one of the best examples of an actress created project that was so unique and specific and it became universal. So I've been a huge Andrew Scott fan since then. He stars as Tom Ripley and yes, it is another taling of the Tom Ripley story that originated in the Patricia Highsmith novel. And this version is such a great example of the power of a compelling character. If you haven't listened to episode three of this podcast yet. I talk about why asking if your idea is good enough as the wrong question. Instead you want to ask, are my characters compelling enough? Because if they are, your audience will follow that character wherever they go. Take Tom Ripley. As an example, this story has been told. So many times with different versions over decades. I think the book originally came out in 1955 and since then there have been multiple iterations of this story. There was Ripley's game, which started John Malcovich the talented Mr. Ripley, the Anthony Minghella film with Jude law, Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Kate Blanchet. Now we have the Netflix series with Andrew Scott. So like, you know exactly what's going to happen in this story. And yet this performance is so compelling. Even though I know what's going to happen. They know how to ratchet up the dramatic tension. There's dread that I have when I'm watching it. I just cannot look away from the screen. The Netflix series really is its own unique version and very specific point of view. On a story that's been told many, many times. And then there is Shogun on Hulu. Oh, it's just incredible. This show is also adapted from a novel like Ripley. This story is set in 16 hundreds, Japan, and my God is so gorgeous. The landscapes, the wardrobe. The acting is top notch. Half of the dialogue. Is in Japanese and I don't care sometimes at night, you know, I'm watching TV, I'm tired. I don't really want to read subtitles. I will do it for Shogun because I love it so much. It's such a beautiful, well-told compelling story. So if you're looking for something to watch. I highly recommend Ripley and Shogun. And both of these shows are so compelling because they started with a great script. So let's talk about how to get your script on the page. In the most powerful, compelling way possible. The moment of truth has arrived. You've done. The prep work, the foundation is in place and it's finally time to jump into scripting. This is what you've been working towards. Now you get to bring the idea in your head to life. On the page to make your vision a reality. To create a script based on your experience or your imagination, that's deeply personal to you. So take a moment to imagine what it's going to be like when your project is finally done. What does success look like to you? I like to imagine seeing pigeon screen at a film festival, the lights go down. And then a moderator introduces me for the Q and a, and the audience is clapping as I come out onto the stage. And then all of the questions at the talk back are intelligent. Well thought out questions. Because I've met at those talkbacks where the questions are really sexist or misogynist or just like dumb. In my vision, success looks like smart people resonate with my film and ask smart questions at the talk back. So what does success look like for you? Maybe it's seeing your name in the credits as the credits roll. Maybe it's that moment at the end of your production. When the director calls, that's a wrap and you are cheering and hugging and crying and celebrating with your crew and your entire team that your film is in the can. Maybe it's signing on the dotted line of a contract for a bigger project because of a meeting that was set in motion because of this amazing film that you made. Let that future vision become very clear and specific and let it excite you. Because the more connected you are to why you want to write this script in the first place. What it truly means to you and the emotions and the energy you imagine it's going to elicit when that happens, the more fuel you're going to have to push past the obstacles because obstacles are coming. I'm sorry to inform you, but you have to know what's coming, writing a script as a challenge whether you've done this many times before, or this is your first time. I hope that you followed the steps in this podcast to get your prep in place and have a strong foundation. Even when you have all of that, it's going to be difficult. Which is why I really hope you don't embark on this process all by yourself. Let me help you. That's why I do what I do. That's why I work with clients. That's why I have programs so that I can help you get your script done. In the most efficient way possible and make it the best script it can be. I've been there. I've tried to write a script. On my own a couple of times. And it was always a mistake. So before I had a writing process, I didn't feel like I needed to study screenwriting. I thought, well, I'm an actor. I know how to create characters. I understand a good script when I read one and I've read. Hundreds, if not thousands of scripts as an actor breaking down audition sides. And the time that I spent in an independent production company doing their script coverage. So naturally I thought I already knew how to write a script. It wasn't something that I needed to study. Which is kind of like a screenwriter saying, I don't need to take an acting class. Right. I write scripts. I don't need to learn how to act if they wanted to put their acting hat on and expand their multihyphenate status. It's ludicrous. Now at some point, I did read a couple of those classic screenwriting books that you've probably heard about if not read yourself. And then I still didn't know what to do when I sat down at my laptop to write, I didn't know what step to follow. I didn't know where to begin. I was just completely lost and overwhelmed. And ultimately that led to years, years, like probably a decade, all told of spinning my wheels of trying to start this project of getting overwhelmed, deleting everything. Oh, it's going to be a web series. Now it's a feature film. Now it's a TV pilot. Like I just spun around. In a spiral for years. cause, I didn't know how to translate the idea in my head onto the page. Not just as a script, as a good script, as a script that I could feel proud of. Have a script that was clearly professional level that would open doors for me and not just get feedback, uh, playing. Ooh, it's not quite ready. It's not up to standard. And here's the thing that was so frustrating for me. I was excited about this project. It was based on a deeply personal experience that mattered to me. I always knew I would turn it into a screenplay, even when it was happening. I was passionate. I was determined and nothing was going to stop me from writing the script. And even with all of that determination and drive. None of that translated to actually being able to write a script because I didn't have the skillset. I didn't have the guidance to get me on the hook. I didn't have the deadlines. I didn't have a roadmap to follow. To show me what steps to take. So even though I had all this passion and all this ambition, I didn't have anywhere to put it because I didn't know what I was doing. That's why I'm so passionate that you get on the hook. You get help. To write your script because I know firsthand how much time I lost, how much opportunity I probably wasted. Because I was too stubborn to get help. I didn't know where to get help. I didn't know what to do. And so I just, so stubbornly told myself, well, I can figure this out. I don't need any help. And it just led to time taking away and getting further and further away from my script instead of closer. And now I'm at the point with this particular script, which is my TV pilot. That. Other shit went down in my life that. Became more important that had more urgency. That impacted me more because so much time. Has passed from when I first started writing this idea until now that as much as I love this ripped. I love that I've written it and I want to move forward in the process. It does not feel urgent anymore. That's how much time I wasted spinning my wheels. And I don't want that to be the same case for you. It breaks my heart when a potential client comes to me saying something like I've been working on my script since 2017, and I keep getting feedback that it isn't up to professional standards. And then that is all of the feedback that they're getting. Right? There's no, Follow up with support or here's the tool that you need to fix this piece of feedback that I just gave you. And so what I've seen time and time again is. Someone who's never written before, goes off on their own. They write a script. They share it with someone for feedback, and then they don't. Have any tools in their toolbox to do something with the feedback. The feedback isn't actually helpful. It's more like pointing out problems, but not offering any solutions or any steps to implement the solutions. I have a client right now. Who I love so much. She's writing a pilot that the idea for it is brilliant. The script for it is not brilliant yet. Not yet, but we're getting there. But here's the thing. She came to me after spending a year writing. She's on her fifth draft of the pilot. She too, is someone who got feedback from. Like an executive friend of hers, who's in the world of television who setting, well, it's not up to professional standard or the act structures aren't quite right, but then that's the end of it. There's no support. To say, and here's how to fix that. So she's written five drafts of this pilot on her own. Over the past year. Just to end up with a script that we essentially need to undo everything, go back to the beginning and redo the whole thing. Now. She's doing it. Right. She stepping up, she loves this project. I love this project and I see where she wants to go with it and where we need to get to, to articulate that idea. So the momentum is going now because she finally has the guidance. That she didn't have for the past year. But how painful is it? To have written a script. Five times. Only to have to go back and do it all again, after a year that she's invested in her life. And that's just a year of writing, not to mention. Who knows how many years, like I did that, she spent thinking about the idea, starting the idea. Ditching it starting over again. But I'm so glad that she's my client now. Because I know what to do. This is my jam. I can look at her script and see exactly what we need to fix. So that she can articulate the idea in her head. And let me just clarify here. I'm not a co-writer, I'm not writing the scripts with my clients. I empower my clients with the right questions and the right tools. To help their vision snap into clarity to help them properly structure their characters and have the right story elements so that their script is not only a reflection of the vision that they so deeply care about. It's also a professional level script that is going to make them look good, no matter what they do with it. And this client who story, I'm sharing a little bit about. I wish she had come to me a year ago. Right. Because her script would have already been done. We would be refining and perfecting her pitch. And building her network of connections or. Finding ways to get her meetings, to get into pitch rooms, to be selling this script. Instead of having to undo everything and, and start again. That is the opportunity costs that comes when you don't get help from the beginning. That's why I'm so passionate about. Working together. It doesn't have to be painful. It doesn't have to take years. It can be very direct and simple. When you are on the hook to accountability. When you have the support and guidance of a professional writing process, you have access to feedback from someone who knows more about screenwriting than you do. And you have the willingness to show up and do the work that it takes to actually get this done. So if you have listened to season one of this podcast, and now you're thinking, okay, Emily, thanks for all this free information. Now I'm going to go off and write this script by myself in a vacuum. Please don't do that. Let me ask you a couple of questions to help you get a realistic view of what deciding to go off and do this on your own actually means. The first question is, do you feel 100% competent in your writing process? Because if you don't, I can help you. That's what I do. Next question. Can you keep yourself accountable? To do this, be really honest with yourself. I'll use myself as the example, when I am not on the hook to accountability with a coach, whether it's a screenwriting coach or a business coach. I will put this thing off forever. The minute, my life gets stressful or too busy or overwhelmed. The first thing that is taken off of my to-do list is a creative project. I know myself so well, I can't be accountable on my own. I just accept that about myself now. So if something is really important to me, I get on the hook with a coach, with a program with some kind of accountability. Outside of myself. And I don't rely on my husband. They say, relying on your intimate partner is actually the worst person to rely on for accountability. Uh, because there's this a lot of like, Other stuff that can get into the space or. Well, they want to be nice to you and they see you're so overwhelmed. And so then they say, oh, it's okay. You don't have to keep that deadline. Right. The worst person to lean on for accountability. According to science is your partner. Next question. What is your level of confidence in act structure in the version of the script that you're writing? Short films and feature films have a three act structure, TV, comedies, and TV pilots have different act structures from each other. And from three extructor films. So it's really essential that you understand. Act structure and story elements. For the pacing of your script. For the order that your story unfolds in. And if all of this is making you feel stressed out now, Get into my program. You don't have to figure this out by yourself. I can just tell you. And then let's think about. The creative process in general are the best creative ideas generated from one person and one person only. Or do great ideas come from. Uh, collaborative group think. The scripts that I've written have. Always been better served. When I was in an environment of a writing coach and a group of other writers who were all freely contributing ideas to one another, it just makes every script better. My scripts have always become better because I incorporated in idea or someone asked me a question that I hadn't thought about, which helped me clarify my story and make my story more clear to the audience. Television writer rooms are based on a collaborative writing experience while yes, each writer will be assigned an episode that they go off and write on their own. The brainstorming, the exchange of ideas, the feedback all comes from a group collaborative process. So his going off on your own and writing the script in a vacuum with no access to feedback. With no access to someone who knows more about screenwriting than you do the best choice for your script, or is there another choice that might help you make your script even better? And now let's talk about timelines. How long does it take to write a script? Ultimately, it takes as long as it takes. And it really depends on you. On your level of commitment. On your level of output on your willingness to set and meet deadlines and turn in pages. And make this project a priority. The TV, pilot story that I was sharing with you earlier, that took me about 10 years to write a TV pilot. And it shouldn't right. That is a ridiculously long amount of time. Now was I sitting at my desk writing for 10 years? No. I was doing it in fits and starts. I kept changing my mind and changing the format. The story just kept changing a million times. So most of that time was spent. Confused. And frustrated the actual once I learned these writing tools. Which I learned a few years ago, I was actually able to write the first draft of my pilot in about six months. And we're talking about a TV pilot, right? Six months to a draft is a decent amount of time in terms of how long it. Can take to write a project. If you're writing a shorter project, it could take you less time. Katie who wrote shadow work in my short film lab. She wrote that in eight weeks, right? And she was able to do that because she was on the hook with assignments and next steps and deadlines. Over the entire time that she was writing it. So the amount of time it takes to write the script really depends on your ability to prioritize, to give yourself structure and also your knowledge of what writing tool. You should be working on. I kind of think about it, like. College versus real life. When I was in college. And I had that structure and those deadlines. I did the work. I stepped up. I did it. I made time. It was a priority and I got things done. Once I was out of college, it was like, oh no, there's no structure. Like I have to do all of this for myself. That's why I love what I do now. It provides you with an environment of structure, community support and tools. So that you can build momentum on this project instead of languishing away, trying to do this. On your own. Like I did like this entire, all of the programs that I offer. Are the tools and the support I wish I had had a long time ago. And the irony is I can't be my own coach. Right. It still doesn't work for me, even though I provide these tools to so many people, I think I've helped about 300 people at this point. Write a script that they love. I still am not able to be my own coach. I still need outside accountability to, to actually get my projects done to. I love what I do so much. I love the people that are, that resonate with the work that I do. I've had the privilege of working with. Hundreds of amazing people. And helping them turn an idea in their head, into a reality out in the world. And at the risk of sounding arrogant. I'm really good at what I do. Sorry, not sorry. I'm really good at what I do. I have the gift of seeing things from all aspects. I can see it. From. Screenplay formatting and all of the technical sides of writing. I can see it from the creative side in terms of telling the story. I can see it from the performance side. If you're writing for yourself to act in this, and I also have the ability to see this from the point of view of a producer. If you intend to move into self production. I'm going to have an eye out to all of the things that could make that easier or more difficult for you. And I love it. Right. I love. Talking about screenplays. I love seeing the idea. Light bulb go off in someone's head when something becomes really clear. I love feedback sessions, where the, you, as the writer, get to hear your work in the mouths of actors and see your work. Come alive. It's one of my absolute favorite things to do. So I encourage you to think about. How much does your project matter to you? Does it matter enough for you to get some skin in the game? To get on the hook to actually get this project to the finish line and my skin in the game. I mean, Money. Are you willing to put your money at risk to put your feet to the fire? So you will finally build the momentum that you need to make this project and not just make it right. We're not just making stuff for the sake of making it. I want to help you make a high quality project that you're so unbelievably proud of. You can't wait to share it. It's going to make you look good and give you credibility. Whether that is as. The screenwriter period, whether that's as the filmmaker, whether you want to act and produce in it, whatever your goal is with this project. I want to guide you to make this. The absolute best, highest quality. Most loving project that you can't wait to be in to shout it from the rooftops to share it. With everyone in the industry and beyond. Do you think your project is worth that? Because I do. I wouldn't be doing this. If I didn't. Your story and your perspective matters. You know, part of what inspired me to make this podcast in the first place is. That feeling of rage. When I see yet another mediocre, usually white man. Making another story that we've seen. 50 million times. The script is mediocre, and yet it's on a streaming service, right? There are so many voices out there that are vital that have been marginalized that don't. Get on Hollywood's radar because they're too lazy or too scared. Or to unimaginative to understand why this story would be so resonant and so vital. I want to empower you to make your story no matter. Who. He gives you or doesn't give you permission. You don't need permission. But you do need professional level quality. We're not going to make. Junk. We're going to make something amazing. So we can start opening doors for you and everyone who comes after you. If you resonate with me and the way that I work, I would be so honored to take the next step with you. And start working together. So go to write your short.com to get started, or you can DM me on Instagram. We can DM privately about what feels like the right next step for you to make sure that your needs are being met through the work that we do together. Or you can be like, I was and continue to be stubborn and say, no, I'm going to do this on my own. And. Check back with me in six months when most likely are in the same exact place that you are right now. I can say that because I lived it and I know how these things go. I'm ready to meet you where you are. All you need to do is show up and say yes to yourself. So before I introduce you to our next film, broad. I want to just talk briefly about how to start scripting. In an ideal world, you have followed all of the steps of the, of this podcast. In order you have a strong foundation in place, and you also have an outline in place that is properly structured, and all of your story elements are in that outline. You're going to use that outline as the blueprint to start scripting. I like to write my script. One act at a time. So that I don't get overwhelmed and like lose my mind and shut down. So look at your outline for act one. And then you're going to write all of the scenes for act one in order. And. Listen, your outline is not set in stone. Ideas will come to you. Things may change. Great. Be flexible. Sometimes I find once I get to the end of the first draft, then I realize, oh, Now I know what the script is about and I got to go back and revise everything I just did. So now that you have your outline in place, use that as a springboard to go scene by scene. And I would suggest that you start with one act. And then get feedback on that act before you move on to the next act. That would be my advice. On how to script your story from here. And it's so exciting. You're at the process of scripting. You finally get to jump into scene writing. I'm so thrilled for you and I can't wait to be your guide on this process. So go to write your short.com or DM me on Instagram. Let's fucking do this. I want to end season one of this podcast with another introduction to an incredible film rod. It's British born movie star writer, producer, and groundbreaking filmmaker. Ida Lupino. She was a trailblazer who challenged the status quo with a personality that truly broke the mold, especially in the era in which she lived. Which of course this led to her being labeled difficult, something that is still a way to keep women in check. Something that many women still struggle with on film sets. A man is assertive. A woman is bitchy. A man is a visionary. A woman is demanding. A man is direct. A man is bold. A woman is difficult. But I digress. Okay. So Ida Lupino is quoted as saying to a reporter. Now I know she's British, but we've got to give her the universal film, broad accent. Okay. She's quoted as saying. I'm mad. They say I am temperamental and dizzy and disagreeable. We'll let them talk. Only one person can hurt me. Her name is Ida. Lupino say. I added the C, but everything else isn't direct quote. So Ida came from a long line of performers. Her father Stanley was dubbed the king of musical comedy in Britain and her mother, Connie O'Shea was an actress known as the fastest tap dancer alive. She felt pressured to follow in her parents' footsteps. So Ida started out at the Royal academy of dramatic arts in the early 1930s. And she quickly became a film star in England, often playing the bad girl roles, which at that time, of course meant prostitutes. She came to Hollywood in 1933 when she was 15 to screen test for the lead role in Alice, in Wonderland, a film that she thought she was unfit for because she wasn't innocent or wide-eyed enough. And not that surprising considering that she was already playing prostitutes and I have a fun thread to connect about this. So the Sundance film that I start in. Was called what Alice found, which was based on the full book title of Lewis Carroll's through the looking glass and what Alice found there, which is an allusion to Alice in Wonderland. And I also played. Uh, truck stop prostitutes. So her playing prostitutes and then screen testing for. Alison Wonderland was just a fun, little wink. That I felt the universe was giving me. Thank you universe. While she was in Hollywood, she signed with paramount, which wanted to make her into another Jean Harlow. Now we haven't covered Jean Harlow on this podcast, but she was the original blonde bombshell. She died. Tragically at the age of 26, just as her star was on the rise. This was long before Marilyn Monroe came along. Which is who you probably think of when you think about the blonde bombshell, but Marilyn Monroe was actually a fan of Jean Harlow and. Emulated, some of her look and style. Jean Harlow was the vivacious star with the platinum blonde hair. She had the Vava. Boom figure. And she excelled at playing these tough talking bad girls with precise, comedic timing and surprising vulnerability. She was absolutely adored by audiences. And she was a huge star at MGM in the 1930s. So naturally paramount wanted to capitalize on her popularity by creating their own version. Which is what they still try to do today. Right? The sequels, the trying to recreate a hit. With another sort of water down, not as great version. This is still a major part of the Hollywood playbook. Which is why we need a, your unique, specific. Original story. And it's also another reason why I think. Independent film and learning how to self produce your own projects are so vital. Because they can actually get made and they can actually find an audience. Okay. So soon enough, Ida Lupino is transitioned from star in Britain to celebrity in America was complete and she became widely known for her eccentricities and her bravado. LA times journalist Alma Whittaker wrote of Ida. Her self-confidence is utterly sumptuous. She left me a little breathless, this deliciously arrogant child. So we think of the time period of this was the 1930s. This was still an era where women on screen, especially where either the ingenue, like the naive innocent Asha knew, or they were the vamp, the like bad girl who needed to repent. Women were homemakers. They, they didn't have a lot of independence. So this idea of like just a fully self-actualized confident woman. Was groundbreaking for this time. Her friend British American actress, Joan Fontaine. Who was an Oscar winner, who also carried on a lifelong of famous feud with her own sister, Olivia de Havilland. She says of Ida, of course, Ida isn't normal, no one accused her of that. One of her peculiarities is that she does everything well. By the late 1930s, Ida ditched this. Image of Jean Harlow that was projected on to her. She dyed her hair brown and she ditched the heavy style makeup. She wasn't going to be pigeonholed by Hollywood. Do you see what I did there? I worked in something about the pendant okay. Instead, she became a tough, smart hard-edged Renaissance woman. She started with Humphrey Bogart in, they drive by night and later in the high Sierra and said that the two called themselves the gruesome twosome, swearing that they would only play tough characters. Throughout her acting career in the studio system. Ida's bulldozing personality sometimes found her on the sidelines. While contracted with Warner brothers. She would object to being cast in poorly written roles or a part she felt were beneath her. And she would even take it upon herself to make script revisions. Now, of course, the studio didn't like that and then they would suspend her. But while she was on suspension, it gave her time to observe filmmaking and the editing processes, which led to her interest in directing. In the late 1940s, she and her then husband, Callie or young formed an independent company called the filmmakers Inc. The goal was to produce direct and right. Low budget issue, oriented films. Kind of link what you're learning, how to do on this podcast. They produce 12 feature films. Ida directed six of them and she co-wrote, or wrote herself five of them. Now the goal of the company was to tell how America lives through independent pictures, which is kind of ironic considering that she was British, but maybe she had, uh, an unbiased view. Her 1949 script. Not wanted. Explored unwed motherhood and unwanted pregnancies. When the original director of the film dropped out, Ida stepped in for her directorial debut, although she isn't even credited for it. Not wanted became a surprise success. Although is it really a surprise pregnancy motherhood, reproductive rights have always been a hot button issue. And are still under attack. 75 years later. The film was shot for $153,000 and it went on to make a million dollars at the box office. To which Ida said. Thank God for knocked up girls a. Not great, Ida. It's not a great sentiment. And also. You're not getting a British accent, reenactment. Now. She was the second woman admitted to the directors Guild of America. The first woman being Dorothy Asner, who was a big supporter of not wanted. And Ida subsequent films explored seams of women trapped by social conventions and taboo subjects like sexual assault and outrage. And. Well, big of me in the big chemist. Her film, never fear addresses polio, which apparently Ida survived as a child, which is another great example of writing a script based on personal experience. And her best known directorial project. The hitchhiker is the only film the war from the classic period of that genre that was ever directed by a woman. She was a master of shooting films, cheaply. And you can do that too. When you revisit episode seven of this podcast. How to write a film that you can actually produce. She was able to keep costs down by shooting in actual locations versus on a studio where they would have to build a big, expensive set. She just shot. In people's homes, for example. She reused sets from other films on her own projects. And she did a lot of planning. In pre production to avoid any technical mistakes or retakes, something that we'll talk a lot more in depth during that bonus season from the trenches, which is coming soon. She was also really technically savvy and she fully understood the craft of filmmaking from camera angles and lenses to how to light her actresses, to flatter them, to getting what she needed on film during the shoot, not just from a technical aspect, but from an acting aspect as well. According to editor Stanford Tischler. She wasn't the kind of director who would shoot something than hope. Any flaws could be fixed in the cutting room. The acting was always there. It's sort of like the modern day version of. We'll fix it in post, which of course you usually can't fix it in post. So just try to get it on set. During the shoot. Despite her studio reputation as an aggressive. Right. Aggressive woman. Fuck off. Aggressive take no shit personality. Her temperament with her actors was very, very different. The back of her director's chair would be labeled as a mother or mother of us all. So she really took a much more. Connected feminine approach with her creatives. Now as one of the only consistently working female directors in Hollywood at the time. I mean, just imagine the pressure she would have been under. There's no doubt that she faced challenges and lots of delicate male egos in the workplace. Now she dealt with this by making a point to seem very nonthreatening. Yet, she still was able to get things done and she's quoted as saying. I hate women. Come on Ida, you hate women. All right. I hate women who order men around professionally or personally. I want a day. I'll do that to mild man. And I don't do it with the guys on set. I say, darlings mother has a problem. I'd love you to do this. Can you do it? I know it sounds kooky, but I want to do it. And they do it. And, you know, There's a lot to unpack there, but. She found a way to get shit done. Ida's production company closed in 1955 and then she pivoted to directing television. Including more than 30 episodes. From 1956 through 1968 for shows like Alfred Hitchcock presents thriller have gun will travel, honey west, the Donna Reed show the fugitive another. IP, we've seen several iterations of Bewitched, the pilot episode of Gilligan's island. And the Twilight zone. She's the only woman to direct a Twilight zone episode, period. And she's also the only person to both star in one episode of the Twilight zone. And to direct another episode. The last film she directed was the trouble with angels in 1965. Starring Haley mills. And by the 1970s, she stopped directing though. She did continue to act, but by this point she had three failed marriages and in a strange relationship With her only child and her demons began to take over in the form of alcoholism. Which just seems to be such a running theme for many of the film broads that we've introduced on this podcast. We live in an era where mental health is talked about. It's not taboo. We going to therapy is encouraged. Not to say that we don't have just as many demons or darkness or things to deal with. But imagine living in an era where. Mental health. Wasn't a concept at all where therapy. Barely even existed. All of the trauma that you went through, you just kind of had to shove it down and keep going. No wonder so many of them turned to alcoholism in the end. Ida passed away in 1995. Which brought an end to her legacy of a career built on having agency and independence and creating work that deeply mattered to her. She made films as she described it with poor bewildered people, because that's what we are. And while she has been quoted as saying that she was not a feminist, which isn't super surprising if you listened to any of her earlier quotes.. Her films focused on women's issues. She liked strong female characters, which she describes as not women who have masculine qualities about them, but a role that has intestinal fortitude. Some guts to it.. Which is really how we could describe Ida herself, a woman with fortitude and guts. And we can use it to describe you too. It takes guts to write a script that you love. It takes vulnerability to allow yourself to get the support you need to make this happen. And it takes courage to get skin in the game to decide. Yes, my script is a priority. Yes. I believe in myself and I'm worth investing in to make the best possible script. I can. You are absolutely worth it. And I can't wait to work with you. So DM me on Instagram at the only Emily grace, or go to write your short.com to get started. Now that season one is complete. I will be spending the next couple of months working on the pigeon, my short film, we're moving into crowdfunding and then pre production. And then I will be back with my bonus season from the trenches where I'll be sharing the most recent lessons. From self production that I really cannot wait to share with you. That will be coming sometime this summer. In the meantime, you can follow along with my journey to bring my film, the pigeon to life. You can find a link@writeyourshort.com and don't be a stranger DME on Instagram. I love hearing from you. And of course, I'm really excited to start working with you on your script. We did it. We got season one in the can. I'm so honored that you are on this journey along with me, as well as stepping up to the plate for yourself. I'm excited for what's to come. And thank you so much for listening. I will see you next time. If you enjoyed the show, remember to subscribe, and even better, leave a five star review. Ready to finally write and produce your damn script already? Go to writeyourshort. com to get started. And connect with me on Instagram at theonlyemilygrace. Your story matters, and who better to tell it than you? Stay tuned for the next episode, and I'll see you there.
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Welcome to Film Broads, See?, a podcast for women who want to learn how to write and produce a film they love. If you're a newbie writer or filmmaker or an actress who's tired of auditions for one dimensional roles, if you're overseeing yet another badly written script from a mediocre white man and you want to do something about it, You're in the right place. Get inspired by the pioneering women of the golden age of Hollywood through to today's change makers and disruptors with practical how to's to finally write and produce your damn script already. I'm your host, Emily Grace. Welcome to the show. Welcome to episode 13. This is the last episode of season one. Which means you're ready to spread your wings and start scripting. It's so exciting. You made it maybe. I am so excited for you to finally write your damn script already. And for it to be a project that you absolutely love because isn't that the whole point of why you're doing this. to create a story that matters to you, that your passionate about. And that's so high quality. It's going to rally a community of fans around you. It's going to put you on the map in this industry and open the doors to bigger opportunities. I'm going through my own version of this process in real time. Right alongside you. So let me give you some quick updates on my two short films. Shadow work, which I'm co-producing is being edited. As we speak we're on like the fourth edit at this point, we have such an incredible editor on board. And I have to say. She has been able to work so quickly because we had an amazing script supervisor on set. I do intend to do a bonus season this summer. I'm thinking called from the trenches. Which is going to be about the biggest lessons and reminders I've learned going through my own self production process that I want to share with you while it's still fresh. And one of the best things you can do on your own production is to get a top notch supremely organized script supervisor on your team. It's going to make your post-production process so much easier. And then we have my short film pigeon. Now officially retitled the pigeon because apparently there are at least two other recent short films that are titled pigeon. Now, I think I'm probably going to reach out to those filmmakers at some point when, when my pigeon is done. So we can do like a back-to-back screening of all the short films that are about pigeons. I'm so excited that on this final episode of season one, I can officially announce that the team who brought you shadow work will also be bringing you the pigeon. We've got the same director and director of photography. And then Katie who wrote, produced and starred in shadow work. Is going to be my co-producer and assistant director. So we're just sort of swapping places on each other's films. And this is a theme that has come up often on this podcast with the film broads that I've introduced you to from old Hollywood, there's this running theme of. Once this pioneering woman had a great group of collaborators, she would tend to work with those same people again and again. And it makes sense if you have a great experience and a great working relationship with someone, you want to be able to repeat that as often as possible, because you don't always have great experiences in this industry, unfortunately. So when you have those people that, you know, you can trust and rely on, they're going to do a great job and you just get along. You want to hold onto those people and find ways to keep working together. So I am so thrilled. That we had such an amazing experience on shadow work, that everyone is excited to repeat it. On this next film. We've got our core creative team in place. The crowdfunding pigeon PASI is prepping for our campaign launch. And I can't wait to share this film with you. Our crowdfund is launching soon. So if you want to follow along on that journey, go to write your short.com. There will be a link. About the pigeon so that you can of course donate. And I will be asking you to donate because it's, you know, every dollar counts we're doing a micro budget and we need all of the money that we can get. So yes, I would be. Honored and grateful for your financial contribution and. I want you to follow along on this journey as a podcast listener, you've heard me talking about this. Film for a long time. And now we're right on the precipice of actually making it. And of course, I want you to be included on the journey. So even though the podcast will be on hiatus, so that I can focus on making the pigeon. You can follow along, just go to write your short.com and find the right link. To be up to date on what's happening with the film. And since this episode is about finally writing your script, writing an amazing compelling professional level script. I want to talk about two incredible TV shows that I've been so compelled to watch because the writing is so, so good. It's Ripley on Netflix and Shogun on Hulu. Ripley stars, Andrew Scott, who played hot priest in Fleabag, which I think is one of the best examples of an actress created project that was so unique and specific and it became universal. So I've been a huge Andrew Scott fan since then. He stars as Tom Ripley and yes, it is another taling of the Tom Ripley story that originated in the Patricia Highsmith novel. And this version is such a great example of the power of a compelling character. If you haven't listened to episode three of this podcast yet. I talk about why asking if your idea is good enough as the wrong question. Instead you want to ask, are my characters compelling enough? Because if they are, your audience will follow that character wherever they go. Take Tom Ripley. As an example, this story has been told. So many times with different versions over decades. I think the book originally came out in 1955 and since then there have been multiple iterations of this story. There was Ripley's game, which started John Malcovich the talented Mr. Ripley, the Anthony Minghella film with Jude law, Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Kate Blanchet. Now we have the Netflix series with Andrew Scott. So like, you know exactly what's going to happen in this story. And yet this performance is so compelling. Even though I know what's going to happen. They know how to ratchet up the dramatic tension. There's dread that I have when I'm watching it. I just cannot look away from the screen. The Netflix series really is its own unique version and very specific point of view. On a story that's been told many, many times. And then there is Shogun on Hulu. Oh, it's just incredible. This show is also adapted from a novel like Ripley. This story is set in 16 hundreds, Japan, and my God is so gorgeous. The landscapes, the wardrobe. The acting is top notch. Half of the dialogue. Is in Japanese and I don't care sometimes at night, you know, I'm watching TV, I'm tired. I don't really want to read subtitles. I will do it for Shogun because I love it so much. It's such a beautiful, well-told compelling story. So if you're looking for something to watch. I highly recommend Ripley and Shogun. And both of these shows are so compelling because they started with a great script. So let's talk about how to get your script on the page. In the most powerful, compelling way possible. The moment of truth has arrived. You've done. The prep work, the foundation is in place and it's finally time to jump into scripting. This is what you've been working towards. Now you get to bring the idea in your head to life. On the page to make your vision a reality. To create a script based on your experience or your imagination, that's deeply personal to you. So take a moment to imagine what it's going to be like when your project is finally done. What does success look like to you? I like to imagine seeing pigeon screen at a film festival, the lights go down. And then a moderator introduces me for the Q and a, and the audience is clapping as I come out onto the stage. And then all of the questions at the talk back are intelligent. Well thought out questions. Because I've met at those talkbacks where the questions are really sexist or misogynist or just like dumb. In my vision, success looks like smart people resonate with my film and ask smart questions at the talk back. So what does success look like for you? Maybe it's seeing your name in the credits as the credits roll. Maybe it's that moment at the end of your production. When the director calls, that's a wrap and you are cheering and hugging and crying and celebrating with your crew and your entire team that your film is in the can. Maybe it's signing on the dotted line of a contract for a bigger project because of a meeting that was set in motion because of this amazing film that you made. Let that future vision become very clear and specific and let it excite you. Because the more connected you are to why you want to write this script in the first place. What it truly means to you and the emotions and the energy you imagine it's going to elicit when that happens, the more fuel you're going to have to push past the obstacles because obstacles are coming. I'm sorry to inform you, but you have to know what's coming, writing a script as a challenge whether you've done this many times before, or this is your first time. I hope that you followed the steps in this podcast to get your prep in place and have a strong foundation. Even when you have all of that, it's going to be difficult. Which is why I really hope you don't embark on this process all by yourself. Let me help you. That's why I do what I do. That's why I work with clients. That's why I have programs so that I can help you get your script done. In the most efficient way possible and make it the best script it can be. I've been there. I've tried to write a script. On my own a couple of times. And it was always a mistake. So before I had a writing process, I didn't feel like I needed to study screenwriting. I thought, well, I'm an actor. I know how to create characters. I understand a good script when I read one and I've read. Hundreds, if not thousands of scripts as an actor breaking down audition sides. And the time that I spent in an independent production company doing their script coverage. So naturally I thought I already knew how to write a script. It wasn't something that I needed to study. Which is kind of like a screenwriter saying, I don't need to take an acting class. Right. I write scripts. I don't need to learn how to act if they wanted to put their acting hat on and expand their multihyphenate status. It's ludicrous. Now at some point, I did read a couple of those classic screenwriting books that you've probably heard about if not read yourself. And then I still didn't know what to do when I sat down at my laptop to write, I didn't know what step to follow. I didn't know where to begin. I was just completely lost and overwhelmed. And ultimately that led to years, years, like probably a decade, all told of spinning my wheels of trying to start this project of getting overwhelmed, deleting everything. Oh, it's going to be a web series. Now it's a feature film. Now it's a TV pilot. Like I just spun around. In a spiral for years. cause, I didn't know how to translate the idea in my head onto the page. Not just as a script, as a good script, as a script that I could feel proud of. Have a script that was clearly professional level that would open doors for me and not just get feedback, uh, playing. Ooh, it's not quite ready. It's not up to standard. And here's the thing that was so frustrating for me. I was excited about this project. It was based on a deeply personal experience that mattered to me. I always knew I would turn it into a screenplay, even when it was happening. I was passionate. I was determined and nothing was going to stop me from writing the script. And even with all of that determination and drive. None of that translated to actually being able to write a script because I didn't have the skillset. I didn't have the guidance to get me on the hook. I didn't have the deadlines. I didn't have a roadmap to follow. To show me what steps to take. So even though I had all this passion and all this ambition, I didn't have anywhere to put it because I didn't know what I was doing. That's why I'm so passionate that you get on the hook. You get help. To write your script because I know firsthand how much time I lost, how much opportunity I probably wasted. Because I was too stubborn to get help. I didn't know where to get help. I didn't know what to do. And so I just, so stubbornly told myself, well, I can figure this out. I don't need any help. And it just led to time taking away and getting further and further away from my script instead of closer. And now I'm at the point with this particular script, which is my TV pilot. That. Other shit went down in my life that. Became more important that had more urgency. That impacted me more because so much time. Has passed from when I first started writing this idea until now that as much as I love this ripped. I love that I've written it and I want to move forward in the process. It does not feel urgent anymore. That's how much time I wasted spinning my wheels. And I don't want that to be the same case for you. It breaks my heart when a potential client comes to me saying something like I've been working on my script since 2017, and I keep getting feedback that it isn't up to professional standards. And then that is all of the feedback that they're getting. Right? There's no, Follow up with support or here's the tool that you need to fix this piece of feedback that I just gave you. And so what I've seen time and time again is. Someone who's never written before, goes off on their own. They write a script. They share it with someone for feedback, and then they don't. Have any tools in their toolbox to do something with the feedback. The feedback isn't actually helpful. It's more like pointing out problems, but not offering any solutions or any steps to implement the solutions. I have a client right now. Who I love so much. She's writing a pilot that the idea for it is brilliant. The script for it is not brilliant yet. Not yet, but we're getting there. But here's the thing. She came to me after spending a year writing. She's on her fifth draft of the pilot. She too, is someone who got feedback from. Like an executive friend of hers, who's in the world of television who setting, well, it's not up to professional standard or the act structures aren't quite right, but then that's the end of it. There's no support. To say, and here's how to fix that. So she's written five drafts of this pilot on her own. Over the past year. Just to end up with a script that we essentially need to undo everything, go back to the beginning and redo the whole thing. Now. She's doing it. Right. She stepping up, she loves this project. I love this project and I see where she wants to go with it and where we need to get to, to articulate that idea. So the momentum is going now because she finally has the guidance. That she didn't have for the past year. But how painful is it? To have written a script. Five times. Only to have to go back and do it all again, after a year that she's invested in her life. And that's just a year of writing, not to mention. Who knows how many years, like I did that, she spent thinking about the idea, starting the idea. Ditching it starting over again. But I'm so glad that she's my client now. Because I know what to do. This is my jam. I can look at her script and see exactly what we need to fix. So that she can articulate the idea in her head. And let me just clarify here. I'm not a co-writer, I'm not writing the scripts with my clients. I empower my clients with the right questions and the right tools. To help their vision snap into clarity to help them properly structure their characters and have the right story elements so that their script is not only a reflection of the vision that they so deeply care about. It's also a professional level script that is going to make them look good, no matter what they do with it. And this client who story, I'm sharing a little bit about. I wish she had come to me a year ago. Right. Because her script would have already been done. We would be refining and perfecting her pitch. And building her network of connections or. Finding ways to get her meetings, to get into pitch rooms, to be selling this script. Instead of having to undo everything and, and start again. That is the opportunity costs that comes when you don't get help from the beginning. That's why I'm so passionate about. Working together. It doesn't have to be painful. It doesn't have to take years. It can be very direct and simple. When you are on the hook to accountability. When you have the support and guidance of a professional writing process, you have access to feedback from someone who knows more about screenwriting than you do. And you have the willingness to show up and do the work that it takes to actually get this done. So if you have listened to season one of this podcast, and now you're thinking, okay, Emily, thanks for all this free information. Now I'm going to go off and write this script by myself in a vacuum. Please don't do that. Let me ask you a couple of questions to help you get a realistic view of what deciding to go off and do this on your own actually means. The first question is, do you feel 100% competent in your writing process? Because if you don't, I can help you. That's what I do. Next question. Can you keep yourself accountable? To do this, be really honest with yourself. I'll use myself as the example, when I am not on the hook to accountability with a coach, whether it's a screenwriting coach or a business coach. I will put this thing off forever. The minute, my life gets stressful or too busy or overwhelmed. The first thing that is taken off of my to-do list is a creative project. I know myself so well, I can't be accountable on my own. I just accept that about myself now. So if something is really important to me, I get on the hook with a coach, with a program with some kind of accountability. Outside of myself. And I don't rely on my husband. They say, relying on your intimate partner is actually the worst person to rely on for accountability. Uh, because there's this a lot of like, Other stuff that can get into the space or. Well, they want to be nice to you and they see you're so overwhelmed. And so then they say, oh, it's okay. You don't have to keep that deadline. Right. The worst person to lean on for accountability. According to science is your partner. Next question. What is your level of confidence in act structure in the version of the script that you're writing? Short films and feature films have a three act structure, TV, comedies, and TV pilots have different act structures from each other. And from three extructor films. So it's really essential that you understand. Act structure and story elements. For the pacing of your script. For the order that your story unfolds in. And if all of this is making you feel stressed out now, Get into my program. You don't have to figure this out by yourself. I can just tell you. And then let's think about. The creative process in general are the best creative ideas generated from one person and one person only. Or do great ideas come from. Uh, collaborative group think. The scripts that I've written have. Always been better served. When I was in an environment of a writing coach and a group of other writers who were all freely contributing ideas to one another, it just makes every script better. My scripts have always become better because I incorporated in idea or someone asked me a question that I hadn't thought about, which helped me clarify my story and make my story more clear to the audience. Television writer rooms are based on a collaborative writing experience while yes, each writer will be assigned an episode that they go off and write on their own. The brainstorming, the exchange of ideas, the feedback all comes from a group collaborative process. So his going off on your own and writing the script in a vacuum with no access to feedback. With no access to someone who knows more about screenwriting than you do the best choice for your script, or is there another choice that might help you make your script even better? And now let's talk about timelines. How long does it take to write a script? Ultimately, it takes as long as it takes. And it really depends on you. On your level of commitment. On your level of output on your willingness to set and meet deadlines and turn in pages. And make this project a priority. The TV, pilot story that I was sharing with you earlier, that took me about 10 years to write a TV pilot. And it shouldn't right. That is a ridiculously long amount of time. Now was I sitting at my desk writing for 10 years? No. I was doing it in fits and starts. I kept changing my mind and changing the format. The story just kept changing a million times. So most of that time was spent. Confused. And frustrated the actual once I learned these writing tools. Which I learned a few years ago, I was actually able to write the first draft of my pilot in about six months. And we're talking about a TV pilot, right? Six months to a draft is a decent amount of time in terms of how long it. Can take to write a project. If you're writing a shorter project, it could take you less time. Katie who wrote shadow work in my short film lab. She wrote that in eight weeks, right? And she was able to do that because she was on the hook with assignments and next steps and deadlines. Over the entire time that she was writing it. So the amount of time it takes to write the script really depends on your ability to prioritize, to give yourself structure and also your knowledge of what writing tool. You should be working on. I kind of think about it, like. College versus real life. When I was in college. And I had that structure and those deadlines. I did the work. I stepped up. I did it. I made time. It was a priority and I got things done. Once I was out of college, it was like, oh no, there's no structure. Like I have to do all of this for myself. That's why I love what I do now. It provides you with an environment of structure, community support and tools. So that you can build momentum on this project instead of languishing away, trying to do this. On your own. Like I did like this entire, all of the programs that I offer. Are the tools and the support I wish I had had a long time ago. And the irony is I can't be my own coach. Right. It still doesn't work for me, even though I provide these tools to so many people, I think I've helped about 300 people at this point. Write a script that they love. I still am not able to be my own coach. I still need outside accountability to, to actually get my projects done to. I love what I do so much. I love the people that are, that resonate with the work that I do. I've had the privilege of working with. Hundreds of amazing people. And helping them turn an idea in their head, into a reality out in the world. And at the risk of sounding arrogant. I'm really good at what I do. Sorry, not sorry. I'm really good at what I do. I have the gift of seeing things from all aspects. I can see it. From. Screenplay formatting and all of the technical sides of writing. I can see it from the creative side in terms of telling the story. I can see it from the performance side. If you're writing for yourself to act in this, and I also have the ability to see this from the point of view of a producer. If you intend to move into self production. I'm going to have an eye out to all of the things that could make that easier or more difficult for you. And I love it. Right. I love. Talking about screenplays. I love seeing the idea. Light bulb go off in someone's head when something becomes really clear. I love feedback sessions, where the, you, as the writer, get to hear your work in the mouths of actors and see your work. Come alive. It's one of my absolute favorite things to do. So I encourage you to think about. How much does your project matter to you? Does it matter enough for you to get some skin in the game? To get on the hook to actually get this project to the finish line and my skin in the game. I mean, Money. Are you willing to put your money at risk to put your feet to the fire? So you will finally build the momentum that you need to make this project and not just make it right. We're not just making stuff for the sake of making it. I want to help you make a high quality project that you're so unbelievably proud of. You can't wait to share it. It's going to make you look good and give you credibility. Whether that is as. The screenwriter period, whether that's as the filmmaker, whether you want to act and produce in it, whatever your goal is with this project. I want to guide you to make this. The absolute best, highest quality. Most loving project that you can't wait to be in to shout it from the rooftops to share it. With everyone in the industry and beyond. Do you think your project is worth that? Because I do. I wouldn't be doing this. If I didn't. Your story and your perspective matters. You know, part of what inspired me to make this podcast in the first place is. That feeling of rage. When I see yet another mediocre, usually white man. Making another story that we've seen. 50 million times. The script is mediocre, and yet it's on a streaming service, right? There are so many voices out there that are vital that have been marginalized that don't. Get on Hollywood's radar because they're too lazy or too scared. Or to unimaginative to understand why this story would be so resonant and so vital. I want to empower you to make your story no matter. Who. He gives you or doesn't give you permission. You don't need permission. But you do need professional level quality. We're not going to make. Junk. We're going to make something amazing. So we can start opening doors for you and everyone who comes after you. If you resonate with me and the way that I work, I would be so honored to take the next step with you. And start working together. So go to write your short.com to get started, or you can DM me on Instagram. We can DM privately about what feels like the right next step for you to make sure that your needs are being met through the work that we do together. Or you can be like, I was and continue to be stubborn and say, no, I'm going to do this on my own. And. Check back with me in six months when most likely are in the same exact place that you are right now. I can say that because I lived it and I know how these things go. I'm ready to meet you where you are. All you need to do is show up and say yes to yourself. So before I introduce you to our next film, broad. I want to just talk briefly about how to start scripting. In an ideal world, you have followed all of the steps of the, of this podcast. In order you have a strong foundation in place, and you also have an outline in place that is properly structured, and all of your story elements are in that outline. You're going to use that outline as the blueprint to start scripting. I like to write my script. One act at a time. So that I don't get overwhelmed and like lose my mind and shut down. So look at your outline for act one. And then you're going to write all of the scenes for act one in order. And. Listen, your outline is not set in stone. Ideas will come to you. Things may change. Great. Be flexible. Sometimes I find once I get to the end of the first draft, then I realize, oh, Now I know what the script is about and I got to go back and revise everything I just did. So now that you have your outline in place, use that as a springboard to go scene by scene. And I would suggest that you start with one act. And then get feedback on that act before you move on to the next act. That would be my advice. On how to script your story from here. And it's so exciting. You're at the process of scripting. You finally get to jump into scene writing. I'm so thrilled for you and I can't wait to be your guide on this process. So go to write your short.com or DM me on Instagram. Let's fucking do this. I want to end season one of this podcast with another introduction to an incredible film rod. It's British born movie star writer, producer, and groundbreaking filmmaker. Ida Lupino. She was a trailblazer who challenged the status quo with a personality that truly broke the mold, especially in the era in which she lived. Which of course this led to her being labeled difficult, something that is still a way to keep women in check. Something that many women still struggle with on film sets. A man is assertive. A woman is bitchy. A man is a visionary. A woman is demanding. A man is direct. A man is bold. A woman is difficult. But I digress. Okay. So Ida Lupino is quoted as saying to a reporter. Now I know she's British, but we've got to give her the universal film, broad accent. Okay. She's quoted as saying. I'm mad. They say I am temperamental and dizzy and disagreeable. We'll let them talk. Only one person can hurt me. Her name is Ida. Lupino say. I added the C, but everything else isn't direct quote. So Ida came from a long line of performers. Her father Stanley was dubbed the king of musical comedy in Britain and her mother, Connie O'Shea was an actress known as the fastest tap dancer alive. She felt pressured to follow in her parents' footsteps. So Ida started out at the Royal academy of dramatic arts in the early 1930s. And she quickly became a film star in England, often playing the bad girl roles, which at that time, of course meant prostitutes. She came to Hollywood in 1933 when she was 15 to screen test for the lead role in Alice, in Wonderland, a film that she thought she was unfit for because she wasn't innocent or wide-eyed enough. And not that surprising considering that she was already playing prostitutes and I have a fun thread to connect about this. So the Sundance film that I start in. Was called what Alice found, which was based on the full book title of Lewis Carroll's through the looking glass and what Alice found there, which is an allusion to Alice in Wonderland. And I also played. Uh, truck stop prostitutes. So her playing prostitutes and then screen testing for. Alison Wonderland was just a fun, little wink. That I felt the universe was giving me. Thank you universe. While she was in Hollywood, she signed with paramount, which wanted to make her into another Jean Harlow. Now we haven't covered Jean Harlow on this podcast, but she was the original blonde bombshell. She died. Tragically at the age of 26, just as her star was on the rise. This was long before Marilyn Monroe came along. Which is who you probably think of when you think about the blonde bombshell, but Marilyn Monroe was actually a fan of Jean Harlow and. Emulated, some of her look and style. Jean Harlow was the vivacious star with the platinum blonde hair. She had the Vava. Boom figure. And she excelled at playing these tough talking bad girls with precise, comedic timing and surprising vulnerability. She was absolutely adored by audiences. And she was a huge star at MGM in the 1930s. So naturally paramount wanted to capitalize on her popularity by creating their own version. Which is what they still try to do today. Right? The sequels, the trying to recreate a hit. With another sort of water down, not as great version. This is still a major part of the Hollywood playbook. Which is why we need a, your unique, specific. Original story. And it's also another reason why I think. Independent film and learning how to self produce your own projects are so vital. Because they can actually get made and they can actually find an audience. Okay. So soon enough, Ida Lupino is transitioned from star in Britain to celebrity in America was complete and she became widely known for her eccentricities and her bravado. LA times journalist Alma Whittaker wrote of Ida. Her self-confidence is utterly sumptuous. She left me a little breathless, this deliciously arrogant child. So we think of the time period of this was the 1930s. This was still an era where women on screen, especially where either the ingenue, like the naive innocent Asha knew, or they were the vamp, the like bad girl who needed to repent. Women were homemakers. They, they didn't have a lot of independence. So this idea of like just a fully self-actualized confident woman. Was groundbreaking for this time. Her friend British American actress, Joan Fontaine. Who was an Oscar winner, who also carried on a lifelong of famous feud with her own sister, Olivia de Havilland. She says of Ida, of course, Ida isn't normal, no one accused her of that. One of her peculiarities is that she does everything well. By the late 1930s, Ida ditched this. Image of Jean Harlow that was projected on to her. She dyed her hair brown and she ditched the heavy style makeup. She wasn't going to be pigeonholed by Hollywood. Do you see what I did there? I worked in something about the pendant okay. Instead, she became a tough, smart hard-edged Renaissance woman. She started with Humphrey Bogart in, they drive by night and later in the high Sierra and said that the two called themselves the gruesome twosome, swearing that they would only play tough characters. Throughout her acting career in the studio system. Ida's bulldozing personality sometimes found her on the sidelines. While contracted with Warner brothers. She would object to being cast in poorly written roles or a part she felt were beneath her. And she would even take it upon herself to make script revisions. Now, of course, the studio didn't like that and then they would suspend her. But while she was on suspension, it gave her time to observe filmmaking and the editing processes, which led to her interest in directing. In the late 1940s, she and her then husband, Callie or young formed an independent company called the filmmakers Inc. The goal was to produce direct and right. Low budget issue, oriented films. Kind of link what you're learning, how to do on this podcast. They produce 12 feature films. Ida directed six of them and she co-wrote, or wrote herself five of them. Now the goal of the company was to tell how America lives through independent pictures, which is kind of ironic considering that she was British, but maybe she had, uh, an unbiased view. Her 1949 script. Not wanted. Explored unwed motherhood and unwanted pregnancies. When the original director of the film dropped out, Ida stepped in for her directorial debut, although she isn't even credited for it. Not wanted became a surprise success. Although is it really a surprise pregnancy motherhood, reproductive rights have always been a hot button issue. And are still under attack. 75 years later. The film was shot for $153,000 and it went on to make a million dollars at the box office. To which Ida said. Thank God for knocked up girls a. Not great, Ida. It's not a great sentiment. And also. You're not getting a British accent, reenactment. Now. She was the second woman admitted to the directors Guild of America. The first woman being Dorothy Asner, who was a big supporter of not wanted. And Ida subsequent films explored seams of women trapped by social conventions and taboo subjects like sexual assault and outrage. And. Well, big of me in the big chemist. Her film, never fear addresses polio, which apparently Ida survived as a child, which is another great example of writing a script based on personal experience. And her best known directorial project. The hitchhiker is the only film the war from the classic period of that genre that was ever directed by a woman. She was a master of shooting films, cheaply. And you can do that too. When you revisit episode seven of this podcast. How to write a film that you can actually produce. She was able to keep costs down by shooting in actual locations versus on a studio where they would have to build a big, expensive set. She just shot. In people's homes, for example. She reused sets from other films on her own projects. And she did a lot of planning. In pre production to avoid any technical mistakes or retakes, something that we'll talk a lot more in depth during that bonus season from the trenches, which is coming soon. She was also really technically savvy and she fully understood the craft of filmmaking from camera angles and lenses to how to light her actresses, to flatter them, to getting what she needed on film during the shoot, not just from a technical aspect, but from an acting aspect as well. According to editor Stanford Tischler. She wasn't the kind of director who would shoot something than hope. Any flaws could be fixed in the cutting room. The acting was always there. It's sort of like the modern day version of. We'll fix it in post, which of course you usually can't fix it in post. So just try to get it on set. During the shoot. Despite her studio reputation as an aggressive. Right. Aggressive woman. Fuck off. Aggressive take no shit personality. Her temperament with her actors was very, very different. The back of her director's chair would be labeled as a mother or mother of us all. So she really took a much more. Connected feminine approach with her creatives. Now as one of the only consistently working female directors in Hollywood at the time. I mean, just imagine the pressure she would have been under. There's no doubt that she faced challenges and lots of delicate male egos in the workplace. Now she dealt with this by making a point to seem very nonthreatening. Yet, she still was able to get things done and she's quoted as saying. I hate women. Come on Ida, you hate women. All right. I hate women who order men around professionally or personally. I want a day. I'll do that to mild man. And I don't do it with the guys on set. I say, darlings mother has a problem. I'd love you to do this. Can you do it? I know it sounds kooky, but I want to do it. And they do it. And, you know, There's a lot to unpack there, but. She found a way to get shit done. Ida's production company closed in 1955 and then she pivoted to directing television. Including more than 30 episodes. From 1956 through 1968 for shows like Alfred Hitchcock presents thriller have gun will travel, honey west, the Donna Reed show the fugitive another. IP, we've seen several iterations of Bewitched, the pilot episode of Gilligan's island. And the Twilight zone. She's the only woman to direct a Twilight zone episode, period. And she's also the only person to both star in one episode of the Twilight zone. And to direct another episode. The last film she directed was the trouble with angels in 1965. Starring Haley mills. And by the 1970s, she stopped directing though. She did continue to act, but by this point she had three failed marriages and in a strange relationship With her only child and her demons began to take over in the form of alcoholism. Which just seems to be such a running theme for many of the film broads that we've introduced on this podcast. We live in an era where mental health is talked about. It's not taboo. We going to therapy is encouraged. Not to say that we don't have just as many demons or darkness or things to deal with. But imagine living in an era where. Mental health. Wasn't a concept at all where therapy. Barely even existed. All of the trauma that you went through, you just kind of had to shove it down and keep going. No wonder so many of them turned to alcoholism in the end. Ida passed away in 1995. Which brought an end to her legacy of a career built on having agency and independence and creating work that deeply mattered to her. She made films as she described it with poor bewildered people, because that's what we are. And while she has been quoted as saying that she was not a feminist, which isn't super surprising if you listened to any of her earlier quotes.. Her films focused on women's issues. She liked strong female characters, which she describes as not women who have masculine qualities about them, but a role that has intestinal fortitude. Some guts to it.. Which is really how we could describe Ida herself, a woman with fortitude and guts. And we can use it to describe you too. It takes guts to write a script that you love. It takes vulnerability to allow yourself to get the support you need to make this happen. And it takes courage to get skin in the game to decide. Yes, my script is a priority. Yes. I believe in myself and I'm worth investing in to make the best possible script. I can. You are absolutely worth it. And I can't wait to work with you. So DM me on Instagram at the only Emily grace, or go to write your short.com to get started. Now that season one is complete. I will be spending the next couple of months working on the pigeon, my short film, we're moving into crowdfunding and then pre production. And then I will be back with my bonus season from the trenches where I'll be sharing the most recent lessons. From self production that I really cannot wait to share with you. That will be coming sometime this summer. In the meantime, you can follow along with my journey to bring my film, the pigeon to life. You can find a link@writeyourshort.com and don't be a stranger DME on Instagram. I love hearing from you. And of course, I'm really excited to start working with you on your script. We did it. We got season one in the can. I'm so honored that you are on this journey along with me, as well as stepping up to the plate for yourself. I'm excited for what's to come. And thank you so much for listening. I will see you next time. If you enjoyed the show, remember to subscribe, and even better, leave a five star review. Ready to finally write and produce your damn script already? Go to writeyourshort. com to get started. And connect with me on Instagram at theonlyemilygrace. Your story matters, and who better to tell it than you? Stay tuned for the next episode, and I'll see you there.
