General: Do copywriters make good movie directors?

Herschell Gordon Lewis is well-known as a copywriter, and he's written several classic books on copywriting.

But a lot of people don't realize that in the 60s and early 70s he was a producer and director of low-budget horror films. You can read more on this web page.... This is the same guy as the copywriter.... Check out the "Trivia" section. :)

Do you think there's a connection? It made me think about copywriting and salesmanship and other areas of life.

When you think about it, some elements of copywriting can be found in films. For example, at the beginning, a film should get your attention. A good example is the film, Raiders of the Lost Ark. The film begins, and already Indiana Jones is about to be flattened by a rolling boulder! What an attention getter!

I once leafed through a book on script-writing.... According to this book, the advice was that every ten pages, there should be a "whammo!" A "whammo" is some sort of attention-getter. It made me think of sub-headings in long ads. :)

The rest of filming might be quite different…. For example, in telling a good story (whether in a novel, film, or some other medium), you need an element of conflict. (I actually learned this first from one of Gordon's old posts….)

Anyhow, do you think salesmanship and copywriting can help in many other areas?

I'm wondering if I mastered the art of copywriting, should I seek a position as a director of low-budget horror films? ;)

Cheers,

Dien

Dien,

I'll send you the first 20 pages of a script I wrote called SUBMARINE LADY, it is the story of the first woman officer to serve on a nuclear submarine...

I accepted an "option" on this of very little money way back when, and it sat on a so-called producer's desk for 2 years, until the option ran out and I took the work back, a wiser man...

My second script was called HARBOR KNIGHTS, and it was a story of an ex-Navy nurse, that had served in Vietnam, and had set up a "hospital" for the prostitutes of Subic Bay...

It was loosely based upon real people...

I have about 3 others written on "spec", that someday I may get around to...

In a screenplay, there is a standard format, 3 acts, each with certain elements...

In a TV screenplay for an hour show, there are 7 acts.

You want to become a better copywriter, read Lajos Egri's ART OF DRAMATIC WRITING...

Or you can read the rest of REMOTE HYPNOSIS too...HA!

A good movie allows you to suspend belief, enter into an altered state of mind, the very definition of Hypnosis...

It does that by using the primary senses of Sight and Sound. We have been trained for a suspenseful climax when the minor key music begins.

Most scriptwriters are taught that the climax of act one falls on about page 18 or roughly 18-20 minutes into the movie.

Watch a movie with a stop watch, and see for yourself...by that time you know the characters adn the main element of CONFLICT...

If they have done a good job.

Yes, a well done movie, and one that wins at the box office achieves the same effect as a well written piece of copy...

But don't get me started on that, I'm still smarting from my first "Hollywood" expereince, I'm too much of a rube to go there...so, in about 4 or 5 years, I'll settle into a quiet life of a playwright, and turn out little esoteric plays loaded with CONFLICT...

Suspense,
Mystery,
SEX,
Back stabbing,
Cheating
Lying,

In other words, the drama of marketing, HA!

Gordon (Wannabee member of a guild) Alexander

[You'll have to read below to find out who's starring... :) ]

Hi Gordon,

I had no idea you had written scripts!

I mainly got interested in this area somewhat because I have a friend here in Sydney who's written a movie script, and who hopes to sell it.

For his birthday, I bought him a book a few weeks ago about how to sell your script. (His girlfriend is an aspiring actress whose birthday is at almost the same time, and I bought her a book about what casting directors look for.)

But I got so fascinated, I read bits of the book on selling a script here and there before I gave it to him.

He complained (jokingly) about getting a "used" copy. :)

> I'll send you the first 20 pages of a script
> I wrote called SUBMARINE LADY, it is the
> story of the first woman officer to serve on
> a nuclear submarine...

> I accepted an "option" on this of
> very little money way back when, and it sat
> on a so-called producer's desk for 2 years,
> until the option ran out and I took the work
> back, a wiser man...

Sounds like you got further than most people do, though! A lot of people can't even get their scripts read, to my understanding....

I'm sure your knowledge of selling helped.... :)

> You want to become a better copywriter, read
> Lajos Egri's ART OF DRAMATIC WRITING...

I've seen that book in the bookstore.... I'll leaf through it next time I'm there and check it out more thoroughly.... :)

> Or you can read the rest of REMOTE HYPNOSIS
> too...HA!

I can't wait!

I'm salivating to read more of Remote Hypnosis.... :)

> A good movie allows you to suspend belief,
> enter into an altered state of mind, the
> very definition of Hypnosis...

> It does that by using the primary senses of
> Sight and Sound. We have been trained for a
> suspenseful climax when the minor key music
> begins.

You're right.... I never thought of that....

> Yes, a well done movie, and one that wins at
> the box office achieves the same effect as a
> well written piece of copy...

Yes, there does seem to be a relationship.... I find it fascinating.... :)

> But don't get me started on that, I'm still
> smarting from my first "Hollywood"
> expereince, I'm too much of a rube to go
> there...so, in about 4 or 5 years, I'll
> settle into a quiet life of a playwright,
> and turn out little esoteric plays loaded
> with CONFLICT...

> Suspense,
> Mystery,
> SEX,
> Back stabbing,
> Cheating
> Lying,

> In other words, the drama of marketing, HA!

Wow, I can't wait to see it! The marketing soap opera...

I can see it now....

Starring Mel Gibson, as Gordon Alexander! ;)

> Gordon (Wannabee member of a guild)
> Alexander

Heheheh... :)

Well, I know script-writing for the movies is very competitive.... But I admire all those who try and have tried, there is nothing like reaching for the top! :)

Thanks again Gordon for your helpful and entertaining insights. :)

Cheers,

Dien

EXT. CITY, NIGHT - ESTABLISHING

EXT. SKYSCRAPER, SAME TIME - ESTABLISHING

INT. OFFICE - TOP FLOOR

The luxurious office is lit only by the glow from a laptop computer. MR MAN is so engrossed typing on the keyboard he doesn't hear the KILLER enter.

The KILLER slowly pulls a knife out of his jacket and approaches MR MAN. Standing right behind MR MAN the KILLER looks at the computer screen.

INT. OFFICE - COMPUTER SCREEN, SOW FORUM


EXT. CITY, NIGHT - ESTABLISHING

EXT. SKYSCRAPER, SAME TIME - ESTABLISHING

INT. OFFICE - TOP FLOOR

The luxurious office is lit only by the glow from a laptop computer. MR MAN is so engrossed typing on the keyboard he doesn't hear the KILLER enter.

The KILLER slowly pulls a knife out of his jacket and approaches MR MAN. Standing right behind MR MAN the KILLER looks at the computer screen.

INT. OFFICE - COMPUTER SCREEN, SOW FORUM


FADE OUT.

The best fiction author I've read for getting you involved from the get go is Dean Koontz. The guy's a master at making you WANT to keep reading.

Let me quote from the beginning of just three of his many books I have...

ICEBOUND...
Watching the drill, Harry Carpenter had a curious premonition of imminent disaster. A faint flicker of alarm. Like a bird shadow fluttering across a bright landscape. Even inside his heavily insulated clothing, he shivered

WINTER MOON...
Death was driving an emerald-green Lexus. It pulled off the street, passed the four self-service pumps, and stopped in one of the two full-service lanes.

DARK RIVERS OF THE HEART...
With the woman on his mind and a deep uneasiness in his heart, Spencer Grant drove through the glistening night, searching for the red door. The vigilant dog sat silently beside him. Rain ticked on the roof of the truck.

From there he takes his characters on a wild wild not-stop ride of close calls and near-death escapes.

I often wonder WHY more of his books are not made into movies. Then I realise that to cover everything he writes would make the movie six hours long. Far better to take four hundred pages of mostly nothing from Stephen King and make that into a movie.

The best recent movie for getting you involved is, in my opinion, THE MATRIX. The writers, Larry and Andy Wachowski, didn't rely on one "What's going on here" thought to get you involved, they used a bunch of them one after the other in a few minutes.

From the beginning we listen in on a phone call while a computer screen shows the line is being traced.

We hear one of the characters say... "We're going to kill him, you know that"

We see "Agents" pull up in a car.

We hear a cop tell the Agents he think his men can handle one little girl and that his men are bringing her down now.

To which the Agent says, "No lieutenant. Your men are already dead..."

Who's this person who's going to be killed? Who's running the trace? Who is the girl and why can't two units of police handle her?

We immediately find out because that's when the "action" starts. But even then, the action doesn't answer all the questions and we are left wanting to know more. We WANT to keep watching. Brilliant.

Getting your script read... while I've never done it, I've heard that the best way to get your script read is not to write one you expect to sell, but to instead write one designed to get read. And the best way to get your script read is to write a steamy, hot, erotic (not xxx ****) story. All the agents, executives etc., who happen to be men, will copy it and pass it around. And your name will have been exposed to them.

The idea is that when you submit your real script, the one you hope will be bought, those on the inside will find your name already familiar and be more likely to buy it.

Does doing that work? I don't know. But hey, it could be worth a shot. And besides, some French Producer may even end up turning your erotic script into a movie.

Whatever. One thing's for sure... persist and eventually you'll win out in the end to some degree. Even if it is a B-grade horror flick. HA!

Michael Ross.

Hi Michael,

An exciting start to your message! I bet not too many people can boast that they began their message with the suspense of a MURDER scene. :)

I liked what you said as well about the MATRIX. A lot of people LOVED that film. I have a friend who raves on and on about it. :)

I think there really are parallels between a good film and a good ad. More than I even realized before.

And Herschell Gordon Lewis was actually even more successful at making films than I realized. After posting the message I did before, I looked up some more stuff on Herschell Gordon Lewis. I also have a friend who's a big film buff, and I sent him some email, asking him about HGL. My friend knew ALL about him.

H G Lewis was credited with having STARTED the "gore" genre in horror movies. Now, I am NOT a big fan of gore, to be honest. I try to avoid horror films in general. But he did start a trend, and H G Lewis has a BIG cult following among movie afficianados because of his films from the 60s and 70s.

And while they were cheap B-grade horror flicks, I also read that they made a LOT of money.

He made them on the cheap, but he also found a devoted audience who were willing to pay to see what he had to offer.

I've only seen one H G Lewis film. I'm a little bit embarassed to tell you the title. It's called "She-Devils on Wheels." It's about biker chicks - I don't remember much beyond that. I rented it a long time ago on video, when I was still an undergraduate student.... :) Purely for intellectual and artistic purposes, of course!

But the thing is, in reality, H G Lewis was a SUCCESS in making films - both as a business (his films were generally quite profitable), and in forming a "legacy."

And when it comes to copywriting, he's been quite a success too.

Which makes you think that there certainly must be a connection. :)

But I think the bottom-line here is that, if you have a devoted market, you can make a profit.

H G Lewis made good profits with his cheap B-grade horror flicks.... The key was that he had a hungry market, and he gave them what they wanted!

Best wishes, :)

Dien Rice