SOME POSITIVITY AND WHAT STANULIS FILMS LOOKS FOR IN GOOD WRITING
It is no secret that times are crazy these days, especially in the entertainment world. But the good news is that you have two choices. You can either let the current situation hold you down, or you can do your best to make lemonade with the lemons you’re given. I’ve always followed the latter choice.
In doing so, Stanulis Films has thankfully had great success after releasing our latest film, “Chronicle of a Serial Killer” to all major platforms, such as On Demand. My point in mentioning this is that although times are tough, the unique part of entertainment is that there has never been a greater demand for original content. I encourage fellow filmmakers to utilize this time and get creative. That way when everything goes back to normal, hopefully in the new year, you will have grown in ways you probably would’ve never imagined.
I can speak for Stanulis Films and say that we are looking forward to continuing to start our new slate of films, continue to review and research new scripts and projects that we feel are viable and commercial enough to not only get distribution, but more importantly make profits. With that being said, during these times, Stanulis Films has received many inquiries regarding pitching projects.
Therefore, I would like to share what Stanulis Films looks for when reviewing scripts to hopefully give you a better idea for the future. When considering projects, there are 3 very important intangibles.
The first is the most obvious- the script must be well-written with layered character development and should have the reader be invested within the first ten pages. Another key component is the genre of the script. It has been proven that horror, action and psychological thrillers are currently the most commercial around the world. The reason for this is quite simple- these three genres are universal. For example, if something is scary here, it is also scary in other countries.
On the contrary, comedies & romantic comedies are a bit tougher selling globally, because what might be funny here, might not translate somewhere else in the world. However, this is not to say that romantic comedies and comedies cannot sell universally, but usually certain talent has to be attached to do so to make foregn distribution sales.
Lastly, and most importantly, don’t be afraid to recreate the wheel and change the hubcaps. Every film is derived and can be compared to films throughout the years. TV shows such as Law & Order and Shades of Blue, run for years and get renewed for a reason.
Hopefully this gives some perspective in terms of what we look for in potential scripts and provides some knowledge on a model most productions follow. In conclusion, keep creating, growing, and keep moving forward and you will surely be successful in the future!
