Apr 09 2024 54 mins
Movies used to be good, and now they are kind of shitty.
After taking a film class almost by chance, Mike Cheda spent years honing his craft as a scriptwriter and executive producer at HBO and the Walt Disney Studios before feeling he "aged out" of being a working screenwriter and becoming a Professional Script Consultant. He is best known for co-authoring 1999's Chill Factor with Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Skeet Ulrich. As a developer and producer, he worked on The Opposite Sex, Next of Kin, Why Shoot the Teacher, and Shape of Things To Come. For TV, he produced and developed Wheels of Terror, Pair of Aces, Angel of Death, Another Pair of Aces, and Christmas in Connecticut, to name just a few.
In this episode, Mike talks about the side of scriptwriting that is secret or hidden from most of us. He shares bits of his hard-earned knowledge in the space, from how to create a seducing logline to what to add or cut out in a screenplay before taking it to an agent. He also explains movies' three-act structure, how to create a solid elevator pitch, the best way to attract the right eyeballs to our script, and much more.
Tune in to Episode 101 of Hollywood Dream Maker to learn some of Mike's tricks for improving your scripts and bringing them up to professional standards.
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
- About how Mike got into movies and scriptwriting (2:20)
- Mike explains movies' three-act structure (8:40)
- Is it necessary to register and protect our written material? (18:50)
- How important is it to get feedback for the evolution of a screenplay? (27:00)
- How to create a seductive logline (32:10)
- What is the best way to get our script read (41:00)
- Polishing scripts to avoid burning bridges (49:50)
Resources Mentioned:
- Book: Blake Snyder - Save the Cat: The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need
- Book: Syd Field - Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting
Connect with Mike Cheda:
Let's Connect:
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