Building your business.

1. Building your business
2. Getting business
3. Protecting yourself-cost plus... Stick to your guns, don't work for free. 

• Diversify- get yourself a account and lawyer.

KCVLAA.org- will volunteer there time for free to help you out. 

Be prepared. They provide a lot of help. 

• Build a good relationship with your boss. They might let you take time off work to do individual projects.
• Back up your projects. 
• Losing your files could lose your business. 
• WGA- Writers Guild of America- this will register your work. Make it easier to argue in court in case someone else comes up with same idea.
• West office- works with scrips
• East office- manuscripts, plays
• Copyrights- 35$ is the government way of saying its your idea legally. 
• Trust your vendors- build a good relationship with your vendors and they will keep coming back to you. 
• Enjoy yourself
• Give to others- 

How much does it cost you to wake up?

How much money does it cost you to wake up in the morning?

• If you make 50,000 and want to work 1000 hours a year.. your time is worth $78

1. Plan
2. LLC
3. Website
4. How much it cost you to wake up. 
5. Marketing 
6. Do the work

• Marketing yourself- 
• Believe in you. 
• Networking- use your friends. 
• Much stronger than networking groups. 
• Friends you can trust.
• Friends can also become vendors. 
• Make sure they are dependable. 
• Micro Manage is bad.
• This frustrates the worker and when your frustrated your work suffers. 
• Contracts-
• When dealing with friends a hand shake is okay.
• When dealing with new companies use contracts.
• This shows that you have made a commitment. 
• First payment should be 33% of total cost.
• This shows that they are committed as well and this allows you to have cash on hand.
• Once you present them with a working model/draft you charge another 33%.
• This allows you to pay your vendors. Even if the project is scraped you can still pay the vendors who will want to work with you again next time. 
• Final 33% is to pay you. This is collected when the project is completed. 

Building your own business.

Starting your own business. 

• Have a plan. 
• Should be reviewed every year. 
• What your going to do. 
• How 
• $$$

But thing to do is have a primary job and a secondary. 

• Create space @ amazon.com
• Published on demand.
• Make sure your saving 

• For your own business you need to get LLC
• $225
• For 7$ more you can do business as different names. 
• Make sure you file article of incorporation. 
• LLC- Limited Liability Corporation. 
• Which means that if you get sued they cant take your personal money. They can only go after business related. 
• Make sure you put magazines in your companies name. 
• Taxes- as a business you are responsible for all 18%
• Good news is you can deduct almost everything as long as it is related to your business. 
• Unlimited tax deductions up to $150,000
• Get a business card- use vista print for free cards. 
• Make sure you have:
• Email
• Website
• Full name. 
• Phone number. 
• Website-
• Make sure your name is in the website. 
• You can rent a server 
• Then your email becomes part of your business. I.e., paul@paulco.com
• If you have a project and want it all to go to one email then send it to a named email i.e., charlie@paulco.com it is more personal then info@paulco.com
• E commerce- SSL can hide your personal info from random crazies. 
• Make sure your website is updated and current. 
• Content for website.
• A biz- meaning that you need to keep the info only about that business. 

cover letter

Resume

• Cover letter
• Sales-

Dont do this:

Dear sir or madam, 

My name is (your name) I would like a job with your company. I don't know much about the job. Also, I don't have any experience. However, I am eager to learn and know that I would spend all my time working for you. 

Again, id really like to work for you. Can we meet to talk about what I might be able to do for your company? Anytime, any where would be great.

Thanks, 

(your name)

• Now big corporations take your cover letter and send it into a machine that looks for key words
• Its key word recognition. 

Example of cover letters:

• Don’t put willing to relocate at the top of cover page. 
• This is a sales letter. 

• At the top left write the hiring manager.
• This takes some research. 
• Its Mr. Or Ms. If we haven't met yet. Don't use Dear, 
• Should have 3-4 paragraphs 
• Each paragraph should be 2-3 sentences. 
• Needs to open with a hook. 
• Use.. Hey, you! You want! You get! Buy now!
• (hey you) Start with a story that will grab the readers attention. Use vivid word stories. 
• Found out that communicating well in school has improved my overall GPA. 
• (you want) paragraph 2: talking about job that needs to be done. Tate your benefits.
• (I got) tell them how you have fixed a problem before.
• If you don't have any experience in the job your applying for say how something like: I was the night manager at burger king and was responsible for the night cash count down. I can get your job done efficiently as well. 
• (but it now) don't leave it open ended. Say that you will contact them if they don't contact you.  
• Closing: make sure you put thank you, at the end. 
• Put your full name.
• Put your full address.
• Email
• Website.  

FEAR as a way to SELL

1. Story
2. Language
3. Sell

• Selling the benefit of the change.

F-EAR

• Fear is a good device for change. I.e., insurance, soap, Presidents...
• 4 part fear appeal 
• Emphasize the negative. 
• Strengthen the fear of appeal.
• Personalize the message. 

1. Introduce the threat- stronger the threat or “hey, you!” the more you get their attention. 
2. Demonstrate that the audience is at risk- decision is made by reader (does this apply to me)
3. Introduce the solution- has to be workable... How it will work?, how it will work?, when will it work?
4. Show the audience that they can preform the solution. 

How to strengthen the appeal

1. Convince them that it is serious- because its likely to happen. 
2. Make many references
3. Vivid word pictures- describe what it will do to you- use concrete word pictures. 
4. Personalize the message-
1. Reference often to your audience chances... Give them numbers. Odd numbers. 
2. Personalize- say “you” stand a greater chance...
3. Emphasize the commonality 
4. Negative statements- 

McDonalds taking over the world

McDonalds: 

1980:  back to selling to kids

• Kids are treated like adults
• Invented new meal. After school meal. 

1981: selling to late night crew. 

• Invented 24hour concept.

1982: selling to grandparents. 

• Old people want to feel involved.
• Part time employment is invented. 

2000: back to selling to dad.

• Dad is a business professional and wants his kids to love him. 
• He can buy love at a dollar a piece. 
• Could be divorced. 
• No mom

Other countries McDonalds Ads.

• Ads are more direct.
• Where is McDonalds going next?

McDonalds selling McDonalds

McDonalds: own real-estate

• Hamburgers got its start in the 1920’s 
• People used to go home for lunch: thats where the 1 hr lunch break got its start. 
• White Castle was born: white because white reminds us of CLEAN. 
• More for the younger kids. 
• Most new burger joints were born in California
• McDonalds, Burger king, Taco bell
• Ray - targets kids
• 1962- 1st ronald McDonald commercial
• Ronald is much different then what we know now. 
• He wears a plate of food on his head. 
• Targeted kids
• 1963- Ronald targets MOM.
• “your mom is always right” “dont talk to strangers”
• 1965- McDonalds ad:
• Targets DAD
• Dad with kids and neighborhood kids going to McDonalds. 
• 1967- Clean cut men who work at McDonalds. 
• Get business experience 
• Shapes you for life.
• No mention about food
• Just tells who they are: institution.
• No hippies... Just good clean cut people. 
• In the span of 10 years Ray has gone from selling simple hamburgers to selling to Kids, Dad, Mom. 
• 1974- still all men
• All about cleanliness. 
• 1977- “we do it all for you” break all the rules by selling breakfast
• Mom appeared in commercial 
• Women are working behind the counter. 
• Mom serves breakfast so why not have women serve you from McDonalds
• 1978- the customers are selling the food.
• Big Mac is introduced.
• 1979- Chicken Nuggets are introduced. 
• Small nuggets that kids will like. 
• Only KFC at the time was selling chicken. 
• Breaking more rules. 
• 1980- selling the burger. McdLT
• Now putting tomato on it. 

• We have seen the birth of the drive through
• Using advertising to target specific people
• Mom
• Dad
• Kids
• Breaking all the rules: selling breakfast, chicken nuggets.

Camera shots for Ads

Visual narrative- invented in 1914 but based on 1000’s of years of theatre. 

3 shots of the visual narrative: displays emotion. 

• Wide shot: (WS)- think as a paint brush- it puts the base story down. establishing shot- see the world they are in and whats going on.
• Med. Shot: (MS)- think of as a screw driver, it has multiple purposes. expo shot- 80% of shots are (MS)- kinda bland but thats what were used to. 
• Close-up: (CU)- think of as a hammer, it only has on use. the exclamation shot- exact opp of wide shot. Only about 5% is told in (CU) look at this and nothing else. 

Examples of ads...

• Fast Food- CU
• Car’s- CU
• Band aid- WS into MS then CU of band aid
• Pizza- CU of melting cheese bite

• Typical scene starts with WS then moves to MS then to CU of what were talking to then back to a MS and WS. 

selling CARS

• Watched pontiac, and transAM commercials.
• GM Looking at cars as a life style. 
• In the 80’s we only got to see the car in two directions. Its was more about stories. 
• In the 90’s and 2000’s its more about camera angles
• Showing us things that are out there. Out side the box. 
• Women driving a car and she is blind. Gets a thrill out in the desert. 
• New corvette commercial is selling the benefit. This is new kind of ad. 
• 2010’s are now back to selling by stories. We see this in the suburban monkey ads. 
• You learn more when you laugh. 

Conservative VS Liberal

1950’s: balance of buying power is shifted to the kids. 

From the 1920’s-2012’s a lot has changed.

Music and radio are the big entertainment form.

1917-18: WWI: depression

1918: flu pandemic 

1939: WW2

1940: soldiers come home and party

• During the war jobs are on the rise, GI bill: edu is paid for.  

1950’s: teenagers, mad men, 

• Transistor is born, now the radio is portable.

1955-59: baby boomers are born.

• Color tv is born. New entertainment... But still a family value. 

1960’s: hippies are born. 

1970’s: PC is born: entertainment becomes an individual value. 

1980’s: walk-men is born: entertainment is more individual.

1990’s: mp3, mp4 is born: now completely independent. 

2012: tablet, iPod, smart phones. 

• Parents and kids are always on different spectrums of conservative and liberal. 
• Grandparents and grandkids can be on the same spectrum towards the end of grandparents life. 
• When you are conservative you brand choices are predictable because you know what you want.

selling corn to college kids

F.A.B. Its all about the bennies (benefits) and wants. This leads to power. 

A.I.D.A.

A- “hey, you!”

I- “you want?” “you want!?

D- “I’ve got!” i.e., power... 

A- “buy it now!”

CORN

Sell a can of corn to college kids

• Corn is:
• Quick
• Easy
• Filling
• Inexpensive 
• Take it/leave it

CORN

A- “hey, you!”: 

• Use something that jumps out at you
• Shock factors 
• Cartoons
• Bright colors

I- “you want? : 

• Can corn is good for you

D- “I’ve got!”:

• Demos
• Location

A- “buy it now!”:

• Give a discount to anyone that buys the can of corn.

A.I.D.A.

A.I.D.A.- this is the mechanism on how to sell.

Once you know your audience it makes it easier to say “hey, you!”

A- attention: saying “hey, you!” communicates attention... We have developed a WIFM

• Examples: sex, food, smells, noises, surprise, peer pressure, water ballon. 

I- interest: “you want?” identify what they want.

D- desire: “I’ve got!” we have engaged the motor. 

A- action: “buy it now!!!” 

• Examples: limited edition, can only buy on TV,

Makes us feel like we fit in..

• Toothpaste: makes me feel like my teeth are whiter, makes people like me more, ....

F.A.B.

Avoid using redundant adjectives. 

• Hot sun

Read it aloud.  

Corn: F.A.B.- features, attributes, benefits. 

College age: 18-25

• Energy
• Rebel
• Impulse
• Lazy
• Booze
• Busy
• Quick easy
• Disposable 

Family age: 25-45

• Budget
• Dinner
• Family time
• More people
• Dependable 

Retired age: 55-75

• $$$
• Small quantities
• Life
• Health issues.
• Security
• Essential  

knowing your audience

Schramm’s reward over effort

Audience

• Examining Peanut butter. 
• 5 year old: mouth feel, fun
• 18 year old: save money, texture, economical  
• 50 year old: worried about what they put into their body. 
• All of these have different audience marketing appeal 

Only way to sell your audience is to know the benefit. 

• You have to know the right language for different groups

Can you sell with out lying? 

Things ads try and bring into us.

• Happy
• Family
• Patriotism 
• Health 
• Good ol’ days
• Nature
• Belonging 

Selling your audience

Words in your food:

• Organic
• Fresh
• Serving for one.
• Single serving
• 100 cal
• Grown-ups. 

Things to do with language:

• Make sure it translate
• Create emotion. 
• Make it simple.
• Easily digestible. 
• Focus
• One idea at a time. 
• Concise

Things to not do with language:

• Don't use cliche’s 
• Soft language.
• Double- speak
• Betray your audience. 

Selling your audience:

• F.A.B.
• Features- Common among like items. I.e., motor, frame. 
• Attributes- specific items, that differentiate from features. I.e., power windows 
• Benefits- Power, i.e., transportation, love, jobs, 
• Always sell the benefit

S.A.F.E.S.T.

Starting with a general word and narrowing it down to a specific word. Makes the audience have a good visual. Need a balance between abstract words and concrete. 

When writing a story get yourself two highlighters. Yellow for concrete and red for abstract. This will help you see if there is an equal balance of abstract and concrete. Am I equally showing people my message as well as telling. 

• Start thinking about the words your using. 
• Are you showing or telling?
• Use specific terms

• S.A.F.E.S.T.- 

S: statistics: 

A: analogies 

F: facts 

E: examples 

S: stories 

T: testimonials 

• Get the name of the dog. 
• Take abstract -ism’s and turn them into something that has emotional meaning.
• During Katrina there was a boy who was stuck on his roof and yelling “snow ball” no one could figure out why he was saying it. Come to find out it was the name of his dog. He wanted to bring “snow ball” with him and couldn’t.

3 components to writing for the media:

1. Story
2. Language
3. Selling 

Abstract vs Concrete Words

Words: our audience is really lazy so you need to get to the point fast so you don’t lose them. 

• You need to reach them with concise, focused, language.
• 2-3 sentences per paragraph
• 8 words per sentence. 
• Your words need to be: 
• Strong
• Powerful
• Active
• Changing
• Moving
• Communicate 
• Pictures say 1000 words: use words that fill your senses. A few words can fill you up and draw you in.. Describe what you:
• Hear
• See 
• Smell 
• Touch
• Taste 
• Dual coding: eyes record information faster than your ears can but yet your brain makes you think that it comes in at the same time.
• If you use words that tap into both audio and visual you will create a more vivid experience for your audience. 
• Summer sun
• Summer vacation
• Use less words that describe more emotions. 

• Concrete vs. Abstract words:
• Abstract words: tell
• Concepts
• Very broad 
• Usually end in -ism
• Very vague. 
• Love. 
• Concrete words: show.
• Illustrations. 
• Religion.
• Dinner time.
• Sunday dinner
• Concrete expression of love: 
• Wedding
• Kissing
• Holding hands. 
• If you use words and dual code it, it has more emotions. 
• Funny puppy
• Cute puppy
• Playful puppy

controlling your words

Abstract and Concrete

• Schram’s formula 
• Fraction of selection
• Formula
• Exception of reward divided by work required = effort
• Your audience has an expectation of reward from reading your story they are expecting some type of reward at the end of it. 

HG Wells

Radio: most of the radio is advertisement now

The radio format is now on iTunes, pod casts, streaming audio

• We listened to 1938 War of the Worlds: by HG Wells, spoken by Orson Wells
• Time period:
• Coming out of depression 
• Strong socialist movement 
• People were scared. 
• Painting pictures in your head with WORDS.
• We want to change people with their words and knowledge.  

War of the Worlds:

• Didn’t sound scripted 
• Background noise echoed emotion
• Lingo matched interviewers
• Radio guy lingo
• Military guy lingo
• Scientist guy lingo
• Used descriptive words:
• Dripping wet
• Smooth leather
• Had radio cut aways:
• This made the time go faster in our head. 
• Cutaway to music or to network guy.

How to improve dialogue

How to Improve dialogue  

• Read it aloud. 
• Your work is meant to be read, so don’t fret letting people read it. 
• No long passages 
• Audience will tune you out or fall asleep. 
• Use distinctive dialogue 
• Give each character their own voice. 
• Get into the characters.. I.e., wear their shoes. 
• Speak their language. 
• If your character is a cop, use cop terms.
• Habitual phrases
• Things that help identify and make your characters unique. 
• Cut dialogue that doesn’t serve a purpose. 
• Listen  to people.
• You can get ideas about dialogue. 
• Try not to use slang
• Avoid stereo types. 
• Model others
• Download screen plays you like, or get some books that you enjoy reading and look how they use their words, how to they communicate their message.

Barton and Fink

Dialogue: should echo the emotion of the scene. 

We watched Barton and Fink and analyzed two scenes of dialogue. 

Full Metal Jacket

Dialog: moves the story along.

Information = story

Mistakes that often times come up in dialog: 

1. Too much yack yack yack (talking)
2. Monologging: i.e., james bonds where the evil man always monologs before killing james and it ends up bad for evil. 
1. Be careful not to put to many words into your characters mouth. 
3. Make it sound to real: this makes the audience feel like its fake. 

1. Grammar shortcuts and complete information.

1. Don’t use names two often. 
2. Telling me what I all ready know. 

1. Don't use dialog to keep telling what the audience already knows. 

1. Don’t make everyone sound the same. 

1. Education 
2. Culture
3. Accents
4. Age
5. Gender
6. Race.
7. All of these effects the way we sound. 
8. Lingo makes a huge difference in characters. 

Scene:

1. Intro
2. Transfer of information that moves the story forward. 
3. Light bulb: revelation from information. 
4. What’s next: make sure character doesn't say to much at once. Break it up.

Creativity

Creativity: 

1. Hunt and gather ideas. 

1. We are hunter and gathers. 
2. As story tellers we have to go hunt and gather them. 
3. Find different groups
4. Each group has a different story to tell. 
5. Use the news.
6. Religion.
7. Don't go to the same old places for story ideas

        2. Play with the idea. 

1. Put it in a different time frame. 
2. Make it happen in the snow.
3. Have different variations of the story and see which one you like. 
4. Play with the messages.

        3.Let it stew. 

1. Helps get you away from 1st level of creativity. 
2. Lets it gather more flavor. 
3. Don't skip this step. 

        4.Eureka!

1. Get it all over you. 
2. Grab it, own it, run with it. 

        5. Just do it. 

1. Laziness keeps us from doing it. 
2. Fear is your worst enemy 

10 types of stories

• Story
• Manufactured 
• Recipe
• Blue prints
• Language: 
• We need to sell it.

10 types of stories: which can boiled down to 1 

3 little pig character ideas

• What is the message?
• What are my options?
• Don't use cliches. 

Using simple stories like the 3 little pigs we can change it up and throw out the cliches. Making it your own with a message. 

• Wolf: Protagonist,
• Goal: to over come his pig eating addiction. 
• Monkey: Antagonist,
• Goal: needs the wolfs power to keep him in control.

Beat Sheets

• Beat sheet- outline of your story
• A beat= an action
• Start thinking about major actions

Start with:

• Hook- “start with the snake” if the story is about snakes then start with the snake. 
• Get with the action
• This is a great way to identify the hook
• I.e., x-files, film noir, CSI, house.... All start with a hook. If its all about a murder then it needs to start with the murder. 
• In the (3 act structure) the hook is the dog attacks the ice cream man. 
• Next is Act 1:

Example:

• Hook- the dog attacks the ice cream man.

Act 1:

• Joe is sweltering 
• He wants ice cream but is afraid of the dog.
• Joe decides to step outside and give it a go. 

Act 2:

         

3 Act Structure

• People fear the unknown but when they know it, it doesn't seem so scary anymore. 
• The most powerful enemy’s are our selfs. 
• All conflict is a struggle for some form of power. 
• “If only...” “what if...”

• You have to defeat the antagonist in order for the protagonist to grow. 
• You can not be saved from above. 

Antagonist vs. Protagonist

Characters:

• Need to be essential 
• Characters and characterizations 
• Need to be Real, and believable. 
• Unique
• Connected
• Characters are looking for some form of power (goal) motivation. 
• Fact check your characters
• Don’t talk about characters that you don’t know about. 
• If you dont know a cop then when you talk about one it will seem fake, and unrealistic. 
• Lingo needs to be authentic and seem real
• If you cant find a authentic cop, teacher, pilot, use google and research. 

The Hero’s journey.

• Joe Campbell- researched mythology and wrote the Hero’s journey.
• Came up with 5 concepts that were similar in many different mythologies. 
• 1. Call to adventure. 
• Common joe and something calls them out for adventure. Something that will prove himself to others. 
• Given choice to accept or decline. If they accept it means the character is active. 
• Can use decline to show a weakness.
• 2. Road of Trials:
• Along the road we have many successes and failures. 
• 3. Achieve Goals:
• Which leads to some kind of self-knowledge. 
• 4. Has to return to the real world. 
• Leads to not fitting in. 
• Either they take the head seat of the table and lead the tribe or they have to leave. 
• 5. Application:
• Where they don’t think your a weirdo anymore. 

Antagonist: Make them worthy of your protagonist. 

• Characters communicate the message. 
• Make sure that your antagonist can connect with your protagonist. 
• Your worst enemy is yourself.