Part VIII: LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

Some writers believe, to paraphrase Field of Dreams, “If you write it, they will come”. Writing the great screenplay CAN eventually find its way into the right hands. Sometimes, though, you have to nudge those hands to your screenplay.

How do you do that?

One area to consider is LOCATION- the setting where your overall story takes place. This needs to be seriously considered during the CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT stage, a step that I often find many writers gloss over WAY too quickly. This is the time to really think your story through, asking yourself;

• Is this a marketable idea?;
• Is it plausible?;
• Does this concept appeal to the widest range of people (four quadrant concepts)?
• Is this a concept I want to devote twelve months of my life writing, and perhaps an entire lifetime defending and/or discussing?

When you start with location, first think globally. I’m fairly shallow, and not well-traveled outside of this hemisphere, so naturally all of my stories take place ON EARTH- and, generally, in the United States, but that’s just me.

Next, think in terms of regions within the United States- north, northeast, south, southwest- you get the idea. Then, think of the area in which the story makes the most sense. If it’s a story of a Civil War family, you might be concentrating on the Northeast or the Southeast region, for obvious reasons. This could be an opportunity to consider a unique TWIST in your story. Hundreds of stories about the Civil War have used these locations, but what about a Civil War back-drop in Texas? How about the Arizona territory or Montana? I haven’t done any research on this so I’m not exactly sure which states and territories even existed at that time. I’m working on one story now that has a World War II and Cold War back-drop, but here in the States. Normally, you might consider Washington, D.C., Hawaii, perhaps California and New York. I’ve chosen a desert location in New Mexico, for reasons that are important to the story’s concept.

Personally, I target stories with three main goals;

1. I try to develop highly marketable stories, with characters that I can see being played by A-list talent;
2. I consider production costs and write accordingly (I don’t use a submarine when a rowboat will do);
3. I target major roles for actors over 55 years of age.

These are MY personal goals, and I’m not suggesting anyone else needs to use these guidelines, but when considering locations, you should keep $$$$ in the back of your head.

With that in mind, target locations (states) that are more “friendly” in terms of production. Georgia, Louisiana, the Carolinas, all have a rich history and great track record for working with production companies. They offer financial assistance in terms of tax breaks, and less constricted rules and regulations as they attempt to convince filmmakers to use their states (benefits their local unemployment offices substantially). Toronto and Canadian locations are often used to simulate the average American city for these same reasons.

Try to dig deeper in the location pool, too. If you have a shoot-out scene, having it take place in a bar or on an empty street, or busy street for that matter, is rather passé. Change up scene locations, as well. How about a Laundromat shoot-out? Have a car chase scene? Consider mopeds, in and out of L.A. traffic, or in a mall. I gave one writer the idea of a pursuit involving airport security that took place in an airport- using electric wheelchairs! Yes, it WAS a comedy! I try to find the unlikeliest locations, ones that are less cliché than others. It helps with the overall appeal and interest with the story.

Writing a great screenplay will solve a lot of problems, but a good screenplay can be enhanced by making these considerations throughout your writing process.

Do any of you have a similar process when considering locations?

Maybe you can share some examples of where this process of yours has taken your story and whether you feel that it was elevated as a result.

WRITER'S BIO: Mr. Scala spent 22-plus years in the Hollywood community, and was the Executive Director for the 72nd Annual Academy Awards, as well as The Soul Train Awards, The Grammys, The Blockbuster Video Awards Show and The Saturn Award Show. His company is currently working on their thirty-ninth (39) novel-to-screenplay adaptation for clients, and he counts many celebrities and household names among his vast clientele. His TV project, "Bad Priest", is in development with a cable network, where one executive said the following: "This pilot is compelling and clear and offers just enough to tease us with where these stories and characters might go. It begs for a full season..."

Today, he and his writing team are actively working on several ghostwriting projects for his celebrity clientele as well, including the adapting the novel "Making Broken Beautiful" by Pamela Millican-Hartnoll; a tragic story of excessive abuse and redemptive success; and biopics of early rock pioneer Jimmie F. Rodgers and iconic folk star Harry Chapin- all while continuing to mentor new writers and self-published authors.

He has ghostwritten two screenplays that have since been produced into feature films; "Assassin 33 A.D." and "The Tombs", both are currently available on Amazon Prime.