BPS 110: What Talent Agencies Look for in a Screenplay with Christopher Lockhart

Today on the show we have award-winning producer, film executive,
educator, and industry story analyst Christopher Lockhart.
Christopher is renowned for his script editing acumen. He has read
over 60,000 screenplays.  He is also an award-winning
filmmaker and member of the WGA, PGA, and the Television
Academy.

Chris got his start at International Creative Management
(ICM), where he worked as script consultant to legendary
talent agent Ed Limato, who represented industry giants such as Mel
Gibson, Richard Gere, Michelle Pfeiffer, Liam Neeson, and Robert
Downey, Jr.

He later moved to the venerable William Morris Agency, which
merged with Endeavor to form WME.  At WME Chris has worked on
award-winning projects for A-list clients like Denzel Washington,
Russel Crowe, and Rachel McAdams among others.

Chris branched off into film producing with the cult
horror hit The Collector and its sequel The
Collection, which opened in the top ten American box-office.  
He wrote and produced the award winning documentary Most
Valuable Players, which was acquired by Oprah Winfrey for
her network.  Chris has set up several other projects,
including A Rhinestone Alibi at Paramount,
and Crooked Creek, a modern noir thriller.

As an educator, Lockhart shares his talent and 30+ years of
industry experience as an adjunct professor at Screenwriting
program and at UCLA. His writing workshop The Inside
Pitch was filmed for Los Angeles television and
earned him an Emmy Award nomination.

Chris and I also teamed up for a new webinar from IFH Academy
called How to Become a Hollywood Script Reader from Industry
Insiders

HOW TO BE A HOLLYWOOD READER is a webinar focusing on the secrets
of one of Hollywood’s most vital and mysterious jobs. A reader
evaluates screenplays and stories, practicing quality control
through “coverage” – a written report that judges creative success.
The reader wields huge influence that empowers Hollywood chiefs to
greenlight film, television, and new media.

This webinar examines the core components of coverage, how to write
it, and provides tools and pro tips to navigate the reading
profession – led by two preeminent Hollywood readers. By pulling
back the curtain on this creative process, the webinar also gives
writers, directors, actors, and producers a rare look inside the
mind of those who decide the fate of their material.

Chris prioritizes emotionality and his client's character role and
development ahead of the overall story solidity. He shared some
tips for new writers, some lessons learned from bad scripts, what
goes on behind the agency curtain and the blessing of untapping a
story's best version from re-writes.

Enjoy my conversation with Christopher Lockhart.

Become a supporter of this podcast:
https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bulletproof-screenwriting-podcast--2881148/support.