BOOK TO SCREEN
"COACH FOR A DAY" PROGRAM
(One 4-hour session to read and analyze your book,
PLUS two 4-hour, one-on-one sessions to help
you turn your book into the right type of screenplay!)
“Nick Potter is an award-winning filmmaker whose work has won three prestigious film festivals, been on TV, and has been sold in 92 countries. He has a Masters in Screenwriting from USC, and he has worked for Disney and other studios in his 38-year career in screenwriting and film production. In addition to his consummate knowledge of the entertainment world, I have known Nick for 16 years and am proud to call him my friend.”
– Randy Peyser
THINKING ABOUT CONVERTING YOUR BOOK TO A
SCREENPLAY? HERE’S YOUR FIRST STEP!
by Nickolas Harold Potter
If you are like most people, as soon as you decide to adapt your novel to the screen, you feel overwhelmed or lost because you don’t know exactly what kind of script needs to be written. Before spending your blood, sweat, and tears – and money – writing down a single word, there are critical choices you need to make.
IN BOOK TO SCREEN COACHING YOUR PROJECT IS ANALYZED TO HELP YOU DETERMINE THE RIGHT FORMAT. WE'LL SAVE YOU TIME AND MONEY!
The value and importance of Book to Screen Coaching is not to critique your story; your story has been written. It now just needs to be retold in another medium. But which audio-visual format is the right format for YOUR story?
My primary concern is to help you determine the best type of script for you to MAXIMIZE THE SIZE OF YOUR AUDIENCE AND YOUR PROFITS. There are many types of scripts for you to choose from. That is why, with book coaching, I will begin by analyzing your material from the perspective of a movie producer or a studio.
The goal of my analysis is to determine the most likely way to make your screenplay a commercial success.
Would your story best be told as a feature film, a movie of the week, or a pilot for a series for a TV network or streaming service? Each requires a different approach to how you should write your script.
WHICH IS RIGHT FOR YOU? FEATURE FILM * MOVIE OF THE WEEK * OR A PILOT FOR A TV OR STREAMING SERIES?
Your Coaching Sessions and Book to Screen Analysis address these questions and many more that will pop up as you develop your approach:
Feature Film
· What will the budget likely be?
· Can the budget be adjusted to be producer-friendly without changing YOUR story?
· How difficult a shoot will your story be?
· Can it be made easier to shoot without having to change YOUR story?
· What about casting and star power to propel your project forward faster?
· What production issues are inherent in the storyline?
· Can production issues be corrected to stop potential producer objections?
· Will you have trouble finding a director for the project?
· What are directors really looking for in a script?
· How can your script be written in a way that actually attracts great directors?
· Where will you shoot the project to be most economical?
· Who is your target audience?
· Which format will reach your target audience the best?
MOVIE OF THE WEEK (MOW)
· Is the story primetime network-friendly?
· Can the story be told in intervals to accommodate advertisers?
· Will the budget be appropriate for a network television enterprise?
· Will casting be different?
· Will your movie be able to be shot in a studio or must it be shot on location?
· Can the script be written to attract big name television producers and directors?
· How can you predict studio objections and avoid them before your script is written?
· Will your story be best served as an afterschool special, a primetime movie of the
week, a special event, or something else?
PILOT FOR A TELEVISION OR STREAMING SERIES
A pilot for a series can be a stand-alone, one-hour episode of the intended series, or it can be a feature film or movie of the week that kicks off interest in a series.
· What elements of budget can help you decide?
· What level of shooting difficulty can help you decide?
· What level of star power is available to you to help you decide?
· What other upcoming or current shows may be your competition?
· Will you win that competition? How?
· How unique is your concept?
· Has something similar been done before?
· Can your story be tweaked if something similar exists?
· If not, are you willing to lose creative control in exchange for money?
Now, you can understand why it is important to make the right choice of platforms and format for your novel to move to the screen before the first word of your script is written.
The journey to a sale is filled with “if/then” questions and, for most, the ins and outs of the business side of Hollywood are mysterious, to say the least. More apt to say they are daunting because getting them wrong is the difference between making a sale and not making a sale.
HERE'S HOW IT WORKS
In the Coaching Sessions and Book to Screen Analysis, I start with a “deep dive reading” of your novel for both story and technical information. Once I’m completely familiar with your material the analysis begins.
I set up a one- to -two-hour telephone or Zoom call with you (never rush this part!) to:
· Understand your primary motivation for taking your book to the big screen or TV.
· Ask you questions about the story from my notes and help you find any holes or weak
spots that should be addressed before you write.
· Discover your primary vision for the transformation of YOUR story to an audio-visual
medium. This is YOUR story and I will make sure the vision in your mind matches what
is put down on paper to give you as much creative control as possible after the sale.
· Identify places where scenes from a book do not translate well into an audio-visual
format and teach you how to make adjustments that don’t change the overall story.
· Learn about your primary personal motivation and goals for the project (profit, to deliver
a positive message to the world, to create a family legacy, to see a deeply personal
memoir come to life…)
· Discuss your production goals (sell the script, self-produce the script, partner with a
movie studio on the script, attach A-list talent to the project…)
· Teach you about film financing options that may be available to you for your project.
· Do behind the scenes research to find the best options for you.
· Help you choose the best venue for your story based on all the above information.
· I will set up another one- to two-hour phone or Zoom call with you to coach you on your
next best steps for getting the perfect script written for YOUR goals and to answer all
the questions you may have after learning more about what kind of script is best for
YOUR story AND for YOUR desired outcome (never rush this part, either!).
The 3 Coaching Sessions and a Book to Screen Analysis will not only help you hit a home run with the BUSINESS side of your movie, but it will save you untold grueling hours of frustration and uncertainty in the creation of a script that doesn’t get traction but could have had a detailed analysis been done before the writing began.
You don’t have to go it alone. Let me help you do your movie “homework,” so that your final exam — selling the movie/series — is an A+!
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RESERVE YOUR COACHING SESSIONS AND BOOK TO SCREEN ANALYSIS NOW! MAKE SURE YOU’RE ON THE BEST PATH TO SUCCESS!
Please write “BOOK TO SCREEN ANALYSIS” in ALL CAPS in your subject line.
COST: 4 hours to read and analyze your book, PLUS 8 hours of one-on-one coaching: $2997 - Must reserve and pay for your space 30 days in advance. Price is nonnegotiable and nonrefundable.
TESTIMONIALS
“Nickolas, you are one of the best! You clearly exemplify the knowledge and expertise it takes to rock any film or TV writing project. The TV treatment you prepared for my show was completely on point and simply amazing! Thank you! You’ve made my life so much easier and I look forward to working with you again!” – Wendy Ida, Best-Selling Author, Speaker, Lifestyle Coach & Fitness Expert,
http://wendyida.com/
“Nickolas Harold Potter and I have been working on a film project based on my novel, Wormhole Moon, for a little over a year. It’s a rare thing to work with someone who is a consummate professional. I appreciate his work ethic and the consistent, robust communication that we share. What I never worry about is the quality of the work. His keen insight of what may or may not work is incredibly astute, yet he always keeps the voice of the client in mind. Because finding such an available talent as Mr. Potter is so challenging, I try to have a number of projects in the queue. I thoroughly enjoy working with Nickolas, and I foresee an assured and prosperous working relationship with him for years to come.” – Books by John Williams
“Nickolas helped me revise my screenplay in just a few weeks after I wasted 18 months with another screenwriter! He explained things and made some suggestions with me always being the final word. Nickolas allowed me to keep my work intact and was very economical. I never felt as if he was in a rush to get me off the phone or cut corners. I found myself “all ears” to learn from his experience.” – Troy,
https://www.amazon.com/Money-Island-Troy/dp/0692283129
“I had the pleasure of contracting Nickolas to adapt my novel,
Overland, to a screenplay. We established a good symbiotic working relationship which inspired him to write a mighty fine screenplay. Good value and I was very pleased with Nickolas on the final product. I highly recommend engaging with Nickolas on any of your endeavors.” – Mark Stephen Levy,
http://markstephenlevy.com/mybooks.html
RESERVE YOUR SPACE!
Please write “BOOK TO SCREEN ANALYSIS” in ALL CAPS in your subject line.
COST: 4 hours to read and analyze your book, PLUS 8 hours of one-on-one coaching: $2997 - Must reserve and pay for your space 30 days in advance. Price is nonnegotiable and nonrefundable.