Screenwriter Ansley Gordon discusses how to get distributors to reveal what they want plus how pop culture will make your script shine.
Chapters
0:00:00 Introduction to the Christmas Movie Screenwriter Podcast
0:00:15 Introduction and Podcast Overview
0:03:13 Tips for Crafting Heartwarming Christmas Movie Storylines
0:04:28 Cold emailing producers and making a list of contacts
0:06:43 Selling the first rom-com script and the excitement that followed
0:08:26 Writing another script and getting it bought by the same company
0:08:43 The Importance of Strong Character Development in Christmas Movies
0:13:09 Creating a Christmas movie with a time-specific feel
0:15:29 Moving a script towards production: table reads and reaching out to producers
0:22:31 A Chance Encounter with Nicely Productions
0:29:02 A client with a potential script opportunity
0:29:28 Secret Agent Strategy for Landing Big Company Meeting
0:30:45 Navigating the Strike: Non-Union vs Union Writers
0:33:08 The Terrifying Potential of AI and Robots
0:34:30 A Girl’s Journey from Chaos to Purpose
0:36:46 Advice to Younger Self: Embrace Imperfection and Enjoy Life
0:38:24 Going Viral: The Power of the Internet
0:41:15 Final Thoughts: Reviews, Membership Website
Transcript
Introduction to the Christmas Movie Screenwriter Podcast
[0:00] [Caryn] This is the Christmas Movie Screenwriter Podcast, episode number eight.
Introduction and Podcast Overview
[0:15] Hello and welcome to the Christmas Movie Screenwriter Podcast. I’m your host, Caryn McCann.
The Christmas Movie Screenwriter Podcast is about writing, producing, and selling Christmas movies. You can find any links mentioned in the podcast on my website. Just go to www.christmasmoviescreenwriter.com and look for this episode, which is number eight. On the podcast, I hope to demystify the steps writers, producers, and acquisition executives need to find success in the Christmas movie market.
If you find my podcast helpful, please leave a five-star review wherever you get your podcast. The more reviews we get, the more we will be able to be found by other listeners. It will also attract more guests. So it’s a win-win for everybody.
[1:03] A quick few words about what I’m working on. I’ve changed one of my Christmas scripts into a pure female-led thriller. I think it works better that way. And on another Christmas script, I’m going to get rid of any thrilling or action elements and make it a pure rom-com. So you see, I have learned a lot from the guests on this podcast, and I hope to have good news in the coming new year. So I want to wish everyone happy holidays and wish you big success in 2024. Here is the main segment.
In less than three years, Juilliard-trained screenwriter, actress, and producer Ansley Gordon has sold or optioned over 30 projects, with more than half of them having been produced. Ansley has many projects premiering this Christmas season, including A Christmas Frequency for Hulu, a project that Ansley not only wrote but also executive produced and stars in.
Next is Mistletoe Moments which Ansley wrote for Great American Family. After that is How to Fall in Love by Christmas, which is coming to Roku this holiday season. Earlier this year, Ansley had several original movies premiere on a variety of networks, including One Perfect Match and Romance at the Vineyard on Great American Family.
[2:27] When Love Springs on the Hallmark Channel, and The Pregnancy Scheme for Lifetime.
She also wrote, produced, and starred as Abigail Brooks in The Abigail Mysteries for Great American Family. Originally from Longwood, Florida, Ansley resides in Los Angeles with her husband and two fur babies. More info about Ansley is available at www.ansleygordon.com.
[2:51] Well, Ansley, thank you for coming on the show today.
[Ansley] Thank you so much for having me. I’m excited to be here.
[Caryn] Okay. Well, please take a minute and tell us about yourself and your work.
[3:02] [Ansley] Sure. So I am an actress and a screenwriter, recently dabbling in producing and writing books. I live in Los Angeles with my husband. I started as an actor.
Tips for Crafting Heartwarming Christmas Movie Storylines
[3:13] I’ve been acting professionally for decades.
[Caryn] Wow. That’s great.
[Ansley] And yes, it’s been a ride. In 2018, I was frustrated with where I was in the industry.
I had been on a show that was canceled. I had done guest stars, but nothing was like picking up. And so I thought, well, what can I control? Because I don’t like having side jobs.
So I started studying made for TV movies and I, yes. It was a very weird transition because I’d never, I’d done one for Lifetime, but I had never, I didn’t like pay attention to it. Okay. Thus I started watching three or four a day and breaking them down. And I would pause and say, okay, so they had this many locations, this many characters, this many work pages, this many script days, this many minors or pets, like, and putting all of the pieces together.
I then wrote nine scripts in nine months to challenge myself because I knew they move quickly. And at the same time I was writing like pilots and other features and some of those won some awards. And so I thought, okay, I think I might be, I have so much imposter syndrome because I’m an actress. And I was like, who do I think I am?
Cold emailing producers and making a list of contacts
[4:28] But so I just started cold emailing producers and I sent, I made a list of producers. I was on IMDb. I was looking at Ansley Gordon has made five movies for Hallmark and Sarah Smith has made 30 movies for Great American Family. I made this list and I would reach out to them with an initial email and say, I have these nine scripts that are made with act breaks in mind, written with a 12 to 14-day production schedule in mind. And I had one for every holiday. So I had Valentine’s Day, a spring wedding, a summer-like travel movie, a Christmas movie, a Thanksgiving or not a Thanksgiving. It was like a fall harvest movie.
Furthermore, I wrote all of these movies. and cold emailed about 200 people. And I would follow up every week. I didn’t hear anything. Just, hi, I wanted to check in and see if you are interested in reading anything. Almost nobody responded except one producer in Canada sent my email to a distributor called Reel One Entertainment. And Reel One makes over a hundred movies a year.
5:44] And I’ve done maybe a dozen with them as both an actor and a writer and now, but that, that producer sent on an email chain with all of their executives. There’s this writer. I think she sounds promising. Do you want to look at her stuff?
So they, the thriller department emailed back first and I only had written two thrillers and they were terrible. They were absolute garbage. Oh, okay. I hadn’t spent as much time learning how to do those emails. And they were, they emailed back. They were like, yes, we’re looking for women in peril scripts. Do you have anything?
So I sent them what I had and they were like, this isn’t quite right. We’re going to pass. I was like, okay, but can rom-coms, can you look at my rom-coms? They did. And it was an executive over there who I love and have worked with now for years. He read, I made a deck, like a beautiful deck of all of my log lines. And so I could just send it over. It’s, I joked, I said, it’s my menu. Like, what do you want to order? And they asked me to read the first script that I had ever written.
Selling the first rom-com script and the excitement that followed
[6:43] The first rom-com that I’d ever written, which was a bridesmaid, like a professional bridesmaid movie. They ended up buying it and it was crazy. And I was sitting at a commercial callback for like a SAG national commercial versus a car company or something. And I was sitting there and I got the email. I was like, did I just sell a script?
[7:06] I didn’t book a part-time, but I sold a script. And that was March 12th. The 13th of 2020 like days before lockdown right so lockdown happened and that kind of changed everything they originally were just going to acquire the script and hire one of their writers to do the rewrites because everything was shifting and they wanted to move quickly, they asked if I could do a first pass on the rewrites and I was like yes yeah totally i don’t know what that means, but like, sure, let’s do it.
So I did it and they liked what I did. And I ended up staying on the project for, and I, they never brought in another writer and I started paying attention on development calls to what the other executives were saying they were looking for in scripts, just like little nuggets of like, we want a Christmas movie with.
[8:05] Magic elements, or we want a lake movie or whatever. A lake movie is one of the things that they said. So I then wrote the script. It was originally called Love Improvement.
It’s now called Love for Starters. And while I was doing that, the A Bridesmaid In Love, getting ready for production, I wrote Love for Starters on spec.
Writing another script and getting it bought by the same company
[8:26] And when A Bridesmaid in Love got greenlit, I then was like, oh, by the way, I have a lake movie that I think is written the way that I now know you guys like it. Do you want to take a look at it? And they did, and they bought it. And I got to say, all right, and that kind of opened the door.
The Importance of Strong Character Development in Christmas Movies
[8:43] So my first Christmas movie came at the end of November 2020, right before Thanksgiving. That exec called me because I had now done two movies with them and it all moved quickly. He called and he said, we have a slot for February 1st. We need a script ready to go for production ready February 1st. I was like, great, let’s go. Let me put you on the videos. Let’s, let’s get something off the ground. And we did. And that was the fastest from conception to production movie the company had ever done.
It became Fixing Up Christmas which stars Natalie Dreyfuss and Marshall Williams. It premiered on Up TV. It premiered globally. It was we partnered with the BBC and it was a cool project it was the number one streaming movie on FTV for the holiday season when did you get the request end of November?
[9:34] Okay. Wow. So we had December, January, and then we went to camera February 1st. Oh, February 1st. Oh, that is fast. It was eight weeks in total.
[Caryn] Holy cow. Well, you sort of answered my first question. How did you start your journey? But let me backtrack. Let me follow up on a couple of things.
[9:55] You mentioned earlier that in your email originally, you said a 12 to 14-day production schedule. Did you know that just because of your acting?
[Ansley] Yes. Yeah. So I had, I had not done a rom-com as an actor when I started writing these. No, I hadn’t done one, but I had auditioned for a million of them. So I had a million scripts. I have seen a million, like when you get a breakdown as an actor, you see the shooting days. So you know how many days it is.
And then I read interviews with other actors. I was listening to every like, you know, Weinman interview, every Hallmark writer podcast I could find to learn how it works. So I could not sound like an idiot emailing producers.
So, just off the top of your head, would you say, you know, 12 to 14 days is, you know, a 90-page script? It has six locations. Different distributors are different. So I know you had on Scott (from Nicely Entertainment). They like stuff to be 92 to 98 (minutes), whereas Reel One likes it to be 105 (minutes) flat.
[11:14] So every company is a little bit different and being able to adapt for what the budget is important with your script and so going into it if it’s 105 and saying I’m open to cut if we need to because sometimes it’s 14 days sometimes it’s 11 days and if it’s 11 days it needs to be closer to 92 because that’s already a grueling schedule but if it’s 105 could be.
[Caryn] Okay, now when you mentioned uh all these development calls that you heard other execs mention, you know, oh, we’re looking for like movie or whatever. Was that development call talking about the script that you were rewriting? And they just happened to say, oh, we’re also working on this.
[Ansley] Yes. And I also asked questions, they had that group told me that they would take a chance on anybody. They’ll give you a chance in the beginning. If you’re writing strong, they’ll take a chance on you in the beginning. If you’re easy to work with and you have ideas, then they will hear them out. But if you’re not easy to work with and you don’t have ideas, then it’s kind of a one-off for them.
So I made sure that I was a yes man, anything they wanted, even if I didn’t think it was right for the script, I would say, yes, how about this to pitch it in a way that would work and ask questions of, so this is working in this script. Is this what you guys typically like to see in projects? Oh no, you are interested in this. Got it. And like was storing all of the little chess.
[12:41] [Caryn] Right, right. Getting this movie greenlit. Well, that was a smart move.
[12:46] No pun intended. So what specific elements would you say are essential to a successful Christmas movie screenplay?
[12:55] [Ansley] I think, well, first of all, the feeling is super important.
Creating a Christmas movie with a time-specific feel
[13:09] The making sure that you’re hitting the notes of cozy. Not relaxing, but like things we all do, or we like to do at Christmas time, like wrapping presents and cookies and going ice skating. And it doesn’t have to be super generic things.
You can do other fun things like a Santa pub crawl or something, but things that feel really, things that feel really time specific that tie them, that don’t just make the movie set at Christmas, but make the movie an actual Christmas movie.
One of the best pieces of advice I got early in my screenwriting career from one of these executives was a lot of Christmas screenwriters fail because they think, oh if they put in a scene of wrapping presents, baking cookies, and going ice skating with romance, that’s enough.
And that’s not. There needs to be some sort of hook for Christmas, like a countdown to Christmas, a timeline to Christmas, the save the end by Christmas kind of thing. Then there needs to be a strong plot that is centered in the element that Christmas is operating around. Because if you don’t have a plot, the movie’s going to be boring. And this isn’t a plot. Christmas is like a backdrop.
[14:21] [Caryn] Right. Well, if you’ve watched a few of these, you kind of know what to expect. How do you balance meeting the audience’s expectations with staying fresh and not predictable or cliché?
[Ansley] I think being young and working, I consume a lot of content. I consume a lot of White Lotus and Euphoria. I’m reading a lot of books like Happy Place and The Love Experiment. Like I’m reading a lot of like, and watching a lot of like pop culture things. And if you can tie in fresh elements, to a traditional piece of content that will make your stuff stand out.
[15:04] Okay. So, I mean, back, let’s pretend that Twilight was a big thing. Yeah. Having some kind, not vampires, but some kind of, I don’t know. A love triangle or a family with a secret or something. Like, finding the elements that are at the core of what’s working and turning that into a Christmas movie.
Moving a script towards production: table reads and reaching out to producers
[15:29] [Caryn] Well, after you finish the script and it’s ready to go out, what’s your next step? How do you move it towards getting into production?
[15:36] [Ansley] So it depends. A lot of my stuff over the last two years has all, I’ve sold the concept and then been hired to write the script. So the script is then going straight to the people who are going to be making it for notes. If it’s new, like early in the writer’s strike, I did, I wrote a script a week for July.
[Caryn] A week? Yes. Good for you.
[Ansley] Thank you. And because I knew I wanted to come out of the strike with four new, really fresh, very interesting projects. And three of them were Christmas movies. But they’re all different kinds of Christmas movies, where one is like a GAC hallmark, one is a royal Christmas movie, and then one is like a Netflix, really fun, a lot of comedy, like physical comedy, female lead in a messy situation, but centered around Christmas kind of thing.
Once I’m done, I table-read them immediately. That’s the first thing I do. I have amazing actor friends. Luckily, I have so many talented people in my life. I will call them or text them and say, Hey, are you available for a table read?
And they’ll say yes or no. And we’ll get on Zoom and I have my notebook and I have the script open and I’m listening to it and I’m hearing what’s working. I’m hearing what jokes aren’t hitting. I’m hearing what, yeah.
[16:58] Yeah, like what it would sound like. And because I am an actor and because I do produce, I can say, okay, no, this isn’t working. This scene’s too long. This, we’re missing this element. This needs to come sooner. And I’m like making all of these notes in a mad dash. So when that’s done, I’ll make the edits and then I’ll email producers and say, hey, I have a new script. Do you want to take a look?
And if they say no, then I just email more. Well, that’s my big advice on that. Like reaching out to producers, do not do it before you’re ready. You get one shot. And if your script, if they don’t already know you, you get one bite at the apple and you don’t want to go in with a, a script that’s like, okay, because there are so many okay scripts out there. If somebody is going to buy an okay script, they’re going to buy it from somebody like me or Jennifer Snow that they already know.
[Caryn] Exactly. Well, you know, we know that besides being a writer and producer, you’re also an actress. So could you share how you managed to act in some of your films while wearing your writer’s hat? Any interesting negotiation stories you can tell us?
[Ansley] Yes. So specifically with Real One, who I worked with first, I didn’t tell them I was an actor.
[18:19] I But I didn’t go into it wanting, I did want to act in them, but I didn’t go in telling them that I wanted to act in them. So I did, I think, five movies for them before I mentioned, hey, could I throw my hat in the ring for one of these movies? And it was a small supporting role for a movie that was shooting in Savannah that ended up selling to Paramount+.
[18:47] Called The Singles Guidebook. And I did it. I played the best friend and it was fine. It was fine. You know, it was, I worked for like three days. It was no big deal. It was a no-big-deal job. Okay. And after I did that, the executive on the script called me and was like, Hey, let me check the dailies. Let me check your footage. See how you did.
And I was like, Oh my gosh, you’re going to do this on the phone? And he did it. He liked it. Another project came up with that same production company and same distributor called Love on the Reef.
[19:24] And I had said, well if you liked me in this one, could we maybe look at Love on the Reef? They said, yeah, well, I’ll present you as one of the options. And it did help that I was a series regular on a show that was on Amazon. I’ve been on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend on the CW, better things on FX, and a whole bunch of other things. So I wasn’t coming into it with nothing. I came into it with a little bit of a following and a little bit of credibility. Also, they knew my work ethic and they could trust me.
So in between doing singles guidebook and Love on the Reef, starting shooting, I got an audition from my manager for a movie called Love on Retreat. That was a cute little rom-com. And I read it and I was like, this is adorable. I would love to do this movie.
I just auditioned, sent it, sent it off. Didn’t think anything about it. My development executive called me. He was like, Oh, Hey, I just watched your audition tape. Oh, wow. It was like my audition tape for what?
He was like, love on retreat. I’m not producing it. It’s another team and they’re, they’re pushing it. You’re the choice. So we’re just waiting to hear. And I was like, what?
It was cool to see your name. And like, I didn’t even have to have to push for you. You like got that job on your own.
[20:36] So that was a different avenue to start starring in these movies because I did it on my merit. So I was writing at the same time and now starring in one. And I had just sold a script to them called Love on Your Doorstep. They said we’re not going to approve you to be number one on Love on Retreat unless you’re guaranteed. You can guarantee us that you will meet your writing deadlines for Love on Your Doorstep because we already have a production slot.
And I was like, I was like, I can do it. Yeah. No sweat. No sweat. Seven days, 24 seven. I’ll do it. I was like, I got it. It was so hard, but that became my life. That was January of 2022. That became my life for, up until the writer’s strike I always had two or three projects as a writer going. I always had at least one as an actor going until the strike. So that taught me how to do it trial by fire. So while I was filming Love on Retreat, I got a breakdown and auditioned for Love on the Reef, which was the movie that I wrote. And I had talked to them about starring in and they were like, oh yeah, could you audition?
[21:48] I was like, I’m sending one for you right now that I didn’t write and you’re loving the dailies. Therefore, I just did the number three and one with the same group and they liked it. So I auditioned and it was shooting in Florida. I’m from Florida. It was a casting director that I’ve known since I was like 15. I did the tape in the middle of writing Love on Your Doorstep and starring in Love on Retreat. The tape didn’t look great but I did my best in the hotel room. I got the job. That one I had to fight for real. Because they auditioned like 170 girls.
[Caryn] Holy cow.
[Ansley] Yeah.
A Chance Encounter with Nicely Entertainment
[22:31] So, and I didn’t, I, I didn’t know what was going to happen. And I had to resign myself to the fact like, oh, I, this might not happen. Somebody else might get, to do this. And it didn’t. And I got to do it. Okay. Yeah. So the way I got connected with Nicely (Entertainment) is I just auditioned for a movie that they were producing and booked the job.
They liked me as an actor. I did a general with them as an actor. After they hadn’t read anything that I wrote, I got on. They were like, we like you. We would like to package you, put you in other projects, whatever. I was like, I would love that. Also, I’m a writer. Do you want to look at any of my stuff?
And they did. And that kicked off this amazing partnership. Vanessa Shapiro is, I just can’t say enough good things about her. She is one of my favorite people in the entertainment industry to work with. She’s so kind and supportive gets my voice and fights for me.
And she is amazing. So my avenue isn’t traditional like screenwriting because your acting was very helpful, like with real one writing led to acting with Nicely (Entertainment) acting led to writing.
[23:43] [Caryn] Well, good that you have so many hats. Now, do you find yourself in a situation where you had to consider walking away from the project? If your acting terms weren’t met, or did you ever find yourself in that situation? And how did you handle it? Or if you haven’t, if you were in a situation like that, what do you, at this today, what do you think you’d do?
[24:09] [Ansley] So I have done jobs where my terms weren’t met. And then I felt really bad the whole time I was shooting and I felt undervalued and I felt like it just wasn’t a good experience.
And so the last time that that happened was on 20, 2022, end of 2022. I decided that for any project moving forward as an actor, I either needed to love it or they needed to pay my quote like right because I’m not a big superstar. But I’m also not Joe Schmo fresh out of the boat.
I’ve done a dozen of these. As an actor, I have turned down a lot of jobs. Just the timing either didn’t work or the money didn’t make sense. It is a cost-benefit analysis. Am I going to go to Kentucky for three weeks and shoot one of these movies and make not a lot of money? Or can I spend those three weeks grinding and writing?
[25:15] Three scripts right I can sell for 10 times what I make as an actor.
[Caryn] What I want to clarify is if you are in a situation where it’s your script. You want to have a part. Maybe somewhere and you know above the line. Then if the producers were hesitant you had to decide. Am I just the writer and accept this, or I take my script and walk? What do you think you would do?
[Ansley] Every script is different. Every relationship is different. If I’m making my quote as a writer, but they won’t pay me what I’m worth as an actor, I have to weigh, is this going to be a project that would move the needle for me? Is this going to go somewhere cool like Hulu or Paramount? or is it going to end up just like nowhere? Or sit on a shelf and never see the light of day. So that’s one factor.
[26:18] Another factor is our people I like making it because this is such a small world. It’s the same, the same, like 20 plus that are making these movies. So if you’re making it, then that makes me want to make it. I have walked away from a project because it conflicted with a vacation that my husband and I had planned for Hawaii. And they were like, can you move your trip? And I was like, no. It depends on where I am, and what I have going on.
[27:00] Who is attached to the project? Also, I don’t always go into a script sale with myself attached to the project. I never do that. There will, there’s been a couple of times like A Christmas Frequency where I was like, Vanessa, if you make this, I’m playing Kenzie. And I don’t want to make it if we don’t, or if I can’t.
That was one time that I did that. But the majority of the time, I’m not always the best person for the job. Like One Perfect Match was just on um Great American Family. Merritt Patterson was the best person for that job. When Love Springs on Hallmark Rhiannon Fish was the best person for that job.
[Caryn] You have the right attitude. How would you suggest screenwriters expand their network of producers would you say conferences? And by that, I mean film markets.
[Ansley] I have never been to a conference.
[27:54] I have never, I am like the backward. People ask me all the time. They’re like, what screenwriting classes did you take? I didn’t take a screenwriting class until my Juilliard program last year.
Like that I ended up dropping out of like, I haven’t ever finished a screenwriting book, like reading a book. I have, I am like the worst person for that, that I am very trial by fire, get in there, teach yourself how to do it, become an expert, 10,000 hours by actually doing, and then find ways to build credibility in this space.
For me, that was having 97 million scripts and being able to talk about why I think these could work. When it comes to something like film conferences, I again, can’t speak to it. I think they look great. They look like something that looks amazing. And I think could be very beneficial. I just don’t know anything about them. Everything I’ve done has been cold emailing or picking up the phone. I’ve done this so many times and this sounds insane, picking up the phone and pretending to be my agent.
A client with a potential script opportunity
[29:02] And I’ll just, I’ll just like change my voice. Hey, I have this client. I think she has a script that would work well for y’all. Or I could pass this along. And then I do. And then I got, I get meetings. That is amazing.
[Caryn] Good for you.
[Ansley] That’s, I don’t necessarily recommend that. In case you’re like, look, we want to meet you and your agent.
Secret Agent Strategy for Landing Big Company Meeting
[29:28] She’s out of town. town. Usually, I’ll joke because I can’t keep things a secret. I will joke at the meeting. Like that wasn’t my agent. That was me. Okay. And it works. There was one company that I had been trying to get a meeting with for three years. They’re a, they’re a big company. They produce for Netflix. They produce for HBO. They have theatrical release stuff. and I did that. I called and I was my fake agent.
I got their email, and emailed over and over and over, but wasn’t getting a response. Called a different person in the department as my agent. Got that email, and was doing it over and over and over. And it just panned out and I’m working on a project with them. It stopped because of the strike, but we’re going to pick up as soon as we’re done. And that started earlier this year.
[Caryn] So you’d never been to the American film market?
[Ansley] I didn’t know what it was until last year well now with the strike I’m just curious, how does it work i mean maybe the strike will be over any day now who knows what happened yesterday fingers are crossed that it’s over today I learned about AFM last year because Vanessa and Scott were like hey come to lunch we’re at AFM and i was like what’s that what is that.
Navigating the Strike: Non-Union vs Union Writers
[30:45] Oh, I had no idea. Right. But it can, it can even, uh, non-union writers or non-union actors go to these markets right now if we’re in the middle of a strike. I don’t know a lot about that. I’m not sure how that works if you’re non-union, but I guess if, but if you’re union, they don’t want you pitching your projects.
I’m not union as a writer. yet. I want to join at some point. And so my legal team is airing on the, I have an amazing team, they’re airing on the super safe side of just act like you’re already in the guild. And so you’re not breaking any rules. And so when you want to join, because of any work you do right now during the strike, you have to sign a disclosure when you apply to join the union, and they cannot let you join based on the work you did during the strike.
[31:41] [Caryn] Although you’ve got all these credits you voluntarily didn’t want to join the union?
[Ansley] Yes because maybe there’s not time for me yeah okay I joined SAG I think a little too early. I became eligible when I was like 17 or something. I joined way too early. I had a big lull in my career because I wasn’t booking up. rI was in commercials but I wasn’t working in TV and film. So I don’t want to do that again. I feel like I learned from that mistake.
[Caryn] Yeah, good. Good. Okay. Okay. Well, here’s a question that a lot of people are striking about actors and writers. Do you think AI will change the way Christmas movies are made? If so, written and made? And if so, how?
[Ansley] AI scares me a lot. I think I think as a writer right now, I think it’s okay because what AI writes is garbage and it’s all recycled and there was that lawsuit and you can’t copyright AI work. So I feel okay about that. But I do think it is going to grow and get better.
And I know that other people have the view of, oh, well, we’re always going to need people to manage them. But I think that’s not necessarily going to be screenwriters. You know, I think that could be the executives.
The Terrifying Potential of AI and Robots
[33:08] So AI scares me as an actor. It’s terrifying. And I have friends who have done like the scan, the full body scan for the like $10,000 and called it a day. And I’m like, wow, what?
So I don’t know how this goes, but I would say if this is something that you’re passionate about and this is something that you want to do, start doing it now so you can solidify yourself as a person who proves value in this sector so you can work up against the robots, Which is a terrifying sentence to say. And I think, you know, that that’s a, really, important thing that the guilds are fighting against right now because I don’t want my job to be taken over by a robot. I’m 3,000 miles away from doing this thing that I love. And you’re going to give me a computer?
[Caryn] Exactly. Well on a more positive note, what is your favorite script that you’ve written?
[Ansley] Does it have to be in the MOW?
[Caryn] It could be anything.
[Ansley] My favorite script I’ve ever written is called Bang Regret. Regret bang – like your bangs.
A Girl’s Journey from Chaos to Purpose
[34:30] It’s a multi-generational female comedy about a girl who, she’s a human tornado. Her life falls apart. She gets fired from her job. She gets kicked out of her apartment. She has a regretful night with her ex-boyfriend and gives herself bangs. So it’s the double entendre. A Palm Springs retirement community with her grandma, where they kind of like wing women in each other and she gets over the grief of her father. She starts writing again and she falls in love and discovers her purpose.
[Caryn] I love it. And that is a very clever title. Very clever.
[Ansley] I love, love, titles. And my titles don’t always stay the same. Sometimes they get changed by either the network or the theater. Of course. Of course. But titles are like my favorite.
[Caryn] That’s good. That’s a real talent too. Now, getting a movie made can be stressful. How do you maintain a work-life balance? Do you have any hobbies?
[Ansley] No.
[Caryn] You do have two fur babies.
[Ansley] That’s true I do. I like to hike um I feel like since COVID the majority of my time has been just spent writing I love it I sit right here for eight to ten hours a day and right my husband wants me to get out of the house more where he’s like you need a hobby I do.
[35:56] And so because I do, I started a book club a couple of months ago. Yes. And so we meet on the last Thursday of every month. So yeah, we have our meeting next week. I’m excited. We read Under the Whispering Door. Have you heard of that book?
[Caryn] Not yet, but I will. Right. I will get it.
[Ansley] It is so beautiful. I don’t remember the author’s name, T.L. T.J. Something. And it’s a beautiful, beautiful book about grief and love. And it’s fantastical. I never would have picked it for myself. And so that’s what I love about books.
[Caryn] Yeah, that’s great. That’s a great hobby, especially for a writer. And you’re getting out there with your friends. And so good. That’s a perfect hobby. Perfect.
Advice to Younger Self: Embrace Imperfection and Enjoy Life
[36:46] [Ansley] Yeah. Next time we talk, I’ll have one more.
[Caryn] There you go. Now, what advice would you give to your younger self?
[36:55] [Ansley] Don’t be so hard on yourself. It’s good. You’re doing great. I think I struggle with wanting everything to happen perfectly right now. Like my first book, I was like, this has to be a New York Times bestseller. I needed to top the charts. It’s going to be the thing. And then I started getting feedback on it. It was like, yeah, you’re writing strong. Your voice is really good.
But this is kind of a simple book. And, you know, we’d like to see something a little more heightened and elevated. And I was ready to throw in the towel and be like, I’m the worst, you know? So I think being easier on yourself. Also, everything doesn’t have to happen right now. Right, right. You can enjoy your life a little bit. You can go buy pumpkins and walk to the coffee shop.
[Caryn] Good. Now, to wrap up, would you like to share any social media details or website links so our audience can keep track of your work?
[Ansley] Sure. Sure. On Instagram, I’m at Ansley Gordon, A-N-S-L-E-Y-G-O-R-D-O-N. I think I’m the same on Twitter or X or whatever it’s called now. I’m the most active on Instagram. I also have hyperhidrosis. So my hands are sweaty a hundred percent of the time. And I make comedy videos about on Tik Tok and that’s sweaty hands and all one word on Tik Tok If you want just the most ridiculous video.
Going Viral: The Power of the Internet
[38:24] [Caryn] That’s wild. That’s memorable. That’s a hobby. There you go. You got to write a comedy script about that.
[Ansley] I want to do something about it because it is like my first video that went viral was me just sealing an envelope because I don’t have to lick it because the envelope and close it. And it got 6 million views.
[Caryn] That’s amazing.
[Ansley] And I was like, what is the internet? This place is awesome.
[Caryn] Wow. Yeah, More power to you. Well, Ansley, thank you so much for sharing your knowledge all your experience, and your very frank answers. That’s very helpful to the audience.
And thank you again for being on the podcast today.
[Ansley] Thank you for having me.
[Caryn] And now for my takeaways today, I have four.
Takeaways
Study Movies and Produced Christmas Scripts
In particular, you should study TV movies. Watch them and break them down. How many characters? How many locations? You can also check out screenwriter Rick Garman’s website – a produced screenwriter who uploaded several of his produced scripts and read them.
[39:35] Note if anyone has any leads on where else to find produced Christmas scripts – you can email me via the website at ChristmasMovieScreenwriter.com
Get Intel for Your Christmas Scripts
[39:49] Namely, if you get on a development call with executives – ask about what else they’re looking for. And have lots of ideas. So this is working in this script> Is this what you typically like to see in projects? Whatever they’re answer is – get more information.
Tie Fresh Elements Into Your Christmas Scripts
Look for things around you that are pop culture. If you can tie fresh elements into your Christmas story – it will make it stand out. On the podcast, I mentioned the (somewhat dated) movie Twilight. But pretend it was new. You’re not going to put vampires in your Christmas movie but you could put in a love triangle or a family with a secret. See what at its core is working and see if you can find a way to translate that into your Christmas script.
Table Read Your Christmas Scripts
In truth, you need to hear your script. Best if you could have actors do the table read. If all else fails – check out readthrough.com This is a website where you can upload your script and it will assign voices to read it back to you. It’s a free service and the quality of voices is pretty good.
Final Thoughts: Reviews, Membership Website, Happy Holidays
[41:15] Well, that’s the show. Thank you for listening. Please leave a five-star review wherever you get your podcasts. The more reviews will enable this podcast to be found by more listeners.
It will also attract more guests. So it’s a win-win for everybody.
Also, sign up to be notified of the launch of our membership website. This is a new site that will connect writers producers, and acquisition execs of Christmas movies. Thanks for listening, and I’ll see you on the next Christmas Movie Screenwriter Podcast. Happy holidays, everyone.
The Christmas Movie Screenwriter Podcast – Episode 8
Ansley Gordon – Actress, Writer, Producer
Show Notes
HOST: Caryn McCann
Website: https://christmasmoviescreenwriter.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristmasMovieScreenwriter
X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/MerryScriptmas
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caryn-mccann-5718058/
GUEST: Ansley Gordon
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3624160/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ansleygordon/
X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/Ansleygordon
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sweatyhandsans
Website to find produced Christmas scripts: https://rickgarman.com/projects/tv-movies/
Table read websites: https://readthrough.com/
Sign up to be notified of the launch of our membership section of our website. This is a new site that will connect writers, producers, and acquisition execs of Christmas movies.