Transcript
Christmas Magic! Author and screenwriter Jennifer Snow discusses how to make your Christmas script more original, and how Christmas movies with a bit of action are becoming popular.
Chapters
0:00:14 Introduction to the Christmas movie screenwriter podcast
0:01:53 Jennifer Snow’s background and work as a writer
0:05:46 Selling the First Movie and the Process of Getting it Made
0:09:12 Creating Memorable Characters in the Christmas Movie Formula
0:12:00 The Challenges of Using AI in Writing Process
0:18:33 Lack of Villains in Christmas Movies
0:21:11 Passion projects and making changes for networks
0:23:18 Expanding network through conferences and online platforms
0:25:18 Utilizing online platforms for pitching and networking
0:27:39 Having spec scripts as writing samples and using them effectively
0:29:02 AFM vs MipCom: Accessibility and Industry Focus
0:31:01 Budget and Locations: Christmas Scripts and Production Considerations
0:34:44 Embracing the Right Path: Advice to Younger Self
0:37:46 Key Points: Heartfelt Scripts, Originality, Writing Fast, Action, and Production Logistics
Summary
In this episode of the Christmas Movie Screenwriter podcast, host Caryn McCann introduces guest Jennifer Snow, an author and screenwriter known for writing romantic comedies and thrillers. Jennifer shares her journey of breaking into the industry as a screenwriter of Christmas movies, discussing how she successfully adapted one of her novellas into a screenplay and sold her first movie. She stresses the importance of starting with adaptations and repurposing material for different formats like fiction podcasts.
The podcast delves into the crucial elements for a successful Christmas movie screenplay, including the festive atmosphere, holiday activities, and the importance of soundtracks. They highlight familiar and new traditions and emphasize the inclusion of tropes and themes of hope, redemption, faith, and generosity. Memorable characters are also a significant aspect, and the discussion revolves around creating relatable yet unconventional characters.
The podcast explores the potential impact of AI on the industry, with producers considering its use to speed up and reduce costs in movie production. Jennifer voices her concern about the expectation for writers to work faster and have less time with their projects due to AI. She believes that the time spent with the characters and the messy first draft are essential to the creative process. She mentions attending seminars on the topic to gain more insight in the future.
Jennifer shares her experience with writing scripts for movies, noting the turnaround time and how it occupies their thoughts even during daily activities. She involves her family in brainstorming ideas and highlights the shift towards incorporating strong secondary relationships in addition to the central romance plot. She also notes the lack of villains in Christmas movies and expresses her belief that even antagonistic characters can still be likable and sweet.
The podcast discusses the portrayal of conflict in Christmas movies on different networks. Some networks allow for action and real villains; others have milder conflicts with less dark villains. Jennifer reveals their upcoming Christmas movie will include action and a more intense storyline, expressing excitement for this new direction. She mentions her preference for action and discusses the potential expansion of the audience by incorporating action into Christmas movies.
Networking and attending conferences and film markets are highly recommended to make connections in the entertainment industry. Platforms like Greenlight My Movie and Virtual Pitchfest are mentioned as useful tools for pitching directly to production companies. Having a one-pager and sample scripts is emphasized, as producers may be interested in collaborating on new ideas. The importance of attending conferences like AFM and MIPCOM is highlighted, and Jennifer shares her personal experience attending MIPCOM and selling multiple projects.
She concludes with advice on pursuing writing and networking opportunities, mentioning the importance of personal websites, IMDB, newsletters, and social media presence. Jennifer discusses the role of tearjerker moments, originality, and unique lead characters. She emphasizes the importance of working quickly within tight deadlines and adding action to Christmas movies.
HOST: CARYN
[0:00] This is the Christmas movie screenwriter podcast episode number two.
Introduction to the Christmas Movie Screenwriter Podcast
[0:14] This is your host Caryn McCann and welcome to another episode of the Christmas Movie Screenwriter podcast, This is a podcast about writing producing, and selling Christmas movies, I’m also launching a membership website to connect writers and producers of heartwarming Christmas movies worldwide, You can sign up at Christmas movie screenwriter calm.
[0:37] Our guest today is author and screenwriter Jennifer Snow She discusses networking opportunities how to make your Christmas script more original and how some buyers are now Keen to see their Christmas movie with a bit of action in the mix Here is the main segment.
Today’s guest is Jennifer Snow.
Jennifer Snow is a USA Today bestselling author and screenwriter of over 40 novels and 20 screenplays, writing romantic comedies and thrillers for Harlequin, Grand Central, Entangled, Penguin Random House, and Thomas & Mercer.
Her books have won awards such as the Bookseller’s Best Award and have been translated into many foreign languages, as well as options for film. Her produced credits include 14 Love Letters on Hallmark, Christmas Lucky Charm on UPTV, Mistletoe and Molly on UPTV, and she has eight TV MOWs airing on various networks in 2023, including Christmas in Maple Hills, Sworn Justice, and Christmas Time Capsule. Formerly an Edmonton Public Library Spotlight Author and Audrey’s Books Writer in Residence, Jennifer enjoys offering writing workshops and mentoring aspiring writers.
Jennifer Snow’s background and work as a writer
[1:53] Originally from Canada, she now resides in Spain. More information can be found on her website at www.jennifersnowauthor.com. So Jennifer, thank you for coming on the podcast today.
GUEST: JENNIFER SNOW
[2:06] Thank you for having me. It was great that you reached out. Yes. Well, I told the audience a little bit about you, but why don’t you take a minute and tell us about yourself and your work?
GUEST: JENNIFER SNOW
Okay. Well, the question I’m always asked is whether or not Snow is my real name.
[2:24] It is actually my real name. So I guess I got lucky on that account. It looks really great on the cover of Christmas romance novels. Of course, of course. So I’ve been lucky there. I always knew I wanted to write.
I started writing when I was really young, like five, or six years old, I would write little stories.
And then I started writing and submitting to publishers when I was 15.
But it took a long time, 14 years of writing and rejections and trying to do everything other than writing to finally get that first kind of call that my books were going to be published from Victoria Curran at Harlequin.
So that was really special. And then things just kind of took off from there. I was lucky enough to be able to be a career writer for the last 12, to 13 years now. So getting to do what I love is just, it’s fantastic and kind of allowed me to go on this adventure, moving to Spain and being able to work remotely from here.
HOST: CARYN
Wow, that’s exciting. It’s sort of like, it’s very romantic, you know? It’s sort of like Ernest Hemingway. That’s when I read your bio, I’m like, wow, this sounds fantastic.
Now you talked about your background in the novel aspect, but can you share your journey of breaking into the industry as a screenwriter of Christmas movies? What steps did you take to establish yourself in this genre?
GUEST: JENNIFER SNOW
[3:53] Well, it was 2017. I had a break in my publishing deadline schedule And I had always wanted to write screenplays, but it was a big enough dream to want to write books.
So the film industry seemed very elusive for someone living in Canada.
I’m from a small town in St. John’s, Newfoundland, and then I was living in Alberta, so very far removed from the film industry.
But I had a break in my schedule and I thought, I really wanted to do it and I really wanted to try.
So I took one of my older holiday rom-com novellas and I thought I would just try adapting it to see if I could do it.
[4:33] I read a bunch of scripts, I read a bunch of books on screenwriting, I took a bunch of masterclasses online and just kind of launched in and thought, you know, if it works, it works.
And so I finished the first adaptation in about a week while my son was at summer camp.
And then I decided, okay, well, what do I do with it from here?
So I started reaching out online on some online platforms and things like that.
And then I saw that there was a conference in Santa Monica that year, every year, called AFM, American Film Market.
And I thought, why not go and see, you know if I can kind of sell this thing and talk to some producers and get that face-to-face time.
So I signed up for the conference and they gave me access to the networking site prior to the conference where I was able to line up a bunch of appointments with producers who were going to be attending that, you know, made the kind of movies that I wanted to write. And really just kind of lucked into finding the right people to talk to that week and ended up selling the first movie.
HOST: CARYN
Wow.
GUEST: JENNIFER SNOW
Yeah, it was definitely unexpected and kind of unreal to come home knowing that my first movie was optioned.
Christmas Magic: Selling the First Movie and the Process of Getting It Made
[5:46] And yeah, it took a couple of years to kind of get it to the point where it was able to get made, but it came out in 2021 as Mistletoe and Molly. So it was based on an older novella.
[5:59] So I really recommend that authors start there, like if they want to break into screenwriting because they have the material already there. So it definitely takes away some of the pressure of writing a script when the plot’s there, the characters are there, and your dialogue is there. I personally find adaptations a little easier. So it’s definitely what I recommend to a lot of aspiring screenwriters. If they have that author base or they have pieces of writing that they can adapt, it’s a great place to start.
HOST: CARYN
So Would you suggest the opposite? Where if a screenwriter already has a script, adapt it to a novella?
GUEST: JENNIFER SNOW
Yeah, absolutely. I’ve actually done that as well. I have a couple of scripts that were scripts and then I decided, you know what? Novelizing them is a really good idea, especially with Hollywood’s obsession with IP.
So I have done the reverse as well. I’ve taken a script and turned it into a book, and then ultimately sold it back as a movie. So you can definitely go back and forth.
I love repurposing material. If you can use the same stories and not have to try to come up with new stuff all the time.
HOST: CARYN
You could even do a fiction podcast maybe.
GUEST: JENNIFER SNOW
That would be fun. There’s a lot of IP you could think of.
HOST: CARYN
[7:18] Okay, so what specific elements do you think are crucial to include in a successful Christmas movie screenplay?
GUEST: JENNIFER SNOW
I think definitely the festive atmosphere and those, you know, holiday activities that are so familiar to everyone, you know, the sights and the sounds and the, um, the music, the soundtrack on these movies are just absolutely fantastic and really kind of bring the spirit.
Um, I think traditions, uh, featuring traditions and better familiar to a lot of viewers, um, or even new ones.
For our family, the white elephant gift exchange is really popular and I’ve seen that featured in a lot of movies, but my family, actually like the saran wrap ball, which is a little less familiar, where you wrap a bunch of gifts in saran wrap, in layers and layers of saran wrap, and there’s, and someone’s rolling a dice and you have to try to use oven mitts to unwrap as much as you can before the next person, you know, rolls a six or one or whatever you’ve decided on, and then you have to hand the ball off. So it’s about getting as many of my gifts out of the saran wrap ball as you can.
I mean, I’ve spent hours wrapping, you know, these massive saran wrap balls to put.
So I like featuring things that my family does in movies as well. You know, just kind of give viewers a different tradition they might like to try.
[8:37] And I think, you know, just the different, the different tropes and the themes, you know, of hope and redemption and faith and generosity.
I always like to incorporate a tearjerker moment. I love my fun, humorous movies, but I always think there needs to be at least one moment that kind of brings a tear to viewers’ eyes, a heartwarming element.
[8:57] My husband is always my judge on whether or not I’ve accomplished that because he’s not emotional and he’s not a crier. So if he can tear outside a moment, it’s perfect. I know I’ve hit that mark, so good.
Christmas Magic: Creating Memorable Characters in the Christmas Movie Formula
HOST: CARYN
[9:12] Now, how do you approach creating memorable characters within the Christmas movie formula? And I guess we could say there is a formula.
GUEST: JENNIFER SNOW
Yeah, there definitely is. I mean, different networks have different beats and, you know, act structures that they like to follow, but typically it’s the, you know, it’s the same act one, you know, as a setup.
And then you’ve got all the acts in the middle with the lead-ups and the twists and turns at the end of, you know, every commercial break.
And then the wrap-up at the end with the happily ever after and the Christmas moments.
So there’s definitely a formula, but I and there has been a lot of these movies, and every year there’s a lot of movies coming out.
I think for me, and I’ve always kind of liked to approach my writing this way, I just, like characters that are real and relatable and flawed, but I like to kind of spin them on their head a little bit.
[10:03] Like some of my favorite characters, you know, like when I write a female mechanic or, you know, women doing things that aren’t typical of, you know, what traditional women’s roles used to be.
You know, I mean, now female mechanics, not a big deal, but when I first started writing, you know, it wasn’t a big deal.
You know, and different things like that. For one of the movies I have coming up this year, there’s a male lead who’s helping out around this Amish farm.
[10:31] And, you know, the suggestion was that he was helping out at the farm and doing some, you know, farm work and helping out.
But I kind of wanted to spin him so that he wasn’t actually all that handy.
I thought it was a more fun way to play with his character.
So that’s kind of what I try to do with these characters: take what’s kind of cliched and predictable and maybe spin it a little. So it’s unexpected to viewers.
HOST: CARYN
Well, that’s a smart idea. Good. Now there’s a big talk about the future of AI. Do you think AI will change the way Christmas movies are written or made? If so, how?
I didn’t think I had a lot to say on the AI thing, but then as I started thinking about it more and more over the last few weeks, I have a lot to say, but I won’t go into a lot. I guess my short answer is, I think it will change the industry because I think a lot of producers are already trying to figure out a way to use it to get these movies faster and quicker and maybe cheaper. It’s not something I personally feel comfortable using, but again, you know, ask me in two years, am I going to have changed?
If it comes down to walking away from a career I love or jumping on board, you know, the way that the world has changed, you know, that’s, that’s something I’ll have to deal with when I get there.
[11:49] But as of right now, I don’t plan to use AI. I don’t use AI. I’m probably one of the least technology-savvy people in the world. I was, I probably held onto my flip phone longer than anyone else on the planet.
The Challenges of Using AI in the Writing Process
[12:00] I’m not really into it anyway, but I think the biggest problem I have with it is, besides legalities and plagiarism and all those issues, but just the biggest part of, I like to sit with my characters and my plot for a little while. And I think, I guess if the premise is that they would feed information into AI chat GPT or another system, and then hand writers a draft that then they need to make shine.
[12:28] The expectation is going to be that they do it quicker and you’re going to have less time with that project as well.
And these turnarounds for the movies are usually two to three weeks. Like I’ve written one in 10 days. And so I really do need that time with the characters. I mean, I’m constantly thinking about it. I’m deep diving into this movie when it’s that project’s time to have my attention.
And I do need that time. My subconscious needs that time to be with the characters and to write the movie all the wrong ways before I can write it the right way. So I just feel that in a shortened time schedule, which is what I feel like they’re going to give writers if they have a draft done by AI, you don’t really have that time to sit with it.
And that first draft, that messy draft is part of my process. So taking that away from me, I think will hinder what comes out at the end. I don’t know, maybe other writers will feel like it’s a helpful tool in that they don’t need to do that first messy draft, and then they can spend the time on the creative elements and fine-tuning the dialogue and having more time with that.
[13:29] But I think that creative process and that collaboration really starts at those first developmental calls with your producer as well, especially if it’s a new relationship.
And I feel like if we don’t have that, things are going to get lost.
But I’m attending a bunch of seminars on this topic at Mipcom in October this year.
So maybe three months from now, I will have a totally different idea and take on the whole issue.
But right now it’s not something I want to use and I hope I’m not asked to.
That’s kind of the bottom line for me right now.
HOST: CARYN
I want to just touch on something you mentioned a minute ago. Sometimes when you’re hired for a script, the producer will give you, did you say two weeks to write a script?
10 days?
GUEST: JENNIFER SNOW
Typically for these movies from what I experienced and what other screenwriters I know, it’s usually about a three-week turnaround for the scripts.
[14:21] And sometimes it’s quicker depending on the timeframe as we get later into the year.
And as, you know, production, our networks are green lighting Christmas movies still late into the year, the timeframe kind of shrinks a tiny bit.
So, sometimes we jump, you know, the stages of, you know, treatments, you know, I like to have a week to do a treatment and then three weeks to write a script.
That’s ideal, but it’s not always how it works. Typically it’s more about a two to three-week turnaround time for a movie project. So for me. From like idea to a finished first draft is three weeks.
HOST: CARYN
[14:57] Holy cow. Wow, you’re a fast writer.
GUEST: JENNIFER SNOW
It’s quick. It’s quick. And with books, I usually have at least a few months.
So, yeah, my subconscious really had to kind of speed up a little bit when I started writing screenplays, because it’s like, we can’t take a month, you know, to develop this character.
It needs to happen within like three days.
So it’s all-consuming. I have to say, you know, I’m showering, I’m, you know, doing dishes, I’m driving, and it’s constantly on my mind.
My husband and son are constantly texting me stuff because I’ll be driving and I’ll think of something and I’m like, text me these words so it triggers something in my memory.
Yeah, so it’s a family affair.
HOST: CARYN
Wow. That’s great. It’s good to know. It’s good to know the reality that if writers want to get into this space, they better write fast. Now, are there any current shifts in audience preferences that screenwriters should be aware of?
GUEST: JENNIFER SNOW
[15:54] Yeah, well, one great shift is all the embracing of diversity that the networks have seemed to be doing in the last few years.
Viewers have wanted it for a long time, and networks are embracing it.
And I just think that’s been fantastic, that definitely seeing a lot more different lifestyles and different values and different things on screen that wasn’t there even a few years ago.
[16:26] On another level, I think viewers are also embracing the other elements of these movies.
Before it was really all about the central romance plot, but, I think what really kind of showed the value of this was Lori Wilde, she’s a best-selling, New York Times best-selling author of The Wedding Veil series that Hallmark adapted recently.
And they did so well. And I think part of that was because of the strong female friendship angle and plot line that ran through the trilogy of movies. It wasn’t just about the romance. It was that really strong female friendship thread that went through.
And I’m finding that’s a huge shift. A lot of the times when I’m talking to producers now and talking to networks about what they want, they vocalize that they want those secondary stories and those secondary relationships to be just as strong as that romantic arc.
So I think viewers are definitely loving that, you know, that strong female friendship and characters that have other things going on in their lives besides just the romantic arc.
So that’s what I’m finding is having to kind of layer those plots with the B and C plots to make the story richer.
HOST: CARYN
[17:36] So, you know, when I watch a lot of these Christmas movies.
You’ve got the typical beats, but I don’t see a lot of villains. I don’t see a real quote, “antagonist”.
GUEST: JENNIFER SNOW
Yes. Yeah, that is definitely something that I think is still lacking. I mean, in one of my movies that’s coming out is Christmas Time Capsule I mean you have you have an ex an ex-girlfriend or current girlfriend who obviously is not the lead in it, and even the one I had last year, Christmas Lucky Charm, there’s an ex in it. But these people are still very likable. They’re still very sweet.
[18:23] The conflict tends to be a little less dramatic and a bit milder. So yeah, I think you’re right. There isn’t that villain angle.
Lack of Villains in Christmas Movies
[18:33] I think if you were to watch the movies, the Christmas movies on ION or BET.
So, Sworn Justice, the one I wrote for Brainpower this year is going to be released on BET this year. And that one is very, it’s an action romance. And so there is a real villain and there is action and that kind of thing. So, different networks allow it.
But if you’re thinking Hallmark and GAC and UPtv, yeah, typically the villains are not all that dark.
HOST: CARYN
Is Sworn Justice a Christmas movie?
GUEST: JENNIFER SNOW
It is, it is. Yes.
HOST: CARYN
Okay, I’m glad to hear it because I actually love action.
And so I can’t get that out of my blood. So I’m like, writing Christmas movies is new to me.
And as I mentioned before we started recording, I was in Asia for a long time.
Back in the Hong Kong action genre. So, moving into Christmas movies, it’s like, well, where’s the bad guy?
[19:39] But I’m glad to hear, I’m definitely going to watch it soon. Is it out, The Sworn Justice? Is that out now?
GUEST: JENNIFER SNOW
It’ll be out this Christmas on BET. And it’s Sworn Justice, it’s the first movie called Taken Before Christmas. And so, yeah, a lot of action, a lot of heat, a lot more heat than a lot of these movies have.
So I’m not sure what the rating is, but it’s definitely not a sweet G movie.
HOST: CARYN
A lot of what did you say? A lot of what?
GUEST: JENNIFER SNOW
I’m not sure what the rating is, but it’s definitely-
HOST: CARYN
No, you said heat or a lot of what?
GUEST: JENNIFER SNOW
Yeah, yeah, there’s a lot of heat.
[20:17] Yeah, a lot more than just a little bit of kissing.
HOST: CARYN
Oh, okay I’m a little slow. (laughs)
GUEST: JENNIFER SNOW
It was definitely different. It was definitely a different project. It is fun, super fun to work on something a little heavier than the typical sweet romances. But yeah, so I’m very excited about it. It’s got a terrific cast and an amazing director. So I’m really looking forward to seeing how it turns out.
HOST: CARYN
Yeah, me too. Because Sworn Justice, you wouldn’t even think that that was a Christmas movie.
But wow, it sounds great. So I’m very encouraged. You sort of answered my next question about how you balance meeting audience expectations while also delivering fresh and original stories.
Do you think you’re going to lean into that action element and add that to more of your future Christmas scripts?
Passion projects and making changes for networks
GUEST: JENNIFER SNOW
[21:11] I’d love to. A lot of my passion projects, it’s really nice. I have the leeway to kind of do what I want to do with them. And then if I sell it to a network that would like some changes to meet what their viewers’ expectations are.
You know, I can tweak at that point.
A lot of what I do is made-to-order or work-for-hire projects, where, you know, the production companies will come to me because the network is looking for a particular project.
And that was kind of what Sworn Justice was. And so it was exciting that a network wanted something with action in it.
So I would love to do more of those. And I think I would love to do, you know, a passion project on my own, a spec script that I could potentially sell. It’s just whether or not there’s a home for it. It’s a little trickier.
I love that BET is doing it. Ion does it as well. They have a bunch of mysteries and Christmas kind of crime movies that they do with a romantic B-plot.
So there are a few networks that are doing it. So I think I would love to continue adding those elements to what I’m doing. Yeah, for sure.
HOST: CARYN
And then I have to assume that those Christmas crime movies have an antagonist.
GUEST: JENNIFER SNOW
Yes, oh yes.
HOST: CARYN
Okay, good, good. Yay! Okay, there’s hope for me yet.
GUEST: JENNIFER SNOW
[22:29] Yes, yes. And Sworn Justice has a fairly dark plot line, it’s definitely not a G movie.
[22:39] I really hope you enjoy it. I think it’s going to be really fun.
HOST: CARYN
Well, I think you could expand the audience more because, you know, some of these…I love Christmas movies. I just discovered them like a year ago. I mean, I’m kind of late in the game. But it’s, to me, I think there would be more people watching if you have that action element. But anyway, I digress. So, let’s ask you about your writing process. When you’re writing a script, let me go back a minute. How would you suggest screenwriters expand their network of producers and networking, give examples, competitions, or utilize online platforms?
Expanding network through conferences and online platforms
[23:18] You did mention the AFM and MIPCOM. Have you done both of those?
GUEST: JENNIFER SNOW
I have. I hugely recommend conferences and film markets, if you can do it.
I know it’s not feasible and possible for people to attend these conferences a lot of the time, but I honestly feel like there’s nothing that beats a face-to-face meeting in these environments.
Just the inspiration of being around a bunch of like-minded people, the energy from in these conferences is phenomenal and you always leave inspired and you meet such great people even you know even people that may not be able to help you with your career or.
[24:06] Or you know buy the products that you’re selling or any of that but even just talking to like-minded people and learning more about the industry and how it all works you just walk away from it having so much more knowledge and skills and I really think it’s it’s a great way to meet producers.
And if you can go with a pitch deck of different projects that you’re selling, even just log lines and one-pagers of your ideas, and have those face-to-face meetings with the producers that are making the movies that you want to write, it’s so valuable.
That Mipcom last year for me basically just kind of launched everything. I had three movies prior to Mipcom last year and I had a couple of movies being pitched to networks, but attending Mipcom in October of last year really just launched my career.
I had a binder of one-pagers and I met with, I think seven or eight different production companies that make the Christmas movies.
And by the time I left Mipcom, I had sold those eight projects. So yeah, it was a really valuable experience to go.
[25:13] So I highly recommend all of those conferences and film markets and things like that if you can.
Utilizing online platforms for pitching and networking
[25:18] If you can’t, the online networking platforms work as well.
It’s a little bit pay-to-play. There are sites like Greenlight My Movie and Virtual Pitchfest where you can pitch directly to production companies, producers, and directors. The nice thing about those platforms is that they guarantee a response So you’re not just emailing out into the void, right?
But you do have to pay to have your stuff, you know in front of those people. And I have had, you know, I’ve made contacts through those earlier in my career as well, which you know, which was great.
[25:52] And also IMDB if you can get a membership to IMDB Pro all the information is there for all the companies So, I mean, if you Google Christmas romance movies and you see the production companies that are making those movies, their contact information is there.
And while they don’t take pitches on solicited pitches, if you are going to be attending a conference, you could reach out and say, hey, I’m going to be at AFM or I’m going to be at MIPCOM, would you like to meet? And they’ll respond to that.
Or you could just send out a query saying, ‘Are you open to queries?’
And you might not get an answer, you could send out a hundred emails and maybe only get four answers, but at least that’s four answers and four doors open.
So, yeah, there are ways. There are ways to get in front of people. It’s just trying to be a little creative, I guess.
HOST: CARYN
Right, right. Now, you mentioned a one-pager for the audience out there who don’t know what that is. Can you explain what a one-pager is?
GUEST: JENNIFER SNOW
[26:44] Yeah. It’s literally just one page of your logline and then a short synopsis that just kind of encapsulates the whole plot of your movie.
Just something catchy and fun. You know, if it’s a Christmas holiday rom-com, make sure you mention that it’s, you know, Christmas time, that it’s, you know, here’s the romantic arc.
These are the main characters, here’s the main setup, and here’s how it resolves.
And that’s it. And so even if you don’t have a fully fleshed out idea if you could just have a one-pager of different concepts because a lot of the time the producers and the development execs don’t really want you to have a finished product either.
It’d be great to have sample scripts completed to show your writing skills and your ability, but a lot of the time they won’t buy the script you have ready.
They will want other ideas that you have or they’ll have ideas for you and then it’s about fleshing it out together and developing that and going through those stages with the network and what they want to see as well.
Having spec scripts as writing samples and using them effectively
[27:39] So it’s great to have two or three spec scripts to showcase your writing talents and what you can do, but a lot of the time you’ll end up using those as samples.
HOST: CARYN
Let’s say you go to one of these conferences with five scripts, are you literally handing five pieces of paper out to the producer?
GUEST: JENNIFER SNOW
[27:58] Usually we’ll just sit there and go through them. They’ll quickly read the logline and they know, If they’re at AFM and MIPCOM and stuff, they’ve been meeting with networks prior, you know as well. So they kind of know for example What UPtv is looking for this holiday season. And they could quickly look through the log lines I have. Just a one-line about what my concept is and if they see, I’ve got a baking one, but nobody wants baking this year because it’s been done – they’ll skip over it. And then they’ll go to something different.
And so if they see something that’s an action rom-com and somebody that they met with earlier that day had said, we’re looking for action rom-coms. Then they’ll attach themselves to that and say, hey, let’s talk about this project. So they’re very quick.
They’re very quick to flick through and they know what they’re looking for very fast.
Yeah, so, and they’ll tell you. And if you don’t have anything they’re looking for, they’ll say, hey, what about this? Do you think you could do this? So, yeah, it’s good.
HOST: CARYN
Is there a big difference between AFM and MipCom?
AFM vs. Mipcom: Accessibility and Industry Focus
GUEST: JENNIFER SNOW
[29:02] AFM has a lot more screenwriters and creatives and indie filmmakers, I think.
In my experience, just from going before, just because I think maybe because of its location being in California, it’s more accessible to a lot more people.
Whereas MipCom being in France is a little trickier to get to. So it’s more industry execs and producers looking to sell their movie slates to networks, which actually worked really well in my favor as a screenwriter because there weren’t many screenwriters there last year.
So I’m probably sharing the secret of mine right now, but yeah, if you can get your back to Canton, it’s, there’s not many of us there. So you can kind of get the audience that you’re looking for.
HOST: CARYN
When you’re in Mipcom, is it just the, I don’t want to say just, but for these meetings with the producers, you have a script, but Do you also need an actor attached or anything or is it just the script?
GUEST: JENNIFER SNOW
[29:59] Just the script. I find if you’re selling big budget projects and a lot, you know, a lot of agents and managers like to package things with the director attached or talent attached and I think when you’re going for the bigger budget stuff that’s really helpful and it’s, it really, works to your benefit. For the TV movie space, we’re dealing with budgets that are like 500,000 to, you know, 2 million so or and I mean Hallmark goes a little bit higher I guess at times from from what I’ve heard, but that’s typically what you’re playing with.
And so I’ve heard that attaching talent can sometimes almost be a detriment because you could price yourself out.
If a network really likes the project with a star attached, but then when the negotiations happen and that actor is demanding a lot more money than what’s in the budget to work with, it could actually kind of hinder the project.
So for the TV movie space with a lot of the networks, I’ve been advised to just go with the script and let the producers figure out casting as they move forward.
Budget and Locations: Christmas Scripts and Production Considerations
HOST: CARYN[31:01] Okay. Now you sort of touched on budgets, which leads me to my next question.
What budget range or number of locations or number of speaking parts do you aim for when writing a Christmas script?
GUEST: JENNIFER SNOW
[31:14] I’ve written everything from, well, my budget range usually is about 500,000 to about 2 million from what I’ve written so far.
And I think I’ve done everything from a movie with three locations and five characters, very contained, to maybe 10 locations, nine or 10 locations, and nine, 10 main speaking role characters.
[31:41] That’s pretty typical for some of the TV series stuff that I’ve been working on and movie franchise stuff.
You can add a few more characters because you’re building up that series.
So there are a few other plot threads throughout, But that’s typically where it ends up.
I think the biggest thing is really just keeping in mind production schedules when you’re writing the characters because…
[32:06] You know, you don’t want to have a secondary character who ends up in six different locations because then they’ll be on set for, you know, maybe six days filming and that’s not usually feasible. So I think it’s just after you do your first draft and you write them maybe the way you want to write it and in the fun and the great way that it is, but then do a pass where you’re keeping an eye to production and knowing, okay, well if I’ve got the confidant in her house and maybe at the office, that’s really enough places to have her, maybe have her in one other location, but keep it fairly confined.
And then the same thing goes with keeping in mind exterior shots and night shoots take longer to film, they’re a little harder to film, and they’re a little trickier to get the city to agree to shut down a street if you need a street shut down for a night, those kinds of things.
So I think keeping in mind the budget goes far beyond just how many characters and locations you have, but more just, yeah, keeping in mind all of those things.
Same thing with the fact that these movies are filmed throughout the year.
So if you have a Christmas movie filmed in July, good luck finding real snow.
So a scene that seems like it’s an easy one, like to me, I’m like, oh, I’ll just have a snowball fight.
[33:22] But when the time comes to produce it, it’s a lot easier to have snow blankets on the ground than it is to actually have snow being launched through the air.
So then sometimes you have to think on your feet and rewrite those scenes.
So just keeping that in mind, things that you don’t really think would be an issue, are an issue once it goes to camera. So yeah, internal scenes are your friend.
HOST: CARYN
When it goes to shoot, do you need to be on the set?
GUEST: JENNIFER SNOW
[33:50] I haven’t been, no. Since COVID, a lot of the movie sets and stuff have been pretty scarce about, you know, having too many people, you know, there. Like I know, even up until recently, people were still wearing masks and, you know, even last year they were still doing COVID tests and stuff on set.
So having anyone there that doesn’t need to be there was kind of a no.
And for these franchise TV, you know, TV movies, I don’t really need to be there.
If they need me to do a rewrite on, you know, of a scene or something, they can reach out.
But a lot of the times it ends up coming down to the director and the production team on the ground to kind of just make those changes on the fly.
So, you know, so if I’m lucky, I get input. Other times I don’t. And then the scene is just as much of a surprise to me. It’s a disaster. Or they’ll say, stand by the phone.
Embracing the Right Path: Advice to Younger Self
HOST: CARYN
[34:44] Great, great. So what advice would you give to your younger self, Knowing what you know now?
GUEST: JENNIFER SNOW
Maybe don’t try so hard to look for detours off the path that I know is the right one.
I tried everything to not be a writer. I’ll be honest. I have I’m halfway through a Ph.D. in neuroscience. I’ve had a bajillion different careers. I’m only 42. And I think I’ve lived the lifetime of about 10 different people, just trying to avoid it.
And then I had my son and I was on maternity leave and I had some time and I thought, I keep denying what I truly want to do. And I have been active in writing and pitching books for years and then I just kind of stopped and let everything else kind of take over. And so, yeah. And then, so in that moment, I was like, you know what?
I’m just going to try to write a book and see if I can get it published.
And if I can, then I just go with it and give in to what I know I’ve always wanted to do.
So I think I would tell myself to stop wasting time and just get there faster.
HOST: CARYN
Yeah. That’s good advice. That’s good advice.
Now, to wrap up, would you like to, how can our audience keep track of your work?
Would you like to share any website links or social media details, whatever you are comfortable sharing?
GUEST: JENNIFER SNOW
Yeah, for sure.
[36:13] The easiest thing is my website for sure, jennifersnowauthor.com.
That’s where I post about all my books and all the movies that are going to be released.
So all the information’s there and there’s a contact form and anyone is welcome to email me anytime at jennifersnowauthor.com if they have questions about screenwriting.
I love talking about screenwriting and helping other people and if I can make connections for other screenwriters, I’m more than happy to do it. So yes, feel free to reach out anytime through there.
I am on Instagram and Facebook Twitter and a bunch of other places.
I’m not super active on social media. I don’t do TikTok. I’m holding out on that. I am not joining TikTok.
[36:55] But yeah, if you can find me online, you probably have better luck finding me than I probably have trying to find you. I don’t know myself.
So my website and IMDB are probably the best places to keep up with what I’m actually doing from a professional standpoint.
And my email, I have a newsletter. So if you go to my website, for my newsletter. I like to get my newsletter, so yeah.
HOST: CARYN
Oh, so on the website, we can get your newsletter?
GUEST: JENNIFER SNOW
Yes.
HOST: CARYN
I’ll definitely get on that after this. Well, Jennifer, thanks for sharing all your great expertise and your knowledge, and thank you for coming on the Christmas Movie Screenwriter Podcast today.
GUEST: JENNIFER SNOW
It’s been so fun. Thank you so much for having me.
HOST: CARYN
Oh, and we’ll talk soon. I definitely want to know when that, Sworn Justice is coming out. I’ll put that in the show notes. Okay. Sounds good. Thanks, Jennifer.
GUEST: JENNIFER SNOW
Thank you.
HOST: CARYN
Bye-bye.
[37:46] And now for my key points, today I have six.
KEY POINTS
NETWORK OPPORTUNITIES
Jennifer mentioned she had great success at the AFM. The AFM has a visitor portal where you can set up meetings and communicate with other attendees. This may be better than just emailing people closer to the market. You can start discussions and network inside the AFM attendee platform.
MAKING YOUR CHRISTMAS SCRIPT HEARTFELT
[38:15] Add a tear-jerker moment. Jennifer indicated that having a tear-jerker moment gives your script more heart which will resonate with viewers.
BE ORIGINAL
Not all Christmas Movie heroines need stereotypical jobs we’ve seen done over and over. These lead role occupations we’ve seen done too many times include:
Lead Role: Occupation
– Pastry chef
– Interior designer
– Small-town bookshop owner
– Architect
– Nondescript workaholic (advertising industry only).
Give your lead character a unique job – like Jennifer did – such as an auto mechanic. It will make your script stand out.
WRITE FAST
When producers hire you to write a script – you’ll only have about one week to write the treatment. You may only get two weeks to write the script. So you need to work quickly.
AND ACTION!
[39:16] I was very glad to hear there are some buyers out there open to Christmas movies with a bit of action. Buyers such as BET and ION are just a few. As we all know – Christmas movies tend to be a bit formulaic so you need to make your story fresh. Maybe that means adding a bit of action.
PRODUCTION LOGISTICS
Make sure secondary characters don’t end up in a few scenes in several locations. Try to keep their locations to a minimum. Also, use more interiors and day shoots.
Well, that’s the show. Thank you for listening. To show, your support, please give us a five-star rating on Apple or wherever you get your podcasts.
[40:10] Thanks for listening, and I’ll see you on the next Christmas Movie Screenwriter Podcast. Bye!
The Christmas Movie Screenwriter Podcast – Episode 2
Jennifer Snow, Author, and Screenwriter
Show Notes
HOST: Caryn McCann
Website: https://ChristmasMovieScreenwriter.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristmasMovieScreenwriter
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MerryScriptmas
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caryn-mccann-5718058/
GUEST: Jennifer Snow
Website: https://www.jennifersnowauthor.com
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10591316/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1