How naive am I to think that anyone would be willing to help me – a biologist – get a powerful message out that encompasses the myriad environmental conundrums facing mankind (that includes climate change)? I’ve written four times times to people involved with The Hollywood Climate Summit, but to no avail.
All I’m asking for is help with a treatment from someone who writes Hollywood language…which, apparently I do not! I’m willing to pay people…but, I can’t even get anyone to take my money.
I can’t help but think back to my correspondence with Joe McGinniss years ago when I was trying to write a book. He was one of the few people who responded back to my many inquiries for guidance, and here’s his advice:
Given the sorry state of publishing today, I see no possibility of getting a contract that would let me work with you on this.
I regret that, because I’d like to. But if I presented a proposal today for what became Going to Extremes, I wouldn’t even be rejected – I’d be ignored. Likewise, a proposal for a book about “fishes and the environment.”
Reading is on the way out. The visual image is replacing the written word as the basic unit of communication.
Let me put it this way, and I mean no disrespect: in the current publishing environment (and it will only worsen, not improve), even I can’t get a book deal. That’s after twelve books, six of which were NY Times best-sellers.
I’m rooting for you, but there’s no way I can help you.
I would advise you to apply your considerable and valuable energies elsewhere. [my emphasis]
And I wish you the best,
Joe
I thought that if a book wouldn’t cut it, and visual is the way to go…then a film is what’s needed, and not a documentary.
I just can’t get anyone to pay me any mind.
Here are two of the letters I wrote to Anna Jane Joyner who is involved with the Hollywood Climate Summit and Good Energy, which, as you can see, is about Storytelling For Today’s Climate with a focus on story support. Support is something I did not get…I’ve received no responses to date.
Why the title Save The Cat – Save The Mankind? In working with a Hollywood screenwriter regarding my effort to to get a powerful message out in a film, he suggested I read both Save The Cat** and Save The Cat Goes To The Movies by Blake Snyder. In my most recent E-mail I was hoping that the subject title “Save The Cat, Save Mankind” would pique some interest. Apparently not!
Here’s my most recent correspondence:
I’m an Alaska fish biologist looking for help with a treatment, one with an important message. I’ve corresponded with two successful screenwriters who told me that Samuel Goldwyn said that messages in films are an extremely tough sell. One said that Goldwyn barked back to a screenwriter, “If you want to send a message, use Western Union!”
But, how long ago was that? Being a biologist and knowing how high the stakes of mankind not doing the right things are…I certainly hope that times have changed.
I even asked Michael Altman, the son of Robert, to help me find someone to collaborate with on a treatment – here’s his response:
Hiya Dave,
Thank you for your ongoing efforts to help our dear mother fend off the great (human) virus!!!!
I truly believe in my heart of hearts that she will soon wipe a great swath of the problems (mainly us) in the very near future through her own methods as a way of dealing with evolution, like a forest fire replenishing the soil for another round of growth. Having said that, I also believe that we can and should be doing everything we can to help balance our exponentially rapid growth and development as well as increasing awareness that EVERYTHING we do has consequences and repercussions.
{m….. <—– steps down from the soapbox}
Sorry bout that.
I appreciate your letter and wish you all the luck (as you will need it) but I don’t know how I can help you besides possibly occasional friendly (and probably useless) advice and encouragement.
Bad news is I am fully retired and everyone I know or knew in the business is either dead or dying. I will however cheer you on and help if I can in some small way.
Best of luck moving forward. DON’T give up. If it was easy, everyone would do it.
Thank you again for the kind words my friend.
m………..
I’m hoping that you folks would be willing to help me find a collaborator for a treatment.
Here’s a previous correspondence:
Hello Anna Jane et al.,
I couldn’t participate in most live sessions of the recent Hollywood Climate Summit because I was attending a Climate Change Workshop in Fairbanks, AK. However, I’ve gone back and watched the majority of them…and, I’m hoping that you can help me get a powerful message out regarding not only the tenuous future of many of our life-providing ecosystems, but also our species.
I’ve long been trying to get the ear of someone in the film industry to help move a vision I have for a game changing film forward; of late, mostly in the form of collaboration on a treatment that compellingly showcases my vision.
But, to say that this is simply a vision does not accurately depict the intricacies of this endeavor. I’m an Alaska fish biologist with real-life experiences regarding numerous aspects of our many ecological crises – specifically, the root causes – that I firmly believe would lend themselves to a compelling film if told correctly by talented folks like those participating in the Summit.
One reason that I’ve struggled getting anyone to help move this vision forward is that it is a big picture perspective that encompasses not only environmental concerns, but bigger conundrums. In two discouraging interchanges with Hollywood insiders, both told me that my vision is ambitious, which you might know in Hollywood vernacular means “overblown”. Consequently, they weren’t willing to help in any way.
There are three components or plots to this film as I envision it: 1) a fish biologist living in “bush” Alaska with a unique gut-wrenching story to tell that can shed light on mankind’s many frailties comprising the human condition that have manifested into the meta-crisis (a.k.a. polycrisis & The Great Unraveling), 2) his difficultly conveying just how his personal story can do that, and 3) his attempt to convince someone in Hollywood that his story, if told correctly in a feature-length film (one that informs & entertains by not lacking levity*), can convey the biggest message that mankind will ever hear.
However, for anyone to understand my futile efforts to find help and how those parallel storylines above fit into the film, they must read some of the many rejections I’ve received over the years, as well as some inquiry letters I’ve written which got no response. For reasons that I can explain later, I think this film could flow much like a Robert Altman film – mostly because it would mirror real life, which doesn’t progress linearly.
One response to an inquiry letter, and the most promising one, was from Michael Altman, Robert’s son. Here’s how he responded: Hiya Dave,
Thank you for your ongoing efforts to help our dear mother fend off the great (human) virus!!!!
I truly believe in my heart of hearts that she will soon wipe a great swath of the problems (mainly us) in the very near future through her own methods as a way of dealing with evolution, like a forest fire replenishing the soil for another round of growth. Having said that, I also believe that we can and should be doing everything we can to help balance our exponentially rapid growth and development as well as increasing awareness that EVERYTHING we do has consequences and repercussions.
{m….. <—– steps down from the soapbox}
Sorry bout that.
I appreciate your letter and wish you all the luck (as you will need it) but I don’t know how I can help you besides possibly occasional friendly (and probably useless) advice and encouragement.
Bad news is I am fully retired and everyone I know or knew in the business is either dead or dying. I will however cheer you on and help if I can in some small way.
Best of luck moving forward. DON’T give up. If it was easy, everyone would do it.
Thank you again for the kind words my friend.
m………..
I’ll say this, of all the people I contacted, Michael was most likely the one most in tune with environmental concerns. I’m afraid that too many others don’t give much thought to the environment, even though the fires around Hollywood are trending five times bigger than historically.
One of the root causes of the polycrisis is what I refer to as the FPOL, or frenetic pace of life. I learned that thirty years ago when dealing with threatened and endangered salmon of the Pacific Northwest where it wasn’t unusual for biologists to get death threats trying to save the few remaining wild ones. There are darn few places where the FPOL doesn’t affect everyone’s life in one way or another.
I’m sure that I don’t have to tell you that the FPOL is only accelerating in Hollywood. Subsequently, many of my rejections have come about because I haven’t been able to persuade those busy folks with a compelling one-sentence logline…something I’ve struggled with due to the complexities involved. I’ve actually thought of titling this film The Elusive Logline.
Without sounding exceedingly pretentious, I honestly think that there is great potential for my personal story to make a difference. But, it will take several hours to explain why that is. I do hope you can help me out by finding someone who’d be willing to work with me on a treatment (I’m willing to pay for that help).
Having said all that, I’m not in this endeavor for me, it’s for future generations and critters that have no voice.
* Oscar Wilde said, “If you’re going to tell people the truth, make them laugh; otherwise, they’ll kill you.”
End of correspondence that was sent several times.
** More on Save The Cat. Although Blake Snyder had countless invaluable writing tips on screenwriting, the most important advice – at least to me, was this: “You must find a life within the confines of “It is what it is.” This is where your skills as a bullhead will save both you and your sanity. And while I’ve made fun of this trait throughout this book, I do it as a means of challenging you to be more so: Whatever you do, don’t stop being a bullhead.” I am, and will always be, bullheaded in my attempt to convince someone – anyone – connected to the film industry that my personal story, if told correctly, can get a very powerful message out.