Interview With Twilight Screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg

A few days ago The Movie Blog had a chance to sit down and chat with Twilight Screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg about the film, the challenges that come along with adapting such a popular novel and how she approached it.

The Movie Blog: You were given the daunting task of condensing Twilight, a 600+ page book, into a 110 page screenplay, while at the same time trying to handle the expectations of the huge fan base that Twilight has gathered. Was it intimidating? What principles did you use in deciding what to cut out?

Melissa: In terms of "was it intimidating," I was not all that aware of the fan base. The minute I became aware of it, I stopped looking because I knew that it would become intimidating. So I purposefully kept myself in the dark because I wanted to be in a place of being able to tell the story and translate the story without the outside influences of the fans. And just to be able to tell the best story possible.

The most important thing [principle] was to stay true to the characters' emotional arts. There are going to be scenes that are either compilations of a couple of different scenes of the book or missing scenes, but the important thing is if the soul of the book is there and if you go away feeling the same way you feel when you read the book. That's what my objective was - to keep the soul of the project.

The Movie Blog: Besides introducing the villains early on in the screenplay version, there were virtually no differences I was able to catch. and I guess that's a good thing. Were there any significant changes you included in the script?

Melissa: That was my absolute objective, if you felt the same. There were actually a lot of adjustments, but again, it's really about "Did you have the same experience? Am I taking you along for the same emotional ride that Stephenie did?" That was the objective for both Catherine [Hardwicke] and I - to make sure that nothing fell out.

In the middle of the book, there are several chapters that have got question and answer dialogue, which is all very compelling when you are reading, but to see two people sitting and talking for long periods of time is not very entertaining. One of the biggest challenges of condensing the book is that you want to be able to hear that mythology. It was a matter of picking and choosing the specific parts of dialogue and dispersing it through several scenes. As well as having other scenes where that information can come across that isn't just two people sitting at a table talking.

The other thing that was different was, for example, with Bella's discovery that Edward is a vampire. In the book, the way he is revealed as a vampire is through a conversation that rolls out over the course of several chapters. It's the conversation Bella has with him [Edward] in the car that she approaches the idea. What we did was to condense all that and have that a real turning point in the movie, making it more of a confrontation. It was really about hyping up certain moments in the book, condensing long passages, while keeping it true to the book because you are still getting that emotional moment.

The Movie Blog: I did notice a lot of instances in the film where much of the conversation that occurs between characters, such as those between Bella and Edward, were illustrated not by dialogue, but through musical montages. Is that how you wanted to portray a lot of the lengthy dialogue from the book?

Melissa: As a writer, you have to recreate scenes to leave space for the actors to act and the director to direct. You always try to let something be portrayed visually as opposed to verbally.

The Movie Blog: What was the hardest scene(s) for you to cut?

Melissa: There were a few things, but ultimately when I saw the film it was hard to remember what those were. I have to say that I didn't miss any of those scenes on screen.

The Movie Blog: Did you consult with Stephenie Meyer when writing the screenplay?

Melissa: Yes. Initially, I was very protective of my creative process. I was intimidated by her celebrity and sort of afraid, on some level that I would be overshadowed and my own creative voice would get drowned out. When I met her I realized that was completely unfounded. She is a very down to Earth, grounded and kind person, who was open to collaboration. She ended up being really valuable in terms of giving me insight into the development of the characters.

I approached Twilight the point of view of a reader and I really wanted to adapt the book without any outside influences and to have it be, in some ways, pure. So, when I say "Yeah, I collaborated with Stephenie," I'm talking everyday, every line. It was like having a writing partner.

The Movie Blog: Was there a character in the book that you could not get a grasp of?

Melissa: Bella's character was quite interesting. Initially, when I read the book, my first thought was that we should just shoot the entire film in Forks and forget about the parts of the book that are set in Arizona. It was Catherine who expressed how important it was to keep the scenes that were set to shoot in Arizona because it was such a significant part of the book. We then met with Stephenie and she spoke to us about being a normal girl in Phoenix, a land where there was a great deal of money and artificial beauty. She discussed how even an attractive girl would feel out of place in such an environment. Stephenie also touched on Bella's relationship with her mother, Rene. She illustrated the idea that Rene is the only person that Bella would risk her life for because Rene can't even take care of herself. Therefore, going back to Arizona to save her and risk her life for her made much more sense to me after Stephenie emphasized that point.

The Movie Blog: The Movie Blog is developing a post on the top 100 film adaptations of a novel. What would be your favorite film adaptation of a novel?

Melissa: I thought The World According to Garth was really well done. I'm also a big John Irving fan, so I would add Cider House Rules. The most recent one I saw was Brokeback Mountain, which is probably one of the best adaptations I've ever seen. If you've ever read the short story, it's just so beautiful and spare. They had the opposite challenge that I did, turning 30 pages into a screenplay. It was a true lesson in how to adapt a book into a screenplay.

The Movie Blog: What's next for you? Will you be involved with the next film, New Moon?

Melissa: We're talking about it, but nothing has been decided in regard to me being involved in the Twilight saga. I can't really say much more than that.

Source: RushPRNews.com Reprinted with permission.

You're an Idiot: Making Value From Reaction to your Screenwriting

If you're like me, if someone doesn't like something about my screenplay, my very first reaction is always the same.

You're not as smart as me. If you knew what I knew, you would understand what I wrote. And you don't understand what I wrote, because you don't know as much as I do. About everything, in general. In short, life. You know, people. Planet Earth.

If you really don't understand what I'm doing in my script, my first feeling is I don't respect you. I have contempt for you. I feel attacked personally, and with my feelings hurt, I want to denigrate your position, and while I won't call you an idiot, basically the foundation of my exchange with you in the wake of you reading my script is you are, in fact, some kind of idiot.

Someone once told me I can be right or I can be happy. Or you can be right, or you can get your screenplay produced into a motion picture. I have had this happen twice, and I can tell you if I had committed myself to being right about everything during the development of the screenplay, they would still be living as files in my hard drive. Any produced screenwriter will attest to this.

Whenever a reader doesn't get information from my screenplay, facts crucial to the function of the story, stuff I feel is so obvious that the only reason they could've missed it all is carelessness, I know I am responsible for the breakdown. Writers over and over complain about this, appalled that someone could miss something so blatant in the script. Two ways you can take this note. One, reader read poorly. Two, you have clarity problems. What is the constructive reaction? You have a clarity problem.

You might get a note saying they don't believe a character would do or say something, particularly dialogue or actions of a certain time period or profession, such as a cop, or a farmer from the 18th century in Russia. The writer defends the charge by citing historical facts, or stating they have seven relatives in law enforcement, or they grew up in Canada, and they do, indeed, talk like that. Well, it doesn't matter. If your audience is distracted by your authenticity rubbing them as cliché or improbable, you need to revise. Screenwriting is compression and art. It's truth, not a transcription. Where do clichés come from anyway?

I recently got a reaction from an audience member to a movie I wrote that I had never heard from anyone EVER. My first instinct was to say to myself, well, um, that's stupid, because EVERYBODY else thinks differently. This is another reaction I've run into quite a bit with writers. "Everybody else thinks it's funny or realistic or a perfect movie or…"
Who is your "everybody else"? Consider your sources, and keep your mind open. In the end, "everybody else" doesn't exist.

Notes on your screenplay are not a personal attack. They might feel like that. You have made an investment of self, and you love what you have created. It is you. But someone's reaction to your writing is not a reaction to you. It is a reaction of the person who read your screenplay. Same screenplay, different people, different reactions. So the reactions are personal to the readers. Detach from the notes to the degree to which you can improve your screenplay. Their reactions are formed primarily from their lives, not your words. Which leads me to this.

Do not embrace the extremes. Listen to the ends of the spectrum of opinions, but do not wallow there. If someone thinks your script is the worst attempt at screenwriting on record, take what you can, but do not stay with this, toss it off as something off and wild. If someone thinks your script is so awesomely perfect and beautiful that there's really nothing to be changed, take what you can, but do not stay with this, toss it off as something off and wild.

Let's say you've offended someone. They think your choices about language or characterization or action are patently offensive, maybe immoral, bigoted, racist, or sexist, disturbing to the point of quit. Do you need to change something? Perhaps. It's up to you. Know that you've offended someone. I have written disturbing material and I didn't change it. But I've learned to sincerely respect that reaction and allow it to help strengthen my creative positions.

Do not listen to hysterical advice about formatting, but if people say they found typos, that means you don't respect your movie and you need look at your attitude to your work on story.

Don't ever question the credentials of your reader. We can seek the experienced and the professional, but in the end, to discredit notes because the reader is "not a screenwriter" or "some punk in a mailroom" or "the assistant fresh out of blah blah", I put this to you. Where exactly do you think the studios come from? Do you know where the executives started? Do you know how Hollywood began? Who is sitting in the movie seats every Friday night across the planet? Screenplay consultants? No. Your audience.

Seek their reaction. They are the flashlight that works. You can gleam the most incredible insights from any one who reads your screenplay, if you put aside your fight and remember the goal of production. We can't wait for the "qualified" to tell us what's wrong. We don't have to.

I don't remember what the newspapers wrote about the movies I've written, but I do remember what the audiences said. The hell with right. I want to make movies, and I strive for that direction.

About the Author
Winner of the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the Sundance Film Festival for LOVE LIZA, Gordy Hoffman has written and directed three digital shorts for Fox Searchlight. He made his feature directorial debut with his script, A COAT OF SNOW, which world premiered at the 2005 Locarno Intl Film Festival. A COAT OF SNOW made its North American Premiere at the Arclight in Hollywood, going on to screen at the Milan Film Festival and the historic George Eastman House. Recently, the movie won the 2006 Domani Vision Award at VisionFest, held at the Tribeca Cinemas in NY. A professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, Gordy is the founder and judge of BlueCat Screenplay Competition. Dedicated to develop and celebrate the undiscovered screenwriter, BlueCat provides written script analysis on every script entered. In addition, Gordy acts as a script consultant for screenwriters, offering personalized feedback on their scripts through his consultation service, http://www.screenplaynotes.com/.

Breaking Into Hollywood - Do I Really Need a Screenwriting Seminar?

I'm a producer who has enjoyed both sides of the writing seminar experience. As a writing fellow years ago, I attended many diverse seminars. Then, as a story analyst for a major production company, I developed my own system for understanding and applying story structure which I now teach in a seminar of my own. There are three things I explain to people who question or resist "learning how to write" through professional seminars.

First, writers often (mistakenly) interchange "story" and "structure." These are two separate elements of the writing process. Story is the creative experience that only you can uniquely express from your vision. Structure is the foundation for that story, and the rules of structure have been accepted for thousands of years. The easiest way to grasp the distinction is to think of a dinner party. What you cook is entirely up to you (story). But you must serve your guests the appetizer first, then the entrée, then the dessert, in that order, and those dishes have to complement each other (structure). If not, no matter how great the food is, your guests are going to think you have no idea how to make dinner. And they won't come back to dine with you again. Writing seminars tend to focus on teaching structure, NOT story, so that creative genius has a chance of being understood and enjoyed by buyers and audiences who innately expect a certain foundation to a script. And story instincts can be honed and expanded with professional guidance, as well.

Second, virtually all professions have rules for writing. Just as lawyers must learn proper structure and format for legal briefs and programmers do the same with software code, screenwriters must learn and apply rules of structure and format to screenplays. Most professions have training expectations, too. Just as no one is going to give you $100,000 to perform open heart surgery on a patient just because you've always dreamed of being a doctor, no one is going to give you $100,000 to write a script just because it's your lifelong fantasy. Doctors, lawyers and other professionals get degrees and regularly attend seminars to maintain their chops and their edge, and so do writers. No matter how strongly emerging writers believe that Hollywood is a get-rich-quick-with-no-effort industry, in order to succeed, you will have to replace that belief with the simple acceptance of show business as a business.

There simply is no benefit to railing against the industry's insistence that writers get some training before they attempt to get paid for their work. Any time you are asking someone to pay you, you must anticipate their establishing rules for that income. If you don't want to have to learn the insider rules, the simplest solution is to write for free. But if you want to sell your work, just as in any other business, you have to respect the guidelines. The good news is that the rules of writing get far more flexible after a first sale!

Third, it's common for people to mistrust writing teachers as unnecessary snake oil salespeople who are not personally successful themselves. Yes, the rules of story structure that Hollywood subscribes to are fairly standard. The laws of physics are standard, too, but not many people easily grasp and apply them! Training helps writers master the rules so they can craft solid scripts that can actually be sold. And just as you learned better from some teachers than others in high school, you will find in the variety of books and workshops at least one approach to structure that will help you effectively integrate it into your work.

Remember, selling a script is neither a requirement for nor a guarantee of being able to teach screenwriting. I've produced many writing panels and seminars, and many successful screenwriters lack the communications skills and the clarity of process to adequately guide another writer to a successful script. For my part, I teach from the point-of-view of the buyer instead because that was my background and because my personal business strategy is to always understand what the person who writes the check is looking for. Believe this - whatever an individual teacher's approach, the ability to teach a subject well enough for students to grasp it is its own gift.

Finally, let me be a bit frank just to give you a glimpse into the perspective of your potential buyers. From the industry's point-of-view, writing exactly what comes out of your head, spirit and heart, with no structure or training, is not screenwriting...it's "typing." For a parallel, dancing around a living room on your toes is not professional ballet, and it does not warrant the expectation that you should be equally respected as trained ballet dancers in the world of classical dance. Next, I can think of few industries that offer as accessible an education in the basics as screenwriting's swath of books and seminars. Please compare those demands on your time and wallet to what dentists, accountants, attorneys and other professionals must do before they can earn a professional paycheck. If attending a well-respected course for a few hundred bucks helps buyers have confidence in you, do whatever helps you crack those barriers to entry! Last, try very hard to name any industry where training destroys natural talent rather than enhances or develops it. Still a skeptic? Buy a couple of writing books and take some classes just to prove everyone wrong. What I know you will discover, instead, is that training can take what's good and makes it great.

Happy screenselling.

About the Author:

DMA is a former film story analyst who is now the executive producer of Tidal Wave TV, a new media and reality TV production company in Los Angeles, and the director of Hollywood's one-day, comprehsenive filmmaking seminar,Movie in a Box. Learn how to sell a screenplay from DMA's industry guide "The 1-3-5 Story Structure Made Simple System: The Nine Essential Elements of a Sellable Screenplay."

For DMA's national speaking schedule and more insider resources for breaking into Hollywood, please visit Planet DMA. It is our goal to mentor you through your career in the entertainment industry!

22 Ways to Improve Your Screenwriting

Whether you are trying to win contests or sell your script, it is important that you take advantage of every opportunity you can to increase your chances of success.

Some people have estimated the odds of a good screenwriter selling a script to be in the neighborhood of 1 in 5,000.

What if you could cut that in half just by one action? Now, you're at 1 in 2,500.

Then, what if you could cut that by 1/5th by taking a series of actions. Now, you're at 1 in 500. And if you continue on that path, sooner or later, you'll get to 1 in 10 or even 1 in 2.

If you don't believe that, let me ask you this: What are the chances of Charlie Kaufman selling another screenplay?

He wrote BEING JOHN MALKOVICH, ADAPTATION, and other screenplays. Would you say that his chances of selling another screenplay are pretty high? Would you be shocked to hear that he sold another script in the next six months? I doubt it.

But if you'd met Charlie Kaufman when he first began writing, wouldn't you say he was right in there with the 1 in 5,000 odds against him?

My point is this: Everyone starts at 1 in 5,000 odds and it is up to us to shift the odds until they are in our favor. Shifting those odds is just a matter of constantly improving and taking advantage of the opportunities that come to us.

Below is 22 ways to improve your screenwriting. I've started with the most obvious and built to some ideas that are out of the ordinary.

I present this list so you will always have a way to improve your screenwriting, even if you are trapped in your room by yourself with no money and no contacts.

1. Write every day.

2. Read produced screenplays and search for what they did well. Read for a contest and see the difference between the winners and the ones that didn't make it.

3. Take a screenwriting class. I can easily recommend a few.

4. Get feedback on your writing.

5. Critique another writer's scripts.

6. Join a screenwriting group.

7. Take your favorite screenplay and transcribe it, noticing the choices the writer made.

8. Select a technique to improve and use it in one or more scenes.

9. Write the same scene a completely different way.
- Reverse a scene or character
- Increase the stakes
- Change who prevails in the scene
- Use a twist to change the end of the scene
- Put the characters in a worse position

10. Have another writer write one of your scenes in a completely different way.

11. Take a character to an extreme to see what other possibilities are available.

12. Take a line of dialogue or description and rewrite it 10 different ways or more.

13. Stretch yourself: Give your character an unsolvable problem and then solve it.

14. Pick a scene in a movie you like and write it. Once you have completed it, read the writer's script for that scene and see how he or she wrote it differently.

15. Watch a movie, stopping it at the end of each scene. Write down what happened in the scene, how the characters changed, what was the in and out points, and what was the most interesting part of the scene.

16. Take your best idea and top it in some way! Sometimes, it is not about the writing. It is about the thinking and the breakthroughs and getting used to coming up with fresh ideas. Force yourself to top your best ideas on a regular basis and soon, you'll have the best ideas in Hollywood.

17. Find out what a producer or reader wants in a script. This can shift your chances dramatically. It may save you from writing something that has no chance of success.

18. Take an acting class.

19. Do a read-through with actors.

20. Shoot a short on DV. For anyone who has done this, you've had the experience of seeing actors bring your script to life. Until you do, you can't imagine the amount of pride and embarrassment you'll experience. But directing even one scene will change how you write.

21. Give yourself permission to write from your heart with no holding back.

22. Decide that you will constantly improve your writing until you are one of the best screenwriters there is.

There you are. 22 ways to shift the odds of your success. Many of which do not even require that you leave your computer. If you're serious about writing, I wouldn't let a day go by without doing at least one of the above.

A 1% improvement every day is a 365% improvement over the next year. Keep doing that and sooner or later, you'll be in Charlie Kaufman's league -- making those 7-figure deals.

About the Author:

Hal Croasmun is a writer/producer and the author of "33 Ways to Break into Hollywood." He publishes the ScriptForSale newsletter with articles about screenwriting and interviews with A-List screenwriters at http://www.scriptforsale.com/

Scott Stuber to Produce Film With EA; Scott Z. Burns to Write Screenplay

Electronic Arts Inc. has closed a deal with Universal Pictures to bring EA's new franchise and top-selling videogame, ARMY OF TWO, to the big screen.

Scott Stuber, through his Stuber Productions shingle, will produce the film along with EA, and screenwriter Scott Z. Burns, who recently co-wrote the blockbuster THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM, has signed on to adapt the game for the screen. Universal Pictures, Stuber Productions and EA are planning to begin production of the film in 2009.

ARMY OF TWO, which has grossed over $100 million(a) in sales since its release in March 2008, is the second film project that EA has set in motion as part of an aggressive strategy to move its IP across more entertainment platforms. The company is also currently developing THE SIMS at 20th Century Fox with producer John Davis.

The Weinstein Company Acquires Worldwide Rights to Feature Film

The Weinstein Company (TWC) has acquired the worldwide rights to produce and distribute the feature film adaptation of the multiple Tony Award-winning play August: Osage County. Harvey Weinstein, co-chairman of TWC, will serve as one of the producers on the film. Weinstein will join Jean Doumanian Productions and Steve Traxler, president and co-founder of Jam Theatricals, who had previously signed on to produce.

Weinstein is a co-producer of the Broadway production of August: Osage County; Doumanian and Traxler are lead producers as are Jeffrey Richards and Jerry Frankel who are on board to executive produce the feature film adaptation.

The film is currently in development, with playwright Tracy Letts, who won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for August: Osage County, writing the script. The winner of five 2008 Tony Awards, including Best Play, and the 2008 Pulitzer Prize, the critically acclaimed August: Osage County premiered in summer of 2007 at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre and debuted on Broadway in December 2007.

Ben Famiglietti, vice president of production and development, originally brought the play to Weinstein, who immediately signed on as a co-producer of the Broadway production. Famiglietti also brought the movie rights to TWC. Famiglietti and Rob Scheidlinger, executive vice president of production and business affairs, will oversee the production on behalf of TWC. Patrick Daly, Vice President of Production and Development at Jean Doumanian Productions, will liaise with TWC on August: Osage County.

Scheidlinger negotiated on behalf of TWC, George Sheanshang negotiated on behalf of Doumanian, Traxler, Richards and Frankel.

August begins an eight week engagement at London's National Theatre on November 21, 2008. The national tour of August launches in Summer 2009.

How Can I Get My Screenplay Read?

"How can I get a producer to read my screenplay?"

That's one of the most common questions aspiring screenwriters ask, says Phil Gladwin, the established TV writer behind the Screenwriting Goldmine website.

Phil, who has written a number of dramas for the BBC and ITV, knows how hard it is to get that lucky first break.

So in a series of exclusive audio interviews, Phil has asked his friends and colleagues who have worked on award-winning shows to share their ideas on how you can get your big writing break.

For example:

Bryan McDonald explains how, within 48 hours of writing 25 pages of a spec script for the TV Western show 'Deadwood', he had been flown to Hollywood and hired by series creator David Milch, who also created 'NYPD Blue'

Vanessa Haynes is head of development at Steve Coogan's Baby Cow production company - she describes what she looks for in new comedy - and gives a very clear idea of what she wants to see in a spec script.

Toby Whithouse talks about how he submitted an idea for 'Doctor Who' and ended up writing the episode where the Doctor and his former assistant Sarah Jane Smith are reunited. Toby also explains how his own show, 'No Angels', was commissioned.

Silvia Manning shows how her experience as an actress, the contacts she had made (and a large helping of steely determination) meant she was been able to create and write her own sitcom, 'City Girls' - ending up as executive producer.

The interviews are being released as part of the countdown to the launch of the new-look ScreenwritingGoldmine.com.

The site builds on the success of Phil's popular learning package, 'Screenwriting Goldmine: How to Write a Screenplay People are Desperate to Read'. People who use the package, follow Phil's blog, or contribute to the ScreenwritingGoldmine.com forum, can tell you how much they appreciate the advice and input that Phil gives.

Call for Natural History Film Entries

With the deadline fast approaching there is still time to enter the ROSCAR (Rhino sculpture) Awards, which forms part of the Durban Wild Talk Africa Film Festival and Conference.

Entries will be judged by well-known industry professionals and talented filmmakers, and include representation from Animal Planet, National Geographic Television, National Geographic Channel International, France 5, Parthenon Entertainment, NHHZ, ORF, NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation), New Delhi TV, Off the Fence and others. To read the biographies of all the ROSCAR Judges visit http://www.wildtalkafrica.com/

The ROSCAR Awards categories for 2009 are; Editing; Cinematography; Natural History Production with a Limited Budget; Children’s Natural History Production (to be judged by schoolchildren); Environmental Production with a Conservation Message; Eco-Tourism, Travel and/or Culture Production; Use of Music in a Natural History Production; Script for a Natural History Production; Series for a Natural History Production; Sound Design for a Natural History Production; Newcomer and an Outstanding Achievement for African Wildlife Filmmaker Award. Any production which noticeably impresses the judges will automatically be put forward for the Judge’s choice Award.

The winners of the ROSCAR Awards will be announced at a spectacular gala event which takes place on the finale evening during the Durban Wild Talk Africa Film Festival and Conference, which runs from 19 – 23 April 2009 at the ICC Durban. The prestigious evening event promises to be a highlight as tribute is paid to filmmakers for the outstanding contributions that they are making to the natural history industry.

To enter your production, visit http://www.wildtalkafrica.com/ for the entry form and rules, the entry fee is R350 per entry and the deadline for entries is 28 November 2008.

Camelot to Launch New Program for Struggling Filmmakers

Camelot Production Services Group is planning to launch a new program designed to assist struggling filmmakers attempting to gain market acceptance.

Under the new program, Camelot will work with filmmakers to explore various methods and ways to bring their projects to market from various aspects of the production process, from inception to completed films ready for distribution.

Camelot envisions bringing together experts from different filmmaking disciplines to assist in the process, along with assets from its film and distribution operations in Camelot Film Group. Specific details of the new program are expected to be released later this quarter. Additional information concerning this program can be obtained by emailing pwinn@camelotfilms.com .

Website: http://www.camelotfilms.com.

Tax Incentive Insurance for Filmmakers

Tax Incentives have become a significant part of film budgets with many states and countries offering generous tax incentives of up to 40% of production costs for productions filmed in their state or country. Producers can now protect themselves and purchase insurance coverage in the event they suffer a loss and fail to qualify or receive the tax incentive/rebate.

Bob Jellen has played a leading role in Hollywood for many years providing insurance for the major studios and independent film and television production companies. Bob Jellen, President of Entertainment Insurance Consultants, Inc. recently developed Tax Incentive Insurance so producers can now insure the tax incentive/rebate that they expect to earn on their film or television production.

Filmmakers can be covered in the event of damage to sets, property, locations, or facilities, hurricane, flood, earthquake, epidemic, or death or disability of cast or crew which prevents them from completing their required filming in a state or country. They can also be covered in the event of bankruptcy, insolvency or repudiation of a state or countries financial obligation with respect to the tax incentive/credit.

For additional information: http://www.filmtaxincentives.biz