"Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should."

-Jeff Goldblum, sexy dino scientist

Dear writers,

Thanks again for subscribing to my humble little newsletter. I'm excited to be using a new email system to send you my well wishes, screenwriting analysis and special offers on a not-so-regular basis. I'd love to hear from you and learn what you're working on and if I can help out in any way. Please feel free to shoot me a reply at any time and I'll get back to you asap.

You may have seen some of my recent articles published via Script Magazine, on the core conflict of the best superhero movies and tips from working horror film producers. If not, you can check them out in my updated Blog, including my new, exclusive article about AI script coverage (see below).

For those asking when I am going to run the next installment of my Story Maps Horror & Thriller Seminar, I hope to have an announcement soon. The bulk of it should be in October, and I hope to get all four producers back as our guest speakers. Keep an eye on this newsletter to find out when enrollment opens.

MORE ORIGINALS

Great news: I'm seeing a LOT of news about a huge increase in spec sales of original screenplays this year, not based on IP. Add to this the independent market for films AND television heating up and I think we're going to continue to see a big explosion of original movies and series.

It's coming all the way from the top, as the glut of IP-driven product continues to struggle to connect with audiences enough to justify its exorbitant budgets. After the underwhelming performance of several of their tentpole movies, an article in Variety reported on how Disney is looking for original IP to target Gen Z men (13-28 years old).

Now, I'm not saying we should drop everything to practice our pitch to Bob Iger, because we're just not going to get in that room. But I think this trend is encouraging, as the need for originality may just trickle down to smaller markets, which could help you. If you have a great story, as you know, you first want to polish it into an undeniable gem of a screenplay, even if your marketing strategy is to build a presence either on social media or in another medium, like short fiction, vertical shorts, or narrative podcasts to name some hot formats at the moment. It's always smart to show that your original concept already appeals to an audience, which will make your project more attractive to investors, but even if you can do that successfully, you still need to deliver a great script. No matter your market or your submission strategy, your written material is almost always going to be the foundation upon which you build. I know this is not a shocker coming from me! But it's still the truth, even with AI now rearing its ugly head. It's just a matter of how hard you want to work to sell your story and yourself.

I'm also seeing a lot of talk about "indie television" where creators fund and shoot an entire season of an episodic series on spec and then sell the season as a whole project, a la an independent film. Creators like Mark Duplass and Shane Gillis have done just that. I'd love to see this trend continue. And you don't need to sell it to Netflix -- remember, YouTube is the number one streaming platform on Earth and it's free to post.

There are new methods, tools, subgenres and niche audiences that are emerging every day. It really is an open field out there, and all that matters is the quality of your work. I choose to be optimistic about the future of narrative storytelling, and the writer's crucial place in that ecosystem.

ON AI VIDEO

Yes, AI visuals are getting sharper, but they're nowhere near ready to completely replace "real" movies. And AI writing screenplays? Please. Honestly, I think good writing from a unique, human perspective is the one thing AI CAN'T ever replace. I've seen some of the "groundbreaking" AI shorts that have gotten attention, and they make me cringe from the generic plot points, recycled character constructions and wooden dialogue. They may look cool for a minute, but looks aren't everything, especially when everyone has the ability to replicate the same production values and you still have that "uncanny valley" look to digital actors. For the record, I think generative AI video can be a great tool for promotional clips like proof of concept videos to help sell a traditional live-action or animated project, but to create an entire film or series? It's just not there yet and none of us know if it ever will be accepted by wide audiences.

I was thinking of a great parallel to AI and how it may impact the industry: the 3D motion-capture animation wave that a lot of studios and major directors tried back in the 2000s. Robert Zemeckis led the charge with several movies, including The Polar Express, Beowulf and A Christmas Carol. Steven Spielberg even tried one with The Adventures of Tintin. I saw Beowulf and A Christmas Carol in Imax and I quite enjoyed both films and thought they had amazing visuals. But all of these films were criticized for that "uncanny valley" dead-eyed look to the digital actors and most lost a lot of money. Audiences just would not accept it and the trend never caught on. It wasn't until James Cameron spent years developing his own technology and finally made it click with audiences with the first Avatar film. And how many hit films since then have used 100% motion-capture animation technology? Let's see, there's Avatar 2, and... ?

Ultimately, even though economics played a part with these movies as they were very expensive to make, the main reason they didn't catch on was that audiences didn't like them. They just never accepted the visual style. It didn't feel "real," it felt artificial. It's not that we don't still love animated movies -- they still clean up at the box-office -- it was the attempt to find a hybrid look in-between animation and live action that failed. And now that same thing is occurring with AI, albeit at a much cheaper price point, thus we're seeing more examples of it online, but still nothing approaching the length of a feature film. I've played around with it, and AI offers much less control of the image, glitches abound, and its human voices are still terrible, so we're a long way away from these tools creating long-form narratives that have the potential to capture large audiences, imho.

It will happen eventually, but I believe if there is a hit film that uses all AI visuals, it will be an outlier like the Avatar films. We shall see. But no matter the means of production, it will still need a good script and a unique point of view.

Great stories need great storytellers. There is no way that AI could have created Weapons, the hit film from writer/director Zach Cregger. It's a character-driven, auteur horror thriller that owes more to PT Anderson and Tarantino than it does to any recent formulaic horror franchise. The script is a great read and the film is an emotional, crazy, intense experience that's best seen in a theater, imho.

Speaking of things that are better done by a human, I decided to give some time to explore the hot topic of AI script coverage. As many of you know, and is stated on the home page of my website, I'm not a fan of screenwriters paying for coverage, which are short, quick evaluations that don't go into enough depth to truly be of help to a writer, as their original function was to judge a screenplay for a specific employer. They weren't meant to act as script notes for the writer. I know, because I wrote coverage for years for major studios and production companies.

This year, many of the biggest coverage services folded, and I suspect a factor may have been writers turning to AI? I'm not sure, but I decided to look into it and do some tinkering of my own, and here are my thoughts.

AI Script Coverage: Is it worth it?

As a writing coach and a former industry reader, people have been asking me for my thoughts on AI script coverage. When I first learned that writers were turning to AI to analyze their work, I couldn’t believe it. It seemed insane to me. Honestly, it still does. I still can’t help but ask “If you wouldn't let AI WRITE your screenplay, why would you trust it to EVALUATE your screenplay?”

But I know people are doing it, and I can’t stop them. As I don’t like to talk about things that I haven’t tried, I decided to give it a whirl with some test screenplays. I ended up feeding several different scripts into Google Gemini using my own prompt based on the coverage reports that I used to write for studios. More on the results of my test runs with four sample scripts later.

First, I’ll give you my general takeaways from my experiments with AI “coverage” reports…

• It's way too nice. Gemini must really want us to like them, because they seemed to heap a lot of praise on every script I fed in. Even the beginner script.
• It doesn't understand TV structure. The Breaking Bad pilot coverage praised how “the script flawlessly executes a three-act structure.” The only problem is, Vince Gilligan’s Breaking Bad pilot was written in a Teaser + 4 acts structure, NOT a three-act structure. (Note: My book Story Maps: TV Drama also offers a Teaser + 5 breakdown of the Breaking Bad pilot) Bottom line, neither one-hour nor half-hour pilots use a three-act structure. I don’t think Mr. Google Gemini knows that.
• It demands 100% clarity! Forget nuance or subtext or calculated ambiguity, it’s obsessed with EVERYTHING being explained. (See Weapons section below)
• It doesn’t have a sense of humor. Comedy is subjective, but a good reader should be able to recognize if they’re not the target audience of a comedy and express this to the writer. I’ve definitely given notes like “I personally didn’t find this very funny, but then I’m not the audience. This seems to be written for teens, so I suggest you run it by them and see how they react.” AI doesn’t seem to “get” nuances in tone or how comedy can hit different for different generations.
• It struggles to offer actionable suggestions for fixing issues. The AI will say something like “Strengthen Paul's internal conflict and vulnerability.” Okay, so how do you do that, exactly?
• A positive: it does a decent job of generating a synopsis and logline. But if you do this, make sure to PROOF it before you send to anyone! There may be some serious errors in there. (Also, be aware that you're taking the risk of uploading your work into "the machine." More on my feelings about that, below.)
• It doesn’t understand the market or the arc of a writer’s career. This was a huge problem for me. More on this later.

​CONTINUED...​

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Please to enjoy?

FF v Superman: the "core" conflict The great superhero battle of Summer 2025. Read article

Horror lessons from working producers Direct advice from industry veterans with credits including Final Destination, Cabin Fever, Black Bear, Netflix and Lifetime’s “At 17” franchise. Read article

Got Horror? EVERY writer today needs a thriller that gets the blood pumping. Stay tuned for the next dates of my Story Maps Horror & Thriller Seminar. Learn More

YouTube Interview I guested on the Story Series Podcast and touched on a lot of topics, including the most highly recommended script I read on the job as a Story Analyst, classic vs. modern structure, my wish for managers, and that famous monologue in Barbie. Watch

FYI I'm now booking coaching clients for the fall, so let me know asap if you're interested or you have any questions, and I'm happy to do a free half-hour call with you to discuss your goals.

Good luck and happy writing,

Dan Calvisi

PRAISE FROM MY CLIENTS:

“Thanks Dan for your help on my pilot, KANDLESTICK MEN, which got 4 8’s and a 9 on the Black List site and quickly became their #1 Crime Thriller pilot of ALL TIME. I have a producer attached and our most recent pitch meeting was at HBO Max.”
​-Frank Monteleone

"Dan Calvisi is second to none when it comes to structuring screenplays and coaching writers. His Story Maps is the only and most important thing on my desk when I'm writing. Whether it's writing for a TV series for Blumhouse or on projects with The Sopranos alums, I know the ins-and-outs of structure because of Dan. In addition, I use his books when prepping for pitch meetings with production companies including Bad Robot, Appian Way, and the streamers. I highly recommend Dan as his method is succinct and powerful, his books are informative, his Story Maps templates are better than anyone else out there, and he's an overall talented and great guy."
​-Tony M.