Film Courage: Bomani you say you've been holding on to the
screenplay for the angry black girl and her monster since 2018 and was
getting rejected a lot can you take us through the full journey of the script?
Bomani J. Story, Screenwriter: It's one of those it's a I guess it's a classic Hollywood Story
you know where the script is kind of making the rounds and people are just like nah I'm
good uh you know and they're just passing on it you know so it was just kind of years of
uh of dealing with that until finally you know TV read it and engaged were they giving you any notes
who uh the people that were passing on it nope they just said it's a pass that's all yeah yeah
that was it uh they don't really I mean I guess I can't blame people for this like do you have time
to like give a docket you know it's like if you don't even feel like the script's worth engaging
on why would you give any like notes I guess I mean I'm just I'm not an executive so I don't know
how are you getting the script out for people to read um it was mainly my manager he was the
one kind of pushing it out there um and I did get like meetings you know but they were kind of like
it was one of those things where they're like oh we uh because the people who liked the script they
were like yeah we like this script but we want you to write something else for us because we liked
the script so it was like it was really weird I don't know how that happens but you know whatever
so they didn't necessarily want this script but they liked your style they liked your
storytelling and they said please do something else and you your answer was
uh I mean I think with someone I um I pursued it for a little while but you know it kind of
just fell apart you know yeah there was like there was like two projects that kind of just fell apart
you know I think one of them was wrapped up in an adaptation of some uh some comic book that like
the the the writer of the comic book like the rights to it went back to them and they didn't
feel like engaging with them anymore and so then you know my script kind of just went away because
now they don't have the rights and yeah so it was just like there's just like stories like that
what year did [ __ ] TV say yes uh it was 2020 I believe okay so two years it's floating
around you're getting no you're not knowing why interesting yeah how do they let you know they
had interest in the script uh my manager called me and was like yo there's this company he's like can
you make the movie for x amount or whatever you know from micro budget or whatever and I was like
I mean yeah I'm not gonna say no to that you know it's like so um he was like all right
well you know they want to meet with you you know have like a general conversation you know
so she's going to call you at this time on this day so be ready to take that call and we'll see
where it goes and I was like all right and so they called me we had like a conversation and then uh
I guess they I guess she liked me enough you know so as they set up a pitch meeting for uh for them
you know for the movie and like you know then I pitched them and then I guess they took to that
too so here we are so then you actually did have a meeting where you're like pulling onto the lot
and yeah well Zoom because covet yeah so I was kind of just walking them through my PowerPoint
yeah what went into your pitch um it was a couple things it was just like
you know uh the vibe and the style of the story how I want to tell it
um it was also like I cut together a little Sizzle reel of just like a bunch of different uh movies
together to kind of give them a Vibe of just like the moment of bringing you know the the creature
back to life and um with like music to kind of give the official tone that I'm looking for here
um and what else was in that pitch um yeah it was just in general just like about the movie
like how I how I envisioned the movie and walking them through uh through that through every step of
just like the story itself to you know the style of acting to the style of editing to the style of
um of the music and uh what I'm trying to capture and then like movie references of the people who
I felt like uh movies that were closest to it that I wanted to capture and were they giving
you feedback or they were just listening and then the feedback came later feedback is in like we
hate this or we like this or we want more of this can we can we ramp this part up nah they were just
kind of like they you know they asked me like some kind of questions I forgot exactly what they asked
me you know that it wasn't I mean I don't want to say it wasn't important but it's like in the grand
scheme of things it wasn't they were just kind of like you know they just had certain questions
about uh things on a bad way but they were just kind of inquiring more about stuff and then
um and yeah that was like that was kind of it they didn't really say any critically I guess because
they liked the pitch so and then once you pitch them how soon did you hear back that it was a go
um they started engaging pretty quickly after that you know um because I heard from my manager
my lawyer you know it's like they kind of started sending deal points you know so like they started
engaging pretty quickly and so you're like this is really happening yeah it was weird because
I don't know like people talk about the waves of like I guess happiness or whatever like when
you're trying to make a movie and like at this moment you shouldn't like I'm not gonna say it
doesn't mean [ __ ] it does you've gotten to another level but but technically speaking in
the grand scheme of making a movie when someone options your script or whatever you know it's
just like it doesn't really it means something but in the grand scheme of things doesn't mean
[ __ ] like you know it's like it can it can all still fall apart pretty quickly you know
people get their scripts optioned all the time and it doesn't go anywhere and then like it
falls apart but for me nothing ever felt as good as that moment and you know obviously
this movie is doing a lot of crazy stuff as of right now you know um that's not to [ __ ] on
the other moments I still had a great time but for whatever reason the height of the excitement
hit a really hard like it went really high for that moment because I was like yeah man yeah
do you think the trajectory of your script was common do you think that all the ups and
downs all the no's you think that's just what every screenwriter goes through I mean [ __ ]
it sounds like it it's like kind of because every story when I was like uh watching and
listening and looking up to other filmmakers that I love like seems like that was like
the a common thing you know people just being like yeah you hear no a lot so like
feels like that's part of it feels pretty cliche to me like you know but when you're going through
it you know you don't think about that or at least I didn't have you always been more of a realist
um with outcomes I get I mean I I can't deny I do have some idealism to me with things on how I want
to do stuff I think I think you kind of have to right like uh that's what happened to the vision
for something is and that's not just even saying as a director it's like even when you're writing
something or whatever it's just like what you want the story to be on the page but you know it might
come out different but you still have a vision which means there's like idealism in that right
um but with uh with other things you know I I think there's some realism approaches that
I feel because I wrote another script while I was waiting so it's not like I was just like
this is my only one and it's gonna happen and you know it's like I was like well am I not so
and I need more than one idea so I'm writing another one that came to me as well
ultimately why did the buyers choose your script um
I wish I knew I I cannot there's only like certain data or like slight information I hear from them
that makes me uh think that has something to do with it I mean they I think they think is
the original idea that they believed in and it was in the same vein of the type of stuff
that Crypt was making uh as well as they also tell me that they really loved my pitch uh and
I think they liked me because I hope they do you know so it's like I think a combination of those
things probably is what took it through the roof because filmmaking is a it's a marathon you know
and I think even if you like an idea and even if you like a pitch when you're dealing with someone
for I mean 2020 we engaged movie finished in 2022 right like that's two years right
it's like and if you don't like them like I can only imagine it'll make these other two parts uh
you liking the idea and the pitch or whatever like difficult and be forgotten because you're
dealing with someone that you don't like so I I hope that I was you know I can only hope that so
and when most people get a job they never ask them why did you choose me yeah yeah exactly
so maybe in a relationship yeah not not for a job yeah yeah how much script work did you have
to do before the movie was made once they said yes were they giving you notes revisions yeah I
mean I had they had their notes for uh the draft that came in that they were you know that we were
engaging with uh so they had their rounded notes that I did then they took that out and then like
um then as we were leading up to production then we were kind of going through uh notes uh like as
we were leading up to production just because I think you know once the once it's about to
happen you know you start looking at it with a more scrutinizing eye so all of us were kind of
just you know dialing in giving notes on and you know trying to make it the best possible version
it can before we into production because once you start putting it on film or on digital or whatever
it's like that's it you know so it's like you want to go in with a what's your strongest foot forward
were there any revisions while you were filming did they say you know what can we change this
line of dialogue not really I don't think we had time or money it's like the resources were slim so
um of course there's like when you're filming that you adapt you know of course there were
changes because we're in a location now we have actors now who you know who are saying things and
doing things and you might be like oh this is actually working better without X you know so
that will happen but as far as just being like Oh rewrite this or whatever and none of that happened
what advice do you have for screenwriters who say that selling a screenplay is impossible
it's not impossible I'll say that because I'm sitting here now and I was watching y'all's
videos looking for advice so uh it's wild to me that I'm sitting here right now talking to
you so I think that it's not impossible I think it's it's it's it's it's definitely probable and
it's achievable I did it and I know that sounds cliche but I'm telling you like I said this is
really meta for me like I was sitting on the other side watching this videos of this very
Channel film courage with people giving advice and stuff like that and it [ __ ] happened for me so