ScriptGenius

ScriptGenius

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“Charlie was a valued member of my team for over 30 years: reading every submission, searching for material, hearing pitches, and helping to develop the script for every major motion picture from the original Bad Boys right up to Top Gun: Maverick. If I was an aspiring screenwriter looking for the best possible feedback and guidance for my project, Charlie would be at the top of my list.”

— Jerry Bruckheimer (award-winning producer of Beverly Hills Cop, Top Gun, CSI, Armageddon, Pearl Harbor, Black Hawk Down, The Amazing Race, Pirates of the Caribbean, Bad Boys For Life)

Meet Your Mentor

Charlie Vignola

As a teenager in the late 1970s, the one-two punch of seeing Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind convinced me that somehow, someway, I wanted to work in the movie business. Like so many aspiring filmmakers, I made Super-8 short films with my friends and wrote screenplays before I even knew what a proper screenplay looked like.

After graduating from the University of Miami in 1988 with a double major in screenwriting and psychology, I packed up my car and moved out to Los Angeles, hoping to find a way to break into the film industry. 

With few connections but a lot of ambition, I managed to get a job working for a temp service catering to the studios, where I was fortunate enough to meet people getting placed in the business. One of those people was a friend who got an assistant position at Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer Films when they were the hottest producers in Hollywood. I asked my friend if they might be looking for a script reader, as I knew that was a potential entry-level position in the industry. As luck would have it, they were, and my friend helped me get my foot in the door.

“Charlie Vignola has been there on the inside of the inside of the inside of the film business for decades, working at the heart of the storytelling, shaping many of the biggest hit films and franchises we all know and love.”

“One of the great unsung heroes of Hollywood, Charlie Vignola has worked on countless huge movies and franchises and alongside many of the great storytellers and filmmakers of our time. We went to him countless times for expert analysis, insights, solutions, and new ideas,  and he always came through.”

“Name any great film from the Bruckheimer era, and Charlie was there, often at the start, and helping to shape material, from concept through outline, presentation, crafting the screenplay, revisions, and even through production and post production needs.”

— Terry Rossio (screenwriter of Aladdin, The Mask of Zorro, Shrek and Pirates of the Caribbean, writer/executive producer of Deja Vu)

For over 30 years, I worked in motion picture development for Jerry Bruckheimer Films, one of the most successful producers in the history of Hollywood, starting out as a story analyst and most recently serving as Director of Development for the motion picture division. 

Over the past three decades, I’ve had a hand in developing some of the world’s biggest and most successful movie franchises, including the Pirates of the Caribbean saga, the National Treasure films, the Bad Boys series, and the blockbuster, Academy Award-nominated sequel Top Gun: Maverick.

During those years, I’ve worked with some of the biggest names in directing, producing and screenwriting, developing both original and adapted material from nascent concept to finished green-lit screenplay. I’ve established relationships with studio executives and talent representatives, traveled across the country to oversee production rewrites and around the world to pitch projects, even script doctoring on some of our films as well as personally generating original material developed for the company. 

As a side hustle, I also moonlighted pitching original movie ideas and writing spec screenplays, setting up projects at Disney, Sony, MGM, and Spyglass Entertainment.

Along the way, I’ve spoken to students at the American Film Institute, was the featured development executive interviewed for the acclaimed 2010 book Tales From The Script, contributed to online screenwriting courses, and have appeared on numerous podcasts about the film business.

At the end of 2020, I left Jerry Bruckheimer Films to focus on writing and producing my own original material. Since then, I’ve set up an original buddy comedy with renowned producer David Kirschner (An American Tail, Child’s Play, Hocus Pocus), as well as adapting the cult 1990s Japanese manga/anime Pet Shop of Horrors for Dingli Entertainment. I recently completed a Christmas-themed romantic comedy that’s out to producers, and am currently working on several high-concept TV pilots.

“There’s no shortage of options when it comes to screenplay gurus. That said? You don’t want a guru. You want YOUR voice, yes? Potentialized by someone with a tried-and-true, theme-driven toolkit. Someone like Charlie Vignola, who will poke and prod to bring out the purest expression of you — and the story you’re fighting to tell. He just makes it easier to get there.”

— Shane Black (screenwriter of Lethal Weapon, The Long Kiss Goodnight and Last Action Hero, writer/director of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Iron Man 3 and The Nice Guys)

About ScriptGenius

In my spare time I’ve launched ScriptGenius, and for the first time ever I’m offering my services as a premium script consultant to a select clientele, employing the skills honed from 30 years of developing blockbuster scripts with some of the top screenwriters in the business to help aspiring screenwriters test-drive their movie ideas, sharpen their outlines and treatments, and get their screenplays industry-ready.

Why choose ScriptGenius?

If you’re serious about the craft of screenwriting, and you’re looking for feedback and career guidance from an industry professional with an unparalleled wealth of story development experience at the very highest levels of the entertainment industry, I may just be the right fit for you.

 “This town is filled with ‘script experts’ who have never sold a script and ‘script consultants’ who should never be giving advice. Charlie Vignola is a rarity. For years he served as Director of Development for one of the most successful producers in Hollywood. Charlie knows what works and what doesn’t. His passion and love of movies is infectious. Couple that with his experience and, hell, I’m going to hire the man myself!”

— Manny Coto (showrunner of Star Trek: Enterprise, executive producer of Dexter, 24 and American Horror Story, creator/showrunner of Next)

Services

Unlike other script consulting services that farm out their work to low-paid readers with little actual industry experience, every piece of material will be personally reviewed by me, so you’ll get the full benefit of my decades of development skills at the highest levels of the film industry. 

I’ll be honest, I’m not your cheapest option. That’d be those other guys. But if you consider my experience, track record and endorsements, I think you’ll see my value. 

If you’re serious about the craft, and want some of the best feedback and guidance in the business from an industry pro who’s spent three decades developing some of the biggest hit movies of all time for one of the most successful producers in the world, I may just be the right fit for you

A one hour, one-on-one intensive session where we review the various movie ideas you’re considering writing to “test drive” each one of them and come up with the best one for you to focus on to generate maximum industry interest. If you have only a single idea, then we’ll kick the tires of that concept, vigorously analyze its pros and cons, and develop the strongest version of that premise that stands the best chance of garnering attention. If you only have some general thoughts about what you want to write, then we’ll brainstorm from those bits and pieces and develop a strong, novel movie idea that can serve as the springboard for a solid script.

There’s probably a million questions you’d like to ask a seasoned industry professional about screenwriting, the movie business and how to potentially build a career in it, but you’ve just never had the access to someone like that before, because the industry builds walls to make it difficult for newcomers to navigate. Well now, thanks to ScriptGenius, you can have that access. Book time with me to discuss any general aspects of screenwriting, the industry in general, or advice on how to approach such a daunting and competitive business. I’ll be happy to offer my honest and candid counsel, based on over 30 years working for one of the most successful movie and TV producers in history.

As screenwriting legend William Goldman clarified, “screenplays are structure,” and your outline is where the rubber meets the road on structure. Once you’ve settled on a dynamite movie idea as the foundation for your movie, you’ll need to develop a clear, resilient, flexible roadmap to construct your screenplay and deliver the most vivid and compelling version of your story. We’ll walk through your outline or treatment beat by beat, sharpen its strengths and address its weaknesses, and make certain that you’ll start writing your script from the strongest outline possible.

There’s never been more TV content than there is today, with myriad streaming platforms offering literally hundreds of new TV shows every single year, so the need for new material is constant and voracious. We will delve deep into your prospective TV pilot or TV bible, comparing and contrasting it to other shows in the genre, and making sure it’s as tight, novel, gripping and entertaining as possible before it hits the town. Includes an hour-long video conference call for review and questions.

This is the bulk of what I did for a living for over 30 years at Jerry Bruckheimer Films, working with the biggest screenwriters in the business to get their scripts in fighting shape and ready for a greenlight. We’ll go over your screenplay in granular detail as we would a legitimate studio feature film script, reviewing and analyzing every aspect from story, character and dialogue to logic, pacing and tone, giving your material a full tune-up to help it reach its full potential. You’ll get the exact same treatment, consideration and guidance as the top screenwriters in Hollywood, including an hour-long video conference call for review and questions.

Book Now

“Charlie’s razor-sharp insights into story, character and structure have been making Bruckheimer movies great for decades, and he has helped me hone my stories along the way. You’d be hard-pressed to find a better or more thoughtful script consultant.”

— Juan Carlos Coto (co-executive producer of Heroes, executive producer of Nikita, showrunner of From Dusk Till Dawn, executive producer of 9-1-1)

Resources

ScriptGenius not only offers top-of-the-line premium services and support but includes many helpful and free tools to improve your writing as well. 

Community

The ScriptGenius Community is an online forum designed to encourage camaraderie, collaboration and networking amongst aspiring and working screenwriters and filmmakers.

Through our Writers Room section, visitors to the site are welcome to join in ongoing conversations about a variety of topics, from various film genres and methods of writing to discussions of the business of screenwriting.

Since we’re trying to develop a comfortable environment for people to hang out and interact, let’s try to keep religion, politics, profanity and bullying to a minimum. In short, be cool so yours truly doesn’t have to jump in and serve as a referee.

So feel free to drop in, brainstorm, offer advice, share war stories, make new friends, and maybe even find your next writing partner in the ScriptGenius Writers Room.

“Charlie and his ScriptGenius service were a huge help to me for a TV project I was developing. This is the guy to hire. Most script consultants don’t have any real experience. Charlie was the Director of Development for years at Jerry Bruckheimer Films. He knows a thing or two. Thanks for the awesome, Charlie!” 

— Bragi Schut (Nicholl Fellowship winner, creator of the CBS TV series Threshold, showrunner/executive producer of Lego Ninjago, screenwriter of Escape Room, the Sylvester Stallone film Samaritan, and The Last Voyage of The Demeter)

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