How Martin Kunert and His Partner, Eric Manes, Pitched "The Hindenberg"

by Rita Cook

Not considering themselves purely as writers, Martin Kunert and Eric Manes recently sold a pitch to Twentieth Century Fox anyway. Their goal: to take their current independent status to a new level. Writing is something Kunert says they do because they make films. Manes produces and writes and Kunert directs and writes. A filmmaking team that started at NYU and progressed into post production in Los Angeles, Kunert and Manes' first break came when they co-wrote and produced and directed, respectively, a film called "Camp Fire Tales." Building on their career from that, the team recently went on to sell a screenplay pitch, "The Hindenberg" as well as being hired to write the first draft of the script. Talking to Kunert is a breath of fresh air: he's open and easygoing and definitely excited about sharing his wisdom with others. He secretly says the two filmmakers are working on a small, very prestigious independent film based on a true story. Of course, Kunert will direct and Manes will produce and they'll both write it. Meanwhile, Kunert is still enjoying his recent success with "The Hindenberg."

Rita Cook: Tell me about how you and Eric got in to pitch "The Hindenberg" as first-time writers.

Martin Kunert: What happened was that our agent, Emil, told us that it's a lot easier being a struggling filmmaker if one has money to pay the rent. We were always in kind of a tight squeeze. Personally, Eric and I really don't go to see that many films because there aren't that many films that interest us. So, we decided to think of a film idea that would get us to go see it, get us excited about it. And that's when we thought of "The Hindenberg." Emil thought it was a great idea so we developed it in about a month, then Emil sent out a screenplay we had written called "Paranoia." A lot of people either read "Paranoia" or read it and saw "Camp Fire Tales." We were already kind of getting a reputation and then when Emil said that we were coming out with a major pitch, plus the fact that his stature in the meantime has sky-rocketed like crazy, it certainly didn't hurt. He lined up appointments with people, and the combination of "Paranoia" and his reputation is what set up the pitches.

RC: This was really unusual for first-time writers, right?

MK: Usually, people who haven't sold to the studio pitch to the lower development people. If you're a hotshot you pitch to the higher development people and then they decide to go to the studio. Whereas first-timers usually have to go to the lower level person and then the lower level person takes it to the higher level person and you pitch them and then you go and pitch the studios.

RC: Did you do anything different with your pitch to try to sell the studio on the idea?

MK: One of the things that Emil told everybody was that this was really a great project and his requirements were that we would only go into a producer's company one time. They would have one choice to either take it or not. He told them we wouldn't come back because this thing was going to sell very fast, which of course started putting people in a panic. We started pitching five companies a day and we ended up getting only two passes on the project. By that Thursday we were going into the studios and by Thursday night we had a bid. We accepted it Friday morning and the project was sold.

RC: Why do you think those two companies passed on the project?

MK: The two times we got a pass were the two times we shortened the pitch down to 45 minutes. We learned to really take our time, which is tough on development people. We were very lucky in that we were able to hold their attention for an hour and we usually ended up having a meeting, which was two hours long, because then we spent another hour with them talking about different parts of the story and different elements.

RC: You guys didn't really hold out for the money. Explain that.

MK: Well, it was the philosophy that one bird in the hand is better than two in a bush. More important than going after the huge amounts of money was to validate us as studio filmmakers, to have a project bought. When you start going for those high amounts of money it becomes like high-stakes Poker. It is easier to lose it at that point than it is to win it. Since we sold it, it now gives us the ability to turn around and get the smaller independent films financed, which we couldn't do two months before.

RC:  What has changed now since you sold "The Hindenberg" pitch?

MK: How well people liked "The Hindenberg" and reacted to it and how much they liked the story, and "Camp Fire Tales" has developed a reputation for us. It says that we can do very high-concept, commercial projects, but at the same time remain intelligent and classy. Even "Campfire Tales," which is a horror film, is not your hack- and-slash horror film; it's a classy, suspense-driven horror film.

RC: So after this sale what is the next career step for you at the studio?

MK: Our ultimate goal is to create a company like Imagine where we can create our own projects, write our own projects, develop projects and buy screenplays, make large studio films, but simultaneously also make very interesting independent films. So we are splitting our career paths now in two directions. One is to continue making the independent films while simultaneously keep going after the blockbusters. The way it works is the first one is like a huge home run: you sell it and then you write it and then you're done with it. In the second one, you get to be attached as producers. Not the only producers, but as one of the producers. And then on the third one, you get to direct and produce it yourself. So the third one around would be a big studio film and during each step your power grows in what kind of independent films you can do, just because you simply want to do them. And our goal is to have our independent filmmaking catch up to our writing skills. To be able to make big studio films and small independent films and then open up a company.

RC: What were the biggest challenges when you started pitching "The Hindenberg?"

MK: Trying to prove that we could be able to tell the story. It was very difficult because we didn't have a track record in writing for pictures. So for a first-timer to sell a pitch is very difficult and very rare.

RC: What would you say about your pitch meeting and how it can apply to any writer interested in doing the same thing you guys did?

MK: Hollywood doesn't want to invent a new wheel. They know how to make and market a wheel. And what they want writers to do is just to recreate that wheel, but put a fresh coat of paint on it. Nowadays, companies have 30 seconds to sell a film. That's 30 seconds to convince people to get away from the TV, get away from their cable and get in their car, drive to the theater, pay the $8 per person to watch the film. That's why the power of the high concept or of what they call "trailer moments" is so important.

RC: So a "trailer moment" was pretty important for your pitch, huh?

MK: That's what the studio has to use ultimately to make the money off the film. So a great pitch or a great story is something which is recognizable. Something that the studios know how to make and they have had success with making it before while at the same time there's something so unique about it that people want to see it. These elements have to be combined and the idea must be expressed in 30 seconds. As part of the pitch you have to give them trailer moments, these things which immediately a producer knows will sell the film.

RC: You guys didn't really have a hard time getting into the pitch with the combination of your agent, your past script, "Paranoia" and your bit of notoriety in the industry already? Do you have to have all those ingredients to be able to do what you guys did?

MK:  For the studios, yeah; but the reason we got "Camp Fire" done was because we were out there pitching "Campfire." Pitching is not just something that you do. It's self-marketing: when you go out and pitch, you're basically marketing a film that you want to write. And that's not just with the studios, that's with anybody.

-- RC
©1999 Rita Cook

Rita Cook is the Editorial Director of Insider Magazine and Editor-in-Chief of The Creative Alliance Monthly Newsletter. She is involved in the film and television industry in Los Angeles where she calls home and she has written 14 screenplays. Cook is currently on the Steering Committee of Cinewomen and is writing a book called Screenwriters: From Inspiration to Action.