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EXCLUSIVE: Bold Films has paid six-figures to buy Evidence, a spec script by first time writer John Swetnam, who’ll be given first crack at directing. Marc Platt will produce along with FilmEngine’s Anthony Rhulen and Jake Wagner, and Bold’s Michael Litvak and David Lancaster. Police arrive at an abandoned gas station following a brutal massacre. The only evidence at the crime scene is the victims’ personal electronic devices, including a camcorder, flip Cam, and two cell phones. With nothing else to go on, a detective must analyze the bits of “found footage” to piece together the identity of the killer. Script was one of several that went out late last week, and was the first to sell. Adam Siegel will be exec producer with Gary Michael Walters. APA’s David Boxerbaum brokered the deal with FilmEngine.
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It was the trackingb.com screenwriting contest that brought the script to the attention of agent and manager. In less than two weeks the script sold. Congratualtions to everyone involved!
Congratulations to the writer/director. Unfortunately his script went to the worst possible buyer out there. As a producer of over 15 films I can tell you first hand that NOBODY at Bold films has a clue how to make a successful film.
Congrats to Swetnam … can anyone point out why he’ll be given first crack at directing? With no apparent credits on IMDB, it doesn’t seem like he’s a feature director already or an award-winning short director … asking out of curiousity–what gets a first time writer into the director’s chair in a case like this?
congrats to apa and boxerbaum!
Really? Story sounds like a “sweeps week” episode for Law and Order. Who knows what sells anymore????? And oh yeah, Boxerbaum is a tool.
Way to go Boxerbaum. Great agent with great eye for material.
Love the script. Swetnam is a rock star!
Yikes. If you are not a shill and have any sense, then like the “esteemed industry panel” who picked this as one of the finalists for the TrackingB contest and put it on the radar, you must have judged “based on concept/summary alone”.
The logline is completely misleading. This is a C-grade slasher film with one set, a contrived handheld gimmick, and a mystery no deeper or sensible than that in the average Friday The Thirteenth movie. It’s the kind of project you make for under $500,000, flog at Fangoria Weekend of Horrors and go straight-to-DVD/direct download with, only now some poor suckers are actually trying to put real money behind it. Kudos to all the execs and producers who actually read it and steered clear.
First, give credit where it’s due… Swetnam is not without talent. He showed some writing skill.
Unfortunately, that skill was used to basically write a completely derivative 80s style slasher pick. Guy in Hockey Mask, err… Welder’s mask — Check. Group of people stuck in one location – check. They all make increasingly illogical and stupid decisions which results in them getting picked off one by one – check. The killer gets away in the end – check.
I mean, you could change that welder mask to hockey mask and label this a Friday the 13th sequel without changing anything else in the script.
And yeah, that logline is totally misleading… “The only evidence…” Other than you know, the dead bodies, the murder weapons, the personal belongings, the survivors — all the usual stuff at a crime scene.
It should’ve said — helping police is the discovery of these video devices. The logline makes it sound like the bodies and everything else have disappeared or something. Totally not the case.
This script is literally a MASKED KILLER kills people at a gas station… And if you took five seconds to think about some of the plot contrivances instead of the flashy camera angles, it’s not even that well done of a slasher movie.
Agreed. The fact that it went to Bold as 5th round pick should tell you everything.
C-grade? Really? Read the script. Fresh and twisty. Killer spin on the genre. Make it for cheap and count the cash. Kudos to all those other writers who aren’t jealous d-bags.
And as for a first time director… this is the perfect movie to gamble on. Way less risk than Bertino on Strangers.
Kid is a rock star. Mark my words.
Script was a predictable Usual Suspects wannabe – story wise. Writing was good, though.
Good project, but too bad it ended up at such a black hole like Bold. That company is like a death sentence without parole for any potential project. How are they still in business when their sketchy Euro investors won’t let them take a piss without accounting for it?
Talk about smoke and mirrors!
I think you’re mistaken… Bold’s last 2 films were successful (LEGION did $40M DBO, opened #1 of new films opening weekend & #1 first week DVD sales). Their latest DRIVE (directed by Nic Refn, and starring Ryan Gosling & Carey Mulligan) just won Best Director at Cannes, with an upcoming Film District release in the fall… you obviousy either are a hater or don’t have a clue what’s really going on…
Smart buy. It’s a well-executed and fresh take on an established genre, and it won’t cost a lot of money to make. I don’t know why I don’t see more of these kinds of specs. Writer obviously has a big future–
nice job by boxerbaum getting the $, but this won’t get made
Meh. Tired and boring premise. I hope it falls apart sometime.
What is your idea of a fresh and new premise? Avatar??
Well earned. Guy’s a talent.
This is GREAT news! It couldn’t have happened to a more deserving guy, either. And he gets first crack at directing? Wow! This is heady stuff.
Great script and great guy. This will be a huge movie
Read it. Really thought it was weak– very inconsistent with an extremely unmotivated and desperate-feeling climactic twist. Oh, BLAIR WITCH and PARANORMAL ACTiVITY, what hath thou wrought?
How does an industry unknown and first-time writer like Swetnam be given the chance to direct? Writing a spec is no qualification for making a movie. Some decision makers are clearly nuts.
well you should look up the credits for Bold Films and you will understand. Based on their past, they make only flops. lol. It would fair to say, it would be his first and last directing job.
Exactly why we’ll never hear about this project again.
The answer is that this isn’t a studio film, nor even a mini-major – this is high class independent cinema trying to emulate the success of Paranormal Activity by making a low budget film with an interesting hook.
Maybe he has shorts that show a vision that producers see. Don’t knock a writer that hasn’t made a film and is about to be backed for his first feature. ALL DIRECTORS HAVE TO START FROM ONE FILM and that’s there first film, i.e. feature length.
I guess producers must have been nuts to give Tarantino money to do Reservoir Dogs or nuts to give Scorsese cash to do Boxcar Bertha after only doing shorts and oh my god, a doco.
I haven’t read the script and know nothing about it just defending first time feature (fiction) directors.
OK, first off, I can guarantee you Swetnam is not a “first time” writer. This is a term erroneously used to describe a writer making a first sale. Swetnam has probably been studying and writing for many years and has probably written many scripts, and some of them may be quite good. They just haven’t sold.
Second, who said writing a spec is his only qualification for making a movie? He could be an accomplished stage director or actor, he could have a very impressive reel of shorts/music videos/experimental stuff for all we know. That kind of thing is pretty typical in this day and age with kids growing up with 3 chip cameras and desktop editing systems.
Thirdly, being a writer in this business means getting crapped on. You want to be a director (or producer) who can also write, not a writer who wants to direct. So, kudos to his reps for leveraging the heat from this script to opportunities for their client.
I don’t particularly like this concept, but whatever — all the best to Swetnam and anyone breaking in with original material.
Given first crack at directing is usually a nice way of saying he’ll get the first meeting. Who knows though, maybe the guy is killer in a room.
Swetnam’s a fantastic writer and EVIDENCE is intense. Going to make for a great film!
Hey “not a sweetnam fan”–you’ve obviously read the script and have your opinions, but last time I checked, the first open door into Hollywood is not always one with Oscar written on it. I hope the view from your glass house is good because this won’t be the last success from Mr. Swetnam. And to you “anonymous”–how are you gonna comment on a fellas directing ability with absolutely no basis for that judgement? So unless you are really Martin Scorsese, I would keep my mouth shut. Go get em’ John!
Haters beware: Swetnam will be a star.
The found footage craze has got to stop.
It’s just an excuse to make cheap (and cheap-looking) movies. Paying audiences are getting sick of shelling out good money to see movies that look like they were shot by a drunk eight-year old holding a ten-year old camcorder and then the tape stock was pissed on by a horse.
Not every movie has to be “pretty,” but it is a visual medium, and that element should be honored. Was “Fight Club” a “pretty” movie? No. It was gritty and down-and-dirty and sometimes ugly. But was it a tremendous VISUAL experience that looked amazing on the big screen and required an insane amount of skill on the part of the artists and camera crew who worked on it. And yes, all that takes time and costs money. Sorry to producers out there looking for short-cuts in the process.
Found footage is garbage.
Agreed. Big congrats to the writer. BIG CONGRATS!
But the hell is trackingb’s fascination with low budget contained thrillers and comedies? Jesus, people, I’ve yet to see a tentpole place. (Just to be clear people, I’ve never entered)
Some of this year’s ACTUAL SALES aren’t exactly going to be made on the cheap and some of them are full blown tentpoles:
All You Need is Kill
Snow White and the Huntsman
Expulsion
Chronicle
World War X
Ion
Heatseekers
Oh Insider, care to explain?
Wow, such jealousy!
This script is tight, marketable, and can be shot for cheap. It’s a fast read and an original take on the found footage genre. The writer’s objective in this industry is to come up with something that is familiar but different – this script is an excellent example of that.
John’s a good guy, a great writer and has been at this a long time. We will see more from him.
It’s incredibly difficult for anyone to sell anything in this business, especially a new writer. So, why hate when it happens? A rising tide floats all boats… remember that.
Thought this one was well handled with a slightly different take on the found footage genre.
Hope to God Hollywood has the balls to watch, learn and steer away from remakes, sequels and reboots and bring something either fresh or a fresh take on what’s been done as we push forward in 2011.
Isn’t that what we all want? So that we won’t have another graveyard summer like 2010?
Don’t knock the guy. It’s an amazing moment for him and — while I’m jealous too — under no circumstances should you guys be bashing a dude for getting his break.
How are there only like four people in Hollywood who don’t get torn to shreds on this site when DL reports their good fortune?