Tyler Winther Creative Executive At Patriot Pictures Shares His Views On The Industry

Patriot Pictures is an independent film financing and production entity behind God Is A Bullet and Blackout. They operate in the independent space outside the major or mini major studios. Tyler offered his insights into the

Indie film financing isn’t like studio financing which is typically decided during pre-production phase to cover production, post-production, and exhibition. “Independent film financing can come in at different points in the process,” he said.

There are two typical paths that relate to how screenwriters get paid. “We can pay a writer to execute an idea we generated or offer them an option price against a purchase price of their original material if enough financing is raised.”

Indie movies are traditionally associated with film festivals and limited releases to introduce and amplify a screenwriter to the industry. “A festival premiere is huge because the huge marketing engine isn’t ready made. Smaller budgeted films rely on this exposure to generate buzz leading to wider theatrical releases.”  As the industry evolves, many indie films enjoy extended theatrical runs.

There is no typical day in the life of Tyler Winther. “During the week, I’ll be reading coverage and scripts.” He’ll also watch screeners of film Patriot Pictures has been working on and decide if they’ll continue working on it. This may happen if a very similar type of film was recently released. Ideally, they want to be the first to release one of two similar films, but the industry is fickle. “Most of time is spent in post.” Tyler spent many years producer VFX.

VFX As A Genre

Winther has seen the exponential improvements in VFX technology. “VFX can’t exist on its own. There is no character or story structure there. It is not cinema. It can only enhance the story. VFX can communicate a bigger story without telling a story on its own.”

To answer the question, VFX is a tool that allows big sci-fi and fantasy worlds to exist. “It also allows a kind of visual realism that was previously achieved by practical means.” Although it’s not a genre in itself, VFX allows writers to tell stories they may not have easily been able to tell previously.

Despite his love of VFX in enhancing storytelling, Winther still relishes the time he spent on practical sets when they were built. “You can smell the wood and the hot lights rather than seeing  a few items placed in front of a green screen. You rarely have those practical set sensations anymore.”

Screenwriters are often advised to focus solely on their writers and leave all the industry machinations to others. However, Winther suggests that writers should at least have a basic understanding of the business landscape. “I honestly think that many writers don’t know where to look,” said the creative executive. “It seems to me that many newer writers may not be realistic about their first project. Writing a huge, sweeping, epic fantasy as your first screenplay.”

Although Tyler admires such ambition, but writing a screenplay is only the first part of a project. A film needs to attach cast and crew and raise finance. ‘The process of putting a film together into its intended form officially begins after your script is written. Writers need to understand how it might become a film.” They must have a basic understanding of what the rest of the team is going to do because it affects the fate of their screenplay. “It doesn’t exist in a vacuum.”

Most producers juggle multiple projects simultaneously and there are limitations on how many resources and time they will assign to each before it becomes untenable. Many producers’ notes refer to the practicality rather than the creativity of a script. “Can you meet us halfway between adding something to make this happen versus subtracting or reorganising something later with a greater chance of the film collapsing?”

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Some writers do so for the sheer love of writing and aren’t concerned if their screenplays get produced or not. Producers, on the other hand, do. “As soon as you get optioned or purchased, you have to work with a team.”

Tyler Winther suggests that writers consider trans media as a means to amplify and extend the reach of their projects. “You can create IP ecosystems with games, novels, and merchandising.” It can start anywhere, but it always starts with on IP at its core. There are games writing opportunities opening up which screenwriters may tap into. “Video game writing is next level writing. It’s as technical as screenwriting but you have a bit more leeway for prose. It’s the middle ground between writing a movie and writing a novel.”

Creating video games are extremely labor-intensive and writers can aid the process by injecting their narrative expertise into them. This applies to toys, comics, consumer good, or any other properties. “J.R.R. Tolkien wasn’t thinking about TV series, games, or movies when he created the Lord Of The Rings world. He just sat down and wrote his book.” Screenwriters should follow this protocol and take one step at a time. However, the story scope should be big enough for the industry have enough to expand it out. Tyler quoted John Wick as a single character story that had expansion and franchise potential.

Many creative decisions are driven by algorithms, ratings, and box office. “Many decisions are driven by the distributors in the independent film space.”  Distribution is the key goal in the indie film world. Action and horror are generally more favourable with distributors because they are easier to sell. Certain types of comedies and dramas, not so much. “You need to follow those lanes a bit, especially if your film doesn’t have clear genre.” Winther also suggests budgets of up to $5 million to make it easier for investors to recoup their costs.

Tyler Winther believes a screenwriter should be able to pitch well in under five minutes. “The perfect pitch starts with a very clear image of what the script is and what the film could be,” he said. “It doesn’t get bogged down in plat details right away.” Writers should confidently continue their pitch and fill in the blanks of key story elements such as the main characters and plot, allowing producers to ask a few questions at the end.

Winther accepts both naked scripts and scripts with attachments. “It has to be the right kind of attachments.” Oftentimes, a naked script or the book rights are a good starting point for approaching Patriot Pictures. “It’s not a screenwriters job to attach actors or producers to their material, but if it improves the likelihood of a project getting made, do it.”

In conclusion, Tyler Winther advises newer writers to “write something small and powerful that’s relatively contained with a minimal number of characters, especially if you’re looking to sell or get it produced. Make that wold feel massive,  If you want to sell your script, go for that epic sci-fi.” This satisfies a writer’s creativity and the practicalities of putting a film together. He suggests having both types of screenplays in your portfolio.