Category: The Business

LONELY WRITERS. . . .

Squirreled away in your apartment, typing all night, sleeping all day. Go out once in a while to stock up on groceries, then back to the grind. You are creating genius work. You are the stoic writer, alone in your world of insight and creativity. Who needs friends? When you are done, your work will shine above all others.

In your dreams….

In the real world, successful writers are part of a community. They meet other writers, develop support networks to help them through the struggle that is each screenplay, maintain healthy relationships to provide balance and perspective on their work. As their careers begin to develop, they befriend development execs and other professionals. In short, they are part of the world of writers.

Why?

Because you can’t create a writing career in a vacuum.

Even in the writing process, professional writers rely on substantial support networks they have developed over the years – trusted friends with whom they can discuss ideas, trusted readers to critique work as it is being developed, other trusted colleagues. This is a huge advantage over you, writing alone in your apartment.

Once the script is completed, these same writers have still more people to rely on – fans they have made around town, executives they have befriended, producers, managers, agents, and on and on. Another huge advantage they have over you.

They also live in the real world – friends to hang out with, interests outside writing, some writers even have spouses and children – yes, just like real people. Yet another advantage over you.

Developing a community that supports you as a writer is not just a lifestyle choice. It is necessary to the work. It makes you a stronger writer, substantially increases the chance of any script you write actually meeting the needs of the motion picture industry, and helps you through the many low points every writer faces.

To develop your own network, you must reach out, hold yourself out openly as a writer, celebrate your chosen path, and draw to you people who support that part of who you are. You must align your universe to your goal of advancing your writing career. Nothing less will get you there.

It can take a long time to develop your network. But it doesn’t happen alone, in your apartment, with a bag of groceries rotting on the counter, while you create genius inside your head. Tomorrow, why not write in the coffee shop? And take a break to introduce yourself to the person writing on the laptop next to you.

ARE THE GATES OF HOLLYWOOD CLOSED?

Yes. Almost. At a minimum, they are utterly clogged. Every agency, every producer and every studio exec gets scripts by the truckload. The city hires a literal army of readers to read the mountains of material flowing in.

And most of it stinks….

That’s right. More than 90% of it is written so poorly it is barely readable at all, let alone able to be made into a movie. The way into Hollywood is so jammed with crud, the industry is forced to spend millions each year just to sort through it. Hollywood is constantly on the verge of drowning in submissions. The only way to stay afloat is to erect as many obstacles as possible – as many barriers as the industry can dream up – to keep new screenplays away. It’s no wonder that no one here gets excited when an unknown writer from Iowa tries to submit a script. Everyone already knows it probably stinks. It’s probably a waste of paper, a crime against nature, two hours of an underpaid reader’s life she’d rather have back.

SO WHY BOTHER TRYING TO GET IN?

Because of that little word “probably.” Underneath it all, Hollywood is desperate for the new voice, the unknown writer who brings something fresh to the table, the new undiscovered talent. It is a great part of what keeps the industry going. Careers and fortunes are made on discovering and exploiting talent – and writers are talent. That’s why Hollywood spends millions searching for it. The industry needs it. And nobody knows where the next one will come from. They have no choice.

They must keep reading.

Their careers and fortunes depend on it.

But don’t tell anybody. Let them think the gates of Hollywood are closed. It’s less competition for the rest. Okay?

PRODUCER NOTES & FREE REWRITES

I’m in an interesting situation. I recently finished a spec script and posted it on website, which got the attention of a new producer. This producer liked my material, but wanted me to write his version of the story. I should ad the spec script I wrote is an adaptation of other source material. The producer’s take on the material is weak — I know this because I’ve tried it, and used reputable consultants to get it into the shape it’s in now. This producer is going to pitch his material written by myself to some execs, but I fear it will be a horrible representation of my abilities. On the other side, this could be my only chance to show my material. This producer won’t listen to my suggestion, which are based on the advice of other consultants/writers. What do I do?

[Name withheld upon request.]

There is a lot to talk about here.

In general, when you are trying to get your first break, there is nothing wrong with doing rewrites for a producer you believe in based upon notes you believe in. I have done it more than once and, in each case, felt the script was better for it. On the other hand, doing free rewrites based on notes you do not believe in for a producer you do not believe in is a waste of time or worse. Once a producer has given you input which you have incorporated, arguably, the producer has some interest in your screenplay since he or she has contributed creative content. It can be difficult to unwind that process. Part of screenwriting is knowing when to say “no”. It will prove more powerful than “yes” in the long run. The months you will spend writing a draft you do not believe in can be better spent writing something else you do believe in.

The fact that you do not own any rights in the underlying material further mitigates against doing free rewrites based on a direction in which you do not believe. The script may end up being a writing sample only, which is still a good reason to write it, but not a good reason to turn it into something that does not fairly represent your ability or story sense.

I am not advocating cavalierly shunning producers with a real interest in your work. If the producer has a track record of getting films produced, you should carefully consider his or her notes. I do not know who your “reputable consultants” are, but typically, consultants get paid whether your script gets sold or not. Producers only get paid if the script sells. A producer with a real track record might be a producer with some story sense.

In the final analysis, you are the one who needs to make the decision based on your own story sense. A screenwriter’s unique voice is his or her best asset. If you do not believe in the direction the producer wants to go, move on. It is very unlikely that this opportunity is really your only chance to show your material.

SELLING BY TRAILER

I’ve recently seen ads for a service that will make a “trailer” out of your script, or idea. This seems like a great way to show that your stuff has exciting visual potential, and specific marketing possibilities. However, are producers, agents, etc., going to watch these things? Is there a general vibe out there about this idea (which is made possible & affordable by dv, plus software like After Effects)?

Thanks very much!
Krista from Austin, TX

That’s a new one to me. I would say, save your money. You are selling you – your voice, your vision, your writing. You are not selling the trailer company. I can tell you, after reading thousands of produced and unproduced scripts, the ones that sell communicate these things on the page. If your idea or script does not communicate its own possibilities without a trailer, you need to develop it more. The producers are more likely to hire the trailer company if they like the trailer than they are to hire you.

If you are a writer/director, it is not unusual to shoot a short as a selling tool – but you are shooting it, not hiring someone else to do it. In that case, you are selling your own ability.

Even in the very rare case where there really is something special about your vision that is unlikely to communicate on the page, I would still not recommend that you hire a rent-a-trailer company. In that case, I would say, hook up with a director that understands what you are going for and shoot a short. That way, you are still promoting yourself (and the director) and not the rent-a-trailer company.

AGENTS CHARGING COSTS

I signed with a mid-size agency a few months ago, and have spent about a month and a half getting our script ready to go out. The script will go out wide next week. Now, here’s my question. The agent is WGA-sig., which is good, and I read over the contracts, etc. etc. Well today in the mail I get an invoice from the agency for $150 for 45 copies. OKAY, everything I’ve heard, and read about only paying an agent the 10% just got weird. So, what the hell, it certainly DID NOT say anything about this in the contract. And, it was my understanding that if an agency did this it was a BS scam. But this agent has reputable sales, 10 just last year. So, what am I supposed to make of this? Is it normal for your agency to charge you for copies? Do you pay for copies? Should I worry here?

First and foremost, congratulations on having a reputable agent put your script out. If you have not had a spec go out wide yet, hold on to your shorts. It is a very exciting, very emotional process. As important as whether you sell the spec is the follow-up you do. If your script is well received and your agent is doing his or her job, you will have an opportunity to meet lots of executives. These are your fans – they are the people that can give you future writing assignments. Get to know them, make them your friends. You can spend the next ten years pitching to them as they move up the ladder.

As for your question, I have never been asked to pay costs in advance. However, while WGA signatory agencies are absolutely prohibited from charging reading fees, they are not prohibited from charging for certain costs, such as photocopies. (I have not actually read the WGA agency agreement in some years and do not remember exactly what is allowed, but the agreement is available from the WGAw for four dollars. You can also ask the WGAw about this by calling the agency department at (323) 782-4502. That same department will also confirm whether an agency is actually a WGA signatory.)

If you entered into a written contract with the agency, the contract should discuss costs. You mentioned you saw nothing about that in your agreement. Take another look specifically for that. If it really does not cover costs at all, you should have a discussion with your agent. It is not cool that your agent was unclear about this before you signed the agreement.

I have heard of the practice more in the literary (book) agent world than in the screenplay world. In my opinion, it is a bad practice since many emerging writers have little money. Costs of circulating your script can mount up fast. If you are unable to pay these bills, hopefully your agent will work something out with you.

The bottom line, however, is that if you believe in this agent, if the agency is charging actual costs and not a premium on its costs (doing the math, it sounds like they charged you less than 3 cents a page, a pretty fair copying charge), if you believe the script is actually ready for the spec market, if you have an understanding of how much putting your spec out will cost you and if you can either pay the costs or work out something with your agent, go for the ride. Getting a spec out with a legitimate agent can be a very important step in your career. You’ve probably spent as much on much worse investments. If the agent is not satisfying you, you can move on later.

NOTE: When you ask a question, please leave your first name and location, just so I can personalize the response.