Screenwriting : Am I doing something wrong? by Richard Geiwitz

First, congrats on all the contest wins!

Getting a screenplay produced is TOUGH. I don’t think it’s unusual to be a successful writer and not have something produced.

I would think you’d have a good shot at representation with those results though. If you’re not getting read requests from agents, maybe you need to work on your queries/pitches?

Hi Richard, I'll jot down a few reactions to your post for you to consider or discard, as you see fit. :)

1) Anyone who has written 16 feature length scripts is clearly devoted and more importantly has something to say. Both of which will bode well for you as an indy filmmaker. So why not take your fate into your own hands, rather than wait for "the golden ticket" so to speak?

2) Considering that there is both good and evil in the world, and in people, surely you must know that while there most definitely are well-intentioned services and sites, like this one, there are also those who make a living holding out hope to the aspiring. (From coverage providers, to contests, to festivals alike.) All the more reason to take matters into your own hands.

3) Since the business side of the film industry is driven by profit, unless a novice writes an OUTSTANDING script (so not just good, and not even great, but groundbreaking on some level) even if said script is optioned, more often than not an "A list" trusted writer (or writers) will be brought in to rewrite it. Which, while depressing on the surface, can become the best possible motivation to hit one out of the park, or find a new sport. If you opt for the former, then study the masters of the craft. - Taking time to listen to what Award winning screenwriters and the very best teachers of the craft have to say. So people like Robert McKee, Corey Mandell, and Micheal Hauge are "must studies."

They will ignore you...until they can't. :)

I concur with the do-it-yourself option. If not an entire feature, then perhaps a scene or segment that drives home the visual and narrative thrust of a project. If you put it online and get a couple million hits, that speaks volumes about its commercial viability.

I haven’t read your work so this is a guess. You sound like a great writer, but your output isn’t producible. Each genre\topic has a certain size potential audience. If your films would be too expensive to make they will remain unsold.

Perhaps set yourself some constraints. Four actors, two locations, no vfx and write a script. That would be cheaper to make and with your skill should sell.

Have you entered the Nicol? Doing well in that usually generates interest.

Richard, the obvious answer to your question is yes - you are doing something wrong. The question remains 'what are you doing wrong & how do you correct it'. Kudos to you for having so many FL & short scripts under your belt - it's apparent that you're dedicated (a necessary trait). I glanced thru your list of contest placements win, place and shows and the first thing I noticed is that none of them are the top - tier ( I think I saw one Austin - not sure) contests. So one thing you can do right off is to stop wasting your money by shotgunning your works out to the peanut gallery festivals.

Have you taken any of your scripts to reputable 'script doctors'? (The operating word here is reputable.) If not, pick what you think is your strongest & most marketable script and run it by one or more professionals (I can recommend Danny Mannis (sp?) here on S32 or Dave Trottier). They're gonna charge you $ for their services but you can easily afford it by not wasting your $ on all these amature hour contests.

Sounds like you're going for the brass ring in Hollywood - the hard core truth is you're not gonna make it until you gain some chops. Start by working with some of your local filmmakers first.

I gotta go right now - all the best to you.

Jean Buschmann I recommend Scott Myers at Go Into the Story on the Blacklist. He really tells you how to write a screenplay.

Remember, we're all playing the lottery.

Thanks, JJ. There are definitely some amazingly insightful teachers of the craft out there. I'm a bit partial to McKee and the lesser known Mandell because McKee's insights taught me that I was initially writing stage plays and calling them screenplays. :?) So I learned some powerful lessons about subtext and story from his seminal book on the subject. Corey Mandell is a beloved UCLA screenwriting instructor who also exposed a weakness that I needed to master in order to improve my craft. It's a concept he coined "creative integration"- which he stumbled on after erroneously believing that either a student had the natural skill set to write, or they did not. In other words, he thought it was raw talent but later proved that students who lacked one of the two essential skills to be a successful screenwriter could actually learn the one they lacked, and integrate it into their technique. What gives him EXTREME credibility in my mind is that before he was out of film school he had his FIRST script optioned. The deal fell through but the script was so exceptional that Ridley Scott tapped him to write a screenplay for him. So between his talent, his actual boots on the ground SUCCESSFUL writing experience (which some "gurus" shockingly lack), and his incomparable insights from teaching screenwriting for so long, I consider his info TOP SHELF. But I continue to learn from a number of remarkable teachers, including Scott Myers and several others.

I agree that we all start off "playing the lottery" so to speak, but the odds for winning greatly increase when we study form (not formula). Classic story telling principles have never really changed, and they can be learned. That much we can control. Thankfully! :)

Absolutely.

Three questions -

1) What are you actively doing to try to get your screenplays into the hands of producers?

2) Can contests that you're entering get you introduced to the right people?

3) How do you come off when making industry contacts?

If the answers are Nothing, No and Not ready. Then no matter how good your work, you're not going to get a sale. You have to get your work out there, make the right connections, and sell yourself, not just the story.

If what you've done for the past 231 times hasn't worked the way you'd like...try something else.

Cutting and pasting part of what Doug Nelson advised: "Sounds like you're going for the brass ring in Hollywood - the hard core truth is you're not gonna make it until you gain some chops. Start by working with some of your local filmmakers first." This is sound, workable advice. And I'll add: take 100 contests at an average of $30 a pop--that's $3,000! With 3K you could do a wonderful short film (thus gaining some chops)!

Richard Enter Imagine Impact 3. They offer real support in finding representation and your pitching to the likes of Netflix.

Hi Richard,

Did any of these wins or high placements garner you any reads or meetings? That would be kinda weird - at least to me - if they didn't. I agree with RB via Derek...if a win doesn't get me a meeting opportunity, it would have no value to me.

I know a few other people like you who enter tons of contests with a lot of high placements. I question them at times, and especially when some of the contests don't appear to have production/pitch meetings with reputable producers as prizes. But we all have our own reasons for doing things.

Me personally...I'd never enter hundreds of contests, and would rather spend that money on improving my writing with a reputable scrip consultant, or on producing a short or ULB feature. .To each their own, though.

Best fortunes in your professional endeavors, Richard!

wow 231 contests wins?? Congrats.. You must be so proud! I am no one to advice you but I feel you surely have a great future.. keep at it.

If you aren't you might stop playing the contest game and start calling agents and producers. Most scripts that win contest never get made but if any of those are well-known contest it proves you know how to write a screenplay which is pretty important.

Derek,

I hear you. i don't cast any aspersions on people regarding contests, and have historically defended anything that helps a writer get to decision-makers. To each their own, as I said before. I'm trying to make things happen for myself, just like the rest of the writers here are trying to make things happen for themselves..

Hopefully contest wins and placements will help all of those writers in advancing on their paths to success. And if any of those contests don't offer those writers something significant like meetings...well...so be it. Maybe winning or placing in 200+ contests, and wondering if it's worth it, can lead to a book titled "How I Won and Placed in 200+ Screenwriting Contests, and You Can, Too!" Or a career in script consulting. (Hint-hint, Richard.) :)

Best fortunes to you in your creative endeavors, Derek!

I looked at his list - only 3 are 'winners' the others are accepted, quarter finalist, finalist & other such (the winners were in small potato festivals). What this says to me is he has a lot of drive and determination (both necessary).What I didn't see was any entries in the Nichol, Sundance, SxSW, Toronto or any other of the big players. I'll bet he's spent close to $10K on entry fees and it hasn't worked 231 times so far. If it were me, I'd try another approach.

I agree with Doug. The only contests worth winning or placing in are ones that people in the industry heard of and respect. Again, pick up the phone and start calling. Most screenwriters don't like to that so that is what you should do first everyday.

Thank you, everyone, for your thoughts and tips. Now, I have a lot of ideas on how to proceed. The Lounge is a great place to hang out!