This theme has come up a few times in various threads. I think it is because so many writers have unreal expectations fed by endless services and promises.
If you change the word screenwriter for any other profession and put the behaviour of writers in that profession, we look insane. For example “I can write really great computer code, anyone got Bill Gates’ phone number?”
Tough is when you have a real shot at something, like training your entire life in running. You are in the top 8 but there are only 6 spots on the Olympic team. That is going to a tough battle. Unrealistic is me thinking I should be considered. However, if I was realistic, I could join my local athletics team and have some fun.
How can you tell the difference. Internal honesty is the hardest thing in the world. To look at yourself and say “I am not that good”.
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Well, I ain't Charlie Kaufmann for sure, but I can boost your film up to some 5.5-6 rating on IMDb and bring couple hundred K's up your belt on film sales....I ain't WGA either so I'm negotiable down to four figures...all you have to ask is where is that damn script :) doggy-dog world guys, time to ditch ideals and bite the dust ;)
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It's tricky because you're talking about art and art is subjective at every level. This is compounded by the fact that filmmaking is a highly collaborative effort. That means it's entirely possible that somebody's inherent brilliance is recognised by an industry member, empowered by a production team, and held in acclaim by the marketplace.
This is before we even get into the positive reinforcement loops that success and recognition can bring to artists and cause them to flourish.
Sometimes the meetings and timings are just right and an exciting new voice gets recognised. What a lot of aspiring writers tend to ignore (because they don't study the history) is the amount of mentorship that help mould their heroes.
That said, people wanting to "jump the queue" so to speak is frustrating and often a flawed mentality. It's also highly insulting to lower level industry members who can potentially offer more effective help but get disregarded. The creatives that really prosper from being discovered are the ones that were going to go out there and do what they want to do anyway, approval or otherwise and with scraps if they have to.
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I know I am not great, or even good like some of my peers but I think I can get a "story by" credit on a franchise idea - big screen or streamer screen. And that's my endgame- being a bench player on a dream team of stars. I start it and let someone else finish it. My circle of Trust show biz friends think (and I think) I have potential for one idea. Sorta like catching lighting in a bottle.
Art is hugely subjective. I would also add that we hear of scripts being purchased and rewritten. I would put forward the following thesis. The script is purchased and the organisation soon realises that the original writer isn’t up to the job and hires other people. But we like to tell ourselves it is the evil Hollywood machine. Because we don’t want to think it is skill based and we may not have the skill.
Ed Sheerin burst onto the music scene. But there are many videos show him as a child on 10-11 years old busking. Then he slept on Jamie Foxx’s lounge for ages to try and get some time in the USA. But I guarantee there are young singers trying to get their first demo tape in the hands of a record company. As a community we are those kids.
Morris, you are correct. That is a great way of looking at the art. But galleries are full of art. Yet apartments in NYC have doodles by Picasso that look like they were done by a blind person and they paid thousands for them. The work is immaterial to the person aspirations.
When you tell someone “go make a short film, you’ll learn heaps about the process and what is needed in a script”, the common response is “no, I just want to write”.
Here is a potential follow up question. “How do you put a producer at ease so they are confident in dealing with you?”
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Gary Floyd all those things you describe are attributes of good writing/writer. Imagine someone who is a bad writer telling the producer, “ I have a cast in mind, I’ve done story boards, plus I have location scouted some areas I’d like you to take a look at...” If the writing is poo, then it has come with a side salad of crap and a desert of cow droppings.
The jumping off point is skill, I think.
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As per my comments in the "broken Hollywood machine" thread, I don't think much in the way of logic can be derived. From what I've seen running a platform, breaking in, being close to producers who've been at the top, and studying the history, it's almost complete chaos.
The only constant I see with industry success is having a true passion for storytelling and an appreciation that filmmaking is a collaborative effort. The issue is that a lot of those trying to jump straight to the top are often blatantly dispassionate and self-centred.
I strongly suggest checking out the documentaries "Exit Through the Gift Shop" and "The Price of Everything" along with reading the book "Hit Makers: The Science of Popularity in an Age of Distraction" which show some fascinating case studies in how artistic careers blend with industry.
Of course, this all hinges on the principal that credits, money, and recognition equals success which is simplifying things massively.
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CJ some good insights. I have heard it said that Eddy Van Halen was the greatest guitar player not because of what he played, but because of the joy he had for playing.
I know where I land in the scale of writers. I am a low budget indie writer. Give me a big budget and I am like a dog chasing a car, I don’t know what to do when I caught it.
I think I started this thread in a push back to the “all you need exposure” vibe. Or the occasional “I have a super unique idea worth a billion, how to I get it to a studio”. The visual arts is one of those places where you can wake up one morning and say “I think I’ll call myself a writer/actor/producer/painter” and expect success by lunchtime.
Music escapes this insanity mostly (perhaps why I love it). Because you can play the piano or you can’t play the piano and everyone can tell.
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I respect where the intent of the post lies and what it's trying to teach. I was talking to a producer only the other day who was frustrated at how many aspiring filmmakers want to get in the room with prestigious industry members while having nothing special to offer in terms of a proposition, zero experience collaborating at that level, and a blatantly mercenary attitude.
It's weird. People will fruitlessly chase $500k for ten years and that's considered a virtuous plan while scoffing at those who steadily average $50K a year for a decade.
Too many people do see it as a lottery and believe getting in an elevator with the right person will be their golden ticket.
Screenwriters are like someone entering a nice restaurant expecting a big juicy steak and walking away hungry.
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Few folk look at the big picture. Filmmaking - the industry - is following a two path evolution right now with no known ending position/continuation. I think of them as the Art Film and the Industrial Film paths. The recent technological innovations have down-priced and democratized filmmaking with the result that there is a flood of truly poor quality trash floating around. This is the dominion which wannabe screenwriters populate with grandiose dreams in hand. The Industrial Film industry is in the business not of making Films but rather of making Profit. Creative screenwriters tend to shun the profit making concept in the hopes of becoming shinning God-like figures; few will succeed, many will try. The more pragmatic of us will align ourselves with the Industry Film industry where there will be little glitz and glory but there will be steady employment with benefits. The whole thing is to really be honest with yourself when making a decision about a screenwriting career.
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What you say, Doug has merit. You have to be honest with yourself. Do you really want to pursue your dream of being a screenwriter? How much do you want it? It's like trying to get in shape. You say you want to do it, but are you willing to do what it takes? Are you changing your diet, exercising on a regular basis or you sitting on the couch eating a donut and saying "There's always tomorrow" and then getting mad when the scale is telling something you don't want to hear. You decide the scales the problem not you. You have to decide to decide.