Screenwriting : 5 Trends in the Screenwriting Marketplace Every Writer Should Know by Brendan Miggins

Thanks for sharing the article, Brendan Miggins. Lee said, "We’re also moving away from a trend of, ‘Let’s discover a writer with a strong voice and then develop something new with them.’ Instead, we are finding that they seem to be looking for more of those scripts that maybe still need some notes, but they can take that script out. They know who the buyers are for this." That shows writers should have market-ready scripts in their portfolios. There might be some notes though like Lee mentioned. And I suggest writers update the scripts in their portfolios as they learn more about screenwriting/get better at screenwriting.

Needed to hear this Brendan Miggins Thank you!

I would like to sincerely apologize to the screenwriting community. I put my life's work into a TV series/pilot, and the minute I did that in 2020, TV died lol Literally this is all I read or hear. So, part of me feels like I cursed it. I mean it was like I joined the writer community, and these rumors started flying, warnings, all that the next day.

I don't care, though. I will continue to write other things, but I will keep pitching TV.

Just because it's harder doesn't mean it's impossible, and just because one guy/girl/whoever or a few think it's dead, that doesn't mean it will be forever. I see it as an entry way! Nobody else will keep trying if they keep saying this so that leaves me and a few other over-confident people!

This is the creative artist's dilemma, though! I could make it a feature, easily. But that's not what my art deserves or wants. This story has manifested itself in a way that is way too large for 90 minutes. It has to be four seasons at least.

I guess it comes down to sticking to a gut feeling over real advice, and I hope that feeling isn't from delusion.

I have a feeling it's not. I just need the right guidance production team!

I decide to not let this scare me!

Good luck with your writing endeavors.

Also, I feel bad for diverse people. There's something happening in this country right now that doesn't have to do with a lot of them.

People don't want their politics, but it doesn't mean they don't belong. The ones making their art about politics are really hurting the diverse people who are simply making artistic projects. It's not fair to the unbiased ones at all who get bunched in with that group.

I think something that would help this industry a lot is more awards at major shows that feature this community. You could have a LGTBQ, other diverse awards for that category of drama, then you have the usual one for everybody where they're STILL considered, yes, but it's a lot harder to win year by year since everybody is trying to win the major award and allowed to compete.

This way, this community has their own way to build awards, resumes, etc, AND they still have all the usual stuff they could've applied to win anyway.

I think it would be a great way to create jobs for them because now there's a direct market and career path for it. You could have entire production companies based on that and it's no longer this enormous uproar when somebody doesn't get an opportunity and thinks it's because of who they are.

Just an idea.

Appreciate you sharing your thoughts Danny Range —TV’s in flux, but who knows what the next wave brings. And agreed, more inclusion and support for diverse voices is always a step in the right direction. Fingers crossed for all of us.

Mark Films, I thought it was good news to hear about the upturn with features. I was in a recent class taught by Corey Mandell and he talked about the same thing.

Totally agree Maurice Vaughan —market-ready scripts are the goal. I’m chipping away at mine one rewrite (and existential crisis) at a time.

I just realized this was written in October 2024. Not sure whether that 6 months or so alters or confirms this.

Brendan Miggins for sure. Film has one thing going that people don’t see, though. It is a market that people want, just is in a down period. Just because it’s dying doesn’t mean it will officially die. There is too big of a money market and too many interested people for it to go away entirely.

They just have to be careful. They’ve chased their audience away, then doubled down on the politics that did so. That was a really bad move that hurt us all.

It needs time. A year or two or three of unbiased, original ideas that these fans who left have been yearning for.

Always remember that when money leaves in business, it doesn’t mean it can’t come back. It means you have customers you lost.

The beautiful thing about that? A guy who liked a cheeseburger will always eat one again, you just have to make it how he likes it. Same with film.

“Mob audiences are dead” no they’re not. De Niro just got political and old. Nobody takes an 80 year old tough guy seriously on camera. It looks awkward to people who grew up loving him as a young mob boss. It makes them feel old.

But will that audience respond to a newfound De Niro? Certainly. Why? They already did it for sixty years, and they’ve told their kids who will tell their kids. Same with other stars who mostly did one type of project.

Certain projects are sitting there, waiting to explode and they can’t see it because they lack an understanding of marketing and how it works.

What genre(s) is your script, Brendan Miggins?

Danny Range: I'm working on getting two thriller scripts and a romantic comedy up and ready for pitching. I do have three TV show concepts in the works, but I'm going to prioritize the features ahead of those.

Maurice Vaughan I'm working on 2 thrillers and a romantic comedy at various stages. I have a mystery adaptation in the works too but I have to figure out what to do about rights. Putting the TV shows concepts to the side until those are done and are my best foot forward.

Are you trying to buy the rights for the Mystery adaptation, Brendan Miggins?

Maurice Vaughan Maybe. Or at least option them. But I'm not sure how to do that now. I'd like to have a conversation with a producer, or at least an entertainment lawyer, who might know better how to approach that.

I tried to get the rights to a video game back when I was a movie producer, Brendan Miggins. I contacted the company that owned the rights, but someone already bought them. You could make a post in the Producing Lounge (www.stage32.com/lounge/producing).

Danny Range Everything's cycle. TV is down, features are up. In a couple of month, perhaps a year, might be the opposite. While this is a business and buyers have been calling the shots for a long time, there's an audience for everything. Let the story dictate the format and it will be easier to ride the storm.

Thanks for sharing, Brendan Miggins. I'm surprised to see that diversity is becoming more popular, considering the change in the political mood worldwide. Maybe it's a way to react to intolerant politics. Interesting.

Geoffroy Faugerolas i absolutely agree on that last bit and the first part is great to hear. I’m in it for the long haul so no worries if a pilot has to be put on hold. It’s just crazy the timing of me entering the industry in 2020 and how it affected TV! There’s room for improvement on mine; there always is for any story. But it felt like it never got its real shot between pandemic, strikes, and more. That’s why I refuse to quit on it!

I know, Chiara Torrisi. I thought the same thing too. Keep in mind though (and I realized after I posted this) that the article was published in October of last year--a few weeks before the election. I know my outlook was different then. I wonder how Lee feels about these now, post election, post-inauguration, post-tariffs.

I'll look around for any updates on it. I will say, I was on a call with Corey Mandell about 3 weeks ago and he confirmed the upswing in demand for Features and downturn in TV. But this tariff on productions outside the United States (whatever that means, anyway?) may be a game changer.

Maurice Vaughan That's a good idea. This particular IP is based on a stage play. And that stage play was originally inspired from a novel. So there are some layers, a couple of hurdles really, that need to be handled. This one I feel would be a very entertaining mystery, ala Knives Out meets Deathtrap meets Gosford Park.