Screenwriting : Obstacles by Sean Patrick Burke

The overall process has too many influencers who actively search for control points or create detonation points, takeover points, or distribution manipulation points and create the many production horror stories (think Godfather). This in turn thwarts investment and the whole thing can become a battlefield of harm and disappointment when what it is really about is imagination, talent, skill, entertainment and an ever more increasing appreciative audience. Too many people have too much bullshit to say about it when in fact they are only bystanders. Then add to that Governments who could easily help but never do and banks who behave abominably and too many who suck money out of the process every step of the way.

David Taylor seems like you have had a bad experience or two when your project gets off the ground? Who are the "influencers" you are talking about? Producers? Directors? Actors? I would love some clarity there. I can understand some of that frustration. There are definitely a lot of moving parts and a lot of people involved between script and screen, and projects can become complicated quickly.

One thing I’ve seen over the years is that many projects don’t necessarily stall because of a lack of talent or ideas, but because alignment becomes difficult. Financing, packaging, timing, attachments, and distribution all have to start pointing in the same direction.

Out of all of that, what do you feel has been the biggest obstacle you've personally run into?

I've wanted it not to be true for over a decade now, but the biggest obstacle for me is not being in a film-centric city. Even with five features under my belt, two of which have punched way above their weight, I'm a complete unknown, and worse still, just an entity on the internet rather than real life. If I were in the room with people, I'd be progressing a lot faster. When I'm on set, things happen. Relationships flourish. When I'm away, it's emails, and none of it feels real.

To give you an idea of how bad it is in the UK, there is just one, ONE, agency representing screenwriters outside of the city of London. I may as well be on the moon.

Beyond that, my portfolio is gritty and cultish, but I don't see that as a huge hindrence, as I've proven I can do highly commercial.

For most screenwriters, there biggest obstacle is most likely networking some form.

Sean Patrick Burke I have had great experiences - you posed a question in the negative and I answered with what I believe to be the case via experience, discussions with others, extensive reading and dramas such as The Offer 2022. And many more. The processes used in movies/TV are much like what the high-end construction industry market looked like before we fixed a large part of it in the 90’s - that fix then influenced the entire market. I was and remain an analyst and architect of process and change.

Collectively, every project hits the same obstacles, over and over again. Those obstacles are definable - the fact that people think they are unique is a function of personally experiencing one of them. Current non-necessarily and non-deliverable working practices are not suited to current purpose and effectiveness of delivery, in the escalating market and its prolific demand. Sorry - Think Issacs ORIGINAL Two Foundations. The whole movies and TV universe had two foundations, and they are and have always been mostly at war. This war must end.

My two worlds which I always and in every way sought and desired must be separate - Complex Business/People/Processes- versus the joy of - Writing Books and Screenplays - have just collided.

Being new to all of this, character arcs seem to be where I struggle the most.

Mike, in your life you know more about character arcs than most people.

Sean the alignment point is the one most writers never hear. They assume the obstacle is quality. It usually is not. Plenty of good scripts never move an inch.

The real test is whether the script survives leaving the writer's hands. A producer does not sell the script itself. They sell a description of it to people who will never read every line. Financiers, talent, distributors. Everyone meets the story secondhand.

So the scripts that travel are the ones that can be carried. Easy to describe without going flat. One clear engine a stranger can repeat in a sentence and still feel the pull of it.

Most writers polish the script to be admired by a reader in a quiet room. The version that actually gets made is the one that holds its shape when someone else has to pitch it for you.

Curious whether you can feel that early. Do you read something and just know it will be easy to carry into a room.

Sean Patrick, I struggle with finding the right producers/directors/performers to champion things I've written.

A lack of financial resources sure doesn't help me, either: I once subscribed to IMDBPro...then things got to the point in my life where expenses need to face the axe.

GRRRRR!

CJ Walley Can I ask how far you are from a city? I feel like the world has really shaped differently rather than needing to be in LA, New York, London, etc. you can be anywhere now a days. I am in a small town in Washington State, but I am doing what I can to make it work. Given, I am not a screenwriter. How do you network with folks? Why can't you have an agent in London?

David Taylor Interesting perspective. I can see what you're saying regarding recurring patterns and bottlenecks. Every project does seem to run into many of the same challenges, even if they show up in different forms.

Out of those recurring obstacles, what do you think creates the biggest impact on whether a project actually gets made: financing, decision-making, packaging, distribution, or something else?

Jim Boston how are you getting yourself out there to network with folks? It definitely is a challenge in this industry to find the right champions. I find it hard to find the right sales reps and distributors for our films as well. I am putting myself out there all the time with these companies and taking generals with them.

Eric Charran I totally see what you're saying, and I think there’s truth there. Once a script leaves the writer’s hands, it absolutely has to survive translation and be carried through different people and conversations.

Where I’d probably add to that is that I still believe the script remains the ultimate sales tool. A strong concept may get someone interested, but the script is what excites actors, financiers, directors, and producers enough to take the next step.

A huge part of independent producing is working with writers to fine-tune material so it can do both: hold up as exceptional writing and also be communicated clearly to others. I’ve had financing committed and actors attached and still gotten passes from top-level actors simply because the script wasn’t to their liking.

Timing plays a role too. I’ve had projects sit in development for years and I’ve had others move from development into production in a matter of months because the pieces aligned faster.

Being a new screenwriter, I find it difficult to get my foot in the door. I have written six features and one pilot, but I currently live in Oregon, which is not big on film production. So I struggle to make connections and have my work reviewed, unless I pay for it. Competitions can be useful, if you have the savings to enter them. Right now, I am just a nobody. After about 30 inquiries to various managers and agents, I get no replies. Right now that's my biggest challenge.

Getting my work out there into the world (in financially sustainable ways! ) I Kickstarted a microbudget feature which is in the final stages of post right now, but from my standpoint, that is a one-and-done. So, I have to hope that I can get this film into enough festivals to gain traction from it for the next one.

I am my biggest obstacle

For me it's just getting my foot into the door, I have fully completed material ready for pitching, I think once I get through the door that will possibly open more opportunities for me, agents I have reached out to are very busy,I have had a few say they are not taking on clients, the industry is not easy to break into.

Michael Pelkey where in Oregon? Portland has a pretty decent film economy. I have several film friends there. Reaching out to agents and managers can be difficult. You need to go get something produced. Keep networking with folks. Find local groups in your area, go and meet local producers!

+1 to Courtney - I have a completed pilot + pitch deck that's gotten roughly 10 awards/placements over the last 2 years (one finalist, the rest are smaller festivals and writing competitions like Blue Cat where i've gotten quarter + semifinalist placements).

Seems that a big hurdle is getting representation to get your script out there, or even have someone seriously consider the script without having connections.

Sarah Jones Yes it's getting the representation that's the hard part for me, I will persevere and not give up as I have put in a lot of work to let it sit on my USB drive doing nothing, I believe in my work.

Dayna Noffke kudos to you on getting something completed. That is a huge undertaking in itself! What genre is it? Local actors?

Courtney Sharpe no it is not. If it was easy, everyone would be doing this. It is one of the (if not the) hardest industries to tap into. Hollywood is extremely difficult. That is why I have found success on the outskirts. Are you pitching TV or feature films? Getting agents is difficult unless you have made something happen or won a major competition or fest.

Sean Patrick Burke It's for TV, I have two completed episode scripts ready, just need to get that foot in the door but I know that will take time and exhausting effort Lol

exectly right agreed

Honestly it’s several things… part of it is not working as quickly as I’d like… my style is weird… not knowing if I want anyone to know certain works exist let alone read/ produce them… take your pick lol

Honestly? Probably breaking into the right circles and getting the material in front of people who are actually looking for this kind of story.

Finishing the script was the easy part compared to finding the right path between “completed project” and “someone actually reading it.”

Sean Patrick Burke Honestly I think one of the biggest things is people think it’s ONLY about writing the best script possible, when a lot of the industry is honestly gate kept. My mentor Corey who does screenplay judging at festivals told me it’s not even always about who wrote the “best” movie, it’s more about who’s already in position to actually get something green lit. That’s why sometimes you watch movies and you’re like “how did this even get made?” lol. A lot of those writers already have relationships, reps, producers attached, or proven names, so naturally studios are gonna pick them up first majority of the time.

To me the biggest obstacle is really getting into the right rooms and finding people who can actually move a project forward financially. That’s why I think it’s smart to stop only looking at “film people” for opportunities. Capital can come from anywhere. One of my buddies literally got a full investor for his feature from a guy who owned a huge construction company. Dude knew nothing about film, he just loved movies and wanted to be apart of something artistic.

That’s changed my whole mindset. I still think writing matters obviously, but I think networking, relationships, and finding smaller hungry producers is huge. There’s way more opportunity there than waiting around hoping a massive studio magically discovers your script. could be wrong lol... just how i see it from my experience so far in the the game

Mohsen Eladl Yes. This is for sure a struggle. But who is the right circle? Who do you specifically think you need to be targeting? Do you have a circle right now supporting you?

Chase Cysco You nailed it! That is so true. The script is super important. It is what gets everyone excited, but there are also other meaningful connections that get films made. I have worked with a lot of investors that do not read the screenplays. They just like movies. They are also investing in me as the producer. I always tell people, you never know who is the next investor for your movie so always be excited about talking about what you do.

Sean Patrick Burke bingo and i would say from what you are doing and going to do your already ahead of probably like 85% ahead of the whole industry ... you would be shocked to see how many people struggle just to get there foot through cracks yet alone doors ... keep it up Sean

Sean Patrick Burke, I could have an agent in London, just like I have a manager in LA. However, not being able to easily be in the room with them is a major drawback. The Internet has made the world smaller and allowed me to make films in the US, but it's still nowhere near as effective as being there in person.

As Writer Liaison at Stage 32, I talk with hundreds of writers every single day. My take: the single biggest factor hindering writers is that there's a lot of projects with a lack of marketability or at the very least an unclear marketability. There's a lot of great writers in this community and out there with amazing scripts - that just aren't super marketable. Which makes getting into advanced development discussions with Producers, Managers, Agents, and Financiers a lot tougher.

For many emerging writers, writing a buzzy, zeitgeisty genre concept to a manageable scale ($1-5M perhaps) should be the goal. Something bait-y that will get eyeballs looking in your direction off the concept and audacity alone.

Instead, I see a ton of "ready" scripts that have limited markets or would need to find that needle-in-a-haystack producer to champion them.

In my experience, breaking in has never been as simple as having a great script - lots of writers have great scripts. And there's plenty of factors that go into breaking in - many writers can't control. But the one writers can always control is this: do you have the great script that's going to bait execs so hard they drop everything on their plate that instant to check out the first few pages? Then in those pages you absolutely hook them?

Having a great script is like having a great fishing pole. You're in the boat and the fish (execs) are in the water. Fish aren't going to look up at your rod and think wow what a mighty fine fishing pole, looks state of the art and fancy, let me go check it out. No! You have to put bait on the hook and drop it in the water (pitch) if you're ever going to catch any fish!

Thanks for the actionable advice Pat Alexander

Pat Alexander yea pat that fish analogy was honestly the best way to explain it as simple as possible lol ...

Sean that is the part I am still working out. You are right that the script does the heavy lifting for the people who actually read it. Actors, directors, the producer putting their name on it. They read every page. That is where the writing itself saves the project.

The trouble is almost everyone else in the chain never gets that far. They say yes or no based on someone else describing the thing. So the project quietly has to clear two bars not one. A script worth reading. And a script that holds its shape when someone has to talk about it for a week without the pages in their hand.

The ones I watch stall on the second bar are the ones where every page is gorgeous but no one can tell you what the movie is in a sentence that does not flatten it. The ones that travel can.

That line about financing committed and a top actor still passing on taste is the cleanest version of why both bars matter. The carry gets you into the room. Only the writing closes it.

For me its finding representation. I have a script, brand, kick-ass genre and traction....now to find a manager that gets just as excited about my work and pitch it like a boss.

Pat Alexander that was one of the best explanations of the marketability of a script. I could not agree more. I try and explain this to writers all the time. Really, that was such a brilliant way to explain that.

The biggest obstacle? Shared accountability.

A story's success doesn't rest on the writer and director alone — the producer carries equal responsibility. But somewhere along the way, scripts started getting judged like pitch decks. Logline. Synopsis. Aesthetic. Approved or passed.

A polished outlook doesn't guarantee a powerful story inside.

When you're committing millions to a project, that deserves more than a surface read. It deserves someone willing to go to the roots — to understand why this story must be told, not just how it looks on a deck.

Beyond that, the real killers are quiet:

Wrong connections. Ego inside the team. Funding that dries up right when momentum builds.

A great script needs a producer who reads it the way a writer wrote it — with patience, instinct, and skin in the story.

— Basha Penukonda | Screenwriter

• Finishing the script: NEVER A PROBLEM

• Character or story arcs: I DON'T WRITE FOR AN INDUSTRY. I WRITE FOR HUMANITY. JUST THE FACT THAT I'M APPEARING IN BOLD HERE, SOLELY TO DISTINGUISH THE QUESTION FROM THE ANSWER I KNOW IS GOING TO MAKE PEOPLE THINK I'M A LOONEY SOCIAL MISFIT TO STAY AWAY FROM. THAT'S YOUR ANSWER. GREAT CHARACTERS, GREAT STORY ARCS, PRODUCERS RUNNING FOR THE HILLS. CINEMATIC, DON'T YOU THINK.

• Rewrites and development: THESE ARE SIGNS THAT YOUR SCRIPT IS MOVING FORWARD.

• Financing: THAT'S ALWAYS A HUGE OBSTACLE. THE BIGGEST? I DOUBT IT. WHERE THERE'S A WILL, THERE'S A MILLION DOLLARS.

• Finding producers, directors, or actors to champion the project: THAT'S NOT EASY AND WILL ALWAYS SEEM HYPERBOLICALLY EXTENDED WAY PAST HOW EASY IT SEEMS FOR THE PRODUCERS, DIRECTORS AND ACTORS. BUT FROM WHAT I AM HEARING, THEIR HARDSHIPS SEEM EQUALLY HIGH. IT'S JUST THAT WHILE THEY CHASE, IT'S NOT US THEY'RE CHASING, ESPECIALLY ACTORS.

• Knowing if the script is actually “ready”: YOU PUT IT IN QUOTES. IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE I DID MOVIES. ONE OF THE REASONS I'M GLAD TO HAVE MOVED ON TO TV IS TV IS MORE PREDICTABLE. YOU WRITE A PILOT--WELL, THERE YOU'RE NOT SURE. BUT AS YOU WRITE WEEK AFTER WEEK, IT BECOMES EASIER BECAUSE THERE'S A MOLD, A CHARACTER ARC. YOU DON'T ASK ANY MORE IF THE SCRIPT IS READY. BY EPISODE 86, YOU ALREADY KNOW YOU'VE GOT A READY SCRIPT, EVEN ON A CRUNCHING WEEKLY SCHEDULE.

• Breaking into the right circles and relationships: I DON'T THINK THERE ARE ANY RIGHT CIRCLES OR RELATIONSHIPS. YOU SHOULD HAVE PUT RIGHT IN QUOTES TOO. I KNOW WHEN I GET INTO CONVERSATIONS WITH FELLOW WRITERS AND OTHERS WHETHER THE CONVERSATION AND THE SCRIPT, IF IT'S LUCKY ENOUGH TO GET ASKED TO BE READ, IS (ARE) BREATHING HEALTHILY OR IF I FEEL LIKE I'M PUSHING AGAINST RESISTANCE. I DON'T WORRY ABOUT THAT STUFF. IT'S NOT WORTH IT. CAUSE NOBODY'S WORRYING ABOUT ME.

• Something else entirely: I ALREADY ASKED PEOPLE IF THEY WOULD SHARE THE WHAT, THE HOW, THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF THEIR SUCCESS STORY. YOU GAVE A VERY VAGUE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION ABOVE AND FURTHER THREW CONFUSION INTO THE MIX BY TALKING ABOUT "DIFFERENT OBSTACLES". PERHAPS YOU DID ANSWER MY QUESTION BY SAYING THERE IS NO CLEAR ANSWER TO HOW YOU GET NOTICED, ASKED TO SHARE AND PRODUCED. PERHAPS WRITERS DON'T KNOW BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT BEING TOLD DIRECTLY BY THE PERSON ASKING FOR YOUR SCRIPT. AT THIS POINT, I JUST WRITE MY QUERIES, SEND THEM BY EMAIL OR ON SITES (WHICH AI BOTS GET FOR ME OR WHICH ARE ALREADY IN MY LARGE DATABASE OF COMPANIES CONTACTED TO FOLLOW UP WITH) AND WAIT UNTIL ENOUGH MONEY MIRACULOUSLY COMES FOR ME TO GET TO A FESTIVAL. AS FOR THE CONTESTS, I'VE HEARD MIXED THINGS SO I DON'T JUMP AS READILY. I DON'T EVEN KNOW THE VALUE OF TRUSTING PITCHING ON STAGE 32. ULTIMATELY, YOU'VE GOT TO JUST TRUST YOUR GUT CAUSE AIN'T NO ONE ELSE GONNA BE AROUND FOR YOU TO TRUST SO WHOLEHEARTEDLY.

BASHA Penukonda Beautifully said, Basha.

I especially agree with the idea that stories are too often evaluated like startup decks now: loglines, aesthetics, packaging, market comps, all before someone truly sits with the emotional core of the material itself.

As a producer, I’ve found that the projects that actually endure are usually the ones where the creative team collectively understands why the story needs to exist beyond commercial viability alone. The strongest collaborations happen when writers, directors, and producers are all emotionally accountable to the same truth inside the material.

And you’re absolutely right about the quieter obstacles too. Momentum can disappear incredibly fast through misalignment, ego, or financing instability long before audiences ever see a frame of the film.

The producer-reader relationship is hugely important. A script doesn’t just need to be “understood” structurally, it needs to be felt instinctively by the people helping bring it into the world.

Really thoughtful perspective here. Thank you for sharing!

Sean, for me, one of the biggest challenges is often the space between having a strong script and finding the right people who genuinely connect with the material and want to champion it forward. Writing and rewriting are part of the process, but building the right relationships and finding alignment with producers, directors, or representatives can sometimes be the longest journey. At the same time, continuing to improve the work and stay persistent is equally important.