“The Death of Good Screenwriting in Hollywood" is a bold title of an article (see link below) designed to grab the reader's attention, as it successfully did with me. UK writer Tom Jolliffe offers a reasonable thesis about the mindless dreck Hollywood is gleefully continuing to make, while also stating even independent films are losing their flair and originality. He points the finger at companies like Millennium Films of being in the game only to make money… well yeah! They call it the film business for a reason. Movies cost a lot of money to make and more often than not, don't make any.
We've all heard the sobering statistics about the tens of thousands of spec scripts spewed out into the ether every year, adding to the endless piles collecting dust. And like the many contests and film festivals I've entered, probably ten to fifteen percent of the work the judges have to read passes the sniff test and maybe five percent are truly exceptional; maybe even less. But there are great scripts and occasionally I get to read one. Case in point, yesterday my esteemed S32 colleague Dan MaxXx sent me a PDF file for one of this year's most celebrated spec screenplays.
Recently, one of my screenwriting buddies wrote a post about how he's following the 12 steps of the hero's journey in writing his new screenplay. I've read two of his scripts and he's a very capable writer. However, I choose to never worry about those kinds of parameters and find it inhibits my creativity. And when I truly unleash my original, inventive juices, I find I'm much happier with my results then if I restrict myself with formulas. In telling a story, I try to bear one thing in mind, keep it moving forward with conflict, obstacles and an original voice.
Though I think Mister Jolliffe presents a reasonable case for his assertion good screenwriting is dwindling, I will counter that argument by stating I believe there's a writing renaissance happening on cable networks like AMC, FX and Netflix. These networks have facilitated the work of some true geniuses like Vince Gilligan and Matthew Weiner. For example, "Madmen" produced seven seasons of bold work that not only offered great stories and stellar performances, but also pushed the boundaries of conventional storytelling. Vince Gilligan did extraordinary things with opening scenes in "Breaking Bad" that were awe inspiring and changed the way I thought about writing screenplays. And, there are plenty of other great shows on cable right now that should provide plenty of inspiration to screenwriters seeking to make their mark.
Personally, I don't want to go to my grave thinking I didn't give my best effort in attempting to write creative, entertaining and in some cases, meaningful material. I've written weighty scripts and formulaic ones. I've had people tell me I'm wasting my time with certain types of material. And that may certainly be the painful truth. But I write various scripts for different reasons. And, these scripts will most likely never see the light of day. However, I write a lot of material and these works are just a few steps along the road of my creative path. And, I use them to show people that I'm putting no limits on my imagination. The ultimate objective is when someone wants to pay me for the use of that ability.
I would love to hear your thoughts about this article.
http://www.flickeringmyth.com/2017/01/the-death-of-good-screenwriting-in...