Ken Miyamoto posed this question on Twitter. .
Should anyone without deep Hollywood connections write a pandemic script? I imagine keyboards burning out on: Love in the COVID, Zombies in the COVID, Dracula Infected etc etc etc.
Ken suggested that producers will call their best connected writers. The rest of us should go back to Swamp Thing Rises Again.
True?
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There are probably dozens in the pipeline
I agree wholeheartedly. I actually think it would be better to write something that has nothing do with COVID or pandemics at all, since those topics are going to be overdone in our media when we're on the other side of this. Audiences are going to want (and need) something different.
I remember that "don't write a vampire story" crowd and then what? More vampire movies and books came out. I think writers write from a place that the influences aren't something you have total control over. This crap is going to have a play in what writers come out with. Even me, my current script they are in one cave, everything happens there. I am sure this influenced that but there's no virus in it so far.
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There's an outfit called Open Screenplay. that's running a contest seeking Covid-19 screenplays. It's not a topic I'm remotely interested in writing about. And it smacks of opportunism.
No writer should “Self Censor” on executing a script for any trending media topic. Hollywood big guns will always have well known writers on hand to deliver on any world event but the market is not limited to producers with many millions. No art should become institutionalised to the point that only big corporations dare put out a project because the world belongs to us all. I do agree however with a comment above that working on scripts not connected to Covid is good idea because the market will be saturated and public will want a diversion. I don’t agree with any supposed hierarchy, on who is most able to write what and when. Shakespeare wrote with a quill pen centuries before any Hollywood studio emerged but I think we’ll all be so sick of this daily hell that we’ll seek to watch films away from virus. Aside from films there will be documentaries, which some folks here are compiling as an international collage, which I will be helping with. This is an extremely strange era and its brought out the best and the worst in people, just as the Black Death did in Shakespeares day.
I would say the answer to pursue this is a very personal choice, and there's a lot of gray to the answer. I mean, if you have a story that you are passionate about telling, then that should show in your work and help it to stand out from the masses. Or perhaps you were already writing/have written a story that fits into this theme. That said, while you should always think about how you are going to market and pitch your story, it may not be worth your time to pursue a script or story idea just because it's a hot topic at any given time. Hope this helps!
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I don't know. Those that survived Vietnam; that came home with the stench of sewage, cordite and napalm in their nostrils, had little/no interest in war movies. There was a market for documentaries for sure but little interest in the 'joy of war' movies. That came later - written, produced and directed by a younger generation that never experienced the wonder and romance of real life frontline combat. I think this pandemic will play out in similar fashion - those of us living through it have little to relish about it - it will belong to the future to glorify, glamorize and romanticize it. What I know is: Not me.
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Here is a producer request from Inktip just last Friday
We are looking for completed scripts about living under a pandemic. We are open at this time to any format (feature, pilot, short, etc.) or genre as long as the story is about life during a pandemic.
Budget is yet to be determined. WGA and non-WGA writers may submit.
This company typically does not accept submissions outside agencies and management companies, which is why they have asked to remain anonymous. They have been vetted by InkTip and we've partnered with them to bring you the opportunity to submit to them directly. If they are interested in learning more about your script, their company info will be revealed.
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I don't have anything to send.
I have never got a job from Inktip. I subscribe when I first started and still get their newsletter. But people are looking.
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Sure. Nothing wrong with showcasing a writing sample to win fans (Employers). Newbies are cheaper to hire.
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I've seen breakdowns looking for COVID-19 specific scripts, but I can almost assure you these are non-WGA signatory companies looking to take advantage of a writer.
I've been hearing mostly NO from industry reps. Their reasoning is that if you start to write a script now, you'll be a couple of years behind people who already have pandemic scripts and have been prepping them for a year or two in advance.