Screenwriting questions.
- Thread starter 50's Kid
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Hey, 50's Kid. I'll share a bit, and hope it helps.
When I first got into screenwriting I had a big idea. I pitched it all over the place. It went nowhere. But I love movies. I had friends that worked in movies. And eventually, I started working for some of those friends, and some of their friends. I was making $500 a draft (90-120 pages for five-day turnaround). That was my price. I set the price. They call it "work-for-hire" on the copyright for the scripts I wrote; original works, written for someone else. Is it a bummer to get paid to write for someone else? Not really. Not as fulfilling as someone paying me for pre-made content, but being paid to write puts you in a better position for an agent.
The key I have found is just writing. Don't worry about the picture. Don't worry about an agent. Just write. And get paid. Don't burn yourself out doing non-writing things like pitching, promoting or agent hunting. Just write.
Get to know people who will pay you money to write. It's not about being discovered. People who like you're stuff will notice you. Don't try to be noticed. Just write. Meet other writers. Work as a writer, meaning get paid to write. Try for gigs that only pay. Don't give anything away. You're worth it. You're time is worth something as well as your words. Freelance will get you work, and writing for others has it's own challenges, but with enough time, you might start getting WGA vouchers for gigs. Try for gigs that give WGA vouchers for membership. Look into Fellowship Programs for screenplay submissions; paid-for only gigs, not "free" internships, paid-for fellowships and internships. Stand. Be a paid writer. Be professional.
Once you get in with WGA, landing an agent should get easier. The agent will hire you if you make money writing, and he/she thinks they can make money off of you. So you have to make money doing the gig. When they are looking for "talent" they are looking for $$$.
I stopped freelancing a while ago. It was a burnout gig for me. Journalism is a great option as a paid writing gig while you wait between scripts. Get's you paid, and keeps you writing. Steer clear of paid for writing services online, a lot of scams there. Shake the hands of the people you work for.
I admire your passion for your work. Keep writing.
Thanks for the advice, Danicus. It is easy to get wrapped up in the whole agent search thing (still think they should hire more staff, to sift through for new talent). I'll see how the novelization gamble goes in January, and where that heads. And, yes, I continue to write, partly because I have no choice, or my head will explode.
Thanks, Garriga. I looked into that, but you have to pay to enter, and the results don’t seem to be that promising for the winner(s). It just seems like a money making proposition for the people who run the contests. And (call me suspicious/paranoid) the possibility exists that this is a way for people to pick up plot lines for later re-writing as their own.
My friends and I were going to enter our completed Indy movie into a festival, but they all charge a lot to enter. Again, it seems like a way to make money off of newbies, with very little possibility of good results. If I owned the rights to the movie, I might re-consider it, but I made the mistake of not securing those before production began. Won't do that again, for sure.
Have you looked at the Academy Nicholl fellowships in screenwriting?
Up to five $35,000 fellowships are awarded each year to promising new screenwriters.
Of the 133 scripts that earned their writers fellowships from 1986 to 2013, 17 have been produced. Warren Taylor’s “In the Dark” as “In the Eyes of a Stranger” (CBS-TV), Radha Bharadwaj’s “Closet Land,” Jim McGlynn’s “Traveller,” Mark Lowenthal’s “Where the Elephant Sits,” Myron Goble’s “Down in the Delta,” Ehren Kruger’s “Arlington Road,” Mike Rich’s “Finding Forrester,” Karen Moncrieff’s “Blue Car,” Deborah Pryor’s “Briar Patch” (aka “Plain Dirty”), Jacob Estes’s “Mean Creek,” Dawn O’Leary’s “Island of Brilliance” (as “Admissions”), Doug Atchison’s “Akeelah and the Bee,” Robert Edwards’s “Land of the Blind,” James Mottern’s “Trucker,” Bragi Schut’s “Season of the Witch” and Jason Micallef’s “Butter,” and Destin Cretton's “Short Term 12.”
Eyes of a stranger.
Finding Forrester.
Akeelah and the bee.
Might be worth looking at, considering the exposure, money, and potential for production or representation.
Up to five $35,000 fellowships are awarded each year to promising new screenwriters.
Of the 133 scripts that earned their writers fellowships from 1986 to 2013, 17 have been produced. Warren Taylor’s “In the Dark” as “In the Eyes of a Stranger” (CBS-TV), Radha Bharadwaj’s “Closet Land,” Jim McGlynn’s “Traveller,” Mark Lowenthal’s “Where the Elephant Sits,” Myron Goble’s “Down in the Delta,” Ehren Kruger’s “Arlington Road,” Mike Rich’s “Finding Forrester,” Karen Moncrieff’s “Blue Car,” Deborah Pryor’s “Briar Patch” (aka “Plain Dirty”), Jacob Estes’s “Mean Creek,” Dawn O’Leary’s “Island of Brilliance” (as “Admissions”), Doug Atchison’s “Akeelah and the Bee,” Robert Edwards’s “Land of the Blind,” James Mottern’s “Trucker,” Bragi Schut’s “Season of the Witch” and Jason Micallef’s “Butter,” and Destin Cretton's “Short Term 12.”
Eyes of a stranger.
Finding Forrester.
Akeelah and the bee.
Might be worth looking at, considering the exposure, money, and potential for production or representation.
It looks like the application deadline for this year has passed, but I'll check it out later, for next year.
I believe they start taking applications in January. So, depending on what you've got ready to go, you might consider gearing up for the next round.
I will do that, after I've checked everything out. I have 6 finished, and a 7th that should be done by the end of the year.