Screenwriting : What is the job market for screenwriters? by Nikki April Lee

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V89yFMHXynk Watch this. I know you're already in. But the reason I'm showing you this, is that most of the teachers are bullshit. And if anything, they're trying to discourage you from doing anything 'cause they want to sell their scripts. Just write. Do your thing. And find your own way. Don't give up.

Wow! 2-5% of their students land writing jobs. That’s an amazing statistic. One to be proud of. In a graduating class of 40 that’s 1 to 5 people getting writing jobs each year. 1 out of 40 is astonishing in this business. The WGA registers about 40,000 scripts each year and less than 200 are made - that’s 0.5%. Around 2 of them are first time sales. It’s very, very difficult to break in to screenwriting. Having a degree doesn’t make it easier. But each and every year people do break in. Are you talented enough to be among the 0.5%? You didn’t think it was going to be easy did you?

You can do it just do not give up. The only thing stopping you from accomplishing this is you. You just got to find the right person.

The issue is the market is saturated with "writers". The average age of a writer to "break" into film is about 40. It is probably one of the hardest jobs get in LA. That's why we are seeing more writers/ somethings. Blocks that have been put in place have made it harder to break in as a writer. Its about how you know, and who knows you. (Its the sad truth). My curiosity is how did that 2-5% get hired. You would find out that its because they knew someone.

I guess I got bogged down because I told my mother about UCLA and going for my BA in Fine Arts with their screenwriting program. She's been hounding me asking me "whats the job market like? How many people actually get in the business?" My mom's old school. She grew up with the mentality that you should find a great job with benefits and work it for about 30-40 years and retire. Right now I work in a warehouse with benefits. Personally I'd rather put a bullet in my skull than to settle for a life like that. I'd retire unhappy surely. I think I should go after the BA in screenwriting anyway just so I can say I did it whether I break through or not. I'm still the first member in my family with a degree. =\ That counts for something.

A lot of people want to write and get paid for it, and the market is crowded. Think of it like trying to break into the NFL. Write your absolute best and work hard at it. If you have to go get a "day job" that's the way it goes -but you can still write in the mornings before work. You can produce your own plays. You can produce a film. I keep learning and improving my writing at 39 years old. I would think anyone who gets a BA or MFA still would have a lot of work to do before they're really good, unless they're just oozing talent.

The entertainment business as a whole is not a smart investment, if you look at it from a pure Dollars and cents. That's why traditional financiers would rather invest in China or in real estate. The entertainment business is unpredictable, uncertain, and unreliable at best. Just look at this past summer at the box office! Film and television writing is something that one should do only if they can see themselves doing NOTHING else. It's tough, and it's demanding, and like you said, the odds are really not great. But the good news is that people break in in different ways ALL THE TIME. I see it happen to clients and friends almost every day. You need the passion, love and determination to keep you tenacious, so that you give yourself a real fighting chance. If this is what you love, and can see yourself doing nothing else, it's a very magical pursuit to take on.

There's a whole, entire "education industry" out there, that will prey on your aspirations, whether you have potential or not. Whatever education you pursue, do NOT underestimate the value of doing the actual work. Create your work from your natural vision and learn the business. Respect industry formats as a professional courtesy but do not submit to the "cookie cutter formula" I'm always wary of people "in the Industry" who will teach you "how to" anything you want as long as you pay them. At a certain point, if you need to be told how to tell a story, write a sympathetic villain, create a dramatic significance or create comedy ... you should be doing something else. please ... if your screenplay is heavy with dialogue more than visuals; try to write a stage play for theater. If your screenplay is heavy with margin to margin narrative; try to write a novel. if your screenplay is set in a singular span of time; try a short story. Who knows where our next HARRY POTTER, or PYGMALIAN or A CHRISTMAS CAROL will come from if everyone insists on writing for the glamour of the screen... All these three literary icons had Hollywood come to THEM. What does THAT tell ya.

I really love what Stan said about the 2-5% not being deterred - it really is such a game of tenacity and conviction in how much you love the work. You have to work hard to find avenues to help you get in which can be frustrating, but if you work hard at it, continue to create fantastic, original, compelling content and pursuing the business front with vigor, you give yourself an excellent chance of getting there!

I've heard the same odds, and I never once thought it pertained to me. I've so many times heard screenwriters tell me that they have a fantastic script and it's perfect, and all producers will want it. Then I offer to read it, and find it to be amatuerish. One of the first suggestions I make is to have it professionally read. Even then, there are so many changes to make, that most people are highly offended by the suggestions and ignore them. And guess what? They never sell anything. So before I send anything out, I send it to my Reader first and see to it that it is perfect...Hope this helps.

Wow, Chris, I think your insightful advice is bang on! and should be posted IN BIG LETTERS above every writer's desk -- right next to pictures of Aristotle and Joseph Campbell. I think your words are the very prescription and real future of the Global Storytelling Industry. Keep those positive outlooks for the future coming.

You don't have to have a degree to write screenplays. There are many other ways of learning the same material without spending as much money. Do what you can tolerate so that it can pay the costs of your passion until your passion can stand on its own.

Writing is the sum of one's experiences and education. Going to school to learn about writing isn't really going to help. You need life experiences to draw from and then the education to put it into words. Having a high IQ helps, so long as it doesn't overtake your life experiences. Experience is king.

I agree with most of the things you've mentioned, Dan, particularly doing it all over again. I would have gone to film school in order to get into the business. However, I didn't. So I'm doing what most of our peers are talking about. Networking, writing, writing, taking classes, and more writing. Patience also plays a vital role in a screenwriters life. I've found that by alligning myself with a great mentor, and successful script reader with close ties to producers and production companies, has brought me closer to those who can make it happen for me. But we all must keep in mind, even if I were BFF's with the Steven Spielbergs of Hollywood, I would need a GREAT screenplay in order for them to even consider repping it. My last adivce would be, NEVER give up. Live your passion, and make it happen...

I think when it comes to professional media degrees of any type, the real value is in the contacts you make. My recommendation is to cut the middle man early and get a short script of yours made into a short film. Hook up with fellow students working towards television, theater, or film and motivate them to film with a great story. While still learning at college level, content generation creates a useful resume to land future jobs, enter film fests, and show people you're willing to work to get where you want to go. Fellow film makers will begin taking you seriously much faster when they can visually see what you can do, less so when told.

I have a guy making one of my shorts for his master's. He's a serious guy though, raising 10k (Sterling) to make it. There isn't anything that guy doesn't know about film finance.

I wish you luck with the project, Dustin!!

Nikki, I think for most writers it's not selling the spec, but gaining assignment or pickup work, and earning their way for eventually one of their own specs getting the green light. But if you truly LOVE the writing you do, this is all good! You are being paid to write! The trend currently is for struggling artists to be producing their own film on a shoestring, and it's turning many screenwriters into director/producer as well, and visa-versa. But it is left to be seen if this is a good model for breaking into Hollywood's inner sanctum for work and recognition. I see some of these productions and wonder if we haven't just discouraged good writers into mediocre filmmakers just fighting for recognition. That being said, it all comes down to story, doesn't it? It's that ONE person who sees potential of consistent great writing from you. When you love the writing, it is hard to switch hats for the promotion of your writing. I had hoped my work would speak for itself. But it's the continual shaping of your pitch, and your constant reaching out to connections that will be the trying part of this effort. I agree with the others here about not fixating on the discouraging news. Try your best not to think in terms of the obstacles, Nikki. I always keep hearing what Hollywood usually receives in blind specs are not good and not worth considering. If that is the case, then we can be grateful to be part of the 2-5%. It maybe a case of being the needle in the haystack.

Nikki, to be honest with you I would not major in Screenwriting...only because the degree will not get you a screenwriting job. I tell people to get their degree in business, because the film business is all about business. You will write no matter what, whether you have a degree or not. People get hired because they have written a great script AND found a way to get noticed...found a way to get that script to the right person. There is little rhyme or reason to the business and anything goes. Keep writing, but spend your college dollars wisely.