As we've rolled into the last third of 2017, I'm taking time to reflect upon the progress I've made with my screenwriting endeavors. I started doing this in earnest five years ago. But it took me a year just to figure out which end of the pistol fires. I’ve had additional misfires in the years that followed.
This year has been one of my best both creatively and businesswise. Last week, I signed an option agreement with a director who has a long track record in the film industry and has a movie coming out next month with lead actors from Sex and the City, Numbers and Wayne's World. I also signed a write to shop agreement with a producer, who has pushed several of my scripts. Without his connections, I wouldn't have stood a chance for consideration. This includes material read by Paramount Studios, Tyler Perry Studios and A & E Television. I’ve strategically used the S32 pitch session service and received several script requests, including one in mid-August. I continue to place and occasionally win film festivals and script contests. And, last but not least, I got my Texas Real Estate license last week. That's so I can try to generate some income while I'm waiting for my ship to come in, if it ever does.
After five years, here's what I know:
1. Professional screenwriting is a hardscrabble business. And, the chance for overnight success is extremely thin. If you believe otherwise, you may be in for a rude awakening.
2. Throw conventional wisdom out the f*#king window and do whatever you have to do to make connections.
3. Enter contests for the sake of competing and for fun, rather than thinking it's a path to success or water cooler meetings in Hollywood. Consider this statistic. Austin Film Festival received nearly 9400 script entries for their contest this year. So your chances of winning equate to these numerical odds: 1 in 10,000 or .00010, which is 0.10 out a thousand chance of success. Get the picture?
4. There are thousands of shitty writers out there. But there are also a lot of good ones competing for work for hire gigs, as well as trying to sell a spec screenplay. And with more and more technology to make writing screenplays seem easier, more would-be writers are joining the party every year.
5. Though I’ve had two spec scripts optioned, I've had far greater success pitching producers for ideas they want to bring to life.
6. Other writers (including me) talk a lot of shit and are the greatest experts on everything. But how many of them are writing feature scripts or teleplays for their primary source of income?Â
7. Aspiring screenwriters: Go ahead and move to Hollywood and secure a well-connected agent who will represent you and establish your path to success. Get back to me in a few years to let me know how that goes for you. But know this, most agents don’t give a shit about unproduced writers. Unless you have a hot script that wins Nicholl, Page or Austin Film Festival contests, or makes the Blacklist top 100, your chances of securing an agent are extremely poor. And even if you do manage to do the aforementioned things, the road to Hollywood success in littered with screenplays that had a brief buzz. Â
Now, I'm not writing this to cause anyone to take Ativan or drink Jack and Coke; unless of course you want to.Â
No my friends. I'm doing this to share my experiences. So what can you do?
1. Don't act like Joe Mercenary and insist on being paid for every word you write. If you do, you will limit your chance of success. Your short range goal should not be trying to make a living off your screenwriting. Your primary goal should be getting a film made and making connections with people who can get films financed and made. Furthermore, there are lots of independent producers and directors with track records and connections that don’t have money to hand you for a spec script or a project at ground zero. But they are willing to put sweat equity into shopping your work to people you can’t get meetings with. Just make sure you vet people out so you’re not wasting your time with do nothing lame brains. Projects that get financed are ones that will secure you a payday. Just make sure you get agreements in writing have them reviewed by an attorney. If you don't have money for an attorney, Screencraft and WGAW have sample contracts you can download or review online.
DAN MAxXx CLAUSE: Of course, you can scrape together all your pennies, buy some equipment, hire some actors and make your own movie. Then try to enter it into small film festivals and seek platforms and distribution to showcase your work.
2. Don't rely on passive activities like script listing and think you'll ever sell a script that way. Take every opportunity to connect with filmmakers and don't be afraid to act boldly. I've made a few good connections by writing first draft scripts in two weeks or less. They were far from perfect. But they got people's attention.
3. Join writer's groups and make connections with other writers. I've scored several good leads and script requests from my friendships with other writers.
4. Use social media to relentlessly promote your work and make connections. Don't be afraid to buck conventional wisdom and be creative.
5. Don't be an asshole, don't be a snob and don't be jealous of the success of other writers. Be professional and treat everyone with respect and consideration. Support for other writers will only help build your reputation and sphere of influence. Success in screenwriting takes more than talent. A lot of people have that. It's also a willingness to take chances on bets with long odds and a willingness to continue to do so. It's continuing to dream big and then doing everything possible to make that dream a reality. And not being to keep doing that after each setback or failure.
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This is the first thing I've read after joining S32. Thanks I appreciate you sharing your experience. C. R.
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C. R.
You bet. Welcome to S32.
You've outdone yourself with this one Phil. It's great!
James D:
Thank you.
I wholeheartedly agree, particularly your first #2 - that's tops on my list. So you're gonna peddle real estate to afford your dream - not a bad choice (I was a commercial RE appraiser.) That was the only way I could afford to be a writer. I'm sure by now that you know the difference between a medium pizza and a screenwriter. (A medium pizza can feed a small family whereas a screenwriter cannot.) Sounds to me like you've got it figured out - see ya on the OSCAR stage soon. All the best.
Doug: Thanks for the post. I sold RE in California for a few years during a tough market and the subprime lender crash in late 2008, along with a lot of other crashes. But the market in Central Texas is brisk. So I'm looking forward to doing it. I did a book rewrite while doing open houses in 2006. So I always try to use my time wisely. And RE and writing definitely go well together. Besides, no one wants to hire my old and over qualified ass.
Love the pizza joke. The most popular joint in my neighborhood is Papa Murphy's. The make it, you bake it and save a few shekels. There pies are also way better than the competition.
When I begin entering my stories into these competitions, how do I go about protecting them? WGA? Is that usually enough? And is this even worth bothering about at such an early stage? I am confident in my writing and my ideas but I am curious about how the process works once I enter. I know a copyright doesn't protect the actual idea. I guess that is what seems scary to me about the process. Should I just nut up and push them through to take the chance? Or are there other measures I should take first?
Uncle Phil
You're the only reason i hang out on stage 32. Relentless work ethic. Keeping up with the uncle Phil's in the world forces me to work harder cause if I aint writing, there is a Uncle Phil somewhere who is hungrier, pushing my ideas to the back of the line.
Anyway, month of August sucked. Wasn't productive. Fighting Nazis takes a lot of Time and energy. Back on ball in September. I bought a made in china junk mini tablet to write while riding subway trains.
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MaxXy: Thank God you're holding the line against the followers of Uncle Adolf. And, I appreciate the kind words from someone I respect.
CR:
Copyrighting your work is the best protection you have. WGAW provide some protection, but does not carry the legal weight of a US Copyright. If you write a complete screenplay, you should always copyright it under "A Work of Performing Arts". Do not send your work to contests or anyone else without doing that. That is my advice.
Thanks bud
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CR: You're most welcome and good luck with your work.
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Uncle Phil: in many ways I see you as the whole reason S32 exists. A guy who's getting it done in a real, long-term way, and is honest about telling others how things work in an encouraging way. If I had any success stories to pass along, I'd like to think I'd be as good as paying it forward as you are.
Thanks!
Good read Phillip E. Hardy, Prolifique ...now about that jack and coke! Are you attending AFM, thoughts on that?
Cherelynn: Thank you. Jack and Coke was the title of an Artie Lange CD. I'll probably go to the S32 rooftop party (if they have one this year) but I'm not sure I want to pay 250 dollars for a Lone Star Pass. Other than the Marvel Comics panel, I wasn't that thrilled with the festival last year. If you've never been, it's a the Driskell in on 6th Street, which is historic and beautiful. Austin's a great, scenic vacation town with tons of bars, music, restaurants and activities. And if you want to see the festival films, which I don't give a rat's ass about, it's worth the money. So, I'd say go if you want to go to a big film festival. Oh, and you can go to Congress Street Bridge at dusk to see the one million bats take flight. One of the best free things you can see in Austin.
John Ellis: What a nice thing to say. Thank you!
Well done... (damn you)
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Claude Gagne:
1. I'm been serious about screenwriting for five years. I wrote two books before that. I got my first option and right to shop agreements in 2013 and 2014.
2. It has been my experience that nobody has attempted to steal my copyrighted work. Most producers and directors have their own ideas they want to bring to fruition. Selling spec scripts is much more difficult. I've had an agent an producer shop my spec work but that road went nowhere.
I try to stay as far away lottery reterict as humanly possible because your mind and your writing should replace those thoughts. The only thing you should be focused on is applying yourself to the process of getting your script sold. The end result is you winning the lottery you don't win anything if you don't play!
I write because it is my nature to write, it is a part of me, has been since I was in grade school. I finally self published two of my books and just seeing the finished book on my shelf is very gratifying. Now my goal is to see one of my scripts on the big screen, not for making a fortune( added bonus) but as a completion of that part of me that needs to share my work, to see it come to a satisfactory conclusion. I have acted and that got me to turn my stories into scripts... it's like seeing a dream you have had come to life.
Uncle Phil. Good post. We have traveled similar paths. I got an agent and was employed as script consultant and a staff writer. I hated both and went back to what I love which is writing screenplays. I optioned some and wrote a few on assignment. Some did was is common and that is to die a slow miserable death in development. I still have some in development but should be given the last rights because they are just hanging on by a thread. Unfortunately that is just part of this business we are in. However, like you I had a pretty good year so far. I wrote two screenplays with Judy Norton which we are going to produce. One of the scripts is in the hands of an investor who wants to slate five films and we will be submitting our second one when Judy finishes up putting the final touches on the script. I am hoping at least one of them will get greenlit this year. Good luck with your projects.
Dan G: thanks very much and good luck to you too
Thanks for the great info Phil!
Claude: What dramatic change are you referring to? I think more in terms of setting goals and tasks for myself and then accomplishing them. From a writer's POV, I'm expected to write and rewrite when required. So I expect that if I do my job, things will work out okay.
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Claude:
You seem to be operating with a lack of information. I already have roots in LA, having lived there for most of my life. Currently, I don't have to move anywhere, I'm working with a director in Southern California now to develop a film. So your theoretical question is irrelevant to me. Due the available computer and internet technologies, it's amazing what you can accomplish from anywhere in the world. However, if the opportunity arises to make films or television, I will be mighty accommodating as to where I live.
Great post my friend. You always keep me grounded and thinking about what the next step is on a constant basis. The one constant message that I see from those who are successful in this industry is to keep pushing....work hard at relationships and networking and finding ways to get your work out there. There are countless talented writers out there, and yet there are hacks who have more success because they do everything else better.
I'm still learning, and still growing as a writer and a networker, but I'm learning, and it's a tough challenge for a loner like me, but I'm getting there, and it's inspiration from people like Phil and others I've met in the industry who take the time out to help us all, that keeps me moving forward. Let's all aspire to help each other and one day, we'll get there.
Great post. And congrats on your success!
Brian W. Thanks for you kind words. Very much appreciated.
Christian: Thank you!
Well said uncle Phil, honest and real but not harsh. You may just be a prophet.