To me, the answer is simple: I want to entertain. I want to make people laugh/cry/have a good time. And I want to make $$$. I have no overt political agenda. I do not want to change the world. Yet execs often ask me this question when I pitch my ideas, as if it is my job as a spec script writer to serve marginalized communities or right the wrongs in the world. I think giving voice to the under represented is great but IMHO screenplay writing is all about entertaining first. Why does this script have to be made? Because it is entertaining. How simple can it get?
Screenwriting : Why does this movie have to be made? by Richard Bruce Stirling
Why does this movie have to be made?
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Simple isn't the word for this description - you're leaning closer towards "one dimensional".
Why does this script need to get made? Because it's entertaining.... you want a production company to give you hundreds of thousands (potentially millions) of dollars just for that? It's the same logic behind giving a character dialogue that's witty and clever but doesn't drive the story forward (i.e. it might be entertaining but it doesn't give the audience anything to emotionally invest in)
The "why now" of any project is practically as important as the "why you" - you're focused on the creativity aspect of the film business and not the marketability and branding. Everybody wants to entertain and everybody wants to be entertained - if you can't sell a producer on why you're different, how could they sell you and your project to millions of potential viewers?
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The "why now" question is especially maddening for projects designed to be timeless. Think of a film from 15+ years ago that you still enjoy watching (Pretty Woman, anyone?), even a third of tenth time. Why did it NEED to be made in 1990, when it's still great?
Wish I had a better answer Richard. I'm as baffled as you are by this question.
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I wonder if one reason to ask this kind of question is to have the writer focus on his or her own passion for the project. What about it excites the writer? I don't think it's always obvious to those being pitched.
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Every movie wants to have fun for of entertainment. Even feeling sad is entertaining to the right audience.
Why now? Is particularly important. Can we wait? Did we miss the peak time to make this movie? Why now? Netflix isn’t in the entertainment business, they are in the subscriber business. Movie studios are in the ticket revenue business. Entertaining people gets them to return. Repeat business is the best business. It is seven times more expensive to get a new customer than to get an existing customer to return. Hence the focus on IP and franchises. Cheaper customer acquisition.
So why now? Think in terms of business.
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We've been asked these questions, too.
Why me (you, us)? As a writer, if you're not putting something of yourslf into each story, the story will ultimately fall flat. Savvy biz people pick up on this almost instinctively (the successful ones, anyway). So the writer needs to identify what it is that's personal about the story and be prepared to express that. This is particularly difficult for me, as I'm a very private person - but it's a crucial skill to make it in the industry.
Why now? Not every story has to click all the current societal, cultural boxes (and really, those are moving targets anyway). A better way (at least that we've found) is to relate it universal human truths (that's why I ALWAYS begin with the THEME before anything else), and that often times goes back to the idea that history repeats itself (or as Solomon says, "there's nothing new under the sun"). Has there ever been a nation as divided as America is right now? Absolutely. Historically, have there ever been minority groups persecuted, oppressed, eradicated by the majority? Too many times to count. And these are just examples - if the story doesn't directly relate to specific circumstances in today's world, it should still relate on a fundamental level (trust me, you'll be able to find historical examples, no matter what the issue). And you need to be able to express that to execs.
Because, honestly, you will be asked these questions continually. As creators, our ability to answer them is a huge step toward being successful.