I regularly check trade ads for screenwriters or scripts via several different sources. Since I have a pretty good catalog of work in various genres, I’m pitching material every week. From my early days doing this, I have strived to meet some exciting challenges for producers searching for stories about people and subjects such as Angeles Davis, Michael Rockefeller, Christopher Dorner, the Infamous Bender Family, and The Six-Day War.
I’ve also seen trade ads looking for obscure topics with posters expecting screenwriters to be familiar with esoteric knowledge. Recently, I had a well-known English filmmaker/actor send me a note asking me if I had any education about the operation of submarines. I told him, no, but I’d be happy to do some reading and see if I could tour the inside a sub to gain the requisite knowledge. As a result, I’ve written about many subjects I knew little about before undertaking the projects. Besides screenplays, this included writing a 50-page proposal for the U.S. Government.
Many filmmakers concern themselves far too much about what a writer does and doesn’t know. For example, I’ve been watching Better Call Saul season four this week. One of the main stories involves the characters Mike Erhmantraut and his boss Gustavo Fring securing German contractors to build an underground meth lab. Some of the scenes required extensive knowledge of architecture, engineering, and contracting, and I’m confident the writers must have used one or more technical advisors to achieve authenticity. But for someone like myself without that luxury, If I want to use visual scenes that include fencing, ballroom dancing, soccer, or historically accurate settings, I need to perform the necessary research. And, I have for all the subjects as mentioned above. I do this to acquire the information required to write a good screenplay. For example, I once secured legal transcripts for a famous trial depicted in the final act of a feature screenplay.
So I’m willing to take on a wide range of subjects and diverse characters if given the opportunity. Fellow forum dwellers, what say you? What are you ready to do?
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At the heart of every higher technical story their are people. Unless the story is about people interacting with some technical detail, it is about people when you boil it down.
I try and do as much research as i need to get writing. But I know I can fix that later in the process. Just like dialogue, it has to feel real. I never see dialogue full of ummms and arrrrr, but that is how people really talk.
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Research - How much is too much or too little? Obviously if you try writing about something you are ignorant about, you'll screw it up. On the other hand, you can spend so much time/effort on the research that there's no time to develop a worthy story. It's happened to me three times in the past. The result is three unpublished novels. Each could become a major blockbusters but they are all historic document dramas - massive production expense (think Shindler's List & Lincoln). I'm not willing to take on such projects at my age.
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A willingness to learn can get you very far, but at the same time I find it much easier to write what I am already well-versed in. I was curious where youre looking to find these writing opportunities?
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This is a great post. I always say write what you know unless you are passionate about another arena. If you are a thriller writer or writing Knifes Out you need to super tight at plotting. Comedy? It just needs to be LOL from p. 1-2. Horror, scary. But if you are writing from the soul or the heart knowing stuff doesn't really matter unless it's a procedure based or heavily needed research area. The best scripts that win best screenplay (not adapted) are often just totally original and sing on the page.
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Ilan: thank you. Kind of you to say.
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Phillip, I totally agree with you!
A lot of my screenplays are set in bygone eras...so if I want to turn out stories that make sense, are true to the ages I'm writing about, and are believable, I'd darn well better do research (and lots of it).
Thank goodness for search engines!
And whether the scripts boast contemporary settings or historical ones, I like to put the stories in cities I've never been to before (yet). Researching cities I've never set foot in is some kind of key, because I want each story to actually feel like where it's set.
So...with a "Pixie Dust" that was set in the Twin Cities and was about college students, I felt I had a responsibility to actually MAKE it feel like the Twin Cities and not like the generic college town one former Stage 32 contributor begged me to set "Pixie Dust" in.
In order to give "Small Flyers" a chance to actually resonate with readers, I needed to fully research how a small airplane is operated...something I couldn't wing. (Thank you, WikiHow!)
I sure enough agree with Ilan: Phillip, you've put up a great post.
Thanks...and all the VERY BEST to you!
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Great post, Phillip. I do the same thing when I take on a project. Sometimes I'll know very little about the subject beforehand. I'll research to make sure my script will be accurate. I look up photos, read articles, watch videos, etc.
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Maurice: Thanks for your support.
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You're welcome, Phillip E. Hardy, "The Real Deal".
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Dan, maybe the screenwriter slogan should be, "Figure it out." :)
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Maxxy: So we agree. And, good analogy.
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@Maurice (tagging not working again), that should always be the slogan, for life generally. Only way to learn, move forward, and have fun.
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Totally agree with many before me in the comments. Great post Phillip!:) Research is so important to make it authentic in the details in my opinion.
Currently developing the world of a screenplay with an approach on a somewhat utopian city, there are so many things to research on, it sometimes drives me crazy, because I find it sometimes hard to stop with a topic at a certain point.
But nevertheless, it is so interesting. and even if I have some original ideas I want to implement in the diegesis of the screenplay I always feel the need to research similar concepts in order to bring out the full potential of that full idea!
I appreciate the post!:)
All the best
LEILA IS AMAAAAAAAZING!
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Welcome
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Thanks! Great to be here!
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Eddie: Thanks for the kind words.
Isabelle: Nice to have you. Just curious. Who is LEILA?
Days ago a blue mark joked on Twitter bout LinkedIn "screenwriting job" offers conclude only to writing manuals and copywriting...but who am I to comment, I write procedures for a living (among other stuff)...
On the topic - I agree...many writers originated from newspapers, educational background and else, sometimes not even connected with creativity...I heard the guy created "911" was an actual operator there...
@Kiril (Gah! the tagging!) I write professionally too in my day job, i.e. speeches, copywriting, articles etc. It usually involves doing some research, since I don't necessarily know everything I need to know to write the piece.
As far as screenwriting jobs on LinkedIn, there are some here and there, but usually for either podcasts or games.