Screenwriting : This is going to sting a little by Craig D Griffiths

Great post, Craig D Griffiths, and I think it's needed in the screenwriting community.

You wrote, "The problem as I see it. Is people see something that they think is crap. So they aspire to write Crap+1 (Craig Mazin not me - I wish I had thought of it). I only have to be better than that crap to sell something. Which is wrong." The bar for scripts is so high now, writers can't afford to write/pitch bad or sub-par scripts. Our scripts have to be GREAT. Why take days, weeks, months, and years to write a bad or sub-par script?

Agreed! Great post. There is an audience for what you are writing, no matter what it is. Applaud people's success at creating something that someone related to or was entertained by at all times. It's a tough industry, and we have to support each other through to the finish line!

Something else to factor in, is that what appears on the screen is not always what was on the printed page. A lot can happen between a screenplay sale and the final movie.

I have a long list of writers and filmmakers who have influenced me over the years. This includes Woody Allen, Sam Peckinpah and Christopher Nolan, which covers a pretty broad spectrum. I aspire to be original, creative and entertaining. I worry little about what others are doing and continually seek ways to stand out from the competition.

Nice thought-provoking post. Thank you.

I respect independants but prefer to think in terms of mass media. I like to think big. Admittedly I'm just a little ole me nobody with no documented success so I figure what the hell, why do I want a selective audience? Logical? IDK.

I’ve not thought of it like that, in many cases that is probably the case. But when a story-line just plain doesn’t make sense I do wonder how it got made.

Well mine gonna sting too - yes most of the current offerings is BS...weak plots, swiss cheese twists and cardboard cut characters...but I'm not mad bout it...I still pick some strayed off quality out there as decades of watching zillions of films made its hunch...how do they get made? Money+interest+IQ average of the current generations...

If you got no skin in the game, you really dont know what you're talking about at all. Just theorists. Heck, I thought I knew about basketball until I was a part of an entourage for a NBA player.

I'm fairly confident my wedding videos have more filmmaking craft than some "award winning" shorts and screenplays :)

I will not watch Adam Sandler films and he writes for people who identify with his humor. Fast and the Furious is not something that I can get into, but it is written for a certain audience, it does not mean it is written bad. I prefer art films and can watch films in sub titles. Hats off to writers who can identify with kids because I cannot write at that level. It is not my mind set.

Kiril. A lot of films get made because they know how to sell and have an amazing log line, synopsis, and their script follows the beats and has structure.

You've got a point here, Craig. We can't help judging as creatives but you're right, we may not be the target audience and also, let's stay humble and try to understand why it works even if we're not fan of certain shows and what we can learn from their success :)

Good point.

Wise words Craig D Griffiths!!

You're absolutely right, Craig.

Well put. In addition it is EXTREMELY difficult to get stuff made whether you're just starting out or established with reps, etc. If it comes up in conversation I try to find ways to champion anyone who manages to cross that finish line even if I may not like the content.

Thank you everyone for the comments and insights.

I think some stories lack coherence as changes are made too quickly. In a meeting a director want to put someone in the boot (trunk) of a car. I pointed out that one of the characters was okay taking the person for a drive to scare them. But putting someone in the boot changes the dynamic from “let’s scare them” to “we are going to hurt them”. If I wasn’t in that meeting it would have broken the story. The character would have made no sense after that. I think these decision can sometimes happen.

It is really hard to be seen. On reddit there is 1.5 Million people the screenwriting subreddit. So you have to be on the top of a very big heap. That is why I write super specific stories. Low budget crime/drama that has a violent bent. By doing this I am reducing the number of people in my competition.

I cannot remember who said it, but “staying in the middle of the road guarantees you’ll be run over”.

The only vaccine against failure is good work, in my opinion.

Why Netflix is buying crap, because they need to fill there library. I owned and operated 2 video rental stores back in the 90’s and ran them successfully for 10 years. I had a wall of new releases and the rest were back catalogue a mixture of once new releases, B, C & D movies what were called “Fillers” they filled the rest of the shelves. And yes there was a market for them, rented out for $2 a week.

Simon, oh yes the wonderful days of video rentals, when demand out stripped supply.

Just a business observation. Rentals had a time pressure. Watch it now or return it. This meant there was a massive demand for new content each view had a cost attached. But with a subscription model they have all the decades of previously made films as well as new content to freshen up the library. Since there is no pay per view pressure, people are more than happy to explore and rewatch classics. Just my opinion and a bit of an observation. I mean I’ll rewatch Blake7 (BBC SciFi) as a time waster. But I wouldn’t rent it.

"I think some stories lack coherence as changes are made too quickly." Craig D Griffiths Fast changes can be disastrous for a script. I'd had producers ask me to make fast changes to scripts, and I took extra time going through the scripts, making sure the changes fit. Same thing for spec scripts.

Craig, it is an Ambrose Bierce quote. “Staying in the middle of the road guarantees you’ll be run over”.

Agreed! I always have this target audience defence for people who say certain movies are terrible. If you're watching a Disney animation aimed at kids, don't complain that the plot was convenient or had a cliché happy ever after. Likewise, you wouldn't let your 6 year old watch The Nun. Target audiences are SO key! And there really is an audience out there for everyONE and everyTHING. That keeps me sane - and keeps me writing!

Yes there is more content now than ever but the talent pool is thin across the board, from exes to directors to writers to actors to cinematographers, etc. Thats why many ppl choose to hire/work with the same ppl. Unless you're the 1% who hits jackpot from get-go, you're gonna work on plenty of projects for experience and for income.

Happy Thanksgiving, Armen and everyone who celebrates it.

Craig, thanks so much for posting this...especially the clinching message: "Go get better at what you are good at."

Thanks Jim.

Dan MaxXx, You are 100% correct. I have a crew for my non-writing activity. These are my “set and forget” people. I tell them the outcome and it is achieved. People find that attitude in the film industry somehow evil or a closed shop. You build a team and then rely on them.

Armen, I don’t know if they use AI to generate work. I think the massive army of writers will to work for crumbs makes the investment in that tech less attractive.

You're welcome, Armen.