Ok so how many of you screenwriter / filmmakers out there think of the budget when you are writing ? That is, ponder over whether or not to add another scene/location/ character and what impact that might have on the total film budget?
Screenwriting : Ok so how many of you screenwr… by Eisha Marjara
Ok so how many of you screenwr…
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its not on the top of my list of worries when i write, but i do go by the old saying,,,keep it simple, stupid!...i do try to keep locations to under fifteen in most cases bc every new location just adds more money to the budget and just more headaches in general
Yea I keep it simple though sometimes i make it a little complicated . Which can be fun since theres always an alternative
I am constantly thinking of easier more simple ways to tell the story, but tricky b'cuz I dont want to lose the drama and create 1 dimensional characters. (Simple can be dull.) Making it simple AND dramatic = that's the ticket!
Read my article about considering budget when writing your spec screenplay: [scriptcat.wordpress.com/2011/10/15/should-you-consider-budget-when-writing/][1] [1]: http://scriptcat.wordpress.com/2011/10/15/should-you-consider-budget-whe...
Excellent Mark, Thank you!
I believe Mark Sanderson's advice is very prudent if your goal is fame and fortune. One's pursuit of success, however, is too often unimportant to others. I wonder how many world-shaking scripts are never written because writers use these self-serving motives to animate their fingers on a keyboard. Thought reveals endless mystery, and we live in an age when art manifests in ever increasing sophistication. I would advise artists to ignore budget and all the rest to embrace it.
One can also write a movie script with a budget of one hundred million dollars and in today's marketplace, it most likely will never get made. If your realistic idea is to work in the film industry, time burns so quickly and one must be realistic about the odds of working. It's not about "fame and fortune" it's about working. A script is no good to anyone if it sits in a drawer or one spends fifteen years trying to get it made.
I have high-concept spec scripts (e.g. The Sound of Nightmares) and I have low budget scripts I want to take to the screen (e.g. Death Walks Behind You & Willie). Available for reading @ Don Patterson (Stage 32). There are plusses for writing both as a screen writer, but reality does have a way of limiting what one can or cannot do as a low budget film maker...
I just finished the first rough edit of a feature film I wrote, produced, and directed. My script saw countless revisions over a 10-year period because I initially thought I'd write it and try to sell it then, ultimately, decided to make it myself. Making this decision changed everything because of budget. I felt strongly about my main character and her story, so it was more important to me to see the film made than write a script that required a lot of complicated location set-ups, etc.
It's a personal choice to spend ten years of your life on a project or try to come up with ideas that can possible be made in today's marketplace. I'm not against someone's magnum opus and a story they just HAVE to tell and get made, but at the end of the day, it's a very long slog to get ANYTHING produced and it's a personal choice. I co-wrote and produced a film and it took 3 years of my life. I wouldn't do that again. My point was if you are writing specs that you want to sell in today's economy, lower budgets are the way to go, because if you are an unknown writer, they could take a chance on the material if it's good enough and doesn't have a budget of fifty million.
Yes... which is why I produced it myself!
Maybe I went a bit overboard. I'm sure you never would have guessed, but sometimes I tend to be idealistic. It's just that I am passionate about artists realizing their full potential. Since our "time is burning so quickly", I only hope we don't forget to write our masterpieces somewhere along the way. Maybe our grandchildren could sell them. And, besides, I think a writer's talent and inventiveness shine through despite the budget. I have fallen on my sword but am only wounded.
It depends on your goal. You can make up requirements for a script just as with any project or product. I'm working on a few short scripts right now in which my self-imposed requirements are: it has a main character that I will perform, it can be made with a very low budget, and it can be filmed in the Boston area.
My last film House for Sale was written with certain restrictions as well: 3 characters and one location. Of course, the story made this possible, and it was was a short film with a budget of 50,000$. I also produced, wrote, and directed it. My current feature film has four central locations and four central characters. With way too many un-produced med- to high budget scripts on the shelf, I am now focussing on bridging both worlds= create high quality low budget "do-able" films that are powerful, engaging and innovative. As a director, I want to make it simple for myself, as Ted Doko said, yet make something with artistic vision and depth that I am proud of and can be proud of down the road.