Screenwriting : Would you.... by Lisa Clemens

I feel the issue is screenwriting is a highly speculative career path, very much akin to starting your own business as you're effectively designing, producing and marketing a product. Everything is loaded toward speculation until you make a sale. You get a manager, you're still writing for free until a sale, you get an agent, the same, you option to a producer for free, the same. But that's relatively healthy because hopefully those people are in the same position as you, they are speculating just as much time and effort as you, but bringing in a desirable skill set. However this breeds a middleman mentality that's far too naive. Those who think they're offering opportunity often lack the experience to look at their situation objectively and they often perceive the talent they want to utilise as an unlimited free resource. I do actually get the same issue in my day job, I'm a freelance marketing consultant and creative services supplier (print and web design) and offers of spec work are very common in this industry.

If I (or any writer) got $10 (a fast food meal) for every person who said to me "I can't pay you but when this epic film is released we will be rolling in money!!!" I would have $50,000. Here on Stage 32 I find if I am realistic about money I am accused of being negative and having no "love" for the art. I hear you, Lisa. I corresponded with a lawyer I met here for about six months offering advice on how to break in to producing including reading his series pilot, offering notes, helping with ideas and (in person) walking him around AFM last year. At dinner I asked him a specific legal question in his speciality and he told me he would be glad to set up a meeting and then gave me his consulting quote. He didn't want to be a lawyer for free. I fully understood. I wasn't angry but I did feel used. When I stopped offering free advice he got upset with me. Maybe we all need to follow the example of that lawyer.

Marcus, Fine line, right. Can't beat em join em. Or, "no one lets me in when I use my blinker why should I." Lawyers are a necessary evil set up by lawyers centuries ago. Called Solicitors. Oddly enough they outlaw prostitution and call it soliciting. At the OP I sold Real Estate in a past life and would get craftsman to work the backend. When the house sells the invoice is cured in Escrow. There are people who will do it. It is a choice, if the right person is selling the property and it is a sellable item, I guess.... IGE: A known name, with a proven track record, maybe.... Can't blame em for asking. After all it keeps the cobwebs and rust off the gear. This has been well discussed with what would you work for? We all have our price...

Lisa, I could not agree with you more. I get WEEKLY emails from writers asking me to write their scripts, do page one rewrites, or ask me for notes for FREE, when that is what I do for a living. First off, there is no such thing as a back end when the project doesn't exist. I see people posting on here all the time for it too. It's CRAZY. I tell them exactly this, "Thank you for your email. I would be happy to help you with your project, but it would be unfair to my hundreds of other paying clients if I did something free for you that they are paying for. So, if you'd like help, you can visit my site and order the service you think is best. Otherwise, I wish you the best of luck with your project." DONE.

Being a graphic designer & web developer in the entertainment industry I tend to get asked for help / free work quite often. And while I do wish I could work for free, free doesn't keep the lights on. With that said, I do tend to bend over backward to help everyone out because when it comes down to it, if I was in a position of needing help and not having enough money to get it done I hope someone would do the same for me. Gold rule stuff. But this guy doesn't sound legit at all. Their is a shitty tone in which he is coming off that I would suggest staying away from.

I have mixed emotions on this. When I did my first music video I charge them. Because I charged them they felt that I needed to do what they wanted. Since they were paying me I had to comply and I ended up not being very satisfied with the end product. One of his friends has recently contacted me asking if I would do a video for pay. I have thought about it for a week and decided that if I do it I'm not going to charge. The main reason being is I want to do what I want to do. I have a very different style than most and when I'm forced to do something other than my own creation I feel like I didn't accomplish anything. It all comes down to what you want out of it. If you just care about making money off the video then go ahead and get paid to take orders. I would rather not be payed and be able to be proud of my unique and avant-garde video that I created exactly how I wanted to.

Darren, that's the definition of a "job". If you are comfortable working for free so you can have full artistic control, that's great. That means you have some other form of income. In a way, I envy you. You can afford to do exactly what you want. I cannot. I earn my living as a writer so I must write what someone pays me to write even if it is not exactly my vision.

i can't remember a time before I began reading your post :)

D Marcus. The lawyering industry is very cute about how it makes money. It's a protected industry, people rarely undercut each other which keeps rates high. But then there's a much better supply and demand balance in that sector.

I think the good manners apply here; it's not acceptable to ask for anything, one can tell about problems and then wait for an offer. So if they don't have manners to begin with, I gather a straightforward answer is the best: No thanks, I have to earn my living.

As I said in my post, CJ, I fully understood why the lawyer would not give away his consulting services. I found it ironic that he was comfortable asking me to work for free when he was unwilling to answer any legal questions. It is quite acceptable for producers and directors to ask writers to work for free.

So true!! For some reason pretty much EVERYONE thinks that Animators work for free. Why?!