Debunking Hollywood Myths for Uncredited Screenwriters - Part 4

If you have plowed through the first three parts to this series and are back for the forth installment, then congratulations! You might just avoid many of the pitfalls suffered by hundreds of thousands of aspiring screenwriters around the world. So, are you ready to debunk a few more huge Hollywood myths? Great, let's continue with this common one...

Myth: “I have a BIG story, so I need a big star and a big producer.”

Research will shatter this myth, as well. Visit IMDb, then research the last twenty films of any particular star or production company. You’ll likely discover the credited screenwriter on every one of those films had a prove track record of previous credits, often major credits. So, it’s a safe bet that stars and major production companies will not deviate from the business practices they have used for twenty previous films. That means that new writers are totally wasting their time pitching screenplays to these companies. The great news is there are producers who will consider new writers, but those producers are not household names. Writers must pull their heads out of the clouds if they ever expect to spot real opportunities for that first screenplay sale.

The next myth is a classic.

Myth: “It only takes one to love my screenplay.”

Actually, it takes hundreds. If you haven’t watched all the end credits of a movie lately, then you really should. You’ll see hundreds of film professionals work on every studio production these days. All those folks believed in the movie. Before the movie was made, financiers believed in the movie enough to gamble over $100 million US dollars. People at the studio risked their jobs in championing the movie. Stars risked their reputations and future film quotes. Finally, if your agent LOVED your screenplay, that agent must still convince a superior at the agency to push it through the halls to construct a packaging deal. Others in the agency might not share your agent’s passion for the script, ending your celebration fast. If EVERYONE who reads your script loves it, then you actually have a reason to celebrate. But if only a few are excited, you better consider another draft. Remember, you ultimately need about 15 million moviegoers to love your story enough to dig into their pockets for a $10 bill. Otherwise, you will have many folks cursing your name.

Myth: “If I could just get my script through Hollywood’s gatekeepers…”

The very best way to guarantee your script will be read from cover-to-cover is by having people read it who know you. “Networking” is about much more than getting by gatekeepers. One must develop strong relationships to have a sustained Hollywood career. Think of it this way, is anyone logically going to make a $100 million movie with someone based on a resume or writing sample? No, people make movies with people they know and trust, based on time. If existing reputation is powerful enough, people will be open to taking limited chances. But all things being equal, people prefer to work with friends and colleagues who collaborated well together on past projects. Access is rarely the real problem in Hollywood. Having credibility is.

Debunking Hollywood Myths for Uncredited Screenwriters - Part 3

Time to confront more of those Hollywood myths that are stopping aspiring writers dead in their tracks.

Myth: “Everyone in Hollywood is looking for great, original stories”

If more writers did research, fewer writers would fall for this myth. Examine the membership of the Writers Guild of America, West, and you’ll discover that close to two-thirds make their money from working in television. Of that remaining one-third, you’ll find that the overwhelming majority sold screenplays that were adaptations from previously existing material, either a play, book, short story, comic book or graphic novel, or sequel or prequel from another movie. Of the remaining writers who sold spec original material in Hollywood, most of them are household names like Shane Black. Hollywood is so-risk avert, decision-makers would always prefer to greenlight a project that had a proven audience in another medium. So, that means that even when a writer does have a wonderful original writing sample, it will usually prove to be a very difficult sale, hardly a slam-dunk. Since getting rights to existing material can be more challenging, there is certainly an appeal to write something original. That’s fine, but just realize your chances of selling that original screenplay to a studio or major player are microscopic.

Myth: “Any story can be commercial if the studio markets it right.”

This myth is probably the biggest and most dangerous of all for uncredited screenwriters to believe. If one is William Goldman, Steven Zaillian, or Scott Frank, then yes, any story can be commercial, because brilliant writers have a track record of executing difficult material brilliantly. However, if you aren’t among the top fifty writers on the planet Earth, then I ask you to recall the last WGA Writers Strike. Didn’t that strike prove once and for all that the studios, now owned by multinational corporations, care exclusively about money? Your screenplay must be able to convince the studio financiers that there is a pot of gold awaiting everyone if the movie is made. Otherwise, it will be a very tough sell, indeed. The percentages of selling go up if you have an action-adventure or a broad comedy. Thrillers and horror scripts are fine, too. But dramas, period pieces, and character studies are not going to appeal to today’s studio executive, unless you have major talent attached. Victoria Wisdom has spoken extensively about this topic and her class is worth your time to hear if given the opportunity. I remember speaking to Sharon Calahan, the Cinematographer for “Finding Nemo.” She told me that Pixar spends years locking down a commercially good story before ever moving to the animation stage. It’s too expensive to revise after hundreds of animators begin working is the rational. But the greatest benefit is that every Pixar film has had universal appeal and, as a result, made a ton of money. It’s easy to market a film that’s highly commercial. Note: by “commercial”, I don’t necessarily mean it must be very “high concept” although it certainly doesn’t hurt if it is. “Wedding Crashers” and “Liar, Liar” were high concept and commercial. “Animal House” and “Top Gun” were not especially high concept, but they were extremely well-written and designed to get asses into theater seats. If you have a great idea (high concept), then you are halfway there. But at least focus your primary efforts on genres that maximize your chances for a script sale.

So, do I mean you can't consider writing an original story? Of course not. They should be written as writing samples if you feel quite passionate about the story. You just need to understand how difficult such stories will be to sell in the Hollywood marketplace. Also, realize that even after you have written a BRILLIANT script (if you ever do), studios still might not know how to market it and it can underperform at the box office. I recall the remarkable film "When A Man Loves A Woman" from the amazing script written by Ron Bass & Al Franken. The studio didn't know how to market it, so the movie trailors were cut to make it appear that it was a romantic comedy. Although there was enough humor for a 30-second commercial, the film was hardly comedic; it was a very serious examination into alcoholism. Audiences left the theaters feeling like the victims of "bait & switch." Bad word-of-mouth prevented the film from achieving the success it fully deserved. But consider the poor studio marketing execs dilemma. On a Saturday night, do young couples really want to spend two serious hours involving a story about alcoholism? Hollywood will consider original. But you must develop a very commercially powerful story. If in doubt, get feedback on your story first before showing it to your valuable industry contacts.

Debunking Hollywood Myths for Uncredited Screenwriters - Part 2

Today, I will debunk two myths which uncredited writers would universally accept as facts. Because no one has bothered to explain the truth, far too many aspiring writers spend years of their lives failing to advance their Hollywood dreams into actual progress. It's time to challenge the conventional wisdom!

Myth: “If I had a big agent, then my success would be assured.”

I’ve had the opportunity to interview countless writers at various Sherwood Oaks College events and elsewhere. I was surprised to learn just how often writers had changed representation. The most typical reason cited for the change was the general belief that the literary agent had failed to achieve any tangible results desired by the writer client. Most writers had actually arranged their own deals with producers and studios via their networking. Don’t get me wrong, a dedicated agent and/or management team in your corner can be a powerful asset. But no agent in town can sell material before it’s ready. And arguably, writers can and do get doors open themselves when the material is ready. Worse is the perception that one needs to be repped by a large agency. Unfortunately, bigger is not always better. Large agencies specialize in packaging proven talent together to maximize the agency commission on each deal. Uncredited writers need not apply, because they can’t possibly generate the commission of a writer with substantial credits. On occasion, a big agent will sign a new writer who wins a major screenplay contest, etc. But when that writer’s scripts fail to sell immediately in the marketplace, the writer will find phone calls from their new high-powered agent are not returned. To be blunt, big agencies care about deals, not people. You must realize your success will ultimately depend more on writing talent and networking than any agent. If you want proof of this, ask any writer with credits!

Myth: “I might sell my screenplay at a Pitching event like so many others have done.”

Aspiring writers want access to Hollywood decision-makers, who in turn are seeking quality material to buy. So, understandably, pitching events appear to be the ideal place for “buyers” and “sellers” to meet. But the uncredited writer’s excitement to pitch clouds the truth about the limitations of most pitching events. Let’s examine this myth. The typical person hearing pitches from writers on a weekend is rarely a company decision-maker. Therefore, writers are not truly pitching to “buyers”; hence there is really no practice expectation of selling a screenplay. The person hearing pitches is often a junior development exec, an assistant, perhaps even the company receptionist. The chance to hear pitches and get paid usually $100 plus lunch is plenty enough incentive for someone seeking career advancement at companies. Yet, on occasion, the person will be a senior exec, so there will be an opportunity to make an impression. But it’s hard to standout when limited to five minute pitches, sandwiched between thousands of mediocre pitches. The people hearing pitches are numb and have migraines by the end of the day. I have been one of those people before, and I remember how I felt. Of course, that doesn’t mean there aren’t wonderful benefits to attending pitching events. Writers meet industry people, a critical first meeting. Writers are not required to pitch during their five minute meetings. I strongly recommend NOT pitching, but instead use the five minutes to get to know the contact better, what types of projects do they personally seek, etc. Then, the writer can have radar out, looking for such projects knowing they have a contact passionate to read that material. But it isn’t bad to get practical experience pitching. Also, there have been rare cases when material eventually was sold via pitching (although I can’t recall the movie ever being produced to date). Some projects have been eventually optioned. More writers have ended up getting representation from literary agents and managers. So, there are positive benefits to be gained. But don’t assume that just because someone requests your script that big things will happen. Based on hundreds of thousands of unsuccessful pitches from writers, pitching events frequently promise more than they deliver. Be smart, polished, and realistic before you attend these events. Naturally, you better have a script that lives up to your pitch or you will learn the meaning of rejection fast.

More debunking is to come...

Debunking Hollywood Myths for Uncredited Screenwriters - Part 1

The light switch is either on or off. A woman is either pregnant or not pregnant. In Hollywood, you are either a credited screenwriter or you aren’t. For the uncredited screenwriter, this distinction is critically important to understand. Unfortunately Hollywood itself too often clouds this distinction. As a result, many myths have developed in and around the entertainment industry that have substantially diminished the aspiring screenwriter’s chances at attaining that first screenplay sale.

Let’s start by examining the word, MYTH: a traditional story accepted as history that serves to explain the world view of a people. In this case, the “people” are uncredited screenwriters. Such aspiring writers toil for many years, spending thousands of dollars and thousands of hours in pursuit of their first screenplay sale. Yet, tragically, 99% of writers NEVER sell a screenplay. Why do so many fail? In this new series of posts, I will examine some of the most common myths faced by uncredited screenwriters for the answers. Today, I'll tackle two of the big ones!

Myth: “It took years to sell screenplays like ‘Forrest Gump.’ It’s only a matter of time before my screenplay sells if enough people see it.”

This myth rationalizes failure and causes many writers to never have a chance at a Hollywood career. True, it can, indeed, take years for professional writers to sell a particular project. But writers must challenge any belief that affects their career progress. Although each human being is born with certain innate talents, no one is born a naturally gifted screenwriter. Every A-list screenwriter in Hollywood will testify to this fact. Eric Roth, the incredibly talented writer of “Forrest Gump,” managed to get paid for at least eleven projects before “Forrest Gump” was released. That is a great deal of evidence that Mr. Roth had talent.. Trust me, if Tom Hanks and Robert Zemeckis are considering your screenplay, then you have tremendous talent. If NO ONE has ever paid you for your writing, then you shouldn’t assume your material is automatically worthy of consideration by major Hollywood literary agents, managers, and producers. Unfortunately, every day, writers send out material before it’s ready and forever burn bridges with their contacts based on this myth.

Myth: “Plenty of aspiring screenwriters sell their first screenplay to major Hollywood players. I can do it, too.”

I understand how many new to Hollywood get tripped up on this myth. The industry trades are notorious for perpetuating such a perception. But, this one is pretty easy to shoot down. Just do a Google search of everyone’s background before that first screenplay sale. What you’ll find are seasoned professionals who usually spent MANY YEARS learning about the entertainment industry from many occupational aspects before becoming screenwriters. Then, there was time spent developing their writing craft, which doesn’t just happen by sleeping with screenplays under their pillows. Very hard work is involved. Finally, when enough knowledge and dedication intersect with enough opportunity, the giant first script sale happens. But such success rarely happens “overnight.”

Yes, you can find the occasional Diablo Cody out there. Of course, it is worth mentioning that she is a brilliant (maybe one-in-a-million brilliant) writer. She also had proven to people in Hollywood who matter that she had a unique talent for storytelling. That’s why she got to write the Steven Spielberg-produced series, “The United States of Tara.” If you are that good of a writer, then every studio in town is offering you a deal. Few writers generate such heat early in their careers. I have more than a few writers tell me they want to star in their first feature script. After all, Sylvester Stallone did it in “Rocky.” But we must remember, that was 1979! I don’t see that happening much lately. True, Peter Mehlman got his first television staffing job on “Seinfeld.” But he had been a successful writer of national magazine articles for years before. Do research and test this myth. You’ll quickly reevaluate the difficulty in writers selling their first script.

Coming Up: The Most Honest Panel Ever Assembled for Aspiring Screenwriters

A two-hour Hollywood panel by itself would not ordinarily be a genuine stepping stone to success for aspiring screenwriters. But this panel is an extraordinary exception. Over the last four decades, Gary Shusett has run Sherwood Oaks College in Hollywood and learned who’s who in the entertainment industry.

Surprisingly, Mr. Shusett determined there are currently less than 10 film professionals in the entire United States who feel comfortable enough to reveal the absolute truth about aspiring writers’ material. Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of writers spend many years creating screenplays with virtually no chance of finding a buyer because the writers have never received honest feedback about the materials’ true commercial viability.

On Friday, January 29, 2010 from 9:00 am to 11:00 am, Sherwood Oaks College will have more than half of these “truth tellers” on one amazing panel. The panelists will discuss what is actually required for screenplay stories to be at the professional level necessary for today’s Hollywood marketplace. Writers in attendance will have the extremely rare opportunity to get completely honest (but not mean-spirited) feedback on their screenplay loglines.

This special panel is part of a comprehensive two-day class at Warner Bros. and Sony studios. However anyone may enroll in this special session separately for a fee of $29, till space is filled. (Sherwood Oaks College is not officially associated with either Warner Bros. Studios or Sony Studios.)

Confirmed panelists* include:
Jonathan Krane (Producer of “Face Off”)
David Warden (Literary Agent who sold “Deja Vu” for seven million for his client)
Bruce Bartlett (Literary Agent for Above the Line)
Chris Lockhart (Head of Sony Story Department (William Morris /Endeavor)
Bo Zenga (Producer-Director-Actor)
Gary Shusett (The Panel Moderator and Sherwood Oaks College founder, who is currently writing a book about the school’s history.)

* These are working professionals with busy schedules. Appearances are subject to change without notice, but appropriate last-minute substitute panelists may be added.

For location information or enrollment, please contact Gary Shusett, E-mail: sherwoodoak@aol.com, Phone: (323) 851-1769, Website: www.SherwoodOaksCollege.com

Earthly Truths About "Development Hell"

Just listen to any veteran screenwriter speak in public and before long you’ll hear the words, “Development Hell.” As used by studios and production companies, “Development” is the process to prepare a screenplay for production, usually through a series of script drafts. The “Hell” comes in when this process takes years. Far too often, original screenwriters are removed from their own projects after turning in the first rewrite, replaced by more experienced writers (or writers who work frequently with certain directors or actors). There is a fascinating video clip in the left hand column in which Michael Arndt explains his experience with Development Hell to J.J. Abrams. Yet even after countless drafts from several different writers have been created, many a project dies a slow death in Development for a multitude of reasons. Unfortunately, screenplay development is required much of the time because screen stories so often contain serious deficiencies.

Even A-List screenwriters must deal with Development. In fact, almost every writer in Hollywood has been replaced and rewritten at some point, including Steven Zaillian, Robert Towne, and William Goldman. Why does this happen? Because, to use Goldman’s famous quote: “No one knows anything.” But that famous quote is rarely quoted in its proper context as it was written in Goldman’s book, Adventures in the Screen Trade. What Goldman meant was when two good movies open on the same weekend, no one in Hollywood will be able to predict which movie will become the box office king. This reality terrifies the risk adverse Hollywood studios. So, studio executives and producers who fear losing their high paying jobs will often buy an “insurance policy.” Namely, they will hire an A-list writer to rewrite the script before shooting begins. That way, if the movie tanks, then the executive can cover his/her ass by saying, “I got an Oscar-winning writer to doctor the script. What else could I have done?”

But where there is often no consensus on what constitutes a commercially successful film at the box office, there is generally consensus among industry professionals of what is an example of superior writing. Why? Because great writing isn’t really subjective. Generally speaking, one can tell brilliant writing by the bottom of the first page. Equally, industry professionals can tell terrible writing on the first page as well. They rarely are rewarded as they continue reading a bad script. They simply never improve if they are awful on page one.

Interpreting what is in between brilliant and awful is more difficult to do. That means reading more of the script. But the problem with most writers is they are not tough enough on their own material. Steven Cannell, speaking on a panel explained it this way: “Usually when I speak with published and produced writers, they believe their current material is horrendous. They are really hacks with no talent at all. But writers who have never sold anything in their lives, for some reason, believe they are naturally gifted talents. Of course, in truth they are universally terrible. But they won’t see it. I find that fascinating.” The rest of the successful panelists agreed.

Steven Barnes, who has seventeen published novels, explained the problem suffered by most non-professional writers. “New writers don’t appreciate the difficulty in learning the craft of writing. It takes years of dedicated discipline, reading, writing, and re-writing.” There are no shortcuts to the path of becoming a great writer. One needs to learn the craft one step at a time. Ray Bradbury felt the same way, explaining he felt like a complete fake for several years as a writer. At some point, Bradbury realized he had become a professional at the craft. But he estimated he had likely banged out over one million words from his typewriter by the time he reached that level of confidence.

So, if you really want to avoid a horrible experience with the Development process, then you really must first master the craft of writing and work to create a logically-tight screenplay. If your script has serious Act 2 problems, you better not assume the deficiencies will be corrected in the Development Department. Sadly, the script will never reach Development. Think about it, companies have finite resources. So, it’s a big deal to commit a project to Development. It makes sense for companies to start with the best executed screenplays available. How strong are YOUR writing samples? If you aren’t 100% certain, then you should positively get coverage, either from me or someone like me, someone who will give you totally honest feedback about your material before submitting it to the Hollywood gatekeepers. Because the only thing worse than “Development Hell” is “Rejection Hell.”

Writing Scripts at the Professional Level is Hard, Really Hard

In case you didn’t know, there are hundreds of thousands of aspiring and veteran screenwriters around the world competing for precious few Hollywood opportunities. Invariably, the sales, options, writing assignments, and staffing positions go to the screenwriters who demonstrate a confident ability to execute professionally on the written page. How easy is that? It’s just about the hardest thing to do in the entertainment industry. I arrive at that conclusion after interviewing countless entertainment industry professionals, primarily at Sherwood Oaks Experimental College, The Scriptwriters Network and Screenwriting Expos.

For one particular Sherwood Oaks class, I interviewed Larry Kaplow, Executive Producer of HOUSE. I was curious how his expectations of the Writers Room differed from its reality. His answer was insightful. “Everything changed for me when I got in that room. From the outside, one can’t really understand. But when I was finally looking at a show from the inside, I realized that everything I previously thought about the Industry was different.” For example, Larry and his writing partner currently do their own medical research for HOUSE episodes. It is not uncommon for them to spend approximately one hundred hours on the research and writing of each 44-minute episode that airs (without commercials).

The Oscar-winning writer, Steve Zaillian, explained his writing process to me during an interview at the ArcLight Cinema for the “Story to Glory” film series. Since he mostly does adaptations, he usually researches his projects quite extensively. The research can take months. Although Zaillian only writes a couple of drafts, it generally takes Zaillian approximately 6 months to 18 months to complete the script before he turns in the work to producers, studios, or directors. All “A-List” Hollywood writers have their own writing process, but generally they work from extensive outlines, they usually know the script’s ending in advance, and they often do many, many drafts of the script before the final product is circulated. Zaillian, like so many other professional writers, works an eight hour day, five days per week. It is his job, and he is completely committed to it. Anyone wanting to work in the Industry needs to be equally committed in order to succeed.

At another ArcLight Cinema event, I asked veteran screenwriter Ronnie Shusett how many drafts he did for Director Paul Verhoven on “Total Recall.” Ronnie’s answer shocked a crowded audience of writers. “I did 32 rewrites, varying from complete drafts to polishes. I believe I was paid for 28 of them, but that is rare. Usually, I do many drafts for free during a project.” Ronnie’s answer didn’t surprise me. Bruce Joel Rubin mentioned that he did over 20 drafts of “Ghost” for director Jerry Zucker.

So, if you believe you have a wonderful screenplay draft that Hollywood can’t live without, you might be truly surprised just how hard it is to get anyone to take you seriously, especially without any previous credits, no reputation, and no one to vouch for your professionalism and ability. Fortunately, there are people in Hollywood who truly love writers and will provide genuine encouragement. The trick, of course, is finding them! Many helpful writer resources are located in the left hand column of this blog.