movies

Outlook: turbulent

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Back in January, I’d connected with a repped TV writer who offered to read one of my scripts. I sent it, and promptly forgot about it.

Jump ahead two months. I ask if they’d had a chance to read the script. Turns out they did and not only did they love it, asked if I’d be open to them passing it along to their reps.

Like I’m gonna say no to that?

This writer also mentioned they’d submitted scripts from other friends and acquaintances before, only to be turned down (it’s a BIG firm), so I should be aware my chances of getting through were quite, quite small.

My response – “Totally fine. I appreciate you giving it a try, and will check back in a few months if I don’t hear from you.”

I set a calendar reminder and again promptly forgot about it.

Earlier this week, the reminder pops up. Since I hadn’t heard anything, I assumed it was a pass. No big deal. Still happy to have even gotten that far. There was also the possibility they just hadn’t got to it yet. I get that. I’m not a priority. Just to be sure, I emailed the writer.

The response:

“Sorry for the delayed follow-up. The truth is, it’s not that they aren’t interested; they just haven’t read it. The industry is struggling right now, and agents are swamped trying to find work for their current clients. They simply don’t have the time to consider potential new clients at the moment. Some reps are even being let go or leaving on their own.”

Naturally, a bit disappointing, but also not surprising.

These are uncertain times, chums.

Not only are reps being let go, others are trimming their rosters – although I have seen a few writers getting repped, so there is that silver lining.

Summer movies that seem like slam-dunks are underperforming at the box office.

Studios are drastically cutting back on their output.

More than a few times I’ve heard or read somebody using the phrase “stay alive until ’25!”. In other words, do what you can to hang in there until next year – when things might start to pick up. Emphasis on ‘might’.

Last year’s strikes may have contributed to all of this, but they weren’t the only factors. Things are just different now, and from my perspective seems like everybody is struggling to adapt and nobody has any solid idea how to do that. The harsh reality that some people don’t mind waiting a few months, or even weeks now, for something currently in theaters to switch to streaming is causing a lot of headaches.

Also not helping – studios looking at AI to help cut production costs. That certainly doesn’t bode well, for writers or for anybody behind the scenes.

From somebody in my position – just trying to break in seems even tougher now. The industry is being much more selective. It’s getting tougher to get your script noticed – my experience, anyway. Seeing lots of mentions of them wanting pre-existing IP, so not as much attention being paid to original stuff. Another challenge.

Sometimes it’s like the universe is determined to make any progress for somebody like me as difficult and as insurmountable as possible.

But like a lot of you, I’m stubborn as all get out, and not easily deterred. All I can do is keep trying, keep writing, make connections and establish relationships, and hope for the best.

I like to think things will eventually start to improve in some capacity. No idea when, but it’ll happen. Probably a safe bet to say it’ll be bumpy on the way there.

Just another storm for us to endure.

There’s gold in them thar dumpster fires!

Maximum Z characters, craft, editing, education, film, movies, rewrite, screenplay, screenwriting, script, story, structure, writing, writing process , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Saw a great quote the other day that was along the lines of “Being a writer is like having homework for the rest of your life.”

From a certain perspective, that definitely has a negative connotation. Emphasizing the ‘work’ part of the word indicates drudgery and toil. Like, strictly dullsville, man.

The obvious solution is to make it a positive experience.

I know. Easier said than done, but bear with me.

(Writing should never seem like work anyway, but that’s another post.)

To be a better screenwriter, you need to read scripts and watch movies. You can see how the pros did it and figure out how that could potentially influence your work.

While watching your favorites and the classics can definitely help, I also suggest watching really shitty movies as well.

Hard as this might be to accept, there’s something be gained from it.

What was it that made them bad?

The possibilities are numerous, but a good percentage of the time – it’s the script.

As a writer, you can use that to your advantage.

Painful an experience as it might be, watch that bad movie from a writer’s perspective. Is it the writing that sucks? The story? The characters (and not the actors)? Is there a coherent sense of structure? Is there any structure at all? Does the story flow naturally, or do things happen because it seems like the story needs them to?

Maybe it feels like the writer didn’t take any chances, or worse, went for the very easy and cliched (i.e. expected) solution. Does anything in your script feel that way? If so, think about what changes you could make that would produce the same results, but get you there in a totally different way.

It may be 90-110 minutes of your life you’ll never get back, but at the very least you’ll get a better idea of what NOT to do when it comes to developing your script.

And that is a worthwhile lesson for any screenwriter.

The possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately 3,720 to 1

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During a recent break from the writing, I saw a few posts on social media celebrating the 43rd(!) anniversary of the release of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK.

I was around for that. Proudly so.

I decided to give it another watch, mostly for nostalgia’s sake.

Even though I’ve seen it numerous times, this time felt a little different. I found myself watching it from a writer’s point of view.*

It made for a very different experience, involving continuously making mental notes and asking questions.

“How did this look on the page?”

“Wow, that dialogue gets right to the point without being on-the-nose”

“What an incredibly tight scene”

“Pay attention to how the characters are shown changing over the course of the story”

Just seeing how smooth the story flows, how tight the whole thing is, and how all the subplots are laid out really struck a chord for me.

THIS is how I want my scripts to come across.

I’ve already said that this current draft of my sci-fi adventure is all about getting pages written and holding off on editing/revising until it’s complete. That still applies.

But when I do get to that point, I’m already anticipating looking at each scene and trying to figure out what changes could be made to achieve that same level of tightness, structure, and efficiency.

And it’s just a coincidence about my script being a similar genre; this approach would help no matter what I was working on.

This is all just further proof that a writer’s education never truly stops, watching well-written films can benefit your own writing process, and that there’s always an opportunity to learn how to improve your writing.

*Full acknowledgment to credited writers Leigh Brackett, Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas*

Bye-bye, red envelopes

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A sad day for cinephiles is on the horizon, and will be here before we know it.

Netflix has announced they’re ending their DVD service as of the end of September. I still subscribe to it, and deeply regret that it will no longer be an option.

More than a few friends would be surprised about my still getting discs in the mail. “How come, especially when there’s so much stuff streaming?” they would ask.

Simple – there are so many titles on DVD that aren’t available anywhere on streaming.

It’s easy to catch the latest box office smash, but what if you want an obscure C-grade horror film from 1973, or the Oscar winner for Best Documentary from 2002 (Murder on a Sunday Morning), or something from early in the career of a legendary Japanese director?

Without access to an extensive library of DVDs, you’re pretty much out of luck.

As screenwriters, movies are just part of our genetic makeup. We live for them and love to watch them – as many and as often as possible. It’s a no-frills film school.

Those of us of a certain age remember the thrill of going to the local video store with its wide variety of selections across multiple genres. (Blockbuster doesn’t count.). First it was VHS tapes, then DVDs, but the concept remained the same.

And if you were lucky, it had staff members who actually knew something about the films and could make suggestions and recommendations.

Another soon-to-be-lamented loss was that a lot of the films I’d get through Netflix had trailers for other films I’d never heard of but piqued my interest enough to add it to the queue. The cycle of “watch, add to the queue, watch, add to the queue” seemed neverending.

Until now.

So as we enjoy these last few months of DVD options, attention shall be redirected to the streamers. There are options, although not as many choices. Some of the streamers are part of some major studios with vast and expansive libraries of material, but only make available a fraction of what they have.

(Lookin’ at you, HBO Max with access to Warner Brothers.)

I know money and licensing rights play a big factor in this, but the opportunity to just sit down and watch a film I’ve never seen before will soon become a lot less possible.

And that’s a real shame.

A little effort with big results

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Who doesn’t like hearing that somebody liked something you wrote? Great feeling, isn’t it? You’ve put all that time and effort into it, and this is the response?

Now look at it from the other side – you read something and really liked it. Did you like it enough to let the writer know?

Go ahead and do that. It doesn’t even have to be somebody you know, or who asked you for a read.

It could be somebody with a script you read after hearing good things about it, or who wrote a book or a movie you really enjoyed.

Since so many creative types have an online presence, it’s becoming easier and easier to drop them a line and tell them what a great job they did.

I’ve done this a few times over the past few weeks. One was a veteran comic book writer, one was the creative team behind a show on Netflix, and another was the writer of a great low-budget horror-comedy. The latter two let me know how much they really appreciated it, while the former never responded, which is also a possibility. I just file it under “one of those things” and move on.

This isn’t saying you need to send a gushing lovefest of an email or tweet; just a few lines telling them you liked it. Probably take you all of a minute or two.

It can’t be stressed enough how much of a positive impact this sort of thing can have on a creator. Maybe they were having a rough day, and then your email or tweet pops up. Mood lifted.

It’s tough enough to succeed as a writer, so getting this little bit of encouragement out of the blue could go a long way in feeling like all the work you put in was worth it.

Even better – being the one who sent it.