Sit Down, Shut Up, and Write 6

Something like a wrap-up

So we’ve reached the final chapter of this first series about writing the screenplay.  We hope you’ve found the series to be helpful - obviously we’d love to be more comprehensive, and perhaps we’ll have the opportunity to do so in the future.  In the meantime, if these lessons have gotten you to write, or start writing, or even just consider it, we’re pretty happy.

So the one thing we want to talk about, and we hope we don’t de-romanticize the writing process even more, is about what to do once your screenplay is completed.  Some of you may think of it as a natural step, but for others, it can be as difficult as your protagonist’s second act.

The Short

For some of you, you’ve written a short.  Great.  Now make it! 

Yeah, OK, it’s not that simple - you do have to switch gears a bit.  The first question is - do you try to find people to make it for you, or do you make it yourself?  Whatever you decide, you ARE going to have to work with people, so get ready for that.  No more of the beautiful isolation and alone time you got to take advantage of while writing.

When you do begin making the film, remember that you’re in a position to retain a lot of creative control.  Don’t voluntarily give it up.  Make sure you’re a producer, not ‘just the writer’ (come on, it’s your story!) on the project, and make sure that the director you hire or partner with and the actors you cast are two things:  talented and trustworthy.

It’s true, without a director, or without actors, it’d be impossible to make your film.  But remember, there’d be no film to make at all without your script.

Practical ways to make your short:

Universities:

Your local college or university is a great place to find directors, cinematographers, actors, crew members, anyone interested in working in film and want the experience.

Festivals:

Once you finish your film, you need an audience.  That’s why places like The Smalls exist.  Submit your film online or go the more traditional route, and send it to festivals (google it, and you’ll find plenty).

And then what?:

Well, keep on making them, and once you have built up enough material, you may be able to parlay that into something bigger.  A longer script perhaps, or a production deal. 


Your Full Length Feature and the ‘Biz’

“There’d be no film to make at all without your script...”

Only moments ago, that seemed so true. 

For the rest of you, who are hoping to sell your full-length screenplay, the potential of your producing the project is less likely (though not impossible - you’re a writer, so you know there’s nothing ‘impossible’ in your stories, right?)

If you’re ever seen any movies about writers in Hollywood, you’ll quickly realize that the writer can sometimes (I’m not jaded enough to say ‘all the time’) be the least respected element of the moviemaking food chain.

Just rent Robert Altman’s ‘The Player’ again.  Or recall the scene from the Coen Brothers’ ‘Barton Fink’, where Barton is told by the Hollywood mogul Lipnik:

“You think you're the only writer who can give me that Barton Fink feeling?!  I got twenty writers under contract that I can ask for a Fink-type thing from.”

Oh yeah.

Well, that’s a movie.  In reality, I will tell you now, there is one truth that you can say to yourself every script you finish:

“Well, at least I’ll always have my first draft.”

After your first draft, all bets are off.  Whether you sell it to a studio, use it to get an agent, enter it in a competition, apply to a graduate school program, give it to your aunt to read, or print it out to read yourself, whatever form or shape it is in as a first draft will no longer be after you put it out into the world.

Consider that a good thing or bad thing - but truthfully, your screenplay will probably benefit from outside input and rewrites.  However, like eating too much ice cream or working out too much without resting, at a certain point, it can become really really bad for you.  How can you tell at what point this happens?

Don’t look to others for that answer - it’s entirely up to you.  If you start to feel lost r overwhelmed, remember this:  you still have the capacity to Think and Feel.  Those are the two things that are constantly in cahoots in storytelling. 

Think: how is this story working? 

Feel:  how is this story affecting me? 

With all the notes being thrown at you, it can get incredibly confusing.  But as long as you know your goal - much like your protagonist, you should be able to get to the end.  Not as safely as you might have expected, perhaps with a few more battle scars than the next guy, but you’ll get there.

Practical methods:

Agents:

You may think you need an agent.  You do and you don’t.  You don’t need an agent to sell your screenplay, or get a deal in play.  Actually, you wouldn’t be able to get an agent until you have a script that has drummed up interest - most agencies will not accept unsolicited scripts.

Let’s say you get your foot in the door at a production company, who wants to buy your script (in a perfect world!).  Or maybe you win a screenplay competition.  THAT is a perfect time to send a query letter to agencies (this you’ll need to look up for yourself on google, or resources like the Internet Movie Database).

Competitions:

There are many many many screenplay competitions out there.  Pick up a screenwriting magazine or search online to find them.  Many of them ask for entry fees, so it may not be financially feasible for you to enter them all, so choose wisely.

Note, if your screenplay has a specific focus or genre, you can narrow down the field.  The Sloan Foundation, for example, offers awards to science-based (not sci-fi) material. Specialized competitions are out there, so keep digging for them.

Lastly...

So do we have any wise words? 

Yeah. 

Shut up. Sit down.  And write.