19 Responses to “Flukey Friday — What else?”

1. suburban screenwriter on Friday: 18 May 2007|1951

   Let me know when the screenwriting articles site is up I know I had my reservations previously but thats really before I had grown some with my own blog…I think I had checked out the chat/forum room once but I’ll look into it again when I have a chance.

2. spatula on Friday: 18 May 2007|2213

   Ooh, I like the visual pitch idea there… I sometimes wonder if the money-men can actually read words. Since the ultimate goal of a pitch for a film is to get a film made, why not use the same format there? It also makes ideas more “flashy” when they’re a symphony of visual and audio.
   Also, is that Gandalf there? Because he’s the totally coolest person in the world, next to Alf, of course.

3. Unk on Friday: 18 May 2007|2234

   SS,

   Will announce it here first…

   Spat,

   Yeah, it’s definitely a good idea — hope it works out!

   And no, the character is THE HERMIT on a tarot card… LOL.

   Unk

4. Laura Reyna on Saturday: 19 May 2007|1027

   Gas for under $3.00/gl? Whoa. WTF?

   We’ve been paying $3.45 to $3.60 for a while now.

   Gas & computers are the biggest fucking rackets in the world. LOL!

   Thanks for the link. Will check out. :-)

5. MaryAn on Saturday: 19 May 2007|1114

   100% of the jerks who have ever told me to write a novel have never read a word of my screenplays. Not one word. I’m sick to death of being told that because of my age, gender, and geography, combined with the defeatest attitude that nobodies from Hooterville can’t be screenwriters, I need to write a novel. I have no idea if that’s what August’s post says but that’s what I keep getting told by so-called “experts” and I’m pretty fed up with it because it’s not based on ME. It’s based on THEM and it’s downright ignorant to sum up my potential based on somebody else because that’s like saying I can’t drive a stick shift because my neighbor’s grandfather wrecked his Ford Pinto when he was in high school and you know what else? I SUCK AT WRITING NOVELS but gimme a stick and get out of the way.

   Guess I’ll go read August now… I may owe him an apology.

6. Unk on Saturday: 19 May 2007|1437

   MaryAn,

   First of all, I would never tell you NOT to write a screenplay… Or anyone for that matter. I do however, think it’s true that some stories would be better off as novels.

   Having said that… If it were ME and I wanted to write screenplays that could ALSO be novels, I would try to write the very best screenplay I could out of the material so that maybe later on down the line, I could take that screenplay as an outline and write a novel around it.

   I think screenplays make a hell of a lot better outlines for novels than novels make outlines for screenplays.

   And besides… How the fuck would ANYONE know for sure what story would be better off as a novel? Mr. August simply paints some broad strokes to hopefully get some of US to think about it… That’s all.

   I think if someone wants to write screenplays over novels but the stories they write might be better off as novels, then they need to HUNKER DOWN and figure out how to tweak that story so that it’s a movie… Assuming they want to sell that screenplay or win a contest as I know a lot of screenwriters want to do.

   Because EVEN IF someone takes the Worm Farm Debutante and writes a screenplay that wins a contest, I still don’t know that I would want that screenwriter to sit down and write me a thriller. The chances are GREAT… OVERWHELMINGLY GREAT that the Worm Farm Debutante is never gonna get made so really… What has that screenwriter accomplished?

   They certainly accomplished the feat of writing a decent screenplay but one of the keys to writing a great screenplay is writing something that is gonna get made or at the very least, get some real attention by those who can get things made.

   The Worm Farm Debutante screenplay doesn’t really have that chance unless you flesh in some aspects of commercialism into the story.

   The Worm Farm Debutante screenwriter who wins the contest has to now figure out how to write scripts that producers want to make… Depending on the screenwriter, that could prove difficult at best because Hollywood is LITTERED with the remains of Worm Farm Debutante screenwriters.

   Unk

7. MaryAn on Saturday: 19 May 2007|1924

   But if a writer’s future is akin to that of a discarded Big Mac wrapper kicked to the curb of Hollywood Boulevard, well then at least he got there doing what he loves to do and not what somebody told him he ought to do.

   Better that than wasting precious years doing what he doesn’t love in hopes of eventually getting an opportunity to do what he loves…life is too short for that. That’s what makes me crazy about people telling me to write novels. Writing novels is not what I love to do. Am I the William Hung or Sanjaya Malakar of screenwriting? If so, then somebody better grow a pair and tell me so instead of suggesting I write novels.

   Of course, that brings us back to the “writing because you love to write and not because you want to see it made into a movie argument” and we know where we both stand on that.

   You get it. But you don’t get it. And as for me, it’s not that I don’t care whether my films get made but I’m still learning to walk so I’m not even thinking about the Boston Marathon yet and people are already telling me to ride a bicycle instead of learning to run.

   That, I just don’t get.

8. Unk on Saturday: 19 May 2007|2044

   MaryAn,

   You said:

   “But if a writer’s future is akin to that of a discarded Big Mac wrapper kicked to the curb of Hollywood Boulevard, well then at least he got there doing what he loves to do and not what somebody told him he ought to do.”

   Yup. I agree. And you never know what THAT SCREENWRITER might be bringing to the table. I would only offer that in REALITY, this is ENOUGH of a NUMBERS GAME that one should be a complete REALIST when it comes to writing these kinds of screenplays. If that’s all you want to write, write them with the complete and full knowledge that you run the risk of not being in that precious 2% of screenplays that get read and get made… And to be honest, it’s probably LESS than that.

   You said:

   “Better that than wasting precious years doing what he doesn’t love in hopes of eventually getting an opportunity to do what he loves…life is too short for that.”

   Again, I completely agree. However, I think Mr. August’s post and what I’m adding to the discussion is that for those people out there that really do not know whether their MATERIAL should be a screenplay or a novel, simply take heed and consider the possibilities… Unless of course you are IN FACT personally DESTINED to be a screenwriter. In that case, keep writing screenplays!

   Having said that, there are those out there that are NOT IN LOVE with screenwriting (for instance, read the email preceding Mr. August’s post) who don’t know what to do… i.e., they really don’t care either way.

   What you’re bringing into the discussion are those NAYSAYERS out there who just lump you into their little black clouds and say, “Write a novel instead.” Fuck them. Who the fuck are they anyway? LOL.

   I sincerely believe that even if somebody writes so friggin’ terrible that they have absolutely ZERO chance of ever selling a script but LOVE THE PROCESS and it makes them happy, then they should keep doing it. Even if they never get better or never sell anything… BUT, when and IF the time ever comes where they start to wonder why they’ve not broken into the business, then what? They have only themselves to blame, right? But if they never experience those kinds of feelings… Cool. They can just keep writing for the JOY OF WRITING.

   You said:

   “Writing novels is not what I love to do. Am I the William Hung or Sanjaya Malakar of screenwriting? If so, then somebody better grow a pair and tell me so instead of suggesting I write novels.”

   Again, you’re right and if it were ME, I would be the first to tell someone that. I would never tell someone writing a screenplay that they should be writing a novel. I’ll just tell them why I think it’s good or bad… It’s not MY JOB to send them into a new career direction… LOL. Who the fuck am I? While I think I could write a novel, I never have and I would certainly feel like I would have to take say, 6 months or a year to learn as much as I can about it before attempting a feat like that. So if that’s true (and it is for me), who the fuck am I to tell someone to go write a novel? Which translates to who the fuck are these people telling you that? Are they novelists? Are they screenwriters? Or are they just naysayers?

   You said:

   “Of course, that brings us back to the “writing because you love to write and not because you want to see it made into a movie argument” and we know where we both stand on that.”

   Yup! And you stole the next words right out of my mouth… LOL. You do it for the LOVE of it without worrying about getting it made or breaking in… You LOVE IT. I get that, I really do but at the same time, you enter The Nicholl so at some point, on some level, some part of you wants to know if you’ve got what it takes, right?

   What I don’t get is how the Nicholl validates that MORE than selling a spec script. Let’s face facts… Most of those winning scripts will never get made yet some of those writers CONTINUE to write the same kind of stuff.

   However, I will acknowledge that at least one would know that their writing is good. Not great unless the screenplay gets made into a movie. One would know that they know how to create and develop a story and take it through to completion. And, if that person is happy doing that over and over with the NUMBERS pretty much dictating that they will very likely continue to keep doing that over and over again, hey… I’m cool with it but I don’t get it.

   Unk

9. Clive on Sunday: 20 May 2007|0932

   I am laughing my ass off here in the UK. I pay $8.80 a gallon for gas, that’s cheap here and prices are bound to rise again in the next year — they always do.

   On the whole John August, should I write a screenplay or a novel question, I’m pretty much of the opinion that if you have to ask that question you shouldn’t do either.

   That may sound harsh, but when asked by a grad student “Is writing a good career choice?” my literary hero Charles Bukowski replied “Son, you don’t choose writing, writing chooses you.”

   I totally agree with his take on that. People who see screenwriting as an option, especially a career option, aren’t screenwriters, in my less than humble opinion. You either HAVE to do it, at any cost, or you don’t. At which point the question to write one or not is moot.

   I’ve tried any number of times to talk myself out of screenwriting, but the problem is on deep and fundamental level I don’t really have a choice. It isn’t what I do or what I aspire to do, it’s who I am.

   Now, I think where a lot of people lose the plot around this issue is they hold a view that the goal of a screenwriter is to SELL screenplays and to make a living doing it. When, actually selling screenplays and making money are a by-product of that process. The primary goal of a screenwriter is to write the best goddamn movie you can. Period. That’s it. The secondary goal ought to be to see a script you really believe in get into production. If money and a career follow from that, fab.

   Now, I’ve just sent three treatments and script extracts off to Cannes, with my script partner and the truth is his goal is to get those screenplays sold. But, the money is less important than getting those scripts the production qualities they need to do the script justice. For some of those scripts that will take serious investment. At this point securing that investment is more important than anything else.

   One of the conclusions I’ve come to over the last three years, whilst I’ve been living on the bread line in order to carry on writing is this: I can’t afford to take a strategic approach to screenwriting, to write scripts just because I think they will sell, in order to at some future date have the freedom to write the films I really want to write. I’ve seen too many writers follow the traditional career path of writing for the sake of earning a living and frankly once they’re on that path, they never, ever get off it. I also think it leads to shoddy writing.

   More importantly than that, I genuinely believe the scripts that will sell are the scripts that are written by people who have a genuine passion for the stories they are telling and who are so in love with screenwriting they are constantly challenging their own standards of work. It’s not enough to be competent, it’s got to be outstanding.

   Personally, I don’t enter screenplay contests — I don’t enter them because they have nothing at all to do with screenwriting. Screenwriting is about creating a filmic story and the script exist to bring a film into existence. Screenplay competitions seem to me to be about feeding into people’s need for external validation and their fears that their work will only ever be seen by the industry if they have someone else say “Guys, this is good enough, you should talk to this person.”

   Truth is, great scripts speak for themselves, great scripts are rare in the industry and everyone is looking for them. Script competitions are a parasite on the industry and they pander to people’s insecurities.

   Let me make a suggestion to anyone going down the script competition route: save a year’s worth of entrance fees by putting them into a savings account instead — work like hell on creating the best damn script you can — then when you’ve saved $1000 by NOT entering contests, swing over to my blog http://www1000dollarfilm.com and I’ll give you as much help and experience as I can to use that $1000 to make your script into an actual film.

   If you really want to know if you can do this thing, forget contests and get a script into production. Nothing will tell you faster what your weaknesses and strengths are. It’s real education and it will either make or break you as a writer.

   OK — rant over! Phew.

10. Clive on Monday: 21 May 2007|0444

    i’m laughing my ass off here in the UK. $3.60 for gas, I wish. We pay $8.80 a gallon and upwards of that. The vast majority of that is tax, but on the other hand I do get absolutely free medical care for my whole life — so, go figure.

    On the whole John August, write a novel or write a screenplay issue. There’s definitely a case for saying that some stories make great novels but are less well suited for screenplays — and visa versa. And as a screenwriter it’s part of my gig to know the difference. However, where I disagree with Unk over this, is that the decision to write either a novel or a screenplay should be made purely on the basis of second guessing what the market will buy.

    My literary hero Charles Bukowski was once asked by a grad student whether writing was a good career choice, and he replied “Son, you don’t choose writing, writing chooses you.”

    I’m completely with him on that point. Not only do I agree with him, but I also believe that the only screenplays a writer should be writing are the screenplays they are passionate about. When I stop writing what I want to write and start trying to second guess the market, my writing is going to suffer. If that means the one thing I need to write is my epic Worm Farm Debutante script, then that’s what I should be doing.

    Now, I think there are sound commercial reasons for, want of a better analogy, following your muse and writing the kind of films you really want to see made, whether they fit into the very narrow “commercially viable” spectrum of Hollywood or not. I’ve seen so many writers go down the “I’ll write what the industry want, and then when I make it I’ll write what I want” route and the truth is once they get on that treadmill, they never come off it. Some where along the line they traded a life of being a writer, for a life of getting paid to write. Those two things are not the same.

    As a screenwriter I my primary goal has to be to create the best screenplay I possibly can. Period. The next goal is to see a script I really believe in get into production, because the only reason screenplays exist is to be the template and motivation to create a movie. In my opinion any money that is earned and career advancement that happens is a by-product of screenwriting, not its goal.

    Now, the truth is the media industry is changing rapidly and it’s also true that Hollywood caters for a fairly narrow demographic. They are the part of the industry that makes product for mass global markets, there is no doubt that they are the part of the industry where the money is. But, the industry is larger and more diverse than just Hollywood and where a screenplay about a worm farm debutante may not raise the pulse of a Hollywood producer, it might be exactly the kind of film that excites a Scandinavian or German producer. And, with production costs, equipment prices and the ease of digital production all challenging the notion that screenplays have to have multi-million pound backing to become movies, then there are now a wide diversity of options above and beyond writing and selling into the narrow sector that is Hollywood.

    As screenwriters we have to ask ourselves one simple question, am I doing this because I want to make films or am I doing this because I want to make money?

    Personally I think if your motivation is to make great films then in the long run you’ll end up creating sometime special, simply because you’ll constantly challenge yourself to make a great product and won’t give in ever. If the motivation is to build a career and make money then I think it’s inevitable that the vast majority of writers will quit before that happens.

    I’ve really over written this comment, and actually my point is a simple one: a film script is only great if you can make a great film from it and if your motivation for writing is to make a great film then the possibilities are out there to make that happen. But, that’s not the same as saying you’re going to make lots of money and be big in Hollywood, because Hollywood is only one small part of the global film industry. It is however the part with all the money.

    One final thing. Screenwritng competitions have absolutely nothing to do with screenwriting. They are parasites that feed on the insecurities of screenwriters. We write scripts and then we do our best to get those scripts turned into films. Anything else is a diversion from the job.

    Instead of entering contest I suggest that you take the money you would have spent on entering, put it in a savings account and when you’ve got $1000 that you would have thrown away on entering contests, you swing over to my site and I’ll share my experience of making the damn script into a movie on that $1000 budget. You’ll learn more from seeing your script translated into a film (even if it’s dire) than you ever will from entering contests — and more importantly you’ll be taking control of your creative life instead of waiting for someone else to open the door to the magic kingdom.

    1000dollarfilm.com

11. Clive on Monday: 21 May 2007|0605

    Hmm, third attempt to post this comment. Am I barred? LOL

    First, I’m currently paying $8.80 a gallon for gas here in the UK, so I’ve been laughing my ass off over the whole $3.30-$3.60 crisis. Of course the tax from it does mean I get free medical for my entire life and a smoker that’s got to be a good thing! LOL

    It’s not often I disagree with Unk, but on this one thing I do. I really believe that a well written Worm Farm Debutante script has commercial value, but only if the writer is prepared to look outside of the Hollywood mass market and realize that there are other places that make films and they’re not all looking for the next mass market thriller. You won’t make as much money (if any) off the project, but there are other markets.

    A German producer or even a Scandinavian might well find the Worm Farm Debutante movie fascinating. My script editor is Norwegian, a successful screenwriter in her own country and her scripts would never make sales in the Hollywood marketplace.

    The question as screenwriters we have to ask ourselves is are we going to write the films we passionately believe in and then find markets that want those films (even if we have to create them ourselves as script writer/producers) or are we tailoring our output to reach the narrow spectrum of films that can be sold in the global mass market via Hollywood.

    That decision is ultimately a personal one. It’s one I made for myself and have never really regretted. But, it’s also not an either or decision — in my own case I write some scripts that will only ever appeal to European Producer and American Independents and I also write scripts that could easily slot into Hollywood mainstream. However, in each case I’ve written the script because I wanted to write that particular story; I’m passionate about it. The possibility of money, career, recognition are by-products of that process and not the end goal.

    And that’s where I disagree with Unk, because I think for some writers it’s counter-productive to chase the numbers, when the creation of a unique voice and high quality scripts is ultimately in the best professional interest of a screenwriter as opposed to chasing the odds. If you’re chasing validation from the industry, whether that’s expressed in sales, competition wins or even stunning reviews, then your primary focus has come off creating unique, wonderful, entertaining and beautiful films.
    In the long run I think that’s a wrong headed approach to screenwriting and I think it shows Unk’s strong skills as a producer bleeding over into his attitudes to screenwriting and the industry as a whole. Which is no bad thing, but also isn’t the whole story.
    For this reason I’m totally against screenwriting competitions, because in real terms they feed off writer’s insecurities and the wrong headed belief that the goal of a screen writer is vailidation as opposed to writing great films.

12. Joshua James on Monday: 21 May 2007|0615

    I’ve been having trouble posting as well, Unk

13. Clive on Monday: 21 May 2007|0622

    I just read my post and realised I could have summed the whole thing up in fewer words! LOL

    If you’re trying to sell a script into a market that doesn’t want it, you don’t have to change your concept to fit their requirements or bitch about the buyers (which is pointless), instead look for other markets. They do exist and if your script is good enough it will sell — and if it doesn’t and you still believe in it, find a way to make it yourself (just don’t re mortgage your house to do it!)

    The only thing you really need to understand is whether your script isn’t selling because you’re putting it in the wrong marketplace and when it’s not selling because it’s not good enough.

14. Joshua James on Monday: 21 May 2007|0721

    Ah, now that I can post, I’d like to weigh in . . . there’s only one reason to write novel, and one reason only.

    You LOVE to READ novels. You must, you have to. If you don’t love to read, don’t do it.

    Same with screenplays. You should only write screenplays if you LOVE movies. Love them to death, until you’re sick in the head and can quote them ad nausem . . .

    If you don’t like to read novels, don’t write them.

15. Unk on Monday: 21 May 2007|1826

    LOL. Clive,

    I don’t think we’re actually disagreeing here… I’m not even talking about a well written Worm Farm Debutante screenplay… LOL. I could actually get behind something like that IF it was well written. You never know… It could be a hell of a sleeper Indie film.

    What I define as a Worm Farm Debutante screenplay is a screenplay that has absolutely ZERO potential as a movie i.e., not even the markets you’re talking about would take a chance on it.

    In other words, a screenplay that MISSES on every level. Hell, I like Indie films a hell of a lot more than I like Hollywood fare and with my own writing, I attempt to bring a little Indie crossover.

    I know YOU KNOW what kind of screenplays I’m talking about because we shared the reading of one about a year or so ago? LOL. And remember how you couldn’t even get past a few pages?

    That’s the kind of screenplay I’m talking about. I classify them as Worm Farm Debutante screenplays… Just my own little idiom.

    On the other hand… A well written Worm Farm Debutante screenplay is probably the perfect screenplay for MOST competitions because they too are attempting to move away from the Hollywood mainstream… i.e., PRODUCT.

    Which on one hand is fine but on the other hand… At least to ME, might give a screenwriter some false sense of validation. Sure that screenwriter is validated that he or she can write a good screenplay and maybe even a decent story. Mass appeal? Nope. If you’re not chasing mass appeal, no problem.

    I am.

    I admit it. I want to find those elements that appeal to a mass audience and then try to write them in a smarter way than what we see in say watching a movie like WILD HOGS… LOL.

    I am not writing to a historical niche audience. I am not writing to a scientific or academic audience. I am not writing to an ARTISTE audience. For me personally, those niches are much too small to make this worth my while. I would rather develop the story elements that can appeal to a mass audience and simply try to flesh them in in such a way that the screenplay, when turned into a movie, will hopefully find enough of an audience from those niche audiences as well as appeal to the ultimate larger audience.

    But just because I’m doing it that way doesn’t mean that’s what everyone should do. I never said that. What I did say is that if you are attempting to appeal to a niche audience (okay, so I didn’t use those words), you’re simply going to have a HARDER ROAD to travel and I am almost POSITIVE that anyone and everyone can agree with me about that.

    But aside from all that… The post and Mr. August’s post wasn’t really about that in my opinion… The way “I” interpreted Mr. August’s post was that his post is really meant for those who really don’t know what the FUCK they wanna do i.e., they gotta story — SHOULD I WRITE A NOVEL OR A SCREENPLAY.

    I cannot tell you how many emails I get like that… I cannot tell you how many people I know come up to me and tell me I got this great idea for a movie or a book — WHAT DO YOU THINK?

    On top of that, I cannot tell you how many people try to tell me their idea for a movie, attempt to get me to write it, and then split the profits with them… LOLOLOLOL.

    And when someone actually has the balls to attempt to make a deal like that, they never have anything more than a fucking lame-ass logline but I digress…

    My post really had nothing to do with someone who wants to only write screenplays. More power to them. Don’t give up and go down the road that’s most comfortable for YOU. Again, I would never attempt to derail someone’s career onto another set of tracks leading to another career.

    Who the fuck am I to do that?

    Nobody, so I don’t do it and never have. I will on the other hand be the first to tell someone that in my opinion, their script STINKS or needs a lot of work, or whatever good OR bad.

    Josh,

    Of course I agree with you here but again, if you read the email that Mr. August posted on his blog, you can see that the person who wrote the email didn’t know which way to go… There are a LOT OF PEOPLE out there who are like this… LOTS!

    On the other hand, if you want to write a screenplay, JUST GO AHEAD AND WRITE IT! If you want to write a novel, go ahead and write THAT! But I guess if you’re not leaning toward one or another, it is understandable that you might ask a professional’s advice HENCE, the reason I linked to his post.

    So there you have it…

    Unk

16. Unk on Monday: 21 May 2007|2003

    By the way… I don’t have the comments moderated but when someone inserts a LINK inside their comment somewhere, it is automatically flagged and I do have to moderate it. Even if you’ve posted before.

    It’s the only way to REALLY keep the spam comments from being published.

    So if you make a comment and do not see it right away, it’s either because you also included a link within your comment OR you’ve never posted a comment here before and then I have to approve the comment on both counts.

    If you’ve made a comment here before then no problem… If your new comment contains no links, it will be immediately published as you click on the SUBMIT COMMENT button.

    Unless it contains a link. But as long as the comment isn’t spam, I’ll approve it even with the link.

    Unk

17. Joshua James on Tuesday: 22 May 2007|0646

    Hey Unk,

    I read the August post - what was never addressed anywhere was WHY the guy wanted to write a screenplay or a novel, you know?

    I mean, like you, I get hit often with people with great ideas for a play, and will I help them write it . . . I ask a few questions and it seems they don’t know anything about theatre (which ain’t a bad thing) and also, they never GO to the theatre . . .

    Again, like you, I’d never tell anyone NOT to write . . . to do that kinda stuff is to find out about one’s self . . . but I might ask why they chose to do that particular thing, what’s behind it and why theatre? Why movies? Why novels? You know?

    I’d bet behind the answer to those question is often something that has little to do with the medium. People get an urge to do something they feel is “creative” and screenwriting “looks” easy, writing a book “looks” easy (plays, even more so!) and so they decide to give it a shot.

    And again, nothing wrong with that.

    I think that happens often with screenplays and novels . . . someone decides to write something and say, let’s write a movie . . . but in reality, they’re not really INTO movies (and by INTO movies, you know what I mean, I’m not talking once or twice a week habit, I’m talking walking a couple a day capped off with a rewatch of one or two of your favorites) . . . you gotta be into it, love the fucking crust of it, you know?

    Bear in mind, I have movies, like LAST OF THE MOHICANS, RESERVOIR DOGS, ENTER THE DRAGON, that I’ve seen two or three hundred times, at least.

    I write movies cause I love ‘em like that.

    There are novels I’ve read hundreds of times.

    I want to write novels cause I love ‘em like that.

18. Joshua James on Tuesday: 22 May 2007|0758

    I forgot to add, I’ve been transitioning out of plays and theatre for the past few years, in part because I’ve lost my love for that industry, which has turned into something ugly (like, LEGALLY BLONDE, THE MUSICAL - AAAGHHH!) . . . and since I love stories in all forms, I can write ‘em . . .

    Ultimately, if you love story, you’ll find the right venue for expressing it . . . and to that end, I’d recommend Michael Crigchten’s great non-fiction book TRAVELS, the early part of which covers his med school adventures, and how he always wanted to write but never figured he could make a living at it . . . until he had a best-seller in the last year of residency . . . great read, check it out.

    And Unk, notice how I stayed out of the high concept debate again - LOL! No need to echo that again, right?

19. Clive on Tuesday: 22 May 2007|1607

    LOL - I knew you were going say we didn’t disagree. And of course you’re right, we’re not. I just used that to draw you into clarifying your position. Which actually should have been a post, because there is a lot of good stuff in there, especially about the increasingly blurry line between mainstream Hollywood and high quality indie.

    I think one of the spin off debates that’s come off this thread, is whether the idea of mainstream movies having to cater for a strictly 15-26 demographic is eroding as a core truth of the industry. Personally I think it is. I think there is a lot more latitude to write grown up cinema. Which is good because that’s the kind of cinema I like and also that I write.

    And, in reality that’s the only point I wanted to make. Too many people take an incredibly narrow view of what is “commercially viable” as a movie. The truth is there is more room in there than most people imagine.

    The other point I really wanted to pick up on was the “so a guy comes up to me with a lame idea for a movie, wants me to write it and split the profit” I laughed my ass off. I have no ass left, because it’s on the floor.

    You know how many times I’ve had to deal with that can of worms. even when the idea is a good one, it always ends up badly. Simply because people who don’t write don’t understand how much work goes into getting the idea onto the page and little effort it takes to sit back and give arbitrary and usually inane notes.

    I’ve really got to the point where I almost never let people tell their ideas for movies, simply because I know that they’re wasting both mine and there own time.

    That doesn’t mean I would ghost a screenplay for someone if they paid me. I just wouldn’t do it unless hard cash was hitting the table.

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