Screenwriters are LAZY!
Posted on October 30, 2006
Filed Under Uncategorized
If I’ve heard this once, I’ve heard it at least fifteen times this year…
Screenwriters are LAZY.
Who’s telling me this?
Producers.
Why are they telling me this?
Because it’s true?
Before you take me out of context, let me explain… It seems that more than a few Producers out there would LOVE to purchase the next hot spec screenplay but there’s only one problem…
Shhh. Nobody wants you to know.
It’s that screenwriters are becoming script doctors. That’s right… The overwhelming majority of pro screenwriters seem to be script doctoring a hell of a lot more than writing a new spec every now and then.
Why?
Money. Why else? Why write something on spec that has no guarantee of selling when you can take that tasty scriptdoctoring job that puts money in the bank almost immediately?
Which totally reminds me of a discussion I attended years ago at the Austin Film Festival where Lawrence Kasdan was on the panel… While I can’t remember exactly what he said, I do remember the GIST…
Screenwriters who can knock out a spec every year or two IN ADDITION to taking on the scriptdoctoring assignments are the screenwriters that are really going to go somewhere in this business.
I’m literally amazed at the amount of scriptdoctoring gigs out there when I take a look at various hotsheets from time to time… Which is why so many films end up with ten plus screenwriters on them.
The moral of the story?
Keep writing specs… Even IF they’re not high concept and don’t sell TODAY, these could be money in the bank for you later on down the line after you break in.
Because YOU ARE GOING TO BREAK IN, AREN’T YOU?
Unk
Tags: script doctor spec scripts
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10 Responses to “Screenwriters are LAZY!”
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That rocks my world, I just finished a new spec and I have at least three other good ones - I’ll be ready for when I see the Bat Signal up over LA and get an open door to producers who hunger . . .
Yes.
The Farrelly Brothers are a good example … until they had their breakout hit with There’s Something About Mary, everything else they spec-ed was rejected. Then, in a wonderful bidding frenzy, they sold their next three movies for big bucks. But, they were all sitting in a drawer and had been written before Mary. Moral of the story - keep that drawer stocked!
I was outraged by your suggestion that screenwriters are lazy! How dare you — step outside and say that!
Of course the fisty-cuffs might need to wait at bit, because it’s 10.39 am, I’m still in bed noddling around reading this on my laptop and I haven’t even had breakfast yet — it’s going to be at least an hour or so before I get to the spec script — even longer if I go out for coffee!
Coffee, that’s a good idea — did someone say something about script doctor work — God, that’s a brilliant idea!
Clive,
Don’t beat up the messenger… LOL.
Just beer me.
Unk
Did someone say beer?
Where?
If this is true, then the next generation of screenwriters in training is really going to knock your socks off. Over at Triggerstreet we have to write our specs and do reviews of other scripts to get credits so other people will read ours. We do this in addition to our day jobs.
So we are already script doctors who write specs in training.
Hi,
I am almost done re-writing my spec. I hope to finish soon and send it to a couple of friends to read it. I don’t know anyone in the business, so my readers are: 1) a very knowledgeable guy who reads everything from a fiction novel to the Economist and sees about five movies and two TV shows a year, 2) a hard-working woman, control freak, blunt, HBO series fanatic, someone who I know will give me honest feedback.
After I get their feedback and make improvements to it, how do I know the spec is ready to see the light?
Thank you so much for your time.
Newbie,
Not that the feedback from your friends, the “knowledgeable guy” and the “hard-working woman” couldn’t provide some valuable feedback but IN ADDITION to this kind of feedback, I would personally opt for some even more valuable INDUSTRY FEEDBACK… i.e., if you really believe in the script, spend the money for a professional screenplay analyst.
You can get feedback for as little as $50 all the way up to $5000 and often, you get what you pay for but if it were ME…
I would find some reputable screenplay analysts that can provide valuable feedback for $500 and under and yes, I will go ahead and say it:
Spend up to $1500.00 for the analysis of 3 Industry pro analysts.
Why?
Because it’s worth it and if your writing is worth it to you, it’s worth spending the money. In fact, $1500 and some tweaking/rewriting COULD BE all that stands between you and a sale.
As for REPUTABLE ANALYSTS…
Perform a search here… It should bring up a post that contains some links to start out with. Don’t just spring for the first analysts you see. Call them up. Talk to them. Find out what YOU are going to get for your money. Write it down. Call another analyst. Repeat the process and write it all down.
Compare your notes across the board with as many analysts as you can and go with the ones that your gut feels good about.
I say get 3 analysts because you’ll probably get some really valuable feedback that way… Some of which you will know right away is correct and some of which you will turn your nose up at.
Which is fine… Go with your gut — IT’S YOUR SCREENPLAY!
Another decent source for analysts are the screenwriting magazines out there… Also, perform a search on Google. But don’t just get the analysis… Call and compare as if you were going to get a major operation and wanted to make sure the surgeons know what the hell they’re doing.
Good luck with it!
Unk
Thanks for the advice, Unk.
I just read your post about screenwriting analysts. Your blogg has so much useful information. I think I’d better read all your posts and maybe re-read the ones I already read more carefully just to make sure my spec is as ready as I can make it.
You should consider teaching screenwriting on-line. I would sign up right away. Seriously, we need teachers who tell us the truth about our work like that, plain and simple.