FOCUS

This morning as I hit the treadmill for a jog and listened to a mixture of rock tracks I noticed that I was doing something that I should blog about, no not exercising, that sucks I recommend it to nobody! I was planning, and what I was planning was my film (which I have not written yet, simply outlined) being screened at Sundance! Why Sundance? Well all of my favorite directors have a history with Sundance and I want to be part of that list, Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, Kevin Smith, Dave TheScreenwriter... that list sounds good to me.

Now before any says "oh, you were daydreaming", I wasn't I was actually planning the shoot, organizing the timing of the post, trying to figure out who will play the sexy journalist and where I'll shoot the break up scene. When I had finished with the treadmill I hit the net to find out the late deadline for submissions to Sundance(Sept 26th) and then figured out that due to my current geographical difficulties I would have to finish the final cut by September 10th... which is 7 months away.

So 7 months to write, cast, rehearse, film and cut a feature length movie? Crazy? Watch me do it! You see you may have noticed that I'm kinda driven, focused, determined, obsessed or whatever you want to call it... If I can shoot an eight minute short in one day just nine days after it was written then I can pull of the Sundance miracle! BUT I need help, funding is the problem with getting these things done fast look to the side of this page and you will get more info on my funding proposal or just click on this link http://www.indiegogo.com/3projects1year?a=88034&i=addr .

I know that I'll be standing in Park city come Sundance next year, (submission accepted or not I'll be there!) and I know I'll be in Cannes this year (yeah I made the decision) and I'll be standing at both of these festivals with my head held high, knowing that I belong. The reason I know I'll be there and belong is that for a long time it has been my focus, my goal to make myself a valuable part of the movie industry and now that focus and drive is paying off.

So fix yourself a goal, focus on it, drive towards it, become obsessed and stride to where you truly belong. A big factor in being a film professional is focus, it has to be the one thing you have to do and everything you do should be for the end goal... focus, focus, focus.

Don't forget that you can email me for any reason especially if you want to ask for a certain topic to be covered in a blog post.

Write On!

Dave The Screenwriter

Screenwriting... activate!

Are you waiting for something to happen or are you MAKING it happen? People have said to me in the past that it's not as easy as making your mind up and suddenly it's done. Well that may be true but does anyone really think that simply calling yourself a screenwriter is all it takes to have a successful screenwriting career?

Personally I work on many projects at a time, I call people, attend evens, write a blog, connect with groups via Facebook, twitter and email. If you are simply writing then you're only doing half the job. As I write this I'm contemplating bringing my latest short film to the Cannes Film Festival and finalizing the edit of that film and trying to promote http://www.indiegogo.com/3projects1year ... to  me that feels like three full time jobs, did you notice that I didn't mention writing in that?

Writing is something that I simply do, I couldn't live without it and without it I wouldn't be doing any of the other things I'm doing. Oh and just to let in in on a secret, I have a "real" job too! I've told you before about how I extended my waking hours to include more writing time but now I find that my writing time has become "Film project time" that could be writing, editing, contacting, pitching or learning (Yes, even the great Dave the screenwriter still tries to learn something new EVERYDAY).

And so the point of this mini blog entry: Screenwriting is just the start, the beginning of something much bigger that includes much more work. Of course you can disregard that if you never want anyone to read your scripts! I love the work, I love the industry, I love the people I know within the industry. I dream about the big room at Paramount, the Jack Wolf building at Universal, the large Bugs Bunny outside the Warner Bros. If you don't like the work, the people, the industry or the way it all fits together then maybe you are not a writer... maybe you're a producer!!

Write on!

Dave The Screenwriter

Oh and please check this out and help us if you can http://www.indiegogo.com/3projects1year thanks!
And another thing ... email me about anything dthescreenwriter@aol.com

Which one will be for you?

There are literally millions of ways to approach a film career, but first you need to know what you really want to be. Ok so you want to be a writer? What kind? For who? Are you happy writing for a low budget company that will keep coming back to you or are all of your scripts "tent-pole events"?

I know this touches on branding a little bit but it is important to know your exact goal. Don't worry you can change your goal at any time, but if you don't have one other than "I want to sell a script" then something is wrong. So what's so wrong with wanting to sell a script? Nothing, its a great idea but once you've done that what happens? I'll give you an example: A soccer player signs for Barcelona, he's always wanted to play for Barcelona but is that the en of his goal? No, he wants to score goals, win cups, break records etc etc etc. So what about you, do you have more goals that just making that one deal?

I've spoken to a lot of writers who say that they want that first deal and when I ask "then what?" they just say "I'll do it again" or "and then see what happens". Now personally I've just changed my goals, the path my career is on is about to take a huge change in direction but the ideas I've had have always been along the lines of: Sell a script - work with the producers to make a great movie - write on assignment - write newer and better scripts - get a manager and agent - make the manager's/agent's work EASY by being professional and easy to work with - get a higher level producer on board - make a better movie - become a respected pro - keep climbing the industry ladder -  write for a tv show - create a tv show - direct a movie - become a studio's go to guy - get a star on the Hollywood walk of fame. At any point in my plan can you see a mention of money, buying a big house or a fancy sports car? No, and the reason is because my job is to write... nothing else!

So that's today's blog, and the advice is to be yourself, find your own way and do it you own way. For the sake of yourself make a plan, you don't have to follow it and you can change it whenever you like but simply "do it all again" is not enough.

Remember if you fail to plan you plan to fail - crap I'm starting to sound like my Dad!

Write On!

Dave The Screenwriter

Make it happen

Let me ask you this simple question... who has the key to Hollywood for you? Is it Christopher Nolan? If you could only get your script to Natalie Portman would you be straight on the A list? Do you also believe in the tooth fairy? Bottom line, you are the only person who can make your dreams come true.

Easy to say right? The biggest problem I see with "aspiring" writers is that they expect that Hollywood will hunt them out, will knock on the door and hand them a check, simply not gonna happen bub! Being a screenwriter is NOT a get rich quick scheme, it's not a lottery ticket but so many people think that it is.

Last week I was handed a story by a guy I would call a very casual acquaintance, he told me that I was going to love it and that it was amazing. He later went on to tell me how we were going to make this film and distribute it worldwide all by ourselves and make 100's of millions of Dollars, alarm bells were ringing in my head. So I took the story, more out of courtesy than anything else and despite it looking like a twelve year olds homework I read it. I read a page and I was already struggling, there was no story it was as if he'd sneezed every idea he had onto a page and handed it to me in the hopes that I'd make his movie career.

And so a few days later I bumped into this "writer" again, he asked me what I thought of his story and as I told him that it wasn't ready to be a movie, that he needed to work on it for more than five minutes. His smile changed to a frown right in front of my eyes, I thought he was going to cry but instead he went on a rant about how I don't know a good thing when I see it and that he'd sue me if I ever made a film from the story that he wrote.

As I tried to encourage him and tell him that if he wants to be a writer that I would teach him the basics but that he would have to commit to it and work very very hard. He told me to "get lost" but in less nice terms and then proceeded to tell me that he really thought that I would have told him that it was great and that we'd go into production and make millions!

So the point of this blog? I see something like this nearly every week, people who see the film business as a route to fame and fortune within a very quick timeframe. Well it just isn't like that, this is a business and in order to make the big money and have the big profile you need to work hard, work hard and work hard. As the great A.C Lyles told me at Paramount recently "To make it in this business you need to be three things, obsessed, obsessed, obsessed!"

So please, don't think that this is a get rich quick scheme, it's a business and like any business the harder you work the more you'll get out of it.

Write On!

Dave The Screenwriter

OH and BTW on the right you'll see an ad for my crowd funding project, if you have a couple of spare bucks then check it out and become part of independent film history!

Good Luck.

indiegogo

<iframe src="http://www.indiegogo.com/project/widget/19428?a=88034" width="210px" height="400px" frameborder="1" scrolling="no"></iframe>

Just do it

Yesterday I stood on the set of my third short film, exactly one year ago to the week I shot the first of my short trilogy. The thing that stood out yesterday for me, aside from how great my cast were was that I was finally getting the hang of this directing thing. Before I shot the first short I would have told you that I was no director, that I was merely a writer and that I didn't really have it in me to direct anything.

On set of the first shot (which I also played a small part in) I was nervous, unsure of my actions, scared to give proper direction... I was a writer who was trying to be a director. That film "Needs" went on to screen at just one film festival where it was nominated for best international short... needless to say I danced all around the house and did a cartwheel or two when I found out about the nomination.

So second time around I was much more confident and had a clearer idea of how to direct the people I had into giving the performances I wanted. It went well, everything turned out as I wanted and the shoot was easy as pie and even though I had what was pretty much a lead role I felt like I was now not just a writer directing, I was a writer/director.

Then came yesterday's shoot... more actors... more scenes... more headaches! This time though I was not playing a part, I had my director hat on (I don't really have an actual directors hat, donations of such are very welcome!) and I felt so confident. I positioned the cameras, positioned the actors, walked them all through what I wanted and I got the results. As I stood behind the camera and watched the action unfold I couldn't help but feel that I was finally a director, I was no longer just a writer who tried to direct.

And the point? Well a year ago I was a writer... now I'm a writer director with an award nomination behind me for what I consider my least well made film. If you can challenge yourself to do something and face that challenge head on, really embrace it and do your best at it then you too can improve leaps and bounds. Whether it be screenwriting or directing or painting fences if you want to get better at it then do it more often. JUST DO IT!

And if you think that you  could never direct, you don't have those skills, you're a writer and that's fine with you... A year ago I felt the same, now I'm a confident writer/director who is getting ready to take on the world... are you going to come with me?

Finally, here's my advice to you: If theres something else you would really like to do but feel that you could never do it TRY IT ANYWAY. What is the worst that could happen? You never know you might just be discovering your calling in life, your hidden talent or you could simply be making yourself more marketable. Either way have fun doing whatever you do.

Write On!

Dave The Screenwriter

practice what you preach

As you know I talk a good game! I tell everyone to work hard, sleep less and work more etc etc ... but do I practice what I preach? Yes is the simple answer. Right now you may be alarmed to know I'm working on lots of projects, I have this blog that I want to service at least once a day. I have a feature script that is soooo close to being ready that I have to fine tune, I have a graphic novel that I'm writing, a tv pilot and I'm not even done with that much. I also have a very ambitious three project crowd funding plan http://igg.me/p/19428?a=88034&i=shlk which I'll be running the campaign for over the next two months, and finally I have a short film in production that I'm writing and directing that will be shot tomorrow.

Oh and I have to enter film festivals and competitions too, all while staying active on the phones to people, keeping my online presence up. It can be hard work to find the time to work on all of these projects but I simply do, I don't let little things distract me away from the work. I find that if you believe in your ability to fulfill the goal then you can get there.

The point I'm trying to make in a round about way is that if you say you're going to do something then do it, even if you only say it to yourself. Wake up in the morning and say "I'm going to write ten pages today" and don't stop until they're great. And if you have to get up at page five and make dinner then do so, but don't forget to come back and finish what you started.

And with my apologies that is the end of today's blog because I have so much prep to do for the shoot tomorrow.

Write on... oh and donate to this awesome project : http://igg.me/p/19428?a=88034&i=shlk

Dave The Screenwriter

PS: normal service will resume on Monday... hope to post a small blog tomorrow at some time too

The reason for a lack of blog activity today

Hi guys,

I'm working on this all day today. http://www.indiegogo.com/3-projects-in-one-hell-of-a-year?a=88034&i=addr if you can visit the site and spend 10 mins looking over the project I'd appreciate it, and please spread the word so that we can reach our goal.

Thanks in advance

Dave The Screenwriter

sacrifice to the screenwriting gods

The one thing I've repeat so far with this blog is that hard work is essential but there is also the element of sacrifice. Some people don't like what I'm about to say but I think it's important so please read it, if you disagree then that's ok but don't come complaining to me anytime soon.

You've heard the stories, like Robert Rodriguez selling his body to science and spending a month locked away from his new wife in order to make his first film (btw his book "Rebel without a crew" is an amazing read) or Kevin Smith maxing out several credit cards to make "Clerks"... but what about you? Have you made any sacrifice for your art? Don't tell me that you have a full-time job and need time to relax when you get home, you'll have plenty of time to relax when you win an Oscar.

When I started screenwriting I did it when I was unemployed, so yeah it was easy to spend my whole day at the computer. Unemployment didn't last long though and pretty soon I was back to working eight hours a day, but I was also used to writing for most of my day and I would always try to get at least eight hours sleep a day... the only solution? SACRIFICE! First thing I did was extend my waking hours, instead of going to sleep at 11pm I'd stay up until 1.30am , and instead of waking at 7am I'd get up (reluctantly) at 6am. With my change to my sleeping pattern I had given myself an extra three and a half hours a day, enough writing time? Not for me it wasn't so I cut the amount of time I spent watching the tv in half, suddenly I had an extra five hours... nearly done.

The next thing to go was social interactions, not entirely but they were reduced greatly. At one point a few of my friends were convinced that I had moved to LA without telling them! The sacrifices I made don't seem that much to me now as I look back on them, especially because they were for the greater good, and the future of my career. I still have trouble convincing my friends that a teleconference about screenwriting is more important than a night out, but they are coming to the stage where they accept my choices.

My sacrifices lead to me having a full time job, screenwriting like it was a full time job and sleeping the right amount of hours. I wouldn't change it for the world, I'm making new strides in my film career everyday, I'm making great contacts all the time, my friends still love me and my writing is better than it ever was. If I hadn't made my small sacrifices I wouldn't be anywhere near the place I am now and I like where I am right now.

Since that initial change in lifestyle I have grown as a writer so much, as a filmmaker and as a person, right now I have a project that I'm developing from a feature script into a tv pilot, a graphic novel and a possible web-series. I have three projects cooking nicely that will become public very soon, I have a nice new blog that I write everyday and I have another short film in production... oh and I'm submitting and promoting my short films to festivals worldwide too... So the fruits of MY sacrifices are really coming good.

So heres the question, are you making the sacrifice for your career? Are you making enough time? Or are you simply making excuses as to why you can't make the time?

My advice: Sleep less, "relax" less, work hard and then double your efforts, read scripts, take classes, join a writers group, drink more water and feel good about being a writer, it's not something you should be ashamed of.

Remember, any comments, questions or suggestions just email me to dthescreenwriter@aol.com

Write On!

Dave The Screenwriter

Cold calling for beginners!

Cold calling.

I've been asked to talk more about cold calling so this blog post will give you an insight into how I cold call, what to do and how to approach it. It wont however tell you what to say or how to say it, that stuff is down to you.

So you're ready, you've worked hard and perfected your script and now it's time to get it out there and having read yesterday's blog you decided that cold calls are the way forward... what's next?

You could look at it like this, you have to pick up the phone and call a customer and get that customer to try your product. I prefer to look at it like I'm calling a friend who can make all of my dreams come true, that way I wont get angry and tell them to screw off!

First of all write a script, not the one you're trying to sell but one for the call, go over what you want to say over and over again so that when you are on the call you won't draw a blank. Think of possible questions that the person could ask you and come up with answers to them (DO NOT have “How much do you want for it?” on the list!). Make sure you're comfortable before you call, have a glass of water beside you in case you freeze up, then take a deep breath and dial the number.

Remember that the person who answers the phone will be at work, and will get dozens of calls a day from people that have bad scripts, bad ideas, bad manners etc so be nice, help them to have a nice couple of minutes on the phone with you and try to get a name. It's worth remembering that they don't care if you're a screenwriter/director/doctor/teacher/puppeteer so don't tell them, tell them the most intriguing part of your story and see if they bite. If they don't bite just say thank you and hang up, there are thousands of other people to call.

I can't stress highly enough that you should make it all about the person on the other end of the phone, right now they might be answering phones somewhere but someday they could be a studio head... these are people you want to like you. So don't be pushy, don't be arrogant, don't be nervous or shy just be yourself and talk as if you are talking to a friend, and try to honestly befriend these people.

Heres how my very first cold call experience went:

I came home from work (I live 9 hours ahead of LA!) and decided to bite the bullet, I got all of my papers ready, wrote my script, practiced my call, imagined it going very well, picked up the phone and froze. My heart was beating out of my chest, my breath was short and I was sweating with fear but I took a deep breath and dialed the number... a girl answered “Hello, Production company” (I'm not saying which company or which producer I called btw) and I hung up, my heart beat even faster, my breath got shorter. I took a long drink of water and a big deep breath and dialed again, this time I asked for the producer and was put through to his office.

The phone rang for what felt like a couple of months and when it finally had another voice on the other end I was choked up, I croaked “Hi, I'm Dave The Screenwriter and I have a story...Blah Blah Blah.. that I thought you'd be interested in” I was talking to an assistant, he was a nice guy, wished me well, said that the concept was excellent but that they were not in a position to accept it... that was the day I learned that you really shouldn't start by calling THE BIGGEST production companies in the business! Start with the smaller guys, they can get you to the bigger guys!

After that initial call, I dialed the next one straight away and my nerves were gone, the second call resulted in a script request... but alas after considering the script they decided that it was too close to a project they had done a few years ago.

So that's my story about cold calling, I still get nervous doing it but once the phone is answered I click into pitch mode! The best advice I can give you is to prepare, know the company you are calling, know your story, know the script you're going to say... be ready. OOH and BE NICE!

Hopefully this will cover what you needed to know about cold calling, if you have anymore questions or requests for the blog (please don't request that I stop blogging!) then email dthescreenwriter@aol.com

Write On!

Dave The Screenwriter

I have no idea why the spacing is crazy on this post!

Just do it

So you've written a script, you struggled through the doubts and the problems. You listened to the people telling you to “get a real job” or “stop dreaming once you get out of bed, idiot” and you still persevered until you finished with FADE OUT... now what? Well you could save it to your desktop so that whenever you turn on your computer you see that you have written a script. You could print off a copy and put it in a drawer (after you autograph the title page obviously!) and look at it every now and then. If however you have dreams of being a professional screenwriter you need to show it to people.

It sounds easy to say, “just bring it to someone” ... go ahead, have a go at saying it. And now that you've done that get ready for the realization that the hard work is going to start now. Oh and by the way, I hate to tell you this but you really should write another script before attempting to contact anyone (except coverage people!). For the purpose of this blog I'm going to suppose that you have enough scripts in the vault to not collapse when you get asked the infamous “What else have you got ?” question, and the first thing we need to talk about is ... LOGLINE – The job of a logline is to make someone want to read the synopsis of your script, it has to be enticing and catchy, you want it to stick in someones head until they have to find out more... WARNING: You do not have to tell the whole story in your logline.

So you work hard and you get your logline down (BTW, I'm not a teacher, I hate writing loglines but I learned how through screenwritingU.com) then you have to tackle what I think is the most difficult part of screenwriting, THE SYNOPSIS: I hate the synopsis, you write 100 plus pages and then you have one page to get the story across? Well, no not really. All you have to do is make someone read your script, how you do that is up to you but I know there are classes you can take in how to market your script (I took mine at www.screenwritingU.com)... What you need to remember with a synopsis is that you have one shot, this one page you write will decide if people take you seriously, read your script, like your style, be your friend, hold your hand and make you a professional.

Ok, you have a great script, a good logline and an amazing synopsis... now what? First thing to do is review what you're going to send out, I say this because one typo can be the difference, one mistake can put someone in a bad mood. REMEMBER: while your script is very important to you, the reader who has to read it sees it as just another script, it's your job to WOW them, they don't owe you anything.

And now that you've double checked everything and you are ready to go there are many routes to take, you can do it all by yourself if you look up contacts on imdb or the HCD (Hollywood Creative Directory) and start making calls, this is the toughest way to do it but once you get over the first couple of calls it gets easier. Second you could advertise your script on www.inktip.com, you could pitch it directly to execs on www.virtualpitchfest.com, you could send it to many agents/managers/production companies through www.scriptblaster.com or you could fly to LA and hand out copies at the bus stop... whatever works for you.

The only thing you ca then do is cross your fingers and hope to whichever god/deity that you wish. Remember the focus needs to be on the people who are going to read the script, if you make them happy then they will make you happy! Good luck with it...

A few people have asked me to comment on certain things with this blog.. so I thought why not let you have some input, with that in mind I have a new email address dthescreenwriter@aol.com send me your questions and ideas for posts or if you would simply like more information about me then feel free to ask!

Write on!

Dave The Screenwriter

Be yourself.

In November I was in Hollywood, I visited 3 studios in 3 days listening to advice and meeting people on the inside. So thing they all said was to get your BRANDING right, and I didn't have a clue what that meant! Did they mean I needed to create a logo a catchy slogan? NO, what it means is that you should focus on one genre, that's all it means... why don't they just say that? 

It was during these meetings that I had a lot of breakthroughs, both story and and as a writer myself. I realized that I was kidding myself by thinking that I was able to write a script in every genre, I realized what it meant to be a specialist and that by becoming the best I could in one genre then I would have a better shot that if I was pretty good at all genres. Let me put it this way: if I was a producer who had a comedy script that I wanted rewritten by a new writer and I had two choices, one a writer who has written good examples of a comedy, a thriller and an action flick or a writer who has written three very funny comedy scripts... which do you think I'm going to choose? That's right I'm going to pick the comedy specialist because that's what I want in that situation.

Now I know that it's possible to write many genres, but the point here is that if you specialize then you are stronger, for example if you write five action scripts in a row I bet you that the fifth will be 100% better than the first. So when it comes to being hired to write on assignment or rewrite you'd be in a stronger position if you can say "I'm a comedy writer" than if you say "I can write anything". To prove the point even further lets think about this, if your car broke down would you bring it to a mechanic or a guy who says that they can fix anything?

So that's branding and I encourage you to brand yourself... wait, that sounds wrong.

Once upon a time I started writing screenplays and my goal was to write for Martin Scorcese, how I didn't realize that Mr. Scorcese doesn't make Rom Coms I will never know! The point is I was doing something with the goal of something that didn't match what I was doing. It took me a long time to figure out that I was a comedy writer and not just a writer, I mean all the signs were there, I just couldn't see them.

So be true to yourself, I had to realize that I was more "Analyze This" than "Goodfellas" but once I did it  freed up my writing and I became a much better story teller. So my advice is this, take a look at your scripts and then take a good look at yourself... are they a good reflection of you? Are they your specialist genre? I have to keep working on my scripts and hope that someday Marty Scorcese will return to comedy... until then I'll keep my gangster scripts under wraps! 

Write on!

Dave The Screenwriter

It's not who you know it's what you know!

You may have heard the line “it's not what you know it's who you know”, somebody may have told you this as a reason why you will never make it in the movie business. Well ok, but it's the same in every business, no matter how good you may be nobody wants to work with someone that they know nothing about. Think about it for a second, if you were going to spend $50,000 buying something wouldn't you like to know as much about the people selling it and the creation of it as possible? Wouldn't you like to know that you are investing wisely? Or would you hand the money to a complete stranger who may or may not have the goods?

There's no doubt that this is a business built around relationships, you never know who is going to end up with the power to say yes to you... it could be me someday, equally it could be the guy or girl who starts in the mail room. So it's important to be social in this business, and I don't mean propping up a bar in on Hollywood Blvd (although sometimes that is acceptable!). How you get out there is a tricky one, everyone does it differently and there are a million options so lets take a look at some of the basics. Cold calling is scary at the best of times, but what if you look at those calls as calls to friends? The people who answer the phone usually are not the ones who have the power right now, they probably will soon though so be nice and get to know them... be social.

The obvious way to meet people in the industry these days is to use social networks... Facebook and Twitter have changed the way we can contact these people and I know at least two people who got a script into the hands of producers after they struck up a friendship on twitter. Remember though that if you us facebook or twitter to connect with industry folks then you need to keep your content clean, try and focus it on your work too. Both facebook and Twitter also have great groups with where you can meet fellow writers and industry folks #scriptchat and #scriptTip on twitter are two of my favorites.

Many writer groups will hold meet ups or get togethers, and you should get to them if you can, I can't tell you the value of sitting in a room full of writers and talking about the work you do, your goals etc etc, it really is a fantastic experience. Most important is that when you join a group you don't just sit back and wait to be invited to something, make friends within the group, offer advice, ask for advice, stimulate conversations about the art... soon you will find yourself an important member of the group and will be at the head of most events run by that group.

And so to round off my ramble for the day (I didn't prep this post, you can probably tell!) I'll leave with one small paragraph about how you should think when you are trying to “get out there”.

Imagine that you are the production exec, you have a pile of scripts on your desk which you know will mostly be bad. You have hundreds of queries to get through, again most of them written badly. You're head hurts from reading crap, you want to smash some heads together and ask “Why?”, but then you open a script that has a catchy title, the first page is great, the second too. You were going to leave early today but maybe you'll read the first twenty pages of this script, and before you know it you've just finished a great script, a diamond amongst the coal. Imagine how good that must feel, and imagine how you will feel when you get the call from that producer to tell you that your script is great! Trust me it's a great feeling.

Write on!

Dave The Screenwriter

Invest in your career

If screenwriting is your hobby and you have no intention of making it a career then good for you, but if you have dreams of working on set with some of Hollywood's big players then you need to treat it like a business. Let me ask you this: if you were setting up business as a store selling dvd's you'd buy stock, right? You'd pay to have the shop look good, and you'd pay to advertise the business? So why, WHY do so many people think that they do not have to invest in a screenwriting business? When you break it down the investment you need to make is much less than for most businesses, and yes there's a lot of information on the internet but have you found any websites that offer free businesses?

How much you need to spend will vary depending on many things like location, technical specs, knowledge, ambition and maybe even ability. The first thing you should look at is classes, I know you've read a website that tells you all you need to know, but I guarantee that a good screenwriting class will change your mind. Some of the best classes online are run by www.screenwritingU.com, in my opinion you should be looking at paying up to $1000 for a six month class that takes you through every angle of screenwriting, and if you want to justify it just think of the poor bastard who has to read hundreds of scripts everyday being overjoyed by your good script. The next thing you need is a network... but how do you get a network? Easy, go online and do some research, some writers are part of many writer groups, others only join one(btw screenwritingU's pro series alumni is amongst the best groups in the business).BTW with networks you only get out what you put in, so if you help out an become and active member then you will benefit, if however you simply join and then sit back waiting for help, you'll be waiting a long time!

So far I've suggested you spend $1000 – much cheaper than setting up most businesses! We still have more investing to do though. Heres the question, did Picasso use water paints? Did Da Vinci? No artists use professional tools and equipment so if you are serious about writing for a career then you need to invest in professional software. I know that there are freeware screenwriting softwares out there, and I've used them they feel good, until you use the real thing! Also the industry doesn't like them so in the end they'll cause you more trouble than good, so but yourself one of the professional programs, I recommend Final Draft simply because that's the one I use but there's also Movie Magic. The software will cost you between $100 - $200, shop around and get a good deal.

Now we've spent about $1200 – not bad for a business that we hope will make us lots of money. Now look at your computer... this is the point where lots of people will moan about Apple users thinking that Apple are the best... simply put, they are! Unpopular I know but of all the screenwriters/filmmakers/editors that I know I'd say that 80% use Apple computers, the rest will eventually move to Apple, so you may as well just make the move now... it will make you seem professional! So lets look at the cheapest way to do it, a base macbook will set you back £999 (but I suggest the macbook pro $1399) which may seem like a lot of money but trust me it's worth it.

Now our total spending is $2099(with a base macbook), not bad for a start up company but we haven't looked at advertising. Why would you advertise that you're a screenwriter? How would you do it? Should you take an ad out in The Hollywood Reporter? No, but there are a couple of very good websites that offer access to Hollywood execs, people like www.virtualpitchfest.com or www.inktip.com, when you have a script that is ready to send out (and I mean READY) you should look at trying these services, particularly virtualpitchfest because they guarantee a response. How much should you spend? Well lets take it easy and round off our total spend to $2500 ... now before you start saying that I'm crazy think about how much you would spend if you were starting up any other business.

The other expenses I could include are things like a desk, rather than working at the kitchen table. A hard drive to back up your work and a lot of note books and pens! We won't take into consideration the amount of coffee that writers drink or in the case of some tequila! Basically my point is that screenwriting is not a game, it's a very serious business and if you want to make it to the top of any business then you have to make investments, the great thing about screenwriting is that the investment is small and it's in YOU and if you're going to invest in anyone then surely you'd invest in yourself!!

Write on!

Dave The Screenwriter

And another thing...

Also check out my good friends at http://www.europeanmovieawards.com

To blog or not to blog... that ain't a question!

Hi Everyone,

I'm Dave and I've decided that it's time to blog, I mean I have a facebook and a twitter that I never use so I figured I should add a blog to that list. So what am I going to blog about? Screenwriting and the mammoth task of breaking into Hollywood. I'm going to attack myths and break down barriers, smash the naysayers and annihilate the rumors. So strap yourself in, hold on to something, make some coffee and put some sugar in it for the ride because here we go...

Hollywood is a place where dreams in more ways than one can come true, whether that dream is to work in the movies or to get paid for dressing up as Superman on Hollywood Blvd. Dreamers of all types come to LA with hopes of success and stardom, and many leave disappointed soon afterwards. The biggest killer of dreams are myths, myths that make people believe that their dreams are not valid, that their dream is the impossible dream and that they may as well just take that crappy nine to five job that their cousin can arrange for them.

Make no mistake, being a screenwriter is hard, the biggest part of being a screenwriter is working hard. The funny thing is that most new writers think that they only need to do one draft... rewrites are only for people who don't write awesome material first time, right? WRONG! Rewrites are essential because no matter how good your first draft is I bet you can make it better. Another thing newbies don't like is coverage(paying people to read/review your work), they feel like they don't need that, they can read and they know that the script is amazing. Well if that's your attitude then have fun for the next few years getting nowhere. Coverage is a great way to pinpoint the areas of your script that need to be improved, and no matter how good you think it is it can always be improved.

Imagine this scenario: You work in a production company, the phone never stops ringing with people who "have the next best script ever"... you are so sick of reading crap screenplays by someone who doesn't really know what they're doing. -- How does it feel?

Now imagine the adulation when you are the same person who picks up the amazing script from the pile of crap that stands before you. -- That feels great, getting dragged into a script and not realizing that you're still reading at page 33 when you only intended to read 10 pages. So why do so many writers send in the bad scripts? I'll bet you any money that most of the scripts sent to production companies by writers are first drafts by first time writers who don't know the first thing about the art of screenwriting... yes it's an art!

SO my advice for the day (which will round off every blog entry... yay that means we're near the end!) is simple, make sure that screenwriting is for you and if it is the please, make sure that you learn the art before you dive into the deep end... I wouldn't want to see you drown!

Write on

Dave The Screenwriter