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Screenwriters figure things out. So before you ask your question, do a little research first. Try reading a book or two. Check out the FAQ's forums on the Done Deal Pro message board. If you still can't find the answer to your question, then go ahead and ask me. But please note: I do not subscribe to the view that there are no dumb questions.
by David H. Steinberg
Ask Hollywhooped! Advice:
hollywhooped@donedealpro.com
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| Date: |
5/9/2008 |
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| Question: |
Dave,
About 18 months ago I got a read at a Big Three agency. The agent liked my work and asked if I had anything else. I told him about a couple of things -- and the one he perked up over was a script that I hadn't finished. I told him it was almost done and he said to send it to him when it was. I don't know what happened, but I choked. I couldn't write a decent line for more than a year! Finally, thank God, I was able to finish the script. Should I remind the agent that we talked about it -- or present it as a new idea? I don't want him to think it took me this long to finish it. And maybe he's forgotten the plot. Refresh his memory or pretend it's new?
Worried and Blocked |
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| Answer: |
W&B,
Remind him that he requested it and refresh his memory about the plot, but come up with a better excuse for it taking so long. Like, "Sorry it's taken to long to get this to you [don't be specific as to how long] but I was caught up producing a musical" or (more realistically) "I wrote two other specs and just now came back to this one."
--Dave |
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| Date: |
5/9/2008 |
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| Question: |
Hi Dave,
Thanks for taking are questions, you are quite humorous; my life used to really suck (not it only sucks some of the time) and I would find myself reading your replies again and again hoping to bring some joy into my life. I especially liked the "finally someone has found the secret treasure trove of bigfoot stories" (not sure that is the exact quote, but whatever it was, it was great!)
Anyways, I have a question about film school. A few years ago I went to the UCLA professional program in screenwriting and loved it. I learned a lot, but out of 80 people who were in the program with me, 1 person "made it" another person sold 2 pitches and was never heard from again. On the negative side of things one guy killed himself and another person went bankrupt.
I also got to meet a lot of the people who were in the masters program, and I know some of the students that are in it now. I don't know anyone else who has made a career of it. Although if you go back about 7 years there were at least 4 other people who have made a career out of writing.
But with that being said I am thinking about applying to the USC screenwriting progam, as I have been really impressed by the teachers and the students in that program who seemed to have a higher percentage of "making it."
And with that being said I recently started my own business which is really starting to pick up, and I wasn't sure I would ever go back to film school, but almost a day doesn't go by where I think about thinking about going back to film school and moving back to LA to dedicate more time learning, writing, and with the advent of technology actually making films. I just can't imagine doing anything else.
So my question for you is:
How many people or what percentage of your classmates actually made a career out of writing or something along those lines. And how many more people do you know who have come out of USC that have made it as well.
Thanks so much,
R |
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| Answer: |
R,
Film school can definitely give you a leg up. You’ll meet industry people in a non-threatening (to them) environment so that they’ll feel comfortable helping you (reading your script, etc.). The education is excellent, of course, but against that, you have to weigh the cost. And ultimately, it all depends on your talent. Coming out of USC may get your foot in the door at a lot of places, but at the end of the day, it’s all about the script.
As for the odds, it’s hard to put a number on it, but about half of my Stark class is still in the business and maybe a third are very successful. But that’s Stark and there’s only 25 students in each class. Maybe 1 out of 10 are successful coming out of GSP (Graduate Screenwriting Program), but that’s just a guess.
Should you do it? I can only go by what you said in your question: “I just can't imagine doing anything else.
--Dave |
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| Date: |
4/22/2008 |
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| Question: |
Dave,
Simple question here: How long should one work on a screenplay? With the idea in hand, from start to finish, is there a good average time to keep in mind? I know everyone works differently but the goal here is to train myself to work with deadlines. So, if I were to pretend someone liked an idea and told me to go write the script, is there an average time frame for that?
Thanks,
Abe |
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| Answer: |
Abe,
On assignment, writers generally have 12 weeks to turn in the script. Sometimes it’s 10 or 8 or even 6, but usually it’s 12. That means three months from commencement to delivery (though you’d probably already have an outline or treatment before you started writing). Of course, a lot of writers routinely turn in the script late, and while it’s better to turn in a great script late than a rough script on time, being consistently late will hurt your reputation in the long run.
On spec, you can take as long as you want. I wrote "After School Special" in three days (then rewrote it over a three-week period). My latest spec took three years from start to finish (not writing the whole time of course, but I had to reinvent it in the middle).
--Dave |
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| Date: |
4/22/2008 |
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| Question: |
Dave,
Hello.
I had a low budget movie idea for some time (didn't make it yet) that is the same as your current short film, "The Babysitter". I haven't seen your movie yet, but the basic logline is the same. I hope to see it soon.
My question is, what do writers do with this knowledge? I only discovered your short film by accident. If it wasn't for the Internet, I could have easily been working on pre production for this film right now without ever knowing that you already did it.
This happens to all creative people. You think of an idea, and sure enough someone else already thought of it. And usually it sells or gets made that very week. It happened to me on another idea... I found a spec with the exact same title and logline that I thought of had sold. Again, this was just me spending way too much time on the Internet.
I'm sure this must happen to even you.
What do you do when you find out that your idea exists in some way already? And by the guy that wrote "American Pie 2"? Not just some kid on You Tube.
When do you press on and when do you put in away.
Thank you for your time,
Matt |
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| Answer: |
Matt,
You're right that this sort of thing happens all the time. People come up with similar ideas and it's almost never theft. There's just a lot of people coming up with ideas.
The only time I'd throw my script out or abandon an idea is if the similar project were going into or out of production. If it's just in deep development but no one seems too excited to make it, it's not too big of a concern. Likewise, if it got made and came out ten years ago, again it's no big deal. It also depends on how similar the idea is.
Also, if there are several similar projects, then it's too crowded a field. But one kind-of similar idea in development is no big deal.
--Dave |
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| Date: |
4/17/2008 |
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| Question: |
Hi Dave,
Thanks for taking the time to read this.
My writing partner and I have completed a few scripts together, and they're the strongest in my catalogue. However, he just signed contracts to become a talent agent, which I'm told excludes him from getting a writing credit on anything he writes during this contract period. As much as I'd love to believe we're going to sell these specs, I understand that using them as writing samples is a good way to find assignment work, as an alternative to depending on spec sales alone.
Would an agent, manager, or producer even bother looking at my collaborative scripts as samples for me individually? Or would I need to execute new material without a partner, if I want to garner assignments for myself?
Any advice is appreciated!
MBK |
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| Answer: |
MBK,
You need solo samples. Collaborative samples won’t count because everyone will assume the other guy is the real talent.
--Dave
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