Ten Scriptwriting Myths
Ten Common Myths about Scriptwriting
By Bill Lundy, Chairman Emeritus of the Scriptwriters Network
MYTH: Registering my script with the WGA will protect my story from getting stolen.
REALITY: The best way to protect yourself is by copyrighting your work through the federal Office of Copyrights. Form PA can be downloaded from the Library of Congress/Office of Copyrights Web site, and the cost is the same as WGA registration. Not only can you copyright full scripts, you can copyright treatments and outlines as well. However, you cannot copyright titles or ideas.
MYTH: I have to get an agent first before I can start sending my scripts out to production companies. And once I get an agent, they’ll do all the promotional work and all I have to do is sit back, write, and let the money and jobs come pouring in.
REALITY: It’s a LOT harder to get an agent than it is to get a production company to read you. Most production companies, except for those based at a major studio, will read work from unrepresented writers (although it is getting harder to get them to do it). Do your homework using the Hollywood Creative Directory and/or IMDB Pro, get the contact information on the companies that would best fit your script, then go after them with phone calls, faxes and/or e-mails. And be willing to sign release forms from these companies – the chances of you actually getting ripped off by one of them is relatively small. And even if you do get an agent – you’ll still be doing this process. Remember – the average agent or manager as dozens of clients they’re working for. You only have YOU. So keep pushing your scripts and making the contacts, then let your rep follow up with the companies. It’s guaranteed your agent or manager will love you for easing their workload by doing most of the selling yourself.
MYTH: I can sell my ideas/scripts and get lots of people to read me at a Pitch Mart.
REALITY: Pitch Marts can be useful to writers who know how to use them correctly. They're a great way to learn and improve the art of pitching, which is an absolutely necessary skill for any writer. And they're a great place to meet people and start relationships - which is really how writers get work and sell things in this town. Don't go to a Pitch Mart thinking you’re going to sell something and make a million dollars. Look at it as a training ground for your pitching skills and as a way to expand your circle of relationships. And if you're lucky, you might land an agent or get a deal for a small project, which could be the start of big things.
MYTH: My first script is so great! I’m going to sell it and make a million dollars.
REALITY: Unless you’re some sort of writing prodigy (and they do exist), your first script is guaranteed to stink. It’s like asking a medical student to perform brain surgery on their first day of medical school. As with any skill or art form, it takes time to get your writing craft up to a professional level, no matter how many books you read or seminars you attend. The best way to learn is by DOING it and getting honest, intelligent, constructive criticism on your work. Don’t even think of sending out your work to agents or production companies until you’ve written at least 3 scripts and they’ve been read and critiqued by either your writing peers or professional consultants. Most writers don’t hit their stride until they’ve written at least 5 scripts on average.
MYTH: Paying $50-$100 to post my script (or synopsis) on a Web site is a great idea, and will help me sell my script faster.
REALITY: We know of no major motion picture or TV show originating from a script or synopsis posted on a Web site. And only one documented major sale in Daily Variety or Hollywood Reporter credited its origins to a Web site (ScriptShark, in that case, and that was several years ago). While these types of Web sites continue to proliferate, and more and more agents and production companies are supposedly using them, most sales and work are still generated from relationships.
Also, be careful of an annoying trend – some agencies and production companies are using coverage Web sites to skirt WGA rules about not charging writers to read their scripts and to cut down on the unsolicited material they receive. It’s your choice if you want to go this route, but be warned that it’s not industry standard.
MYTH: I should enter as many screenwriting competitions as possible, to get exposure and because saying I came in Second in Bob’s Screenwriting Contest is sure to impress agents and producers.
REALITY: Like Web sites, competitions are a double-edged sword. They’ve been around longer and are a bit more legitimate than the other two, and several movies have started out as competition finalists or winners (ARLINGTON ROAD, AKEELAH AND THE BEE). However, competitions are notoriously subjective, and many, many scripts have been sold and movies have been made that got nowhere in competitions. The other reality is that only a few competitions have any industry clout – Nicholls, Sundance, Slamdance, Disney, Scriptapalooza and a couple of others. The rest might look good on a resume, but don’t expect many to be too impressed. And like with Web sites, there’s an annoying trend where production companies are starting to run competitions as a back-door way of charging writers to read their material – again, skirting the WGA rules. If you want to enter competitions, look for those that give written feedback on your work – at least if you don’t make it out of the first round, you’ll get some coverage for your money, so that you can get something useful out of it – and hopefully make your script better!
MYTH: I’ve got a great idea for a TV show idea – much better than all the crap on there now. I’ll write a pilot, sell it, and then get to run my own TV show like my heroes David E. Kelley, Steven Bochco and Phil Rosenthal.
REALITY: Although thanks to Lost and Desperate Housewives the TV industry is opening up a little bit, it’s virtually impossible for an unknown, unproduced writer to sell a pilot idea or script. And even if by some incredible stroke of fortune it does happen, that person winds up with little to no influence on the actual show. The best way to break into TV is still to write several “spec” scripts based on existing shows, also write a pilot or original feature screenplay, and get those out to agents, TV writers, showrunners, and anyone else who’s willing to read you. The spec scripts show that you can capture someone else’s voice, while the pilot script or original feature shows that you’ve got good ideas of your own to bring to the table. So write that pilot, but know that it’ll only be a good writing sample for now – although maybe someday after you’ve proven yourself on staff for a few years, you can whip it out and sell it!
MYTH: I shouldn’t let other writers read my scripts, because they might steal my ideas. I’ll only get notes from my mother and the guy at the comic book store, who both love my writing.
REALITY: It is absolutely critical to your growth as a writer that you get feedback on your work from other writers or industry professionals. It’s the best way to learn what you’re doing right, what you’re doing wrong, and how to get better. Look for writers’ groups to join, or try to surround yourself with like-minded peers. Use your internal radar or instincts to try to avoid people who might be looking to rip you off or hurt you. Use consultants if you can afford it, and get referrals on who the best ones are from your writer friends, publications like Creative Screenwriting and Script, or organizations like the Scriptwriters Network. Another important way to get better is to learn how to read and critique scripts yourself – the more useful you can make yourself to other writers by giving them notes, the better notes you’ll get from them. And that’s also a great way to become a better writer yourself, since it’s so much easier to spot strengths and weaknesses in someone else’s work than your own.
MYTH: I just optioned my script to Larry the Producer for $5.00. It’s only a matter of time now before he sets it up and it’s getting made, and I’m on easy street.
REALITY: An option is a great thing – it means someone believes in you and wants to make your movie. But it’s also just a baby step towards actually making that happen. It could take years for the producer to put the package together, get funding, and get into production – assuming they stay passionate about it and keep working on it after six months or a year. If someone wants to option your script, make sure you do your homework – find out what they’ve done, what they’ve actually produced (if anything), what kind of contacts they have, and figure out if you feel you can trust them – before you sign anything. How much you option it for – and an option can be anywhere from Free to thousands of dollars – is up to you. It should depend on how passionate the person seems about your script, what kind of background/experience they have, and how much you trust them to make it happen. Also, be willing to help them out – keep doing everything you can to bring them contacts, money, actors, anything that can make their job easier and make your film more of a reality. Don’t trust that they’ll be able to do all the work for you.
MYTH: I finally have a produced credit (or I just made a big script sale). I’ve made it! Now I can sit back and the jobs and offers will start rolling in!
REALITY: You NEVER “make it.” Screenwriting is all about hustling and working for your next job. There’s too much competition and too much money out there for you to ever get lazy or content. Hollywood is full of horror stories about “one-time wonders” who got their first film made then never worked again. Never stop writing, never stop pitching yourself, never stop making new contacts or enhancing old ones. If you want security and a steady paycheck go work at Starbucks. If you want to create art, work with amazing people, and try to enhance the world we live in – write screenplays and do everything you can to get them made into films. But don’t ever think you’re going to be “comfortable.”