Writing for the Green Light

by Scott Kirkpatrick

  However, going in too early can really stunt your career progression. You’ll only be able to work on ‘union’ jobs (or with WGA-signatory production companies). And if you don’t yet have the career reputation already established, you might have a really difficult time getting projects into motion at this much more advanced level. Does the WGA assist you in securing potential work? No, it does not… . That responsibility still falls onto your shoulders. Just like the illusion of having an agent, many young writers mistakenly see WGA membership as yet another milestone or status symbol in their careers without realizing how far back they can get pulled by joining too early.

  You don’t even have to think about the WGA until a project is presented to you that would require you to join the WGA. Even then, you don’t have to accept the offer. The only time to join the WGA is when you are first obligated to (and then only doing so if you truly believe there’s ample WGA-level work waiting for you after signing up). Don’t worry about the WGA when you’re starting out; focus on building your career and marketing your talents to the right people first. The WGA will be waiting for you when the timing is right (and you’ll know in your gut when it makes sense for your career).

  A Comment on Story Theft and Protecting Yourself

  One of the many overwhelming fears ingrained into new writers’ heads is that they’ll present their ideas or writings to the marketplace only to have them stolen or in some way ripped off. The reality? Writers do get exploited and story ideas have certainly been stolen, but there is a rational line you must walk as an individual embarking into the brave new world of Hollywood screenwriting.

  First, if you want your work to be seen then you will have to show it to people. That means mailing (and emailing) your work, discussing your ideas with strangers, and pitching your stories to professionals. Although you cannot copyright an idea, you also cannot secure a pitch meeting with a “you just have to trust me, my ideas are really good” approach. Register your works with the WGA (script registration is open to both members and non-members); other than that, you just have to follow each company’s protocol and send in your submissions. If they require a submission release (where you give up your right to sue them), I wouldn’t stress about it too much. They receive hundreds of script submissions (and I think only someone in the reader’s seat could truly appreciate how many scripts mirror one another).

  Second, not only is story theft incredibly difficult to prove, it’s also an incredibly rare occurrence. Why would a producer or production company risk their entire reputation (and financial status) to steal a blindly submitted spec script when they could simply request you and they enter into an option agreement? An option agreement, as already stated, can be entered into for as little as $1, or at most a few thousand… . A real company would not steal your work, they would reach out to you and enter into a formal agreement (so that a paper trail shows your grant of rights to the material to them). They might try to stiff you a bit in the contract, but that’s just normal show business—and as mentioned previously, if money’s on the table (even if slightly lower than you expected), say yes and move on!

  And third, the only real threat you might encounter (and this can be optimistically seen as a true milestone in your career) is to have to deal with legitimate exploitation of your talents. Examples can range from being required to write too many revisions (far outside your contractual obligations) before receiving payment, or being brought on as a “story consultant” where your concepts coincidentally become the backbone of a film project (yet you receive zero credit). Other examples could be “collaborating” on a project with a producer, where you’re writing their script completely on spec or allowing a producer to shop your work around town without any formal agreement. These are scenarios that really require you to trust your gut above all else. If a situation seems fishy, cut your losses and get out. You might walk away with a few cuts and bruises, but it’s better than staying on board for the full collision. When in doubt, get it in writing. Professionals are very comfortable putting informal agreements into writing and will be perfectly happy entering into an agreement (even one that is non-binding and simply lays out the general terms of the current discussion, such as an LOI or term sheet).

  Above all else, relax. In order to get your talents into the marketplace, you will have to show the goods. If you’re expecting a producer or development executive to hand over some cash in exchange for an agreed promise that you’ll deliver the screenplay they’re expecting, then you’ll most definitely be required to show them writing samples and openly discuss your ideas well in advance. Protecting yourself in a general sense is a very wise thing to do, but getting carried away can completely isolate you—and your work—from the very professionals with whom you’re attempting to do business.

  Any artist’s portfolio is ultimately a display of what they have to offer the marketplace. This concept is no different for a screenwriter, so show off what you’ve got! Let Hollywood know who you are and what you can bring to the table.

  To be a successful screenwriter, do you have to live in Los Angeles?

  No, you don’t … But it’s very important to have L.A. experience. Some of you are fresh out of film school and can simply cram your cars full of your belongings and head west, while others are a bit more rooted in your current location—with work, kids, family obligations, or perhaps you don’t even live in the U.S. At the end of the day, it’s more about what makes sense for your specific situation. But I can assure you that Hollywood will listen to anyone that is able to deliver what it needs to keep the system in motion (wherever they’re from). Gaining L.A. experience simply means taking initiative to visit the City of Angels (perhaps for a market, screenwriting expo, or simply on a personal vacation where you also include a few initial meetings to develop some contacts). You need to be able to understand the feel of the city and get an idea for how things flow in the real world of working Hollywood. Before traveling to L.A., schedule out your trip by securing a writer’s workshop in advance, or perhaps reach out to volunteer for the AFM ahead of time. Both give you time in Los Angeles and experience in the business (without breaking the bank if you aren’t in a situation to make the move permanently). The beauty of the gold-mine genre types is that they grab the attention of readers and distributors alike, regardless of your zip code.

  Seven

  “Gold-Mine” Genres … Now and Forever

  As the Hollywood machine moves ever faster into the digital realm, how will the role of screenwriter evolve (let alone keep up)? In this chapter, we’ll examine where the film business is going and how you, as a novice screenwriter, can stay ahead of the curve—not by blindly guessing what the future might hold but instead looking at how the principles of the film and TV business have (and will continue to) remained constant through all of Hollywood’s transformations.

  Into the Digital Realm

  Hollywood will always follow its audience (never the other way around). Now that audiences are “cutting the cord” with their cable providers and buying internet-ready smart televisions, Hollywood’s next chapter—which has already commenced—will exist purely within the digital realm. But relax… . Despite what people may say, the only things changing are the technology and a few key phrases of industry terminology. What audiences choose to watch and how Hollywood functions as an industry will be continuing down the same old path it always has—meaning Hollywood will always have a need for someone to write all that film and TV content required to keep the supply lines in motion and the industry afloat. And there’s no reason that “someone” cannot be you!

  So, What Is This “Digital Realm”?

  When we describe Hollywood as “going digital,” we’re not talking about the explosion of “cute cat videos,” gimmicky web series, or multi-channel networks on platforms like YouTube; we’re instead talking about the business behind the film and TV industry’s content delivery systems—things that happen long after a movie is wrapped but that consequently affec
t how films are developed early on.

  Audiences are still hungry for entertainment; they’re just purchasing that entertainment in new ways. For decades, Blockbuster was the king of home entertainment … until Netflix nearly put it out of business. After going bankrupt, Blockbuster was bought out by Dish and now sells movies as transactional video on demand (TVOD) rentals on cable channels instead of in physical stores. And where people used to buy physical DVDs in retail stores like Wal-Mart and Best Buy, these companies have launched online home entertainments of their own (Wal-Mart sells online movies at Vudu.com and Best Buy sells at CinemaNow.com); each platform offers the big-time studio hits without all the expenses (e.g., replication costs, shipping/stocking fees, or limits on shelf space)—costs that were previously passed on to the consumer. That means that today, more content can be acquired by these majors, which can also be held on the “digital shelf” for longer periods of time, all for a discounted rate—a savings that is then passed on to the consumer in the form of a cheaper per item price.

  And as consumers continually grow more accustomed to purchasing things online, the overall landscape for how movies get from point A to point B has started to shift a bit. What does this mean for Hollywood’s independent zone? Three things:

  Better placement for indie titles. With lower costs and the seemingly infinite volume of titles potentially offered by digital shelf space, the door is now wide open for indie titles to receive placement alongside mega-Hollywood blockbusters on top-tier go-to sites (like iTunes and Amazon—a dream scenario for hopeful screenwriters and filmmakers everywhere). But this doesn’t mean these outlets will take just anything… . They do have to account for things like limited bandwidth and consumer drive—which has resulted in nearly all platforms focusing their efforts on acquiring the safest types of indie content: Gold-mine genre types.

  Indie titles must be produced on smaller budgets. Given all the new costs savings by cutting out the physical manufacturing and in-store placement, digital platforms can now offer highly competitive (cheaper) pricing for their offerings—which means these companies are spending less money to acquire these films from distributors, which results in the immediate shrinking of indie production budgets. And when production and distribution companies need to tighten their belts, they invest conservatively in more reliable content (AKA gold-mine genre types).

  Innovative marketing trends. Studios and indie companies alike are quickly learning that the digital space offers completely new ways to promote their films to audiences, and to do so in much more targeted ways. A simple Tweet or behind-the-scenes Instagram post from their leading star can drive more business to their films than all the billboards or banner ads money can buy—to such an extent that now casting agreements are introducing “call-out” clauses specifically requesting their socially engaged talent to send out such postings. Indie distribution and production companies are into this trend as well. And when indie distribution and production companies take a gamble on producing movies with innovative marketing campaigns, they tend to choose projects that stand to be successful even if the innovative marketing element fails—the most reliable candidates are gold-mine genre-type movies.

  See a trend here? While digital enthusiasts will express their views that Hollywood is on the verge of some kind of “digital revolution” and that user-generated content will somehow soften the grip of the studio system, I beg to differ… . Hollywood going digital is yet another case of “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” This is why all you need to do as a newbie screenwriter is to simply keep your eyes focused on the gold-mine genre types. Not only will you be able to ride this current “trend wave” Hollywood is experiencing, you’ll be prepared for every single transitional curveball Hollywood will experience in the decades to come.

  Keep following the gold-mine genre types and making sure your work is reader-friendly. And keep hustling! The concept of Writing for the Green Light is to never follow fads and instead only follow the principles of Hollywood. Attempting to predict what trends will be popular in Hollywood in the years to come is a fool’s game—and even if you were spot on correct in anticipating a trend years in advance, your ideas would be ahead of everyone else’s, meaning they wouldn’t even be able to see your work’s potential yet and you still wouldn’t sell anything.

  As the years and decades continue to roll past us, we as consumers will still seek out and watch entertaining content—even if we presently have no concept as to what crazy contraptions we’ll be using later on down the line to view it. Young girls will still enjoy their tween-aged romance films about cute boys, ice-skating, and ponies. Young boys will still enjoy their rampaging creature features (no matter how ridiculous they might be). Women in their thirties and forties will still be drawn to an overly melodramatic woman-in-peril thriller and the whole family will still gather each holiday season with a soft spot for a family-safe Christmas film with an adorable and funny dog.

  Writing for this space does not make you a sellout, it simply gives you a huge advantage in terms of breaking in to Hollywood. After you gain some traction, pull out your dream ideas and get cracking… . But to kick-start your career, the gold-mine genre-type scripts have been—and will continue to be—Hollywood’s safest go-to genres to produce, which is why they should be your initial focus when you’re starting out. As in the past, in the present and forever into the future, all one has to do is look to the principles that guide Hollywood and your odds of being ready regardless of what trend is all the rage will certainly help you beat out the odds.

  Now Is the Best Time to Begin

  The doors of Hollywood will always be open to writers who are there to serve its needs. Hollywood does not give a whit about your age, gender, race, or background. Great screenwriters have ranged from Harvard grads to former drug addicts who’ve gathered their lives together from the streets. Hollywood does not care about anyone’s past or circumstances, it only cares about finding those rare individuals who can deliver what it needs to continue functioning.

  Therefore, the doors for talented writers will always be open to those who can deliver what’s needed on time (both today and well into the future). Any writer coming with the mindset to serve the system can find a relatively steady flow of work because those Hollywood decision-makers will always hold sacred the writer who can put all the zany pieces together and simply make a concept work that appeals to the needs of industry producers, investors, and audiences.

  Want to know what else never changes? The lack of success found by those Hollywood hopefuls chasing trends and following blind leads. There will always be new trends to follow and new fads to chase; for the writers that follow these pathways, the opportunities will always be long gone by the time they finish a script that meets the fad.

  Now it falls back to your shoulders. If you took just twenty minutes today to write out a few ideas related to one of our gold-mine genre-type scripts (no matter how awful or broken they felt when you started), you would be taking a major step toward seeing real change and progress in your writing career. It really is that simple.

  All You Have To Do Is Start

  What’s stopping you from truly taking control of your dreams and making them a reality? By truly taking to heart the lessons and concepts described in this book (that is, by truly understanding how the logic of Hollywood operates) you can get your writing career into motion in the professional world of Hollywood. No tricks, no gimmicks, just the straight-faced practicality of serving the needs of an industry.

  What’s stopping you from writing a script? You don’t have to complete it in one sitting… . You don’t even have to complete it within one month. But each day you don’t write is one day added towards delaying your goals in life. And what’s stopping you from meeting people in the business? From reaching out and growing your social network?

  Write every single day, even when you don’t want to—only the writers who can consistently output words get ahead. If you’re unable
to write, at least be working to move your projects towards a state of completion (revising, editing, or even just brainstorming). Be open to learning about things completely different than screenwriting (the more well-rounded you are, the more sociable you’ll become and the better writer you will be), and constantly reach out and grow your social network (one simple phone call or email each day will move your career monumental distances over time).

  Regardless of whether your ambitions are for Hollywood’s TV side or its film side, both require their writers to constantly keep their minds actively engaged. In the end, the process of gaining traction and building a career in television or film are pretty similar. What’s most important for new writers to understand is that their goal should be a continuing effort of growing their craft of storytelling until they can consistently output ready-to-go ideas that the people “behind closed doors” will see potential money-making value in. Once writers can consistently output great ideas that also offer studios and production companies the chance to profit, the rest will solve itself.

  As you begin your journey into professional screenwriting, start slow. Do not expect overnight success, because true success takes years of effort. You must prove to the marketplace you can do all you promise before anyone will truly pay you for the effort.

  The Road to Success Is Paved with Persistence

  Success is not awarded to those who are simply the smartest or the most talented. It’s awarded to those who put in the effort. Writing a screenplay, even just a rough draft, is a major accomplishment in your life, but keep going. Keep pushing yourself forward, toward building your portfolio, and toward building your network. I have met plenty of talented people who never put their talents to work and I have met plenty of highly educated people who kick back and wait for success to magically arrive at their doorstep—neither group accomplished much. But I have never in my life met a successful individual who was not persistent as all hell.