Marvin V. Acuna

Part 4 of the screenwriter questions series continues.

For obvious reasons I will be unable to address every question still sitting in the queue, but I was compelled to offer my thoughts to the following which were chosen completely at random. Here we go:

Do you feel that winning a reputable contest gives a writer an edge towards getting a good agent or production?
Michael Martin, named as Variety’s Screenwriter to Watch in 2008, was living in Brooklyn, New York working as a flagger for the MTA. He placed second in a screenwriting competition. His submission, Brooklyn’s Finest made its way into the hands of producers who packaged the film with Richard Gere and Ethan Hawke. Directed by Antoine Fuqua it was released theatrically March of 2010. Jessica Bendinger, a BOSI expert contributor, is hosting an incredible opportunity for screenwriters at http://tinyurl.com/y8r7eyz. I strongly encourage you to participate.

My writing partner and I are just finishing our latest. And we have an assortment of folks we can take it to. Some are extremely well-placed, others not so much. What is proper etiquette and sound strategy? Do we give the most influential folks “exclusivity” for some period to see if there’s interest before moving down the list? Or do we “go wide” with everyone to improve our odds? I’m sure you appreciate the issues…even better than I do.
The spec market is so complex and ever changing. Timing, box-office results, elements, and studio mandates all play factors in how one chooses to introduce material to the market. I will say that affording anyone “exclusivity” can be effective if executed correctly. Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson, the writers and producers of “The Fighter” starring Christian Bale, Mark Wahlberg, and Amy Adams — due in theatres this year — as well as “Job” starring Will Smith, and I will be discussing the nature of this beast. Members be sure to tune in as part of the Shortcuts to Success: Meeting with the Masters Series on Friday, March 26, 2010 at 10am PST.

Isn’t it better to be true to your own voice and write what you know in a genre you feel passionate about, than to concoct a story in a genre you dislike just to be considered saleable in today’s industry?
I wrote a piece that I feel sums up my feelings on this question (http://tinyurl.com/yzkobyd). Sony’s Senior EVP Sam Dickerman expressed his views on this subject as well. The video is archived in the member’s area.

Each player must accept the cards life deals him or her: but once they are in hand, he or she alone must decide how to play the cards in order to win the game. – Voltaire

In 1991 while playing Frisbee with a friend in Oregon, screenwriter Stuart Beattie determines he will write a screenplay based on Pirates. He submits the material to the one person he knows living in Los Angeles, an Aussie. Twelve years later the world is introduced to Pirates of The Caribbean.

Michael Martin named as Variety’s Screenwriter to Watch in 2008 was living in Brooklyn, New York working as a flagger for the MTA when a car accident changed his life. His car totaled, he was determined to find a creative way to buy a new car. He entered a screenplay competition to WIN the grand prize of $10,000. He placed second. His submission Brooklyn’s Finest made its way into the hands of producers who packaged the film with Richard Gere and Ethan Hawke. Directed by Antoine Fuqua it will be released by Overture films.

Spiderman is one of Columbia Pictures most valuable franchises. The story of an ordinary teenager, having to deal with the normal struggles of youth in addition to those of a costumed crime fighter has a worldwide box office gross of nearly $2.5Billion dollars. The screenplays were written by a seventy seven year old screenwriter, Alvin Sargent.

Melissa Rosenberg graduated with a dance and theatre degree from Vermont. She then made a decision to become a filmmaker. Her second produced screenplay was the adaptation of Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight. She was given a “manifesto” written by Meyer outlining everything that had to be included or could not be changed in the adaptation. She wrote a detailed 25-page outline in August 2007, expecting to have another two months to write the actual screenplay, but had only five weeks to finish the script before the commencement of the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike .

She has since adapted the highly anticipated and online ticket sales record setting New Moon as well as Eclipse. It’s projected that New Moon will amass $100M dollars over its first three day weekend.

In my mind the examples above represent a simple idea: Play to win.

If you want a professional career in screenwriting dismiss all the perceived limitations that are preventing you from a successful career.

You don’t have an agent, neither did Michael Martin.

You don’t live in Los Angeles, neither did Stuart Beattie.

You are too old, tell that to Alvin Sargent.

You are a minority in a male dominated industry, tell that to Melissa Rosenberg.

I find that aspiring screenwriters in general focus on what they don’t have or what’s not in their control.

Now I could continue to pile on examples of screenwriters who play to win, who simply DECIDED to be successful and who do not expend energy on what others perceive to be limitations. But, I thought it best to finish my rant with this:

“Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.”
- Sun Tzu