Archive for the ‘Screenwriter’ tag
The Three Pillars of A Successful Screenwriting Business (PART 1)
Recently, I attended a festival and was invited to participate in a round table discussion with various screenwriters. It felt a tad like speed dating. Every so often a festival volunteer would ring a bell and I would be relocated to yet another table.
We were not provided with an agenda and I was given no advance notice as to the purpose of this encounter.
Among the sea of screenwriters that I met one asked a very KEY question “What is the key difference between a successful screenwriter and a screenwriter who is not successful?”
I’ll offer the same answer to you that I did to that particular table of screenwriters. Ready?
THE SUCCESSFUL SCREENWRITER RECOGNIZES IT’S BUSINESS.
In my humble opinion, there are three pillars to a successful screenwriting business. And make no mistake… this IS a business.
Pillar #1: The Craft
Outliers, written by Malcolm Gladwell (gladwell.com), notes the following:
“The idea that excellence at performing a complex task requires a critical minimum level of practice surfaces again and again in studies of expertise. In fact, researchers have settled on what they believe is the magic number for true expertise: ten thousand hours.”
I feel screenwriters Craig Mazin and Ted Elliott offer some valuable wisdom in their blog (Theartfulwriter.com)
“Let’s be clear. Writing is a skill. Talent is a huge part of it, but there’s also a practice part. A science part. A “read yer freakin’ Campbell” part of it. There’s hard work. Self-criticism. Structure. Vocabulary. A memory for movies. Grammar. Story analysis. Philosophy.”
To further simplify — a writer writes. There are tremendous benefits derived from consistently honing your craft. I’ll focus your attention on just three: A) Refine your voice; B) Isolate your strengths and weaknesses; and C) Create an inventory of material.
In a video presentation I heard sometime ago uber-successsful screenwriter John August (johnaugust.com) mentioned he had roughly 50 unproduced screenplays on his shelf.
How many do you have?
REJECTION AS AMERICAN AS APPLE PIE.
It may be hard to believe now, but I was shy. Extremely shy. I say shy!
United Skates of America (http://www.usa-skating.com/way) was THE spot to be when I was in my very early teens. I’d skate, play video games, and… work hard to muster the courage to finally ask my teen crush, Sharon, to skate with me. She was soooo cute. But, I could never get the words out. It felt and looked a lot like this: http://tinyurl.com/n3unqo
The fear and humiliation of rejection can be so powerfully paralyzing that dreams can go unrealized… like skating with Sharon.
If baseball is America’s pastime, saying “no, it’s a pass” is Hollywood’s.
Rejection is and will always be part of your journey as a screenwriter. That’s simply a fact. But, you can use rejection to empower you instead of sabotage you.
Academy Award Nominated Screenwriter and ICON, Sylvester Stallone said the following about his view on the subject, “I take rejection as someone blowing a bugle in my ear to wake me up and get going, rather than retreat.”
Here are a few tips on how to address rejection:
1. As Zig Ziglar says, “Every ‘no’ that you receive is one step closer to a ‘yes’” and more importantly closer to aligning you with the right executive, producer, manager, and/or agent.
2. You’ve said “no” in the past. So think of a time when you rejected an opportunity that was presented to you- what was going through your mind?
3. Be sure to put things into perspective. Avoid using ‘always’ or ‘never,’ when you’re talking to yourself about your career. For example, “Agents always reject me”/“I’ll never sell my project.”
4. Remember that each experience can be a lesson if you’re open to it.
5. Don’t take it personal. It’s business. Solely business.
6. Avoid phoning everyone you know to moan and prolong your suffering.
7. Instead of self pity, indulge yourself in a self-esteem ritual… do something which makes you feel great.
I hope these tips are helpful, they changed my life. It’s not going to be easy, it takes practice, it takes work, but doesn’t everything.
Genius of the AND
Famed Marketing Professional, Gary Halbert would often ask audiences at his various speaking events the following:
“If you and I both owned a hamburger stand and we were in a contest to see who could sell the most hamburgers, what advantages would you most like to have on your side to help you win?”
The answers varied. Some of the audience would say they would like to have the advantage of having superior meat from which to make their burgers. Others would say they want sesame seed buns. Others would mention location. And someone always wanted to be able to offer the lowest prices.
And so on.
In any case, after the audience was finished telling him what advantages they would most like to have, he’d usually respond with something like this: “O.K., I’ll give you every single advantage you have asked for. I, myself, only want one advantage and, if you will give it to me, I will (when it comes to selling burgers) whip the pants off all of you!”
“What advantage do you want?” the audience would ask.
“The only advantage I want,” He’d reply…
“Is…
A Starving Crowd!”
Think about it. This makes sense, right? Right!
So when it comes to your screenwriting BUSINESS the most profitable habit you can cultivate is the habit of understanding what the market needs. That makes sense, right?
Yet for some reason I often encounter screenwriters that draw the line in the sand. They remark, “Talent will prevail, a true artist makes his own market.” And of course the big one, “I’m an artist not a businessman.”
To be clear I’m not suggesting that you discard any regard or respect for your craft. Nor that you simply become a drone and as one screenwriter said, “… dance to the tune of the studios”. I am suggesting that there is power, tremendous power in doing both. Developing your talent and knowing the markets needs. You don’t have to be one or the other. There are too many examples of screenwriters who manage to do both very successfully. Very successfully!
Authors James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras of the famed non-fiction book BUILT TO LAST devoted a section of their book to what they called the “Tyranny of the OR”. The authors believe that the “Tyranny of the OR” pushes people to believe that things must be either A OR B, but not both.
They suggest that instead of being oppressed by the “Tyranny of the OR” that you liberate yourself with the “Genius of the AND” – the ability to embrace both extremes of a number of dimensions at the same time.
So the next time you are ready to beat the drum of “I am simply an artist hear me roar!” consider these liberated screenwriters who exercise the “Genius of the AND”:
Neill Blomkamp, writer/director of District 9: “There’s a lot about this film that’s very subconscious and just in the fabric of me, and Apartheid and the segregation in Johannesburg is how I grew up.” – http://tinyurl.com/lw96ts
Christopher Nolan, writer/director on Memento: “…I don’t consider myself to be an “art” film-maker at all.” – http://tinyurl.com/r4t9g2
James Cameron, writer/director on writing The Terminator: “I was just working out my childhood stuff” – http://tinyurl.com/cgwpfz
Finally, I leave you with this…
“The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald
Video Tip #5 – Are You an Innovative Screenwriter?
Here’s the link to the Sybil Temtchine video clip.
If you have any specific questions or topics that you’d like to see covered in this Video Series, please leave a comment below.
And if you have any comments about THIS tip – good OR bad 
– please leave it below.
Happy New Year! And…
May Your Life Be Extraordinary,
Marvin V. Acuna
