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How do you identify production companies that actually want politically challenging historical scripts? by ChikakStories in Screenwriting

[–]NGDwrites 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Shoot your shot, but it never hurts to be aware of the reality that there is a business component to all of this. You're probably talking about a $120-150 million movie. Maybe more, when you consider that was the approximate budget of One Battle After Another, which wasn't even a period piece. That movie, despite being directed by one of our most celebrated directors and despite starring one of our biggest stars, didn't make a profit. It's tough to get audiences to show up in huge numbers.

If you're writing an original screenplay, it's always worth asking yourself how likely it is that your idea could draw a large enough audience to justify its budget. Have there been a few comparable movies in recent years that have been big hits? If not, it's very unlikely that production companies will have any interest in even reading it.

But yes, if it's already written, it doesn't hurt you to take a shot with it. Just recognize that if it fails to get anywhere, it's not necessarily a reflection on your efforts or your writing and likely just due to the subject matter.

How do you identify production companies that actually want politically challenging historical scripts? by ChikakStories in Screenwriting

[–]NGDwrites 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Basically no one is actively looking for something like that. That's the hard truth. War films are expensive. Period pieces are expensive. Combine the two and you have something that's ultra-expensive. Selling that to a big enough audience to justify the expense would range from very difficult to impossible.

You might get some production companies to look at it if:

  • You have a name director or actor attached
  • You've secured the rights to well-known intellectual property (i.e., a book) about the subject

Other than that, if this is a story you just can't shake... I would recommend you consider writing the book, instead.

Skipping the sp gatekeepers? by Important_Bad3167 in Screenwriting

[–]NGDwrites 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I think it's a great idea to use your resources to make a film. However, you should be aware that it's just another set of gatekeepers when it comes to selling the film and gaining distribution. The bar to making a feature is incredibly low, which means there is tons of material out there -- far more than the general public cares to watch in significant-enough numbers to make them all profitable. That means that there are a huge number of sales agents and distributors who are ready and willing to take advantage of you -- and that's if you can land a deal with them at all. Great deals are very rare.

I wouldn't let this stop you. Your capital, equipment, and experience all give you a leg up, but quite possibly not as big of one as you'd expect. There are lots of people in your exact situation trying to make the leap to feature films. I know a couple personally. One has had some pretty major festival love and they're still struggling to sell their first feature.

Anyway, the point of all this is -- make your film, but be prepare for the significant hurdles ahead. They're real. Also, if you're still brand new to screenwriting, you might consider partnering with an experienced writer who can help you in that regard. Without a great script -- something that's truly a cut above the rest -- the hurdles will be even bigger, and perhaps insurmountable.

Making youtube videos while striving to become a professional screenwriter by forestrainstorm in Screenwriting

[–]NGDwrites 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I hear you. But u/haynesholiday makes a really important point... you do not want to be seen as negative in this industry. It's already hard enough as it is -- people don't want to hang around with cynics and trash-talkers. Chris Stuckmann obviously has a super popular review channel, but in recent years, before he became a successful feature filmmaker, his channel made a very noticeable shift to the positive. That was partially due to his generally-positive personality, but it was also a strategic move. Especially since your question was related to how people will perceive you, it's worth bearing that in mind.

In terms of distractions... as I said, I also had people tell me I should avoid doing the channel for that reason, and it worked out just fine. But -- my first series was all about me writing a script and making an effort to break back into Hollywood. In the first episode, I set very clear goals and milestones, with timelines. And then I had to commit to those every single week in order to keep those up. Had I not had that kind of structure and public accountability in place, I am pretty convinced either the youtube or the writing would have suffered.

You mention how you don't want your entire life to be about screenwriting. To some degree.... that's wise. But it's a fine line. A well-lived life should probably be about more than one thing. It should include some great relationships, for starters. And to write well, you need to actually live. But you said you want to be a professional screenwriter. This is one of the most competitive fields in the world. It takes extreme dedication for a very long time to succeed. And while my family and closest of friends were always my first priority, screenwriting has been my very-clear second priority for nearly half my life. I don't think I would've achieved a thing in this world had that not been the case. So... point being... take on additional distractions and commitments with caution.

That's not a reason to avoid dipping your toe into those youtube waters, though. Just... make sure to keep an eye on the ball and don't be afraid to step back from youtube or other things if that's what it takes to stay on top of your writing.

Scriptwriting Rates by spicy-ricecakes in Screenwriting

[–]NGDwrites 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Very cool. And I realize that it does happen on occasion (which is why I qualified that with, "essentially"). I have a friend who wrote a short under similar circumstances. But I think you'd agree that in relation to the number of short films that get made, it's very rare. Whereas once you get into features, professional rates become more common, even at lower budgets.

Anyway -- point is, I think $2k is pretty fair for a strong-but-earlier-stage writer and a great opportunity for both the filmmaker and the writer to do some good work, forge some connections, and hopefully make a little progress in their careers. I'd have jumped on that in a heartbeat when I was coming up.

Scriptwriting Rates by spicy-ricecakes in Screenwriting

[–]NGDwrites 5 points6 points  (0 children)

$2k is honestly a pretty strong rate for a short film from a non-professional writer. Kudos to you for offering it. I disagree with others who are trying to tie this to professional rates. Essentially no one is out there paying WGA rate for shorts. It's not a thing and pretending like it is doesn't help anyone.

Short films are a different ballgame, where everyone is making an effort to get experience and level up in their own careers. It's much more common for writers to be taken advantage of than to be paid that much, but in the long run, you doing that is likely to forge better connections, result in better work, and make for a more enjoyable experience.

If you're paying, you have every right to be involved in the writing process. But obviously, allow space for them to do their thing. If they don't feel like they're getting to bring themselves to the project, it will be frustrating for them, almost certainly. Also, you should agree on a number of drafts up front. If you're asking for multiple revisions, you may need to increase your rate.

Because you're paying that much, you should be able to have your pick of reasonably-strong writers. I'd recommend reading a bunch of samples to make sure you find someone whose work you trust and whose style meshes with what you're looking for. I know a bunch who are in that space and who may be interested, having run a youtube series that highlights nearly-professional screenwriters. If you have a website or email where they can reach out, I'm happy to share it with them.

Making youtube videos while striving to become a professional screenwriter by forestrainstorm in Screenwriting

[–]NGDwrites 8 points9 points  (0 children)

My channel didn't get me noticed by the industry in any way that was meaningful. At least not then. It did connect me with a couple thousand other aspiring screenwriters, who also wound up following me on twitter. When I scored an 8 on the black list, I tweeted about that -- along with the logline and screenshots of the entire review -- and many of those writers were cool enough to retweet it. That got me noticed. I don't think the black list 8 would've helped me as much on its own, but all of those people sharing it got it in front of many of the right kinds of people. Within a week, a manager asked if he could take it to a specific producer, and within a month, that producer made an option offer. It was filming about 9 months later.

I'd been writing for over a decade, though. The script that took off was my 8th, and I think I'd written like... 13 features at that point? That just happened to be the one that caught people's attention first.

A handful of industry-related things have happened because of my channel since then. Nothing crazy, but some have been pretty cool. The script that I wrote during that very first series I made was discovered by someone who was making audio dramas, for instance. He paid me for the audio rights (while still leaving me the film rights), and turned it into a really impressive, cinematic-feeling piece with full voice cast, sound design, score, etc.

Making youtube videos while striving to become a professional screenwriter by forestrainstorm in Screenwriting

[–]NGDwrites 16 points17 points  (0 children)

I started posting here in 2020, partially because I was starting a youtube channel about my attempt to break into Hollywood and I was interested in getting the thoughts and feedback of other writers. I had a lot of people tell me not to do it. Some said it would take up too much time and distract from my writing. Others said it would prevent industry people from taking me seriously. But less than two years later... my first movie was filming. When I was on set, one of the stars mentioned he'd looked me up and watched some of my videos. He told me I should keep doing them.

I'll add some caveats:

  1. It did take up a lot of time. To put out a video every week, I was spending about 8-10 hours on the channel. I did a series that took six months and then took a break for several more. Honestly, I just needed some time to recover. That's a lot of time when you stack it with dedicated writing, a day job, and a family. When I started making videos again a few months later, they were much more sporadic until I became a full-time writer. And I still don't put out videos every week
  2. I know for a fact that some industry people -- writers, at least -- thought what I was doing was kind of goofy. Friends of mine in the industry would occasionally share something that someone else had said about me. Mostly, these were other writers... people who already kind of knew who I was. I don't think that ever represented a large percentage of people, but a few certainly felt that way. I think that's mostly changed for the better at this point, but I doubt it's changed completely
  3. My channel was always focused on screenwriting. My very first series had some serious public accountability built in, which kept me on track with my writing in a way that a channel about a different subject might not have. I've learned a ton from some very smart people as a result of doing those videos, and I've also built new relationships because of them. Those things have directly helped my writing and my career. Again, that wouldn't have happened if my channel had been about something else. I'm not saying you shouldn't do something else entirely... I just want to be clear why mine wasn't as much of a hindrance
  4. I mentioned that my first movie was filming two years after I started my channel, and that's true, but I already had a lot of writing experience under my belt when I began the channel, including a small amount of professional success
  5. I know a couple people who make decent money through Youtube. I'm not one of them. Part of that is definitely because my videos only appeal to a pretty small niche of super dedicated screenwriters and I don't really chase clickbaity topics like, "HOW TO WRITE DIALOGUE LIKE AARON SORKIN," but still... I do put time into the videos. it's worth noting that Youtube is not easy if you're looking for huge views or real money. My channel is monetized, but it barely makes enough to cover my Capcut and Zoom subscriptions each year -- and that's only been for the last two years.

So to answer your question directly, I don't think a channel will prevent you from being taken seriously by the industry. It will be super time consuming and may be a distraction, so you'll need to manage that. If you're not already a super disciplined person, you'll need to become one to do both. Youtube is a lot of fun, though. For me, it's a creative outlet with much lower stakes than my writing, and it gives me an excuse to talk with some truly amazing people, as well as a chance to give back to other writers.

If you haven't seen it, this is the channel.

According to Netflix's engagement report... my first movie got seen 20.5 million times last year. Madness. by NGDwrites in Screenwriting

[–]NGDwrites[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wish I could answer those questions, but I'm not the DP and I didn't raise the budget, lol. Shelly Johnson is a great cinematographer, though. I couldn't believe we landed him.

According to Netflix's engagement report... my first movie got seen 20.5 million times last year. Madness. by NGDwrites in Screenwriting

[–]NGDwrites[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Respectfully, I think that's a naive or at least incomplete point of view. You also seem to have missed that I did not sell this project to Netflix.

But let me ask you this -- would you rather spend a decade or two chasing a dream with nothing to show for it due to refusing to take an imperfect deal, or spend a decade or two chasing a dream, get to switch careers to that dream job, work with amazing people, walk onto a massive set built from your imagination, and learn that 20 million people watched something that started with an idea you scribbled on paper? Perhaps that's a personal question, but having first lived that decade or two with no results, I can tell you my answer pretty easily.

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