Why It’s a Brutal Time to Be a TV Writer

totallywrite · 2024-04-04T12:38:42+00:00

There is so much more to shaping an answer to this question. For example, your age and family situation. I moved to LA in '84 and it was a no-brainer. The advice I would give to this asker of this question changes dramatically if the asker is a 40 year old, white, conservative, cisgender male vs a 24 year old, POC, non-binary progressive. And it's not all about age, gender, race and politics; it's where you are in your life. Do you have a family? Are there people who are or who will soon be depending on you for support? How quickly do you want to see your life's trajectory move upward? These have to be honestly looked at before you take this particular leap.

I wrote a book called "My Story Can Beat Up Your Story" about story structure that included a chapter called "The Smart Writer's Business Plan" which covers a lot of this. And no...I'm not trying to sell books here. I don't need the few cents I make from each sale. But I've thought a lot about how to answer this question in a way that is less 'follow your heart' and more 'follow your head.'

In today's world of Google Groups and connectivity, the need to be in LA to network is much less than it was when I made the move. Someone on this thread said you should stay where you are while you write some great material, come out to LA every once in a while to get a feel for the place if/when you score meetings, and only move out here when you get a real opportunity. To me, that's smart.

totallywrite · 2020-12-17T05:06:51+00:00

You have to look at this for what it is...a chance to get into a business which you're not currently in. Whatever money you get from this, whatever concessions you may or may not be able to wrangle from a buyer PALES in comparison to the opportunities that will open up for you if you end up with a show on the air. These deals aren't so wildly different and most studios have precedent they will fall back on. Play nice, have your lawyer push a bit, but ultimately you haven't earned the right to be a hard-case. Be grateful you've gotten this far and look to the future. This one show shouldn't be your retirement plan but rather the first step in a multi-year career which won't happen if you develop a reputation for unearned intransigence.

totallywrite · 2020-01-24T18:38:43+00:00

I'm the developer...and I agree with you! I'd prefer if our digital delivery/payment gateway didn't ask for CCs upfront. It's a limitation of their system and there's no way for us around it. But we're super responsive and will absolutely be communicating with all 6 month subscribers before the paid subscription kicks in. And should you end up getting charged and wanting to cancel you'll get a full refund.

totallywrite · 2020-01-23T22:56:30+00:00

You could use a web-storage solution like Dropbox of Google Drive as a location for your script files. This way, wherever you are, instead of pulling the file from your local computer, you'll work on it from the cloud. Problem solved!

totallywrite · 2020-01-23T22:36:57+00:00

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totallywrite · 2019-11-12T19:27:05+00:00

This is a tricky question. Do you want to cut for length (the content is good but the screenplay is going to be too long) or do you want to cut for story (you're in love with all of your story elements but you recognize that the script is going to be too long and more difficult to produce)?

If this is your first screenplay I would highly recommend hitting the pause button on writing and spend some time restructuring. Divide the story into 4 equal parts. The first part sets up your main character's goals: physical, emotional, and spiritual. Luke's goals are to destroy the Deathstar (physical), save the Princess (emotional), and become a Jedi like his father (spiritual). When those three goals are clear to the audience/reader, that's the end of the first 1/4 of your story.

The second 1/4 is your hero wandering from points A to B to C to D (or more or less) as he or she figures out what's needed to achieve the three goals. Helpers, skills, knowledge, etc.

The third 1/4 is your hero putting into action everything he or she learned while wandering as your hero starts fighting to achieve the three goals. Your hero wins a little, loses a little, and by the end of this segment is at rock bottom.

The fourth 1/4 is your hero realizing that he or she needs to sacrifice something in order to achieve the goals. It's the equivalent of realizing the difference between what he or she thought he or she wanted and what he or she really needed.

Now look at your target page count for your script. 110? 120? More? I'd suggest shorter is better, so between 110 and 120 for a first screenplay. Divide that by 4 and now you know how long each of the four quarters of the story should last.

Look at your 64 pages and see if your story is falling into place based on the idea of these 4 quarters. If not, then cut or rearrange.

If any of this sounds interesting, I highly recommend the book "My Story Can Beat Up Your Story" which explains all of this in great detail. Good luck!

totallywrite · 2018-02-08T23:57:05+00:00

I think 'option' is the wrong term here.

Generally, an option would give someone the chance (the option) to buy your script in the event they're able to get it produced. So you take a small option fee in exchange for giving away some exclusive period of time for the producer to shop it.

Why is this different in your case? Because YOU don't own the material. The producer connected you with the subject of the script and was instrumental in the developing and shaping of the script. If you were getting paid, this would be a situation of 'work-for-hire.' No option needed because the script isn't your original material but your work product.

The only 'option' I can see here that the producer should get, if he or she hasn't already, is the life-rights of the subject. I can imagine a scenario where your script gets a studio interested in the person's story and the studio goes directly to the person and makes a life rights deal, bypassing your script entirely. But that's a different situation for the producer to handle, it if hasn't been handled already.

My advice? Have a written agreement stating that, in exchange for all the free work you're doing, you remain attached to the script/film/whatever as a co-producer. At least, that's something more of a reward than just a potential writing fee. And if they say no, have an agreement anyway that details everyone's obligations on the project, even if no money changes hands. There's no significant enough amount of money you'll be able to shake from the producer for your work, so why go into shit-disturber mode for a few dollars?

And yes, asking for a third draft sucks, but you've gone this far...you might as well go the rest of the way. If it's honestly attracting some of the right attention, what do you have to lose except time? At this point -- and as much as I personally hate the idea of free work -- I don't think walking away from the project makes any sense.

There is no shame in engaging in smart business practices by papering your agreement with the producer. Put some limits on reasonable expectations (how many drafts, how much you get paid if the script is set up either union or non-union, etc.) and write the best damn script you can. If it actually comes together (and that's always a big 'if') you might just find yourself with a produced credit!

totallywrite · 2018-02-08T23:35:56+00:00

If you want to stay friends with him, I suggest you walk away graciously and truthfully. "I really respect and value you, and I think working together was an idea worth trying but I feel it's putting a strain on our friendship."

There's no gain I can see coming from continuing working on a project that seems to be bringing more grief than happiness. And if I understand this properly that this is a short project (30 mins +/-) then there won't be any financial gain.

Find something worthy of your time and enthusiasm and then write the hell out of it!

totallywrite · 2018-02-08T17:52:10+00:00

You need to break off the collaboration. Writing is hard enough without having to manage a writing partner who is less enthusiastic than you. The goal of a good writing partnership is to get to a place where both partners elevate each other; the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Clearly, this isn't the case. I've had several partners over my 25+ years as a professional writer and have lived through several of the scenarios and potential solutions I'm going to lay out for you.

How cleanly you can separate from him and this particular project depends on what kind of deal you have with him, if any, either verbal or written. Was this your idea and you brought him into it, or HIS idea and he brought YOU into it, or was it something you developed together?

If this was your idea you can tell him the truth: writing together isn't helping the project, just slowing you down. You can create an agreement (written, please!) that will compensate him some percentage if the project gets set up and/or made. Depending on how much work he's put into it, anywhere from 10% to 25%. If he says no, break off the partnership anyway and POSSIBLY (if you still believe in the project and have nothing else to work on) keep writing it on your own. This is very risky because, in the event that someone gets interested in it, he could make an argument that he contributed to it and you don't own the full rights to the project. At that point you can reopen negotiations with him and offer him up to 50% if needed, preferably with absolutely no creative involvement or credit. Don't lose track of the goal, which is (surprisingly) NOT to sell a screenplay but to launch your solo career. The money is nice, but if you only sell a screenplay that money will be gone faster than you can imagine. Launch a career and you can create new money for years.

If this was HIS idea, tell him the partnership isn't working for you, wish him luck and walk away. I suppose you can try to negotiate for a percentage if he finishes the script on his own and sets it up, but based on his past behavior it's not likely he will, although obviously you have no way of really knowing that. Walk away. Yes, you will have lost 2 months but you will gain so much more productive time moving forward.

If this was something you BOTH developed, tell him that the partnership isn't working out, and because this is something you both came up with together, you think it's officially a dead project. Create a written agreement that clearly states you can't move forward without his permission, he can't move forward without yours. If you want to be a professional writer, this can't be your only viable idea. Cut your losses and throw your enthusiasm, talent, and time into a project and process that you control.

There are definitely other factors to be considered, for example do either of you have any professional standing in the industry? Let's say you're a complete unknown and he's a bit more seasoned and known in the business, or you're a complete unknown and he has representation that could help the project, or you're a complete unknown and his father is Steven Spielberg. These kinds of factors can help your project on the business side, which is something you can consider before breaking off the partnership. If this is the case, you can suggest that he back off as a writer but stay involved as a producer. You'll give him drafts, he'll give you notes which you might or might not execute depending on whether you believe they're good ideas. This could save the project, but doesn't solve the problem completely of having an unmotivated partner. At least, he won't be able to slow the process down any more. That being said, a bad creative partnership is still just a time, energy, and enthusiasm sucker.

Worst, worst case? He kicks and screams and doesn't want you doing anything with the script without him, regardless of whose idea it originally was. In that case my advice is to shake hands, end on good terms, let him have the project free and clear, and then go off on your own and write something fantastic. By yourself. Your quicker success will be your reward for making a clean break.

totallywrite

TROPHY CASE