Interview with a Screenwriting Professional
Jaden, who blogs at Screenwriting for Hollywood was kind enough to share her Hollywood and screenwriting expertise in this interview. In the wake of the WGA strike, Jaden decided to launch her own online business. She now works as a screenwriting consultant, and she is also a fiction and non-fiction writer. She’s got a lot of Hollywood know-how and a real passion for writing. Check it out.
Introduction to Screenwriting
Tell us a little about your background in screenwriting.
I’ve been writing all my life. I have thousands and thousands of pages. I majored in film and moved to Hollywood with the intention of writing a particular script to change the way the world thinks. So far I’ve written about ten screenplays and I’m shopping some now.
What advice would you give beginners who are interested in screenwriting?
No one will take you seriously if you do not properly format your screenplay. You have to start there.
Making Money as a Screenwriter
How hard is it to sell a script in Hollywood?
Can I say impossible? No. Seriously, it seems to be the luck of the draw. Some people make $3 million for an ok script right out of college when they’re 22 years old. While others, like my favorite screenwriter Charlie Kaufman, didn’t make a sale until his late 30s with Being John Malkovich
What kind of money would a first time screenwriter expect to get if they did sell a script?
The lowest is around $30,000 and I’ve heard of first time writers getting up to $3 million, but that’s less common and usually when they have a big name actor attached to it or there’s a buzz in the industry about it.
Screenwriting Power (and Lack Thereof)
How does a first time writer get an A-list actor attached?
Either you know the actor personally because he’s your friend or what’s more likely is that when your agent sends out the script, he sends it to producers, and a lot of producers are also A-list actors. Agents also send scripts to the actors’ agents.
How much control does the screenwriter have over the final film?
Not any — unless the writer is the director or producer or actor. Generally, up until recently, it was commonly known in Hollywood that the screenwriter was not welcome on the film set. In the 30s, 40s, and 50s, it was the producer who was the big cheese. In the 60s, 70s, and 80s, it was the director who was the celebrated auteur. In the 90s and 2000s, it has been the actors getting phenomenal pay. For the 2010s through the 30s, hopefully the writers will have their time to shine.
On your site, you offer a service called coverage. What is coverage, exactly?
Producers almost always send scripts out for coverage. It’s a basic breakdown of the screenplay: title, author, genre. It also summarizes the script and includes a rating and an analysis, which tells whether the script is any good. This helps the producers quickly assess the screenplay and decide whether or not they want to read it.
The service I offer is a preliminary coverage to give a writer an idea what the producer will see when the writer sends in their script. This way, the writer has a chance to make important changes before actually sending it out and ruining an opportunity. The form I use is like the ones in Hollywood that the producers see. There’s a detailed description of coverage and a sample form on my web site.
A Screenplay Favorite
What’s your favorite screenplay of all time?
The Shining
How to Become a Screenwriter in Ten Easy Steps
Have you ever thought about becoming a screenwriter?
Many writers dream of having their novels translated to the big screen. However, you can always skip the novel completely and aim for a story that will go straight to film.
Here’s a fun, quick list of things ten you need to do to become a screenwriter. Some of these will help you develop a writing process that lends itself particularly well to films. Others are tips specific to the screenwriting and movie industry.
Ten Writing Tips to Help You Become a Screenwriter
- Watch a LOT of movies. Watch award winning movies and watch B movies, made for television movies, old movies, new movies. Watch them all and pay attention to what works. What makes one film better than another? Was it something in the script or did the director do it?
- Learn and memorize proper screenplay formatting. This is not optional. Most other items on this list are.
- Read screenplays. Sounds kind of boring, but screenplays are very quick reads. You can get through a screenplay in about two hours. The more you read them, the more ingrained that formula will be, and the better you’ll understand the relationship between the screenplay and the final production.
- Write a treatment. Use this to test out your ideas. Once you’ve finished brainstorming or outlining a screenplay idea, draft a treatment and see how your idea pans out in prose. This will tell you if the concept works, and will be a useful reference for you while writing the screenplay itself, and later on, the presentation treatment.
- Get some software. There’s plenty of screenwriting software out there. You could always use Word or some other regular word processing application, but why would you do that when there are plenty of software options that will save you hours of formatting? Those hours would be better spent on developing your characters and plot!
- Use that software to write your screenplay! Make sure you read tons of books on screenwriting, and visit every screenwriting site on the Web. Study character and writing dialog, plot, and setting. Make it work, make it good, and get it written.
- Edit, proof, revise. Repeat. Repeat again. And again. One more time… It doesn’t matter if you’ve written the great American novel, an article for the tabloids, or a term paper. You should always review your work carefully over and over again.
- Get coverage. Coverage is when you have someone review and critique your screenplay, and this someone should be well versed in screenplays (as opposed to other types of writing). This also often involves the use of a form and it will rate different aspects of your script (character, plot), and include a log line, summary, and analysis.
- Write the presentation treatment. You’ll use this to sell your screenplay, so make sure it’s tight. While you’re at it, come up with your 30-second elevator pitch and then practice that on everyone you know until it’s perfect. You’ll be ready to introduce yourself as a screenwriter when you run into Steven Spielberg on an escalator.
- Start pitching. Once your screenplay is polished and shiny, start shopping it around. Note that you can actually shop around an idea for a screenplay using a treatment but it needs to be just as polished. Consider entering some screenwriting contests and reach out to agents. If you have any connections in Hollywood at all, call in a favor.
Next, all you have to do is get real lucky. And sell your screenplay. Congratulations! After all that, you’re now officially a screenwriter. Good job! And you did it all in ten easy steps. Impressive!
Eleven Buzzworthy Online Screenwriting Resources
If you’d like to explore the world of screenwriting without buying books and resources that cost you your precious pennies, take a look at some of these free online resources.
I sought out a good mix of online resources for screenwriters that can be used for film research, learning the craft of screenwriting, and getting familiar with what it’s like to be a professional screenwriter.
Check out these screenwriting resources.
Screenwriting Online
- Internet Movie Database (IMDB): Your one stop shop for all things film. This is the go-to site for looking up movie titles, actors, directors, and of course, writers. There’s tons of trivia too, plus message boards, and this site comes in handy umpteen million ways for conducting research about the movie industry.
- Simply Scripts: This is not the easiest site in the world to navigate, but you can find free copies of TV and movie scripts, so it’s a great resource for learning the format, and seeing what a real screenplay actually looks like.
- Screenwriting for Hollywood: A relatively new blog that provides tips and insight to screenwriting and life in Hollywood when you’re trying to break in as a screenwriter. Also offers various screenwriting services such as coverage and consultations.
- Wikipedia: You can look up anything on Wikipedia, including movie titles and screenwriters. I find that some articles on movies will address the writing process and include interesting trivia and great links. A lot of the film articles also provide insight about the difference between the original screenplay and the final product (i.e. cut scenes before and after filming).
- United Hollywood: This blog was launched in order for the WGA writers to address the recent strike in a public forum, and it’s slated to continue addressing screenwriting and screenwriters even though the strike is over. A great place to learn about issues that affect screenwriters and get a sense of the screenwriting community.
- Wordplayer: Promises screenwriting secrets from working screenwriters and includes a couple of forums for movies and screenwriting. The navigation isn’t that great (screenwriters don’t seem to be web design savvy), but if you check out the site map, you can find some useful screenwriting information and advice.
- Creative Screenwriting: A magazine targeted toward screenwriters with mostly clips from the print magazine’s articles, but a good place to go to figure out if you’d like to subscribe to a useful screenwriting mag.
- The Unknown Screenwriter: If you’re into screenwriting and you like blogs, you’ll want to subscribe. Tons of links and resources, insider tips, plus opinions from a writer whose identity remains unknown, but who seems to have considerable experience in the industry.
- Screenwriting.info: This is more of an online book, which explains the entire process of screenwriting. Sub-titled “How to Write a Screenplay,” this gets more into the nitty gritty of screenwriting and will help familiarize you with some of the jargon that filmmakers use.
- Writers Guild of America East and West: Once you become a screenwriter, you’ll be expected to join the guild, so you might want to start learning about it. This union helps writers stay organized and as we’ve recently seen, assists screenwriters in ensuring that they earn fair compensation for their work.
- Syd Field: He’s the guru of screenwriting and he has his own website, which includes free articles, online courses, and various products for screenwriters.
Add Yours
Got any links you want to add to this list? If you know of a useful screenwriting resource on the Web, leave a comment and share it with us!
Screenwriting Resources
No matter what you write, it helps to have a decent stockpile of writing resources. These might guide you in the craft of writing or help you understand the broader implications of storytelling. They’ll provide inspiration and offer guidance to get you through the entire writing process. Most screenwriters start out with Syd Field’s well known book, Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting
Screenwriting
Screenwriting and Selling Screenplays
Storytelling
An Introduction to Screenwriting
What is Screenwriting?
A screenplay is a piece of creative writing that provides a written scenario for a film. A film tells a story, and the screenplay provides basic instructions telling the filmmakers and actors how to depict the story in moving pictures. Screenwriting is the act of composing the screenplay.
But it’s a minimalist piece of writing. Screenplays are incredibly brief compared to novels. Also, unlike novels, there are a few things you need to know about screenplays before you start writing one. Today, we’re going to talk about necessary screenwriting fundamentals.
Formatting
The first rule of screenwriting is format. If you’re not going to format your screenplay properly, then don’t bother to write one at all, unless you happen to have your own cast, crew, and camera, in which case you can do pretty much anything you want. The bottom line: nobody in Hollywood is going to read your script if you haven’t formatted it the right way, and if nobody reads it, you can’t possibly sell it.
There are plenty of resources to help you learn this format. I recommend starting out with Syd Field’s Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting
Though the form is strict and you must adhere to it, it’s incredibly easy to learn. Plus, there are software programs like Final Draft
Screenwriting Formulas
Have you ever heard of The Hero’s Journey? It’s a story structure pattern that is found in stories, myths, and legends all around the world and throughout history. It was captured by Joseph Campbell in his book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces
Formulas are popular among screenwriters in Hollywood, and that’s because they are a proven method for successful storytelling through the film medium. A screenwriter does not have to consciously use a prescribed formula, and chances are that as a result of viewing films throughout one’s lifetime, a formula will manifest naturally throughout the writing process.
In any case, you should be aware of formulas and somewhat knowledgeable about them if you’re serious about screenwriting. Also, formulas are the reason why most movies feel comfortable, and have a natural and familiar rhythm. If you’ve ever seen a non-formulaic film, it might have felt off, or wrong somehow.
Selling a Screenplay in Hollywood
If you’re hellbent on writing and selling a screenplay, then at some point you might consider packing up and moving to Hollywood. Is this absolutely necessary? No. Does it increase your chances of selling a script? Tenfold. Hundredfold. Maybe more. Hollywood is an industry driven by networking. If you’re there live and in person to pitch and sell your script, your chances to sell it will increase dramatically.
But be prepared to lose creative control. Screenplays, unlike books, are sold, completely. While a writer may earn royalties from a screenplay, they no longer own the intellectual property and therefore have no say over how it’s portrayed on the screen. That’s up to the director and the producer, and their creative visions will supersede the writer’s. With novels, the rights to publish are sold and the contract is only good for a limited amount of time. Big difference with regards to ownership.
Screenwriting: A Few Final Points
- The average screenplay structure resembles a play in that it usually has three acts, referred to as Act I, Act II, and Act II. These function as a setup, a confrontation, and finally, a resolution.
- One page of screenwriting equals one minute of film footage: aim for 90-120 pages.
- It’s harder to sell a screenplay than it is to get a book published.
- Some writers make a living as screenwriters but never see their work on the big screen. That’s because studios, producers, directors, and other film professionals buy lots of scripts that they never get around to making.
So, now that we’ve touched on the basics, are you ready for more? Have you ever thought about writing a screenplay, or have you actually written one? Sold one? Hope to? Share your thoughts on screenwriting by leaving a comment.
