{"id":235,"date":"2018-08-17T12:36:49","date_gmt":"2018-08-17T12:36:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/keithalanwriter.com\/wordpress\/?p=235"},"modified":"2018-08-17T12:36:49","modified_gmt":"2018-08-17T12:36:49","slug":"independent-validation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/keithalanwriter.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/2018\/08\/17\/independent-validation\/","title":{"rendered":"Independent Validation"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’ve been looking at posts on Reddit’s r\/Screenwriting<\/a> area for a while and seeing so many fellow writers trying to understand why their brilliant scripts (who knows if that’s true, but I expect at least a number are) fail to get any interest while crappy scripts (which is certainly true, though, as always, poor directing, acting and\/or editing can screw up a brilliant script (though the reverse is highly unlikely to be the case)).\u00a0 Having studied show business<\/em><\/strong> for a while, with the intent of getting into it (why I’m making a movie<\/a> in a month), I understand why they’re confused.<\/p>\n

Scripts are only one small part of what makes a movie happen.\u00a0 Granted, it’s an important part, many would argue vital, but ultimately what gets a movie made is money, pure and simple.\u00a0 To get the money, the script needs to be part of a package. The package includes the director, a dedicated producer willing to get money, often (almost always) a ‘name’ actor and money.\u00a0 While the producer has a lot of unsung tasks that are critical to the success of the process, their primary job is to find the money and then budget it to ensure the process gets complete (filming is just the start, then there’s editing, but equally, if not actually more, importantly, promotion and distribution).\u00a0 When producers are considering new projects, the more complete the package, the more interested they’re going to be in it.\u00a0 Just a script might mean that they’re just 10% of the way to having a package, with the hardest part remaining: getting the money.<\/p>\n

Thus, when a producer (typically, producers are only ‘paid’ if the movie is a financial success; they’re typically the ones with the most to lose) is presented with a ‘crappy’ script that is, nonetheless, packaged with an effective director, name actor, and, most critically, much, most or all of the necessary funds, the producer is likely to very seriously consider the project.<\/p>\n

So, if I always package my own scripts, how will I ever be validated as a good writer? (Assuming I am a good writer.)\u00a0 Clearly the marketplace will have something to say about it, but the marketplace is deciding on the finished product, which has so many moving parts that the original script is almost an afterthought.\u00a0 As a writer\/director\/producer, if my project is profitable for my investors and puts enough money in my pocket that I can continue making movies, then the project<\/strong><\/em> is a success.\u00a0 But is the script any good?\u00a0 Actors work for money, though the more successful an actor gets the more picky they’ll be about their scripts.\u00a0 So for an actor to willingly take on a role doesn’t say the script is any good.\u00a0 Obviously, if I’m directing and producing, the strength of the script isn’t any sort of deciding factor.\u00a0 Clearly investors will be weighing in with their impressions, but there are plenty of investors at the level I’ll be targeting that aren’t in it just for the financial return, they also get a return by being part of the project itself.<\/p>\n

I can try and get validated via contests, but I don’t know that I want to shop around a script I intend to package.\u00a0 And very few contest winners have their scripts turned into movies, because, as mentioned, scripts are just a small part of the whole project.\u00a0 What often happens is the writer is invited to write on other projects, ones further along in the package process.<\/p>\n

Of course, at this point in my ‘career’ (hard to dignify it with that term at this time), this is much ado about nothing.\u00a0 But it makes me wonder. If I’m successful, will I ever really know if I’m any good at writing.\u00a0 Even directing is more about management than anything else; the DP is the one that ensures the imagery is beautiful and the actors bring the characters to life, so with a good cast and crew, ‘all’ the director does is try and keep the ship steered in the chosen direction.\u00a0 One could argue that it’s a figure head position, except it is where the responsibility lies.\u00a0 Exactly like the captain of a ship.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I’ve been looking at posts on Reddit’s r\/Screenwriting area for a while and seeing so many fellow writers trying to understand why their brilliant scripts (who knows if that’s true, but I expect at least a number are) fail to get any interest while crappy scripts (which is certainly true, though, as always, poor directing, … Continue reading “Independent Validation”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-235","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-writing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/keithalanwriter.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/235","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/keithalanwriter.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/keithalanwriter.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keithalanwriter.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keithalanwriter.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=235"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/keithalanwriter.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/235\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":236,"href":"https:\/\/keithalanwriter.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/235\/revisions\/236"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/keithalanwriter.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=235"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keithalanwriter.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=235"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keithalanwriter.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=235"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}