The 3 Fundamental Problems of Screenplay Development
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- Опубліковано 4 жов 2024
- Want to write a movie? Before you do, watch this video!
There are 3 fundamental problems of screenplay development -- they confront ALL writers and producers EVERY time, and any approach to screenwriting that doesn't directly address them will have you spinning in circles.
In the empowering and insightful video, writer/producer Jeff Bollow pulls back the curtain on screenwriting to reveal why most screenwriters will never succeed (and what you can do to change that).
99% of screenplays submitted to production companies fail to meet producers' needs. Discover WHY... and then learn Jeff's solution for tackling all three problems.
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Then, to get your FREE copy of THE MISSING INGREDIENT: Why 99% of All Screenplays Fail and How to Put Yours in the Top 1%, simply join the newsletter at: fastscreenplay....
Of for more information about FAST Screenplay (and to get started today), visit FASTscreenplay.com
I really like Jeff's articulation in the video. It feels really nice as a listener when the speaker is well articulated because it shows the speaker has a clear mind of what he/she is trying to say.
Thanks for the kind words!
Hes just trying to sale his books!!!
This vídeo has no captions. But your pronuntation is very good. I understood almost everything. Thank you for the great information. Greetings from Venezuela🙏🏽
I like this guy. He's like a not-bloated and socially-desirable version of Alec Baldwin that actually has something to say I want to hear. Thank you for these videos, FAST Screenplay!
That is the funniest description of me I've heard in a long while. But after the holidays, you've made me feel a great urge to go on a diet.
FAST Screenplay
I think I had a large glass of wine before this comment, but please know it was complement! I continue to learn from your videos and experience.
Don't worry, I took it as such. Thanks for the kind words -- I've poured nearly 2 decades of effort, energy, blood, sweat and tears into trying to make something truly exceptional and helpful to writers. It's really nice to get kind words once in awhile. Keep on writing!
Jeff Z ... lol =D
jeff z: Alec Baldwin is more man than your pussy ass will ever be.
These videos are amazing and very useful.
Thanks! Please share if you like them. :)
So did 2015 have more feature films than any other year in history?
I am a writer and also an actor with more ideas of writing a film
I was praying to get a help and thank God I found you
Help me please 🙏🙏
I’m happy to help. Let me know what you want to know. There are nearly 100 hours of free content on this channel, but if your questions aren’t answered there, just reach out - I read all the comments so just ask in a comment - and I’ll reply usually same day.
thanks. .I mean grateful to you for your guidance.
It is very helpful. I m novice screenplay writer. Your videos are very inspiring.
+Arpita Parikh, you're welcome, and thank you for the comment. We'll be putting up a new 4-part series ("FAST Story Development") in the next week or so, which I hope you'll enjoy. And don't forget to do our 10-Day Free Start. Even if you don't join us for the whole system, you'll lay a solid foundation for any writing project. And it's free! fastscreenplay.com/10-Day.html
Good luck with your writing!
Did it really help you? How far did you reach till date? Thank you. I am a novice writer trying to stand on my feet. Pls reply. Thanks
Very good Jeff you got my attention these videos are very good & gives out very much needed information I'd like to be very much be in that top 1% percent thanks Jeff 😀👍
Tobeme Thanks! Be sure to subscribe, as my new series is going to be the best yet. I’ve learned from all these years on UA-cam and it’s time to kick into overdrive!
Great advice as always Jeff
All of Jeff's videos are outstanding. Empirical, precise, good humored and useful right now. If I knew he was in Sydney...I would have ridden up on my motorbike and...er, no. I would have learnt from his talks and as he said, gained experience from doing things first.
A peculiar problem in Australia, like many commonwealth countries, is that most films are largely completely or partly government funded, which has destroyed much of independent creativity [and hell, seemingly all common sense] - with governments inherently narrow ideological largely PC demands. Sad but true. There's often no idea of an audience with clear desires and demands. Thus most productions bomb artistically and box office wise - like a field of hideous to laughably embarrassing filmic napalm. There's also often a discomfort with strong expression and a depth of emotion, genre and pacing etc, ie: character, stories that ring true or resonate with something important that people will care about or even be interested in, and a misunderstanding of the art of the cinematic. Not always as there is great work, [especially the technical production crews] but sadly, mostly, and what isn't get's buried or associated if unfairly, with an avalanche of junk. Hey, but what do I know? Nothin'.
Thanks for this comment, Colonel Neville. One great challenge countries like Australia and New Zealand have is that they need to compete against Hollywood with vastly smaller budgets. And with smaller budgets, there is less money to pay for script development. It becomes a vicious circle.
I used to blame the problem on the government-funded paradigm, but I've changed my perspective somewhat. That paradigm can work. The real problem is simply that there's no great screenwriting culture -- largely because it doesn't seem like a realistic goal (so it often feels like a waste of time). Again, a vicious circle.
What is needed are self-starting writers who dig deep into the craft and develop to a level of mastery. Those writers need to consistently write *production-ready* material (because there are no funds for development), to give the industry a greater array of legitimately viable options. It's very easy for all of us to say how bad it is; it's much (much!) more difficult to actually change things. I would argue that we must BE the change we imagine.
And that's what FAST is all about -- providing the system and the tools to REALLY get there. Not simply to get writers churning out more unusable material... but to create unique, original, truly compelling, fully-developed production-ready screenplays with individual voices and cultural originality.
My greatest frustration is that I can build the path... but I can't walk down it *for* the writers. They need to take the path -- really take it, really DO it -- for themselves. Only when we reach a critical mass will the tides begin to turn. I will always believe it to be possible. And I do hope others will join me. :)
FAST Screenplay Hey, Jeff, thanks for the thoughtful reply. While yes, govt funding may "work" per se for a few particular films, don't you agree that the mentality it encourages still destroys the rest of the field, as it has to a saddening degree in Australia, with it's laughable massive financial, artistic, critical and audience failure rate. And yep, you're entirely right about the lack of a screenplay writing culture being THE problem in the end. I've lost count of the Australian films, tv shows etc, that I've seen and right from the beginning what strikes one, is that hell, this is underdeveloped, sometimes to the point that it feels like they filmed the first rough draft. There's a real aversion and discomfort and inability to take cinematic space, dialogue, genre, style, characters, themes big and ordinary, or pacing seriously - and with confidence, depth and dynamic power. [Thus virtually no genre or action films] And as for pleasing an actual target audience, like the English, they often seem to make films for a group of their friends or hey, no one in a particular. Yes, great things still get made, but I believe that's largely in spite of the structure and not because of it.
Interestingly, an independent Australian film/doco maker [there are about four!] recently made a documentary piece on govt funding [without govt funding]. Jason Kent. "What Wrong With Australian Films".
www.pureindependentpictures.com/
I found out about Mr Kent from my friend Prodos, who is in Melbourne involved in ACOFS [federation of film societies] and in promoting free-market ideas, liberty and independent film makers etc. Married to an American dame, he travels to the U.S regularly and also has license with many major networks in the U.S.
Prodos has noted that the dominant mentality in Australia is that if you want to make a film, first you develop your funding strategy! [and not necessarily as you noted, the script] - and on the tax-payers dime. And when people spend other people's money on themselves, well, it's rather predictable. And people that are most comfortable with this arrangement tend to be invariably of one ideological gene pool, and not a healthy and thus truly creative one.
I could go on, but I'd resemble an unedited half-baked script ready for funding and filming! Yours, Neville.
FAST Screenplay PS. Sorry for the paragraphs lacking space. UA-cam edit is not working at my end today.
FAST Screenplay I literally can't edit my comments after posting. Oh, the irony. Aaaand ACTION!
Thanks, Colonel Neville, I just watched that documentary. It covers pretty much everything I've been saying for the past 15 years. :) Although I have to say that there's a fundamental misunderstanding woven throughout it. Screenplays are not just "scripts" that need to be developed. They are the core, the essence, and the purpose of the film. What is needed are extraordinary screenplays. That section gets glossed over (concluding, "we have great writers, that can't be the problem"), and many of the things mentioned as missing or needed are what truly great screenplays are all about.
About 12 or 13 years ago, I initiated a venture called the Screenplay Development Centre, and attempted to build a truly independent place that would fill this void. It's not about teaching screenwriting (that's what most people think I do, though it does not scratch the surface of what I do), it's about building a story and writing incubator. I had (have) a business model that projects profitability within 2 years. But it was impossible to get independent financing. (The goal was to avoid government funding so as not to be restricted by policy.) It's a chicken-and-egg scenario. People think the Australian film industry lacks viability, which leads to lackluster films, which creates disinterest from the audience, which makes people think the Australian film industry lacks viability. What came first? It's all interconnected, so nothing "came first". But it will only be solved through improved storytelling. That, at its core, is why people watch films.
My current thinking is that government funding *could* be a truly valuable and helpful way to nurture, grow and support a homegrown industry. It's not being done that way now, but I believe in a country as small as Australia with the limited size of the potential domestic audience, it needn't be private *or* government; it could be both. I will always lean toward private if possible, but there are tremendous opportunities for which the framework exists, but for which is it drastically underutilized.
Great content. Thank you. FYI: tried to sign up for ur email subscription but when I click submit it says “link missing”
Hmm. What page did you try to sign up on? Let me know and we’ll get you up to speed.
These videos are amazing.
Thank-you. We can only scratch the surface in online videos, though. Screenwriting can only be learned by DOING, so be sure to take action and keep on writing!
Sure did, +Hunter. And 2016 will have even more.
I've found by being a producer of my own scripts I get to call my own shots, it's the only way you get into this industry-be your own calling card, who knows better than the "product" (thank you Mr White) than yourself. What's depressed me is the fact that I don't even come from the film world-I studied history but observed enough about life, worked shitty jobs and sat and listened-this is how you become a true storyteller. Problem is that it's a middle class game full of pretentious types who know very little about film-other week I was talking to a producer in the industry and was rattling off films he'd never heard of, disturbing as this is supposed to be his profession, and I the novice.Watch world cinema, tv (The Wire/Breaking Bad/Sopranos) you can't fake it till you make it but sadly the shit does rise to the top...so that debunks that theory...it's all subjective, sadly we're saturated with reboot this, reimagining that...depressing stuff...produce your own stuff...you have more creative control, and, more integrity going forward.
+Marcus Maher, You have a very negative outlook at the whole thing. It's understandable, but it's unnecessary and ultimately self-defeating. Sure, you can be your own producer, but that's an entirely different skill-set to writing, and I've spent enough years doing both of them to know that you won't master either one of them if you try to do both. They each just take too long to really master.
If you have great stories inside you, write them. Pitch them. They will get picked up. If you're talking to producers who don't know the kinds of films you want to make, that simply means that producer is not aligned with the kinds of films you want to make. So, move on. There are literally thousands of producers out there -- all around the world. I've met hundreds myself, and I've barely scratched the surface. But I've also reviewed over 25,000 project submissions, and I can tell you that all but TWENTY of them were unusable. Literally not usable by a legitimate producer. Producers have such a hard time finding viable material that they usually don't even accept material from non-professionals. So until you've had success as a screenwriter, you're almost never talking to the people you need to talk to anyway. (It's a catch-22 that is easily solved with some truly spectacular spec scripts.)
It's very easy to dismiss everything as rubbish, but it's a whole lot harder to create something fantastic. You can do it, though. Not by becoming your own producer (I assure you it brings with it a whole world of additional (and much worse) headaches), but by mastering the craft of screen storytelling.
Good luck, and let me know if I can help in any way.
I should add that I'm not talking about home-made micro-budget features, but rather films with million-dollar-plus budgets, generally. (Although there are plenty of low- and no-budget producers eagerly searching for material, too. No need to bemoan what's out there when we live in an era when literally anyone can make something magnificent if they apply themselves.
+FAST Screenplay I completely agree, I'm not inspired anymore by guff dressed up as deep and edgy, 5 star reviews. I am optimistic with regard to the true story tellers out there, it's just becoming harder to find them, went to some festivals in europe last year and I can count the films that impressed me on one hand, or two thumbs. I was raised in great US film makers Polonsky/Welles/Kubrick/World- Loach/Kieslowski/Klimov/Roeg/Boorman/Kursowa...they aren't there anymore, or have retired...I was lucky to be born in the late seventies...the golden age...nowadays it's rather mediocre...profit and quick term gains is what dictates cinema now...saying that I thought Mad Max Fury Road was a hoot...George Miller retained my faith a little..
Filmmakers in that vein are bountiful right now. You should check out the indie scene.
can u tell me how to protect ur screenplay/idea not getting taken/stolen once u made it? thx
You can protect your screenplay (as it's a flesh-out project), but you can't really protect your idea. The reason is that ideas are conceptual and screenplays are the expression of that concept. To protect your screenplay, register it with the WGA (East or West), or if you want to go more formal, register for copyright with the US Copyright Office. Note that if someone were to steal it, you would have to prove that they got it from you AND that they directly plagiarized 50% or more of your project.
In my opinion, worrying about that is largely a waste of time, as most producers aren't interested in stealing your work (it's much cheaper to buy it than to worry about some lawsuit later). But more importantly, if everything comes down to one idea, you will always be at the mercy of other people. Join my system and I'll show you within a month how to have, literally, hundreds of viable ideas. As you progress and develop your skills, you'll have thousands. Technically, you'll have an unlimited supply of ideas. Once you've been doing this for awhile, you'll quickly realize that getting too precious about one idea is the mark of the unskilled writer. No judgment; we're all unskilled at first. Ideas are everywhere. The challenge is in making great screenplays and projects.
Hope this helps!
So what are the Needs of a producer?? is there a list of specific needs of a producer we should keep in mind?
It's different for every producer, so there's no checklist, if that's what you're looking for. It needs to be a viable, production-ready screenplay they can immediately go out and package, and then show to investors to attract the money. It needs to be an extraordinary (and unique) story with engaging characters audiences want to spend time with; the story needs to build and then exceed its implied promises. The subtext and nuances need to serve the point and purpose of the story; every little interconnected detail needs to "work" within the context of the story world. And all of it needs to be something that's interesting to a marketplace that is over-saturated with content, without the producer needing to do extensive rewrites to improve the script (which, after all, would end up costing more than just hiring a writer to create a new story from scratch -- which is the very thing you're probably trying to avoid in the first place).
Movies can costs millions of dollars to make, and packaging a product can take anywhere from a few months to several years -- yet most writers slap together some pages in a couple weeks and start pestering producers with a project they just can't do anything with. Producers are responsible for takeing a screenplay that's ready to go, and turning it into a film, and then selling that film to distributors and/or audiences. Producers don't just need screenplays, they need VIABLE production-ready screenplays that are aligned with their needs and interests. They need quality, above all else.
Even low- or micro-budget films need better quality scripts these days, because the market is so saturated that just slapping together a film is a sure-fire way to get lost in the marketplace, lose all your money, and have nothing but a weak story to show for it. The screenplay should be developed and refined to as top-level quality as possible before putting it out into the world or starting the process of finding interest in the project.
Hope this helps!
Thank you!!!
God bless you, it's really helpful.
I'm pleased it's been helpful for you. Thanks for letting me know!
We as writers have to remember Hollywood is there to make money not movies, and their target demographic is 13-20 year old males. No need to write Gone with the Wind your first time out. Think low budget, Zombies, cars, girls, teenagers, horror, found footage, things that Indie Producers might be able to find financing for.
Thanks for the comment Shavian1, although I would argue that this is only true of B-movie producers and those who cater to that market. Personally, I have no interest in zombies, teen movies, horror or found footage. :) (May be why I've struggled to find material over the years!) The key is to remember that it's about creating something that a producer can actually package and get made. And there are LOTS of indie producers out there dying to find quality material that's actually marketable.
Good luck and follow your passion! Don't write what you think they want -- write what inspires you. Just be sure to do it in a way they can actually use. Thanks for watching and participating!
FAST Screenplay I wrote from my heart and got this assessment from a pro reader that thanked me for a "good read something very rare in Hollywood" They also said all I have to do if find a producer that wants to spend a couple million dollars making a picture about a Vietnam Vet with PTSD.
Premise Good
Story Line Good / FAIR
Characterization Excellent / Good
Dialogue Excellent / Good
Structure Excellent / Good
Originality Good
Shavian1 Clint Eastwood just did exactly that, and rather successfully. :) So it certainly can be done. The key is alignment (see my Uncut video on that topic -- #15)... finding and connecting with your project's ideal producer and/or aligning your project with their needs. It's not just about writing from the heart -- that's where you start, but then it needs to be marketable and aligned with the needs of a producer. I go into all this in a ton of detail in the Payoff Phase of FAST. Most writers bang out a script and hope for the best, and then wonder why they can't find a producer. If you focus on finding your project's ideal producer and then build an extraordinary promise progression (see my Producer's Perspective #2 video), you can make it happen. Hang in there, and Good luck with it.
FAST Screenplay
A point well taken. Thank you.
I really like your videos and how you teach. Please i will like to talk to you personally.
Send an email through the contact form on our website. You'll get a personal reply same day. Cheers.
Thank you very much.
You're welcome. Thanks for watching. Don't forget to share!
Hi Mr. Bollow,
Great tips and information! I was wondering how the system works in LA (Hollywood), I just finished a screenplay (with logline, synopsis and treatment) with my co partner who is a awardwinning screenwriter, and we are trying to finance it. Is it true that there must be a manager that contacts production companies/producers regarding development, or can I make cold calls myself? I live in Sweden, but my partner resides in LA.
Sandro Khafor Thanks for the kind words. Check out the rest of the channel -- we have a lot of videos here.
Regarding LA: Everything is the same in LA as elsewhere, with one key difference: Volume. There are MORE writers, more producers, and more production companies all vying for attention. And with more of everything, it becomes much more challenging. If you're an indie producer in Australia, you may get 4 scripts sent to you in a week. If you're a major Hollywood player, you could get thousands. Which means they need gatekeepers. Readers, assistants, development execs. And even if there are hundreds of great writers, no producer has the time to meet them all, maintain relationships, read all their screenplays, etc., and still get their current films made.
That's where managers and agents come in. Good ones develop relationships and navigate the chaos and try to facilitate getting great writers and projects matched up with the teams that need them. You can cold call, but you'll usually get a receptionist or assistant, and you have to wow them enough for them to break their policy and pass your project up the chain. It's a very difficult thing to do successfully.
Also always remember that the people at the top of the industry can work with anyone they want, and they usually have wish lists. (Wouldn't you?) So if your goal is LA, remember that you're going to be directly competing with ten thousand other writers, many of whom have great connections. Anything to help you connect is worth exploring. But the key word there is "connect". You need to first have a viable project (and in my experience, even in LA, less than 10 screenplays in 1,000 are truly viable) AND you need to connect it with the production company it's perfect for (which is often impossible to know unless you have inside info).
Part of the whole point of FAST Screenplay is to help writers navigate this, and there's a reason the business/marketing planning doesn't happen until the Payoff Phase. It's absolutely possible to do anything before you're ready, but most advice writers follow sets them BACK rather than pushes them forward. I don't recommend cold calling, for example. I recommend making contact through your network, and using a carefully designed promise progression.
I hope this helps. Good luck!
FAST Screenplay
I see... Sounds logical, and very useful information. Big thanks for your reply and recommendations. I will pass this forward!
Super interesting.
"You can't shoot an idea." Screenwriting in a nutshell.
Be cautious about trying to distill complex ideas into a nutshell. From my view, that quote is a foundational principle upon which screenwriting is built, rather than being the nutshell of it. ;)
(Love that you've singled that idea out, though. So many writers miss it -- or at least its enormous implications.)
it says website not active
Where does it say that? (I've checked all the links and everything's up and running for me.)
How do we find someone to turn a true story that happened to us, such as the yr the law was on my parents farm a ufo landed, horrifying things happened to me & my family.
I’m always gonna recommend learn how to write the story yourself, but if you don’t want to do that, you can always hire a screenwriter.
Anyone help me to write the script.
FAST Screenplay guides you through the entire process, from before you even form the idea, through story development, through writing the screenplay, through rewriting, polishing, working with feedback, and then finding and connecting to the project's ideal producer. fastscreenplay.com/start
How can I send my screenplay to you? Wanna help a frustrated producer.
Very much appreciate the offer, but in 2017 we stopped accepting submissions (in 30k submissions, we found only 26 viable). We’re now focused exclusively on producing films written in our Writer’s Room. However if you’re sure your project is the one in a thousand, consider submitting to the Feedback Loop (look at recent videos on this channel). If it’s truly awesome, I’ll be able to highlight it and give deep dive feedback. Let me know.
@@fastscreenplay Can I send you the first 5 pages? The end of the third page is in the middle of the dialogue and scene.
Please watch a few of the Feedback Loop episodes to see what it’s all about. The first 3 pages are all we need, and usually tell us all we need to know. On occasion, I ask for the next several pages, but that will depend on the first 3. Don’t worry if a scene doesn’t end; we know there’s more to your story than the first three pages.
@@fastscreenplay I have watched the episodes. It REALLY depends, trust me.
I’m never going to tell a writer what to do. I will only ask.
This is good.
Thanks
I trust you and i'm going to buy your product.
Hi Brian... thanks for the comment. We'd love to have you join us in FAST Screenplay -- it's a grand adventure.
FAST Screenplay
clark s, yes?
Pls give me an idea for how to write scene order / oneline script
+anish kuttan, stay tuned for our next video series (should be online within a month or so), as it will help you with the basic structure (and show you how to go beyond the basic structure -- and why).
Thanks
You're welcome.
There are scriptwriting teachers who haven't had any real world experience, although there are some who have a lot, and basically are retired, and doing teaching as a 2nd career.
+tnabound2009, that's certainly true, of course. There are as many different stories as there are people behind them. :)
If producers are geniuses at teaching screenwriting, why aren’t they the ones writing screenplays and teaching the craft? Many directors don't even write their own movies because they don't have that skill. Same goes for actors. A producer is a business person; a screenwriter a creative person. Two different jobs. There's a lot of useless nonsense being marketed to aspiring Screenwriters, and Jeff's credentials do not prove he is an expert on screenwriting. How many movies has written, directed, or produced to make these claims? How many known writers, directors, producers, actors or studios are recommending his system? Check his IMDB page. No much there!
Oh, man. Here we go again. I’m not sure if you’re just new here or if you’re a longtime-viewer-first-time-hater, but we’ve been over all of this endlessly for nearly a decade already in the 100+ hours of content on this UA-cam channel. But let’s go through it again, in case you’re asking in good faith:
Here’s why producers don’t teach: ua-cam.com/video/SG-BUwOsCgw/v-deo.html I never said producers were geniuses and I never precluded anyone else from teaching. I’m merely telling you why most writers are missing some of the most key ingredients to success at this game. (That you think a producer is not a creative person is very telling, though.)
Here’s my story (and yes, why my IMDb page is anemic) ua-cam.com/video/WP_Ns69ZqT4/v-deo.html It addresses all your questions and concerns. I’ve got another video specifically about what IMDb does and does not include (and therefore why jumping to this kind of conclusion based solely on what IMDb says is foolish, but I’ll let you dig through the Daily Prompt archives yourself to find it if you care.)
If you need other people to tell you that my system is worthwhile, I would encourage you to NOT join me. This is the same kind of thinking that leads someone to get an advanced degree in screenwriting. This is not a “credentials” industry; you don’t need a certificate to break in - you need a great screenplay. That’s it. If you don’t think a guy who has spent 22 years figuring out how to help writers create them is worthy of listening to, then don’t listen to me. I honestly don’t mind. You do you. Ignore my unique perspective if you like. It’s all good. Just know that I guarantee results. No one else does.
Frankly, your writing success is not about what anyone else thinks or says; it’s about you. If you need outside validation to tell you that what I’m telling you (in this video, in the hundreds of others, or in any service I provide) has value, I’ll never be the right guy for you anyway, because I teach from the perspective that starting on the outside is actually a distinct advantage for you - so if you’re already against that idea (ie, if you need some “credentials” that in no way would prove my ability to actually TEACH this stuff), you’re likely to be closed to all my best tools and content.
So, while I’m here to help anyone who wants it, as I believe everyone has their own unique value, even if you never join (or even listen) to me, I hope you’ll open your mind to a wider subset of ideas than you’re currently open to. All the best stuff is on the cutting edge. There’s a reason people are encouraged to think “outside the box”. :)
If you have any questions or follow up hoops you want me to jump through, let me know. I’m here to help, and I’m in the final months of still responding to every comment on my UA-cam channel. Happy writing.
@@fastscreenplay
To me, your video seemed to suggest all other systems are worthless. I wanted to correct that impression.
I follow screenwriting gurus online and pull tools from them when I can. That's why I checked out your videos, long after hearing you on Indie Film Hustle.
Maybe I misunderstood you. You talk about joining you. In one video you said you want to build some sort of studio. Perhaps, I mistook you for another guru promoting their system. I'm sorry.
@@brothermichael1521 I never said all other systems are worthless. This video is called “the three fundamental problems of screenplay development”. It’s about the fundamental problems we face (both sides of this arrangement - producers AND writers). If the vast majority of people teaching the craft are on the writer’s side of the table and don’t understand (or if they do, they certainly don’t teach) the things the producer needs for the deal to happen, there will always be a cavernous gap in the knowledge base of the writers who follow them. Make no mistake; there is only ONE way you will ever sell a screenplay, and that is if your screenplay meets the immediate needs of at least one producer. I’m sorry, but it’s just not all about the writing side of the equation. That part of it is a big part of it - of course it is. But you’ll never sell a thing if you don’t fully understand the other side of it (and, even more importantly, how to align your creativity with that side). And that’s what this video is about. I encourage you to watch it again without the assumption that I would ever call someone else’s content worthless. If you spend any time digging into my content - even my free content - you’ll see that I am an ardent believer that you can learn from anyone. Everyone has a unique journey through life so everyone (if they know how to present it) can teach you something they’ve learned that you’ll never experience otherwise. Not only do I NOT believe anyone out there is “worthless”, I believe precisely the opposite. But MY unique journey has shown me literally hundreds of nuances most will never see - simply because most will never spend 18 years looking through 30,000 submissions while trying to build a content development machine to feed an indie film studio. It’s a unique experience that has led to profound and transformational insights that I have spent two decades shaping into tools to help writers (in part because when writers succeed, it gets me closer to my goal). You don’t need to pursue them or have any interest in them, but please don’t mischaracterize or knock what you do not know or understand.
You wanted to “correct” an impression that is only ever had when you mishear, misunderstand, and the make entirely incorrect assumptions. And the only reason to do that is to either a) try to tear someone else down or b) try to elevate yourself. Either way, it’s done at my expense, and both are unfair and wrong - especially as I am here to help YOU, without asking anything in return, right here on the UA-cam channel. In the future, I urge you to ask questions before making accusations. Explore deeper before making assumptions. And don’t try to elevate yourself by knocking someone else. I can handle it (people like you have been doing this to me for years - just scroll down these comments), but it’s YOU who harm yourself when you do that. You kill the creative spark when you imagine that creativity is competitive. It’s not. We can both succeed. As can anyone else who ever reads this. We just need an open creative mind and a willingness to learn and take action.
@@fastscreenplay I regret my choice of words, and again I'm sorry. Whatever flaw I've found with your system, the truth is you're offering writers something. I'm not at the level where I can offer anything, o you're lightyears ahead of me. I do get the point about writers getting a producer's perpective. You're dead right on that. I've heard from others before. And I do it myself in my on way.
I want to give you time to read this final response. Then if it’s Ok with you, I'd like to delete my negative comment. My intention was not to "tear down" your system, but that's precisely what my action did. Again, my apologies to you, Sir. Sorry that you also had to spend so much of your precious time responding to me.
@@brothermichael1521 If you don’t mind, I’d actually rather you keep it up. You’ll notice in my first reply that I said that I’d go over it again in case you were asking in good faith. And I believe you were. Which means that you are in fact expressing something lots of other people are thinking and feeling too. Which I believe I’ve now addressed through this exchange - so I’d love to be able to show people this exchange so everyone can learn. One of the reasons I take the time to reply to comments on UA-cam is because these little things that get in your way are the very things that keep writers from getting results. But leaving this up, the same insight you’ve had can be had by others. If you remove it, then the time I’ve invested in replying goes only to you. Which is fine, but not really in my best interest. I help people, so the more I can help with one action (such as these replies), the better that time was spent.
I appreciate your follow up comments and I appreciate your willingness to delete all this in an effort to be kind. That’s good enough for me. But if you’re comfortable with leaving it up and showing others your evolution, I think it would be great to leave it.
And for whatever it’s worth, I’m here to help if you need anything. Feel free to ask any questions or reach out for help. I’ve been replying to comments for almost a decade. I’m about to move into the next chapter, so take advantage of it while you can. (Oh and if you really want to delete it all, you can. I don’t want you to but I want you to always do what’s right for you.). Cheers.
Sad that the films they choose, 99% are utter rubbish, who the hell greenlights Adam Sandler's films or Seth Rogan's..so it's simply quantity over quality and that's depressing...
+Marcus Maher, well, you may think they're rubbish, but Adam Sandler's movie *average* $83million at the box office, so there's an enormous audience for them and they're very popular. Seth Rogen's filmography is about the same. I would suggest blaming audience for that one. If there is no market for something, they will stop making it, I assure you.
All that said, that has nothing to do with the content of this video. The truth is that EVERY movie must align a writer's project with a producer's needs. If a producer wants to make a high-quality artistic film, he needs a writer who has created one (and despite what you may imagine, there are VERY few such projects out there). The 3 fundamental problems face EVERY producer and EVERY writer on EVERY project, and they are the challenges we face no matter what kind of film you're trying to create.
I assure you, if you create an extraordinary story and a great screenplay, there is a producer out there who is looking for it.
+FAST Screenplay I agree but you've kind of confirmed my position for me. I neither care or feel anything if Adam Sandler's films make so much at the box office, the cynical nature of Hollywood now is that it will recoup that money by "feeder" markets such as Eurasia, Middle East and the Americas...that's the game changer(cynically crash at the US but don't worry the Idiots in the other countries will save our blushes) TV is where great story telling is happening and I'm writing a highly complexed story as we speak-I think it's a true medium for that.Films can still inspire but the generic, non risk taking in the English speaking markets is killing film, we herarld Tarantino as an autuer but if you put him alongside Kubrick, Lumet, Pakula, Frankenheimer, Segal, Scorsese, (films he's lifted from) he'd be passed over very quickly, but we live in an age of Emperor's new clothes, the paucity of real filmmakers has shifted to the longer medium because of it and TV has flourished- personally Dustin Hoffmann was right "Film is dead in America" sad...but true...interesting advice though all the same but as we know not one size fits all.Cheers.
Any idea that "film is dead" is ridiculous. There are thousands of films made every year, and only a few of them have Adam Sandler in them. There is literally unlimited opportunity and ANYONE can participate. Any broad generalities are necessarily reflective of only the smallest fragment of the moment. All I'm suggesting is to see the bigger view. Hope it helps.
+Marcus Maher
Ex Machina was an excellent film, and it was a sci-fi film. They are few and far between, but there are still excellent films being made.
Dialectical Monist, agreed.
1 credit. Are you serious?
lolz
Award-winning filmmaker and educator with over 25 years teaching over 20,000 writers, whose students have won awards, been produced, optioned, gotten agents and made six and seven figure incomes. You want me to have been writing all that time instead? Weird priorities ya go there.
For what it's worth, IMDb lists movie credits, not executive or development accomplishments. Try not to use it as your sole information source. :)