is writing a film script the new literary dream?

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as suggested by the Sarkies brothers!

― Ess Kay (esskay), Friday, 29 November 2002 05:41 (twenty-three years ago)

haha I want to write scripts for ANIMATION, as the dream of drawing/animating/whatevah myself is (very) slightly more feasible than the dream of shapeshifting/architecture/etc!

― Ess Kay (esskay), Friday, 29 November 2002 05:41 (twenty-three years ago)

The number of scripts that are written per year is something like 1 million, and the number of films that get made is something like 2000. The percentage of that 2000 that were composed by unknown writers is a small, small fraction.

Good luck.

― polyphonic (polyphonic), Friday, 29 November 2002 06:32 (twenty-three years ago)

b-b-b-but polyphonic, I'm a POET! those are grebt odds!

― Ess Kay (esskay), Friday, 29 November 2002 09:14 (twenty-three years ago)

I've been paid to write animation. Ironic, eh?

And hasn't writing film scripts been the new literary dream for at least 30 years?

― Mark C (Mark C), Friday, 29 November 2002 10:13 (twenty-three years ago)

I remember seeing some novelist give a talk, and he said that you can make a tidy living writing scripts for films that never get made. Which is soul destroying, but it does pay the bills. I think it works on the basis that film companies option anything that doesn't look like complete shite to stop anyone else making it.

I suspect that a small proportion of those 1,000,000 scripts ever get optioned.

― DV (dirtyvicar), Friday, 29 November 2002 10:32 (twenty-three years ago)

Yeah, Joan Didion and hubby have written an excellent book about scripts commissioned which never come to owt.

Lucky me I don't have a screenplay getting fusty in my drawer somewhere but *have* got famous director asking me for copies of short stories (however I bet that's what he tells everyone). But unless someone waves GIANT WADS OF CASH in my direction going, please develop something for us, I'm not that bothered.

― suzy (suzy), Friday, 29 November 2002 10:47 (twenty-three years ago)

How many great film scriptwriters can we name?

Herman "Millions are to be grabbed out here and your only competition is idiots. Don't let this get around" Mankiewicz?
Ben Hecht?
Robert Towne?
William Goldman?

All of whom are, shall we say, conflicted about the whole enterprise. Going to Hollywood to be a writer is practically an invitation for John Goodman to rampage through your infernal hotel wielding a shotgun, yelling "I’ll show you the life of the mind!".

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Friday, 29 November 2002 10:58 (twenty-three years ago)

I remember seeing a TV programme about screenwriters were someone made the point that they are paid really well but treated like shit. As in they hand in a script that they've slaved over, are paid a load of money for it, and it's then handed to some team of bozos to cut to pieces because it doesn't quite fit the demographic they're after. The particular film the programme discussed was Kindergarten Cop, which started life as some kind of slightly edgy not Schwarzenegger vehicle, before going through one million re-writes.

maybe being someone who re-writes scripts is what you want to do.

thinking about this again... when I looked at this thread last night I felt that if I applied myself I could become a Hollywood screenwriter. I wish I could remember how.

― DV (dirtyvicar), Friday, 29 November 2002 14:02 (twenty-three years ago)

Jacques Prevert is my favourite screenwriter, but we might mention Faulkner as well (I know he is not primarily famous for screenplays).

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Friday, 29 November 2002 18:49 (twenty-three years ago)

damn, stevie beat me to it

― Josh (Josh), Friday, 29 November 2002 18:53 (twenty-three years ago)

Who's that old bore who always gets trotted out to give his expertise about the screenwriter's art, on the basis that he once wrote Sea of Love or something and is thus one of the 'most respected players in the business'.

Oh yeah - I've got the internet. Richard Price.

― N. (nickdastoor), Saturday, 30 November 2002 14:23 (twenty-three years ago)

The only film that's made me study the crdits for the screenwriter recently was Being John Malkovich, but then Human Nature was reportedly no good at all.

― N. (nickdastoor), Saturday, 30 November 2002 14:26 (twenty-three years ago)

Simon (ex boyfriend currently in China) explains his script writing passion so: he gets a maximum of a few thousand pounds advance for a book. film manuscripts, even if they are not made get you about ten thousand pounds - if the film gets made, this goes into tens of thousands of pounds. it's pure economics.

― kate, Saturday, 30 November 2002 14:34 (twenty-three years ago)

Surely it's applied economics?

― N. (nickdastoor), Saturday, 30 November 2002 14:44 (twenty-three years ago)

Sure, if you get very very lucky, you can be rich writing scripts. But it that's your principle ambition then you're not chasing a "literary dream", you're chasing money. Anyone who cares about writing might happily subsidise the important stuff by working with scipts, just as they might hack out magzine articles. The Fitzgerald path is good too - get the important stuff out of the way, and then cash in.

― Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Saturday, 30 November 2002 22:13 (twenty-three years ago)

Most of the people who I know who have read the screenplay for Adaptation (the new one from the guy who did Being John Malkovich, Charlie Kaufman) say that it's the best screenplay they've ever read, bar none.

― polyphonic (polyphonic), Saturday, 30 November 2002 22:20 (twenty-three years ago)

Said ex, back in his "pure" days, turned down a Gap ad (or was it a Levis ad? I can't remember) but got sick of living in squats and council flats in Brixton.

AARRGGGGHHH, WHEN SOCKS ATTACK... HELP!!!!

― kate, Saturday, 30 November 2002 22:21 (twenty-three years ago)

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