Screenplays

Screenwriters make a lot of money. According to the current Writer's Guild agreement, the minimum for an original screenplay for a high end theatrical film is $122,000. Of course, that's the minimum. An established screenwriter, or a hot script from a newcomer, can net an author much, much more. $1 million for a screenplay used to be news; it's not any more. Screenplays are short -- one rule of thumb allows one minute of screen time for each page, so a two hour movie can be told in only 120 pages. And those pages aren't covered with dense prose. There's lots of white space for dialogue and shot descriptions such as "Int. Joe's shack on the St. John's River. Evening" that don't appear to take a great deal of creative brain space. So screenplays are short and pay a lot of money. Why aren't more people writing them? Actually, there are a lot of people writing screenplays -- but most of them aren't making money. I've read some estimates that only 5% of the Writer's Guild members can support themselves on screenplays. Most of them have to work other jobs to live. That's not unusal for performing unions. The vast majority of members of the Screen Actor's Guild, Actor's Equity, the Dramatist's Guild, etc,. don't make their living from their art. So if you want to make a living writing screenplays, what should you do? First -- move to Los Angeles. That's still the center of the film industry. Make connections with production executives, directors, agents, actors and other players in the film industry. I'm assuming you don't have other connections in the business. The most important thing is to make connections and find an agent, so that the screenplays you write will be read. You can't do that sitting at home. You might protest that William Goldman, who is one of my writing heroes, didn't move to LA. He got all his screenwriting jobs while living in New York. That is correct. But Goldman was already a successful novelist and Broadway script doctor before he sold his first screenplay. He had an agent. If you're a successful novelist, get your agent to sell your book to a studio with the stipulation that you write the screenplay. For the rest of us, making the right connections remain the key. If you can't move to Los Angeles, then at least get an agent who will represent your work in LA. How do you get an agent? See my previous posts. But essentially, it will help immensely to get a connection to an agent and not submit blindly. They receive a lot of material, and a recommendation from a connection will help get your script to the top of their pile. There's another option: Make the movie yourself. That approach worked wonderfully for "Paranormal Activity" and "The Blair Witch Project." It has never been cheaper or easier to make a quality film. If you don't know how, partner with someone from your local film school or production company. You can even distribute the movie on the internet. You may lose money on this first effort. However, you will show the worlde that you can write a screenplay and make a movie. Assuming the movie is good, you'll have an easier time making the next one.