You are the Box Office Smash: the Personal Screenplay by Gordy Hoffman

Right this very second, in the heart of every struggling, undiscovered screenwriter, in the dark, hidden corner deep within, there is a voice, a clear whisper, saying one thing:

You're never gonna figure this out.

And this is not referring to the story with its gaping hole, the finale missing a payoff, the hit and miss humor, the flat title.

I'm talking about freedom. The freedom to work as a screenwriter. Compensation for a home for family and a life. The resources to wake up and ply your craft and pay the freight, without obstacle. The chance to see your writing made into pictures, to work with the industry's best, to fulfill this goal of professional screenwriter. Hollywood success.

Behind this voice is the idea that somehow, some way, you'll find the hero, or the hook, logline or pitch that will punch your golden ticket. If you could only figure out what the studio wants, if you can only get a solid bead to this game, you know you can write and execute. What is the script I should write to get an agent? What is the one that will sell? It's not that I don't know how to write, I know how to write screenplays, I just need to know what they want, even though I think I know what they want, but I don't think I have the idea that they want. Yeah.

I'm not gonna figure this out, whispers the voice.

Why this uneasiness? Does it originate within ourselves? I don't think so. But where does it come from? The daily obsession with box office grosses? The news of the seven figure deals to newbies? The endless procession of boneheadedly conceived franchises-in-waiting arriving in the theatres every Friday? People winning Academy Awards for movies you would not be caught dead writing? Recognizing an idea you came up with years ago on your couch, produced with a $130 million budget drowning in CGI?

All these things are but a few of the possible reasons why this seeds unhealthy doubt and confusion in the modern screenwriter. Tracking these forces outside us and beyond our control in an effort to trudge the path to a successful screenwriting career will prove to most to be unproductive and corrosive. Basically, trying to figure out what Hollywood wants will land us in a resentment that makes “giving up” a sane response to the very challenge which used to inspire us. In short, we cannot chase a perceived trend and remember our dreams.

You cannot look at the marketplace and find your voice. You can find ideas, trends, and inspiration there, perhaps, but you can find these things driving in traffic as well. But listening to your voice is the key to creating original, compelling stories.

Your life is your own story. You have a completely unique thread of experience. By allowing yourself to express these emotional experiences, your screenplay, your story, will be different from any other and powerful, as original as your fingerprint.
Why is it powerful? When we have the courage to be specific about what we know about living, we create an authentic world an audience recognizes as the life they are living on planet Earth. This connects your audience to your story. This connection is the foundation of the phenomena o

Why does story mean so much to us? We recognize the triumphs and tragedies of our lives, with all the hilarity and tears. By seeing it, we are validated and it underscores meaning and purpose to living.

If we don't use what we've collected in life in our hearts and spirits, then our story loses its authenticity and the connection the audience should make fails. They do not see themselves, and when they leave the theater, they do not call their friends. When people do not call their friends after seeing a movie, the movie bombs.

When a writer opens their person to their work, when they allow themselves to be vulnerable, to risk exposure of the secrets of their life story, they take a huge step towards creating a screenplay of substantial value, a screenplay with a greater potential of a large number of tickets sold.

This is precisely why art and commerce have remained bedfellows for thousands of years. To look at the relationship between art and commerce as adversarial or incompatible is just plain foolish. Art happens when people invest their spirits in their work without fear, and story is artful when the writing is truthful and the writer is authentic.
And what do we have to be honest about? We can only lie about what we know, and we can only tell the truth about what we know. And that is what has happened to us, our life story. This is what we share.

This is not a pitch to write "what you know." This is not about writing stories about where you work or where you live. This is about writing about what you felt. You can imagine characters and worlds and actions and speech you've never personally experienced, but if you remember to infuse your choices with your emotional and spiritual struggles and victories as a human being, your screenplay will be different in the very best sense of the word.

The question you have to answer is not what does Hollywood want today. The question is how honest of a writer do you want to be. I guarantee you can write a blockbuster, you can write a box office hit. This will happen when you find an audience. And the correct path to this crowd of people is listening to yourself. If you practice, you will develop an inner ear for who you are and what you know and you will become masterful in loading your work with your fingerprints. Writing is personal work. You are the guitar. You are the box of paint. Give of that and your audience will remember why life is good and they will talk of you.

About the Author
Winner of the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the Sundance Film Festival for LOVE LIZA, Gordy Hoffman wrote and directed three short films for Fox Searchlight in 2002. He made his feature directorial debut with his script, A COAT OF SNOW, which world premiered at the 2005 Locarno Intl Film Festival. A COAT OF SNOW made its North American Premiere at the Arclight in Hollywood, going on to screen at the Milan Film Festival and the historic George Eastman House. Recently, the movie won the 2006 Domani Vision Award at VisionFest, held at the Tribeca Cinemas in NY. A professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, Gordy is the founder and judge of the BlueCat Screenplay Competition. In addition, Gordy acts as a script consultant for screenwriters, offering personalized feedback on their scripts through his consultation service, www.screenplaynotes.com.

Website Dedicated To Science Fiction Movies Launched

A website called SciFiSoup.com (http://www.SciFiSoup.com) has been launched to provide people with a science fiction movie resource unlike others on the web. The website is purely concerned with science fiction movies released over the last fifty years, and gives movie reviews from the perspective of its 25 year-old founder Julian Card, who has just recently watched the films.

"I just realized how much I enjoy science fiction movies," said Julian Card, founder of scifisoup.com. "There are so many great scifi films out there, as well as some outstandingly terrible movies that are just as fun to watch."

The website features science fiction movie reviews, upcoming scifi films, and an extensive science fiction movie database including movies released over the last 50 years. The movie reviews, written from the perspective of the 25 year-old founder Julian Card, feature a fresh perspective of the movie genre.

"A lot of people get caught up with the fact that the movie is a classic, or are nostalgic because the movie was released when they were 10 years old," stated Julian Card. "I think this skews the fact that some of the films are not very good and can be downright boring and unentertaining. In addition, some great scifi films lacked the advertising budget to be seen by many people that would enjoy them. I'd like to identify these movies to true scifi movie lovers so they could discover them just like I did.

An Advocate for Your Screenplay by Michael C. Murphy

I think a lot of struggling screenwriters believe if they could just get an agent they would sell a script, get a bunch of writing assignments, and life would be beautiful, but I'm not sure that's the case.

What follows is information taken from my conversations with agents, talking to other screenwriters who have agents, panel discussions I've watched with agents, interviews with agents I've read or witnessed, or other bits of information I've stumbled over through the years.

First of all, most agents don't read query letters. I get the feeling that even those who say they do - don't. Agents much prefer to get their clients by referral from producers, other known screenwriters, managers, or some other person they trust. Of course, there are agents who read every query letter, but I'm not sure those are people you would actually want as an agent.

This is a complicated problem for screenwriters trying to break in, because often the advice I hear from top agents is that we should look for a hot agent just starting out, someone who is hungry for clients. That would be those agents reading all the query letters, but how do you know which one is "hot"?

The "Fade In" directory is probably the best source to look for agents, since it gives a little information along with the phone number and address. And there is the old standard WGA list of guild signatory agents, which is an important consideration, because it means they abide by the WGA guidelines that protect writers.

But you still have that problem of knowing which one is honest and capable of actually helping you get where you want to go. Personally, I want to be with one of the major players:

Creative Artists Agency William Morris Agency International Creative Management United Talent Agency Endeavor Agency The Gersh Agency Innovative Artists Paradigm Agency for the Performing Arts Broder-Webb-Chervin-Silbermann Agency

Now, agents leave these companies and form their own agencies, and those agents probably have some good contacts. And it may be better to be with a smaller company, since you are less likely to get lost and forgotten about, but you will miss out on those inside agency connections. In a big agency, agents communicate with each other about who is looking for what, and packaging deals are made that could make it easier for your agent to find you work. The most important reason to have an agent is to gain access to all the assignment work available. When studios are developing projects, they often put out a call for screenwriters to adapt a book, or rewrite someone else's screenplay. Often, that spec script that you think is going to be your first big sale, actually becomes your writing sample, which your agent will use to get you writing assignments.

Remember, when you go looking for an agent, that agents are generally not looking for screenplays as much as they are looking for clients. In other words, they generally don't want someone with just one script. They usually look for someone with several solid scripts, who has the ability to be marketed in several different directions at once. They play the odds, and if you only have one good script the odds aren't that good.

Also, agents don't like scripts that have already been shopped around. A good agent wants a fresh script that has never been seen anywhere, so he/she can build some buzz, before sending it out to a large group of production companies all at once, in an effort to start a bidding war.

Finally, keep in mind an agent works for you, not the other way around. Don't just grab the first agent that shows interest. Get face-to-face with anyone you are considering and look in their eyes for sincerity. Ask probing questions. Don't sign a contract without legal advice, and don't expect your agent to do all the work - they won't.

Michael C. Murphy is the founder and president of The Writers' Building, a nonprofit organization and online screenwriting workshop, dedicated to helping aspiring screenwriters succeed. Join the workshop at The Writers' Building.

Writing Scripts Takes Commitment by Zinn Jeremiah

When considering the more popular forms of fiction writing, the screenplay form must be near the top of the list, and perhaps stands alone at the top. Interest in screenwriting and in developing a screenwriting career has exploded over the last few decades. The evidence for this is easy to find. There are several books on screenwriting some of which have gone on to become best sellers and become printed in multiple editions. Screenwriting competitions are now commonplace, and are regularly used as a method for trying to establish a screenwriting career. There are also now even screenwriting programs at several universities, and some of these programs are so competitive that they're nearly impossible to get into. Screenwriting today is as popular a form as it's ever been.

People write screenplays for various reasons. Some people simply enjoy the process, and have no real intentions on pursuing a career. Some who write screenplays will only write one or two of them, then never another. There are those who consistently write screenplays, hoping in many cases to establish a screenwriting career. The lure of a screenwriting career holds different things for different people, obviously: there are those who hope for the opportunity to work in Hollywood's glamorous setting; others hope to become rich; and then some just have a burning desire to create drama.

A commitment to writing scripts is a trait nearly all screenwriters share. It's vital to have this sort of commitment for at least a couple of reasons. Firstly, it takes time to learn to write screenplays at what's considered a professionally acceptable level. There is not set length of time for learning to write screenplays, but in most instances it takes years. The notion of a person taking up screenwriting and having a screenwriting career several months later is essentially unheard of. There are people who move to screenwriting from other writing forms, but typically they're established writers who've been writing for years.

The other reason for needing a sense of commitment is gaining entry. Within the entertainment industry, screenwriters who aren't established don't get much consideration. To ultimately launch a screenwriting career typically takes significant perseverance: doors don't open easily for the unknown. There's also typically a lot of rejection to endure along the way. Becoming a professional screenwriter certainly isn't impossible, because people do it. The best policy with respect to a screenwriting career however is to go into the situation understanding it won't be easy. Those who have the desire as well as the ability have the best chance to succeed.

Zinn Jeremiah is a freelance writer. To learn screenwriting, visit screenplay writing.

Screenwriting Tips from a Screenplay Contest Judge

Do you realize what you're saying??

In the theatre, they read plays aloud over and over in the process of script development, and one of the reasons they do this is to hear the dialogue. When I hear dialogue in my head, it might sound very good, but then when I hear a person actually speak it, I often have an impulse to jump in front of a bus. And over and over and over and over, when I read screenplay entries to BlueCat, I am immediately dismayed when the characters start speaking. Excellent everything else, awful dialogue. And I often wonder if the writer has actually heard the lines they have written for their characters out loud. Either read the whole thing aloud to yourself, or even better, get a group of your friends to read it. You do not need professional actors to evaluate dialogue. Just people excited to help. Videotape it. I have videotaped readings, and then sat down and worked out an entire rewrite off the tape, addressing every single line that bothered me. Which leads me to another thing.

Ha.

It's hard to pass a screenplay on to industry contacts if an unfunny joke is sitting in the middle of page two. It's highly difficult if there's twelve by page five. You might have a payoff in your third act that would break my heart, but if your jokes are poor, the heart of your audience will be shot, probably resentful, and your work will be recycled. Please try your humor out. If your beats aren't funny to some people, rewrite. Trust a truly hilarious bit is coming. Think of the patience you need to muster through this writing process as courage, because it is.If you find you are not funny, write a script that is not funny. Many, many great scripts are not funny, as we all know.

Mispellings.

Do you think the development people in Los Angeles, basically the smartest people in the film industry, will not be annoyed and continue to read your script when you have misspelled three words in the first five pages? Perhaps. How do you feel when you're reading something and you find misspelled words? How does your attitude shift towards the author? Exactly. If you don't think many scripts have this problem, start a screenwriting competition.

OKAY, WE GOT IT!

Try to limit your scene description. When a person opens your script, how many INCHES of action slug are they looking at on page one? Is there anyway you can convey what you want us to SEE with less words? I always go back and CUT CUT CUT to prevent my screenplay from fatiguing my reader with excess words as they try to listen for my story. Do we need to know what necklace someone is wearing? We all understand making motion pictures is collaborative. I strive to let the art department and the costumer and the prop master and so on DO THEIR JOB by not making their decisions in the screenplay, because I have little passion for it and don't do it well. They will make their own choices, and most likely better ones, so why bother? Always use fewer words to say the same thing.

It's not show and tell, it's show not tell.

I constantly find myself being told something by the screenplay the viewer of the film will not be aware of. Screenplays are not literature. They are words assembled to describe what motion pictures will play out on the screen. Telling us a character is a jealous person is passive and dull. Showing a character in an act of jealousy is more effective and essentially cinematic. Let the words and actions of your characters carry your story. This is not easy. You want the actor or director to understand what you want and what you mean. Allow the description of physical actions and the recording of spoken words reveal the narrative to the filmmakers. The script will read faster and offers the reader a richer opportunity to imagine and discover.

The Joy of Making Things Up.

I really cherish the idea, that as a writer, I can make things up. If I want the guy to say something, all I have to do is type it. But I have to fight against creating characters and interactions amongst characters derived from movies I have watched and television I have seen. I often find myself writing a scene only to realize I'm not drawing from my imagination or my own life experience or my observations of people, I'm drawing from the millions of hours of observing actors play human beings on television and in movie theaters. And because I'm writing a “MOVIE,” it is even more difficult, because I'm fighting against a subconscious or unconscious observation that this is "how people act in movies." Stop yourself and ask, would this happen on planet Earth? Do I know how people from Miami really speak? What would a person actually say if they had a gun in their face? Can you possibly imagine what could happen? This is your opportunity to be truly imaginative. Answer your own expectations of original work. A mature writer develops a strong capacity to recognize and reject the false.

Ouch.

Forced exposition. This is when a brother tells a sister on page two that he will be attending a school which dad wouldn't pay for because he bought a farm that the whole family will be moving to tomorrow because he found that the city was a really bad place to live in after mom was really scared because of that mugging thing that happened after they came back from the sister's graduation from high school. When characters engage in an unbelievable conversation about matters in which they would be familiar with, or when they proclaim something completely out of nowhere simply to inform the audience of key facts crucial to their understanding of the movie, you have a problem. This awkward exposition will not be seen as genuine human behavior and will detach your audience from the emotional current of your story. Exposition is necessary and difficult to execute. Be careful how you offer information crucial to your story at the start of your screenplay. This is a common problem in early drafts. Exposition needs to be seamless and graceful.

Format.

You know what? Go get a script and copy what you think it looks like and you'll be fine. Trust me. Spec scripts are sitting on desks all over Hollywood and their format is not consistent at all. Getting crazy about format sells screenwriting software. I use two tab settings and copied stuff from a book and not one person in the film industry has ever said a thing to me in ten years. But if your script looks like a book, or a poem, or a magazine article, your screenplay format is wrong. Just make it look a little like a movie script, and if it kicks ass, guess what.

So do you.

Gordy Hoffman

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