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Working for a producer – reading the Hollywood trade papers every day and writing coverage of screenplays being considered for production – gave me valuable insight into the development process but what mattered most was that I was writing in the evenings and on my days off.
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I don't recommend the latter but the former won't magically launch your writing career either. In the last three years I have worked in a variety of roles from a film producer's assistant in Beverly Hills to a twilight shift shelf-stacker in a supermarket in North Wales. In fact, an enjoyable non-film job that pays well and leaves you plenty of time to write might be more beneficial to your writing career than an energy-zapping position on the fringes of the entertainment industry. Most emerging writers need a second (and sometimes third) job to pay the bills and it's not essential that these jobs are within the film or television industry. Taking a backroom job in the film industry to get your foot in the door isn't necessary, but if you do choose waitressing as your back up career you must have a stellar script at the ready In recent years websites such as InkTip have also developed services that help connect screenwriters with entertainment professionals looking for new material. Many Hollywood studios and production companies request to read not just the winning scripts but those that make the top ten or twenty in the major contests. Not all are worth the entry fee but some, like the Nicholl Fellowship, are well-established launch pads for new writers. Screenplay contests offer genuine opportunities. But how do you get your script out there?
Screenwriter career movie#
If you've written a marketable high-concept script that jumps off the page and has an appealing role for a bankable movie star then you've got a chance of making a sale. The good news for British writers is that Hollywood doesn't really care where you live. It's the equivalent of Fabio Capello seeing you play street football on Tuesday and handing you an England cap on Wednesday. Part of the seductive appeal of screenwriting is the idea that you can go from a poverty-stricken unknown to a wealthy success story in the space of a weekend. Hollywood studios and production companies scour competitions for scripts I had been in contact with Film Agency for Wales for more than two years with very little success but last October, after two script submissions and one unsuccessful application for development funding, they put me in touch with an independent producer who has since expressed interest in optioning one of my scripts. Managing rejection is a big part of the process but perseverance pays off. Most importantly, expect none of this to work, at least the first time.
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To meet producers contact your regional screen agency they should be aware of who is active in your area. Individual writers used to be able to apply directly to the UK Film Council for development funding but those funds are now distributed by the BFI which indicates a preference for submissions from writer-producer teams. Start with BBC writersroom, the one place that welcomes unsolicited scripts and gives feedback on work that shows promise. Start sending your scripts out - but don't expect to hear anything back first time Most writers also need a network of wise and trusted readers capable of giving constructive feedback on works-in-progress and a university or film centre can be a good place to make those connections. A screenwriting course is worth investing in only if it helps you develop the critical acumen you need in order to identify the weaknesses in your work and to invent solutions. Build a network of trusted readers to critique your workīasic screenwriting fundamentals can be learned through self-study and a few trips to the library.