I was at a screenwriter’s seminar last week in New York and I thought I’d share some of the insights that came out of my conversations with some of the screenwriters there.
The seminar was a wonderful night and it gave us agents a chance to mingle and speak with a whole bunch of professional screenwriters in a relaxed atmosphere.
But here are some tidbits I’d like to share from the evening (the main highlights).
Honing the Craft
The question that came up again and again was how long does it take to become a professional—by professional I mean “paid screenwriter?”
For some screenwriters, not too long. A year or two. In some extreme cases, even less. But these screenwriters are the exception to the rule.
For most screenwriter’s it can take them a couple of years just to find a screenplay agent. Then another couple of years to find steady work.
A lot of the screenwriter’s I spoke to said that they had found representation with a screenplay agent after honing their craft for a few years, but they didn’t make their first screenplay sale for almost ten years!
Now, that’s a long time but it fits with Malcolm’s Gladwell’s theory that it takes 10,000 hours to become highly proficient at something.
So, if you are only able to work on your screenplay for 2-3 hours a day, then it will take most people ten years to become highly skilled at writing professional grade scripts.
Alternatively, if you work 8-10 hours a day on your screenplay, then you might be able to acquire this skill in 2-3 years.
The Talent Factor
Many of the screenwriters addressed the topic of talent. Talent certainly comes into play. One screenwriter I spoke to said he had a screenwriting friend who was an awesome writer right from the start.
“He just knew instinctively how to write great dialog and action,” he said. “He had this incredible ear and visual mind that he could just pour it all out onto the page, whilst at the same time, he could also hold back enough that he created this wonderful tension on the page. It took me ten years to learn how to do this—but for my friend, he was born with it.”
If only we were all born so lucky. Talent helps, but it’s important to remember that screenwriting can be an acquired skill.
A Screenplay Agent/Writer Relationship
The screenwriters at the seminar also spoke about how important it was to get a good screenplay agent. In many cases, a good agent acts as a sounding board for the screenwriter. They can advise and make critical suggestions.
The screenwriter/agent relationship is one of mutual benefit—where if one benefits the other benefits too. Having a good screenplay agent in your corner who will fight for you and negotiate deals on your behalf is of huge importance. If you feel that your agent isn’t in your corner or fighting as hard as they should be on your behalf, it’s not wrong to shop elsewhere and find a screenwriting agency that can appreciate your talents.
Ethics and Morality
Finally, the screenwriters talked about the ethics of screenwriting. What does this mean? Essentially, it means that screenwriters are becoming more conscious about the types of screenplays they are writing and what type of message they are sending out into the world.
Some screenwriters were concerned that a lot of movies sent the wrong message and gave a distorted impression of life. They spoke about how they were influenced by the movies when they were much younger and how their view of the world was distorted by movies.
One screenwriter, who I won’t mention by name, complained that movies sent the wrong message about relationships and the expectations people create after watching romantic movies.
“It’s important for people to remember, they’re just movies, it’s not real life.” He whispered to me.
The issue of ethics and morality in movies is a tricky one and it probably deserves a post on its own. But many professional screenwriters were worried about selling out. Many weren’t happy about selling a screenplay for large sums of money if the screenplay sent the wrong message into society.
But not all screenwriters shared this view.
“That’s a luxury problem,” one screenwriter chirped in. “It’s easy for some screenwriter’s to complain about ethics when they’re sitting by a pool sipping Pina Coladas. It’s not so easy when you’re struggling to pay the electricity bill.”
Some interesting things to ponder, and I highly recommend attending a screenwriting seminars in your local area if you get the chance!
*Jennifer Sloane has worked as a screenplay agent in Los Angeles and Nashville for the last five years. Jennifer loves good movies, music and animals. A former television and movie executive, Jennifer currently heads business development at Script Mailer (a company that connects screenwriters with agents and producers in Hollywood).