One of the things I love most about the screenwriting industry is that any person, no matter where they come from, no matter their background or education, can write a great screenplay and launch themselves right into Hollywood.
In this article you’ll discover why…
– All your screenplays are valuable
– One great screenplay can launch your career
Sure there are things I don’t like about the screenwriting industry too. But the positives, to me, have always outweighed the negatives.
When I used to work as an agent I loved the fact that I could open my email and find a brilliant script from a completely unknown writer. This didn’t happen a lot, but when it did happen it was like striking gold.
There’s no greater thrill for an agent than discovering an incredible new talent. Just like there’s no greater thrill for a new screenwriter than selling that first script. It’s an acknowledgement that someone finally appreciates and likes your work—after all that writing, you’ve written something that people take seriously.
Selling That First Screenplay
It’s a wonderful feeling when it happens and a moment in life you’ll never forget. Ask any screenwriter about their happiest moment and most of them will tell you that it’s the moment their screenplay first got picked up.
It’s the feeling of breaking through the iron gates of Hollywood and finally making it through to the other side. Now we all hear stories of new screenwriters who have made it in the industry, selling their scripts, getting their stories made into movies and becoming big names in the industry. But what about all the writers out there that actually sell their scripts to Hollywood, and these scripts never get made into movies?
Instead, these scripts languish on the shelf or in development hell (just like the now released Batman Vs. Superman movie languished for more than ten years). The important thing as a screenwriter is not to get upset about this situation.
The majority of scripts that you sell as a screenwriter won’t ever get made into movies. That’s just the way it is. Hollywood will still want to buy your script if it’s good. For some screenwriters this is a heartbreaking situation, but you shouldn’t see it that way.
The simple fact that you’ve been able to sell your script, and most likely get an agent out of it means that you’re well on your way to launching your career.
One Great Screenplay Can Launch Your Career
All your scripts are part of your portfolio, whether they get made into movies or not, the people who work behind the scenes in Hollywood will still recognize your talent and give you a shot.
Lem Dobbs is a great example of this. The now famous screenwriter, Lem Dobbs, wrote what is perhaps the most famous unproduced screenplay of all time—Edward Ford. Lem Dobbs wrote this script at the tender age of 19.
To this day, the screenplay for Edward Ford has still never been made into a movie. Is it a great script? You bet it is. Is it a good story? It sure is.
What is even more amazing about Edward Ford, written in 1978, is that it touches emotions and fears that most screenwriters are never able to capture with such beauty on the page, let alone a writer of 19 years of age.
Despite the fact that Edward Ford was never made into a movie, it essentially launched the professional screenwriting career of Lem Dobbs.
This same path has been taken by hundreds of screenwriters since then, although most screenplays don’t stay on the shelf as long as Edward Ford.
It’s important, however, never to be discouraged. You might sell a screenplay and nothing happens for six months, a year, or even ten years with that particular script. Then, one day, someone in Hollywood picks up your screenplay and suddenly wants to turn it into a movie.
As a side note: after studio executives and directors such as Steven Soderbergh praised the power of Dobb’s screenplay, Edward Ford looks like it might have another shot at being made—over 30 years since it was originally written.
I personally doubt the script will get made myself, not because it’s not a great script but because it’s story is a little too depressing for Hollywood. Despite this, the Edward Ford script launched Lem Dobbs screenwriting career and made him a much sought after writer of his generation.
The takeaway lesson here is to keep writing and stay inspired—when you have that great script all finished and ready to go, the rest will fall into place, whether your screenplay gets made or not. Your unproduced screenplay could be the skeleton key that unlocks the door to Hollywood for you.
*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).