Should I direct my spec?
I’m writing because I find myself at a crossroads, and I could use some good advice.
I’m an early career writer-director with ten years of experience as a theater director. In the last few years, I’ve written and directed a couple of good short films, and written a couple of spec scripts, one of which is in development with an independent producer. Recently, I got a literary agent, a smart guy working for a good agency, and he wants to try to build a career for me as a screenwriter.
My dilemma involves my new, suddenly popular spec script, and how to use it to move closer to my goal of directing independent features. The script is a dark, metaphysical romantic comedy in the vein of a Charlie Kaufman film, and industry people who read it get very excited about it, noting that it is both highly original and commercial.
My agent, who is also enthused about the script, suggests that I tone down its darker elements, and try to sell it to a studio as a more conventional romantic comedy. If we do try and sell it, does it make sense to make the script more mainstream?
I’m inclined to look for a producer, and get a name actor attached, with an eye toward directing it myself as a small independent film. I know I have the skills to do it justice, but will my status as an unknown be a serious obstacle in the search for financing?
My agent says the time to make the leap to directing would be after I’ve established myself via my writing, four or five years from now. Given my background, this strikes me as an overly cautious approach. How much is his advice colored by his perspective as a literary agent?
– Nick
Los Angeles
Direct it yourself.
Why? Because you want to be a director. You have experience as a theatre director. And even though there’s a possibility that you’ll be able to sell your script to a studio, then attach a meaningful director, then get it made, then get your writing career started, the odds of all the elements coming together are pretty remote.
Remote enough that you might as well direct it yourself, assuming you can do it for an independent film budget.
Yes, there are counter-examples. Charlie Kaufman has only now begun directing, and Zach Helm didn’t direct Stranger Than Fiction, though he’s directing a film now. And, for that matter, I didn’t direct Go. But I was aiming to be a screenwriter, and I became one.
People forget that Sam Mendes had only directed theatre before American Beauty. Tell your agent that you see yourself as more of a Sam Mendes/Alan Ball hybrid, and start meeting with indie producers.
Articles
June 13th, 2007 at 7:14 am
I agree. I have worked with several first time writer/directors.
Have your agent set up meetings with production companies that will be a good fit for you and your vision.
June 13th, 2007 at 8:27 am
When you “evolve” from ‘only’ being a screenwriter to making concerted efforts to get your work to the screen (producing, directing), you’ll begin to separate yourself from the rest of the pack. Best to you!
June 13th, 2007 at 8:40 am
I second the motion, and not just because of my deep admiration for Charlie Kaufman, Alan Ball and all those other highly original lads. Your highly original screenplay shows that you have a “voice” as a writer. This can translate into writing assignments, if you want them, which can pay the bills, and build a resume (if produced), which is not a bad position to be in while you work to bring your original vision to the screen. Congratulations and continued success to you!
June 13th, 2007 at 10:33 am
If you’re a director, you should direct it. Sure, getting it made on an independent level is going to be harder than if all the stars align and some studio starts throwing bricks of gold and top-name talent at you. Just realize that it’s going to be hard. Hell, getting the financing is the easy part, and that’s nearly impossible. Whatever the most difficult you can imagine it being, imagine it being just a little bit harder, then multiply that by about fifty. That’s what it’s going to take to make it on your own.
But if you’re a director, you should direct it.
June 13th, 2007 at 11:30 am
“Breaking In: How 20 Film Directors Got Their Start” by Nicholas Jarecki is an inspiring book and it boils down to – Write something they want, then insist on directing it.
ZAK
June 13th, 2007 at 1:29 pm
Nick,
Listen to Zak. His advice is your best strategy.
June 13th, 2007 at 1:53 pm
‘Write something they want, then insist on directing it.’
So if that ’something’ is a 20-30 million dollar picture and the only way it gets green lit is with an experienced director?
Sorry. Seen that happen a lot of times. Bang goes that theory.
Everyone peels the banana differently. Really, if you want to direct your first film, make it cheap. That’s the best way. Unless your uncle owns the studio :/
June 13th, 2007 at 3:25 pm
Direct it says August. Physician, heal thyself. Now all you have to do is get the money, the talent, and the locations, and you’re done!
June 13th, 2007 at 3:29 pm
If you need to, shoot a test scene, or a trailer, to prove you can do it.
Easier to finance two and a half minutes than 120…
June 13th, 2007 at 4:09 pm
You are going to have the same problems either way. To me really, no one can tell you what to do here. Either you want this or you don’t. No one else can tell you whether you want to be in it for the long haul on this particular project or are ready to move on. All advice given is good as far as it goes. My thing about ‘easy’ is I think we are in the wrong business for easy. Maybe you wont make the film because you sold it, or maybe you will make the film because you sold it. Maybe you won’t or will if you directed it as well. Even movies with heavy hitters behind it don’t get made. And movies with noone behind it do get made. It sucks. So that’s why there is no clear cut answer to this other than what do you really want? I can say, however, that to me personally, I respect someone who is both a directed and a writer more than a writer. That’s just my bias. I know good writing is hard, but good directing especially as a writer/director is more than hard.
June 13th, 2007 at 4:41 pm
You have a good agent. If you have directed before and you are using writing as a means to an end, and if they are hot for your script then go for it. The risk is that if you force your way to directing and your rough cut is not to producers liking the movie gets killed in marketting and distribution, no matter how good it may be; and if that happens it may be the last film you direct and a while before anyone looks at another one of your scripts. If however you go with the flow, not force the issue and allow yourself to get established as a writer with this script you can force your way to directing later on without the risk of possible damage to your writing career since you will have a good track record as a writer. Good luck. N
June 14th, 2007 at 8:28 am
I don’t understand that last post at all. Why exactly would they magically want this writer as a director later if they aren’t interested in him for this role now?
June 14th, 2007 at 2:54 pm
You’re in an enviable position, congratulations. I too had a very original and complex script that garnered much attention. I’m pursuing a directing career and wrote the script to facilitate that end. My choice came down to this: a small new production company wanted my script, made a firm offer but did not want me as director. They had someone in mind and were not going to negotiate. It would have been my first sale and something to put me on the map but not as director. I chose to keep my script for myself and look for independent financing.
People congratulated me on my focus and determination. While I struggled to land financing (I had it three times and lost it that many) another film was produced and released that was just similar enough in plot to weaken my pitch.
I’ve given much thought to that choice – those sleepless nights you know. How I view it now? I have more than one original script in me. If a firm offer comes my way for one of them – sold. Move on to the next one. There’s no reason why you can’t write a script that sells and one for yourself to seek financing on. I’ll temper that with this: If your original script is getting hot notices – I wouldn’t be inclined to commercialize it and soften it to mush. Those edges were probably what they fell in love with whether they even know it or not. Stay opinionated on your work.
It’s true, I wasn’t offered a directing job and that’s what this was all about for me but I could have made contacts at the production company that would have made my film. I may have been in a better position the next time around to hold out for directing.
Every deal and offer is its own thing so my commiserating and hand wringing may not be your experience at all. I think it’s valuable though to see how one such scenario played out. Best of luck to you – an original voice will always find its way.
June 14th, 2007 at 3:31 pm
Cameron was offered a million bucks for a spec he wrote that featured a cyborg hunting a waitress…
June 14th, 2007 at 11:31 pm
Nick, How do I get in touch with you outside this forum. Im very intrigued by the nature of your project and Id love to discuss further. I might be able to help. Best, Sid
June 14th, 2007 at 11:31 pm
Nick, How do I get in touch with you outside this forum. Im very intrigued by the nature of your project and Id love to discuss further. I might be able to help. Best, Sid
June 15th, 2007 at 8:21 pm
Question for Nick and Richard: you’re both in great positions, having written strong specs that are attracting good industry attention. Both of you wanted to direct your scripts, but couldn’t get yourselves attached to your own project.
Do you think it would have made a difference if you had a strong short that you had directed on hand to hold up as evidence of your directing style, facility with actors, previously produced work, etc?
Or did either of you have a strong short in hand, and/or what, in your estimation, would have made the difference to the companies you were dealing with? A microbudget feature? Having directed music videos, or episodic television? What more could you have brought to the table, besides being a known quantity as a commercial feature director, that would have had people willing to attach you to your great scripts?
I’m very interested to hear what you think. In case you’re wondering, yes, I’m working on what I think will be a strong, original spec, and yes, I have a strong short in hand on the festival circuit right now.
June 16th, 2007 at 3:11 pm
I should clarify: Nick is in the enviable position. I was in the enviable position. Tense is everything. As far as my story’s moral goes – I am the wizard that wuz.
Yes, a strong short film can help you. I knew this and was in the middle of post producing an ambitious short at the time of my script’s flurry of interest. A few things I now call life lessons occurred: I needed a lot of money right away to finish said ambitious short and didn’t have it. I wasn’t willing to show other shorts I’d directed because I’m a perfectionist and thought them too scrappy looking to show around. I decided to tough it out and go in to meetings without a resume or reel – just the script that they liked.
And then suddenly nothing happened.
I said tense is everything – okay – and timing is everything too. If I had my short film completed and ready to show – that would have illustrated my ambitions. I’ve learned that telling people you’re a born director doesn’t mean to them what it means to you. There’s the chance that your script is so flat out amazing and perfect for the production company that they are willing to let you direct. (Banking on that chance is not highly recommended.)
You sound like you’re doing everything right. Your film is doing the festival circuit and hopefully garnering some attention/awards. You have a hot script ready to shop. (best case scenario: your script bares a resemblance to your short – at least thematically)
Should I have waited to shop until I had script and short in hand? I think so. You’re asking for two jobs and you need all of the proof you can muster to make them see that as not so crazy. But I’m not out of the game and I didn’t crust over and anger (in spite of the wizard that wuz line above…) I know that when I sit down at my keyboard to write – I’m not dancing for my own enjoyment. (that ain’t it kid) There are others who like what I write and that makes me not so crazy for continuing. A damned relief. I will be in that enviable position again. And like I said, tenacity is everything.
June 16th, 2007 at 7:15 pm
I’m wondering if John’s advice applies to actors too? I’m an actress who wrote a script that’s gotten some interest, and the lead role is completely based on me, but my agents are talking about a lot of starry names for it. Do I let them attach a star in hopes of it actually getting made, because that will further my career as a writer (and right now I’d be very psyched about that!), or do i insist on acting in it myself? Hmmmm….
June 17th, 2007 at 11:17 pm
This is exactly what I expected to find out after reading the title Should I direct my spec?. Thanks for informative article
June 29th, 2007 at 3:01 am
@Elizabeth:
For an actor, insist on being attached! You can’t write another you into existence.
@Nick
Why not sell this one, gaining invaluable experience and exposure, while writing another one to direct?
July 3rd, 2007 at 9:58 pm
Sell the first one. You will bleed and cry over it. But you need it to build the credibility. Then sell the next one if you need the money, but hopefully you don’t. Don’t sell after that. Everybody only has a few good ideas- even the best directors play them out over and over again.
Most directors can’t write at all. That’s why they’ll pay you a lot for a script. There aren’t many good projects around.
But getting in- it hurts, it hurts so bad, but you have to let that first one go.
Don’t change it to try to make it something it isn’t. Nothing ever works out that way unless you are writing high-concept mindless stuff, and I don’t think the people who do that think it’s dumbed down. I think they think that’s great, that’s their palette and they love it. Just be who you are.
Tarantino sold the first 3, each one a heartbreak.
The person who said make it cheap is 100% right.
You have to get some kind of a reel together. A doc, a small feature, shorts, videos, something.
Keep going. This conversation inspired me.
It is worth the struggle.
November 25th, 2007 at 3:42 pm
know how you feel. make it in a free application: no cast costs, no location costs, no prop hire, no camera hire. Try it out first and see how it looks. Work on the timing, dialog and setting. Block it all out. Set cameras and see how it looks to you. Polish it a but more and then show it to someone other than your mother :-)
for some examples, take a look at what is happening over on http://www.moviestorm.co.uk with amateurs using a great little freeware tool to make short movies. If you want to make a feature, just edit the scenes together :-)