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Are four scripts better than one?

December 17, 2004 Film Industry, QandA

questionmarkI have finished penning a dramatic quadrilogy (four scripts
that interlock) and now that I’m finished, I fear that
there isn’t enough action to make this a serious contender
for production and that it would not find an audience.

Do
you have any advice for making works a little more
commerically viable to today’s market?

— Christopher Bishop

First problem: “dramatic quadrilogy.”

I applaud your ambition, but the concept of four interlocking scripts feels better suited to European arthouses, rather than mainstream Hollywood. If the latter is your intention, I’d recommend figuring out which of your four scripts is the strongest, and focussing all your efforts on that one, even if it means ripping stuff out of your other scripts.

You’re much better off with one good screenplay than four noble intentions.

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