Are western’s out?
–Mark Barragar
Yes. So write one if you feel like it. By the time you’re finished, they’ll
probably be in again, and you’ll be ahead of the curve.
Film festival contacts
I am an aspiring screenwriter with several screenplays nearing completion.
I envision my screenplays as independent films, with low budgets and talented
character actors. I will need a director. I’ve been told excellent director
contacts can be made at film festivals. Is this good advice?
–Kristy B.
It’s great advice. In fact, I intend to steal it as soon as I get the chance.
Early in their careers, most independent directors aren’t exactly getting
besieged with scripts for them to direct, so you have a pretty good shot of
getting them to actually read it. Having been through the festival grinder
a few times, my only advice would be to try to find a relaxed moment to talk
about the project, and not swarm the stage after a Q&A session.
If you don’t have a chance to meet the director at the festival, you can probably
find contact information in a program or at the festival office. Drop a note
telling the director how much you liked her movie and a few paragraphs describing
what your script is about, and asking if you could send it to her.
It’s certainly not foolproof, but it would be a good way to get your foot
in the door with a director you hope to work with.
Does a Brit have a chance?
I’m a 20-year old university student from London, currently studying film and creative writing at Buckinghamshire University. I’ve got a few questions that I would really appreciate you answering:
- Coming from England and being a wannabe film writer, would you suggest moving to America or at least selling to America? To me the English movie scene is pretty dull and lifeless. Apart from the odd Guy Ritchie film, there’s not a lot to offer in England unless you want grim reality films of how poor the North of England is.
- Do you think being from England will affect my chances of selling to America in terms of dialogue etc?
–Scott Macinnes
(Scott actually had five questions, but other columns probably answered the other three. So let’s address the England question.)
While your assessment of the British film industry is funny, I also think it’s a little unfair. Considering its size, the U.K. has a pretty substantial film business, with a wider variety of genres than you’d admit. True, if you want non-James Bond big summer popcorn movies, you’re out of luck. But you can find good examples of almost every other kind of movie.
Unless you’re dying to leave England, my advice is to stay put and see what you can learn there, at least for a year or two. It’s much easier to make the transition to Hollywood if you have something to show for yourself.
For instance, Christopher Nolan went from the tiny-budgeted FOLLOWING (shot in the UK), to the small-budgeted MEMENTO (shot in the U.S.) to the studio feature INSOMNIA.
But if you’re sure it’s L.A.-or-nothing, then by all means come. But make sure you’re going to be able to get some kind of work or educational visa that will let you stay in the country for a few years.
Copyrighted materials in your script
I had some questions about copyrighted materials. I
know you have to pay the recording companies for the rights to songs. What
if I have a character singing
Foreigner’s "Urgent" in the shower? Will I get sued?
In the same vein, can I have a character argue the
merits of McDonald’s Big and Tasty or will I have Ronald’s team of lawyers
calling me up? I know different
films have portrayed companies negatively before, most memorable (in my mind)
being RAIN MAN, which had Tom Cruise proclaiming "K-Mart sucks!" But
I don’t know if that was somehow approved by K-Mart or not.
–David Scott
Here’s the difference between writing a screenplay and making a movie: as
the screenwriter, you can do anything you damn well please. You can have your
hero urinating on the Pillsbury Doughboy while smoking crack with Mr. Clean.
Now, when the time comes to actually make the movie, there may be a legal
team offering very cogent arguments for why that can’t happen. The Pillsbury
folks might sue, and even if they wouldn’t win, the threat of a lawsuit might
be deterrence enough. And in the case of Foreigner, they might ask for too
much money. It happens.
But by the time it comes to make the movie, you’ll hopefully have strong producer and director who are so entranced by your brilliant writing that they’ll help
you fight to get your vision on screen. (More likely, they’ll cower and capitulate
and blame other people, but let’s just pretend.)
In short, David, worry about writing the best scenes and not about lawsuits
or song rights.