December 8, 2022
5 challenges I expect to face in regard to screenwriting.
1. I don't live in L.A., and I never will.
There was a time when being where the action is - Hollywood - was vital to the advancement of one's career in filmmaking. Not so much in these more technologically modern times, I think. However, when it comes to initial networking, I imagine I'll have a few more hurdles to conquer than if I were in the belly of the beast.
2. Networking.
Finding the right people to help you get to where you want to go is critical no matter what path you're on. For a novelist, it would (traditionally) involve finding the right agent, publisher, editor, or even that low-level acquisitions person looking to find the next mega-bestseller to further their own career. The landscape for an aspiring screenwriter is no different.
Here's something I learned recently: If you have a script to sell, don't seek out an agent. Set your sights on a Literary Manager first.
So, that goes to the top of my networking checklist.
3. Learning to work with others.
There's no getting around it, making movies is a collaborative effort. I wish I could say I played and worked well with others, but that has not always been the case. I must accept that the fact that whatever I write is going to be touched by many hands before it is seen and experienced by an audience. Thus...
4. What I write may not be what people will see.
I must also accept that my screenplay(s) may go through multiple revisions throughout the production process. I must be open to producers, directors, actors, any number of artists and craftspeople, imposing their creative vision upon my own - possibly even superseding mine beyond recognition.
I choose to see my work, then, as a blueprint upon which master-builders can do their best work. (I can feel Ayn Rand incredulously fidgeting in her grave.)
5. I might have to (ugh!) join a union.
To access the best support and financial compensation, I might have to join the Writer's Guild of America.
'nuff said about that.
There's one thing I know for sure: Before I face any of these challenges, I need to have a finished script (or several). So excuse me, I've work to do.
Gordon Gravley
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