During a recent talk on outlining I gave for the AWG, the first audience question was about selling .
When you teach screenwriting, some questions keep coming back.
Like the one on why movies need to make money.
Watch this excerpt from an excellent talk by Richard Walter and see how the lady in green takes her time asking a question. Walter’s patience runs out and he jumps in, then the lady shows her annoyance by throwing her hands in the air. Despite Walter’s slight attitude, I’m with him on this one.
Whose side are you on?
Do check out the full program on Fora.tv.
With thanks to Louise Lee Mei and Adrian Kok. If you liked this, check out more videos about screenwriting or filmmaking. And if you know of a great video on Screenwriting, let us know in the comments. Thanks!
Karel Segers wrote his first produced screenplay at age 17. Today he is a story analyst with experience in acquisition, development and production. He has trained students worldwide, and worked with half a dozen Academy Award nominees. Karel speaks more European languages than he has fingers on his left hand, which he is still trying to find a use for in his hometown of Sydney, Australia. The languages, not the fingers.
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel!
Richard’s side, hands down. When films don’t make money, the producers start asking the crew to work on the next one for free, then the next one and then the next one. Until they realise that they don’t actually have to pay the crew at all. The crew then realise that the paid job that they were waiting for isn’t going to come around any time soon, so they leave the industry and start up a restaurant. If a director was the only person making a movie, this might not be the case. But as Richard says; a film needs an army. You have to pay an army or they will revolt.
Richard might have a bit of an attitude, but he is 100% correct in this case.
If you want to be intentionally obscure, write a poem.
I work in animation – probably the most labor-intensive of the arts – and I’m stunned the number of “deeply personal” and obtuse animated shorts that get made.
Why bother?
Considering your audience is not a sin.
Most people that complain about selling out couldn’t sell out if they tried. That would mean that their art was *worth* something.
Great post Karel.
Keep the inspiration coming.
–Phil
I’ve been trying to sell out for years, but it’s a buyer’s market…
Being succinct, for students of film, is difficult. From what I observed, she didn’t have a question, she was making a statement. In another forum this might have been fine. As Richard pointed out, even Shakespeare was a populist, but his craft did not suffer for it.