| [BACK]
Every so often I encounter screenwriters who loathe mainstream Hollywood and talk only about going the Independent route. Not only do they despise most of the product churned out by the studios, but they also seem to hate the concept of actually making money.
I personally like the idea of writing a screenplay and getting paid for it, whether it's an assignment or a spec. Somehow, getting reimbursed for my time makes me feel all warm and fuzzy, as opposed to feeling like a total loser for having wasted nineteen months working on a script that my agent won't send out because he doesn't think he can sell it in the current market.
If you write "artistic" or "artsy fartsy" or "small" or "personal" screenplays that are soft on plot and long on dialogue and short on an audience who will actually pay money to see it FINE. COOL. But be prepared to spend a lot of years working at a day job to pay the normal expenses of life.
I love hearing stories about filmmakers who make their movie dirt cheap. Ed Burns and Kevin Smith come to mind, but they did it in the 90s. In the mid-90s. If the facts I have are correct, Burns did The Brothers McMullan for around $20,000 and Smith did Clerks for $27,500. My former student Neil LaBute made In The Company of Men for $25,000.
Frankly, I don't recall hearing about any recent low budget gems coming out of Sundance or anywhere else.
Why? It gets more expensive to make a movie with each passing day.
I remember reading about Chuck and Buck a couple of years back. $3 million seems to be the figure I recall. And I think it was shot on digital.
The point I'm making is this: I believe that if your vision is to make a small "non" Hollywood, "non" mainstream film, go for it. But it's not going to be any easier to sell than a more commercially oriented script.
Follow your heart. If you're in love with an idea that you know won't be of interest to Hollywood, you might as well get it out of your system and worry about selling it later. But if there's a nifty, commercial story floating around your head that your friends tell you is a great idea, do it.
You may not get a deal, but it will be "easier" to sell than the other one.
One final thought: if you have access to money from family and friends--say several hundred thousand or even a million or two--despite what I've just said, try to make your movie yourself and break in that way.
But if your only access to money is your weird Uncle Ed who used to spot you an occasional $20, think commercial. Think mainstream. Think Hollywood. |
