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inspiration, Producers, protagonist, screenwriting, The Producer’s Guide to Saying No - October 30, 2019

The Producer’s Guide to Saying No: Why Producers Pass On A Script

Why do producers pass on screenplays? There is no magic or absolute answer to that question, but there are plenty of practical guidelines to be gleaned from producers. Here at ScriptArsenal, we know a good deal of producers, and have learned a thing or two about why they might pass on a piece of material. Improper presentation. If your script does not adhere to basics of formatting and presentation, chances are any legitimate producer will toss the script on page 1. Because any legitimate producer has much more pressing demands on their time than reading an amateurish script. With the...

When To Pack It In: Rejection in Screenwriting (The Answer is Never)

If you truly believe your script is great, and you have objective reasons to think that opinion is credible, there is no reason to ever give up on it. The crucial point here is that the reasoning behind the belief must be at least somewhat validated in reality. In other words, if this is the first script you’ve ever written, and everyone who reads it hates it, that might not be the hill to die on. But if you’ve gotten objective third-party reads that have been enthusiastic, and you’ve spent years polishing your craft, and in your heart of hearts...

Inspiration from Life, Not Movies

Here in TV staffing season, if you read interviews or listen to podcasts with showrunners, a familiar refrain comes up repeatedly. People who have led interesting lives tend to be more compelling writers, because they are drawing inspiration from real life, not from other movies/TV shows they have seen. Writing primarily from movies/TV as a frame of reference is a bit like making a copy of a copy. The quality of the second copy is likely to decrease. The work is also likely to be derivative. Does this mean we should all drop everything and become firefighters, cops, or tiger...

Ass in the Chair: Productivity in Screenwriting

There’s an old truism that having written is greater than writing, and it’s true. Having a completed script is a great feeling. Having to write that script is a terrible feeling. While writers vary on how much they enjoy the physical process of writing, many writers agree that the actual writing part is the least fun element of the process. Part of the reason writing can be so laborious is because, the longer someone writes screenplays, the more items come across their mental checklist with each scene. In any given scene, you may ask yourself… Am I advancing the story?...

Hustle: Applying yourself on the Marketing & Business side of Screenwriting

Does the quality of a script matter? Absolutely, it does. But once you reach a certain level of craft, there’s an even playing field, where other factors are the determining ones. Hustle is one of those factors. Let’s take two writers, and place their careers side by side. One of them is a WARPED GENIUS. The other one is a SOLID WRITER. The Warped Genius writes brilliant, compelling material. He’s not the next Aaron Sorkin, but he’s good. The Solid Writer writes meat-and-potatoes, base hit material. He’ll get the job done, but he’s not flashy. Now take an average year...

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The Producer’s Guide to Saying No: Why Producers Pass On A Script

When To Pack It In: Rejection in Screenwriting (The Answer is Never)

Inspiration from Life, Not Movies

Ass in the Chair: Productivity in Screenwriting

Hustle: Applying yourself on the Marketing & Business side of Screenwriting

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