Guest post by: Matthew Helderman & Luke Taylor

“There has never been an easier time to get a film made.”

The film business is full of folklore — from overnight success stories to on-set and development pitfalls. There is no shortage of excitement and drama behind the scenes. As writers, you deal all day & night with story, structure and delivery — then why would treat the handling of your material any differently?

The realities of the film business today clash with the folklore we’ve all been raised on. Overnight success is either a game of intense politics or a long-term commitment that paid off — rarely, if ever are there truths below these notions.

With nearly 10,000 feature films being produced on an annualized basis it goes without saying that it is difficult to be heard — let alone be unique and meaningful in the incessant sea of content creation.

Having worked with countless writers, directors, financiers & distributors at Buffalo 8 Productions — we’ve seen the doa & don’ts inside and out…from writers rejecting meaningful help to writers being unrealistic in their approach to the political ladder climbing and chess gaming that is the entertainment business.

As producers, we have a hard time understanding this mentality. While so much of a writer’s time is spent huddled over intimate detail – a successful producer may have 50+ projects on their mind at any given time with floating variables. These variables range from financing to budgeting and from casting all the way through waterfall dispersement on the back-end ROI structure.

What does any of this mean for a writer? For many writers — it means nothing. Your focus is the work and the game that ensues beyond your material is of non-importance. That’s a mistake.

As a screenwriter today, the yesteryear folklore we’ve all enjoyed so casually — the Quentin Tarantino overnight success of altering narrative structure that shook the global film world or the Steven Soderbergh pawning of all personal possessions to arrive at Sundance before skyrocketing to international glory — are nonsensical. They are, like much of the film business, a perpetrated non-truth that, while enjoyable, can be dangerous.

The bottom line, is that in today’s business, technology & economic-minded entertainment business – these variables do in fact matter. These variables are the difference between a writer’s work being produced versus a writer’s work sitting on a shelf. The sad reality, is that talent is only a portion of success — as bold decision making and risk taking ultimately lend to successful momentum more timely. This isn’t to say that there are writers who pen one screenplay, land an incredible agent who believes in their work and within a short timeframe leverage success. This is simply to say that the statistical reasoning for this kind of thinking is not in their favor.

A screenwriter needs to write like a producer. A screenwriter needs to hustle like a producer. And a screenwriter needs to prove themselves like a producer until they have a producer who cares more about their work than they do — which may never be.

Often times we’ll be presented with material that is interesting but is not realistic. A $20M feature starring Jake Gyllenhaal and directed by you (no offense) is not going to happen. Take a step back and analyze what you’re asking for — an actor, his agent, his team and his career to ride on the shoulders of an untested leader in a project that (most likely) isn’t on any of these essential factor radars.

This isn’t to say that the script isn’t incredible or that in time it may be produceable with the elements you’re seeking — but it’s like Spielberg wanting to produce Jurassic Park before getting his feet wet — you’ve got to walk before you crawl or gear up Reservoir Dogs before Django Unchained.

As you sit down and begin drafting a script — think of these variables again and again. It will limit your story and overall abilities in specific areas (set pieces, stunts and visual effects) but it will also heighten your ability as a storyteller while also drafting a screenplay that you can realistically gear up without much outside assistance.

Develop a story that is intriguing at an obtainable budget — for some that may be $3M and for others that may be $30,000. Either way — write for your budget. Think it can’t be done? Take some time and watch Primer — arguably a better film with more compelling characters, structure and story than sci-fi films at the $100M level — achieved because the writer rationally discerned a budget level that was achievable and proceeded to create a story around the economic and political realities in the business.

Writing this screenplay should be an exercise to see how well you grasp the realities of the film business — budgeting, casting and selling.

Budget – Keep in mind your target budget figure and write accordingly. If you can grab a $200,000 budget to produce a feature — excellent, but don’t add international locations & car chases laced with explosions. Pick your battles and place your budget wisely throughout the story.

Casting – Keep in mind who you can realistically attract with your resume, your screenplay and the budget you’ve written for. Some very well known actors work on smaller projects while other wont touch a project below $1M — research and know the difference and again, write accordingly. Find an actor whom you truly believe you can obtain and then gear the role for them. Write with purpose for their career — what they are attracted to, what they want to be doing and what you can offer them (if money isn’t achievable).

Sales – Keep in mind that the independent film space is incredibly overcrowded and that producers (whom you should now be considering yourself) need to return the original investment on the film as a top priority. Sales are driven by cast, genre and international appeal. American comedies do not travel well. Dramas are difficult to finance and even more difficult to sell (which is quite a departure from the 90’s independent boom). While AFM, Cannes Marche and the Berlinale Market are overcrowded with junk — write something strong while paying attention to the ability to sell the project without over the top ploys.

Above all else — be prepared for no one to care about your project as much you as do. Until you prove yourself no one will care — the good news, is that you will truly prove yourself by assessing the marketplace and penning a script specifically to gain the traction and furthering of your presence through a produced script.

There has never been an easier time to get a film made — just bunker down and begin writing like you’ve always done (just with a few new variables in mind).