Recommended Screenwriters
Tip 14: Collaborate, My Friend. Collaborate.
- February 17, 2011
- Posted by: jennamilly
- Category: Interviews
In the beginning, there was you and your idea. The idea evolved into a screenplay. You took your baby to the market, and it was snapped up by a big production company. What followed was a whirlwind of activity, and then you were invited to the premier of your movie!
But it seems like something is missing from that story. Oh yeah, collaboration.
When the movie business works at its best, your movie gets made, and that changes your life. For that to happen, many people have to collaborate — producers, agents, directors, actors, finance people, studio execs, distributors, and more.
And this all starts with you — the first collaborator in the chain that gets the movie made.
Collaborate? On What?
Let's start by looking at how most of the money is made by writers in this industry:
- Selling a spec script, which often involves making changes.
- Rewriting a script a producer owns. – Writing a script based upon a producer's idea.
- Pitching an idea to a producer, then developing it together.
- Writing a book adaptation for a studio or producer.
Now, notice this: They all involve collaboration with producers and/or other parties. If you are going to succeed, you will be collaborating. The real question is, how can you make collaboration work for you?
But before you break in, you can collaborate with other writers, filmmakers, local actors, and the communities who support your success. At ScreenwritingU, our graduates of the ProSeries program become part of an Alumni that is highly collaborative. The PSA group is constantly exchanging feedback, working together on projects, recommending the newer writers to important connections, and finding other ways to collaborate.
How Does Collaboration Work?
Simply put, collaboration is about two or more parties working together to accomplish a shared vision. It is especially successful if each person is willing to collaborate (Tip 10) and brings his or her best to the table.
Think of the times you've done a great job of working with other people (Tip 7). Somewhere in the midst of those experiences is your key to being a successful collaborator. Empower yourself (Tip 4) to bring that into the business relationship.
Once you find the open door and step through it (Tip 13), it is all about getting that movie made. Keep your focus there, and producers will love working with you.
Collaborate, my friend. Collaborate.
ACTION: Practice collaborating. Find someone within your circle of influence and work together on some task. It could be anything — exchanging feedback, organizing a read-through of a friend's screenplay, helping a filmmaker raise funds on KickStarter.com, or rewriting a low-budget script for a local director. Pick a task, create a shared vision, and learn this process through experience. QUESTION: With whom can you collaborate, and how can that collaboration make both of you more successful? |
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