What should the next spec be?
Some things to consider before taking on a new project!
Had lunch with a friend recently who has primarily worked in TV, but is interested in branching out into writing more features and they asked an interesting question:
“What was the first spec you wrote that sort of broke you into the next phase of getting work? And in hindsight what lessons do you take away from that?”
What a great pair of questions! I love this because a) I love writing specs and b) while I love writing them, they are very time consuming. I think it’s always good to think about WHY you are choosing to write something before you spend 3-4 months working on it. And do not fall into the trap of fooling yourself with “this one will be fast and easy though!” They (almost) never are! It’s hard to write movies!
Here’s the answer — The first spec I wrote that got me a big sudden exciting leg up in the business was IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE. An original script that I sent my manager in the summer of 2016, that he then shared widely with colleagues and was on The Black List that same year. That has since been produced for Searchlight Pictures, directed by Andrew Stanton, and we’re waiting on what the timeline for its release will be. That script was an ambitious, strange, big swing of a story that according to Variety “follows three storylines spanning thousands of years.”
More interesting than what I wrote though is what I’d take away from that experience.
Why do I think it connected with readers? And why did it get me more work?
It was unlike anything else crossing their desks. See last week’s post about why I think breaking rules is a good idea.
It was very well written. (If it hadn’t been good it wouldn’t have been interesting to a lot of people, goes without saying).
It was framed as a brand new writing sample from a new voice in Hollywood. I had just moved here and just signed with my manager when I sent him this script, so it not only served as a new sample, but also as a really great introductory “WRITER TO KNOW” email that my manager could send to just about everyone.
I think the most valuable asset the script had going for it was that it was extremely unique, which meant my manager could send it to just about everyone as a “sample.”
In feature writing there are two overall ways that original screenplays are shared with people. Some scripts are sent as “Samples,” meaning if you are a producer or executive receiving it, it is with the understanding that it is probably not for you to produce, but you still may like getting to read it. Some screenplays though are sent out more as “Submissions” meaning they are genuinely being sent to a producer/executive with the intent that they should read and consider whether to make that movie. Of course, ideally, you write something that is very good and can be submitted a lot of places.
But… there are plenty of producers who specialize in one kind of thing, or (more likely) who don’t do a certain kind of thing. Some producers love genre movies and horror, some hate them, some like bodice-rippers and romance, some prefer more masculine action. So agents and managers can’t usually “Submit” a genre movie to everyone, because not everyone wants to look at that sort of thing. The list for who to actually submit a script to is going to be fairly targeted. But something positioned more as a writing sample can be sent more widely. The problem is, scripts that are pigeon holed in one specific type of genre still might not get as many reads, because people hear the description and think “yeah but we don’t really do that kind of thing here.”
If you are hoping to write a sample that gets sent to a lot of different people, it’s going to need to be something super unique, so that your agent or manager feel comfortable going out on a limb to send it to a lot of people. If you write a kind of “by the numbers” slasher movie, that’s just not going to make for a very good sample. But it would make a decent submission to send to people who make slasher movies.
Make sense? This sounds confusing and arbitrary, but there’s a reason I’m digging in on this distinction! Not all screenplays can do all things! Some can sell to certain people. Some can’t. Some are a good way to get your foot in the door. Some aren’t.
So… if you are going to sit down and write a brand new movie, before you do that, I would also sit down and practically consider what your goals for that screenplay are.
Some possible considerations to think about:
Are you hoping to write something to try to get an agent/manager?
Are you hoping to write something that can be produced as an independent film (meaning at a low budget)?
Are you hoping to write something that you yourself can direct?
Are you hoping to write something that showcases your ability to write a certain kind of genre (action/comedy/horror/true-crime/etc)?
Are you hoping to write something that capitalizes on a current trend?1
Are you hoping to write something that will get you hired to work somewhere specific?
Are you hoping to write something that will get you paid?
Hollywood is a business, after all, and so you should be thinking (at least some of the time) like a business person. Your greatest asset as an artist is your time. So you should be very conscious of what is and is not a good investment of your time.
If you are someone who does not yet have an agent / manager, my personal advice to you would be to do one of two things. You could a) try to write a really really really unique and captivating screenplay, unlike what people are seeing in their inboxes or b) try to write something small enough that people you know could make it themselves. My reasoning?
Option a would be the kind of screenplay best suited to doing well in an important contest or competition, and best suited to breaking through in a cold email to someone. Option b is doing it yourself!
If you were going to do it yourself, I’d still try to write something super stylish and with a great hook. There are a lot of well executed indie dramas. If you are trying to break in you should do everything in your power to come up with something super unique and memorable!
Is this prescriptive advice? Maybe! But that’s just my take!
Trying to aim beyond those two options is admirable, but perhaps not entirely realistic. It’s important to remember: people tend to move one or two steps up the ladder at a time. I wouldn’t personally advise anyone considering what kind of spec to write (who doesn’t already have an agent / manager) to write something that they hope someone like Spielberg or Jordan Peele might direct. I would instead aim that target a little bit lower and just try to write something really memorable.
If you are a current writer and looking to sell an idea… there’s a certain kind of commercial movie that simply feels more saleable than others. You already know what those look like. I wouldn’t write an avant garde non-linear art film hoping it would pay my rent. I’d probably write something with a more conventional movie star type lead with good supporting roles. Daniel Kunka talks about writing the movie Lift (#2 on Netflix this year) as… you guessed it… a spec!! Yay Daniel! It’s a very commercial idea for a movie!! That’s what you want from a spec that you want to sell.
This may seem like really basic stuff, but I find that when I personally tend to get most frustrated is when I’ve put a lot of time into something without really thinking about how it will also impact my CAREER.
Because the art is fun, but your career is something you do need to be thinking about.
So before you embark on the next original idea… consider giving yourself a gut check. What do I want to get out of this when I finish it? Does that feel attainable? Is there anything I can do differently with this project if that is my goal?
It’s not super sexy to think practically, but it can save a lot of headaches later on when you finish your super weird masterpiece that could only ever be made in stop motion animation and you realize you have no clue what to do with it… (also if you run a stop motion animation company and want to read that spec of mine let me know).
Any other questions about specs? Anything else you want to know about how to pick a project? Let me know in the comments below!
PS. The answer to why you want to write a certain movie can absolutely be “I’ll have a lot of fun writing it!” That’s a valid reason to write a spec!
PPS. I swear I was writing about specs before The Black List published this list curated by Daniel Kunka on letterboxd. 20 Great Movies Made from Great Spec Scripts. If you’re a letterboxd head, check it out. Good movies!
I would not do this one! Chasing trends is always a bad idea! It will take too long to get it done, and by the time you do have a finished script, people will have already read 100 just like it.