My Biggest Takeaways From 2023 to Make 2024 Even Better | Script Revolution

My Biggest Takeaways From 2023 to Make 2024 Even Better

Introduction: 

If you are looking for something a little inspirational to get you kickstarted into the year, Rick Hansberry has put together this great little summary of his biggest lessons in 2024. Through this blog, you'll find both guidance and a reminder that there's plenty of light still there at the end of that tunnel - CJ

As the first month of a new year closes, a lot of resolutions drop into the “Maybe next year” pile and still others land in the “Well, at least I tried” bin. Don’t fall into either! Consistency is the key to success. Don’t rely on impulse or inspiration to carry you. Put in the work and make your own opportunities. Here’s my biggest takeaways from last year and how I plan to use them to improve my results in coming year:

1.  Write Every Day. Don’t roll your eyes. Obvious, yes. Are you doing it? Are you utilizing the very muscle that got you to the Olympics? If not every day, write more often. Create content. Sure, you still have to develop the pitch deck and complete the crowdfunding video for your latest project but you must also be working on a new micro-short or contained location short or feature. Each time you scroll the Scripts Wanted ads, make note of what people are looking for. Find the trend and have one to submit when the right opportunity presents itself. If you’re the kind of person who needs a deadline to write, imagine that a Producer has commissioned it and the crew is hired and standing by – all that’s missing is the blueprint for a compelling film. Deliver it. The time to create is now. It’s great to market your honed and polished screenplay but every day spend time getting ready to answer the inevitable first question from a Producer: What else have you got?

2. Strikes cause Stockpiles. Remember the Writer’s Strike? Who doesn’t. Know what happened during that strike? A lot of writing was getting done and not getting submitted. Now that the strike is resolved – there’s a stockpile of material and the proverbial floodgates have opened. When the heavy downpours subside, there will still be stacks of scripts to be read and evaluated before making it to a decision-maker.

More content to be reviewed makes it even more important that you’re script be polished to perfection and also that it be submitted to the right channel for it. It’s a waste of everyone’s time to spray your slasher horror script everywhere if some of the recipients are only doing arthouse character pieces. Yes, work hard and get your material out there to cast a wide net but also work smart. Put in the work to learn who’s looking for your genre and subject. The stockpile of submissions will also mean a bit of a slower turnaround. Don’t be the person who causes multiple eye rolls in the office with yet another ‘gentle reminder.’ The adage of: Submit it: Follow up a short time later; then wait to be contacted is still worth adhering to. When you are contacting an actor, office or agency to check in on your script, you’re expending energy and time on not writing. When you’re not writing? Go back and read Tip #1.

3. Don’t write “Barbenheimer.” Yes, the two biggest movies of the year were epic films that made hundreds of millions of dollars but they were also studio-fueled marketing machines and PR battalions. The ‘buzz’ sometimes overshadows the story. Be original. Be authentic. Be willing to create that story that hasn’t been told. Give us unique characters and a compelling premise. Don’t think about a franchise – just think about the arc that bridges pages 1 to 95 and make it a ride where we can’t tell the twist from the turn. Give us something we haven’t seen before. Give us a story shift that makes it impossible to not keep turning pages. In other words, stand a genre on its head with your own special sauce. What? Like it’s hard? Ah, but if it were easy, we’d all be rolling in commissions and royalties. Step up your game and deliver. Face it, if there were a big, fat paycheck dangling above your keyboard when it’s finished, you bet that you would hunker down and write the hell out of the piece, so do it anyway. Put in the work to create the content that will sell because the cream will always rise to the top. It may not get the buzz of ‘Barbie’ or the accolades of ‘Oppenheimer’ but it will serve as a stepping stone to get you one step closer to be being a produced writer and produced writers get the chance to write the franchise epic films. Know why? Go back and read Tip #1.

4. Self-Produce A Short or Micro-Short. I see your eye roll but I’m serious. Let me explain. Producing opens your writing network to a whole new realm of possibilities. This past year, I self-produced two of my own shorts. The contacts I made during that process garnered me a rewrite gig for a feature, three Patreon subscribers and a polish gig for a short that is currently in festivals world-wide. The cool thing is, these were all contacts established through the process of producing – hiring a crew, securing locations, auditioning actors, developing a budget and crafting a shooting schedule. Contacts that I did not have after decades of writing. All screenwriters know that it’s important to network and be plugged into writing boards and groups but this process mandates personal interaction and consistent communication so you’re more than in touch, you’re connected and consistently interacting and sharing. Producing also enables you to approach your writing with the mindset of a Producer. I’ve found that I create challenges for myself to make scenes not only start late and end early but I’m mindful of those extraneous little ‘don’t forget what we’re up against’ reminder type scenes that frequently aren’t necessary if your narrative is tight and your plot is clear. Producers will go through your script and eliminate scenes that are not needed to advance your plot even though you’re Protag gets to say your favorite wisecrack. There should be no fat in what will become your shooting script and the best way to practice that and realize it is to actually have to pay for it by producing the material. It’ll force your creativity to a new level and, while daunting conceptually, I highly encourage you to make small. 3 pages or make it a 1 page micro-short. Those still have Producer credits and are the least expensive films. Don’t have a 3 page short or a Micro-Short in your portfolio? I think you know what’s coming next. All together now, once more, with feeling:  Go back and read Tip #1!

About The Author

Rick Hansberry's picture
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Rick Hansberry is an award-winning screenwriter with more than 25 years of industry experience. With several produced credits on his IMDb page, Rick has written, produced and directed several short and feature films. Watch out for new productions from Rick, including a short comedy, "Cards" (with Tony-winner, Reed Birney and Fred Lehne); a short drama, "All Is Well" (with Shelby Hightower); and a feature-length sci-fi adventure with Bold Media Films. 

Rick is presently working on...Read more

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MICHAEL NYAGA's picture

Thanks Rick Hansberry. Write Every Day!

Jane Tumminello's picture

Great article, especially #4!

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