Seeing Things from a Producer's Eye

As some of you know, I’ve been writing now for about 10 years. I have discovered several key things in those years and something new I just learned recently.

As a writer, I have the ability to create my own world. I’ve done just that in several of my works. I’ve had interest in those works and I’ve even had some options executed. Also as a writer, I can determine at what level I want to run at. I can create the darkest scene imaginable with the deepest level of depravity and feel just peachy about how the scene turned out.

In my mind, I know the audience I am writing for is small. Lets face it, our friends aren’t lining up to read our 105 page script any time soon. If we are lucky (and I am lucky), we have a handful of friends who will take on our work and give us honest feedback.

But the world isn’t full of hungry script readers. Just the opposite. Most average people don’t even know how to read a script. That narrows the readership considerably. Then if we are really lucky (and I am, lucky), we may get a gatekeeper to pass on our work to someone with authority and they may actually read it. Slim chance but it happens.

So in short, perhaps we write knowing the audience is small. By doing that, we take bold chances in our stories, hoping it will be the very thing that gets our story noticed and produced.

Now take your writers glasses off for a minute.

I’ve have recently gotten into the production side of the business. I’ve been buying lighting equipment, green screen gear, production software and just a couple of weeks ago, a super nice camera.

All of the sudden, I started looking at my writing differently. I started looking at it as someone who will be filming it for potentially hundreds or even thousands of people to see.

People don’t necessarily like reading a 10-15 page script but they don’t mind hitting the play button to dedicate a few minutes of time to watch something.

I now see some of my work as un-filmable in the eyes of someone who would have to risk his neck to get it produced. And by “neck” I mean time, money, talent, and shear work it takes to put something on a screen.

I see the obstacles in my screenplays that a producer surely sees when reading my work. Super tough scenes to film, ultra-dark content, and expensive sets to produce.

As a consequence, the first film I’m shooting will not be anything I have already written but a new script entirely based on my needs as a director and producer. Deeper character, less expensive sets, scenes that are driven to entertain a broader array of viewers.

In short, a script that appeals hopefully to the majority of the viewers who take the time to watch it. Not just to the writer and the handful of readers who happen to crack open the script to read it.

As a screenplay writer, I hope you take away one small bit of advice. Write the world you want to create, but write it in a way that will make a real world producer want to film it.