How can more women sell spec scripts?

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  • #31
    Re: How can more women sell spec scripts?

    Haunted -

    I didn't say they were called bitches, I said that many take on the bitch personna to be taken seriously. And I'm talking about women in high positions of power. Not middle management.

    Discrimination exists - you see it right here in this thread. Boski is convinced men's brains make them better at writing High Concept films.

    What a silly blanket statement - this didn't bother you?
    Advice from writer, Kelly Sue DeConnick. "Try this: if you can replace your female character with a sexy lamp and the story still basically works, maybe you need another draft.-

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    • #32
      Re: How can more women sell spec scripts?

      Gauchita -

      In my experience, men appear to be often better at promoting themselves.

      I think a number of women suffer from, "I'm not good enough" syndrome.

      In the ad industry, I've seen men present their painfully mediocre work with such bravado, so in awe of their "genius" and tooting their own horn ... yet that confidence did often work. Sort of like an "Emperor's new clothes" effect. And the clients bought into mediocre.

      Meanwhile, women nitpick themselves to great degrees, often blind to their own talent because it hasn't hit their own extreme high expectations.

      Women also do this to themselves in terms of their looks, bodies, etc. (ergo more women go for plastic surgery than men in search of perfection).

      Meanwhile, pot-bellied guys strut into a room acting like they're a gift to womankind. I wish more women could take on that attitude in all aspects of their lives.
      Last edited by sc111; 10-31-2006, 02:26 PM.
      Advice from writer, Kelly Sue DeConnick. "Try this: if you can replace your female character with a sexy lamp and the story still basically works, maybe you need another draft.-

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      • #33
        Re: How can more women sell spec scripts?

        My favorite movie of all time was written by a female, directed by
        a female and had an all-female cast and no, it wasn't a lesbian flick,
        although that genre has been pretty successful.
        So..I'm all for more female writers. (They have a great grasp of
        buddy/friendship stories among other things)

        I just believe, however, that females have always been regarded
        as the inspiration for men's creativity and never their competition.

        I'm afraid it's an uphill battle for women to challenge that belief.
        myhomeconvalesceblog

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        • #34
          Re: How can more women sell spec scripts?

          Originally posted by sc111 View Post
          Let's face it - execs are always looking for concepts which attract a male audience. And that could be a big factor as to why more sold spec scripts are penned by men.

          I mean - it can't be talent. Because - although it's true more men write produced films it's also true that more male writers, directors and producers are responsible for lousy films.

          With that said, I'm thinking it has more to do with execs being more likely to buy scripts targeting a male audience.

          Perhaps we women writers of Done Deal may do well to put aside our "women's stories" and consider writing spec scripts targeting a male audience.

          And we can do it by following the dictum: write what you know.

          All we have to do is apply what we know through a lifetime of dealing with those lovable, inscrutable characters called: the guys in our lives.

          Examples:

          Horror genre: we women can easily create a male character possessed by a relentless demon hellbent on releasing his - um - you know - on womenkind. Just think of your guy at those moments when his Mr. Winky is in control of his mind, body and soul. The glazed look in his eyes when the demon beckons him, the unfathomable lengths he'll go to satisfy his craving. The weird noises he makes when - um - you know. This is all fodder for horror, girls.

          Suspense genre: Will he remember my birthday? Will he make a pass at my best friend? Will he ever make a damn commitment or will he suddenly disappear from my life without a word? These are some of the real-life experiences women writers can draw from to write heart-pounding suspense.

          Psychological Thrillers: Without a doubt - men are more practiced at lying and much better at mind games. But, since women are often on the receiving end of all this, we have a lot of experience ferreting out the truth -- checking phone bills, credit card statements, car mileage, flipping through his wallet while he's in the shower. Let's face it girls - our real-time love lives are more often "thrillers" than they are "rom-coms." Use this in your writing.

          Sci-Fi: I know women can write compelling stories about the distant future. Heck, we often imagine our entire lives with a guy and name the yet-to-be-born kids we will have with him after the first or second date. Now to mention - we can create complex myths around the current object of our affection while entirely ignoring the reality of who he is. If we can tap our imaginations to do this we can easily write excellent science fiction, my sisters.

          Gross-out Comedy: Any woman who has lasted in a long term relationship with a guy (and has washed his BVDs) has a sense of humor. Enough said





          You're awesome.

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          • #35
            Re: How can more women sell spec scripts?

            Originally posted by Gauchita View Post
            How can more women sell scripts? Think like a woman but write like a man.
            'Write gay ... act straight' -- who said that? but y'know, once you start watching the heady intellectual dialogue stuff: yep. add an Brit accent and they're not even acting it all that straight!

            Don't waste time on summer action flix too, probably.

            'An ACTRESS becomes something more than a Woman; an ACTOR becomes something less than a Man'

            Write for the UNIVERSAL and the INTIMATE ... not for the character or the self.
            sigpic
            "As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world -
            that is the myth of the atomic age - as in being able to remake ourselves."
            -Mahatma Gandhi.

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            • #36
              Re: How can more women sell spec scripts?

              Women will sell more specs when there are more women studio execs and producers. I have the privilege of being mentored by a reputable producer. this woman is not afraid of taking chances and she is one that championed for films with a woman protagonist. This last year it paid off big time for her.
              Never mistake motion for action. ~Ernest Hemingway

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              • #37
                Re: How can more women sell spec scripts?

                There is no doubt in my mind that women are geared differently personality-wise and that's where the problem starts.

                It's not that they are less talented writers (that's incredibly subjective anyway). It's that the stories they write (and want to write) are based off the type of people they are and that usually isn't as marketable as something based off a guys personality. And why we market movies towards men I'm not sure... but maybe they tend to see more movies? (I don't have anything supporting that claim though)

                You can not dispute that your gender plays a role in shaping your personality. You also can't deny that your personality shapes the stories you write.

                Unfortunately this means that women won't do as well as screenwriters (not right now anyway) since the movies that come out are mainly marketed towards males. Look at some of the movies that came out this year that did fairly well:

                Pirates of the Carribean 2
                Superman Returns
                The Departed

                These are not the type of movies most women enjoy and although I don't know many female writers (and no female screenwriters, except for the ones here), I am going to take a guess that most women would rather watch other movies (PotC is a slight exception since it's popular in general and ladies love Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom).

                I'm not saying all women are going to love some emotional flick like Titanic or The Notebook, but a lot of them do. Because they enjoy watching these movies, they will most likely attempt to write similar movies as well--theme-wise, plot-wise, character-wise or whatever (and obviously there are other genres I'm not mentioning). Obviously guys love these movies too, but they just aren't what is as marketable--it's the less character-driven, intense action film that will end up being more marketable because it "looks cool".

                I just feel that's the major reason why women probably don't fair well as screenwriters. It's all about what's marketable.

                You know why they do well as novelists though? Well, romance novels are probably the major reason (as well as a few other genres they do well with). And novels allow them to be more introspective and character-driven, something I feel comes easier to women than men...

                Men are problem solvers. They tend to think visually (often why they are supposively stronger at spatial skills) and don't get carried away with ideas. Women on the other hand like to take the long route from point A to B and are more conscientious about what they do. It's a major reason why women are far better conversationalists. They are great listeners and talkers. Men, however, avoid this type of thing.

                Now if you think about screenplay compared to a novel it's the difference between a phone conversation between two males and one between two females. One drags on forever, the other ends very quickly. I'm not up to date on my gender personality research or anything, but I'm pretty sure there is some major differeneces there that cause this behavior change. So, that's the other reason why I believe there aren't as many women screenwriters.

                It's not a talent issue or anything like that, it's just kind of how they are geared psychologically. Certainly there are people of both sexes who will cross boundries, but I think there is something there that is at fault.

                To be honest though... I'm not positive. I'm just throwing stuff out there. But that's the best thing I got and I think it's a fair assumption.

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                • #38
                  Re: How can more women sell spec scripts?

                  Originally posted by theradicalone
                  i think if women realized that the shallowness they are raised on, and raise their children on was counterproductive they wouldn't play with dolls anymore and FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY, they wouldn't wait their entire lives to get marriad.

                  who gives a shaite about getting marriad anyway? How about stopping cheerleading all together. how degrading is it to have women parading around in barely any clothes cheering on men?

                  seriously, cheerleading is part and parcel why women are underlings for our society and if they were not able to have children they'd be cast aside like hamburger at a center cut banquet.
                  Ignoring the blatant and mindless generalisations going on here, this, I'm afraid, seems more of an American concept than an international one. (So why not add another? ) Women here - in Australia - play sport. We actually PLAY SPORT. We don't just cheer men on, in fact, who could be bothered, really? (There's a token cheerleading thing in rugby league, but that's one of the minor sports in this country, so it's easy to ignore.) Marriage rates are dropping here too - women still want kids - that's a pretty powerful biological drive that isn't easily ignored (believe me, I tried ) but we don't actually need a dude to do that anymore. And I think that's great. Several of my friends have opted to be single mothers, or gay mothers, and though the sperm factor demands male participation, that's pretty much the end of their contribution. Nobody seems to be missing out on anything, the kids are happy and well adjusted, their mums are educated and engaged in the community, and there's no violence in their house. At all. Ever. In a world where 1 in 5 women are subjected to domestic violence as perpetrated by men - the ones who claim to love them - I'd say that's a damn healthy approach.

                  BTW, I'm married - close to 12 years now. I have two kids and though my husband is cute and nice, certainly nicer than most, truth is, to quote Julianne Moore in Trust the Man, marriage is overrated.

                  I'd much rather write screenplays. (If only I could get a good nanny.)
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                  • #39
                    Re: How can more women sell spec scripts?

                    this, I'm afraid, seems more of an American concept than an international one.
                    I can't for the life of me imagine why you'd assume vig speaks for all of America.

                    Censorship reflects a society's lack of confidence in itself.
                    It is a hallmark of an authoritarian regime.
                    -- Potter Stewart

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                    • #40
                      Re: How can more women sell spec scripts?

                      Originally posted by JayKid
                      Unfortunately this means that women won't do as well as screenwriters...
                      Well, when they do write scripts, it seems they fare alright. There’s only a 7% drop from percent of scripts registered to working screenwriters. Mostly, it appears not many women choose to be screenwriters.

                      While it’s interesting and even fun to speculate why, what comes out is good for little more than conversation, because few of us can be so easily categorized and broadly referenced. I would hope the stereotypes discussed here aren’t really seen as believed assumptions used to navigate the individuals we meet. That would be sad.
                      Originally posted by JayKid
                      One drags on forever, the other ends very quickly.
                      ahem
                      Standing on a hill in my mountain of dreams telling myself it's not as hard, hard, hard as it seems.

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                      • #41
                        Re: How can more women sell spec scripts?

                        You know? I wish I hadn't even replied to TRO's email. It's just so stupid and says more about him (and I suspect his emotional health) than it does about this topic.

                        I think the above comment: "You can not dispute that your gender plays a role in shaping your personality. You also can't deny that your personality shapes the stories you write" has some vailidity. Of course gender impacts our personality - but how much is the question. Mysogynists would have you believe it's all we are, no more, no less. But of course that's stupid or every woman would be and think exactly the same. I can't even get agreement on most topics across the women in my immediate family, let alone across a whole species. I mean, seriously, human beings are way more complex than that.

                        These are steroptypes, which yes, mean there are probably a lot of people who on the surface fit this mould, but underneath, and across a population, there will be more dissimilarities than similarities.

                        You can't underestimate the role of power structures. They are there to protect and maintain the status quo. That's why they work! I have no idea if women write better or men do - how could you measure that anyway. But it's easy to identify why men are more SUCCESSFUL in film than women are. Just look at who's making the decisions. This works across all industries, and all cultures, and, sadly, both hemispheres.

                        I'm not even sure I want to change that. I used to. I used to rail against it. Now. Not so much. Women live longer. Die happier. (These are facts.) Two or three years of your lifespan seems like a big price to pay for success.
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                        • #42
                          Re: How can more women sell spec scripts?

                          The Status of Women in Hollywood – Where the Boys Are!
                          1) Of the 250 top-grossing films released in 2004, what percentage were directed by a woman?
                          Answer: 5%

                          2) On those films, what percentage of all those working as directors, executive producers, producers, writers, cinematographers, or editors were women?
                          Answer: 16%

                          3) Is that an increase or a decrease since 2001?
                          Answer: Decrease! In 2001, the figure was 19%

                          4) Of the 250 top-grossing films released in 2004, what percentage employed NO women as directors, executive producers, producers, writers, cinematographers, or editors?
                          Answer: 21%*

                          5) What percentage failed to employ any men in these positions?
                          Answer: Zero!

                          6) What percentage of the screenwriters working on these films were women?
                          Answer: 12%

                          7) What percentage of the cinematographers working on these films were women?
                          Answer: 3%!

                          8) Of all the speaking parts in the 101 top-grossing G-rated movies released between 1990 and 2004, what percentage are female?
                          Answer: 25%

                          The History of Women in the Film Industry –
                          The Way We Were

                          1) Who is credited with directing the first narrative film? In what year?
                          Answer: Alice Guy, 1896

                          2) Between 1912 and 1925, how many of Hollywood’s films were written by women?
                          Answer: Almost half!

                          3) Who was the first woman to direct a full-length feature film?
                          Answer: Lois Weber, Merchant of Venice, 1914

                          4) Who was the first woman of African descent to direct a major Hollywood studio film?
                          Answer: Euzhan Palcy, A Dry White Season, 1989

                          5) Who was Universal Studios’ highest paid director in 1916?
                          Answer: Lois Weber

                          Source:
                          http://www.womenarts.org/push/TriviaQuizAnswers.htm

                          *Yet, even with these low percentages of women working in film in 2004 - look at the writers for the 2004 Oscar nominated films and nominated actors.

                          Lord of The Rings, Return of the King: Adapted Screenplay, Fran Walsh

                          In America: Kristen & Naomi Sheridan

                          American Splendor: Shri Springer Bergman (writer/director)

                          Lost in Transltion: Sofia Coppola (writer/director)

                          Monster: Patty Jenkins

                          Something's Got To Give: Nancy Meyers

                          Thirteen: Nikki Reed

                          Whale Rider: Niki Caro


                          You boys catch any of those films?


                          Advice from writer, Kelly Sue DeConnick. "Try this: if you can replace your female character with a sexy lamp and the story still basically works, maybe you need another draft.-

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                          • #43
                            Re: How can more women sell spec scripts?

                            Originally posted by haunted View Post
                            I can't for the life of me imagine why you'd assume vig speaks for all of America.
                            I meant cheerleading - it hardly exists outside of America. But I regret replying to his post because it suggests his comment actually warrants a reply. And it doesn't.

                            So, I'm sorry you misunderstood me, and I'm even sorrier I dignified his comment with a response.
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                            • #44
                              Re: How can more women sell spec scripts?

                              You boys catch any of those films?
                              Nah, I don't watch a movie if I know a woman had a hand in writing it.




                              Actually, I caught *all* of them. Why wouldn't a "boy" see those movies?

                              Couldn't get more than 10 minutes into Thirteen, but the rest ranged from okay to great.

                              Does seem a little misleading, though, to leave out the names of the men who co-wrote some of those movies.

                              Censorship reflects a society's lack of confidence in itself.
                              It is a hallmark of an authoritarian regime.
                              -- Potter Stewart

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                              • #45
                                Re: How can more women sell spec scripts?

                                Oh and let's not forget
                                American Psycho - adapted by Mary Harron
                                Brokeback Mountain - Diana Ossana (yes, with Larry McMurtry)
                                Just adding...
                                A talent for drama is not a talent for writing, but is an ability to articulate human relationships.
                                Gore Vidal

                                "Aisatsu Yori Ensatsu"
                                Money is better than compliments.


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