Writing for straight to video films

[Juno Styles]

what are the pros and cons to writing a screenplay specifically for straight to video production companies? i mean, is this common or in demand?

i'm curious because i've heard a few people talk about it as if that is somehow an easier route than going straight to hollywood and that you have a better chance of making a living.

i'd like to hear the pros and cons from anyone who knows: big screen vs straight to blockbuster.

[WriteByNight]

Re: Writing for straight to video films

CS magazine mustered up a good article about this subject couple years back. It takes some nifty research and a slightly different approach. It also demands that you mold your script in such a way that you get the most bang for the budget's buck. Could be fun if you don't mind getting paid significantly less than you would for a theatrical feature.

Bill Martell (The Dr. Phil of Screenwriting) could probably answer your question best.

[Juno Styles]

Re: Writing for straight to video films

see, what's signifigantly less?

i'm already under the impression the average working screenwriters dont get paid much anyway.

[BROUGHCUT]

Re: Writing for straight to video films

Bear in mind that you can't write for both straight to video production companies and "hollywood" without doing some fancy footwork. Writing outside the US (beyond the WGA's jurisdiction) is technically an option, but generally speaking if you're a US resident and lucky enough to get a deal with a studio or other signatory company, then you would need to make your mind up there and then. (You can always check-out of the WGA but it may be difficult, if not impossible, to get back in if you leave to work for indies).

For this reason, I expect the direct to video market is even more difficult to break into than "big screen" hwd, as it is dominated by a hard-core of independent writers. Writers like Bill Martell have eshewed Guild work and that's a huge commitment to make... and there's got to be some quid pro quo in return. Why would a prodco take a gamble on a johnny-come-lately who wants to disappear off to the Guild at the first opportunity, when they could spend (invest) their money (and goodwill) on an established indie writer who isn't going to be unavailabe to rush a last-minute rewrite when the prodco is up sh!t creek because the arrival of their WGA card coincided with a star walkout or a location change....

Extreme example, but talented and dependable indie writers are thin on the ground, and prodcos need to keep them happy.

Anyway, that's my gut take.

[EJ Pennypacker]

Re: Writing for straight to video films

Bill Martell's site offers up lots of CD's on how to write for the DTV market.

It is said you can get more paid gigs because the production turn-arounds are a lot less than theatrical (if I remember right, some 2004 stat said 900 theatrical releases compared to 4000 DTV releases) so you get more bites at the cherry for writing movies.

Thing with writing for the DTV is that there are limitations. Cast. Locations. CGI/FX etc. You pretty much have to write a script that is not only budget friendly, but also production time friendly, and cast friendly.

Like I said, Bill Martell offers up real solid advice on his CD's, so that should be your first and last stop on the subject.

The money is lower. But your chances for work are higher.

EJ

[wcmartell]

Probably more difficult

Is the Dr. Phil thing because I'm mean sometimes?

I don't think video is any easier *today* because studios have moved in (even though they don't really seem to know how to do it) and the cable movie is dead. Companies like Saban used to make films for cable... and DTV. They would make a dozen movies every year, and some of those would be for USA Net and others for Sci-Fi and the rest would just be DTV. Without the cable movies, Saban is no longer making *any* movies...

And without cable the middle has dropped out of the business (along with the jobs that paid well). Now we have this polarized business with the studio DTVs and some high end films made by folks like NuImage (16 BLOCKS) on one side and really low end crap from Asylum and others at the other end. A company like Asylum will make 20 films a year... and their budgets are round $100k! THE DaVINCI TREASURE is their most expensive film ever... at $200k! We're talking about a couple of thousand for the script at those budgets! You'd have to be a frigging machine to make a living at those wages.

I have a friend at Fox who tells me they are trying to hire the original writers for their DTV sequels - and have been trying to figure out how to make the movies on the budgets they are given. Low budget scripts are *written* as low budget scripts - and I think they should hire me.

But even in the go-go days when they were cranking out tons of movies, it was still difficult to break in. Biggest issue always was you needed to be a good enough writer to have your script attract acting talent (often at below their quote)... plus be able to write something that could be made on a limited budget... but look like a $100 million Hollywood film. Some people had one of those things, few had all three. Every time I got a friend a meeting or gig they couldn't deliver. A couple of years ago I had two friends (both contest finalists) fail after getting their foot in the door - one couldn't write quality on a deadline, the other couldn't write inexpensive with big production value. Lotta extra chainsaws to juggle when you're working with a limited budget.

Because of the polarization, I think the place for a screenwriter in the DTV world is as a producer of their own work. You can credit card a film these days. A couple of weeks ago I went to a screening of Tyger Torres' FRIGHT CLUB - made out of pocket (he may have had some outside investors) and picked up by Maverick as a DTV title.

Because the studios are now making DTVs, you're basically submitting to the same people... only the number of locations and speaking roles is different.

- Bill

[EJ Pennypacker]

Re: Probably more difficult

There's is a difference between Nu Image and Nu Image Entertainment GmbH (IMDB version), right? Or has Nu Image some sub-division now?

EJ

[wcmartell]

Re: Writing for straight to video films

If you click on Nu Imge (US) Production company and then click on Nu Image GmbH (which is Germnay, I think) you'll find many of the same films. My guess is one is a division of the other. All the same names in the credits, though.

- Bill

[EJ Pennypacker]

Re: Writing for straight to video films

Bill,

Have you ever worked with Nu Image before? Just curious.

EJ