Ted Baehr
Where do you begin scriptwriting?
Fifty years ago 20th Century Fox released Rogers and Hammerstein’s THE SOUND OF MUSIC. It remains a favorite of millions of moviegoers. Rodgers and Hammerstein ate, slept and dreamt their craft. It drove them. Both saw their work as something they had to devote their life to. It was their passion. Both demanded of themselves exemplary work.
In a world filled with would-best they succeeded because they were creative, innovative and persistent. Before their big success with OKLAHOMA there were years of study, struggle, rejections, failures, disappointments and growth. Their passion drove them through many dark days to become the ones famous for transforming both Broadway and movie musicals.
If you wish to begin scriptwriting start by being realistic. Out of hundreds of thousands of scripts one might get made into a movie. Of the few thousand movies made each year only around 100 are made by the major studios. These generate 95 percent of the box office. Of the 100 major studio movies only a handful are a big success.
To get your movie made (and into theaters) you’re competing with people who wrote FORREST GUMP, THE AVENGERS, DESPICABLE ME, and E.T. Even these writers don’t get all their scripts made into movies. When they do, not all are a success.
There are about 750 players in Major League Baseball. Dabbling in scriptwriting is like dabbling in baseball. No one playing in the major leagues has a full-time job in other fields and plays baseball at night and on the weekends.
Now that I’ve done my best to discourage you, let me encourage you. There is always room for a truly great script. If you’re a movie fan you know this. Of the hundreds of movies in theaters there are few you’re willing to pay to see. Of those, some are disappointments. You want more good movies. Hollywood wants more good movies. Hollywood wants great scripts just the way Major League Baseball wants more great players. Great baseball players can come from anywhere.
Great scriptwriters can come from anywhere.
Scriptwriting is all about great stories, well told. You may have a great story. The “well told” means that you need to master the craft of story telling. A great story poorly told is like a young man with incredible talent hitting baseballs who’s unwilling to practice or be taught the full range of skills necessary to be a professional baseball player. Imagine how much talent there is that goes to waste because people lack the commitment to develop it.
Much more common is the poor story that the author doesn’t realize is poor. Before you even begin writing, read the scripts of some of the most popular movies of all time. Study what makes them entertaining. The story of how your grandmother makes lemon pies is unlikely to become a blockbuster movie. Learn what makes a story great.
Ask yourself, “How many people would pay $50 to see this story?” “How many people would want to buy this story on a DVD?” Don’t fool yourself thinking millions of people want to see the story of your dog dying of cancer. They want action, adventure, comedy and emotion. They want to laugh and cry. They want to be thrilled and inspired. They want to see loveable characters rise to meet astounding challenges.
You must provide entertainment value. You will not play major league baseball unless you can play well enough that baseball fans want to see you play. The better you play the more they’ll want to see you. Great players have fans who come to games, buy jerseys and help get others to do likewise.
How To Succeed in Hollywood Without Losing Your Soul by Ted Baehr
You will not make successful movies unless audiences believe your story will be worth their time and money. You become truly successful when audiences become your fans — telling friends and family that your story is worth paying to see. You’re a home run hitter if fans will want to watch your movie again and again. You’re a hall-of-famer if your movie is selling in some format 50 years after it was first released.
Don’t even start writing if you’re not ready to commit to creating great stories, well told. It is not easy. There’s a lot to learn. It’s a craft like learning to play in a symphony. Your odds of success are small, but if you have a burning desire to do what it takes, go for it. Dive in, study, study, study and work hard. Pursue excellence with a passion.
Every great screenwriter started somewhere. Every great screenwriter lived through many struggles. Brace yourself. Expect long study, hard work, and many rejections. Pursue creating high entertainment value with a passion.
