Screenwriting for Profit

Chapter 15Writing Is a Team Sport

Content Is Dictated by the Coaches and Fans

The misguided notion that writers have the unfettered creative liberty of conceiving an idea, story, or screenplay, and that other people will respond favorably and without censure or modification and put that writer’s material in front of the public, is completely erroneous and unrealistic. As we have covered extensively in previous chapters, whether studio films or independents, the fans’, or audience’s desire, dictates what material is salable and in turn, suitable for screenplay development or motion picture production. Writing is a team process, a collaborative process, just like filmmaking is a collaborative process. People who say they want to direct so they ...