Hans was in a band during Thatcher’s England. Outside of London, life was hard, money was tight. Hans thinks of those people. He has an imaginary character called Doris. She works hard all week, her life is in credibility hard, she is a single mum. She has a few dollars left and she spends it on a movie ticket. You have to repay the faith that Doris has in you. That few dollar is everything to Doris and she has trusted you with it.
So when we write. Should we worry about if an actor will be insulted because we put something in a parenthetical, should we worry if something is happening on a particular page. Or should we be thinking about Doris.
This spoke to me. I have to do the very best for the people that will have faith in me.
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Thats called being a professional. Dont matter if you make movies, make coffee at Starbucks, deliver mail... just be a pro.
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Dan, you can be professional without feeling a sense of obligation. This is about attaching a sense of morality to your effort.
So many people here and other places say “I have a story to tell”. Their screenwriting revolves around satisfying “their own needs”. Hans, even though he is driven by his need to create music, feels obligated to meet the needs of Doris.
Have I always done the very best I can? Of course. Have I always tried to write a story that would be sold? Hell yes. But now I am adding a feeling that I have to be worth someone’s last dollar.
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Lots of successful big salary famous ppl feel the same as Han.
Lebron James feels obligated to play his best at his job.
Lin Manuel Marinda was doing 8 shows a week playing Hamilton on Broadway. He never mailed in a live performance.
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Just right your story. Don't worry about who will like it or not.
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A family member who was in the film business once told me that "no one wants to make a movie that isn't good." (But a lot of things happen along the way). That being said, it is a good idea to keep Doris in mind. Thanks for sharing this.
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At its crux, this is all about appreciating your audience and wanting to serve them. That's critical to staying motivated and fulfilled. The mistake a lot of writers make in the early years is seeking universal appreciation for their efforts.
What complicates this however is the fact a professional writer has a lot of dependants with unique needs. You owe you investor a return, your actors material they can work with, your sales agent a film that meets market demands, etc...
Anyway. Worth noting Hans doesn't actually write everything that comes out of his production house.
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That interesting @cj he doesn’t hint at that. But I guess there s so much output he has made a production company of the process.
For me this is the Nike paradigm. Nike’s customers are shoe shops, but they have to focus on the needs of runners.
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Craig D Griffiths “So when we write. Should we worry about if an actor will be insulted because we put something in a parenthetical, should we worry if something is happening on a particular page.” Hell, no! Just write the story…