Dominik Starck's Lounge Discussions

Dominik: true dat. But the odds of selling a really great spec script aren't so bad. And the odds of getting a contract to write a script for someone because they read your really good spec script aren't so bad, either.

And there hasn't ever been a better time - in the history of mankind - to be a screenwriter.

Pretty exciting stuff, for people who love to tell stories and who love to write, you know? Pretty exciting stuff.

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Agree. Would never call a spec a waste of time (or else I wasted a ton of my lifetime). I just don't rely on selling my 'great original' spec and making a career out of it. I consider my specs mostly one of two things; a effective writing sample that could lead to more in the future; or a foundation for something I'm willing to help give birth to myself as a filmmaker. I just know many writers still relying on their one script that's a clear Oscar winner and/or just looking to make a ton of money off it. And that's not my mindset.

A couple of those, yes. But there are some things there they just shouldn't touch. Akira...no. Hollywood already frelled up Ghost in the Shell, why would they try and muck up another anime classic? Dune...There are already something like three different adaptations and they have yet to make something better than David Lynch's. I will admit that I have thought of this in the past and writing a script based on it, but no; you should never EVER take a Kurosawa classic and try to remake it. No one can make it as well as Kurosawa did. If you think you can you're just lying to yourself. Leave it alone! Other than that, most of the rest of it looks good. We'll see what happens. Personally I would like to see more original content out there. We're at a point where TV and film is littered with adaptations, reboots and remakes. To tell you the truth, and it's probably not wise, but it seems a bit lazy. Like there really are no new ideas and we just have to keep rehashing what's already out there. And that's kind of disheartening.

Selling your script doesn't mean you're working with the devil, it depends how much you're willing to give up to sell the script. Grabbing the attention of a reader that will pass the script on to a producer is one of things I worry about, not riding on the coattails of someone else's success. There is just so much reading and listening to advice you can do. If you worry about if you're working with the devil then you're not ready to take plunge into being scriptwriter.

Erik I agree every writer has their own talent.

I know the struggle you're talking about very well. It's not only the money but also the time. Not sure about NY, but L.A. there's the AFM for sure to be considered. On the other hand; depends what you're looking for. You probably won't sell a script there but you'll get a very good idea on what kind of movie sells. That way it makes life easier for you regarding the kinds of scripts that make sense writing for the market.

Best big markets overall, like Willem said, are Cannes and EFM in Berlin, but that costs some serious bucks.

If you’re looking for the most economical way to get yourself out there, I’d suggest attending local film festivals as a start. Tickets are usually inexpensive and you will be able to meet other creatives. As far as pitching, I’ve had the best luck with Virtual Pitchfest. They are very affordable ($10-pitch, sometimes less if you can catch a sale) and I have made several connections and even gotten a few general meetings out of it. Entering contests isn’t bad, but I’ve learned to either only enter the ones that offer free feedback or are part of a Film Festival that I can potentially attend. I feel like I get more bang for my buck that way. I’m planning to focus more on the film festival circuit for 2019, see where that takes me.

Thank you so much for your thoughtful and timely responses. I have realistic expectations on my ability to score The Big Sale at such an event. Primarily I am interested in networking, face to face contact, and being a part of the energy of the crowd.

Thanks for the offer of support, Dominik. I'm LA based & don't know much about Germany's film/TV production scene. But a lot of amazing film comes out of Germany...so it seems really robust.

Dominik, for a man who doesn't feel like he's good at networking, you're off to a good start. A brief introduction and an offer of support. Good to meet you.

Thanks a lot to all of you.

Stephanie T. Keefer ; it's funny you mention that 'cause almost nobody I know in the scenes thinks of the German cinema as good these days. At least not for an international market. There're a few exceptions, but they're too rare. Yet I'm really looking forward to the new German Netflix shows. They seem to get a lot things right. As for me; I don't care about countries so much. I'd love to have my stories seen and heard all over the world and the German part of it just is my sensibility as an European artist growing up with American and British cinema.

By he way; hope you're all safe in L.A. these days.

Collier Ward , I hope to get better at it. It's probably just the language barrier. Makes it harder to be funny. I try not to be too serious about stuff. Responses like yours help a lot. Good to e-meet you, too.