The following excerpt is from my book, Q & A: The Working Screenwriter - An In-the-Trenches Perspective of Writing Movies in Today's Film Industry...
Q: How important is it for writers to learn how to network and develop relationships within the film industry?
Allison Burnett (Resurrecting the Champ, Autumn
in New York, Red Meat, Perfect
Romance): I don’t know if you can learn it, but being gregarious and
having a winning personality really helps.
Mylo Carbia (Statute of Limitations, Totally Lipstick)
:
The sad truth is that networking and developing relationships within the
film industry is an absolute must. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched
a producer with a stack of scripts on his desk read the one that was just hand
delivered to him because someone he knows asked him to read it. I mean, L.A.
waiters with connections get read more often than screenwriting scholars who
mail their stuff in from somewhere else.
Rolfe Kanefsky (There’s
Nothing Out There, Tomorrow By
Midnight, Shattered Lies, Pretty Cool, Corpses, Rod Steele 0014,
Jacqueline Hyde, The Hazing): Probably the most important thing.
This business is all about networking and who you know and building
relationships. The film I’m about to start shooting this year, a remake of a
slasher film from the ‘80s, came from a Production Assistant who worked on There’s Nothing Out There fifteen years
ago. I stayed in touch with him and he introduced me to some independent
producers who were trying to get a horror project off the ground. That didn’t
happen, but I’ve stayed in contact with them for the last three years and they
introduced me to another producer friend who knows the producer of this horror
remake. He got me in the door and it looks like it will happen. So, you never
know where you might get your next job, but it usually comes from long-term
relationships with people in the business. It helps to have a network group of
friends that you can trust, and hopefully they will help you and you can help
them. That's one of the reasons I really like the horror genre. People who work
in this arena tend to be very supportive. Fans and filmmakers alike want to see
you succeed. There seems to be more honesty in this genre because horror has
always been looked down upon. One small step above pornography is the way many
in Hollywood Paramount
Steve Latshaw (Invisible
Dad, Crash Point Zero, U.S. Seals:
Dead or Alive): Critical. Most deals I’ve made have been in
restaurants, in bars, over lunch...in social settings.
Brent Maddock (Batteries Not Included, Tremors, The
Wild Wild West): Networking
is very helpful. This is why any job
(office assistant, production assistant, driver) can be a way to establish
relationships with the people who get things done. Of course, if they’re going to like your
script, you have to have some talent.
But, if you’ve shown them you’re a good, smart, likeable person, they’ll
be far more likely to take a look at what you’ve got. Meeting them socially (at screenings, film
festivals, lectures) can also be helpful, but those situations tend to be group
gropes and it’s hard for them to tell whether you’re a serious and talented
person or just one of the numerous delusional whack-jobs who are convinced
they’ve written the next Chinatown,
only better.
John Rogers (Rush Hour 3, Catwoman, The Core, American Outlaws): Very. The fact that I'm not the wallflower writer, that I'm confident in the room and can be amusing at lunch, has certainly helped me. But again, the script wins.
John Rogers (Rush Hour 3, Catwoman, The Core, American Outlaws): Very. The fact that I'm not the wallflower writer, that I'm confident in the room and can be amusing at lunch, has certainly helped me. But again, the script wins.
Neal Marshall Stevens (Thirteen Ghosts, Hellraiser: Deader): This is
actually a small business—and it's one that's based upon relationships. I know
everybody hears that, but it's actually true. People like to hire people that
they know, that they've worked with before, that they know can deliver, whose
work they like, and who they can trust. So you need to establish those
kinds of relationships.
Stephen Susco (The Grudge, The Grudge 2): It’s one of the most important things a writer can do. It is a very small neighborhood out here, and people like to work with people they like. Face time is critical in an industry where creative collaboration is key.
Stephen Susco (The Grudge, The Grudge 2): It’s one of the most important things a writer can do. It is a very small neighborhood out here, and people like to work with people they like. Face time is critical in an industry where creative collaboration is key.
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