First things first—an introduction. We here at Screenwriting Fundamentals are professional screen and television writers. With many screen credits to our names (and many more that were optioned, sold, or commissioned but didn’t survive the battlefield of development), we wanted to channel our expertise and impart some of the wisdom that is usually kept behind closed doors to aspiring writers.
Writing for the motion picture industry is a challenging and rewarding endeavor, but also an elusive one. What exactly are producers looking for? What type of pitch will get a script request? When a producer asks follow-up questions to your pitch, what are they really asking—and what answers will move your career forward?
We here approach screenwriting from the business side as well as the creative one, so our approach centers on a few basic business decisions that, in our experience, are essential for the success of your current script, and for you as a writer.
Let’s be clear, though—we have no magic formula, no insider knowledge that will make the path easier to walk… but, if you have to passion to write movies professionally, we can make that path a little clearer for you.