The Writer’s Strike and why screenwriting is a under-appreciated art form
By now you’r aware of the Writer’s Guild of America and the strike they called over the entertainment industry. On the second day of the strike, the U.S. entertainment industry already lost more than $10 billion in shares value. Of course, this is the stock market so this might just be a volatile reaction. We won’t really know the full impacts of the strike until it’s resolved. But it is clear, that Screenwriting seems like an under appreciated aspect of the art form that is film making.
Now if we look at film making as making one delicious pizza pie, you have your different ingredients that make up the final film. The zesty sauce would be your acting, the melty cheese would be your camera and look of the film, and the toppings would be the editing, music and the visual effects that make the pizza pop in your mouth. But what is holding all of this up? It is the tightly mighty crust, or in this case, the screen play and story which support the whole thing.
All the elements must come together to form a tasty pie!
You can have the finest sauce, cheese and toppings in the world, but if the crust falls apart when you try to pick up a slice, it isn’t gonna be good. This is the case with an movie or tv show’s story, it is the backbone and the foundation. You could have Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio in your film, but if they are reading off corny dialogue and weird one liners, it’s just not be going to be good.
Now let’s move on to the aspect of writing an screenplay itself. All you need is a laptop and an coffee shop right? (Maybe just an pencil and paper for those old schoolers out there). The barrier to entry for writing is pretty much bar none. Almost anyone can just sit down and pound some words out on a keyboard. This might be why it’s seen as a lesser talent. I’ve seen comments like “Well I can’t act or direct, so maybe I’ll just be a writer. It’s better then being a production assistant right?”. This is why even some actors or people focused on other elements of the production tend to dip their toes in the field.
Look at me Mom! I’ve got my caffeine and I’m making a movie!
But have you tried to sit down and knock out a 100 page screen page that has consistency, solid character motivations and the dialogue sounds natural. It’s a lot harder then it seems. But people believe they will knock out a killer script on the first try. Even myself, as someone who has written a few screenplays I feel at times I have not gotten close to mastery of the art form. But if you’ve read a few of my earlier short film scripts, then they would make you cringe to the moon and back. I’ve had to write a lot and practice to get to the point where I am today. It’s a art form that takes practice, and patience.
It’s not just about putting words onto a page, but bringing an idea to life. How many times have we seen a movie with a serial killer that goes around killing people with a axe? Putting together an original idea that is both engaging and fun is like baking the perfect golden crust, but you’re trying to bake that crust in the middle of a battle field when loud doom riffs are being played in the background.
Why the heck do I end this thing? Do I give it a happy or sad ending?
Maybe this is why screen writers and TV writers are not treated well in the industry. They are often underpay and seen as replaceable. I mean, just look at Alex O'Keefe who was working on a hit television show loved by the audience and critics but he was struggling to make ends meet. When he and his team of colleagues won best comedy series at the Writers Guild of America Awards, Mr O'Keefe said he went to the ceremony in a suit bought for him by his friends because he couldn’t afford one and wore a bowtie bought on credit. Just like, what?
I’m hope the writers strike is successful and brings some much needed change to help protect and give screen writers better pay. Without writers, actors wouldn’t be able to act out stories and the rest of us in the film industry wouldn’t have jobs. Right now, we might need them more then ever in an industry keen bent on remakes and rehashing what we’ve seen before.
“If you think writing is easy, just sit down and try making a blog on a weekly basis.”
