I appreciated this look into the life of a working writer. He didn't seem to pull any punches about what it takes to make a living as a writer. So with this advice, I will continue perfecting my craft and writing a trunk full of projects. I have found that practice does improve quality. Hopefully, one day when I get that chance to pitch a project, if that one doesn't fly, I will have a library for which to choose. Thanks Bill for your time and honesty.
+Boomer Murrhee Having several different projects finished and polished is a great idea, because even though the process can feel slow because of how long it can take to get everything detailed and comprehensive from action to dialogue I think the feeling of accomplishment of having multiple completed projects with different plots and characters maybe even spanning different genres is rewarding in itself because you can step back and admire your own talent and adaptability in covering a broad range of topics, plots, and settings with each script because each story is unique in its own way.
Dear Film Courage. I watch a bulk of your videos, but I cannot find how much screenwriters make for a certain script. I know they vary, but what is a common amount for a blockbuster or an award winning movie?
We hope to have interviews in the future where maybe we can press this topic a little more. Here's the closest we've come to the topic ruclips.net/video/a0yA8HHNBxc/видео.html & ruclips.net/video/tPK0ZQahIe0/видео.html
As I was procrastinating on starting my next project, I came across this video I had already seen. I was amazed how much more information I was able to glean the second time around. Thanks again Bill, good stuff. I may make this a routine for between projects to help keep the focus.
This guy good. Usually these people are false authoritarians.. this guy actually good. Idea of suspense is actually explicit for me.. not a tool I would personally use, but good...
This guys last screenplay was 12 years ago. The one before that was 20 years ago. He’s talking like he had to write the godfather to get noticed. Apparently you just have to write Steel Sharks and you’re set.
Martell had nineteen scripts produced with zero industry connections, no agent, and no trust fund to buy him into the business. He got in on one thing and one thing only: the quality of his scripts. And to my knowledge, he has never used _The Godfather_ as a touchpoint or an example. The script he has most frequently used as an ideal piece of screenwriting is _Die Hard._ By your illogic, _Save the Cat!_ should be shunned or dismissed because Blake Snyder only had two produced films, _Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot!_ and _Blank Check,_ both more than a decade before his how-to book came out, and neither of them comparable to The Godfather. Frankly, having read both Snyder's and Martell's books, and scripts, I'd take Martell's advice first. Have you read his script for _Steel Sharks_ ? I have. It's a damn solid piece of action writing.
The writers of Deja Vu were paid $5,000,000 for that script. It just depends on how many studios want your script. Of course, nowadays, studios don't buy specs, anymore. Now, you either make your own movie and get someone to finance it, or you use specs to get studio assignments, but good luck with that. I'd say, get an iPhone or decent camera, and start filming, because the film industry is a different animal than it was 20 years ago.
If Lucas only made money from the merch and no money from the Star Wars movies themselves would he consider the movies a success? He must of made billions from the merch. alone. The future business model of movies might be just advertisements for merch., and everything else goes to TV where they make money on ads. It would also allow the content owners to cease prosecuting people who share the content on the internet. The content owners would actually encourage sharing, it would help advertise the merch even more. Everybody wins, as long as companies like Sony and Fox and Disney adopt this new model instead of fight it.
A professional writer writes to make money, pretty much by definition. I can think of no writer who has an academic sinecure (i.e., they live on a professorship, not on their writing) whose writing is particularly notable. If you squint and turn your head sideways, fantasy best-seller Brandon Sanderson teaches writing, but he definitely lives off his book sales.
Seems like plumbing as a profession forces you to do plumbing just to make money. Doesn't seem conducive to great plumbing. Seems like acrobatics as a profession forces you to do acrobatics just to make money. Doesn't seem conducive to great acrobatics. Seems like photography as a profession forces you to photograph things just to make money. Doesn't seem conducive to great photography. Seems like wrestling as a profession forces you to wrestle just to make money. Doesn't seem conducive to great wrestling. That's... what a profession is. And every profession has an element of craft, including writing.
Well, that's your opinion. William Martell has written a boatload of scripts that have sold. Were the scripts bad? Not to the people who bought them and/or turned them into films. Not to the hundreds of thousands of people who watched them in their entirety because they enjoyed them.
![How Movies Work - Peter Russell [FULL INTERVIEW]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Vi6XG-JlIg0/mqdefault.jpg)
![How Movies Work - Peter Russell [FULL INTERVIEW]](/img/tr.png)
![Writing Screenplays for Television & Film - Peter Russell [FULL INTERVIEW]](/img/1.gif)
I appreciated this look into the life of a working writer. He didn't seem to pull any punches about what it takes to make a living as a writer. So with this advice, I will continue perfecting my craft and writing a trunk full of projects. I have found that practice does improve quality. Hopefully, one day when I get that chance to pitch a project, if that one doesn't fly, I will have a library for which to choose. Thanks Bill for your time and honesty.
+Boomer Murrhee Having several different projects finished and polished is a great idea, because even though the process can feel slow because of how long it can take to get everything detailed and comprehensive from action to dialogue I think the feeling of accomplishment of having multiple completed projects with different plots and characters maybe even spanning different genres is rewarding in itself because you can step back and admire your own talent and adaptability in covering a broad range of topics, plots, and settings with each script because each story is unique in its own way.
THIS IS THE MOST INFORMATIVE FILM SCRIPTWRITING VIDEO I HAVE SEEN, WHAT AN INTERESTING AND TALENTED MAN.
This is a solid interview. Nuts and bolts advice on being a writer and making a career/dealing with the industry.
ccgg11 Thanks, if you want more content like this you may enjoy this playlist - ruclips.net/p/PLez8jOvskc-MeZF2waPj7betXnO8Y2-UQ
Dear Film Courage. I watch a bulk of your videos, but I cannot find how much screenwriters make for a certain script. I know they vary, but what is a common amount for a blockbuster or an award winning movie?
We hope to have interviews in the future where maybe we can press this topic a little more. Here's the closest we've come to the topic ruclips.net/video/a0yA8HHNBxc/видео.html & ruclips.net/video/tPK0ZQahIe0/видео.html
Mr. William C. Martell. This was awesome! I laughed and I learned. Thank you
So inspiring! Could listen to him all day!
As I was procrastinating on starting my next project, I came across this video I had already seen. I was amazed how much more information I was able to glean the second time around. Thanks again Bill, good stuff. I may make this a routine for between projects to help keep the focus.
Boomer Murrhee Boomer, congrats on finishing another project!
watched/listened to this while varnishing outside my house. enjoyed it. learned a lot. 1 page a day! it's the only way!
this is pure gold
This guy good. Usually these people are false authoritarians.. this guy actually good. Idea of suspense is actually explicit for me.. not a tool I would personally use, but good...
Dam, William sounds like Neil Degrass Tyson lol.
Two of my favorite people to listen to
Pleasure Droids On My Tombstone was the name of my band in high school! PDOMT for life!
could you please laugh at one of his jokes instead of radio silence - he's a funny guy!!
Agreed, Bill is very funny. Sometimes you can't always hear the laughter. :) But you can see the smiles.
A script to "meet starlets"? He says this out loud. What is he not saying? I was loving this series but it's full of creeps.
Since everything has been done already (suspense, love scenes, etc) it seems like people just want to see new actors experience these same cliches.
Michael Shipley Just like porn.
Excellent!!
This guys last screenplay was 12 years ago. The one before that was 20 years ago. He’s talking like he had to write the godfather to get noticed. Apparently you just have to write Steel Sharks and you’re set.
Martell had nineteen scripts produced with zero industry connections, no agent, and no trust fund to buy him into the business. He got in on one thing and one thing only: the quality of his scripts. And to my knowledge, he has never used _The Godfather_ as a touchpoint or an example. The script he has most frequently used as an ideal piece of screenwriting is _Die Hard._
By your illogic, _Save the Cat!_ should be shunned or dismissed because Blake Snyder only had two produced films, _Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot!_ and _Blank Check,_ both more than a decade before his how-to book came out, and neither of them comparable to The Godfather.
Frankly, having read both Snyder's and Martell's books, and scripts, I'd take Martell's advice first.
Have you read his script for _Steel Sharks_ ? I have. It's a damn solid piece of action writing.
A Genius he is
How much money does the avg screenwriter make?
The writers of Deja Vu were paid $5,000,000 for that script. It just depends on how many studios want your script. Of course, nowadays, studios don't buy specs, anymore. Now, you either make your own movie and get someone to finance it, or you use specs to get studio assignments, but good luck with that. I'd say, get an iPhone or decent camera, and start filming, because the film industry is a different animal than it was 20 years ago.
"theyre probably all moldy by now." LOL
At 15:56 -- Probabilities don't work that way.
Probabilities work however we writers decide they do. Also, time travel and hot tubs.
@@chrisoliver3642 Hot tubs? No, no, no. You gotta hit a giant rabbit with a jet engine. Or something like that.
👍🏼👍🏼
he sounds like neil degrasse tyson of writing :)
I think this guy is mistaken, he-THINKS-he's a pro screen writer.
When really he's a pro journalist who writes his research reports in script format!
🙏🙏🙏🙏
If Lucas only made money from the merch and no money from the Star Wars movies themselves would he consider the movies a success? He must of made billions from the merch. alone.
The future business model of movies might be just advertisements for merch., and everything else goes to TV where they make money on ads.
It would also allow the content owners to cease prosecuting people who share the content on the internet. The content owners would actually encourage sharing, it would help advertise the merch even more. Everybody wins, as long as companies like Sony and Fox and Disney adopt this new model instead of fight it.
Seems like screenwriting as a profession forces you to write just to make money. Doesnt seem conducive to great writing.
A professional writer writes to make money, pretty much by definition. I can think of no writer who has an academic sinecure (i.e., they live on a professorship, not on their writing) whose writing is particularly notable. If you squint and turn your head sideways, fantasy best-seller Brandon Sanderson teaches writing, but he definitely lives off his book sales.
Seems like plumbing as a profession forces you to do plumbing just to make money. Doesn't seem conducive to great plumbing.
Seems like acrobatics as a profession forces you to do acrobatics just to make money. Doesn't seem conducive to great acrobatics.
Seems like photography as a profession forces you to photograph things just to make money. Doesn't seem conducive to great photography.
Seems like wrestling as a profession forces you to wrestle just to make money. Doesn't seem conducive to great wrestling.
That's... what a profession is. And every profession has an element of craft, including writing.
this guy has only written bad movies..
Well, that's your opinion. William Martell has written a boatload of scripts that have sold. Were the scripts bad? Not to the people who bought them and/or turned them into films. Not to the hundreds of thousands of people who watched them in their entirety because they enjoyed them.