When John Watson and I first came to Hollywood, we decided to meet with the marketing analysis people at Universal. We asked them one question: what do audiences want in their feature films? The answer that came back was stories that were "new", "interesting" and "different". Although the studios themselves were always puzzled on how to sell something they'd never seen before, they also knew the power of originality. If you take Steven Spielberg, for example, there really was no movie like Jaws before Jaws, or E.T. Close Encounters was also highly original. And to this day, Spielberg still brings audiences to theaters because they know they will experience things they've never seen before.
This means that there is a strong market for well-crafted, original ideas. But it also may be part of the responsibility of the writer to support their scripts with tools that help the buyers see how to market their creations. The most effective way we have seen that is to describe brand new ideas in terms of older successes - i.e. Alien is really "Jaws in space" - or Jurassic Park is "Jaws on land". By making it seem familiar, the studio can then understand how to sell your product.
My pitch for Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves was 'Robin Hood meets the pacing and grit of Raiders of the Lost Ark'. Until I framed it that way, the studios could only picture men running around in tights (which, ironically, ours paved the way for Mel Brooks to do - again). In creative screenwriting where you decide to be original, almost all things that are considered original and follow film structure will still be building on the legacy of earlier movies and extending off them. Sometimes, great ideas can be even discovered by literally trying to mix two successes together into a creative discovery.
Some things that at first sound like crazy ideas can actually result in very fertile concepts - off the top of my head I just combined the 'The Exorcist meets The Great Escape', and I get: a small group of priests volunteer to go into hell to rescue some innocent souls. Hey, that's not too bad! This kind of creativity is called "bi-association" and can be effective in creating familiar-but-new stories and a method to getting to truly creative screenwriting. The greatest joy as a writer is putting your own mark on your own voice. Actors, directors, and even those jaded studio execs can be moved by the power of originality and creative screenwriting.
It is always challenging for creative people to enter into the unknown. Sometimes it's hard to get ideas to come. Other times it's hard to validate your ideas. But you are not alone. Almost anyone who writes has doubt. By becoming a writer you have elected to become an artist. It is a risk that you will not always be recognized for your qualities. With that risk also comes the reward when what you've written creates a film that can live for generations. It is not a career for the faint of heart, but it is an amazing opportunity to learn about yourself - and sometimes get paid for doing it. - 42572
This means that there is a strong market for well-crafted, original ideas. But it also may be part of the responsibility of the writer to support their scripts with tools that help the buyers see how to market their creations. The most effective way we have seen that is to describe brand new ideas in terms of older successes - i.e. Alien is really "Jaws in space" - or Jurassic Park is "Jaws on land". By making it seem familiar, the studio can then understand how to sell your product.
My pitch for Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves was 'Robin Hood meets the pacing and grit of Raiders of the Lost Ark'. Until I framed it that way, the studios could only picture men running around in tights (which, ironically, ours paved the way for Mel Brooks to do - again). In creative screenwriting where you decide to be original, almost all things that are considered original and follow film structure will still be building on the legacy of earlier movies and extending off them. Sometimes, great ideas can be even discovered by literally trying to mix two successes together into a creative discovery.
Some things that at first sound like crazy ideas can actually result in very fertile concepts - off the top of my head I just combined the 'The Exorcist meets The Great Escape', and I get: a small group of priests volunteer to go into hell to rescue some innocent souls. Hey, that's not too bad! This kind of creativity is called "bi-association" and can be effective in creating familiar-but-new stories and a method to getting to truly creative screenwriting. The greatest joy as a writer is putting your own mark on your own voice. Actors, directors, and even those jaded studio execs can be moved by the power of originality and creative screenwriting.
It is always challenging for creative people to enter into the unknown. Sometimes it's hard to get ideas to come. Other times it's hard to validate your ideas. But you are not alone. Almost anyone who writes has doubt. By becoming a writer you have elected to become an artist. It is a risk that you will not always be recognized for your qualities. With that risk also comes the reward when what you've written creates a film that can live for generations. It is not a career for the faint of heart, but it is an amazing opportunity to learn about yourself - and sometimes get paid for doing it. - 42572
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