Film Courage: You had a video for your Jay Fingers Youtube channel on late bloomers and
one thing I found interesting was a comment that was underneath the video and that was someone put
that age 35 was a sweet spot for screenwriters I thought that was interesting any thoughts on that?
Jay Fingers, Screenwriter/Author/Youtuber: I saw that comment and I kind of agreed with it
I felt that if I'd continued on on my trajectory had I not taken like that little break or whatever
or had I like maybe moved out to LA sooner that I probably would have found success at around 35
so I agreed with that sentiment and I think I think there's a there's some truth to that
because when you're in your 20’s you're young and dumb I was I certainly thought
that oh this is this is gonna happen and this is and of course things don't turn out that way
but by the time you reach your 30s you've got a certain amount of life experience
that I think I think that life experience is is absolutely necessary for screenwriting
and I think that you've got the necessary life experience by that point
and it's right before I think the industry starts to look at you in a certain way
because I mean if we're going to be honest ageism is a thing
and I know that there are successful screenwriters who in their 40’s 50’s 60’s and and Beyond but I
do think that that people may look at an emerging screenwriter of a certain age
kind of like why why has it taken you this long it could be for any variety of reasons I certainly
know screenwriters who decided that they didn't want to pursue screenwriting until they were in
their 50’s and that's fantastic if they've got the uh the talent and the drive and they can certainly
succeed but I do think that there's there's a bit of ageism that comes into play so 35 is is
definitely the sweet spots it's it's before you you get looked at but
after you've got the life experience and what you're doing when did you start feeling that
writing screenplays wasn't enough to advance your career it's really that's that's a recent feeling
yeah because for a long time I thought that that's all I had to do just write a screenplay
and then that's it everyone's coming to me I've got the I've got the gold right
okay so yeah I I've really though just just come to realize that I've probably got to do more
that may entail like making a short film which is something that that I'm thinking of doing but yeah
they're they're I just have to find other ways to just kind of stand out get my work out there
I've got to figure it out yeah what new strategies are you thinking of for moving your screenwriting
career forward you talked about possibly doing a short film right right which for me that's
like that's the biggest thing simply because it will showcase my writing but it's also something
that people can see I think a short film people I think that people are a lot more receptive to
watching a 10-minute short film than they are sitting down with a hundred page screenplay
and I just think that that can something like a short film can get my strengths
as a writer across with dialogue and character development all those things um
aside from that just really trying to to network just make sure that I'm out there
to build community speak with people
I think that's really the important thing is is to to really just kind of like build that community
because this is a business that's built on relationships and someone knows someone that
can help then maybe a connection can be made and I don't I mean I don't mean that like a selfish
way I'm not just trying to make friends just to break in but that's just the way the world works
and I've always been like that I've always always been the type of person to connect and
help whenever I can so I just need to I feel I just need to ramp that up a little more
as far as screenwriting in film is concerned
do you think at some point it's wise though to fly the coop I mean groups are great and and it's
wonderful to have supportive people and it is a business of relationships but then at some point
to just know that it's the engine of Jay that has to get this out oh absolutely yeah yeah yeah
I feel that the group is great so that we have that base and we have that Community but I also
think that the expectation is that we will fly off into our own directions and create our own paths
I mean it'd be awesome if someone in the group is able to turn around and reach back and pull
someone up I would love to help someone out in the group if I ever can but like I said I think that
it is expected for us to to kind of go out and do our our own thing with your mentor
Jay are there things that he's been teaching you about the business not just craft that have been
helpful to you yeah the the biggest thing is is to just be aware of the business of the business
to ensure that you've got a great team in place you're going to want your manager and and agent
and or agent but you're also going to want to have a great accountant you're going to
want to have a great attorney and an attorney that knows entertainment law
just make sure that you understand the contracts the deals that you're signing into you don't have
to because legalese is a whole other language of its own so you don't have to know like the
entire like 50 page contract or whatever but at least understand what it entails
what people are expecting of you what are your expectations make sure that they're laid out
and make sure that your wants are covered as well those have been the the biggest things
how often this might happen to a new writer where something else is in the Zeitgeist at
the same time gets made and there's a feeling of what if that was my script
I mean I don't I honestly don't know really that that happens often I always hear that it's cheaper
to just buy the script than to steal the idea or steal the script because litigation and this that
and the other so yeah I mean I honestly don't hear very many stories at all of screenplays
being stolen or ideas being being stolen it's just one of those things that that happens
I do believe I solve a video film courage video oh I can't remember the the filmmaker's name but
he did say that he had an experience where his script was stolen and he talked about what he
would have done differently but I honestly feel just based on what I've heard and everything
I just honestly feel that that's not that commonplace maybe that's just my naivete coming
to the fore but yeah I don't I honestly don't have a like fear of stolen ideas or screenplays.