Film Courage: Shannan, for anyone who knows nothing about screenwriting,
how would you begin to teach them the craft?
Writer/Instructor and Script Consultant Shannan E. Johnson (The Professional Pen): Yeah
that's a great question because we all kind of start from this place of not knowing
screenwriting unless you decide to go to a film program that's actually teaching screenwriting.
It's one of those things that is not a part of our education system or anything like that so a lot
of us are starting from scratch the great thing about it being 2021 is that there are resources
everywhere so I actually just got this question via email the other day and my first response was
just start writing right it's kind of like even if you are doing creative writing if you have short
stories that you're interested in if you want to be a journalist and you want to write articles
you just have to start practicing it right so that's the first thing that you can do is just
start writing down your ideas the other thing you want to do is then figure out how to hone that
craft are there screenwriting classes anywhere whether they're in your area or they are virtual
are there screenwriting groups that are in your area or virtual or go to youtube university right
which is what we were talking about earlier and so there are a lot of different organizations that
have pages like film courage like my page that are teaching the fundamentals of screenwriting because
the biggest thing is understanding the format which always tricks people up a lot trips people
up a lot and understanding the structure the third thing you can do which is just an addition
to honing your craft is read screenplays but make sure that you are reading actual screenplays and
not transcripts so a lot of the times when people will google and look for a particular screenplay
the transcript will come up and just so you know the difference the transcript will be only
dialogue and it'll all be formatted left and it'll just be you know the dialogue from the screenplay
because someone actually watched the film and just wrote down what everyone was saying but if you're
going to be the screenwriter you need to learn how they are formatting the scene headings what action
looks like where everything is placed so you want to make sure that you're looking at the actual
screenplay and not the transcript when you're looking at those screenplays ask yourself what you
like to write ask yourself what you like to watch so that you can then read screenplays that fill
in that format and that genre because each genre is going to have kind of their own rules
and so you want to make sure that you're learning how to write the thing that you're interested in
so what if someone says okay I've already been working at writing a screenplay I actually have
four or five at home but I live in a small town I have a family I have a full-time job
I don't know what to do from here yeah so the first thing you want to do is get some feedback
on your screenplay because this industry is one where there are going to be gatekeepers
that are going to be in place before you can get to the big studios or the networks or production
companies so in order for your screenplay to get made at all someone is going to have to read it
and so you want to make sure that your screenplay is in a great place and that it's going to make it
past the reader right so a great way to do that is finding people like myself as a script
consultant or finding script coverage companies so that you can get another set of eyes on those
screenplays so it's great if you have three or four screenplays if you only have one keep writing
you know get to your three or four right and then send them out so that you can get
feedback on them to see if they are up to industry standard to see if there is an actual story there
now from there that's when it becomes tricky because this is a who you know kind of industry
and if you are in whatever city outside of you know Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta maybe then
it may be a little harder to figure out how you're going to get in so some of the options that you
have are screenwriting competitions competitions don't mean that you will automatically get your
screenplay made but it's about exposure and access right so if you pay attention to which
screenwriting competitions are going to have who on their jury reading those screenplays then you
want to try to get in front of those people so that they can help you to get into the door
the same thing is true for any film festivals you can attend film festivals and maybe meet
some of the producers who are there managers and agents who are there to be able to talk to them
about your work don't have your screenplay printed out and pass it to anyone don't do it don't do it
keep your printed screenplay at home but while you're there you want to be networking and meeting
people because since this is a who you know kind of industry then you need to get out there and
meet some folks right there are also different kind of pitch competitions that are out there
that will also give you an opportunity to pitch to people who are in the industry who then may help
you to develop your work to take it to the next place if you don't want to do Hollywood at all
and you don't want to deal with the big machine then raise your own money hire your own people
and make your own content because there are many ways for you to get your own content out there now
so you said keep writing if if I just have one or two screenplays what if my life story is so
fascinating I just have to get this story you don't understand Shannon yeah I have to get
this story out yeah it's once you hear my life story you will want to make this movie too right
and i'm not looking to do other other stories yeah if you're not looking to do other stories
if you don't want to be a professional writer i'm going to say kind of the same thing applies to you
because unless you're going to find the money to make it yourself you still got to get in to know
somebody to get them to make it so you're still going to have to deal with those gatekeepers
so if your life story is so fantastic and so many of us think that it is right if your life story
is so fantastic then you need to find a producer who you can prove to that person that it's that
fantastic someone has to get interested enough in the story so you want to be able to you know have
your log line ready have your pitch ready have your screenplay ready whatever materials you're
going to have to be able to show them like this is something that you want to tell and if they decide
to buy it and develop it etc then they will but if you don't want to be a professional writer you may
say to yourself but I don't want to go through all those hoops I don't want to deal with that I want
it made now raise some money hire your people and make it yourself because if it's the kind of story
that you just it's your baby and you just want to make it then make it and air it to your family air
it in your hometown air it in your city you can rent out a theater within the AMC or whatever
theater you have in your community you can rent out one of the rooms and show it on the
big screen and still have that same experience if you're not trying to become a professional writer
so you just have to ask yourself what do you want of that project realize what the different avenues
are and then choose one and hopefully we'll get to see your story on the screen okay what if you
know I've heard a lot of bad stuff about Hollywood and and I don't trust those people so you know I
need you to get it out there for me because I just you know I've been warned me as in me or is this
a general question it could be you it could be it could be me going to someone but but we could
I could roleplay say to you like I could you know and and so I've heard stories and I just
don't trust it and I know that you could navigate on my behalf right so what you're looking for
is someone to be your representative those people are managers those people are agents those people
are entertainment lawyers i'm a script consultant so that's not my part of the job my part is to get
people from idea to pitch your representatives then get you into the room to be able to pitch
and then you're going to pitch to executives or producers or even actors or directors whoever it
is you can get in the room with so that it can get bought developed and then made into into
your film or your television show so you want to make sure whoever it is you're approaching is the
right person so that means you have to start with research because the thing about this industry
if you decide to go the Hollywood route the thing about this industry is people care about you doing
your part and you doing the work so if you were to approach someone who doesn't do that thing but
you're asking them for that thing then they're going to consider that this is not something
that you're serious about right so for example not every production company or every studio makes the
same kind of films or tv shows right so if this is a faith-based production company but you want to
make a a vampire comedy right and so now you're pitching your vampire comedy to this
christian-based production company then they know that you have not done your research right
you don't understand their brand and now that is going to look bad on you professionally right so
if you don't want to do that bidding yourself great so that means you need to find someone
else who does that thing who is that go between who is that liaison who can do it for you so do
the research to figure out where the places that would make my kind of movie or my kind of tv show
who are the people who I need to contact who have made their stuff there
right because a lot of those studios are working with the same kind of production companies
over and over again right so then you figure out well who do I need to have a relationship with to
go there so there's still going to be some work on your part because if you don't know anyone
then you still have to find the people in order for them to do the rest of the work so it's a
tough part of the industry which is why it's not favorable for everyone it does take a lot of work
on your end and a lot of grit on your end and even if you do have a representative if you are trying
to be a professional writer even if you do have a representative the work doesn't stop for you there
you know right so they're out doing some bidding but you're still going to get most of the gigs
because of the work that you're doing yourself so if you're in a position of saying well that's not
what I want to do then maybe reconsider this may not be the industry for you because there's going
to have to be work done on your end and you're going to have to get out of your comfort zone
okay and then lastly and I love this advice I've given my work's letting me take two weeks to come
out to la and i'm armed with like five scripts I've talked to a couple people on social media
who say they might want to produce it for me executive produce it I haven't found too much
about them online one of them says they have their own company and they have money that
they can put behind it and they want to meet so we're going to meet at a restaurant and
we're going to talk about them helping me make my project how do I know that I can trust this person
well if you've done your research and you haven't found anything you now have to go with your gut
go to the meeting listen learn don't over share don't sign anything right
consider this a part of your research when you're there do you want them to take care of your baby
right that's what this conversation is about everyone starts from somewhere so maybe they are
new in the producing field so there isn't much online about them just like you're new in the
writing field right so it's not to say that just because you can't find anything about them online
means you shouldn't work with them maybe maybe not you may say okay well we're both starting out
so we could be starting this relationship together as Issa Rae said you want to network
this way right and not this way so if both of you are starting in the same place
take the meeting see what happens but while you're in that meeting listen to yourself
listen to them and then make decisions from there it may work out it may not
right but that's going to happen no matter who you decide to work with now if you do see a lot
of negative stuff online then don't take the meeting there's no reason to take the meeting
if you can't find anything then take the meeting and just listen learn have your questions ready
ask yourself what do I need to know in order for me to feel comfortable with doing this
and then when you're in that meeting ask those questions a lot of the times what happens is the
writer always feels like the person on the you know lowest end of the totem pole which may or
may not be true so when we get into meetings with other people we automatically get into
our own shells and think that we don't have a voice to be able to request what we need right
but if this is your baby and these people say they're interested then you're interviewing them
as much as they're interviewing you right so when you're there ask the questions and if you don't
get the information that you need that makes you feel comfortable with having a relationship with
them then you have all the information you need shake hands don't burn bridges right shake hands
say thank you and then find someone who is the best for your project and I like that so Issa Rae
said network like this yeah network horizontally instead of vertically she may not have used those
words but that's what she meant I don't remember the actual quote yeah okay and sorry and so that
means then don't try to like be like this social climber like do it with people that are starting
out at your level as well yeah it basically means the people who you're starting out with are all
moving at the same time right so that means one of those people is going to be in a position that can
help you at some point just like you might be in a position that can help them so make friends with
these people if we're all assistants at the same time we're probably all going to be executives
at the same time or one of them will become an executive and i'll become a writer or another
person becomes a director and now going back to that who you know thing right now i'm working with
the people that I know because we started off together versus everyone wants to get into the
room and they want to talk to Steven Spielberg right talk to Steven Spielberg's assistant
first of all that's the closest person to him right but secondly that person has aspirations
too you know most assistants there's nothing wrong with wanting to be a lifelong assistant we
need people who are very organized and get things done but most assistants are there because they're
trying to get somewhere else and that's just the path that they chose to get experience right
so that person may want to become an agent that person may want to be a manager that person may
want to be a director if you get a relationship with them because both of you are in a place
where you can build a relationship in the first place because you're not going to get
to Steven Spielberg and make a relationship just because you're on set one day right
but if you're nice to the assistant and you guys become cool then now you start rising together
and you have the people that you need when it's time to take a meeting you can call over to this
place because you know the person that's working there because you guys were both pas on some
you know random music video five years ago you know so I think it's really important as
she said to make sure that you don't ignore these people just because they haven't made
it yet because some of them will maybe you will maybe you won't right but instead of
jumping over those people and going to the people who are already in place who don't have time for
you let's just be honest right they don't have that kind of time so instead of trying to jump
to those people pay attention to the people who are grinding at the same time that you are.
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