Film Courage: This question comes in from Flower Power.
My question: How do you get producers to read your script.
I don’t have any money or connections.
How do I approach this?
Just try to get lucky?
Justin Warren, Writer/Director: That’s a really good question, I’m still trying to
figure that out.
But the one thing that I’ve learned is that Hollywood is incredibly relational in the
sense of …in theory it’s really bad because I used to always think Why does this writer
make it and this one doesn’t?
Why does this director not and why does this one not?
The reality is it’s not fair.
Life is not fair.
Hollywood in particular is definitely not fair.
And I don’t mean that to knock it but I think when I began to realize that there are
no rules then it sort of opened up for me.
For instance I know this producer friend who literally
got a movie made because he knew the stunt man who worked on the movie with that actor
and he asked for him to pass the script over.
And some how it seems like in theory that should not work, but some how that worked
and he attached at actor to his script and BOOM!
It got made.
It was a horror film or something like that.
But basically there’s no way.
It seems like in my limited experience (I’ve only been out here like 7 years) but three
of that I was in film school and about four-ish years have been trying to crack this things
called “Hollywood.”
I’m very introverted and it’s very difficult for me to meet people but I’ve noticed that
when I start becoming more relational with people, things start to happen.
I’m not saying that means that I’m going to be writing on HBO next week.
But I’ve noticed that every single year that I’ve been out here I notice more things
that make LA feel smaller if that makes sense.
For instance, the other day I was watching a commercial and I saw a friend that I knew
on a commercial.
And I’m like “Oh?
I know him.
I met him last year.
That’s him on TV.”
And then the other day I was driving down the street and I saw a billboard and I was
“That’s Billy!
What’s Billy doing?”
It’s crazy.
And every year that seems to happen a little bit more.
And I know that just sustained effort over time should eventually equal “breaking into
Hollywood” whatever that is.
And so I think that I definitely don’t have an answer to that but just from my experience
I’ve noticed that things are starting to happen for me by interfacing and hanging out
with people who are like-minded who you jive with, who you feel a connection with because
I think a lot of times the piece of advice a lot of people give is “You’ve got to
network, just network.”
But networking inherently feels not relational, it feels transactional at least in my brain
and so for me I’ve sort of tried to tip it to think like Okay well I’m just trying
to find other like-minded people who I connect with.
And then try to pursue that great feeling of putting a movie on the screen or telling
a story or doing something and it’s not just movies, it can be anything.
Any sort of story that movies people.
If we can find a way to connect on that, we can become allies.
We can fight for each other and be in the trenches together and that’s a really beautiful
thing since I’ve taken that approach.
Like I said I’m sort of super new at this whole pursuing filmmaking career.
But I do know that if you just don’t give up and just keep meeting people, connecting
with people who you like, and they like you back, eventually something is going to happen.
I don’t remember what the quote is but something along the lines of the people who get lucky,
luck it opportunity meets preparation.
That’s what luck is.
The more opportunities you have, the more people that you get to start to know, that
know what you do and like what you do, eventually there will be an opportunity for you to step
up and do something.
There will be long stretches of time where nothing happens and it feels like you’re
not making any progress.
I literally just got out of a long stretch of time where I felt that way.
I was just like “What am I doing out here?
I want to move back home.
I’m wasting my time.
It’s super expensive to live out here.
This is awful.”
But something twisted, something turned in my brain.
I was like “You know what, I may not know anybody at these big studios that could get
me a movie, but I do know a lot of people out here that are on my level (sorry I shouldn’t
say level) but are on their same progression in their journey.
I know all of these people and what I can do is just connect with the ones that I feel
get me and understand me.
And I started that process like 4 months ago.
And it’s been amazing how many opportunities have come from that.
Like “Okay, I know this writer who is in my class.
Let’s just grab coffee and talk to each other and see how we might be able to help
each other.”
And that’s been phenomenal.
You can get your script to people that way.
I have a friend who ended up getting representation because she ended up meeting with her friend
who were repped by…a rep.
Anyone who was repped by someone they went and met with them and basically felt it out.
Is this a good fit first?
Do I feel like I connect with this person and if they did and everything seemed right
she would be like “Hey, it might be a huge ask but would you take a look at my script?”
And not asking “Hey, would you take a look and give it to your rep?”
Just like “Hey, will you read it?
And if you like it, could you maybe pass it on?
If not, no harm, no foul.”
And they seemed to be pretty successful doing it that way.
There are so many different avenues but there is no real one way.
Hollywood seems to be the wild, wild, west.
And I think (at least for me) that’s what makes it intriguing.
Of like “Man, the next thing could come from anywhere.”
There is way more opportunity around us than we feel.
It’s only just a matter of focus and attention.
If you focus on the world being abundant instead of scarce then suddenly the world becomes
abundant.
And I know it sounds really weird but I’ve noticed that when I’ve made those conscious
choices, things seem to happen.