Film Courage: What's the most amount of time you spent on a screenplay? Mark Sanderson, Screenwriter/Author: The most amount of time?
Boy those are years ago, not a lot of time now. But I think it would be my
fifth spec script and only because I stopped on page 60 and that was because of a
personal tragedy and I didn't know if I was going to be able to go back to it
because I felt guilty about not going through my grief some someone passed
away and it took me probably six or eight months of stopped on page 16 to go
back and finish that first draft so I had good momentum and then it was just
you know I was knocked out and just couldn't focus but that experience
worked its way into the script because there was loss in the screenplay as well
so it was really you know really found its way in there in the successive you
know drafts after that not in the first obviously because there was so many 60
pages but it was you know upon this is the other drafts it really you know so
that I think that would have taken the longest time but I don't you know from
writing assignments because there there's a schedule I really like to get
a script done you know in obviously the time that the contract states but just
as in my own spec to I don't want to work on it for years you know I want to
have something available and do successive drafts and then have
something to be like okay this is the one that at least that I can show people
so I would say you know three pages a day is a feature in a month easy it's
very doable and people say oh I worked on the script for a year again you can
work on it for a long time without doing pages
you know me because you're doing the research you're doing you know all these
other things to get to that point that could take time as well you could spend
months that particular script I did spend months of research before I even
started you know because it was a dream so I had this little like I was talking
about all I had it was it was a little book like a little scene and I was like
well that's interesting but what like et what about if someone was left behind
and so started building out characters a story and you know it was historical
movies so there had to be some research done so you know it's not always like Oh
write the script in a month it could take like the iceberg there's a lot of
work that has to under the surface that has to be done so I don't know if I've
answered your question when you finish the one screenplay where
you stop with the 60 pages yes something bad happens yeah then
there was this guilt how did you feel once you finish that screenplay because
you said you took some of that emotion well I I felt it was almost that it was
almost a mission you know to finish it because the person would have wanted me
to do that and so that helped me get through the guilt of like oh how could
it be writing this script you know when this happened and somebody passed away
and so I thought you know this person would want me to go back and do that
they wouldn't want me to honestly waste my time but you know what I mean
on this this thing and so that helped motivate me to go you're okay there's no
guilt and finishing this thing you know so yeah cuz you never know you know when
you're writing your life can get in the way and does and you know it's this
other thing that you do and if it's your vocation you know that you get paid to
do it you know you can't just toss it aside
and say oh well I mean you know stuff stuff happens in life too sure but like
we were talking about earlier but using your personal experiences you don't want
to have to go through that stuff but if you do you know you tap into it you know
use it it's real it's real it's authentic you know its authenticity
actors love that kind of stuff you know and so writers should do cert as well
the script that you're referring to wasn't that the first screenplay that
you sold it was yeah it was a world war ii picture called lob remember April and
they bumped bumped around town for a number of years and it finally got
option and they made so it was like seven years from the time that I wrote
the first draft - first day of photography and not like I say not every
project is that way and some never get made and you never like I said that we
were talking about earlier you never know the journey of a project if could
sit around for years on a shelf and then someone discovers it or it could sell
tomorrow for big money you know there's everything in between
so yeah what did that experience teach you because didn't you have a day job or
you had another job during that time when you had - yeah yeah oh absolutely
during those seven years sure and I also wrote other specs and you know the whole
the whole gamut what it taught me was that you know if if you really believe
in a script you know don't don't give up with it now you have to see the writing
on the wall but this one at Oldham almost won the nickel fellowship and I
say almost that year they picked the top eight people you know out of 3,500 you
know to get the fellowship and my script was in the top 20
so they actually called me and told me that and I was like oh wow okay and so
from that I was you know I was able to give some people who read it and this
and that but the the personal connection I had at the time with this company that
was just starting was the way in it wasn't from an agent it was is
my own networking so that's also important that everyone says I'm looking
for an agent you know and your own networking I think is almost more
important because it's the face-to-face I've got you and you know an agent
unless they're just starting doesn't need a 25th client in the way now some
agencies are actually signing with the Writers Guild about you know about
everybody had to fire their agent you know who is in the guild and some
agencies are signing now to say okay we're gonna follow the you know the
rules but you should be networking you know that's the most important thing is
to have because that wasn't sold by an agent it was my own connection into that
company so that's that's what I learned as well we were were you networking like
what let you don't have to name the place but was it was kind of enough no
it was my friend's friend who was in the business so my friend had said oh my
friend is an assistant to blah blah blah and they were just starting a brand new
company they already had a company cut two million years later that assistant
became president of that other company and then he went off and left to have
his own company so you see how you know to me it moves on so every assistant is
not gonna be an assistant forever you know they want to look at the rolodex
and and find that amazing script to bring to their their producer and say
look what I found and you want that script to be yours and you want that
decision to be somebody that you have contact with because they're gonna grow
and move into producers and whatnot you know and that assistant because of that
script then as president the company hired me again and again and then when
he went off to so it hired me again you know so I mean that's how you build that
none of that was from an agent or a manager now they're great to have but
but I see people I brought my secret I got I get you know it's like you should
be out networking you can't you can't rely
your career and give it to somebody else you're the one thinking about it 24
hours a day you know like networking where um you know around town like in
there's there's functions all the time is a international screenwriting
Association has a final draft has them staged 32 has them meetups get-togethers
things like that so just or just be out you know like you're seen in Los Angeles
you never know who you're gonna run into and then there's no there's no studio
gate there that says they're not getting in I mean seriously I mean my friend was
chatting up someone and they were the assistant to one of the biggest
producers in town now nothing happened but then we were talking about the blood
okay but they could have said oh that's an interesting story because they're
looking for that interesting story right and they want to be the one who brings
it to the mucky-muck and says look what I found now they have to read it first
it has to go through hoops but you know over I mean it has to go through hurdles
but isn't that much better than you know oh I'm struggling writer and I you know
here's my stuff and the agent or agency gets back to you six months later you
know I mean those those can get you to different levels absolutely necessary
but my point is don't think that's the end-all be-all
those will come when you're ready that's the thing they'll come when you're ready
they won't come when you just finish you for a screenplay let's just the most
amazing thing you know and then they already has bids on it and stuff like
that you know so don't stress it by getting representation right away that
only comes Plus you have to be a workhorse if an agent is gonna take you
on or manager they want to see that you're working like okay you got this
this is good we need to work and look change what oh yeah yeah you got another
and what else you working on you have to be working not just the one script throw
in the ring and go am I done no you're not done it's just the
beginning you think desperation scares a lot of would-be deals away yeah
you did consents a desperate writer a million miles away when you're like you
know the best place to be is where you don't need it where your life doesn't
rest upon this hundred pages you know that's you know that's where it's and
plus the desperation can work into your writing too you know so no it's it's
hard you know desperation and fear and those all things you gotta you know
you're gonna constantly keep in check
you