Film Courage: We look at your credits on IMDB Antoine, we see that you've worked
on a number of projects. How are you working
with the screenwriting? Are you taking the idea and choosing a screenwriter?
Antoine Allen, Filmmaker: What I do is I have a writing team, Eugene Walker, John Torres,
Gregg DaCosta. I come with the idea and I probably write the treatment whatever, but I pretty much
come with the idea and I'll hire the writers to write it for me. During Covid me and my writing
team got together and we wrote over 50 scripts. If you're a writer, you want to make 100 drafts, you
want to do this. I'm directing it so I don't need 100 drafts, I need maybe two or three and then I'm
good to go. I'm going to change it when I'm on set so I'm able to knock all those scripts out.
All the ideas are my ideas and then I get the writers to come on board, help me flesh it out.
Film Courage: Where are you meeting these screenwriters?
Antoine: Some of them are friends, some with actors, one of my writers Eugene Walker,
he is one of my partners and he was a few of my films. I got him writing because I told him that
you need more power. I want you to have your own power. He's a great writer so I got him writing.
Then I have one of my actors, John Torres, I said you have a good idea, start writing because I need
writers. I got him started writing. Now he doesn't just act, he’s also a writer. I’ve got another
writer, Lester Greene, that you know, I’ve got him writing now. Whoever's around me I want to
do more, I want to have more power, I don't want to be the only person to have all this power. I
always say if you're in a room and you're the only person with all the money and your friends are
looking for you, you're not doing a good job as a leader. I want everybody around me to have power
so if I need something I could go to them if they need something, they come to me and vice versa.
Film Courage: How do you know they're good writers? How do you know they have what it takes
to make your vision alive?
Antoine: Write it and if I don't like it I don't use it.
That makes sense okay do you accept screenplays from other screenwriters no
not not right now everything everything is in-house so it has to be your idea right now okay
what if someone says I really want to work with you I like your style but this is my
IP [intellectual property] and I want it just fine I'm if I like it I wouldn't like some films I
invest I invest in movies other filmmakers so some filmmakers that have the idea if I want to work
with you I just invested in film so some films I invested because I want to help other filmmakers
what should screenwriters know before they start working with producers copyright copyright
your ideas copyright everything protect yourself that's the first thing you do
once you get your idea copyrighted because people will steal your idea so copyright
each first thing because you know people like I’ve seen films that my one of my friends wrote
and then they pitch it to the network the network do the same idea we just switch it up so protect
your stories what about when people say no one's doing that you know that's being paranoid I mean
that's it's up to you then figure that out but I tell also writers don't just be a writer start
producing your own project it don't make no sense to write a hundred scripts and you don't you're
not trying to produce your own stuff I think like I said you can't be a one-trick pony I would love
just be a director but I can't I have go to be a director producer marketing mentor writing a book
because we in the age now there's so much content coming out there you just can't be a one-trick
pony like I always say if I was doing this back in the day I’d be a millionaire what are the biggest
mistakes screenwriters make when they reach out to a producer you know copyright day stuff
they do well they don't copyright their stuff and also they spam people like don't just I get emails
sometimes people hit me up oh I want to here's a scripts no no that's how your stuff gets stolen
so don't be just saying yourself I just send out don't do don't do that and then
you sit in like a complete film that's different but if you send it no don't do that
and then try to produce your own projects like stop waiting on a producer stop waiting on me
produce your own project I started as a writer and I said no one's what my story is I picture
small stories so do more for yourself invest more on yourself people invest in you and
you started with the short for for Lola but it wasn't called that right mm-hmm it was decision
split and it was an eight minute short no like 20 something almost 30 minutes short oh okay
do you have any advice for screenwriters who are struggling to get people to read their work
yes produce your own project because what happens is like most people don't have vision so
it's okay to pitch your stuff that's fine but take something you wrote produce it like we got to
stop thinking and I tell a lot of stream writers that we got to stop using that 1990 old mindset
like if I come in the room and I'm a writer and all I have is scripts I did
and you have filmmaker a that wrote produce and doing their own stuff I won't go with them
because they really want it they doing they're not waiting for nobody so do more for yourself
give yourself the great chance as possible because at the end of the day it's 100 stream writers
we're going to make you stand out and like I said sometimes it does work
but why why wait like you could do your own stuff stop stop get behind that computer and
get your hands dirty so the 90’s mindset is like over you're just going to lunch you're trying to
find an investor that you know or a producer that you're waiting for someone to validate
you like you know it's filmmakers out there that's better than me way better than me but
once again the house is so separate you might be better than me but you're not going to hustle me
so if people say oh my films are better than you you're probably right but guess what I'm
getting the meetings I'm getting deals because I'm not waiting for no one to deter my future
someone actually said that to you what did that their films are better than yours yeah and what
contacts where were you oh there's a film festival there was like this film is my film is better why
are getting under awards I know a lot he was a writer on this one was amazing but the house is so
separate his life ain't fair house is so separate that's where it is you're going to see filmmakers
that you know win a whole bunch of wars or like my film is better that person did something
you you can't at the end of the day it's only going to be something better than you
it might be a better project but you have control of and there is what you're going to do so they
confronted you in the lobby or something wherever they told me face to face and I'll take and that's
nothing don't take that impersonal a lot of people are really like this is a business don't
take nothing personal no it's their opinion that's all his opinion and what was your answer to them
so that is the way it is right they got the economy package of the hustle yeah they got that
yeah Tubi east package they got you got to like you know and like I said life ain't fair
it's things I see like you go on Netflix right now like how do you get on Netflix they doing
something like you you life is not fear I feel like sometimes I see things like my movie's better
back today it's not about who's better it's who's hustling more what if a writer listening to this
says you know I don't I don't do the other stuff I just write that's all I do and I don't have the
time money effort whatever to go make this film myself yes that's true you will have to find
someone that will help you but just know that it's two options in any world if you're going to wait
for somebody and people do other times oh you say no way I'm tired of waiting let me try something
else got your comfort zone because there's a hundred people that sit there and write all day
there's nothing wrong with that you just have go to know that you're going to get what you put out
like like me I was loved just to the direct but I can't I got to do other things because I know that
we in a world that is so much content coming out and it's like keeping up with joneses so it's up
to you where you want your life to be if you can't do something like you know for me I'm not a I'm
not a great writer I hire writers to work with me so you got to figure out what you want to do with
your life you're going to wait there behind that computer because you're not it's it's a zillion
people in this world reach out to some independent people go to film festivals like we all have jobs
and money back in the day to make a movie almost was impossible now it don't cost a lot of money
we have go to get we have go to we have go to put ourselves in a better position and stop doing the
bare minimum and getting mad that things are happening it's tough love but I had to do that
it was one time I was like wow things ain't happening to me I was doing a bad minimal I wasn't
doing enough so now I'm like really aggressive because like the internet is just so many options
we have to do what we need to do so you have to ask yourself you're going to wait for that bus
or you're going to get your hands dirty and hop on the bus and go if you need to go is your choice
what is keeping up with the joneses in filmmaking people don't realize that no one's waiting for you
you have go to you have go to keep up with technology you have go to just keep it up and
upgrade yourself like no one's really looking around like I need a new writer
like people writing their own stories now people ain't waiting for nobody so you want to have that
old mindset of I wait they're going to come to me you're a loss but I'm going to sit and run laps
and keep running because you know it's like I said how's it all separate.