Who Are You Writing Screenplays For?

There’s a deceptive question you may hear, or even ask yourself, during your screenwriting journey - “Who should you be writing for in your scripts?”

Are you writing for yourself? If so, does that mean you’re making a mistake by not writing for those you’re trying to sell your script to? 

Are you writing for the audience? But the script needs to be produced before they see it, so shouldn’t you be trying to write scripts that directors and actors want to be a part of?

The true answer to this question is more complicated than you’d think. But it’s also more liberating. 

Knowing who you are writing for is one of the most important breakthroughs you can have as a screenwriter. It changes how you choose projects, how you write your scripts, and how you measure your success as a screenwriter. 

With that in mind, here we’ll discuss the dynamics of who you should be writing for, and why.

Screenwriting is about passion. You need to have a passion for what you choose to write.

• Without passion, you’ll never finish.
• Without passion, you won’t fight through the inevitable and endless adversity you’ll be forced to face.
• Without passion, you’ll never experience the joy of finishing a script.
• Without passion, you’ll never feel the true glee of selling it and seeing it produced.
• Without passion, you’ll burn out quickly.    

If you don’t care about your scripts, it’ll show in the writing. You’ll cut corners or try to employ secret formulas for easy success (there are no such formulas). The screenplays that sell - or launch careers as samples that get you assignments - almost always come from a place of genuine excitement.

• Those visuals you can’t get out of your head after a rush of inspiration.
• The premise that ignites your imagination.
• The story you know needs to be told. 

Whiplash was screenwriter and director Damien Chazelle’s personal obsession. He condensed it into a short film first to get the story out.

Rocky was written by Sylvester Stallone, who wanted to tell the story of an underdog because he was an underdog struggling in life himself. He was so passionate about telling this story that he rejected big money offers that would have led to someone else playing the role of Rocky. He wanted to write it. And he wanted to star in it. His passion made that happen.

Get Out wasn’t a studio assignment. It didn’t start from a pitch that was sold, leading to a screenwriter being assigned to write it. Jordan Peele wanted to write something different and original. His passion made the film one of the most successful original screenplays ever produced.

But don’t mistake the message of writing for yourself. This isn’t about ignoring the market and turning your nose up to the industry’s wants and needs. It’s about starting from a place of passion. The passion is what will push you to write the best screenplay you can, amidst all of the struggles to do so.

Secondly, writing for yourself means that you can take the pressure off of your shoulders, as far as trying to please everyone. Because you don’t just represent a struggling screenwriter.

• You are an audience member.
• You are a film lover.
• You have specific wants and needs when it comes to movies you want to see. 

Producers, development executives, agents, managers, directors, and actors are all just like you when it comes down to it. You’re all wanting to experience an entertaining, intriguing, and cathartic cinematic story. So when you’re writing for yourself, chances are there are hundreds, thousands, and probably millions just like you.

If you write for yourself, you’re writing for millions of others ready, willing, and waiting to see your story on the screen. 

When we use the term script readers, we’re talking not just about interns, assistants, and pro script readers and story analysts - we’re talking about any industry insider reading your script.

• Producers
• Development Executives
• Agents
• Managers
• Directors and Actors

The hard truth is that before a script is purchased and produced, it has to survive a multitude of gatekeepers (read above). 

It starts with assistants, interns, and pro script readers, yes. They are the necessary filtration system tasked with separating the easy passes from the ones to consider. They are in search of those coveted few scripts that they’ll recommend to their bosses. And those recommendations come with expectations from higher-ups that only want to read what is ready to purchase and produce from the get-go.

Note: Scripts that are marked “Consider” by script readers haven’t gotten to that “Recommend” pile yet. Instead, they represent scripts that showcase major potential in the writing and/or concept, but still need work.  

Once a script makes it through to the next level, the script readers are agents, managers, producers, development executives, directors, and actors.

But if your script isn’t readable - as far as it being clean, tight, well-paced, and cinematic - it will never move up the Hollywood ladder for any type of consideration.

You’re not just writing a cinematic story. You’re writing an experience for the reader. Hollywood insiders read endless screenplays throughout the week. It’s a job, no matter what level the insider is at. It’s tough. It’s time-consuming.

95% of the scripts are either horrible or just aren’t ready. 4% are maybe average or slightly above average. Just 1% (of that) are worthy of acquisition and production. But even a fraction of those get sold or made.

So when someone opens your script to read, it had better be the best possible effort on your end. You want to give them a great read. And that means:

• Keeping description lines lean and visual.
• Avoiding dialogue dumps because readers skim through them if they’re overly present.
• Ending scenes with hooks that will force readers to turn to the next page. 

If you can give anyone who reads your script a great reading experience - aesthetically, narratively, and cinematically - the odds of them sending that script to the next level increase ten fold.

This is where the script market truly comes into play. Decision-makers like producers and development executives generally ask themselves three questions when considering a script:

• Can I sell this?
• Can I make this on a budget?
• Will this attract name talent?   

This is why high concept ideas sell faster than most. High concept refers to screenplays that have a premise people can immediately see on screen. They see the poster, the trailer, and, most important, the possibility of success at the box office.

• A killer great white shark terrorizing the waters of a tourist island.
• Cloned dinosaurs running wild in an amusement park and terrorizing visitors.
• A child in therapy who sees dead people.
• A lawyer who can’t lie.
• A blue collar violent criminal who is actually a genius.    

Writing for producers and executives isn’t about selling out. It means understanding their perspective. It’s a business. They need to turn a profit. Thus, they need to go with scripts that have the best odds of doing so. They will invest millions into the scripts they buy and greenlight for production. Make them feel like your story is worth the risk.

Write a role an actor can’t resist. That is the fastest way to get a script purchased and greenlit for production. Hollywood is all about packaging. Producers and executives won’t buy a script until they know there’s a role perfect for a major actor. When a major actor shows interest, Hollywood takes immediate notice and shifts their priorities in that direction. 

Producers and executives don’t buy plots. They buy vehicles for talent. Why? Because audiences show up to see their favorite actors. Agents don’t call producers because they loved the midpoint plot twist. They call because their client has to play the part.

If your characters - protagonist and antagonist - feel like roles worth fighting for, you multiply your chances of selling that script. 

You want to reach the audience in your writing. You want to give them an experience they’ll never forget. You want to entertain them. You want to make them cheer, laugh, cry, scream, or grab onto their seats for dear life.

That is your ultimate job as a screenwriter. To give the audience a great cinematic experience. Hopefully something memorable and cathartic.

Audiences aren’t thinking about what structure you wrote your screenplay in. They’re not wondering if you used whatever story formula. They don’t care if you hit whatever story point by whatever page. Nor do Hollywood decision-makers for that matter.

They only care about whether they are entertained, satisfied, and moved.

When you write for the audience, you should always be asking:

• Will they care?
• Will they understand?
• What will they feel?
• What will they remember?

The answer isn’t one of the above five options. It’s all of them.

• Yourself - For passion, drive, and stamina
• Readers - To get through the Hollywood gates
• Decision-Makers - For marketability
• Actors - For casting and packaging
• Audience - To offer a great cinematic experience

When you sit down with that blank page and cursor blinking back at you, it can, at first, feel overwhelming to juggle all of these expectations. You likely wanted or needed one of these options to be the sole true answer, because then you could set your sights on “pleasing” one of them instead of all.

Here’s some calming truth. When you write for yourself, you’re writing for like-minded individuals that fall under each of these options.

• There are readers like you.
• There are decision-makers like you.
• There are actors like you.
• There are millions of audience members like you. 

When you write what you want to see, you’re part of the audience that Hollywood wants to please.

The only more difficult part is understanding the perspective of the readers, the needs and wants of the decision-makers, and the desires of the actors.

You can’t and won’t please everyone. Don’t worry. That’s not your job.

Your job is to write what you want to see (which is what part of the audience will want to see), write and develop the story and characters with depth and great arcs (which will attract actors to the script), write something cinematic, and then take your script to the decision-makers who are making movies like yours.

The rest will fall into place.

If you remember to consider all five of these options in your writing, the odds of your script making it to the top of the ladder will increase immensely. 

With each script you intend to market, do the following:

1. Ask yourself if you put all of your passion into writing this script and if you have the passion to go through the ups and downs of trying to get it read.
2. Read your script through the eyes of a script reader, making sure it’s a page-turner.
3. Read your script through the eyes of a decision-maker, asking yourself if it checks the necessary boxes they’d be hoping for.
4. Read your script through the eyes of an actor, ensuring that the protagonist and antagonist are desirable and challenging roles for actors to take on.
5. Read your script from beginning to end, visualizing it as a movie. Don’t think about things to rewrite or edit. Don’t correct anything. Just see the movie unfold visually. Experience all of the twists and turns and reveals. Then ask yourself, “Did I do my job?”

You can also do all of this while you are writing as well. Good luck. And remember who you’re writing for.