Screenwriting 101: Tom Benedek
“There is opportunity out there. The hunger for filmed entertainment is voracious. Fluctuations at the studios and TV companies are cyclical. But the constant is that people love movies. They want to see good ones. A great script gets passed around. Many, many agents, managers, filmmakers, producers and studio executives are looking for great scripts. If you write one, it can get made or get you work or win you an Oscar or a trip to Sundance. Keep writing. AND enjoy the process. Getting the pages done has to be its own reward. The result matters. But on-going writing has to create satisfactions. Each forward movement matters. Write that great script. Find ways to promote it using the protocols the system provides. Leave room for some flexibility. Have a good ‘elevator’ pitch ready and remember that in the right place and at the right time, creative personnel are open to new projects and new talent. I wrote ten spec scripts before I got a decent job. I kept trying to figure out how to do it better. I am still doing that. I look forward to writing even on the tough days. That is how I stay balanced. I write.”
— Tom Benedek
