What Are YOU Writing?

I was talking to a writer friend, someone in the same position as myself - talent, drive, great specs but no Hollywood sales yet. My friend mentioned the commercial potential of Dark Rum Chronicles as a "no brainer". I thanked him and asked what he was working on. He said an indie comedy, that's where his sensibilities lie. But wait - this friend wants to write for Hollywood! So, what's the problem?

The problem is the current spec market. If you don't know what I'm talking about, go to www.lifeonthebubble.com. Jason Scoggins runs this website, which tracks screenplay sales throughout the year. The numbers aren't pretty. In fact, you should probably be sitting down and have some sort of liquor close by before you take look. They're dismal. Which means a new writer getting a spec sold nowadays is almost impossible. Yes, impossible (almost).

Today's spec market is so slim and ultra-competitive you have to absolutely ensure you give yourself the best chance possible, or you'll never get work. How do you do this? Write what studios want to buy. What do studios want to buy? Properties that will make them MONEY. Like, Avatar/The Dark Knight money. Think your indie relationship film is going to do that? Neither do they. Which is why they won't even consider it past the logline.

Does that mean you have to "sell out" or write crap? Absolutely not. What it does mean is what you're writing has to be in line with your career aspirations. If your dream is to make indie films, I say go for it (I have a few indie ideas gestating myself). Just don't hold any illusions. The cold, hard truth is your intimate indie project will never attract Hollywood assignments. Not in today's climate.

That's not to say you can't go out & shoot it yourself - that plan of attack is probably the best way to go in any case. But if your eye is on a Hollywood career, you'll either have to shoot your own indie and hope it hits big (which are astronomical odds once you take a look at festival submissions and the indie market/financing in general), or write what Hollywood is buying. Specs from new writers rarely get sold. Today's spec market is dryer than ever. Now more than ever, you have only ONE CHANCE to impress "the gatekeepers" with your concept. So make sure your writing projects reflect the kind of career you envision. What are YOU writing?

A Dangerous Review: Avatar

Just saw Avatar & generally loved it, even though I thought it was a bit uneven. Okay, dangerously uneven. On the technical side, it was brilliant. The 3D & other special effects were so meticulous they drew me in to the world of the film in a way I've never experienced before. Everything felt real, every detail of the planet as well as the Na'vi themselves - they felt as solid and realistic as any human that's ever graced the screen (except Klaus Kinski, THAT guy was REAL : ). And the planet Pandora itself is as gorgeous as anything ever committed to film.

Jim Cameron has always been a gifted technician and writer, and though I liked the story, I did feel the execution was definitely NOT up to his usual standards. There were characters that are Cameron staples - the tough warrior chick, the closed-minded General, the corporate lapdog, the brash but brilliant scientist, etc. - but whereas in previous Cameron films those characters had depth, dimension and solid motivations, I felt the characters inhabiting Avatar were mere caricatures of those in his previous films.

Steven Lang and Giovanni Ribisi gave great performances with what they were given, but what they were given were the same villains we've seen hundreds of times. Unfortunately, they were one-note and very predictable in their actions and reactions. They were so run of the mill I kept waiting for them both to don black hats and start twirling mustaches. Sigourney Weaver attacked her role with her usual gusto, which was great, but again I felt her character was singing a single, predictable note. Michelle Rodriguez almost isn't worth a mention, since she played the same character type she always plays, which is basically her tough saucy self. Zoe Saldina did a terrific job, and I suspect the reason I loved her performance and character so much was she was a Na'vi from beginning to end (unlike the Jake Sully character, who did dual duty as human and Na'vi). She was a "good guy" through and through, totally innocent, which means not much dimension, but I bought it, mainly because that's how her Na'vi upbringing would have influenced her. Sam Worthington was good as Jake Sully, and I felt he had a strong enough character arc to carry the picture.

So the actors were fair to great, but again, I had big problems with the general shallow and uninspired characterizations on paper. Surface characterizations such as these serve to make a film predictable, which means no surprises for the audience. Terrible, from a writing standpoint.

Another example of sub-par writing - one which really bothers me, for some reason - was a scene between Weaver & Ribisi about why the humans are on Pandora in the first place. There is simply no reason for the scene besides delivering exposition. The clunky, stumbly, awkward, b-movie dialogue coupled with the shallow characters made this scene close to laughable. There are a few expository scenes like this, but this particular one stuck out as especially irritating.

Would it have been so difficult for Cameron to simply have a scene showing an "unobtainium" or whatever-they-call-it shipment being delivered and Sully asking "what the hell is that"? It would have given a valid reason for the exposition, and would have caused more real (instead of manufactured) tension in the scene since Sully is so clueless he doesn't even know what the hell all this is about.

Nitpicks aside, I still highly recommend everyone see Avatar, if anything for the experience of truly feeling as you've been transported to another world. On a technical level, the film was flawless. However, I can't wait for Cameron to write some more and recapture his talent for writing unique - instead of trite - characters.