Inbox: Writing a Hollywood script
Matt Bailey from Fort McMurray, Alberta wants to know what steps to take to get his scripts to Hollywood. Street Cents spoke to two hot Canadian filmmakers to get some advice.

Viewer Letter

My dream is to make a feature film. How do I get my script read by Hollywood? Are there courses I should take in school to get to get to that level? Or should I just start writing scripts and see what happens?

Matt Bailey
Fort McMurray, Alberta

Prepare yourself for the challenge

Mike Clattenberg, writer and director of Trailer Park Boys, says, "Screenwriting is not as easy as it might appear." But according to several filmmakers and the Writers Guild of Canada there are some steps you can take to get on the track to Hollywood.

Learn the script writing craft

The Writer's Guild of Canada (WGC) recommends taking either a class or workshop in screenwriting. If you want more intensive training, they say you should enroll in a university or college film program.

In high school, you should focus on having all around good grades. Since strong story and writing skills are a must, English, creative writing and drama classes are an obvious fit.

Two filmmakers Street Cents spoke to, Mike Clattenburg and Andrea Dorfman – a Toronto based filmaker, focused more on self-education. They recommend watching tons of movies and reading even more scripts that you can get for free on the Internet. They also recommend instructional books like Story by Robert McKee. Dorfman calls this a screenwriting bible. Canadian Screenwriter Magazine is another good source for information.

Once you know the basics, its time to put your story on paper. Dorfman says writers need to find their writing rhythm, the time of day and length of time you’re comfortable writing. Once you have your rhythm, Dorfman says to be disciplined and write everyday during this time.

Clattenburg recommends writing about subjects that spring from your own experience and really focusing on the structure of your story. He says, " don't be afraid to look in your own back yard for story ideas. If you ask me, they're the best."

Both Dorfman and Clattenburg say, make sure you’re getting lots of feedback from family and friends after each draft of your script.

Learn how to format a script

Once you have a script, there are two routes you can go to see your vision on the big screen:

If you’re only interested in writing scripts and don't want to be a producer/director, then you have to sell your script to a producer. You can shop your script around yourself or approach an agent to do it for you. There is a list of agents on the WGC web site. Agents are paid a commission if they sell your script. Avoid any who are looking for money up front. Also keep in mind, as an unknown screenwriter, selling your script isn’t going to be easy.

The second route - the one taken by both Dorfman and Clattenberg - is to make your script into a movie yourself. One obvious advantage is that your movie will definitely get made, provided you can scrape together enough money to make it. Some funding is available through agencies listed on the WGC Website, but often people finance their first film with a credit card or loan.

The other benefit of this approach is you learn a lot about filmmaking in general. This will make your scripts better and help you decide if you want to move into other roles in the film industry or just stick with writing.

Don’t be afraid to start small

You can save the feature film for later. Starting with short videos that can be screened at youth film festivals will give you time to learn and improve while still giving you the chance to get noticed.