You need to expect long bouts of unemployment. But that stroke of luck still can require years (maybe a decade or more) of preparation and hard work.Īnd, when you start out, you definitely can't expect for your storytelling to pay your bills. And that might not even be enough, because you'll need to hold out for some luck, too. You have to learn how to create at a high level of excellence - and you also need to learn how to sell at a high level of excellence. You have to devote a lot of time and energy to honing your craft, building your contacts, making a name for yourself, and learning how to sell your "products" - aka your scripts. In reality, Hollywood is a lot like every other industry. There's a whole cottage industry of contests, festivals, and screenwriting books trying to sell you that illusion of winning the lottery. Those other career paths often require a bit of a different approach, though, so if you can try and do some soul searching before you commit your resources to the path of writing.Ī lot of people get disillusioned because they've been sold this ~dream~ of selling the first script they ever write for a zillion dollars. There are plenty of other jobs: as producers, managers, costumers, make-up artists - that require make believe but not a commitment to the written word. If it doesn't - there's no harm there, either. You're in this because youwould write even if your ink turned invisible and no one could ever read a word. The affair you have with your words might be tumultuous and at times frustrating, but you're in it for the passion. Because picking up the pen for you is like a lover's kiss. You should want to become a writer because you're intrinsically motivated. If you want to become a writer for the outcome ("I want to get paid to play make believe"/"It's the only career that sounds fun"/"I wanna win awards and hang with celebrities and have a house in the hills") then you're likely never going to have the right intentions and motivation to get through the process. What I'm asking is, do you want to become a writer for the outcome or for the process? The outcomes of your writing can be glamorous, but your day-to-day largely isn't.ĭo you really want to be a writer, even if you never sell a script, get staffed, or see your work on-screen? Don't come here and waste your time and money. If the answer is for "fame/money/success/hang out on set with celebrities/to legitimize my drug habit" - no. Ask yourself, "why do I want to be a writer?" Now that you know you want to move to LA to start your writing career. Before You Move to LA: Some Soul Searching & Saving Plans If you're not a team player, pick a different game. But don't come to our city looking for isolated enlightenment. No risk, no reward: you have to move here in order to get off the bench.Īlso, if you prefer to write in solitude in some cabin in the woods for a period of time and then emerge with a finished project - by all means, do so. If you're waiting to draw a magic number before you even get here, you're missing out on building relationships and finding the collaborators you truly believe in- and who will believe in you and share new projects and opportunities with you. I'm able to introduce newcomers to other people in the industry and help them put down roots in a way that just sets them up for success right off the bat. But my friends who do the best out here are the ones who move as soon as they're able and figure things out when they get here. I've had friends be like - "I'm going to work on XYZ from and move when I'm ready/I've sold XYZ/etc." And that's valid. You need them to uplift you, inspire you, challenge your ego, and walk this path with you. But you also need the support and trauma bonding with your fellow creatives. Regardless, your trenchmates await your arrival. Or, if you're restarting your career a bit later in life, your spiritual peer group. It's not just that the work is out here (and yes, all the work is out here, even if productions do get outsourced all the writers' rooms generally stay in LA.)īut it's also that your peer group is out here. you have to find collaborators who trust you and who have the same taste as you do. But TV and movies are inherently collaborative mediums. Want to write a novel? You can do that from anywhere. If you want to work in TV or movies - yes. This question gets beaten to death, but yes. If you're a writer looking to move to LA to make movies or TV, look no further. To prepare for our newcomers once more, I'd like to share with you my 8 years' worth of experience of living here and workin' in the ol' Hollywood machine. I am writing this from Pandemic Times, but one day soon it will not be The End of the World (I so dearly hope) and in that time the migration of new writers coming to this city to make it in Hollywood will resume.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |