Plain Old Tele Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Good article in Vanity Fair about the history of spec scripts, their boom in the 90s and their recent collapse (and now possible resurrection):http://m.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2013/03/will-spec-script-screenwriters-rise-again?mbid=social_retweet 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Marvel Fanboy Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Much valuable story. In that vein, the spec market is showing signs of picking up, with 119 sales in 2011, up from 55 in 2010. Last year the number dipped to 96, but the year was notable for two specs sharing “Die Hard in the White House” plots selling within weeks of each other. One, White House Down, sold for seven figures and was fast-tracked into production with Independence Day’s Roland Emmerich as director. It will be in theaters this summer, arriving just a few weeks afterIron Man 3. “A good idea can come from anywhere,” says Langley, whose studio reportedly shelled out $5 million for the e-book phenomenon Fifty Shades of Grey. Though not a spec script, the erotic trilogy that began as fan fiction and became a worldwide best-seller shares a similar up-from-nowhere spirit. New media, while whittling away audiences, have also unearthed fresh voices. The Academy Award–winning screenwriter Diablo Cody was discovered via her blog. Kelly Oxford, a housewife from Alberta, Canada, who amassed hundreds of thousands of Twitter followers, recently sold her first screenplay, a spec. Another spec, The Disciple Program, was snapped up after a series of teasing tweets hyped it, reminding Hollywood of pre-tracking-board days. And about SPEC SCRIPT: What is a Spec Script? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lab276 Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 It's survival seems to hinge on those White House films and 50 Shades of Grey doing well. If they don't, would that be the end of spec scripts? Surely not, but Hollywood does seem more reactionary these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Marvel Fanboy Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 They will never end if being original is all what a spec script means. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lab276 Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 (edited) They will never end if being original is all what a spec script means.But studios making them into blockbusters or even studios giving them adequate budgets. Edited March 18, 2013 by lab276 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deep Wang Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 I guess I should get off my ass and finish all these scripts of mine! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Homer Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 It still amazes me that there are scripts that were bought for $1 million+ and never produced. You'd think someone would want to take a chance on producing it if it generated that much interest to begin with. The main problem for writers now is that Hollywood is producing less original content then ever before. You're better off just making your own low-buget movie and hoping it gets you noticed (and possibly some offers of working on a franchise) than trying to get in as a screenwriter on the ground floor. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichWS Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 I guess I should get off my ass and finish all these scripts of mine! Time to fix that third act of my supernatural action-horror-comedy! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MovieGuyKyle17 Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 (edited) I believe its time to get going on my awesome coming of age comedy Edited March 18, 2013 by Scott Pilgrim vs The Forum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichWS Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 LexG @LexG_III I could write THE GREATEST FUCKING SCREENPLAY EVER THAT WOULD MAKE 100 MILLION, absolutely NOBODY would read it. NOBODY. LexG @LexG_III Obviously I ain't gonna write it in the first place, because why bother. ANYONE WHO WRITES A SCREENPLAY is just fooling themselves. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plain Old Tele Posted March 18, 2013 Author Share Posted March 18, 2013 Ah.... Lex. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichWS Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Ah.... Lex. He alone is worth being on Twitter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4815162342 Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 LexG's screenplay would be about Kristen Stewart naked 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoolioD1 Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 LexG's screenplay would be about Kristen Stewart naked I'd imagine his script to be something along the lines of Spring Breakers if it was done by Michael Bay. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deep Wang Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 My best friend and I are working on a script where we each take turns writing a couple pages. It's an action movie that by the time we are done, will be the most violent, crazy, stupid, ad one-liner filled movie ever. I found a Final Draft reader app that works with Dropbox. It's slow as hell up here at work and I'm reading over it. It's kind of awesome how we are trying to one-up each other constantly. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plain Old Tele Posted March 20, 2013 Author Share Posted March 20, 2013 My best friend and I are working on a script where we each take turns writing a couple pages.It's an action movie that by the time we are done, will be the most violent, crazy, stupid, ad one-liner filled movie ever.I found a Final Draft reader app that works with Dropbox. It's slow as hell up here at work and I'm reading over it. It's kind of awesome how we are trying to one-up each other constantly. Make sure you get it to Michael Bay's office. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deep Wang Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 Make sure you get it to Michael Bay's office.It's a shitty script, but it's still too good for Bay! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bapi Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 Executive Search is a great script (rom-com) and Fox spent 2M on that 14 years ago! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
