by
Donald L. Vasicek
Olympus Films+, LLC
Writing/Filmmaking/Consulting
http://michaelc.nextmp.net/wordpress
dvasicek@earthlink.net
It is practical to get into screenwriting if you are offered a contract that pays Writer’s Guild of America rates, including, at the least, two rewrites. And even then, it might not be practical. Otherwise, it is practical to work at a regular job that pays you a regular paycheck, and work on your screenplays on the side.
Although screenwriting pays good (better than decent) money, a select few screenwriters earn good pay, let alone decent pay. The majority of screenwriters earn little, if any money.
Skills that you learn in a screenwriting course will be transferable to other jobs, most of which will be entry level, or below, not including journalism. If you want to go into journalism, go to school and study for a journalism degree.
The reality of becoming a successful screenwriter is extremely difficult. Adapting the skill and craft of screenwriting are extremely difficult. This includes marketing yourself and your screenplays.
I apologize if this sounds discouraging. I am unwilling to be responsible for contributing to those who run head first into the brick wall that Hollywood has up, and which can ultimately result in financial ruin, drug, alcohol, sexual abuse, and suicide. Hollywood can be a seductress. It can cause others to become star struck, and blinded to the harsh realities of trying to break into a profession that is extremely difficult to enter. Talent alone does not create a successful screenwriting career. Wisdom and a good business head are vitally important, as well as talent.
I’ve acted in movies. I’ve directed movies. I’ve written scripts for movies and television. I’ve produced movies. And just for the experience so that I could learn everything possible about moving making, I’ve also done some work as a gaffer, a camera operator, a photographer, and an editor. The fine point of saying this is that each time I do something related to making movies, I am struck with this fanaticism about it. I love it. It is like an addiction. I want to run headlong into it without thinking anything through. What I have learned is that to do this translates to near insanity. One must develop the ability to use moderation in all things. One must think clearly. One must have the awareness that there is an end to every job with respect to making movies. Once that end comes, one must take time out to contemplate, to gear down, and to make sharply thought out plans for the next movie job.
Donald L. Vasicek
The Zen of Writing
http://michaelc.nextmp.net/wordpress
dvasicek@earthlink.net
303-903-2103