I realized none of my screenplays will ever get made and I wasted years of my life for nothing

you wrote the scripts, that's already more than a lot of people with the same dream actually do

im not trashing on you, but you were accused of writing derivatively without a unique element, and your defense is that youve put a lot of time into studying other peoples works and writing a bunch of varied stuff to get “noticed”, without committing to one idea that you yourself are passionate about. so maybe they have a point?

I own the jacket he wore in this movie that's enough for me

Try books. Much easier to get one published than a movie produced, and you can always self publish. You're putting your creative energy out there

that would be more useful. He could turn that into a career

Nah dw anon all is vanity, there's no difference between you and them once we're all dead

never give up brother, youre still young

what he said.
also the dialog and storyboarding are there, so you won't have a story with idiotic spatial contradictions or shitty dialog.

Make them into novels or interactive books and sell them.

Why? You seem pretty determined.

I've written over 120 screenplays

I'm nearly 30

This is a weird larp. To pump out a full script every month for 10 years it would have to be absolute first draft slop with no breaks in between. You don't take time to edit or send anything out?

bastard not even out of his 20s already has a sale under his belt

You fucking losers will find any excuse to pity yourselves. Go ahead and rot.

Mark and Jay Duplass started as scrappy independents without money or reputations. Over the years they worked their way up to studio-funded films and TV series by repeatedly starting projects on their own, working with friends, throwing together whatever resources they could find. At every stage, Mark said they kept expecting the cavalry would ride to their rescue with money and projects. “I’m a little tired, because I’ve had to self-generate every project. It would be really amazing to not work that hard.” Eventually, they understood they’d always have to rely on themselves to make things happen. “If you can accept that the cavalry won’t come, and if you can be the cavalry, it gives you a chance to be happy.”

This

If you want actual help, create a low budget movie that you can make with your friends. Submit it to festivals. If you are passionate, you may have a 3% chance of succeeding which is way more than whatever your current path is setting you towards.

Some perspective from Grok:

The average age for a Hollywood screenwriter to have their first feature film produced is approximately 36 years old, based on data from a 2015 study by the Writers Guild of America West, which analyzed first-time screenwriters of theatrically released feature films from 2000 to 2014. This is younger than the average age of 46 years and 10 months for screenwriters working on top-grossing films in 2014, as many first-time writers are newer to the industry. For context, writer-directors (who often write their debut films) average around 40 for their first feature, suggesting screenwriters focusing solely on writing may break in slightly earlier. Individual cases vary, with some like Max Landis selling his first script at 23 (Chronicle), while others take longer due to career paths or industry barriers.

(You)'ve got time.

Wait for AI to get better and you will be able to create your own movies with AI

KWAB

This is a tech dork fantasy. Imagine how grim it would be watching an AI generated erotic thriller with fake cartoon actors lmao.

I'm 40 and I've had a script written about me, sometimes you just get lucky

Fuck, man. This is what I want to do too but this post gives me no hope. I’m guessing publishing them as books and praying it gets turned into a film adaptation is easier if you have absolutely NO connections in the industry.

If you've really written this much, you probably have more knowledge of film structure than anyone here. That's what happens when you put in the reps. You could probably make a decent feature film on a shoestring budget. I recommend horror as there is a market for it.

I'm afraid I know this exact feel, Anon. I've given up and am becoming a teacher. I think the best thing to do is understand that there is plenty to life outside of work, and you can always write and be creative on your own even if it's not your job

Nice

The internet has led to a global overflow of aspiring screenwriters ruining the supply/demand for a shrinking industry, but 99% of what people write is still abject garbage, obviously even stuff that gets produced. If you have actual talent and work ethic, most of your competition writing screenplays are complete idiots. Trump's FCC isn't going to tolerate DEI bullshit much longer, there's about to be an increase in demand for talented white dude screenwriters when New Hollywood 2.0 hits.

neil breen writes, directs, produces and stars in his own feature length films
he gets them made and released
if he can do it, anyone can do it
if your work is worth seeing, then make it happen, don't let dreams just be dreams
good luck and God Bless

Trump's FCC isn't going to tolerate DEI bullshit much longer, there's about to be an increase in demand for talented white dude screenwriters when New Hollywood 2.0 hits.

I hope you’re right. I’m worried even if my screenplays are decent enough, the lack of diversity is going to get them canned. I don’t even do it on purpose, I just rarely write anything set in modern times, and it seems inappropriate to add token characters just for diversity points, even if it’s a common thing nowadays.

you're still young. Some people get published into their 40s-50s. Your life would be wasted if you wanted to write but NEVER TRIED

All the feelings you go through can be part of the characters, helping them be more life-like and rich in details. Use anything and whatever you got.

KEK
WHAT
A
BITCH

not enough confidence in what you’ve created to pyw

You already know all you’ve done is shit out poo into a trash can and called it writing, go fuck yourself

what I want more than anything out of life is to be the lowest paid part of the ecosystem

My brother used to know actual WGA screenwriters in their 50s who lived in fucking tenements
Yeah I read Screenplay, Story, Save the Cat even and the thing those books won't teach you is how to eat cat food to survive because you're competing with this cunt for jobs
And in case you weren't paying attention they fucking lost with that strike, it ended when the WGA ran out of strike pay funds while Ryan Murphy was gleefully breaking lines to keep working on his shoes
You aren't fighting to get into today's market, you're fighting to get into the one that stopped existing 15 years ago
Never stop writing but for your own sake don't limit yourself to the most abusive place to hang your lantern

Pacino was forced to humiliate himself in that movie because his accountant ran away with all his money, anon
I love cruelty as much as the next guy here but I have limits

saves image

Apparently no, I don't

It all comes down to talent in the end. Is it retarded to chase the screenwriting lottery and write scripts for DiCaprio until you're 40? Yes if you suck, but if you're actually good and pay your dues, the universe has a way of making things happen.

probably a dumb question but do always write with a theme in mind? like a message that permeates through the whole film.

if you're going to waste your life, at least shoot for the moon, not the middle.

Theme is for critics after-the-fact. Writers who focus on theme end up with boring didactic essays instead of screenplays with real stories.

That's why being a musician is a bit more gratifying. I can hear my songs anytime and I've gotten at least 1000 random listens.

Have another one

Post one. A psychological thriller.

Post a burner email I can send to.

almost 30

oh my god, so old

Go fuck yourself.

stupid question maybe but where do you write?