Want To Write A Hit Screen Play

Sometimes even a screenwriter needs to consider where the money is coming from. Okay so, as an occasional writer of fiction and screenplays, I am able to make comments about society and the human endeavor which are not politically correct. If I were to say these things in public or in a nonfictional work, I’d surely have folks throwing features on me after they bathed me in hot icky black goo, all the while they might call me a sinner and try me as a warlock.
We all know that the fictional writer can say things that the rest of us may not in the real world. Science fiction writers often have it the best of all, putting everything off into the future in a make believe setting as they give their commentary. Still, as a fictional screenplay writer you cannot go too heavy handed on your critique of other cultures. Why you ask? Well it is simple, it is because the world is closer together these days, and if you are offensive to any given culture, well, the movie produced from your screenplay won’t sell. Now then, message to self: if you want to sell your screenplay don’t trash the most lucrative consumer movie markets on planet Earth.
Indeed, there was an interesting article in Reuters on March 21, 2013 titled; “Global box office 2012 sales up 6 percent; China sales spike,” by Sue Zeidler which stated; “Hollywood had a hit year in 2012, both internationally and domestically, as global box office ticket sales rose 6 percent to $34.7 billion, fueled in part by a big spike in China that made the country the largest international market.”
Holy hell, that’s a lot of money, so I advise you not to trash either of those Asian markets or to shed them in a bad light. Better make them look good, weave in characters from those countries into the story and then reap the benefits, as the movie studios see your screenplay as an overseas money maker. Do you see that point now? You see, sometimes creative genius screenplay writers can get a little hard headed, persnickety, and want to make a bold statement to the world, yes, that’s fine, but don’t trash on your best customers if you want the movie studios to buy your script.
At some point you have to ask yourself if you want to cut your own throat to have your say, or you want to make the sale and have your big screen shot with your screenplay. Please consider all this and think on it.