Studios want Wendy’s for Lunch

Every screenwriter knows that selling a screenplay is like winning the lottery … literally! You have one ticket that might just be your passport to a million dollar paycheck … just think … new house, three cars, an infinity pool, a private jet, a giant water slide from your bedroom window, and last but not least, a butler.

Okay, maybe in the movie, “Blank Check” … these days, you’ll be lucky to get a house in a nice neighborhood.

Anyway, the reason I’m writing is because I just made a connection that can save lives– I mean time. And here it is, the connection between what studios want from us screenwriters:

W E N D Y ‘ S H A M B U R G E R S !

Let me explain … We screenwriters, well I actually haven’t heard this yet – but I will, have heard the line, “I need something engaging, new, and fresh … but the same.” Does that even make sense???

Sure. Studios are in the business of making money, who isn’t? They know from the past what works … and are usually a little hesitant to try anything new because it’s a gamble – which is fine – would you gamble $250,000,000 dollars in a game of poker? How about ‘a’ thousand? SO, i’m loosing track of where i was going — oh yeah, studios want something that’s new and fresh but the same as last years blockbuster. You following me?

New and fresh but the same come out all the time – it’s hard to tell unless you’ve watching for several decades. They tend to combine concepts, genres, locations, professions, etc. Ever sit in a movie and predict what’s going to happen next – thats new but the same. It happens all the time – maybe every time in horror … but thats the fun of it!

POINT: New but the same is the Wendy’s hamburger.

The burger is the same recipe with the same ingridients … only it’s square! “WHOA – thats amazing! I have to have that!”. That’s what we the screenwriters are going for in the business of cooking up screenplays. Getting the basic ingridients that work but change something about it that says:

THIS WAS WRITTEN BY CHRISTOPHER RICE! And then you’ll get paid and get your small little home in Westlake Village.

then they’ll probably fire you and bring on the sencond of an average of four writers writers to make sure it’s good … because gambling is one thing – double, triple, quadriple checking is a whole new ballgame … and it’s called development hell.

Can’t wait to get there!

~ by ricemmfilm on March 27, 2007.