AboutRoger S. H. Schulman Expertise I can answer questions on the creative aspects of writing for features and television comedy: brainstorming, character development, plotting, story structure, dialog, rewriting, editing, etc. I can also address the business side of show business: pitching, writing and presenting treatments, "taking" meetings, common pitfalls, etc. I'm also well versed in the relationship between screenwriting and computers: software for scriptwriting, brainstorming, presentation, outlining, an d general organization. I'm also a producer, and so can answer questions regarding the ins and outs of television production, specifically the half-hour arena. Visit my scriptwriting blog at http://scriptwriting.blogspot.com.
Experience I have been working in Hollywood as a screenwriter for both TV and features for many years. I'm an Executive Producer and "showrunner" who has run several prime-time and cable comedies. I've written several featurs and contributed to many more for several major studios.
Organizations Writers Guild of America, West
Publications Newsweek, BusinessWeek, GQ, Connoisseur, UPI, New York Daily News, please visit my blog at http://scriptwriting.blogspot.com
Education/Credentials I have a Masters of Science in Journalism from Columbia University.
Awards and Honors Academy Award Nomination, Best Adapted Screenplay
British Academy Award, Best Adapted Screenplay
NAACP "Image" Award, Best Television Comedy
"Annie" Award, Best Animated Film
Question This four-quadrant business is such a huge topic, and prompts some concern about stories that don't fit this model in today's market.
Okay, so the the major studios are anxiously watching for "Spider Man 14," "Son of Wall-e," and maybe "The Bourne Apocalypse"(?).
Who (i.e., individual prodcos, indie distributors, cable) do you think are the best market now for 1) historical dramas (e.g., "Glory") or 2) personal films (e.g., "Diving Bell and Butterly" or 3)some genre-blending of the two. (Maybe you think it's near-impossible to get historical off the ground today?)
I'm thinking that the issue of production costs of historical can today be somewhat offset by shooting video and, more importantly, by making them crosscultural/ global in content and appeal, say like Chinese guy comes to America to make his fortune during the California Gold Rush; or, a Hindu mother from South India feels betrayed by her son, who converts to Catholicism in the 1960s, and goes off to the Vatican -- and studies Hinduism there, comes back home to build an Hindu-Christian ashram with the monastic pioneer, Bede Griffiths.
(Okay, I'll show my hand here: I continue to be in love with "Gandhi" and "The Mission.")
Then there are historical dramas but about intimate situations, e.g. how Lincoln deals with the illness of his wife, or Hirohito's private torment over Japanese imperialism, and his naive hope that the Russians will help him make peace with the Allies. I notice Scorcese is developing "Silence" Shusako Endo's intense story of a Portugese(?) missionary during the (16th C?) martyrdoms of Japanese Christians.
No need for my sake to keep this private, but I wanted you to feel comfortable mentioning specific prodcos and distributors.
Answer I wish I could help you further, but answering the four-quadrant question was already on the fringe of my ken, being that it is really more about marketing than writing.
But that, in a way, is the point. I've found (and this is by no means a double-blind study) that pursuing the elusive marketing dragon yields only misery. It's the tail wagging the dog, to use another metaphor. You tear your hair out tweaking and adapting and wondering whether your pet idea will fit the template, whatever the template might be that fortnight. But the template is ever-changing and open to interpretation. It's a moving target you'll probably never hit, least of all if you aim for it. You have to aim, like the fighter pilots do, ahead of it. And that means using your inspiration, your intuition, and most of all, your passion, to choose your target.
You like historical dramas? Write the fucking definitive one. At worst, it will be a fine example of your best writing, which will get you other jobs, maybe a rewrite on Scorcese's epic. After all, the odds of your spec script getting produced are next to zero. May as well make it something you're proud to stick in a drawer.
When you do become the next Scorcese, or whoever, you may be able to say, "OK, I've made you six billion writing Spider-Man VI and VII. Now I want to make a medium-budget movie about Genghis Khan." They just might say yes.
And I'm sorry I can't name specific production companies -- again, I'm just ignorant in that area. That's why there are agents.
