A Los Angeles based production company paid me to write a short film script, and then fully
financed and produced it.
You did not mis-read that. However, as my UW screenwriting teacher Warren Etheredge told
me, this is what they call “a unicorn.” Nobody pays you for a short film script. And they
certainly don’t walk in with a fully funded $25K budget production. No - you write your own
script, scrounge up funding, then go figure out how to get it made, directing it yourself with a
few of your closest friends.
But that wasn’t the case here. I got lucky and found this rare creature. Someone with a vision
and money wanting to produce my script… but it wasn’t all luck. It took a lot of work,
collaboration and re-writes to get there, all things I learned while taking CMS courses at UW.
First off, this particular opportunity required the writer to be a military veteran. It was called the
Military Veteran Short Film Project, run by ArtsUp! LA. They are a non-profit theater and arts
program that supports people with disabilities, military veterans and local LA youth, helping
bring out their artistic expression. They were primarily a theater stage production company, but
made the decision to explore the art of film, and this was their initial project. My point here is
not that you should run off and join the military for a one-off shot at this specific project… but
to point out there are numerous programs out there that might support your specific situation/
background/life/experience. It is up to you to get out and do the research. I found this
opportunity through another organization - basically by networking. My Seattle network had
expanded to Los Angeles, where I eventually heard about this project.
The experience itself was a lot of work, but incredibly rewarding. Like many grants/workshops,
there was an application process. I had to submit a sample of my work (I used a short I wrote
in UW CMS Advanced Screenwriting!) and answer a number of questions about my interests/
intent. I, along with nine other writers, was selected for a 6-week mentorship program where
we met online weekly and learned a bit about the craft, and then also were paired with a
member in the industry - either a producer or director. That mentor helped us along as we each
generated a short film script. The only parameters given were regarding available locations/
sets. Nothing on genre, characters, plot or theme. That was all up to us.
At the end of the workshop, the production company chose one script to be filmed. Mine
ended up being the one they picked. They made clear it wasn’t necessarily because it was “the
best” script. A number of factors (e.g. actor availability, timing, budget) were part of the
selection process. That said, it wasn’t lost on me that the first session they hosted was on how
to keep your budget low on a short film, and not every writing peer seemed to take that to
heart. Lesson here: sometimes you have to write to what the project is looking for.
The next part was the most arduous of all. Re-writes. I wrote a terrific short that was selected
over a number of great writers. Ready to shoot, right? Not quite. The re-write process ended
up taking almost a year. Not all of that was my fault. The production company was waiting for
schedules to align for a number of principles, but all that time I kept receiving notes. Lots of
notes. Again, this was a learning workshop, and the first thing I took to heart was advice I had
heard from Seth Rogen on a ScriptNotes podcast. He asked: who owns the project? If you
don’t have ownership of it, then you HAVE to listen to the notes.
In this case, it was NOT me. I was not producing it, I was not directing it (more on that in a bit),
and I certainly was not putting up the cash. I wrote it, but THEY were taking the risk here. I
certainly was allowed to push back at times - it was a collaboration - but the final product
ended up being a significant shift from my original “vision.” Frustrating? It could be, but I kept
telling myself this was the collaborative process. This was the industry. If I wanted to write a
story and not have it changed in any way, I should stick to writing novels.
So after too many re-writes to count, I finally got the script to a point where they were ready to
move forward with it. From there, they continued on the “Short Film Project” kick and went
through a similar “hiring” process for a director. The applicants worked off my script, and each
pitched their own vision for it. Again… this meant more changes were coming… though not a
lot. The producers protected me a bit there.
At that point, things kicked into high gear and within a couple of months I was on set at a
Burbank studio for the three day shoot. They went with a multi-camera team and the set felt
professional at all times. The days were long and like with any film set, we ran short on time
and struggled to get in every shot. This “writer” realized all the tiny details in my script meant
more required props, shots, movement, etc. It made me appreciate simplicity and getting at
what truly mattered to the story. I ended up serving as Script Supervisor when they had a last
minute issue, so I wasn’t just sitting on set as the writer. I was part of the team bringing my
script to life.
Bottom line is that the courses with CMS prepared me for the opportunity when it came up. My
only screenwriting training for this came from my time at UW. A script I wrote for a course got
my foot in the door. I had gained the experience needed to understand the importance of
character and their “nugget.” I had learned the value of collaboration and taking other people’s
ideas vs writing in solitude (like in the Comedy Writing for Television course where you worked
in a writer’s room). Who knows… maybe a unicorn is out there looking for that script you wrote.
But now, it is up to you to go out and find it.
Film Note: The film is now in post production. A Black-Mirror type short film called Breaking
Up. Coming soon to a theater (not) near you.
Allen Adkins (Portfolio)
Former UW CMS Student and UW Professor with Naval Science