Do you write to direct yourself?

Randall_Oelerich

Randall_Oelerich

Veteran
Curious who here in the writing forum writes with hopes of directing your screenplay, or do you write in hopes of selling your screenplay to someone else to direct/produce?
 
ZFarms Productions said:
Same here.
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Would you guys direct someone else's screenplay, or are you primarily interested in directing just your own screenplays? I am not pitching my screenplays here at all, don't get the wrong idea. Personally I am of a mentality where I think I would have a hard time directing/producing a film with someone else's screenplay, I just think it would have to be my screenplay for me to be passionate enough to direct/produce, but then who knows maybe the right script would come along written by someone else. I would love to sell a spec script I write, but I think if I were to direct/produce it would have to be my screenplay. Just curious how others think or feel along this line?
 
I'd direct a screenplay written by someone else. In fact I'm hopefully doing so in March. I like directing my own scripts more, but if someone came to me with a good idea and wanted me to direct it, I wouldn't turn it down just because it wasn't my own.
 
I write to direct. It's funny because at the moment I'm at a crossroad where I've had meeting with producers who love the script but are suggesting that I step down from directing and just sell them the script because of the budget it would require my name isn't big enough to draw investors. While I understand this I've decided to say thanks but no thanks and work on cheaper projects to make that name. Might not be the smartest move for a writer or at all financially but I know with this particular script (others I wouldn't be so picky) there is a real possibility that most directors would barstardise it and turn it into tits and arse.
 
I just watched Julian Schnabel's The Diving Bell and the Butterfly last night, financed by Miramax. I think Schnabel wrote and filmed a couple of indies prior to The Diving Bell and the Butterfly , maybe that is all it takes to get the big studio backing? (quite a task actually, ie. writing and directing two features). So kudos to those of you willing to say no and stick to your guns, direct what you write, follow perhaps the path of Schnabel. PS: Nice making of featurette and also interview with Schnabel on the DVD.

Yeddi said:
I write to direct. It's funny because at the moment I'm at a crossroad where I've had meeting with producers who love the script but are suggesting that I step down from directing and just sell them the script because of the budget it would require my name isn't big enough to draw investors. While I understand this I've decided to say thanks but no thanks and work on cheaper projects to make that name. Might not be the smartest move for a writer or at all financially but I know with this particular script (others I wouldn't be so picky) there is a real possibility that most directors would barstardise it and turn it into tits and arse.
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Writing is the most direct route to directing successfully. Why? because a writer truly knows the story, the motivations, etc... writers happen to be in the best position to guide others in how they can support the story with all the nuances that weave together to create the final effect. Writers need to learn some cinematography, crossing the line, etc. and shot creation so the footage will cut. This can best be learned through editing and some camera experience.

There are more writers turned successful directors than say cinematographers turned director. Actor turned dirctor is also a successful combination.
 
I've always written to direct...

Many years ago, I finally came to the conclusion that where most no/micro/low-budget Indie films suck is the story and screenplay so with that in mind and knowing I had to do SOMETHING to even the playing ground, I started studying STORY like crazy.

Then it happened...

I came up with what I thought was a great concept and did 6 months of research... Then I wrote it with the idea to direct it myself with the HVX... i.e., keeping the locations down as much as possible.... Characters to a minimum... Yada yada yada.

Then a friend -- a pro screenwriter who likes to read all my stuff asks if he can read it... I email it to him. A week later, a producer and well known director call me up and tell me they want to buy my script.

I tell them I wrote it to direct myself...

They laughed.

We hung up... Now I knew I had SOMETHING.

They called back a week later and told me they couldn't let me direct it if they bought it but what about coming on as producer?

I paused over the phone until one of them broke silence... Then I accepted the offer in addition to selling the script for a low seven figures.

In other words, they SACRIFICED a producer slot to get the script from me... No way are they going to let me direct it.

The first thing they wanted to do was hire someone else to work on my script... i.e., TO MAKE IT BIGGER. It was a little too small since I had written it to direct.

That was 3 years ago... LOL.

I convinced them to let me do the rewrite and since they were in no hurry to make the film because of 3 other projects ahead of mine, they said "Sure, no problem -- take your time."

I did.

I turned in the rewrite in August... They loved it. Should get made in 2009.

But here's the catch...

I was smart enough to realize they didn't really want ME -- they wanted the material. So I had to figure out a way to make myself more valuable... So what I started doing was reading the screenplays that they were looking at and having conference calls on why they were good or no good.

After I did that a few times, I started developing some respect... I then kept trying to get more responsibility which I managed to do... Some good some bad... LOL.

But during these three years, I've managed to become producer on 2 more films not including my own spec... In addition, I've managed to pitch a couple more ideas and turn those ideas into projects.

Bottom line...

Write to direct but unless you're making it yourself with your own money, don't expect a prodco to just let you direct because you wrote it and have made your own films...

They want to make MONEY and unless your films have made MONEY, it's unlikely (it does happen but unlikely) that you'll get to direct your script if you sell it to a production company.

But...

That doesn't mean you can't parlay that sale into a relationship of sorts with said prodco.

Unk

EDIT: I forgot to mention that I got involved for a couple of reasons... First, the MONEY. LOL. Too good to pass up. Second, credit as a producer of a few films that get theatrical release shouldn't hurt me... Third, I get to learn this entire process especially when it comes to financing and even more important -- develop my own contacts so that I will eventually be able to direct my own stuff because that's always been the goal.
 
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I write with the intention to direct but since I am so much more interested in cinematography right now I usually hire a director to work with the actors and I make all other decisions. So, you could say I write to shoot.

I do shoot other people's scripts too, but only after re-writing them.
 
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I have a screenplay in development-hell -- never again! Everything I write now is my own. I was fairly controlling before (for example I'm attached as one of the producers for the screenplay that's in production), and what I've learned from that experience is that you have to have complete and utter control if you want to get anything done properly and without it looking like a POS.
 
I'd love to direct my films, but considered that I know next to nothing about directing and almost nothing about photography, I think its better that I leave the directing to someone else.
 
I always wanted to direct. I was going to submit to Norway´s film school (rated best film school in europe 2007) as a director, but the closer the date came for submission, I went into the thinking box, and suddenly I realized I don´t necessarily want to become a director. I want to write. So I didn´t submit my application after all and are now 100% devoted to writing screenplays, and I must tell you I love it!

I want to focus on my writing first, and if a directing job is opened or I can push forward a deal where I direct my own script I will be in heaven, but I wont be disappointed if it never turns out that way.
 
Well, it depends on the concept or idea. I have a system where I organize all my ideas for stories or films into various budget types like: big budget Hollywood epics, indie flicks, no budget micro-cinema, and the weird ones.

Some ideas I've come up with are for epic big budget type films, while others are ones that I could do for very little or next to nothing. I figure that I will take the smaller scale ideas and use those for my own low to no budget directing and filmmaking adventures while also attempting to garner attention from the industry with some commercially oriented big budget screenplays.

Then there are the ideas that are too weird or cerebral for Hollywood. These are usually filed away in my idea archive as either possible indie film projects or maybe even a novel someday.

My main goal is to become a writer/director of my own films. I would like to work in both the independent world and in Hollywood, however, I am open to and would also like to explore storytelling through other media like a novel, comic book, or even video games.

I would love to create my own TV series some day as well, but my current focus is on becoming the best I can at writing and directing both short films and features. I have a hard time thinking about the possibility of selling a script I adore and not being able to direct it. I am also not stupid and know that to establish yourself you sometimes have to start with becoming a working writer and then later move into directing once you are more established, especially in big budget filmmaking.
 
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I write to direct. Whether or not I'm the best person for the job, that remains to be seen. I just don't know if I would be 100% comfortable directing a screenplay I had not written.
 
I'm not a great writer, but I'm trying to improve SO I can do this intentionally...Write to direct is my final answer here!

I find it may be easier since I created the story, I'll know a lot more about it visually, and I'll be able to know my characters better.

Robbie
 
Similar history here. Started with intention of doing filmmaking, then got the writing bug, like writing, but now I consider the odds of selling let alone seeing a feature screenplay produced, of seeing a story exist in visual format. So I am taking another look at filmmaking, going to do another short or two in the next year, then concentrate on writing a KISS formula ultra low budget indie screenplay, as well as continue to write spec scripts to hopefully sell.

Ryan Paige said:
I only started writing so I'd have something to direct. Once I started writing, though, I found that I liked it. I could be perfectly happy just sticking to writing except that it seems like such a crapshoot as to whether what you write will ever end up on screen.... And while money is nice, it gets frustrating to do all this work that ends up being stuffed in a closet somewhere, never to be seen again.
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I myself do not write to direct. Me and a buddy of mine have worked together for the last 3 years or so, I do the writing, and he directs. It's a pretty good thing we have going. I did try to direct once, but it's not my thing.
 
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