My 2021 as a Working Screenwriter

Or maybe a better title for this piece is “How the Sausage More Often Than Not Doesn’t Get Made.”

Me in the writer/director chair on the set of my short film Lead/Follow.

I’ve been lucky enough to consider myself a working screenwriter since 2016, and it’s been a heck of a learning curve to see how the business of film works (or doesn’t work). I thought doing a Colby Day Year in Review might be helpful for other writers to read, if only as insight into how this career even works. What are we writers doing with ourselves most of the time?

Well… here’s a month by month breakdown of what I was doing in 2021.

[I should also note: I got covid in Oct 2020 and for almost all of this year felt like I was operating at very limited capacity.]

JANUARY

Pitched an original idea of my own, a four quadrant family-friendly action adventure to the same company that financed the development of another project I’d worked on. They didn’t end up wanting it, as it was a little broader than what they usually finance.

Another big studio movie coming out this year (which is based on IP) has a lot of similar elements, so after this pitch I basically shelved this idea. In another year or two I think it will be completely forgotten, and then maybe I’ll just write the script on spec and see if it works.

Wrote a second draft of a sci-fi YA pilot I first started last year.

Pitched a period / sci-fi feature film project to a studio based on a TV show they own. This took 4–5 days of work to prep. Didn’t get the job.

FEBRUARY

Had a general meeting with a development executive about a podcast her company owns the rights to and wants to develop into an animated series. Very cool idea, two or three calls with her where I described what I would do within a pilot and first season. When this didn’t sound fleshed out enough to her and felt like it was stalling out, I decided to stop trying.

Had a general meeting with a studio about a project they’d scrapped — it was a big high concept film that they’d gotten multiple drafts of from other writers and weren’t happy with. They wanted to essentially start over. Spent about ten days on this, pitched it to the exec, then pitched it to her again, then pitched it to her boss. We got to a place where we fundamentally disagreed about how this movie would best work and instead of developing it more for another round of pitching, I decided I was done.

Worked on a pitch based on a short horror story that a couple indie producers had found for me, one that a studio I’d wanted to work with was also interested in. Spent about two weeks fleshing this out, a couple rounds of calls with these indie producers to prep.

Started work on a re-write of a script based on a true story. Took this job because the director attached was cool and I’d never done a re-write.

MARCH

Met with Natalie Metzger of Vanishing Angle via a friend of a friend and pitched her a short film I wanted to write/direct. She sounded potentially interested in helping, and we started puzzling together a potential gameplan for how to make it happen. This is a short film I would be self-financing, as a way to hopefully transition into writing and directing my own feature soon.

Also met over the course of the month with three or four other indie producers to talk about whether they’d be interested in coming on board to help. Found the one in Mary Bonney.

Met with an animation company about a sci-fi comedy book they wanted to adapt into feature. Developed a take which took about a week and then pitched to the exec and head of company.

Worked on revisions of a sizzle reel for a spec project, a script I’d written a few years ago that a director is now attached to. The plan is finish the sizzle reel and use that plus the script to go to agencies and try to cast the film, then get financing based on the cast attachments.

Pitched the horror story with the indie producers to the financier who’d connected us. They did not end up going for it.

APRIL

Had our first kickoff meeting for the short with myself and our producer Mary Bonney and DP Arlene Muller.

Caught up with a writer-director about a sci-fi thriller he and I had started outlining the year before. Decided this year we should draft it on spec and try to set it up with him to direct.

More sizzle reel revisions.

MAY

More production meetings for the short with producer to talk budget, casting, timelines, etc. Call with my agents as well to talk about potential help in casting for it.

Call with composer for short to start scoring it — the piece is a dance piece so getting music first is important to help with choreo.

A bunch of general meetings with executives.

Pitched the animated film. Took MONTHS to get an answer but eventually my agents told me they didn’t end up buying it.

Visited the set of Spaceman. My first produced studio film! Directed by Johan Renck (Chernobyl), starring Adam Sandler. This will hopefully make 2021 my best year financially — there’s a bonus when the movie’s done. Whenever that actually comes, who knows? I’m planning as though it will come this year.

Started talking with choreographer for the short, a few rounds of calls with choreo & music to try to get everyone on the same page.

JUNE

Started working on a biopic pitch with producers I’d worked with before — plan was take the pitch, plus a star attachment, to studios and financiers for development funding to write the script.

Notes on the true story rewrite. Asked to work on a “producer’s pass,” which is essentially a rewrite of your rewrite, and not generally compensated. Not supposed to be a thing that happens, but always happens. I gladly oblige. Hopefully the director will be back by the time I’m finishing it up and he and I can finally work together. I also finally got paid what’s considered “Commencement,” or the first half of your fee for any writing work. Halfway through the year, this is the first paycheck I’m getting in 2021.

Meeting to discuss the sci-fi YA pilot. Re-broke the story, wrote a new outline.

Tapped in on an Open Writing Assignment for a feature film reboot of a kids franchise. Director already attached, so spoke with the director and execs about their visions (which were wildly different). This would end up being maybe two-three weeks of work.

JULY

Pitched the reboot. Went very badly. Heard back day of they didn’t like it, it wasn’t at all what the expected. Was told I could pitch again, my manager and I said “No thank you.” Didn’t seem like anybody knew what they wanted.

Met with a horror producer about a novella he had the rights to for adaptation. Started working on a pitch for that. Did two rounds of practice pitching with him and his co-producers.

Practiced the biopic pitch with that producer, got notes (did this twice as well).

Cast one of the lead roles for the short.

Finished the sizzle for the spec project. Director, producer, and I all talked with agents about next steps. Time to try to cast it.

AUGUST

Wrote a new draft of the YA Sci-Fi pilot.

Pitched the horror novella adaptation to a studio (they passed).

Lots of talk about casting for the spec feature.

Lots of talk with the short film team as we continue hiring folks — production designers, etc. Finally cast the other lead.

Started rehearsals for the short.

Call a friend whose play I think I want to adapt into a first feature for me to direct. He’s game.

Introduced to an up and coming director my agents also rep who wants to adapt a sci-fi mystery story into a feature. We decide to come up with a quick pitch to see if we can set it up for me to write.

SEPTEMBER

Pitched horror novella adaptation to an actor for attachment. Went really well, he ultimately passed though.

Started dance rehearsals for the short.

Started location scouting for the short.

Started pitching biopic to studios and financiers.

OCTOBER

Turned in another pass of the true story re-write and the director is finally back to read and… he doesn’t like it. I’m told “We’re going to go in a different direction.” Chance to work with him was the whole reason I took the job :( Got paid my final “delivery” fee.

Paperwork finally done on a short story adaptation I pitched TWO YEARS AGO. Kickoff call to get started on an outline. Paid to start!

Caught up with indie producers about horror short story (from March) — more changes to make to the pitch.

Shot the short! One day build and load in, one day shoot.

Post production starts immediately — assembling footage, color correction, music revisions, etc.

Continue pitching the biopic —now through November. 16 pitches in total. No bites.

Another meeting about YA Sci-fi pilot. Still not working, needs another draft.

Pitched horror novella project to director — they dig it. Signed on basically on the call. They’re busy until January so together we’ll pitch it then.

NOVEMBER

Turned in outline of the adaptation I pitched two years ago.

Casting calls for the spec feature with agencies. When casting you can go out to one or two actors at a time, each takes about 2–3 weeks to tell you no, and then you move down the list. Takes forever and feels awful.

Finish the sci-fi mystery pitch.

DECEMBER

The bonus came!!! Hallelujah, can pay off the short film and get everyone presents.

Lunch with my agents. “Great year, very good year, next year will be better.” Excited about me potentially directing. Very excited about the prospect of the sci-fi YA pilot.

Re-break the sci-fi YA pilot with a new outline. Again.

Indie producers are following up — let’s polish up the pitch and take it out to directors. I do some revisions, still a little to do.

We got an actor who wants to attach the spec feature! Now to fill 2–3 more roles and then see if we can get financing. Everyone’s goal would be to shoot late summer early fall 2022.

And that’s the end of the year.

Wrote 2–3 drafts of a pilot, will write the fourth soon. Finished the sci-fi feature I was co-writing, which we’ll try to sell next year. Shot a short, submitting to festivals and we’ll see where it goes in 2022. If it’s decent I’ll try to position myself to go off and make my first feature as a writer/director. Have a couple projects that I feel optimistic about potentially being able to convert to work in the new year.

My Takeaways:

This was a year of “trying to get a job.” I explicitly set that goal for myself and what I learned is… maybe that’s not the way to do it (for me). The amount of time and energy spent being reactive to Open Writing Assignments means I developed ideas for somewhere between 8–10 different projects, for free, none of which I own, and all of which are currently stuck in weird stages of development. Optimistically, out of these pitches there are 2–3 that may still end up getting pushed along to the point of me getting to write them.

Personally it takes me only a little bit less time to write a coherent pitch than it does to write a first draft of a script, and so if I could spend my energy writing the scripts rather than writing up explanations of how I’d go about writing them, I think I could probably get 2–3 scripts out in a decent year. One that wasn’t focused so heavily on “getting a job.”

Looking to 2022 I’m going to pitch out these remaining projects I’m committed on, and then move I think almost exclusively to original ideas. Plus I have a feature I want to write and direct, and I think it would be smart to focus on getting that ready for when Spaceman comes out.

If producers come to me with something they specifically want me for, I’m not going to say no outright, but I don’t think I’m going to be going in for any more big OWA type jobs, because I just don’t think they’re worth the time and energy. Of course as soon as I say this I’m sure I’ll get a call about something REALLY COOL that I have to pitch on. But… overall, I think I’m going to significantly raise the threshold for which jobs warrant putting the time in.

It’s a heck of a lot of work, and a heck of a lot of no’s. I’m curious how this stacks up against other working writers. I have no idea though because a lot of this industry operates as a black box, where everything is an unspoken mystery. That’s why I thought I’d share!

Hope nobody I’ve been working for sues me for violating an NDA.