Up Close & Personal: American Screenwriters Association

by Christina Hamlett

"The real question is, will producers, agents and industry professionals adopt this technological marketing of scripts as the norm? Personally, I think they’d be crazy not to.”

This month’s column is a chat with John Johnson, Executive Director and Founder of the American Screenwriters Association (ASA).

Originally from Portland, Maine, Johnson began his writing career in the theater. When a friend suggested that his stories could work well on the silver screen, he pursued every movie opportunity he could find, including work as an extra in the Thurgood Marshall PBS film, SIMPLE JUSTICE, and with Mel Gibson in THE MAN WITHOUT A FACE. To date, he has written five screenplays, two radio dramas, and currently has several new projects in the works including a romantic comedy set in his home state. (“I think all screenwriters should work or volunteer on movie sets at least once,” he recommends, “in order to get an idea of how a script will work during filming.”)

He founded ASA in 1996 in Cincinnati in response to the void he perceived between emerging screenwriters and the industry. A short four years later, ASA now boasts 650+ members in 8 countries, conducts 2 international competitions, is implementing an exciting pilot project with Time Warner Cable this fall, and recently acquired responsibility for the longest running screenwriting conference in America, SELLING TO HOLLYWOOD.

Q: The SELLING TO HOLLYWOOD conference is a major coup for ASA. What will this mean in terms of your influence as an organization and network for both new and established writers?

A: SELLING TO HOLLYWOOD enables us to bridge the gap between writers and the industry professionals who can best advise writers on getting their scripts purchased or optioned. Certainly, taking control of this premier screenwriting conference will continue to elevate ASA’s visibility, not just through the marketing of the conference in trade publications, web sites and direct mailings, but also in the delivery of successful programs taught by Hollywood’s top experts. We are committed to maintaining a strong and supportive community through which new and established screenwriters can learn from one another, provide avenues for the selling of scripts, and promote access to the best screenwriting resources.

Q: A number of Internet sites now provide opportunities for aspiring screenwriters to post their resumes, treatments and full scripts for agency and production company review. (1) How effective do you think this type of marketing is? (2) Do you envision that it will one day become the norm rather than the exception as far as agents and producers acquiring original material?

The marketing of script ideas through the Internet is in its infancy, much like the concept five years ago of being able to purchase airline tickets online. But as technology advances and people become more comfortable with using the Internet to market scripts, the frequency and constructive use of such sites will increase dramatically. Right now this type of marketing is not as effective because the web sites offering these services are so new, plus screenwriters have to learn about them and get past the problems of confidentiality and insecurity of someone ‘stealing their script.’ I do envision that one day marketing one’s script through the Internet will become as substantial as (but will never completely replace the personal aspect of) personal pitching. In its truest form, placing your script on a web site is a pitch. The real question is, will producers, agents and industry professionals adopt this technological marketing of scripts as the norm? Personally, I think they’d be crazy not to. Imagine you are an agent. No longer is your mailbox, voice mail and email clogged with script submissions. Now, you can log onto a secure web site at your convenience and view the scripts you are interested in by quickly reviewing the log lines and/or synopsis. Realistically, Hollywood is and always will be a ‘personal’ business. Decisions are made because of who you know, who you are (especially in terms of an agent or studio liking you as well as your work), how good your work is and good ol’ fashioned networking to get your script into the right hands at the right time.

Q: What’s your favorite movie of all time and why?

A: I’m going to cheat because I love all types of genres. So here are my picks in each category:

Comedy – Young Frankenstein
Drama - To Kill a Mockingbird
Action-adventure - Saving Private Ryan
Horror - Scream
Sci-Fi - Return of the Jedi
Musicals - The Sound of Music
War - Patton
Historical – Gettysburg
Foreign – Life is Beautiful
Western – The Magnificent Seven
Family – The Wizard of Oz

My overall pick for a favorite movie is The African Queen. If you want a gut check on how good your script is, watch this movie first, then read your script out loud to yourself. You’ll see what I mean.

Q: For new writers, a lot of emphasis is placed on plot and structure, yet some of the most popular movies rely heavily on the utilization of big-budget special effects, with actual “plot” falling by the wayside. How would you reconcile those differences in imparting advice to a wannabe screenwriter?

A: I recently read an interview where someone suggested a new movie genre: Special Effects. Heresy, I hope not! Don’t misunderstand me, I like special effects, but only when they advance the film and make it interesting to watch, not when the whole film is special effects with no plot or likeable characters. The Matrix, for instance, was good not just because of the special effects but also because running underneath was a plot and some interesting characters. Or consider U-571 where the underwater scenes of submarines dodging one another and on-coming torpedoes helped bring the audience into the picture and relate to the characters. On the other hand, Battlefield Earth had tremendous explosions and other special effects, but that didn’t save the movie because the dialogue, plot and characters were so weak (Sorry, Mr. Travolta, I love your work, man, just not this one).

Q: In your opinion, who are the best up-and-coming screenwriters?

That’s a tough question to answer because there are so many talented screenwriters striving to be discovered and I wouldn’t want to slight anyone. Plus, it would be self-serving to mention myself. All kidding aside, I’d like to point out two writers in particular whom I think have great potential….David Varella of London, England and Todd Riddle of Boston, Massachusetts.

Q: In closing, how does one join ASA, what are the dues, and what types of services are provided?

A: Becoming a member of ASA is as easy as completing a membership form and sending in the annual dues, which are $40 (U.S.) and $50 (International). Our membership runs for a calendar year (January 1st – December 31st). We also have half-year memberships available. The membership form is available on our web site (www.asascreenwriters.com) and we hope to have an on-line registration form by the end of the year. ASA offers a number of member services including a free script critique program, annual competitions, the Selling to Hollywood Screenwriters Conference ™, discount subscriptions to trade publications, discounted screenwriting resources through The Writers Store ™, quarterly newsletters, discounts on touring screenwriting experts, postings from agents and production companies seeking scripts, and a script pipeline to Codikow Films starting this fall.

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-- CH
©2000 by Christina Hamlett