Question about historical scripts

[afac81a]

Hi everyone!

I'm new to this board, and woundering if anyone knows if non-fictional historical screenplays are popular on the market? I just started writing one and woundering if I'm waisting my time, or if it's popular to buy?

afac81a

[broughcut]

depends if you're writing for Hollywood or the History Channel I guess.

[ComicBent]

afac81a,

I think you need to address the issue of just how "nonfictional" the script is. Most historical drama has some element of fiction in it. Without the fiction, you are talking about a documentary, more or less.

Consider the film "Jefferson in Paris." It was based on real characters and events, but it was a dramatic retelling with fictional elements.

A script that is historical drama is worth writing, if only to have it as a writing sample.

[afac81a]

Mine is more simular to (for instance) Gettysburg. Everything in that movie was non-fictional, but some was fictional. Everything I'm working on is real. Maby 20% of the script is fictional. (based on WW 1) Are movies like that popular to buy?

[Blackheart]

Most would say no. But if you have a story you believe you can write well, and it isn't based on a well known event that 50 other writers could be working on, go ahead and write it and let the chips fall where they may. Saving Private Ryan was set against the historical event of D-Day, but centred on a more personal story that was unique and original. If you were writing something like this rather than something like The Longest Day, you would probably have a far better chance marketing it. Hollywood very rarely buys spec scripts based on historical events or people explicitly. They usually hire established writers to adapt a popular book on the subject.