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Interview with Mark
Atwater
Interviewed by Jenna Glatzer
Mark Atwater is a screenwriter and the webmaster of Mark's Screenwriting
Page. He's optioned two of his scripts and landed a screenwriting
assignment through the Internet. Oh, and he's a very nice fella and one of
Jenna's favorite inspirations.
You have one of the biggest and best personal screenwriting sites
on the web. What made you decide to start this site, and is it living up to your hopes?
Thank you for the nice compliment. Best? I'm not sure about that since someone just made her own
website (lol). But I think I should win something for longest url (lol).
I started the website about five months after I actually started writing screenplays. Initially, I
think I started like everyone else. You get the list of WGA Agents and you fire off a lot of query
letters telling them how great your screenplay is and that they shouldn't pass up this wonderful opportunity to
read a first timer's can't-lose script. But after firing out about 50 or 60 query letters
with SASE's inside and only getting one request (Thank you Richard Herman Talent Agency), I decided I needed to learn
more.
That's where I have to thank Skip Press's "Writer's Guide to Hollywood, Producers, Directors, and
Screenwriter's Agents," not so much for the listings-- which are very good--
but for the majestic wisdom "Contact the producers first."
Now, I had finished my first screenplay, "Lucid," in October '97 and spent until around January trying to get an
agent to read it. But after reading Press's book and snagging a few addresses, I actually received some
requests from producers. And I almost got spoiled really fast, since just after two submissions, a producer
was talking about optioning it. Unfortunately, I was far too green to realize what an opportunity I had.
I had been surfing the Internet to find all kinds of screenwriting information. I was finding producer
addresses, helpful tips on writing, how many brads I needed, etc. The bookmarks were
really adding up fast too. Then I found the Spec Script Library at
http://www.thesource.com.au/scripts/
You could actually list your screenplay's logline and your information to get potential producers to see your
material. My first screenplay "Lucid" is still listed there at http://www.thesource.com.au/scripts/suspense-thriller-22.htm
What I was soon discovering is the Library was getting a lot of scripts listed there. So I decided to make my
own webpage and list my own screenplays and all these bookmarks of screenwriting
sites I had. So, while my goal was to gain exposure for my work, I also wanted to share all the screenwriting links and my
experiences. So, on May 11, 1998 Mark's Screenwriting Page was born.
The website has been more than what I expected. I would've been happy with a thousand hits in a year,
but now it gets over that per month. And I've made great friends and contacts through the website. It's
been one of the most positive experiences of my life.
How has the Internet affected your career thus far?
The Internet has made career. Like I said before, I had very little response to my mailings. I didn't let
it discourage me because I found out about the concept of emailing your queries to
producers. Whenever a new screenwriter emails me and asks me "what can I do to
get my screenplay read?", I reply by saying, "buy a copy of the HCD
(Hollywood Creative Directory), make a short concise query of your screenplay, and start
emailing producers. The HCD has an enormous amount of producer's emails and they're all looking for the next
hot script. I live in IL and I can say honestly without email queries I would still be in the
dark ages.
So, all of my contacts have been through the Interent and I doubt if I would ever go back to postage mail
queries again. I spent a ton on stamps, and now it's as easy as point and click, and it
doesn't matter where you are. I think you can say, in a way, the Internet has definitely changed the way Hollywood does
business, and I think it will be more significant in the years to come.
You've got two screenplays under option and one assignment in the works right now. How did those come
about?
The two producers who have optioned my material I met through cold email queries. I basically sent an email
describing my screenplay and said "would you be interested in reading it?", and from there my sci-fi
screenplay "Fortune City" was optioned in June 1999 by Dean Barnes (Latigo Filmworks) and Tom Benko
(Paramount Pictures).
About a year before, I had submitted "Lucid" to Dean Barnes and he had really liked the story and
writing. It's a story that has served as a really good writing sample for me. We had stayed in touch on and
off for about a year. He would email me and ask me about my works and what he was looking for. At the
time, it was a sci-fi story. I hadn't shown "Fortune City" to very many
producers-- maybe one or two before Dean read it. About a month after I submitted it back
in May 1999, I received an email about his and his partner Tom Benko's interests in the story. They
liked the special effects, the concept of futuristic basketball, and the main character's John Wayne type
appeal. So, in June they optioned it and they've had the script to some fairly big-time actors since then.
As I've learned it all takes time.
My crime-thriller "New York and a Day" was optioned in October 1999 by Julian Caine of Caine Entertainment. I
established a pretty good working relationship with Bruce Franklin, the VP of
Development at Caine, and he really liked the story. We had talked about it for several
months. But they had a few projects they thought were to close to it. So, I ended up
getting an assignment to write a new screenplay for them called "Identity Crisis". But it just so happened when I was out in LA
to meet with some producers, I found they were still very interested in "New York" and that they wanted it
to be the first movie that they did. And I'm hearing things are going really
well on the project and it might be in production before the year is out. I just
finished "Identity Crisis" just before Christmas, so I'm waiting to hear back on that.
I would say the best thing is to establish a working relationship with a producer. If they like your work,
submit more when you finish a new screenplay. Once you establish a contact, you need to keep the lines of
communication open, because you never know what opportunities wait the around the corner.
Tell us about your recent trek to Hollywood. Why were you there, and what did you learn?
I went out to Hollywood in October, 1999. I wanted to go out and get a face to face meeting with the producers
who optioned my material. You can do a lot over the phone and email, but you can't get personalization. I
had some friends who lived out there and they invited me out for a little vacation. So, I just made it an
opportunity to meet with my producers and some new ones who recently requested my material. I'm glad I
went because Caine Entertainment ended up optioning "New York and a Day" while I
was out there. I got to visit Dean and Tom at Paramount pictures which was a definite highlight of the trip.
I learned that if you really want to give yourself a fighting chance in this business it's probably best to
live out there. I know a writer can write from anywhere, but you can't meet people one on one when
you live 1700 miles away. I know it's not feasible for everyone would be screenwriter to move there, but you
do get a sense for how the business works just by visiting. And I definitely see myself living out there
in the future that is if I follow this all the way through.
Once a screenplay is optioned, what is the next step?
Once a screenplay is optioned there are several things a producer can do. They can try to get funding first
or they can try and attach talent. Both can be very difficult and require a lot of time and patience.
There is a certain amount of luck and timing to it, but if the producers are as dedicated as the writer
who is creating the material, you should be in good hands. Before you sign an option, make sure you really
are secure with the person handling your material, because they may have it anywhere from six months to a
year. In my case, the producers are doing it in both ways, one is establishing the financing and one is
looking to attach talent, starting with the main lead first.
How do you deal with rejection?
Well, you learn to grow a thick skin really fast. Many people I know get very discouraged by rejection. I've
had friends get upset over one rejection and I think, "what will they be like after
number 30 or 60?" You just have to believe in yourself and your work. I'm not one
to really get down on myself, because I know there are many producers and agents who will gladly do that for
you. I look at a rejection as one person's opinion of my work and it's all very subjective. The thing is, you
may go through a lot of "nos" but it only takes one "yes." And of course I do keep all of my rejections, for
future reference (lol).
Lots of interesting people stop by your screenwriting chats. Tell us about the chat and the
kinds of things people discuss.
The Screenwriting Chats have been one of the best things about the website. I've met so many wonderful
people in chat and learned from their experiences. We've discussed everything from proper format to
influences on our writing. And the best thing about the chats are the regulars who come in and you end up
learning about their lives aside from just screenwriting.
You hear their stories and life concerns, so in a way it becomes a reflection of story telling becoming
story telling. From everything I've learned there is no replacement for the drama called life.
For any new or experienced screenwriters, I hold a Screenwriting Chat on Tuesday Nights from 7 - 9 PM
(CST) at http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Theater/6448/message.html
and I just added a 24 Screenwriting chat for anyone to stop in and talk. Newcomers are always welcome.
How important do you think it is now for a writer to have a
website to promote his/her work? Do producers, agents, etc. "really" visit?
In my case, I've had a lot of requests for my screenplays from posting loglines on the net. But I do
understand it's not for everybody. People are still very concerned about posting their material if only a
logline on line. And always check out someone before you send your material. But I do think it's important
to stand out.
I know for a fact there are producers and agents out there hitting the search engines and screenwriting
sites looking for material, and more and more are jumping on the web everyday. It's only going to take
one or two high profile sales from some screenwriters on the Internet to really open the doors for writers
out there in cyberspace. I definitely wouldn't mind being one of those people (lol).
Where do you find places to query?
The Hollywood Creative Directory is the first place for me. There are books like Skip Press's which are
very helpful too. On the net, I get contacted by producers, I see postings on message boards, email
lists are good for contacts. www.Hollywoodlitsales.com
used to have a excellent board for producers looking for material. Done Deal at http://www.scriptsales.com/
is probably my favorite site now for finding script information and what's selling. You
could learn a lot just from reading that website alone. And of course, I list all the best screenwriting sites on my website
to make it easy for screenwriter/filmmakers to make contacts.
What are your current/future projects?
Well, I just finished "Identity Crisis" for Caine Entertainment in December. And I've been finishing a
rewrite on a screenplay called "The Strip" which I plan to direct myself. It could do for the crime noir
genre what "Blair Witch" has done for horror. It's a story that's really going to push the barrier for what
is entertainment and what is real life. I'm very excited about the prospects of doing the film. I will
be going back out to Hollywood and meeting with my contacts on getting financing for it.
Also, writing-wise, I'm returning to sci-fi for a trilogy of stories that will continue on the push of
the new technology/effects that "The Matrix" started. But I will not be putting anything pertaining to the
storyline on my website. It's a very topic-secret project and one I've been working on for over five
years. I would like to continue my trend of writing four or five screenplays a year.
Anything else you'd like to add?
I guess I could give the address for my webpage (lol). Mark's Screenwriting Page at
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Theater/6448/.
And, of course, I do have some available screenplays, so if any producers or agents (and, yes, I still need an agent--
lol) are interested in any of my material I can be contacted at shortkill@yahoo.com
or (217) 832-4064.
One thing I would add to screenwriters is not to take yourself or this business too seriously. The best part
for me will always be the creative process and being able to print out a 120 pages of a
screenplay that didn't exist before you put the sweat and toil into it. Whatever happens they can never take that away
from you.
Remember, success is a journey, not a destination.
Visit Mark's website by clicking here.
One of Mark's favorite parts of his site is Crazy
John's Movie Reviews, so check that out, too!
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