by Fiona Wheeler
Your online musings can help or hurt your screenwriting career. Why can’t our work just speak for itself? Word-of-mouth makes or breaks a film. When screenwriters participate online, it shows we understand and respect the fundamental role social media plays in nourishing the entertainment industry.
Use this quick guide to tailor your social media life for the benefit of your screenwriting career.
Budget Your Time
Keep it to less than ten percent of your writing time.
Your Label
A lot of screenwriters also want to be published novelists. Some screenwriters want to direct their own work. You should have a five-year plan, but you shouldn’t necessarily feel the need to share it.
Execs and agents are short of time.
If you want to pitch and sell an original screenplay then you are, by definition, a screenwriter. Just call yourself that.
And pick one image to use on all your accounts. One image, your name, and ‘screenwriter’. It keeps it simple and easy to remember.
Your Brand
Which cola do you prefer? Which burger joint would you chose over another? Why would a studio want Charlie Kaufman for a screen adaptation, not some other screenwriter?
We all have a brand. We all have things that we stand for. What are the recurring themes in your screenplays? What are the assumptions that people always make when they first meet you? What do you stand for?
There are hundreds of thousands of aspiring screenwriters. What are your unique selling points?
Your Audience
Directors, actors and even novelists have it tough. They have two audiences, the public and the people who can buy their work. With screenwriters, it’s not so important that the world knows who we are. Our audience is producers and that means the way we use social media is very different.
What They’re Looking For
Obviously, independent producers, studio execs and agents look for talent. They also look for someone who understands the world of film (or TV) and knows their place in it.
Screenwriters work on projects months and years before they become known to the public. We sign confidentiality contracts and we have to keep information private, sometimes for years.
If I was a producer, and I was interested in a screenwriter’s spec, I’d check out their social media and see what sort of person I was dealing with. Do they follow a hundred different A-list actors and constantly blog about wanting a famous BFF?
Have a Plan
Think about which studios and independent producers you most want to work with. Familiarize yourself with what’s out there and get a sense of how you should be marketing yourself.
Inappropriate Content
Everyone you send query letters to has a computer, right there on their desk. With a few clicks they can see what journalists would discover about you. So, re-think any online dating profiles or other things that would cause them to question whether you’re a suitable match for their brand. Being notorious is something they can sell, so is being a decent person, but being an embarrassment isn’t.
IMDb and Script-Hosting Sites
Always make sure your information is correct and up to date.
Your Own Website
This isn’t the 1990s. A screenwriter doesn’t need their own website.
Make sure your page is up to date, and less is more. No one needs to know your undergrad grades or that you won the science prize when you were ten.
If you have two professions (Lawyer/ Screenwriter) consider creating two separate accounts, as each profession requires a different strategy.
Remember that you aren’t trying to sell the most boxes of cookies to the most people. Your aim is to sell one special and unique spec to one special and unique producer. Focus on fostering a few meaningful connections.
Stage 32
Stage 32 is a place where you can connect with up and coming producers and directors from around the world. Be warned, they send an awful lot of emails hawking their very pricey webinars. Don’t fall for it. There’s plenty of good information available free on the internet.
Make sure you double-check your privacy settings, and don’t over-share.
Many gigs are screen adaptations. List books you’ve read (and tweet little details from them, to prove you’re not faking).
Instagram, YouTube
You’re pitching yourself as a screenwriter, not a reality star, an actor, or a director. Rethink your active accounts.
Tweets allow a producer to understand your personality. If they chose to sign you up, they’ll be stuck working with you for a long time. They need to know you’re interesting and easy to get along with.
Many Twitter users aggressively follow other users. They’ll follow a few hundred people for a week, dump them, then follow a new batch of hundreds, etc. Would you want to have to work with someone that pushy?
Follow companies, publications, organizations and people you admire. Producers will get a clear idea of what you’re like. If you’re a bit serious, make sure your tweets show your warm and fuzzy side.
Blogs
The movie Julie and Julia is based on a woman who spent all her time writing a blog about cooking for a year. And the 50 Shades of Grey novels started as fan-fiction on a site for Twilight saga enthusiasts.
Two women bet all their time and effort on their online writing pursuits and it paid off, but for literally millions of others it hasn’t. Be wise.
Online Publications
Write for an online journal you respect. It shows you can meet regular deadlines. Working with an editor shows you can take and use feedback.
Discussion Boards
Never be nasty. Be polite. Even if someone bullies you, be tactful, graceful and don’t ever exacerbate a negative situation. When you work on projects, there will be tense times and there will be people who say things that aren’t fair. A screenwriter who is always calm and patient has value.
If you’re a bit of a hot head, print out a copy of your latest, greatest screenplay and put it over your keyboard each time you click into a discussion board. Perhaps if you literally have to throw away your screenwriting career in order to make a harsh comment, you’ll think twice.
Good Luck.
May your online adventures be charmed (and well thought out) .
~
Fiona Wheeler began writing for the stage, has a Master’s in Screenwriting from a top film school (VCA), and has a feature in development. Born in Australia, she’s lived in several different countries and cultures. This is reflected in the diverse, global screen stories she tells.
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