Chee Ming's plan B: script writing

OK in response to my previous post which generated an interesting discussion, Chee Ming said (when asked about his plan B), "Plan B is something to do with script writing. It can be a movie or documentary. Shitty part: How do I get started?" Guess what mate? You came to the right place as Limpeh knows all about script writing given that I have worked in the media industry off and on over the years.

That's me holding a script, running my lines with my scene partner in Belgium.

You seem to be quite fixated on script writing as opposed to writing in general, ie. I take it you're ruling out writing for a magazine and you really want to develop scripts - that's fine, let me focus on that then for you. Firstly, there are three ways to categorize the individuals who participate in the industry: amateurs, semi-professionals and professionals.

Let's take photography as an example as it is a lot more straightforward. An amateur photographer is passionate about what he does but he does not expect to be paid for his work. He enjoys photography and would probably go no further than putting his work on Instagram, Flickr and Tumblr (and other similar websites) just to share his work with the public. He invests a lot of money in photography but doesn't earn a penny from it - what he gets out of it is the joy and pleasure of participating in an activity he enjoys immensely. The amateur photographer takes part in photography competitions and enjoys networking with other photographers.

Are you paid for what you do and how much?

A semi-professional photographer is one who is so good at what he does he can get paid for his work - but he does not do it full time. So for example, at a wedding, he would be able to work for the day and take loads of pictures and get paid for it. He would probably cost less than a professional photographer who works full time and he might also do a lot of work for free because he cannot find enough paid work as a photographer to sustain him professionally. Like the amateur, the semi-professional photographer also takes parts in competitions and networks as well. This could be just a transitional period before he becomes a professional photographer, or it could be a state he remains in indefinitely.

Now a professional photographer is someone who is able to make a living from photography. He would not give away his skills for free and if you want him to take pictures for you at an event, you would have to pay him for his work. Unlike amateur and semi-professional photographers who give away their work for free on websites like Instagram, Flickr and Tumblr, these professional photographers carefully guard their work and do not give them away for free - they expect to be paid for their work..

How many in the arts are paid for their work?

Now we could to apply the same principle to some other professions: take teaching for example, I can help out a neighbour's child for a few weeks in preparation for an important exam for free (amateur), I could give a few hours of private tuition a week (semi-professional) or I could go all the way and be a full time teacher at a school (professional). However, you can't really be a semi-professional lawyer - you wouldn't want to take legal advice from an amateur or semi-professional lawyer when you are being sued; likewise, you wouldn't take medical advice from an amateur or semi-professional doctor when you have cancer.

When it comes to script writing, there are plenty of amateurs, some semi-professionals and a small number of professionals - including a number of script writing superstars who earn a LOT of money for what they do. Let's start with the amateurs: there are plenty of amateur writers who churn out scripts all the time - now the challenge for them is to get someone to perform it or shoot it in the first place. This means a lot of networking - speaking to actors, directors, producers and other people in the world of theatre, film and TV before you even put words down onto a page.

Do not put the cart before the horse here: there is no point in you writing script after script if you do not even have a director who is willing to look at it and say, "oh that looks like someone I could work on" or "I know someone who would be interested in something like this." If you do not have someone like that, don't worry - there are script writing competitions that you can join. It's simple, the organizers will give you the rules (maybe a certain theme, a time limit for the proposed play, the target audience etc) and then you will have to submit something that is within those rules - the organizers will often give constructive feedback even if your script doesn't win anything. It is a good way for a new script writer to test the water, to see if his scripts are any good at all.

If you win, there will often be nice prizes (depending on the sponsors) along with an opportunity to get your script produced. I have taken part in a number of these competitions over the years and yes I have won two along the way - but that was a pretty poor success rate considering just how many I actually joined. Yes I had some directors look at my plays but it never got beyond the "we'll consider this for next year" stage and nothing materialized. What can I say, it is a tough business. It was easier being an actor than a writer for me.

If you want to start scripting for a movie, please be realistic: your first project is going to be a 5 minute short film short on a shoestring involving your friends and family. Your first project is not going to be some big Hollywood blockbuster with huge stars. There are plenty of people, teenagers even, who have scripted, shot and edited their own short films for Youtube on their iPhones and laptops and some of these short films have gone viral. If you wanna work in this industry, you need to get your hands dirty, get ready to sweat and be prepared to work very hard for little/no money - don't wait for someone to give you an air-con office and a list of things to do, you need to be very much in the driver's seat for this kind of career and take the initiative to start your own projects. This means collaborating with people like actors, producers and directors - so get networking!

As for documentaries - that's a completely different ball game altogether, the world of documentaries and the world of fiction (theatre, TV programmes etc) are quite separate and different people work in those separate spheres. There is a growing market in documentaries, but let me deal with the entry level logistics rather than the high end industry leaders. It is not easy to get started as a writer - let me explain to you what you ought to do.

Have you anyone to work with in the industry?

You need a partner in crime to get your teeth into documentaries - the easiest way you can take a bite at this cake is the 'special report' pitch for news channels. First you need to find a local production company who have an up and running production facility - someone like Night Owl Cinematics, they're fun, they're vibrant, they're young and talented and most of all, they're independent. You need to get in touch with them and tell them that you want to work with them because you have a brilliant idea.

Secondly, you need to find that brilliant piece of documentary piece which is thought provoking, controversial, interesting and would have the potential to be developed from a 3 to 5 minute piece into a full 30 or 60 minute documentary. It would probably need to be topical and can be a personal reaction/insight into a piece of recent news - it needs to be an original idea, based on something which only you have access to and/or no one else has done before. Have a think about what documentaries you have seen and liked - why did you like them?

So let's imagine you are doing a piece on ex-Singaporeans returning to Singapore to work as FTs after they have acquired British/American/Australian/Canadian/etc citizenship - you need to assemble say about 3 or 4 people like myself who have already done that and decide what angle you're going to use with that topic in your 3 minute special report: are you going to focus on our personal experiences? Are you going to try to look at why the rules make us want to return as FTs rather than as Singaporeans? Are you going to look at other angles, such as the reaction of the locals? Are you going to look at it from the angle of the local employer who has to choose between and FT and a local? Remember, this is just a 3 - 5 minute special report - so you can only raise one question, explore the issue and answer your question in 3 - 5 minutes: short & sweet.

Can you produce a 5 minute long special report?

You then need to pitch your idea to one of the local news stations and convince them to commission your piece - not an easy task, but it is something that has been done a lot in the UK. As you're bilingual Chee Ming, you can double your chances by pitching it to both the Chinese and English language news stations (not just in Singapore but around the region). As long as you have a genuinely good idea, then they're likely to say one of the following:

Professional: Sure, it's great. How much do you want for it? (Then you negotiate a price.)
Semi-professional: It sounds good but our budget is limited. We can give you a token sum to cover your expenses and a little bit on top for your time and efforts.
Amateur: We like your idea but we are going to be taking a risk with you - go ahead and produce it and we want to see the end product first before making a decision. If it is good we may run it but we don't have a budget for this so we can't pay you. If we like what you do, then the next project we do with you will be paid work.

Or they can say no - but even if they do say no to your pitch, at least ask them for feedback and why they said no. Is the idea too controversial? Too bland? Or too broad a topic for a 3 to 5 minute special report? You're unlikely to strike gold with your first pitch, so it should be viewed as a long term project. Of course, any previous training in broadcast journalism would be an advantage, but it really does boil down to you finding the right original idea and having a good working relationship with a local director to get your teeth into the documentary market. Remember, you shouldn't confine yourself to the local market - think regional, think international: you need to start local but who knows where your career will lead you should you become successful? Once you have a few small investigative type reports commissioned, you then have the track record to go on to pitch for a 30-60 minute long documentary.

Of course, successful script writers can earn an awful lot of money. I have an Australian friend who writes sitcoms for a living and he has been engaged as a script consultant from Indonesia to Finland to America to make sure that their scripts work. He isn't famous as his name merely appears on the credits at the very end of the programme, but he is making a wonderful living from script writing and is incredibly rich today. I also have a Singaporean friend who is making a very decent living working for people like MediaCorp and other local producers so I do know that such script writers do exist in Singapore and yes, they can make a living from it.

Nonetheless, it's not like these two friends went to some script writing academy and then waltz into a comfortable career - hell no. They both started out small, working on poorly paid small projects here and there, often doing a lot for very little or no money. They impressed some people along the way and earned their credibility as script writers by proving themselves to be creative, dependable and hardworking - it was a process that took many years before they got to where they are today. The Australian guy worked as a teacher in his early days as a script writer because he needed a steady job to pay the bills whilst he pitched all these production companies with his script. It was many years before he was able to work full time as a script writer, then he could quit his teaching job without worrying about his financial situation. So let's not forget your plan A in the meantime Chee Ming!

Let me end by stating the obvious. If you're starting out in any career, you shouldn't just jump in the deep end and expect to figure it all out by yourself. Most people simply work for an older, established, successful person who has proven himself in the industry - that way, you learn the tricks of the trade from someone who has been there, done there and done it all. So in your case, you look up to local industry figures with Jack Neo (via Rainforest Media Pte Ltd and J Team Academy) and see if they have any entry level openings or internship opportunities.

So there you go - that's my introduction to script writing for theatre, film, TV and documentaries in a nutshell. If I have just put you off the industry, then good, I have done my job. It's bloody hard work and it tends to attract those who are very passionate about what they are doing - furthermore, it is so competitive that only the best will get the quality paid work. The last thing I want to do is to tell you that yeah it's fun, it's great, you should do this: I want to give you a dose of reality and if you think you can handle it, then I say good luck to you and let me know if I can help.

I hope you guys have enjoyed this article, as usual, please feel free to leave a comment or ask any questions you may have about the industry. Thanks for reading. :)

A film set - would you like to work in this environment?