Wednesday, March 25, 2009

What heck is development hell?

Seemed like I should speak on this seeing as I named my blog after it...

Development Hell is, in a nutshell, the time between someone being interested in your script and the day they start shooting. For some people, this is years, nay decades in the making. Some screenwriters actually make their living selling scripts that never lens. They have zeros on the checks to keep them happy...

I was fortunate enough to have a script made into a feature. I'm immensely proud of the little guy, flaws and all. I can't watch it anymore because the flaws get magnified with each viewing. But, to get something made -- a whole lot of luck, meeting the right people at the right time and putting in whatever work you can on your side to ensure you don't f it up.

What do I know about Development Hell?
TSLOD just hit the four year mark.
[If you know me, you know what the initials mean. I've learned not to spell things out on the internet since Dominic Keating fans used my livejournal as a leak for Hollywood Kills information.]

Development Hell isn't like Hell at all. It's like purgatory. You don't know what's next and when you'll be where you want to be. For an impatient guy like me, yes, it sometimes feels like Hell, but that's just being melodramatic really.