Skip Press
Articles by Skip Press
Do You Have to Live in Hollywood?
I wrote 'The Writer's Guide to Producers, Directors and Screenwriters' Agents' somewhat by accident. I quit Hollywood in disgust after two feature screenplays were purchased, but not filmed, this after years of options and some TV work, but no feature credit. I went back to writing articles and books for a living. One day, I noticed I was about to be out of a job, so I started pro... (read more)
Is Film School Really Necessary?
Question: How valuable/important is film school? I am graduating college in one year, and I want to go into film.
Skip Press responds: It's one thing to aspire to write films or act in them, and quite another to know how they are made. Smart writers and actors learn the process and profit greatly -- just ask David Mamet and Clint Eastwood.
These days, there are more o... (read more)
Deal Terminology: What's 'Against' Mean?
Dollars and Sense
~~ Monica P. asks: What does it mean to be offered $XX 'against' $YYY, for your screenplay? For example, does one price 'against' another mean that the writer is paid $XX now, with an additional $YYY later if the film is actually produced? Or does it mean that you'll either be paid one or the other amount? What does it mean 'an initial 12-month option a... (read more)