Posted on 10/25/2005 5:02:21 PM PDT by Stillwillin
In a town full of dirty little secrets, the composition of writers in Hollywood rises to the level of scandal. Though Tinsel Town pays lip service to liberalism and equality, women and minority film and television writers get work and get paid with a disparity that is striking.
(Excerpt) Read more at opinionjournal.com ...
"women and minority film and television writers get work and get paid with a disparity that is striking."
Maybe they do not write as well as the Jewish guys.
Well, one would think that an outstandingly good script would get through no matter the author. Thus I'd suspect that the complaints are about run-of-the-mill crap [after all, what else is Hollywood producing nowadays?] all of us would be better without anyway.
Maybe it is a gay thing.
Hollywood has no new ideas and hasn't had any for years. When they have to make movies based on cartoons (Scooby Doo) and comics characters (Garfield), they've jumped the shark.
Although it is not mentioned in this article, there is also loud complaints that no one over 35 can get a job as a television writer.
"Well, one would think that an outstandingly good script would get through no matter the author."
Wrong, wrong, wrong.
Why wrong? Vain/graphomanic author would always think his/her oeuvre being outstanding when it is not, and complain. It is hellishly hard to be a genius and to produce top level work in any field; to produce half-baked kitsch and to strike a pose is so much easier.
"Why wrong?"
It's wrong for precisely the reason you mention. Everyone thinks he/she can write a screenplay and, as a consequence, the industry is besieged by crappy writers who all think their work is fabulous. As a protection against this, the industry makes it virtually impossible for anyone who doesn't "know somebody" or work in the industry in some capacity to get his/her work read. And since most working writers are white guys, the people they're most likely to help out are usually white guys, too, bcse that's who they're likely to be friends with: other white guys.
I'm not saying it's a conspiracy or anything. If all the current writers were Chinese women, they'd most likely be recommending other Chinese women. But to suggest that talent is the best predictor of screenwriting success is flat wrong.
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