Intention Is Everything

What’s the difference between “House” and “Shark?”

They are both TV shows about unpleasant but brilliant loners, who get the job done, but who piss off everyone around them.

They are also both fronted by great actors.

However, where House is a truly exceptional show, Shark is limp in comparison.

And this is my theory.

With House a writer somewhere sat down and had a brilliant idea for both a central character and a show. They wrote it, pitched and a producer somewhere got behind the whole idea.

Whereas with Shark, my gut feeling is an exec somewhere went to a producer and said “Hey, how about we do House, but with lawyers! Find us some writers and let’s thrash it out”

Now, both programmes use the same structures, the same character dynamics, even the same shooting styles and yet one is much, much stronger than the other. Which when you think about it, isn’t logical. If they use the same techniques, they should both be incredible.

But, here’s the big truth about screen writing, or any creative process: the truth is when your intention is to create, then you have a reasonable shot at doing something good, but when your intention is to recreate success by blindly applying a formula, then you are doomed, not to failure, but to mediocrity.

Independent film makers and spec screen writers generally make two mistakes — one is a complete failure to understand that structure and technique are essential parts of the creative process — the other key mistake they make is to believe that blind use of formula alone will bring success.

This is the reason most spec scripts are appallingly knock offs of other movies/TV shows. They lack both technique and the drive to create something original.

This is the reason the the life of the screenwriter/indie producer is so hard. It’s not the lack of money, or even the living on your wits — it’s the relentless struggle to combine good technique with original ideas.