INT. PRODUCTION OFFICE - DAY AND NIGHT

Tape. Lots, and lots of tape.

In the last year, the filmmakers have interviewed a fantastic number of people for this project. Screenwriters from vastly different walks of life have shared their stories, as have their spouses, families, teachers, even the people who make the lattes that keep them typing away, day in and day out.

As “Spec” nears completion, MOE EL EMAM has come on board to interview even more writers, and help sift through the hours of material that will soon be a feature length documentary. A spec screenwriter himself, Moe is wholly familiar with the process of writing a script that no one has yet commissioned.

Writing on spec can be a solitary, maddening process, given the odds of attaining some measure of success for the endeavor. On the bright side, there will soon be a movie that may shed some light on why so many continue to do just that…

Which brings us back to the tape. Lots, and lots of tape.

EXT. POOLSIDE - DAY

“Nobody ever writes about happy people, they’re boring.”

MARC CHERRY sat down with us to talk about the spec that nobody wanted, “Desperate Housewives.” One of the first things that many writers say is that selling a spec screenplay is like winning the lottery.

With the success of his hit ABC drama, Mr. Cherry will tell you that he did just that.

Before it became the popular drama that millions tune in to watch every week, “Desperate Housewives” was turned down as an idea, and then rejected as a spec screenplay by everyone that read it – except for the one that didn’t.