Though I am a medical aspirant, I compose poems and songs. I want to become a lyricist and pursue it as a side job. I am creative and can even write scripts for films. Please answer the following questions:
(i) What is a script? Is it a bound book in which the story of the film is written?
(ii) Where should I try so that I get offers as a lyricist?
(iii) Does this require a lot of struggle? How to handle it?
(iv) Do lyricist earn a lot?
(v) What fee do lyricists charge?
(vi) Do serials offer hope for lyricists?
(vii) Tell me about opportunities for lyricists like creative writing and advertising.
Its dog-eat-dog would out there. In spite of your talent, you might face a lot of struggle, and maybe, frustration too. This is not to dishearten you, but there is a lot of plagiarism. If you take the decision to become a professional lyricist, you have to be extra cautious that your lyrics do not land in wrong hands. A better way would be to publish your poems in magazines with good circulation, like Femina, before you take the plunge. This way, you will have some standing when you start contacting people and negotiating.
If you want to talk to them on a firm footing, then you must have done some ground work by getting your work published in newspapers and magazines and getting a new cassettes recorded. Get in touch with music houses, music directors and even prominent directors, to let them know of your acumen. It’s easier said than done, but then, that’s the only way you can do it.
Yes, established lyricists do get very attractive remunerations: one lakh per song. You are taking a wise decision by treating it as a side profession.
Advertising will help you to the extent that you might come across people in the film industry circles and your creativity might be noticed by them. As regards, TV serials, there’s of scope for writing stories, what with so many channels, but very limited opportunity for lyricists, confined maybe, to the title song.
No a script is not a bound book. It’s essentially the narrative of the story on which the film would be made, with the description of characters, a rough sequence and dialogues.
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