It takes longer if you're not. Because ... so many of us have dreamt about it forever as a dream that could not be realized." Carrie Fisher, who in addition to making headlines as a judge on the FOX show On the Lot was also a highly paid script doctor, tells how she got started re-writing screenplays: "It was Spielberg that asked me to rewrite Hook—just to rewrite Tinker Bell. But that makes no sense because you can't just write one character. There is another character that they speak to. Although, you know, it was Robin’s character mostly, so I would improvise with Robin Williams. Well, he and I do that anyway. So now you have two people that desperately need medication, but it's fine if they're off and you’re taking notes. And we had a very good time." As to why some young screenwriters succeed while so many others do not, Paul Guay (the co-writer of Liar Liar, Heartbreakers and The Little Rascals) says, “The thing that separates more successful writers from less successful writers, the most important thing, is the perseverance.” The writer-director of Seabiscuit, Gary Ross, adds that the term “success” is rather elusive. “There’s a great line in J.D. Salinger when he talks about writing, he says, “The ultimate question is not ‘Were you successful or weren’t you successful?’ ... The real question at the end of your days when you’re judged as a writer is, ‘Were all your stars out? ... Did you live up to your potential?” Production notes Dreams on Spec was filmed in 2004 and 2005 in Los Angeles, California, and Portland, Oregon. The documentary was shot in the widescreen, 16 x 9 aspect ratio. Cinematographer Harry Frith put a Panasonic DVX100 camera in a splash bag and took it into the water to film the scenes where aspiring writer David Stieve goes surfing on Venice Beach. Frith himself is an avid surfer. For almost the entire production, director Daniel J. Snyder worked at his day-job as a producer/director of non-fiction television. He only worked on Dreams at night, on weekends, and during his hiatus periods. References External links Official movie website Documentary films about Hollywood, Los Angeles American documentary films 2007 films 2007 documentary films Films about screenwriters 2000s English-language films 2000s American films