A $300k Question Morning Musings on Scott Frank before the 9-5

Fragrant Palace, Kochin, Nov 2023

Most days I’m at my desk by sunrise. Some mornings I finish the day’s work before the standard 9am start. Once a late riser, I now find freedom in the early mornings before 'work' begins.

Today, a New York Times article led me down the internet whirlpool. Sucked into the work of Scott Frank, master scriptwriter and filmmaker.

Frank wrote 'The Queen's Gambit' (say no more). He also 'fixes' other people's broken screenplays. His fee? $300k a week. His accolades are many. 'Saving Private Ryan,' 'Out of Sight,' 'Minority Report,' 'The Ring,' many of the 'X Men' movies, 'Get Shorty,' 'Marley & Me,' Logan' and more. But he prefers to write his own screenplays rather than bank money as a fixer.

The mornings give me the freedom of immersion. It's more than liberation from the Teams and email notifications, meetings and phone calls. Before work, I'm free to be here. There's no thinking about anything other than this thing.

I watch interviews with Frank, exploring his process, while I complete mindless tax tasks. And I dream:Can I present my work, "Chase the Trouble," to someone of Scott Frank's calibre? Can I find him? Journalists can find him. Surely, I can reach Scott Frank.

With the day's demands an hour off, I celebrate the luxury of undivided focus with this short blog post.

Here's to the magic of early mornings. The nurturing of dreams and goals is set in motion, and the freedom to chase one's troubles is embraced.

I hope you find solace in and seize the quiet moments in your day for yourself.

And if you know Scott Frank, can you please give me an intro?

Read the article: How a Script Doctor Found His Own Voice

Note: The New Yorker article is behind a paywall (one free article a month for non-subscribers)