Know Thy Enemy
Throughout history, the greatest minds have left us roadmaps to victory.
Among them stands a man whose insights into conflict, strategy, and human nature have echoed across centuries. His words have guided emperors, generals, and CEOs alike … He is a thinker so brilliant, so innovative, so top-tier awesome, that his book is still studied in boardrooms around the globe. The principles he lauded are as sharp as ever, and continue to shape the way we think about competition, preparation, and triumph.
To the surprise of all (but especially my editors), I’m not talking about myself.
No, I’m talking about Sun Tzu, the legendary Chinese general and philosopher whose Art of War remains one of the most enduring guides to outthinking and outmaneuvering one’s opponents.
And while I’m 100% positive that Tzu never read a screenplay or dreamed of Hollywood, there’s still much we can learn from him today. Because like it or not, getting your story produced in this day and age is a battle. And every last one of you reading this better be ready to put on your suit of armor to get it made.
This article concept dawned on me when I stumbled upon one of General Tzu’s most famous quotes:
“If you know the enemy, and you know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.”
Yes, I promise this applies to screenwriting, but before I get there, let’s break down what this quote means in specific detail.
“Know the enemy.” This means understanding their motives, strengths, weaknesses, patterns, and tendencies. It means gathering intelligence, anticipating their strategy, and seeing the situation from their point of view.
Next is “... know yourself.” Be honest about your own capabilities and limitations. Understand your resources, strengths, and vulnerabilities—both as an individual and as a group.
“You need not fear the result of a hundred battles.” When you understand both sides, you eliminate surprises. You can position yourself where you’re strong and your opponent is weak. This gives you a decided advantage.
In summary, Sun Tzu is saying that success is not about luck or brute force … It's about insight. If you fully understand both your opponent and yourself, you can predict outcomes, avoid disaster, and exploit opportunities.
“So … how do I apply this to the arts?” you ask. And the answer is fairly simple …
Approach every pitch like a battle. And the producer or executive sitting across from you is your adversary. You aren’t looking to best them physically … you need to defeat every possible reason they have to say “no” to buying your project. And in the words of the great Sun Tzu, if you can see things from their point of view, you stand an exponentially greater chance of achieving that outcome.
So, let’s spend some time today breaking down how executives think, and why they do what they do. I by no means have met every executive walking the halls of a network or studio, but I have plenty of experience working with them. And there’s tons of takeaways you can glean from my exposure to this field.
Let’s begin by closing our eyes and putting ourselves in their shoes.
Imagine you are a Director of Development (aka, a decidedly mid-level position) at a studio or network. You make $100k a year, which in Los Angeles, shockingly, barely manages for middle class-level wages. You don’t have much in the way of savings (the average American sucks at this), and you have a family who depends on your income to survive. Plus you’re in an industry where landing in a new position will take many, many months and be highly competitive.
In essence: you NEED this job. You can’t go without one. Not in this economy.
Anyway, you look at your calendar when you arrive and see you have two pitches that day; one in the morning, and one in the afternoon. Elated that your schedule is THAT open (trust me … most execs have like seven or eight meetings a day at minimum, not two), you waltz down the hall to the conference room, ready to knock out your first assignment.
You sit down at the table.
YOU: “Hi there! Nice to meet you! Tell me a bit about this story you have for me.”
THEM: “It’s fantastic, really! Totally innovative … completely original! There’s never been anything like it before ever written … Ever!”
YOU: *jots notes* “Cool, cool. Tell me more.”
THEM: “I came up with the idea all on my own. The story is brand new, fresh out the box. Completely new. It’s gonna blow the socks off audiences!”
YOU: “Wow, awesome. Any talent attachments?”
THEM: “Nope, just the script. Ready for development.”
YOU: “Great, thanks so much! I’ll read it and be in touch!”
You exit the meeting and head back to your office. You answer some emails. Return some calls. Take a general over lunch. And finally return to take your second meeting of the day. You sit down again:
YOU: “Hi there! Nice to meet you! Tell me a bit about this story you have for me.”
THEM: “It’s a fantastic tale I read last month. I’m adapting a novel with five-hundred thousand sales this year. It made The New York Times bestseller list three months in a row. And it’s from an author who already has two other works made into films.”
YOU: *jots notes* “Cool, cool. Tell me more.”
THEM: “I see it as THE HUNGER GAMES meets TWILIGHT. Both of those films did gadzooks at the box-office, and these research stats I’m providing say vampire movies appeal 250% more to the 18 to 49 demo.”
YOU: “Wow, awesome. Any talent attachments?”
THEM: “Yes! Sydney Sweeny is a fan of the book and is interested in playing the lead. We also have an Oscar-nominated director circling the project.”
YOU: “Great, thanks so much! I’ll read it and be in touch!”
You exit the office and skip down the hall, ready to call it a day and go home to … let’s face it, probably read some bad scripts.
Take a breath now. Download all of that information for as long as you need. Think about the information provided from both pitches.
If you’re an executive at a studio … if your job (which you need to pay your bills and feed your family) depends on you picking projects which are going to be successful, make money, and bring awards to your company … which pitch are you more likely to buy?
The one with a popular IP behind it that already has a legion of devoted fans? Or the one that got dreamed up in one person’s head with no following?
The one which brought hard data about financial success to solid comp films? Or the one with nothing but hope and a prayer?
The one with a hot A-List actress and award-winning director already onboard? Or the one without those elements (meaning you, the executive, will need to do a slog of work to fill those roles)?
If we’re being honest with ourselves, we all know it’s the project that’s further along. One of these poses a much higher risk to you losing your job.
Make no mistake, both of these projects are risks. ANY “yes” that an executive utters is a risk. Even projects with big stars and massive IP can fail.
But having massive stars and big IP mitigates those risks. It’s a fallback. An excuse you have ready for when your boss storms into your office mad as hell about your decision to buy a failure.
BOSS: “Hey bozo! Why’d you waste fifty million dollars making this piece of crap?!”
YOU: It had strong IP behind it. Sydney Sweeney starred. And the financials looked promising.
BOSS: “Oh… okay. Yeah, I guess that makes sense.”
You ever wonder WHY Hollywood loves remakes and sequels? It’s for this very reason.
BOSS: “Hey bozo! Why’d you waste fifty million dollars making this piece of crap?!”
YOU: “Because the first three films in the franchise were all profitable. Audiences had shown a pattern of buying it before. It seemed like a solid bet.”
BOSS: “Hmmm, yeah … That makes sense.”
Like it or not (and I definitely do not), Hollywood is all about risk-mitigation. The cost to create content nowadays has skyrocketed. Making movies and TV shows is expensive AF. You have to have a solid belief before you spend money that the thing you’re making is a good investment.
Does this suck as a writer? Yeah, it does. But here’s the thing …
You know how executives think now.
You know your enemy.
And if you know this is their stance … that this is what they are looking for … then create a strategy (or a battle plan) geared towards that.
If your enemy is weak on their flanks, attack the flanks.
If your enemy is more likely to buy stories that have IP, then find stories you can adapt that are based on IP (aka, real-life people/events, novels which haven’t been adapted yet, short stories, popular Reddit posts, etc.).
If your enemy’s army is equipped with bronze swords, and bronze is weak to iron, then bring iron weapons to the fight.
If your enemy wants solid statistical comps showing why your movie can/will be successful, then spend the requisite hours compiling a deck that proves this point.
I won’t lie, it would be so nice if we as writers didn’t have to fight so hard to get our projects made. But as Sun Tzu might remind us, wishing your enemy wouldn’t resist isn’t a strategy.
The fact is we do need to do all this work to make stuff happen. The difference between success and failure is the ability to do all the requisite work before the battle happens. That’s where victory lies.
The battlefield may have changed—from open plains to studio boardrooms—but the principle remains the same: those who prepare, win.
Sun Tzu didn’t write screenplays, but he understood the secret every great storyteller learns eventually … victory belongs to those who study both sides of the story.
Godspeed y’all, and happy writing.
*Feature image by caifas (Adobe)
