Two Fridays ago, I spent a whole day at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City. I ran into Mickey Rooney getting out of the elevator. And at lunch, Cameron Diaz walked right by my table. She didn't see me. Her head was down. She was texting someone. But the Charlie's Angels star was neither the purpose, nor the highlight of my trip. It was my last of three intense days of whirlwind meetings with eighteen producers and high-ranking studio executives.

I wish I could say these were one-on-one meetings my agent set up for me to pitch my spec screenplays, but I'm not there yet. So how does an unknown writer like me get to be in a room with the producers of such films as Father of the Bride, Dressed to Kill, The Ugly Truth, Julie & Julia, About Schmidt, and Gladiator? Through Hollywood's best-kept secret, the Sherwood Oaks Experimental College.

The Producers and Executives "class" was shuttled from studio to studio by the school's founder, Gary Shusett, who has spent thirty years networking and cultivating relationships with the industry's heaviest hitters. As a result, he can provide newbies access to the real power players who are far too busy to spend a whole day at similarly-priced pitch festivals. Because Gary keeps the class size limited to less than twenty "students," we had more personal interaction with the guest speakers than you would get at a seminar with hundreds of other hopefuls in the audience. Another major benefit is that even though we weren't there to pitch to the "teachers," each of them did agree to look at the one-sheet synopses we were allowed to leave behind.

If Amy Pascal calls this week asking to read my script, I'll happily report it in my next column. And while a request to read a script is a possibility, one of the recurring themes we heard from almost all the executives is that this is the hardest time ever to get a movie made. To illustrate that point, one of the producers we met told us of a project she is currently trying to set up. Despite her own solid track record as a hit producer, a script that has won more screenplay competitions than I've ever entered, attachments of a twice-Oscar nominated director and Al Pacino in the lead role, and a budget of only $10 million, all the studios passed and the project is still in search of financing.

That and other similar stories we heard throughout the three days were eye opening. I already knew what a seemingly impossible hurdle it is to get one of my scripts to the one producer who is going to love it and champion it through the system, but I never saw the equally high (or higher) hurdles that person will have to clear to move even their favorite pet project closer to the big screen.

I'm starting to see why we can't take rejection personally. They see a lot of scripts. They can only take on a few of them. They have to truly be passionate about the ones they pick because it's a long, hard fight to get that greenlight, even for the already very successful producers. A "great" script isn't enough. I've read that countless times in screenwriting magazines and blogs, but it took on a different credibility hearing it in the very offices where the deals are made, coming from the very people who make those deals for their livelihoods.

Not all the messages were gloom and doom. Marcus Chait (partner in Paula Wagner's new production company Chestnut Ridge) was one of the only guests exuding confidence in his company's ability to get their projects set up, despite their decision not to accept any of the first-look deals offered to them by every studio. Likewise, Ed Wang (producing partner of Harry Gittes, About Schmidt) was one of the few speakers who did not mention "four quadrants" (marketing term for a product that appeals to males and females, young and old). It was refreshing to hear from someone who still gets that there have been many great movies that were hits in single quadrants.

Speaking of marketing, one of the other eye-openers was Jeff Blake, head of marketing for Sony Pictures, who told us right off the bat that when he reads a script, he doesn't analyze its structure or critique the dialogue. His job is simply to predict how much money it will make and determine the best time to release it. He reports his estimates directly to studio chief Amy Pascal before any decisions are made. For a guy with that much power, Jeff was pretty humble.

There was way too much packed into the three days to cover it all in detail here. Every session was a valuable learning experience. I recommend taking a Sherwood Oaks class when you get a chance. Having this kind of access to these kinds of people can help your career move a little faster, but at the same time, the biggest lesson to learn from the class is that there is no magic shortcut. Even with a program like this, it takes tons and tons and tons of persistence and perseverance. But when it pays off, maybe Ms. Diaz will at least smile at me the next time she passes my table.

Dan Margules is an award-winning filmmaker and one of the founders of San Diego Filmmakers. His short film, Begleiter, is available in a Special Edition from Amazon.com or happy-the-dog.com. He is currently waiting for calls from Amy Pascal and Paula Wagner.