FAQ contribution
nmstevens
so here's a contribution to the mwsm FAQ.
Just for the record, the following is authorized for use in the MWSM
FAQ only -- I do not authorize it to be copied, reprinted or
redistributed by anyone else or for any other purposes, whatsoever.
Q: I've just started/am just about to start/have just finished my first
screenplay. How do I go about selling it? Is there a list of producers?
Do I need an agent? How do I find one?
A: This question has come up regularly on the old mws and, while it is
generally asked in all innocence, it has often lead to some fairly
sharp exchanges.
Perhaps you are confused as to why this apparently innocent question
would result in anybody getting annoyed or cause anybody to argue about
anything.
Well, let's try reframing the above by moving it from the world of
screenwriting to the world of art.
I've just started/am just about to start/have just finished -- my first
painting. How do I got about selling it? Is there a list of museums and
art galleries? Do I need an agent? How do I find one?
Does the proposition that someone who has never before put brush to
canvas -- who has never finished a single painting -- or who has just
finished his very first painting -- is asking, in all seriousness,
about how to go about selling it in a professional market, where
paintings sell for anything from hundreds to hundreds of thousands of
dollars?
What do you think his chances are of selling that first painting?
Now, while they may not be zero -- they are certainly so close to zero
that, for all intents and purposes, they might as well be zero.
Fundamentally, writing a first screenplay and asking where to sell it
is not much different from buying a lottery ticket and asking where to
spend the money. Now, maybe indeed, you will have a winning screenplay
-- and you will be able to sell it -- any maybe you will have a winning
ticket and you will have money to spend.
But presuming ahead of time that you will, in both cases, given the
odds, bespeaks, to put it mildly, a distinct disconnect from reality.
And if you are thinking -- but my work is different -- the winner of a
lottery ticket wins by chance, but I can look at my own work, evaluate
my abilities as a writer, the idea of my story, compare it to what I
see on screen -- and I know that what I've got is a sure winner, all I
can tell you is --
-- writing ability and critical ability are inextricably bound
together.
It has been the almost universal experience of professional writers
(myself included) that when we look back at our early writing, things
that we thought were brilliant at the time -- ten times better than
all that crap that people were putting in the theatres -- looking at it
now, we cringe with embarrassment. Because the reality is -- it was
really *our stuff* that was crap. We simply weren't good enough at the
time to recognize it.
Some people get good enough. Others never get good enough. They will
never be able to distinguish their own amateur-level writing from the
writing of professionals.
Those people will always write at the level of amateurs.
And so -- the answer to the question as to how you go about selling
your first screenplay is this.
Before you try to sell your first screenplay, you should write at least
three others. Then, go back to your first screenplay and read it again.
You may find, after the experience you gain writing those other
screenplays, that it is not nearly as good as you thought when you were
writing it.
Realities of Selling Screenplays:
Hollywood makes around 250 movies a year. On average for every movie
made, around eight to ten go into development -- so figure, just to
round things off -- maybe 2500 screenplays a year are put into
development by Hollywood studios. Take into account movies made for TV
and direct to video and indie features (I'm including only those that
are actually released -- not those that end up in the backs of people's
drawers) figure maybe another 2500. That's probably being overly
generous.
That's 5000 screenplays sold a year.
Last year, something on the order of 50,000 screenplays were registered
with the Writer's Guild of America.
But I wouldn't want you to think that your odds are anything close to
one in ten.
The majority of those screenplays sold were assignments. That is,
producers or studios have a property of some kind, a book, a play, a
true story, a movie they want to remake -- and they hire a writer to
write the screenplay. That's an assignment. All TV movies are
assignments. The majority of studio movies are assignments.
Conversely, many indie movies are the product of writer/directors or
writer/producer/directors who put together the financing for their own
projects. Thus they are not markets for screenplays written by others.
Original screenplays or "spec" screenplays (spec for "speculative")
make up a very small percentage of screenplays sold and screenplays
ultimately made.
And yet, for the beginning writer -- spec screenplays are all you have.
It the only way you have (short of a relative in the business) of
establishing yourself professionally.
There is Hope:
Yes, after all of the depressing statistics above. That is because,
after all is said and done, producers are still looking, desperately,
for great scripts. And if, by some miracle, you happen to have one, it
will rise above the tide of mediocre junk, and it Will. Get. Noticed.
However, it is important to understand what is meant, in Hollywood
terms, by a "great script." I do not mean great in some artistic, or
critical, or literary sense. Not that that is forbidden. It can be
"great" in that way.
But those qualities of literary or critical greatness are really
tangential to what is meant by a "great" script in Hollywood terms.
What a producer means when he says that a script is "great" is that the
concept and execution make it saleable -- he can take it to a studio
and pitch it. The concept will be immediately graspable. It will have
characters that it make it star castable -- because without stars, the
movie won't get green lit.
And when the movie gets made -- it will make lots of money.
Concept -- immediately graspable.
Star castable.
When made -- will make lots of money.
That is what makes for a great script in Hollywood terms.
That is what everybody wants.
Write one of those and they will love you.
And if the movie you write is "The Godfather" or "Dumb and Dumber" --
from the perspective of Hollywood -- both great.
So What Now?
So let's say that you've finally produced such a script -- not a script
that's simply better than the latest piece of junk you've seen in the
theatre -- but a movie that's as good or better than the best thing
you've seen all year -- a script that is going to be able to compete
(as indeed, it will be competing) with the spec scripts that have been
written by the top professional screenwriters in Hollywood -- the ones
that make a million dollars a script and have won Academy Awards.
Because those guys also write spec screenplays and their agents are
going to be out there trying to sell them.
And then there's you -- and your screenplay.
So it had better be good.
So what do you do with it?
Clearly, the ultimate goal is to get it into the hands of those who are
interested in buying it.
So do you try and get yourself an agent or do you try and do it
yourself?
Regarding Agents:
Agents come in many different shapes, sizes, and varieties. However,
for your purposes -- that is, for the purposes of someone interested in
a career in screenwriting, there is only one kind that you should
consider working with professionally, under any circumstances.
That is an agent who is based in Los Angeles and who is a signatory of
the WGA Agent's Agreement.
If you ultimately become a professional screenwriter, you will end up
joining the Writer's Guild, and it is a requirement of the guild that
you be represented only by an agent that is a signatory of this
agreement. The agreement offers protections to writers who enter into
professional relationships with those agents.
In addition, there are laws in the State of California governing Agents
and Agencies that offer additional protections.
More importantly, Los Angeles is the heart of the U.S. Motion Picture
Industry. While production may occur all over the world, L.A. is where
the buyers of screenplays are based. Even if you live somewhere else
(I, for instance, live in Brooklyn) it is extremely important, if you
have an agent, for your agent to be where the buyers are.
Please Note -- legitimate agents and agencies do not advertise for
clients, do not charge clients up-front fees (opinions vary, but
personally, I don't think agents should charge clients any fees
whatsoever), do not recommend clients to "rewriting" or editing
services. If you run afoul of any such operation, you are not dealing
with an agent or agency -- but with scam artists.
Finding an Agent:
It should be understood going into this process that, while it is
possible for a beginning writer to find an agent, it is very difficult
indeed. Even writers who have firm offers, or who have had screenplays
optioned sometimes find very little interest in being represented.
The Guild List:
The Writer's Guild of America, East maintains a list of WGA signatory
Agents indicating which ones have expressed a willingness to review
material from unrepresented writers.
Go to www.wgaeast.org for an updated list of agents.
Some agencies will require that you register your script with the guild
before sending it -- information about script registration can also be
found at this site.
Registering copyright with the Library of Congress is also considered
to be a very good thing to do, for many reasons that I won't discuss
here.
You will be expected to send a query letter detailing the material that
you wish to submit.
You will always want to direct that letter to a specific agent, in the
event that the agency in question has more than a single agent.
If the guild list does not specify the names of the agents, you may
wish to consult the Hollywood Creative Directory.
This is an invaluable (if somewhat pricy) resource. It comes both in a
bound and on-line version and also has various directories, one for
Agencies, one for Producers and production companies, one for Actors,
Below-the-Line, etc.
You can get more pricing information at: http://www.hcdonline.com/
This resource can give you the names of individual agents at the
agencies in question. You might then want to do some on-line research
to find out what sort of projects and writers the particular agents
have been associated with in making your decisions as to who to
approach.
Very big agents have lots of clout -- but tend to handle very big
clients. For someone starting out, it may make more sense to approach
an agent who is lower down the ladder and thus more likely to both be
interested in a beginning writer and also looking to both build his own
career and, potentially, devote some time to yours.
Do not make multiple submissions to different agents at the same
agency.
Regarding your query letter -- the rules are simple.
Keep it short. Don't be self-deprecating. They'll deprecate you plenty
without your help. If you have any tangential qualifications that are
relevant -- if for instance, you've written a cop movie, and you're a
cop, or you've written a legal thriller and you're a lawyer, then
mention it. On the other hand, if you're written a comedy about
plumbing, and you're plumber -- don't bother.
If the script that you're submitting has won or placed any
*significant* screenwriting award -- like it was a Finalist on the
Nicholls -- then mention it. If it won the North Bay Grimpin
Screenwriting Annual -- forget about it.
Describe your screenplay in a sentence or two. And make sure that
they're damned good sentences -- because they will largely determine
whether or not they decide to read your screenplay.
Remember what I was saying about "immediately graspable concept?"
Well, now is your chance to demonstrate that you understood what I
meant -- because you now have two sentences to convey to somebody what
the truly brilliant -- and immediately graspable concept of your movie
is.
Can't do it in two sentences?
Try two words:
Daddy. Daycare.
Think it's a stupid movie? Maybe. But meanwhile, it's a movie that
tells you, in two words, exactly what it's about.
And it's a movie that got sold and got made.
Come up with two other words that can be put one in front of the other
than can accomplish the same thing and you'll be doing well.
Meanwhile, get to work on your two sentences.
Some other pieces of advice on your query letter:
Don't phrase your sentences like questions. It invites the reader to
give an answer you would not like.
Dear Agent X,
What be the result if the strongest man in the world was forced to
dress like a woman and go to work in a beauty salon?
Answer: Another crappy script.
It's hard to imagine any question phrased in this way that wouldn't
produce a similar mental answer on the part of somebody reading such a
query letter.
Why give them the opportunity?
Make sure your letter is, in every respect grammatically correct. Make
sure everything is spelled correctly.
Make doubly sure that you have spelled correctly the name of whomever
you are writing to, as well as the name of his organization.
Refer to only a single screenplay, not a laundry list. Choose your best
one. Your best shot. If they express interest in representing you, they
will ask you about other material. That is the time to bring out the
other screenplays. Not now.
No decorations. No pictures. Nothing cutesy. Don't try stunts. No doubt
you've heard accounts of how stunts and cutesy bullshit have worked.
Maybe they have -- once in a blue moon -- and when they do, they get in
the news. Well, when guys fall out of airplanes, plunge a thousand
feet, hit the ground, and live -- that also gets in the news. I
wouldn't recommend that either.
Two key things you want to convey.
One -- you can write at a professional level.
Two -- you have a great script that they want to read.
When you have conveyed those two things, it's time to say "Sincerely
yours".
A Better Way:
You will note, if you have perused the Writer's Guild list, that a
great many agencies either aren't looking for any new clients at all
(or so they say) or else will not even consider a new client that does
not come without a recommendation.
It is, by far, better to get your script into the hands of an agent by
way of an existing client or, even better, by way of a producer who
will say, "I've read this and I think it's great" than by way of a
query letter.
Now, the majority of us do not necessarily have such contacts handy and
your first instinct might very well be to dismiss the possibility of
getting yourself a recommendation to an agent.
You shouldn't be too quick to do this. What they say about the degrees
of separation to Kevin Bacon are applicable between any two people --
and you're not trying to connect to any one person -- but to a
population consisting of several hundred likely candidates.
While networking skills do not come naturally to everyone, they will
ultimately serve you well, whether you manage to connect to an agent or
not. The approach, inevitably, must consist of two tiers. The first
tier -- and it consists of asking everyone you know -- friends, family,
basically anyone that you would feel comfortable asking to make an
introduction -- if they know an agent. If the answer is yes -- you've
got your introduction.
Now, of course, an introduction to an agent isn't exactly the same as a
recommendation, but it means that you'll be able to either get on the
phone or get in the room with him -- and "get his advice."
That is the key. Because you don't go into such a meeting making it
seem as if the intention is simply to shove a script over the transom.
Rather, you are a beginning screenwriter -- he is a world-wise agent --
and you are looking for his wisdom and insights into the business --
and by the way, you have a screenplay. And if you play your cards right
and act like a half-decent human being, him agreeing to read your
screenplay will likely end up being part of that process.
But what happens if nobody you know knows an agent? Well then, you have
to move down a tier. Does anybody you know know anybody in the
business? Now, that is a much larger target. Now, instead of hundreds
of people, we're talking about potentially tens of thousands of
possible intersections.
If anybody you know knows anybody in the business -- a producer, a
publicist, a manager, a grip -- anybody -- ask them if they'll make an
introduction. Then go through the same process. Meet them, explain who
you are -- a beginning writer. You're trying to break in, you want to
learn all you can about the business. And do yourself a favor --
whoever you're introduced to, actually listen to what they have to say.
And in the course of that meeting, at some point, you'll ask *them* for
their advice -- is there anyone they know that they feel you could meet
or talk to that might be able to look at your screenplay. Depending on
who it is, they might know an agent, they might not. Maybe they know a
producer. Maybe they know a director. Who knows?
At any point in the process, you might get lucky and meet somebody
who'll read your script, love it, *and* know an agent. Or might read
it, hate it -- and it's a dead end. Back to square one.
Or it might get to an agent and he may hate it -- or you might go the
query route and you might send it to fifty agents -- and you might get
back five returns, and all of them say "no thank you" -- and you never
hear back from the other forty-five.
That happens too. All the time.
E-mail queries:
A number of people have gone this route. There have been some success
stories, but reports are varied. On the whole, you shouldn't presume
that the wonders of e-space will be apt to greatly increase your
chances of success over those offered by the traditional means of paper
and stamps.
The Promised Land:
But let us suppose that you manage, through networking, or through
querying, to reach an agent, and get your script read, and the agent
loves it and wants an opportunity to try to sell it.
Most likely, this will not immediately result in a deal to represent
*you* right off the bat. Instead, it is more likely that you will get a
"hip pocket" deal -- an agreement on the part of the agent to try to
sell that one script (essentially, in metaphorical terms, to carry it
around in his hip pocket on the off chance that somebody he bumps into
might be interested in buying it). If that script sells, it will lead
to bigger and better things. If it doesn't -- you're basically in
limbo, unless you can whip out another screenplay that he immediately
wants to try to sell.
But what is very important to understand is that getting an agent,
whether you have a hip pocket deal or are signed on as an official
client, is that, for beginning writers, unless you make a substantial
sale right up front, with the kind of industry heat that that will
bring -- getting an agent is not the sort of panacea that most writers
imagine it to be.
Quite simply, for agents, their time is their money. They need to
devote that limited coin of time in the best possible way -- and that
means devoting it to selling their most desired and highest paid
clients. That is how they make the most desirable ten percent -- that
is going to be the ten percent of the highest sales. And the easiest
ten percent -- because it will be ten percent of somebody that
everybody wants to hire.
Then there's you, that nobody has heard of. You with nothing produced.
You with nothing sold. You who, if he does manage to sell something of
yours, is likely going to sell for low money. And even that is going to
be hard to get. You and your script may have fans. After all, he is a
fan of yours, and there may be other execs in various places who are
fans of yours. But selling you, the great Unknown Quantity to the
people who will actually make the decision to buy your work is always
going to be an uphill battle.
And, for those of you who know your military history, most uphill
battles -- are lost.
That's not to say that agents are not sincere in their attempts to do
this. They are. But they cannot be irresponsible about it. They will
always devote the majority of their time and efforts to those efforts
that are going to reliably pay their bills. That's not you. Repping an
unsold beginning writer is, for an agent, like buying a lottery ticket.
Maybe the ticket will pay off big. Most likely it will not. But either
way, it simply can never be worth a major investment of time or effort
on their part up front.
In my experience, most writers strongly dislike the business of trying
to market their material. I know that I did. And so the prospect of
getting an agent is like reaching the promised land. Now, at last, all
you'll have to do is deal with your word processor, secure in the
knowledge that your Agent will be out their, working his or her little
fingers to the bone, selling your screenplay.
Don't kid yourself about this. Most likely, your agent will identify
likely producers for your screenplay when you make your initial
agreement. He will send it out. If there is no positive response to
that initial wave of submissions -- he's done. He's on to other things.
He's not trying to think of what else or where else or who else. Most
likely (and this is standard operating procedure) he has chosen one
producer -- one way in to each studio, and by way of each of those
producers, each studio has passed. So as far as he's concerned, it's
finished.
If you imagine that there are other options, other ways of getting that
script sold, guess what?
That's up to you.
And for beginning writers with agents many often come to a shocking
realization. They realize that, even with an agent, they find that they
still have to do a majority of the work of marketing their own
material.
Agents vs. Producers:
There is a feeling on the part of many writers that producers live in
impenetrable fortresses and that only agents (or writers that have
agents) have the keys.
If you don't have an agent you can't make a sale.
If you haven't made a sale, you can't get an agent.
Why -- it's a veritable Catch-22.
So the story goes.
It's not true.
You can get your screenplays into the hands of producers without having
an agent. You can get them read. You can sell them.
I know this because I and others have done it.
The Method:
Go for the Hollywood Creative Directory Producer's Guide.
Identify the companies that make movies similar to the kind of movie
that your screenplay is. That means, if you're making small dramatic
film, look for companies that make small dramatic films. If it's a
goofy comedy, look for companies that make those kinds of movies. It
*doesn't* mean that if you've written a movie about a killer snake that
you want to send it to a producer that's just released a movie about a
killer snake. They might actually be ill-disposed to make a second one
just like the one they just made.
Identify the name of the person you want to talk to. Generally this
will be the Director of Development or a "Creative Executive."
You always want to keep careful records as you move forward. Who you
have made contact with, when, what the result was, what the follow-up
is, when that follow-up is scheduled.
While you may achieve a certain success rate by querying through snail
mail or e-mail, using essentially the same format as I discussed above,
by far the best success rate you will achieve will come by way of the
telephone.
Why is this? There's a fairly pragmatic reason. It has to do with lines
of least resistance. Production executives generally have far more to
read than they know what to do with anyway. These are usually things
that they *have* to read. They don't have any choice. So if they have a
choice, they will usually choose not to do any more reading. So if they
get an e-mail asking them, in essence -- how will you like to add yet
another script to the stack -- what's the line of least resistance?
It's around five inches -- from where their finger is on the keyboard
to the delete key. And that extra reading is gone.
They get a letter suggesting that, maybe, they do some extra reading,
what is the line of least resistance? Generally it's from the top of
the desk to the paper-filled circular file directly under the desk.
On the other hand, once you've taken a call from somebody -- especially
if the person you're talking to is reasonably nice and engaging --
where is the line of least resistance then?
Unless the script that you're talking about gives them some immediate
out like, "I'm sorry, it sounds great but we simply don't do space
epics," -- which is something that will only happen if *you* have
failed to do your homework, the line of least resistance is always
going to be, "It sounds great, why don't you send it?"
That ends the call. That makes the person on the other end happy. It
makes the Exec seem like a nice guy. To do otherwise means potentially
getting into an argument, having to explain why potentially you don't
want to read the script. It makes the Exec come across like a bad guy.
And people who will happily throw your query letter in the garbage
don't want to come across as nasty people face to face (even face to
face over the phone).
Now, of course, if your script actually is lousy -- you're out of luck.
But if your script is lousy -- you're always going to be out of luck,
no matter how clever your strategies may be to get them read.
But if the script is great -- it will get read and it will get noticed.
The Big Trick:
Now when you call, you will find yourself confronted by an apparently
impenetrable barrier. But it is actually no such thing. Don't worry
about it. Because I will give you an easy and effective way to
penetrate it.
When you call a production company, you will speak first either to a
Receptionist who will ask who you want to talk to and when you tell
them, will then ask who you are and what your business is -- or else,
when you tell them who you want to talk to, will then put you through
to the Assistant of whoever you want to talk to and *they* ask who you
are and what your business is.
You will answer something along the lines of, "I'm So-and-So. I'm a
screenwriter and I want to talk to him about a screenplay I just
finished."
Now, comes the critical question. They will ask you, "Do you have an
agent?"
If you say, "No," and then pause -- you are doomed.
That's because the next thing you will hear is this:
"Oh, I'm sorry. We only take agented submissions. See you around,
chucklehead. Click."
What you need to say when you hear this question is the following --
with no pauses.
"No, but I usually submit my material by way of my attorney, if that
would be all right."
Far more often than not, you will that it will be all right. Even if
you don't have an agent, most companies -- even those companies who,
five seconds before would have happily blown you off and told you that
wouldn't accept anything that didn't come by way of an agent -- will
accept submissions by way of an attorney.
But only if you get the line out before you hear that blow-off line.
Once you hear those fatal words -- it's too late.
That's because the purpose of that "agents-only" restriction has
nothing, really, to do with any legal concerns -- although there are
some.
It is really a way to keep out people like you. That is, rank amateurs.
As it stands, most of the screenplays that development companies read
are lousy and will end up being rejected. And those are professional
screenplays written by professional writers.
If only one if fifty of those are worth buying, what (from their
perspective) are the odds of finding a buyable script from the slush
pile of amateur material written by people who've never even
demonstrated any professional ability at all? One in five hundred? One
in a thousand?
Development companies only have so many readers -- and they have to pay
those readers for every script that they read. They need some way to
keep out the junk.
That little phrase, "Do you have an agent?" -- however unfair it may
seem to the outsider, is an extremely effective method of keeping out
huge amounts of unreadable, unsaleable, unprofessional crap.
That's why they do it.
By referring to submitting by way of an attorney, you demonstrate that
you have some understanding of how things are done in the business --
that you are not a rank amateur. And thus, just maybe, you are not a
complete waste of their time.
And since you are, potentially, not a complete waste of their time,
they will put you through to the Executive that you asked to talk to.
Now, you're on.
Be nice. Sound sane. Be engaging. Don't lie. (All of these things, by
the way, are true when you are talking to the receptionist and the
Assistant, whose name you should make a point of remembering -- because
last month's assistant is next month's Exec -- and they remember who
was nice, and even more so, who wasn't). When you get down to business,
just as in the query, describe your project in no more than a few
sentences. Try not to stumble - even if it means rehearsing it ahead of
time -- but don't read it, because when you do, it always sounds as if
you're reading it.
Be ready to answer questions, but probably there won't be many
questions.
If they say no, don't argue. Thank them for their time. If the
conversation has been pleasant, you may take the opportunity to ask
them if they have any thoughts as to where you might take the project
-- and you will be surprised at how often they will be happy to give
you suggestions.
Remember -- it's hard to say no. Don't make it harder - because then,
they won't like you. And there's going to be another script -- and
potentially, a few months down the road, another call. Far better that
they remember a pleasant call -- even one that ended with a "no" --
than an unpleasant one.
And that's how the call -- one that ends with a "no" -- should always
end. "Well, I'm working on another screenplay. If you're open to it,
maybe you'd like to take a look at that one when I'm done."
If you've played your cards right -- especially since, having said "no"
to this one, they'll look for a kind of little consolation prize to
offer you, they'll say, "sure."
So now you have an open invitation to call back when you finish your
next script. Of course they may say "no" to that one too -- but that's
life.
What next?
Well, obviously - since, you said that you were going to submit by way
of your attorney -- you need an attorney.
Now, let's be very clear about this. *For purposes of submitting a
script only* -- any attorney with an office and some letterhead will
do. A family attorney, a friend that's an attorney. Pretty much any
attorney will do. Whoever did the will for your family, or handled the
sale of your house. Your cousin who's a lawyer.
It doesn't really matter -- so long as they have an office and some
letterhead.
Depending on how close a relationship you have with this lawyer, you
may have to pay him something to do this work -- but let's face it --
they're not doing very much.
All the letter will really say is:
As per your conversation with my client, "so and so" on such and such
a date, I'm submitting the enclosed screenplay "XYX" on his behalf.
Yours truly, John Jones, Esq.
And then they mail off the screenplay.
Some companies may ask, even if you're submitting through an attorney
(or sometimes instead of submitting through an attorney) to fill out a
release form. If so, they'll usually send one to you. Or they may
simply ask you to send them a standard release form. If so, you can
simply do a web search for "standard release form" -- they can be found
on-line at various places. Just download one and sign it and enclose
it.
If you are submitting the script directly, you want to enclose a cover
letter. Again, keep it short and sweet. Reference the phone
conversation. It was nice talking to you. As per your request, here's
the script. I hope you like it.
Follow Up:
When you send a screenplay, you can call within four to five days to a
week. You should ask to talk to the the *Assistant* of the person that
you talked to before. Again -- you want to make this person your friend
and ally.
The purpose of this call is, ostensibly, just to confirm that the
script has arrived. Really, of course, it's to make them remember who
you are, and to make them like you some more.
So again, be friendly, be engaging. And, hopefully, along the way, try
to get some sense of what the time frame (understanding, of course,
that your screenplay has a very low priority in the great scheme of
things) might be for when they might get a chance to look at your
script.
Figure if you haven't heard back in a month to six weeks, that it's a
silent pass. Mark it down as such (SP -- silent pass) in your records
and move on.
A Final Note on Attornies:
Now -- regarding attorneys -- while any attorney will do for purposes
of submitting material, in the event that you receive an offer to buy
or option your screenplay (and just to make the point clear, an offer
to option a screenplay *is* an offer to buy. The latter will include
all the terms for the purchase of the screenplay -- the only thing that
is not finalized is the actual purchase, which may or may not
ultimately happen)-- you must get yourself an attorney specializing in
entertainment law to negotiate the contract. Any old attorney will most
definitely *not* do.
You will find, however, that the average entertainment attorney doesn't
come cheap. You may have heard that many entertainment attorneys will
work on percentages rather than a retainer.
That doesn't apply to you. They won't make that deal with you --
because you haven't established yourself as a continuing earner.
You will have to pay a retainer, and that can be quite expensive. When
I had to do in 1988, the retainer ran to five grand. I would have to
assume that the base rate has not gone down in the intervening years.
However, there is an alternative. Most states have what is known as a
"Volunteer Counsel for the Arts" in which qualified lawyers provide
inexpensive legal services to members of the arts community.
If you cannot afford to hire an entertainment attorney and you find
yourself in need of such services, you should investigate whether or
not your state has such services. Your local bar association ought to
be able to advise you.
Copyright Neal Marshall Stevens 2005
Hammonds
G
MC
"Hammonds" <duckd...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> All Hail. Great contribution, Neal!
Excellent.
--
"Writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go."
--E L Doctorow
Alan Brooks
> ...
> Copyright Neal Marshall Stevens 2005
Egad, that's an amazing amount of material! You've just about written
the entire FAQ. Pardon my disappearing act for a few days while I try
to digest it, put some HTML tags around the text, and put it online.
Alan Brooks
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Schmuck with an Underwood
-- Yr lyl & obdnt prgmmr
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Important MWSM Documents ------------------
The MWS FAQ: http://www.online-communicator.com/faqs.html
Filtering Trolls: http://www.panix.com/~mwsm/trolls.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gene Harris
> Well, I just finished a spec, so I've got a little time on my hands --
> so here's a contribution to the mwsm FAQ.
>
> Just for the record, the following is authorized for use in the MWSM
> FAQ only -- I do not authorize it to be copied, reprinted or
> redistributed by anyone else or for any other purposes, whatsoever.
<snip of super post>
And just for the record, our favorite troll, Dr. Jay, has redistributed
it in its entirety on MWS -- along with many other posts from MWSM. This
seems to be his modus operandi of late.
Gene
MC
Gene Harris <gr8NO1...@comNOcastSPAM.net> wrote:
> And just for the record, our favorite troll, Dr. Jay, has redistributed
> it in its entirety on MWS -- along with many other posts from MWSM. This
> seems to be his modus operandi of late.
So if anyone replies to those reposts the replies will never show up
here.