General Discussion : Script Writing

[Jehan]

If you have a quality script you can easily get it purchased.

Easily is the worst word for the adventure of selling a script.

i assure you there are thousands of agents who would love to read your script and each and everyone of them hope it's as great/amazing as you may believe; in which case they can help pass it along and get a slice of the pie.

You probably know that, but let's make it clear for the rest: the agents get around 10% of everything they sell, meaning that if they sell your script to a studio or sell a spec to tv or even find you some job for some series/whatever they get those 10%. But first they have to read you script (or log-line/synopsis/blahblah) among the pile of thousands of scripts they get. Everyone thinks he's got some amazing idea for a movie and that they can be writers and know everything there is to know about writing for the screen.

Spoiler: show

They mostly don't.

And they're read by some assistant. So if that assistant, by some miracle, find your writing exceptional and actually say some good word about it to the guy in charge in the agency, they might just invite you to a meeting or, if sweet baby Jesus is in a good mood, actually buy the script. Then it's another odyssey (for them, this time) to sell that script to a studio, get some producer interested to green-lit the project.

Roughly the chances of that happening (if you have an amazing script, written professionally) are bellow 0,0001%, I'd say. Go for it.

[ShogunRua]

Amusingly though, most scripts that are made into feature films absolutely suck.

I had an amateur screenwriter friend with a few small films he had written for on IMDB, and he would send me scripts for movies long before their release. (In some cases, over a year)

Of the 100 or so that I read through, precisely 2 were pretty good. One was Aja's "Mirrors".

The other was hilarious, since it looked like it was written by a fucking 7 year-old, with horrific grammar and basic words misspelled, including "that", "their", etc. However, it was good despite this, being "Inglourious Basterds".

[ayall]

If you have a quality script you can easily get it purchased.

Easily is the worst word for the adventure of selling a script.

i assure you there are thousands of agents who would love to read your script and each and everyone of them hope it's as great/amazing as you may believe; in which case they can help pass it along and get a slice of the pie.

You probably know that, but let's make it clear for the rest: the agents get around 10% of everything they sell, meaning that if they sell your script to a studio or sell a spec to tv or even find you some job for some series/whatever they get those 10%. But first they have to read you script (or log-line/synopsis/blahblah) among the pile of thousands of scripts they get. Everyone thinks he's got some amazing idea for a movie and that they can be writers and know everything there is to know about writing for the screen.

Spoiler: show

They mostly don't.

And they're read by some assistant. So if that assistant, by some miracle, find your writing exceptional and actually say some good word about it to the guy in charge in the agency, they might just invite you to a meeting or, if sweet baby Jesus is in a good mood, actually buy the script. Then it's another odyssey (for them, this time) to sell that script to a studio, get some producer interested to green-lit the project.

Roughly the chances of that happening (if you have an amazing script, written professionally) are bellow 0,0001%, I'd say. Go for it.

Well, perhaps "easy" is a little optimistic but only that's only because there is so much crap out there.

Like you pointed out, there are tons of agents and assistance who gobble these scripts down like made crazy, and my point was that if OPs script is really all that - it will likely be read, and if it makes an impression, it'll get bought.

[ayall]

The other was hilarious, since it looked like it was written by a fucking 7 year-old, with horrific grammar and basic words misspelled, including "that", "their", etc. However, it was good despite this, being "Inglourious Basterds".

Just re-watched this last night actually, one of my favorite movies... well written and directed!

[Zozan]

Thanks for all the comments. I think I will make a shot at it.

Not becouse I believe that somebody will be interested in what I wrote but becouse I hate my line of work and I should be doing something about it or... I dont know.. Just this direction I am going.. Is not what I want.. So I gotta be making some attempts at changing it. Even if it doesnt change, attempts should occupy me for a while.

[jnmovie]

Let us assume I came up with a very good script. And if it was shot, it would definitely generate good income for the producers. This, we are assuming for the sake of argument.

For a guy who is working in a bank with no no contacts in the movie business, is it possible to make some money out of this?

Who does one contact? Producers? Directors?

What are the odds that these guys are gonna read the script?

Networking is definitely key. The first thing you'd want to do is get an agent to represent your work. The best way to get your work shopped around to potential buyers is by doing it this way, and it's important to remember that your agent won't make any money unless he earns you some. An agent is essential. Aside from good representation, submitting to screenwriting festivals is a good way to earn respect, network, and actually earn money from your screenplay even if it doesn't get made. More often than not, a screenplay will get bought, then never even get made into a film. Here's a good website for reference on both national and international screenwriting competitions, as well as an incredible website for finding film festivals: https://www.withoutabox.com/

Another good website too...

http://www.wga.org/

As for your question on the odds of having directors/producers read your script....

Well, it depends on how you're trying to shop it. For independent directors/producers (you may know them or have made some direct connection by chance or persistence), it's highly likely that they'll be reading the scripts they receive, but, as for Hollywood studios, about 99.99% of the time directors/producers will never even see the slightest thing in your script. That is all seen and done by interns doing what is called script coverage. Yes, the success of your script could quite possibly be in the hands of an intern...this is because the amount of script these studios see is unbelievably daunting. Although, all it takes is one good comment for a producer/director to have it sent to their personal secretary, and from there, the script makes its way up the hierarchy of people deciding whether or not it's good. Due to this fact alone, scripts that often make their way up have a very catching opening ten pages...because if you dont hook them early...it's getting tossed in the trash so they don't waste their time.

[Timmer]

Yup, interns.

Imagine someone who wants to be a producer or director but isn't, but managed to at least become an intern. Their job is a desk stacked with about 500 screenplays from people like you (no offense) who each think theirs is "great". A certain number aren't in the industry standard format (and it is VERY exacting). These get tossed in the trash immediately. Another batch are under 100 pages, or over, say, 180 pages. These very likely are tossed in the trash as well since the studio is looking for films that run from 100-120 minutes as it is the perfect length for profit, and in the industry standard format, one page of screenplay averages out to one minute of screen time. Roughly.

Next, the intern will likely barely skim anything that sounds like shit, in other words it has a dumb title. So "Screaming Teenagers In Bikinis" will get instantly tossed by anyone but a Troma-type group. And finally, after all of that, the intern will attempt to read the first 5-10 pages of the remaining scripts. If they don't feel a "wow" sensation from those first 5-10 pages, the script is tossed.

Only those that can pass each of those tests are even read in their entirety. By an intern. But even then, if after awhile, cliches start turning up, or bad dialogue or anything that feels like crap to the intern, the screenplay is still tossed. And anything they actually don't toss they send to a next-in-line guy or gal, who then applies a more critical eye to it, and by critical I mean "could this make us a decent profit"?

All of that said.... go for it! I'm working on one as well and hey, why not? Not EVERYONE who thinks their screenplay is great can be wrong right? I mean, I know *I'M* not wrong, so maybe you aren't either! Either get an agent and hope to hell they can steer your work into the right hands, or if you want to go it alone, get a whole lot of professionally printed and bound copies off to the studios (there are resources for where to send them, etc.). But... then return to your job that you hate, my friend, because no matter HOW good your screenplay may actually be? Chances are, its greatness won't be noticed, anyway. If you think the interns in Hollywood have a good eye for winning screenplays, go see all ten of the top grossing Hollywood films on any given week. Chances are, you'll agree that 9 of them are horrid.

Go back to work, and when ready, start work on a second one! That's the dream, buddy

[ayall]

^I like this guy!

[ShogunRua]

^I like this guy!

Me too! If I wanted to get my script made into a movie, I would take a very different approach than the one made above.

That being said, as accurate and amusing as the post was, it did forget to reinforce just how fucking stupid and inept said interns AND Hollywood execs are.

[sebby]

What are the odds that these guys are gonna read the script?

0%

If you're trying to say that PTA never read A One-Armed Lesbian Grandmother in Vermillion when I sent it to him, you sir are incorrect. He just hasn't gotten around to filming it yet. Keep an eye out.