I know this might be jumping ahead for some people, but I thought I would start off with a few ideas on how to find producers to submit your screenplay. As much work as you do on creating your screenplay, you have to spend just as much marketing it.
When I first started out everyone said you have to get an agent to sell a screenplay. The mantra was "no agent no sale". Then you find most agents aren't interested in you unless you've had a sale. Catch - 22: Can't sell a screenplay without an agent and can't get an agent without a sale.
After sending out dozens of query letters to agencies and getting very few requests, I decided to start contacting the producers myself. You have to be proactive with your screenwriting hobby, because until you get a check that's what it is. The saying is "it takes ten years to become an overnight success in Hollywood". And it can take even longer than that if you're not treating your hobby like a job.
So, where to begin? The first thing is make sure the screenplay is the best damn thing you can make it. Make friends, relatives, postmen read it. Get feedback. Find what works and what doesn't work. Better to find out from Uncle Charlie then a producer with dozens of credit and little time to nurture your budding talent.
Accept the criticism and learn from it. Don't get mad. Remember these people are taking time out of their lives to read your story. Make it entertaining as possible. But listen to what they have to say. With that said, there are professional readers and script coverage services that will critique your story for a price. A new screenplay has one shot to impress then it's covered. And that coverage goes into a database and is shared among other production companies. Bad coverage will sink your screenplay. So, again make it the best damn screenplay you can.
Now, places to look to submit your screenplay. First place to start is The Internet Movie Database. Here you can enter a list of movies similiar in genre to what you've written. There you can find a list of production companies and producers who make the type of films that you're writing. Another excellent place is Done Deal which list the screenplays sold and who bought them and even the agent that brokered the deal. And many times through search engines like Google you can find their address and contact information. Also, if you're willing to spend some money on your hobby, and you will, The Hollywood Creative Directory is like a bible of production companies containing contact info and list of credits.
So, here are some ideas and places to start. Next I will focus on that marketing tool known as the query letter.
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5 comments:
I would also suggest that you make sure the prod companies you target are open to that - sometimes an unsolicited contact can turn them off as much as bad coverage.
And just a quick caution with IMDB - IMDB is not everything the general public thinks it is.
Couple of years ago HR did a report on its accuracy. Of the 100 random things they checked 38 of them had errors.
So it's only about 60% accurate. I believe it's even less. Mine own listing is full of errors as are the listings of several friends of mine in the business.
thanks for the input. Yes, it's very important to do your homework on a production company before you send a query.
Mark
I have always been wary about letting too many strangers read my work, I know stealing ideas doesn't happen that often, but why increase the odds? If you register the script right away (that won't include all the rewrites and changes right, but does the basic core idea you register still hold up?)
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