by Ashley Scott Meyers on January 13, 2010
I got these questions recently:
“I’ve seen websites that recommend using the agents’ first name on the ‘Dear…’ line, and other websites where they discourage this? What do you think?
Is it better to send a self-addressed, stamped envelope or a self-addressed, stamped postcard? I’ve heard postcard and envelope. Is the trend more toward postcards? What’s your take?”
I usually write the first and last name and do NOT use the “Dear” part. For example:
Joe Smith; instead of Dear Joe Smith;
I think this is appropriate and professional. I think using just the first name is too casual considering you don’t know this person. Also, using my method with both a first and last name avoids the gender issue, so you don’t have to worry about getting the “Mr.”, “Ms.”, or “Mrs.” wrong.
I always use a self-addressed stamped postcard when mailing query letters. It’s easy and cheap for everyone involved. The producer can simply write a quick note on the back of it and drop it in the mail. With an envelope, even if it’s stamped, the producer still has to write a letter and stuff it in, which is a lot of work for a busy producer. In this day and age make sure that your email address is on your query letter and easy to find because I’ve found that in most cases a producer will simply drop me an email if they want to read my script even if I’ve included a self-addressed stamped postcard.
by Ashley Scott Meyers on January 6, 2010
Someone recently sent me this pitch for review:
Title: The Question
Logline: Random daily encounters lead a brilliant thirty-something to a different
perception of his body.
Synopsis:
What would you do if tomorrow you discovered that there is nothing in your head? If you could no longer put a sandwich in your mouth nor drink a glass of water? If your heart stopped beating? If you found that you are unable to die but all the people that you speak with won’t find anything out of the ordinary
in what is happening to you?
Matrix has shown us what can hide behind the word “reality”. The evolution of a certain idea can put the spotlight on the protagonist that gives meaning to our “reality”. We need only ask the following question: “why is our brain the most complex organ in the universe?”
To be honest I do not have a background very different to many of the others who send you their screenplay. I love to ask myself questions and, like in my story, I have tried to give a simple answer in an amusing and enjoyable way.
Well… it seems interesting but I don’t see a clear story line with a protagonist and a real thrust to an ending.
Your synopsis is very abstract and it needs to be concrete. For instance in your logline, I’m not sure what “a different perception of his body” means. We need to know who the protagonist is, who the antagonist is, what the central conflict is, and at least some idea about the resolution. A story, and especially a film, is about a journey with a beginning, middle, and ending. Those things aren’t clear in either your synopsis or your logline. But it should be clear in both.
I wouldn’t say this: “To be honest I do not have a background very different to many of the others who send you their screenplay.” Aside from the grammatical problems it doesn’t sound professional. What’s the point in telling a producer that you’re a novice? If there any upside to that? Act professional and you will be treated professionally.
You should check out my posts about Writing a screenplay logline and Writing a synopsis for your screenplay.
Good luck!
by Ashley Scott Meyers on December 29, 2009
I got this question recently:
“Hi there.
Do you think it’s worth it for a 20-year-old like me, to move from my country, Portugal, to Los Angeles or somewhere close, to follow the dream of writing screenplays?
I mean, if it’s a tough world to the American writers, isn’t it even tougher for a foreign boy to do well? Or if you’re really talented, it doesn’t matter?
I’d appreciate an honest answer, it’s very important to me.
Greetings from Portugal.”
It’s really a personal decision and I would never want to try and push someone in one direction or the other. It depends on how passionate you are about making your dream a reality balanced with how much you value time with your friends and family at home. There is no right answer.
It’s going to be very difficult to succeed as a screenwriter even if you have a lot of talent so if you’re not ready to work hard it’s probably not worth moving to Los Angeles.
I personally feel like Los Angeles is a great place to live and work, even if you’re not in the entertainment industry, so I don’t see a lot of downside to giving it a go even if it’s just for a few years.
I’ve written some posts about moving to and living in Los Angeles which you can read here:
http://www.sellingyourscreenplay.com/tag/living-in-los-angeles/
Especially these two articles:
Moving to Los Angeles and preparing for the long haul
Do you have to live in Los Angeles to be a screenwriter?
by Ashley Scott Meyers on December 23, 2009
I got this question recently:
“If you have no street credit in writing, much less Hollywood, but you think you got a great movie that can be made on the cheap and strike a nerve like Juno, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Little Miss Sunshine, etc., is it likely that a producer will accept paying you nothing and give you an option to take a few points out of the profits if you think you got something?
Or are writers too easily disposable to get that much of the cream unless you are a Seth Rogan level writer? If they are ready to option it, I’m assuming they like it enough to move forward and raise capital and pander to agents for actors? Would producers find that bravado intriguing or would it just turn them off because you are clueless to the reality of the industry?”
I can’t emphasize this enough: Take the money and run!
One thing that people outside of the industry fail to understand is that it doesn’t matter how great your script is, it’s highly unlikely that it will “hit a nerve” like Juno, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, or Little Miss Sunshine. There are so many moving parts when making a film that it’s impossible to predict how successful it will eventually turn out. Yes, a good script is a key ingredient to making a good film, but many good scripts have ended up terrible films. The producer or director might make changes to the script that, in your opinion, destroy it. The actors might not give the performances that you think they should. The budget can force the producer to rip entire sections of your script out. The weather can force changes to your story. The marketing of the film can miss completely and there won’t be anything you can do about it.
But the main problem with taking only backend pay is that you’ll probably never see a dime no matter how successful your movie is. Film accounting is a black box and costs for other films can be piled onto your film so that your film doesn’t actually show a profit. Some of the most “successful” movies of all time never made any money on paper. Forrest Gump was one such film. I think it was the writer, had some backend points on the film and the production company wouldn’t pay him because they claimed the movie didn’t actually make any money. He had to sue them.
Forrest Gump is an extreme example. Suppose your film is a modest hit and is made on a budget of $5 million and grosses $20 million at the box office. That’s a big hit but the production company and distributer will pile in all sorts of costs, some legit and some not so legit, and they’ll make sure the film never shows a profit on paper.
So unless you want a percent of nothing, make sure you get paid up front.
Also, a career in screenwriting isn’t about one film or one script. As the screenwriter of a successful film many doors will open up for you and your career will soar so don’t worry too much about how much money you’re going to make on your first script sale. Think long term.
Mainly, though, when you’re pitching your script either over the phone, in person, or in a query letter you don’t want to mention anything about payment – either backend or upfront. All you’re trying to do is get the producer to read your script. Once they like it, then you can begin to negotiate the terms of your payment.
by Ashley Scott Meyers on December 16, 2009
I got this question recently:
“I let industry pros read my work. They always say I’m a good writer and that they enjoy reading my work, but they never offer to option. Am I doing something wrong? If the work is good, why not? Or is that a nice way of saying your work sucks?”
Without knowing who you submitted to and what you’re relationship to them is, it’s hard to know exactly what the response really means.
In general I would say that most of the time when a producer says they think you’re a good writer and enjoy your writing you should take them at their word and assume they mean what they say – in most cases they will.
When sending out cold query letters, in my experience the producers who thought I was a hack usually offered no response at all. If a producer takes the time to respond to a cold submission and says they liked the writing it usually means they liked the writing.
When I make a submission to a producer who I have at least a little bit of a relationship with (or my agent / manager does) and a non-response isn’t going to work for them I’ve found that the response is not always as straight forward or easy to read. Sometimes they will say they liked the writing even when they didn’t just to be polite.
If you’re wondering why they don’t want to option the script I would recommend simply asking them. You’ll probably learn something quite valuable. If your follow up question is ignored don’t worry about it and move on. But in many cases if the producer really does think your material has merit they probably will offer some valid reasons why they don’t want to option it.
If a producer gives you a positive response but doesn’t want to option the script make sure you add them to your list of industry contacts. Whenever you finish a new script they should be the first people you approach since you already have a relationship with them and they’ve been positive about your writing. If they show no interest in any of your future projects then it’s a safe bet that they were just being polite.
One thing to keep in mind is that there are a lot of good scripts out there that may not be marketable or may not be in the producer’s wheelhouse of what he/she can actually get produced. If a producer has made nothing but low budget action movies it really doesn’t matter how good your broad comedy script is, they simply can’t use it.
by Ashley Scott Meyers on December 11, 2009
“The Black List” is an annual list of the most popular unproduced screenplays as voted on by Hollywood insiders. If you haven’t heard about it /film did a good write up and listed the screenplays for 2008 here: http://www.slashfilm.com/2008/12/10/the-2008-black-list-the-hottest-unproduced-screenplays-of-2008/
The people who put The Black List together have set up an official website which can be found here: http://www.blcklst.com/
You can download the lists for the different years (including this years winners) in PDF format by going here: http://www.blcklst.com/tbl/list/
As a screenwriter it’s very interesting to dig into these scripts and have a look at what’s considered “popular” by industry insiders. You can find all of these scripts available for download here:
2008 The Black List Screenplays
2009 The Black List Screenplays
As the top entry on the 2008 list I started to read The Beaver by Kyle Killen. Mel Gibson is starring in it and it should be released next year. What’s interesting about this script to me is that while it’s very well written (Killen clearly knows about depression) it’s not a mainstream Hollywood film and I can’t see it doing any business at the box office. If it was a low budget indy-film starring Philip Seymour Hoffman it would probably win some academy awards but with Mel Gibson as it’s lead I doubt anyone will see it. I look forward to following this film through next year.
This is a great resource for any screenwriter and you should check out as many of these scripts as you can.
by Ashley Scott Meyers on December 9, 2009
I got this email recently:
I read your How to Sell Your Screenplay (in a nutshell) post, then sent out three (email) queries, and got a response from a major production company, asking me to forward the script. I did, and received an email from the head of that company, asking me to send him a pdf version so he could “show it to a director.” I did, and now am waiting for feedback from “the director.” Do I need an agent? I’m a lawyer-turned-college English professor, and really have zero experience with “the biz” – just wrote a script on a lark one summer – between semesters. What do I do NOW? I was expecting the classic “four out of 100″ query response rate – so wasn’t expecting to have to think about how to negotiate with or even interact with a “big name” producer – until after AT LEAST 97 more queries. 
That’s certainly an impressive response rate – 33%!!! I’ve never heard of one that’s better than that. My inclination is to keep sending it out while you’re waiting for the director to get back to you. If your query letter and script really are strong (which it sounds like they are) then you might as well keep sending it out and try and find the best deal you can. Most importantly, though, keep writing. Start writing another script today, not tomorrow, not this weekend, immediately, right after you get done reading this email. I’m not kidding. The best thing you can do for your writing career is to keep writing. Keep in mind, even if the director loves your script and even if the “name” producer options it from you that doesn’t mean your script will ever get made. The best producers in the business are working on lots of projects and only a small percentage of them will ever make it to production. So as a writer that means you too must have lots of different projects going in order to get one or two into production. The worst thing you can do is sit back and wait for them to get back to you.
So to re-cap…
#1. Continue to send out your query letter and script (until someone has officially optioned it from you).
#2 Continue to write more scripts.
I’m a big believer in trying to push forward on many different angles so trying to get an agent is probably a fine idea. The trap that many writers fall into, and why I wrote this post “How do you get an agent for your screenplay? (And why you don’t need one!)” (http://www.sellingyourscreenplay.com/screenwriting-faq/how-do-you-get-an-agent-for-your-screenplay-and-why-you-don%E2%80%99t-need-one/) is that many writers feel like once they have an agent they no longer need to try and sell their own material. That’s not the case at all. In most cases you can and should still be trying to network and sell your scripts yourself even once you have an agent.
The problem you face now is that it’s going to be very hard to get a “good” agent so my inclination would be to wait and see what happens with this production company. But again, if you have the time and want to send out query letters (or cold call agents) it might be worth a shot. But don’t do this instead of sending out more query letters to production companies, do this while you’re sending out query letters to production companies. And don’t get discouraged if you don’t land a top agent and be very weary of low level agents who have never sold a script before. They won’t do you much good.
Specific to this project, if the production company presents you with a contract to option the script find a good entertainment lawyer and pay them their fee. A good entertainment lawyer should be able to help you negotiate a good contract. Just make sure they have experience with screen writing contracts.
Good luck and please let me know as things progress with your project. Hearing stories of how people have used my blog to find success makes me smile.
Ashley
by Ashley Scott Meyers on December 2, 2009
I recently sold a spec script called Rushlights (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1536437/). Rushlights is being produced and directed by Antoni Stutz. It stars Josh Henderson, Haley Webb, Aidan Quinn, and Beau Bridges.
Rushlights is a film noir story about a down on his luck guy who tries to steal an inheritance by getting his girlfriend to pose as the dead guy’s long lost granddaughter. The protagonist gets knocked around the whole story always getting dangerously close to being exposed but he plugs away, and keeps plugging, and doesn’t stop until there’s nothing left.
I optioned Rushlights to Antoni years ago and he plugged away, too, trying to get the film financed. I can’t help but notice the parallel between the film’s protagonist and Antoni. Getting an independent film financed is incredibly hard – mainly because it’s such a risky venture – but Antoni never gave up and I congratulate him for persevering, getting funding and being able to realize his vision.
In hindsight I think I was smart to write a story about a guy who wouldn’t give up even in the face of overwhelming odds because that’s the sort of person a movie needs to get made and it’s the sort of person that was attracted to this story. I optioned the script several times before I met Antoni and all the people who liked it were dogged as hell. If you write a story about a bunch of goof-ball stoners it might be hilarious but if that’s the sort of person who comes on board to produce it you’ve got big problems.
I sold this script using exactly the tactics I talk about in my How to Sell Your Screenplay (in a nutshell). There was nothing more than sending the script out (a lot) and finally optioning it to someone and then waiting a long time. Antoni placed an ad in one of the trade magazines, either the Hollywood Reporter or Daily Variety. I don’t remember which one. I responded to his ad, he responded to my query letter, I sent him the script and we met at the Chateau Marmont in Hollywood. He basically liked the script although he did do some re-writing to it over the years.
Inheritance (which was my original title for the script) was the sixth script I wrote and probably the second script that was coherent enough to actually be turned into a half-way decent film. So while I’ve had other scripts produced, this one is my earliest script to actually make it to production and it probably always will be because I doubt any of my earlier work will ever see the light of day (thank God!).
Look for Rushlights to be released sometime next year. I hope it turns out well.
by Ashley Scott Meyers on November 25, 2009
A big congratulation goes out to the winners of the 2010 SellingYourScreenplay.com screenplay competition. Competition was fierce as we had hundreds of entries. Unfortunately everyone can’t be a winner. Please remember that writing is very subjective and just because one of our judges didn’t move your script to the next level doesn’t mean that it’s not “good,” it simply means it didn’t resonate with that particular judge.
Listed below are the winners of this year’s competition.
Grand Prize Winners (listed in alphabetical order)
Casimir Effect by Gabriel Strange & Lydia Wood
Logline: Alice has a choice to make, stay with her true love and risk the collapse of the space time continuum, or take drastic measures to ensure all of creation isn’t erased.
Needle Park, Texas by James W. Price
Loglin: Junkies are taking over a small, Texas town. Only a dentist, a bartender, and a Vietnam veteran have the guts to stop them.
Finalists (listed in alphabetical order)
Becoming My Mother by Kevin E. Curry and Kathleen A. Curry
Logline: BECOMING MY MOTHER is the story of April Hobson, a successful, young businesswoman who has her life turned upside down when her mother’s death forces her to face the unknown and take on her mother’s family duties. BECOMING MY MOTHER is about discovering who you are and not letting others, especially your family, define you.
Mid-Life Comedy by Roy Hasslup
Logline: When a manager at a local seafood restaurant hits mid-life comedy ensues as he cheats on his wife, embezzles from the restaurant, and becomes involved in illegal seafood smuggling ring. Damn those oysters smell bad!
by Ashley Scott Meyers on November 11, 2009
I got this question recently:
“I’m trying to seek advice on registering my screenplay. I live in Australia and have just completed a first draft. The story is based in the US and will be targeted at the US market. I believe WGA registration is okay for non US citizens but what about the US Copyright Office? Is that valid for non US citizens as well?”
I’m really not an expert in this area so you might want to do your own research. In general I think both the WGA and the US Copyright office will work for you even though you don’t live in the U.S. In your case I would use both. Use the WGA online registration form. That way you’ll immediately have a WGA number and won’t have to wait around for the US Copyright office to get back to you. In my experience the US Copyright office has taken 6 months or more to get back to me – and I live in the US – so it might be a long while before you hear anything out of them.
Having a copyright or WGA registration number for your screenplay is only a formal way of establishing when you completed your script. Even without it people are still not allowed to steal your stories and ideas.
As with all legal matters, I highly encourage you to consult with an entertainment lawyer if you have any legal questions.
