Manager VS Agent

[cekoya]

Hello everyone,

I have sent out my screenplay to various agents who came back to me with roughly the same comment: "We like your concept!" However, no one is willing to represent me yet.

I followed their advise and made the following changes:
1) Each character has now its own voice.
2) Clearer structure
3) Shortened the dialogues
4) Cut uncessary scenes

The script is 97 pages but intended for an animated feature film. Now, would you say a manager might be more willing to help me or invest his/her time and guidance rather than an agent who sees only his 10% commission?

Thank you.

[icerose]

There is one other post where Joe discusses the differences between them. Here is his quote.

Managers manages your career. He has contacts or makes contacts with agents and producers and introduces you to them. He almost always has fewer clients than an agent and can give you more time as such. He is a mentor to bounce ideas off of and see if they are marketable. They know a lot of the little fish (producers) and troll for contacts where ever they can find them. Managers also look for writing assigments and other money making oportunities. The take anywhere from 5% to 15%, usually 10%

Agents manage your work. He/she takes your individual scripts and gets them to the right people. Agents, especially larger ones, tend to have more studio connections and tend to also rep actors, directors as well which is a bigger contact list to get your workout there. Some do read your WIP and advise but most do not have timeor inclination to do so, unless your really established and have a relationship. They do and can negotiate a contract for you. They get 10% by law.

Laywers negotiate the contract. Some have connections and can get your work out there. None will mentor your your career as far as I know. Some work on an hourly rate ($100 to $300 and hour with the avarage contract costing you anywhere from a couple of hundred to a few thousand) some and/or take a percentage, usually around 10%

There's much more to this, but this is a generalized explaination.

It might help you decide in what you are looking for and he is far more experiences than I to try and explain it.

Here is the link to the whole thread.

http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16651

[cekoya]

Hello IceRose and thank you for your reply... And thank you Joe for the existing thread. Well, if I understand, the manager can take between 5 to 15% of the money I could make by selling my script. However, if the manager gets to introduce the script to an agent who also charges 10%, does it mean that I need to share 20% of the total sale I could make from my script?

Thanks

[NikeeGoddess]

animated spec are the absolute most difficult scripts to sell. no one buys these scripts. they hire animators and they (like Disney) usually have several staffers already on their payroll. i've never attempted animation so i can't really give you good advice; only what i've heard from actual industry folks. do some research on this.

also - getting an agent isn't easy. it's like getting a job/catch-22: you need to convince them that you will have continued success with a marketable career throughout your contract with them. ie - if you have a 2 yr contract and only 1 script to sell then what are they going to do with you after they sell that 1?! wait for you to write another?! no, you cannot attract an agent by being a "one-hit wonder". keep writing!

[cekoya]

animated spec are the absolute most difficult scripts to sell. no one buys these scripts. they hire animators and they (like Disney) usually have several staffers already on their payroll. i've never attempted animation so i can't really give you good advice; only what i've heard from actual industry folks. do some research on this.

also - getting an agent isn't easy. it's like getting a job/catch-22: you need to convince them that you will have continued success with a marketable career throughout your contract with them. ie - if you have a 2 yr contract and only 1 script to sell then what are they going to do with you after they sell that 1?! wait for you to write another?! no, you cannot attract an agent by being a "one-hit wonder". keep writing!

Thank you Nikee for your input but I don't write a screenplay because I know it's hard to sell but because that's the way I wanted to write my story, writing with my heart and all that. Well, I knew it was hard to sell a script, animation or not and getting an agent or a manager is also hard. Nothing comes easy in life. However, I am not at my first script. I have completed 3 screenplays so far and I am a published journalist. I have some background, after all.
No one said I had only one script to sell and I would not expect to take a chance on me. Writing dozens of screenplays might be the way for some because they like to write. I like to write too but I also like to get my work recognized by others. On a sale point of view, perseverance is my motto and I won't give up pitching my script around to get an agent or a manager.

[icerose]

Hmmm, perhaps if you posted your rejection letter, your pitch and such we would be better equiped to help. Since we are trying to answer a broad question. If we see the specifics of the case perhaps some of the more experienced writers here can help you figure out what you could do and such.

[NikeeGoddess]

an experienced writer you may be but, with all that advice (on your 4th script) given by potential agents it should be obvious that your scriptwriting still needs a lot of work. most of them don't care that you're a journalist. it's the script that matters. you could be a janitor with no education but, if your script is hot then they'll come a knockin' ;)

and i wasn't just saying animation is hard to sell. they're all hard to sell, nearly impossible. i was saying that the process for animation is different. just like writing for tv is different. ie. no one buys tv scripts. they hire writers. and there are specific sites for tv writers as opposed to feature writers so, i'm guessing there must be some for animation writers as well. so you can do some marketing research.

also agents and managers are many times very specific for the kind of material they're looking for. you need to target those who will work with an animation project since there is such a tiny market for it.

[cekoya]

Hello everyone,

Sorry for not replying sooner but I had to get some sleep...
Well, my last screenplay is the first script I submitted to an agent. I did not bother with the ohers yet as I have much more faith in this story. Despite the difficulties behind it, I still get great feedback from the actual concept, which is nice to hear but not enough to sell yet, I suppose.

I have the contacts in the journalism branch but none in the Hollywood Industry. I started from scratch in Montreal and will do the same in Vancouver once I move there. I don't rush things and I prefer to be patient in anything I do. It usually pays off. However, I always tend to prioritize.

Here's what the agent said during my first submission:
"Although I really liked your script concept, the partner who looked at your script did not respond well to it. I'm sorry but were going to have to pass on representation and I wanted to thank you for your time and submission."

I then called the agent directly to know what was going on when he was so thrilled by it at first. He kept saying to me: Your script is on the fast track and all that and then this. He replied to me that his partner thought the dialogues were too stiffed, not enough action, liked the concept too but did not asked me to rewrite it. I followed the agent's advice anyway and came up with a much better result, which is fantastic.

I am confident enough to succeed as I am not the kind of person to give up and I am lucky enough to usually meet the right people. So, we'll see. Time will tell after all.

I even thought of producing the screenplay by myself but as I never won any awards in my life (unlike Blue Sky Studios), I can't really attract anybody in Hollywood with my pitch if I don't have the contacts. I am being realistic. Selling animated movies is hard, yes, almost impossible, yes. It's all part of the game to test the market and see where we can go. I don't tend to listen to negative (or so called realistic) opinions as the word impossible is not part of my concept. I have come across many impossible situations in my life and always managed to deal with it, adjusting to my environment and learn from my mistakes. Trying to sell an animated screenplay is not a mistake, it's called a challenge, a possible challenge.

[icerose]

So if that agent was that thrilled, why not send it back to him. Perhaps the re-write will thrill his partner. I say its worth a shot. (I have little experience so take my advise as is). But if it were me, I would send it back and tell them you have worked it over and revised it and was willing if you and your partner would be willing to take a second look at it.

Good luck. :)

[JustinoXXV]

Cekoya, you're already ahead of most people here in having agents read your work, and give you this kind of feedback.

Why not have an industro pro review your work (a script consultant perhaps), brush it up again, and then call this agent back to tell him of your improvements?

Perhaps they'll both be impressed.

[cekoya]

I have also received an email from an agent specialized in Animation today and replied to her email. I have sent her the plot of my story and she replied this:

"Sounds interesting.Tell me more about you and your background."

Why would she be interested in my background if she likes the story line?

[NikeeGoddess]

Why would she be interested in my background if she likes the story line?

you need to convince them that you will have continued success with a marketable career throughout your contract with them.

this statement i made earlier is part of the reason. if she were a producer she might not care so much b/c producers only* want your script; an agent wants YOU. so you have to sell yourself just as much as your script b/c they'll need to sign a contract with you and they'll have to WANT to work with you.

*this is not altogether true. if a producer purchases your script which will need rewrites (and they all do) then you have to sell yourself to them as well. they must know that you're willing to work with them and give them what they want in the rewriting stages. however, if they plan to purchase your script and hire another writer to rewrite it then you can smell bad and it won't matter so much ;)

[cekoya]

To make it short but nice, this is what I have replied.

"I live in Quebec where I work as a freelance journalist,
using the knowledge I acquired at University. My articles have appeared in National magazines, local newspapers and online magazines.

The positive aspect of being a writer is the feeling of being able to
write from anywhere. I am moving to Vancouver Island, B.C. in September in the hope of writing full time, as well as building up connections in the film industry.

If you would like to read my screenplay, I could send it to you in PDF
format as soon as possible."

[icerose]

Good luck! I hope they ask for more.

[WritingFool]

They want to get a feel about you, your accomplishments and your writing style, to if you have the potential they're looking for.
Would anyone else agree that perhaps sending them a few of your published works might be a good idea? I would.

Good Luck with it either way.

[NikeeGoddess]

also, you could include what motivated and inspired you to write this particular script. this is especially nice if you're writing from first hand experience....the "write what you know" approach.

[cekoya]

Well, thank you all for your nice comments. I would have had plenty to choose from if I did not already send my reply.

My writing experience is in french though, so I can't really send the agent some examples if the person is not truly bilingual.

The reason why I wrote my screenplay was because I thought the subject was original, of course, and also contemporary, close to exisiting political or scientific issues that exist in the World. However, you can only see those themes by reading between the lines, nothing too political or too boring for the audience, hopefully.

I also would like to direct one day as I find it easy to picture and to describe what I am writing, which is a good thing, I suppose. My screenplay helped me to pursue a continuous dream.

[NikeeGoddess]

The reason why I wrote my screenplay was because I thought the subject was original, of course, and also contemporary, close to exisiting political or scientific issues that exist in the World.

so save this for a face to face meeting......... but, its so dry and boring. where is the passion in your answer. what exciting you and why were you so desperate to write about it? that's what i'm talking about. if you can light up about the idea then they can too.

[cekoya]

Hi everyone,

I have sent this email to the agent who liked my concept. As I did not hear from her in 2 days (and I know it's short), I have sent her my screenplay on a PDF format anyway. She would have asked for it anyway. If she did not want to receive it, well, she can just delete it and send me an email of disapproval. I've got nothing to lose.

"Hello Ms. X,

As you believed the concept of my story was interesting, I am sending you the whole screenplay as a PDF. If you would read some pages to get an idea of my writing style and/or my ability to write original materials, maybe you could ask me to send you an hard copy by mail to read the rest as it might be difficult for you to read 97 pages from a computer?

I can't wait to receive your feedback on this.

Best Regards,

XXX"

Now, we have to wait and see. But I just could not just stay there and wait for her to ask for my screenplay. At least we would know more soon, hopefully. Otherwise, I can just and try to get a more aggressive agent who is willing to invest his/her time in my material instead of wasting it with a busy person who can't be bothered to read new materials.

[NikeeGoddess]

[[[the NikeeGoddess just shakes her head]]]

[WritingFool]

Well...I must admit Im shaking my head and feeling for you there Cekoya.

The damage is done, and we can only hope the beginning and the overall concept is so thought provoking they will further continue communicating with you. Hey, funnier things have happened, so theres always hope.

Hey, you live and you learn.
The next time an agent is requesting your stuff, SEND IT!
Dont give them a part, dont make them have to work to see your story.

Good luck all the same

[cekoya]

Hello everyone,

Well, at the end, I am in a much better state of mind since I received this email from the agent: :partyguy:

"Hi - I'm out of town for another week. Will look at in about a week."

Now, she's got my script and got a response quickly. That's all I needed. So, you can stop shaking your heads, guys. :banana:Thank you for your concern anyway but as I have been telling you before, working in the journalism field involves taking risks and go away from etiquette sometimes when needed. I had a good feeling about this and followed my instincts. However, I would not do it in normal circumstances. I knew the agent was either out of town or too busy to read my email and that's why she did not respond but at least, I know where to stand now.