heard of scriptblaster.com?

Pryce

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Does anyone have any feedback about scriptblaster.com? The site claims it will send a query e-mail to 800 producers for $100 or so. It's canvassing obviously, I'm just wondering if anyone of you has used them and what your feelings are.

I hate to admit that I read the posts about thescreenplayagency.com a little ($95) too late and I don't want to step in it again!
 

alleycat

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I've heard of them, and a couple of similar services such as Script Express.

From what I gather, you might get a couple of requests to read your script using the service, but the requests will only be from the smallest of the smallest of producers. To most of the producers on the list, it's little more than spam and will be deleted without being read.

I've never used the service; this is just a repeat of what others have said.

ac
 

broughcut

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Pryce, if you paid those ****ers by PayPal or credit card do a chargeback and get your money back.
 

Goodwriterguy

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Pryce said:
Does anyone have any feedback about scriptblaster.com? The site claims it will send a query e-mail to 800 producers for $100 or so. It's canvassing obviously, I'm just wondering if anyone of you has used them and what your feelings are.

I hate to admit that I read the posts about thescreenplayagency.com a little ($95) too late and I don't want to step in it again!
The shotgun approach isn't the best approach. Just creates a lot of what's considered to be "spam." I think you'd do better to have the HCD in hand and go through it looking for prodcos that have done your kind of picture, and query them yourself, a nice clean rifle shot rather than a shotgun blast.
 

dannyves

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I have never believed in paying these fees- most likely most of them are rip-offs. I was almost caught up in the screenplay agency as when you type in screenplay submitting, it is one of the first sites that come up and it automatically catches your attention. If it wasn't for this site, I may have bought into their abyss of fakeness.

I have found other ways of finding agencies and/or producers. I just recently began inquiring agencies and producers about screenplay manuscripts, or just sending in synopsis/queries when applicable. I believe it is best if you do 'your' own homework rather than pay someone else to do it for you, as it makes you not only as unsusceptible to con-artists, but you learn all the quirks of the industry and learn how to weave thru them and beyond (that is unless the organization is ligit). It may take you no where, but at least you tried. It is a never ending battle and we learn more everyday from our mistakes.
Good luck-
~danny
 

C.bronco

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There's a similar service provided to book authors who are trying to get an agent. From what Miss Snark says, it's a bad idea. Agents get ticked when they get queries from this kind of service that basically carpet bombs agents w/ headings such as "Dear Agent." I wouldn't use it.
 

gromhard

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Got 100$ to waste? Then f'it.

If the money is going to hurt you in ANY way don't bother. But to me, 100$ might be worth the attempt to get SOMETHING started. Hell now I'm thinking of doing it.
Query letters never worked for me. Networking with ppl at parties or on set never worked for me and seemed to always leave me feeling personally diminished. Internet boards haven't helped me. Those "how to write/sell script" books never helped me.
In all if you add up the books, the gas, the lunches, dinners, drinks, the time, the personal dejection....100$ doesn't seem like so much, ya know?

The way I may do it is send one of my B or C scripts in hopes of catching someone's attention for that great question "Do you have anything else."
Tell me how it works out for you.
 

Papa'sLiver

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Best way to handle it is to grab the HCD and get to work. Those services can't do much to help you. I've used them a couple of times, and the results are minimal, at best.

Putting it up on Inktip, with a stellar logline would probably net better results.
 

Dan J

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NO WIN NO FEE

I will never trust an agent that demands a "one time" fee off you or charging you monthly for their services.

Because the way I see it if he needs to charge a "one time" fee for his services then its obvious its either a hoax or he has no faith in selling your screenplay, if he had faith or the right contacts in the business then surely he would opt for a percentage of the sale of the screenplay instead which would most likely get him more money in the end anyway and most writers would be pretty generous on the size of the percentage as they would be more bothered about being recognised and getting into the spotlight.

So my advice is if you cant prove and agents credentials then stick with agents who dont charge with out success a sort of no win no fee basis.

I also nearly got nabbed by thescreenplayageny hoax if it wasnt for my computer wiping off my screenplay and for this website I would have probably payed luckily I never got the chance and I learnt my lesson from it and have been alot more careful since.
 

ichMael

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Goodwriterguy said above that it'd be better to have the HCD in hand and contact people directly. At the risk of reveling my iggorance, what is "the HCD?" Thanks in advance.
 

ervind

Scriptblaster.com

I actually used the service; it was like $89 to query like 1100 producers and agents. They send you a list, called your query campaign, of the producers and agents. I quickly received a request to read my screenplay from Gary Hoffman, writer and producer of Soul of the Game, a cable movie about the integration of negro-league players into the big leagues (baseball). I've also received requests from a couple of agents. In querying by myself, I hit about only 200 producers and agents, but have gotten requests from two agents and a manager to read my screenplay.
So while the personal touches of individual queries was more proportionally successful than the bulk generic queries, it was worth the $89 bucks to get my script into the hands of a producer that can actually make things happen.
 

dpaterso

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HCD

Goodwriterguy said above that it'd be better to have the HCD in hand and contact people directly. At the risk of reveling my iggorance, what is "the HCD?"

HCD is the Hollywood Creative Directory. Check out the tips thread which lists the HCD plus other potential contact links for agents, managers, prodcos.

-Derek
My Web Page - shameless vampyre fiction & other shameless writings.
Take the critiques you get with a grain of salt. Invariably, some of the critics will be kooks, bitter curmudgeons, or complete fools. ~odocoileus
 

Papa'sLiver

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NEVER pay an agent for a read, or to use their services. Agents that do that are shams. Charging you for copies or postage is different. Some smaller shops do that, but NEVER pay an agent for a read.