Monumentally frustrated...

Could you try calling the main office switchboard and making a general enquiry as to whether that person still works there? You'd be surprised at how often and how simply people move jobs in the industry. If the switchboard tell you that person is still there, you could leave a message or explain your case - you may find out something you didn't know. Perhaps he's gone into production on a project. Producers tend not to take any general phone calls or meetings during that time because they're super busy.

Lots of different scenarios could explain the situation. He could've read it and not responded to it and is too much of a jackass to offer you the courtesy of an official "pass." There is also the chance that he has not read it yet, or has in fact, lost it, and has too much ego to ask you to send it again. My guess is, if he was attending a conference, he may not even have been a story editor - more than likely an assistant (possibly even an intern). People love to pad their titles when they go to those things. Clockwork may be right. He may be somewhere else now. He may be out of the business entirely. Call and see if he still works there. If he doesn't, to hell with him, you did what you could.

Onwards and upwards, my friend.

Frustration...

I agree with the previous post. The guy you were dealing with might be long gone from that company. Call and find out. If he's still there, send one more e-mail/letter, or leave a voice mail message, ask for an update, then forget about it.

This type of thing is something you have to get used to. People say one thing and do another. People make promises and you never hear from them again. They love you one minute and don't take your calls the next.

Don't count on anything. Keep moving forward.

To add to what's been said, and to repeat what others have said in other threads, no-one at a studio/distributor wants to officially pass on something that someone else might run with and make into a hit movie. I would do the same, possibly, in their position. The only people who will tell you straight up if it's a yes or a no are the people with clout, and it doesn't sound like your guy is someone with clout.

I would push him, though. Even better, get someone else interested and then you can legitimately say it's with The Weinstein Co or whoever.

However, I wouldn't bluff this just to get a response. Go out and get some interest going. I leave things normally for a month: I chase, and if there's not a positive vibe I go to another studio.

Good luck!!

Firstly, good luck with your screenplay.
As the above posters have stated, you need to know the circumstances surrounding this individual, and your Screenplay.
Just as in life, communication is the key.
I have had numerous incidents whereby, I had lost contact with individuals both work, and social, and eack time there was a logical explanation, once I dug a little deeper.
Again, I agree with what Hillgate stated about these companies not wishing to pass up on an opportunity yet, not greenlighting the project ,also.( I have read a fair bit about this. )
Going by what I've read, some companies have hundreds of screenplays just sitting there in limbo.
So you can imagine the number of people, who are in a similar situation to yours.
You don't want to be sitting around waiting for that one phone call that never comes.
Do what it takes to get a response, though as Hillgate has mentioned, don't hold your breath, go out and get some competing interested parties involved.
Good Luck.
Daniel.

It's a sad reality

I have experienced the same thing numerous times over the years. Seems in this business maybe 10% have even one iota of courtesy. The rest simply blow you off.

It has happened with Producers, agents, managers, other writers I am collabing with, actors, etc. They ALL do it.

Sad truth is I have found it takes about twenty or more of these to get a solid hit that understands professional courtesy. Seems 'thanks but no thanks' is an emormous bother.

As writers we are at a huge disadvantage as there are a thousand of us for every film. I have decided this is one business where even bad news is good news.

Just keep a record of who you sent material to, and all correspondance. Then, move on.

P


www.alexwhitmer.wordpress.com

I would like to get a few different perspectives

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kev, kev, kev,
when was the last time you had a girlfriend break up with you by blowing you off... never returning your phone calls... won't tell you were they've moved... etc? probably never because women don't usually do that unless the guy is a freakin' stalker type of jerk. however, men do it all the time!!!! now you know. and now you'll remember this the next time you want to break it off with someone.

Um ...

NikeeGoddess said:

kev, kev, kev,
when was the last time you had a girlfriend break up with you by blowing you off... never returning your phone calls... won't tell you were they've moved... etc? probably never because women don't usually do that unless the guy is a freakin' stalker type of jerk. however, men do it all the time!!!! now you know. and now you'll remember this the next time you want to break it off with someone.

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Love to see the data to back that one up!

Or is there more to this than meets the eye??

Hillgate said:

The only people who will tell you straight up if it's a yes or a no are the people with clout, and it doesn't sound like your guy is someone with clout.

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I know some Story Editors. It's worth noting that it's not really that impressive of a position. It is the next step up after assistant. But essentially you are still an assistant you just don't have to make copies and answer phones anymore. You do read a good bunch of scripts and deal with clients on a more personal level, among other things. But you don't really make decisions.

For instance, one friend of mine who is a story editor has a blog and every few months has a post like 'OMG! I get to pitch something a our weekly meeting this week! In front of everyone! They said my pitch was good!' But I don't believe he has ever gotten a project into production on his own merits.

But it's still a good contact to make (supposing they get back to you) because Story Editor is definitely a step on the Producer track. They may one day be a much better person to know.

Hillgate said:

However, I wouldn't bluff this just to get a response. Go out and get some interest going.

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I would. But that's me. But they'll know you're lying if you've e-mailed three times and called twice in the past couple months. You could wait another 3 months or so and then pull this con. But you have to be careful who you say is interested in it. There's a whole art to this which would be a whole 'nother post...


For now, I suggest sticking to the phone. You have a much better chance of getting to them. Or someone. If you've already sent 3 emails and haven't gotten a response then you're not going to get one with another 3 emails.

When you call, if they say the person you are trying to contact is unavailable, ask if there is someone else you can speak to.

Try not to sound desperate. If you sound legit then the switchboard lady/assistant/whoever you get on the phone will start to worry that you are important and they will not want to offend you.

If you are a real player, hire an entertainment lawyer to call. If you are a real real player, have your suave friend say they are your lawyer and have them call. This is just how Hollywood works. I have a friend, who used to be a film buyer for a major Prod Co (now she owns a trailer company), and she is the most ruthless person I have ever met in the industry. And it totally worked for her. She used to 're-write' her friend' resumes for them. And with one of her stretching-the-truth resumes you'd get a job in no time. Oh, I could tell you so many stories...

But whether you go legit or dirty, good luck. =)

New Line's # (according to IMDBPRO) is 310-854-5811.

Yeah, seriously. Get the number from 411 or wherever and call 'em up.

kevacho said:

I'm putting this inquiry on a few different boards because I would like to get a few different perspectives.

I am having an issue. I made a contact with a "Story Editor" at New Line Cinemas through a writers conference here in Portland. We have been emailing and phoning back and forth for over a year now. I would not be pursuing this if in fact he had "passed" on my screenplay. He has not. He actually told me that his readers "responded" to my screenplay and that he wanted to read it and see what sort of "response" he got from it, and that he would call me within the next few days. That was three months ago. I have emailed him three times and phoned him twice since then, with absolutely no response.

I know nothing happens quickly in this business. I know this man could be ill, or a family member could be ill, but I feel as if I have been more than professional with him, and that he has not reciprocated. I am at my wits end. This is, obviously, a very big thing for me, and I don't want to blow it. But I also don't want to be treated like a chump (for lack of a better word).

Might anyone have some words of sage advice for me? I want to keep this contact, but at this point, I would appreciate a positive or a negative from this gentleman… just something to tell me that I've been considered and passed, or that he's still considering… anything at all!

Regards,

Kevin
www.kevacho.com

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The sage advice is this.

In this business there is what's known as an "SP" -- a "Silent Pass" -- you've just gotten one. If you're keep a submission log (and you should be, on everything you send out) in the little slot where you've indicate the current status in reference to "New Line" -- you want to jot down "SP" -- for "Silent Pass" and move on.

There is nothing to be gained by trying to call this guy, e-mail him, confront him, stalk him, find out about his status. Forget about it. If he's left, then whatever "in" your script had at New Line has gone with him -- and believe me, he hasn't taken your script, literally or in memory, with him to wherever else he's gone.

I understand you're frustration and early in my career I shared it when I'd submit a script and it fell into that ugly "zone of silence."

Unfortunately, that's the way it works. For beginning writers, a single submission at a single company is a major accomplishment. It's a big deal.

From the other side, scripts come and go like so much chaff. Dozens a weeks. Hundreds a month. Thousands a year. It's just a great blur of INTs and EXTs and JESSICAs and JENNIFERs and "He grabbed her roughly" and "The car exploded in a huge fireball" and whatever else.

The overwhelming majority simply pass through with barely a ripple -- and I'm not just talking about spec scripts from beginning writers, but scripts of all kinds from writers at ever level.

It still sometimes happens. I'll pitch something on an assignment and at some point I'll think -- didn't I pitch XYZ like a few months ago? Whatever happened with that? And what happened was -- somebody else got the job and they never bothered to get back to my agent.

So -- welcome to the business.

SP.

NMS

I remember my first silent pass. It was from WMA in LA and it hurt. A lot.

Sounds similar to what my ex-wife did to me.

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like i said

overanxious and desperate wannabe writers usually get the silent treatment because there has been too many stalker types out there who've ruined it for the rest of us. have you see The Player or Man About Town http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0420757/?

Yes more often than not silence = pass or "Maybe we'll call you in 10 years when some new gung-ho intern happens upon your script in our basement (yes, we have a company basement) and deems it brilliant." If you haven't discussed development or drafting of contracts, keep shopping your script elsewhere. I wouldn't recommend bluffing, it's not going to make them like your script any more than they do and it may hurt your credibility in the long run. Just keep shopping it around, keep writing and if they finally get back to you with the old "Sorry for the delayed response" disclaimer, maybe it'll have good news. But in this biz you can't hold your breath on one possibility, keep creating more.

All good feedback

SP is probabaly the 'pollitically correct' way of saying FU.

I've been writing a long time, and have had so many FUs AKA SPs, that I would need a four-drawer file cabinet to archive them all ( I refuse to take this as a subtle hint that my writing sucks ).

The best advice you have recieved here is to keep shopping it around. If you feel good about it, and confident it has merit, than don't take the SP lying down. And don't try to track this guy down. That smells like desperation.

Make friends in the business, write more scripts, wallow in the torture, and never give up.

P

www.alexwhitmer.wordpress.com

Have you had anyone read it other than pros?

Per your site, you're a good writer.


Maybe can swap a read sometime.


P


www.alexwhitmer.wordpress.com