The odds?

[Lel513]

Lets just say I have written a couple of scripts and they are good, at least as good or more so then the movies being produced today. I am an unknown writer and have never had anything produced before. What are my odds that I will be able to sell any of these scripts? What can I do to make the odds better? Also I have read about people submitting queries to agents, has anyone actually got a script sold doing this?

[Joe Calabrese]

The odds can be anywhere from a million to one to a billion to one. There are so many variables that can boost or hinder a career.

Some will tell you move to LA, some will tell you to stalk Stephen Speilberg, some will say intern at an agency. What works for one may not work for another. It's a crap shoot for the most part.

[randesq]

post a few pages.

[maestrowork]

Scripts get sold every day.

But! There are a lot of talented screenwriters out there, not to mention staff writers, ghost writers, etc. etc. And there are only so many movies to be made. I equate that with getting a novel published -- it's very difficult to get in, but not impossible. After all, every published novelist was a "new author" and every working screenwriter sold his first script at one time.

[dpaterso]

Lets just say I have written a couple of scripts and they are good, at least as good or more so then the movies being produced today.
Oddly enough, every screenwriter you'll ever meet thinks exactly the same thing about their scripts. Coincidence or what?

-Derek
My Web Page - naked women, bestial sex, and whopping big lies. (http://hometown.aol.co.uk/DPaterson57)

[IWrite]

It's true the odds of getting anywhere are very slim. It's also true that the odds are your script may not be as good as you think it is. But the odds of having any kind of a success if you don't take steps to get your stuff out there is a big, fat zero.

Yes, living in LA and/or having industry connections makes it easier - primarily because it opens doors and gives you access. But if you do not have connections, then querying agents and/or producers, attending pitch fests and/or utilizing some of the services out there that for a fee could give you access (i.e. script shark, script pimp, the script broker) are probably the best ways to go.

Agents DO sign writers who query them. The percentage is quite small, but that has more to do with the quality of submissions than anything else.

Producers DO option and buy scripts from writers who query them. I speak from personal experience.

Producers, Agents and Managers who attend pitch fests ARE looking for projects.

If you are going to query - write a stellar query and have a solid logline. Remember the purpose of a query is to get someone interested in reading your script. That means the query itself better not be bland, boring, stiff or seem like you typed it in six seconds.

If you are going to pitch take the time to learn how to do so. Pitching is as much of a craft as writing. There's nothing worse than hearing a pitch where the writer stumbles and/or cannot answer basic questions about character motivation, conflict, theme etc.

Be sure to know what your "big idea" is. If you do not know what a "big idea" is - you are not ready to pitch your project either in person or on paper.

Whatever way you are going to go - whether you have connections or not, prepare yourself for a lot of rejection.

[Lel513]

Thanks for the advice. Does anyone have a list of agencies or producers that accept queries?

[Joe Calabrese]

Buy a copy of Hollywood Creative directory and/or a subscription to Scriptpimp.

[IWrite]

Lel -

The Writers Guild of America www.wga.org lists the agents that are guild signatories on their website under services.

It denotes which agencies accept queries.

As for production companies - you can get a copy of the Hollywood Creative Directory (the hard copy is about $60 bucks and they also have an online database) everyoneonewhosanyone.com now has producers listed as well as agents. Unlike the HCD everyonewhosanyone is free, but I'm not sure how well those companies are vetted - so you will need to do your own research. You can check IMDB.com for credits and you can also google a producer or prod co to see what you can find out about them.

You also might want to sign up for the inktip.com newsletter - they have a few leads in their weekly newsletter. Hollywoodlitsales.com also has a directory of producers looking for scripts. Again, you need to do your own vetting here.

Anyone can hang out a shingle and say they are a producer. Many are looking for scripts but want to pay next to nothing and/or offer backend net profit deals. Be advised there are no such thing as net profits in the film industry - if you don't have an agent and are offered a deferred deal - try to get a percentage of the production budget as opposed to a percentage of net profits.

You should also download the WGA's Schedule of Minimums. Many non signatory production companies may not be able to afford guild minimums - but you should familiarize yourself with what those minimums are so if you don't have an agent, you are not taken advantage of.

[randesq]

St. Francis of Assisi
Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible

[Nivvie]

The odds are dramatically improved upon actually submitting stuff.

I know a kid who moved out to LA and has yet to finish anything, while back at home without having to work all hours to survive, was a lot more productive creatively.

[mdin]

"Never tell me the odds!"

[zeprosnepsid]

There are other avenues as well. If you can't make connections in LA and NY then simply make connections where you are. Be sociable. I've lived in LA for 6 years and I made more Hollywood connections when I was living in Massachusetts. My uncle is the basketball coach of a Hollywood director's kids for instance. Just knowing people, eventually you will know someone who knows someone.
Also, there is the risky choice of trying to get a wannabe director to actually make your film. There are a lot of minuses. For one, you probably won't get paid, so if you're just in it for the money then keep querying agents. Also, the film could end up bad -- then what have you got? But like all your other chances, it's a long shot. But getting your script actually produced is a surefire way to get some interest in your other scripts.

[NatashaFX]

Hi,

People break in to Hollywood every single day. This is my fourth year and fourth script and I finally got an option deal last week with a producer on the Disney lot. Now, let's hope he has what it takes to get it sold this year! Come last year I was about to hang it up but decided to write one more script, a comedy, and look what happened.

So, never give up. Keep pressing on and one day, it'll happen. Jeff Arch once said in a talk I attended that the people who make it aren't the most talented but the most persistent. Yet, I do believe the more you write, the better you get.

Good luck and keep hope alive.

Natasha
www.NatashaFX.com (http://www.natashafx.com/)

[JustinoXXV]

"I know a kid who moved out to LA and has yet to finish anything, while back at home without having to work all hours to survive, was a lot more productive creatively."

This is true and a problem for many writers. I solve this probably by spending a few months in Los Angeles, a few months in New York, and a few months in the middle of nowhere at my family's place, crashing there.

Collectively, I'd you've been given excellent advice here. There's no one way of doing it, and everyone will just have to find their own way of getting in. Be open to trying everything sensible.

[zeprosnepsid]

"I know a kid who moved out to LA and has yet to finish anything, while back at home without having to work all hours to survive, was a lot more productive creatively."

This is true and a problem for many writers.

I second this sentiment. Now I will indulge myself in a tangent rant -- I live in LA and it seems impossible to get anything done. With gas close to $3, sales tax at 8.25% and what they consider rent out here, worrying about money is my number one priority. Also, working in 'the industry' generally entails 12-16 hour days and hardly any money.

About once a week I think about moving to New Hampshire just so I can get something done.

As Justino says, there's many avenues. And there's advantages and disadvantages to everything of course.