The Worst Kind...

Lady Brick · Mar 22, 2005

I just finished my creative writing MFA a few months ago, and thought I had a leg up in the industry. My screenwriting prof, who is also a working writer, loved my screenplay. Loved it. He can be pretty terse, and if I hadn't recorded my thesis defense, I think most of my friends wouldn't have believed he actually said it "rocked"

Anyway, he believed in this script so much that he signed on for production credit and sent it to his friend/entertainment lawyer (I think) in LA, who had "connections up the wazoo" I was excited... I had a solid script and that precious referral that gets you in the door. He also asked me to sit on it for the time being, which, considering the favor he was doing for me, I found reasonable.

After waiting on pins and needles for three months... "They passed on it"

I don't even know who "they" are.

I don't blame my prof at all... he likes the script enough that he told me he'll continue to pitch it when appropriate. So maybe I still have that all-important referral. But I can't count on it. Now I'm just another aspiring screenwriter who can't afford to move to LA and wonders if grad school was really money well spent.

I've gotten rejections before, but this one hurt. Took me about a week to pull myself together and start querying agencies, which I heard is a real waste of time for screenwriting, but is something to do.

I've been writing my whole life. Sometimes I've felt like God Himself is sticking the pen (or the keyboard) in my face. I could use some of that reassurance now.

DeadlyAccurate · Mar 22, 2005

I'm sorry to hear that, but it sounds like you have talent, so I'm sure if you keep trying and writing new scripts, you'll sell one.

Maryn · Mar 22, 2005

Somehow the Almosts are more painful that the ones that didn't come close. I suspect it's because we allow ourselves more hope than, in hindsight anyway, was a good idea.

All is not lost, though. You wrote a good screenplay that's still out there with a professor who believes in its quality enough to pitch it when/if he finds a promising person for the pitch.

It's not at all out of line, BTW, to inquire who 'they' are that passed on it. If you want to be a pro, you can start accumulating data on who likes what. It's also appropriate to ask the professor if 'they' said why they didn't want it. That information could prove invaluable if you never find a buyer and decide to do a rewrite before trying anew. (If everybody who hears the pitch has similar objections, it means something.)

The biggie now is to write at least two more, not both in the same genre as the first, that are just as good, or better. You probably have other ideas--start thinking now which are the most promising, and get to work.

When and if your professor (or some future agent) next hears a No-thanks on this one, you will look very professional if you can say, "I understand your reservations. How about a romantic comedy? Or a thriller?"

Like DeadlyAccurate said, it sounds like you might have what it takes to get started. Give yourself a day or two to be bummed, then back to work!

Maryn

scullars · Mar 22, 2005

Do you know any independent filmmakers or at least wannabes? Does your script necessitate a large budget? If not, think Spike Lee in his first days...credit cards, finding cheap venues, cheaper actors and a director ready to blaze a trail. Then it would be just a matter of getting it distributed, but if you muster that, you can build on word of mouth. Just a thought if there seems to be no other avenue to get your work out there.

Lady Brick · Mar 22, 2005

Unfortunatly, the script is big budget. It's a superhero satire, so special effects and fairly big sets, though not anything too massive. It's something that would probably need to be backed by a big studio. I know that's not the way to go for a first script, but that was the idea I had, and it turned out fantastic. Script #2 is kind of sucking at the moment, so I might move on to #3, which should be much more indie friendly.

The Worst Kind...

Lady Brick

DeadlyAccurate

Absolutely Fazed

Maryn

At Sea

scullars

Writer/Bibliophile

Lady Brick