ARE THE GATES OF HOLLYWOOD CLOSED?

Yes. Almost. At a minimum, they are utterly clogged. Every agency, every producer and every studio exec gets scripts by the truckload. The city hires a literal army of readers to read the mountains of material flowing in.

And most of it stinks….

That’s right. More than 90% of it is written so poorly it is barely readable at all, let alone able to be made into a movie. The way into Hollywood is so jammed with crud, the industry is forced to spend millions each year just to sort through it. Hollywood is constantly on the verge of drowning in submissions. The only way to stay afloat is to erect as many obstacles as possible – as many barriers as the industry can dream up – to keep new screenplays away. It’s no wonder that no one here gets excited when an unknown writer from Iowa tries to submit a script. Everyone already knows it probably stinks. It’s probably a waste of paper, a crime against nature, two hours of an underpaid reader’s life she’d rather have back.

SO WHY BOTHER TRYING TO GET IN?

Because of that little word “probably.” Underneath it all, Hollywood is desperate for the new voice, the unknown writer who brings something fresh to the table, the new undiscovered talent. It is a great part of what keeps the industry going. Careers and fortunes are made on discovering and exploiting talent – and writers are talent. That’s why Hollywood spends millions searching for it. The industry needs it. And nobody knows where the next one will come from. They have no choice.

They must keep reading.

Their careers and fortunes depend on it.

But don’t tell anybody. Let them think the gates of Hollywood are closed. It’s less competition for the rest. Okay?

PRODUCER NOTES & FREE REWRITES

I’m in an interesting situation. I recently finished a spec script and posted it on website, which got the attention of a new producer. This producer liked my material, but wanted me to write his version of the story. I should ad the spec script I wrote is an adaptation of other source material. The producer’s take on the material is weak — I know this because I’ve tried it, and used reputable consultants to get it into the shape it’s in now. This producer is going to pitch his material written by myself to some execs, but I fear it will be a horrible representation of my abilities. On the other side, this could be my only chance to show my material. This producer won’t listen to my suggestion, which are based on the advice of other consultants/writers. What do I do?

[Name withheld upon request.]

There is a lot to talk about here.

In general, when you are trying to get your first break, there is nothing wrong with doing rewrites for a producer you believe in based upon notes you believe in. I have done it more than once and, in each case, felt the script was better for it. On the other hand, doing free rewrites based on notes you do not believe in for a producer you do not believe in is a waste of time or worse. Once a producer has given you input which you have incorporated, arguably, the producer has some interest in your screenplay since he or she has contributed creative content. It can be difficult to unwind that process. Part of screenwriting is knowing when to say “no”. It will prove more powerful than “yes” in the long run. The months you will spend writing a draft you do not believe in can be better spent writing something else you do believe in.

The fact that you do not own any rights in the underlying material further mitigates against doing free rewrites based on a direction in which you do not believe. The script may end up being a writing sample only, which is still a good reason to write it, but not a good reason to turn it into something that does not fairly represent your ability or story sense.

I am not advocating cavalierly shunning producers with a real interest in your work. If the producer has a track record of getting films produced, you should carefully consider his or her notes. I do not know who your “reputable consultants” are, but typically, consultants get paid whether your script gets sold or not. Producers only get paid if the script sells. A producer with a real track record might be a producer with some story sense.

In the final analysis, you are the one who needs to make the decision based on your own story sense. A screenwriter’s unique voice is his or her best asset. If you do not believe in the direction the producer wants to go, move on. It is very unlikely that this opportunity is really your only chance to show your material.

SELLING BY TRAILER

I’ve recently seen ads for a service that will make a “trailer” out of your script, or idea. This seems like a great way to show that your stuff has exciting visual potential, and specific marketing possibilities. However, are producers, agents, etc., going to watch these things? Is there a general vibe out there about this idea (which is made possible & affordable by dv, plus software like After Effects)?

Thanks very much!
Krista from Austin, TX

That’s a new one to me. I would say, save your money. You are selling you – your voice, your vision, your writing. You are not selling the trailer company. I can tell you, after reading thousands of produced and unproduced scripts, the ones that sell communicate these things on the page. If your idea or script does not communicate its own possibilities without a trailer, you need to develop it more. The producers are more likely to hire the trailer company if they like the trailer than they are to hire you.

If you are a writer/director, it is not unusual to shoot a short as a selling tool – but you are shooting it, not hiring someone else to do it. In that case, you are selling your own ability.

Even in the very rare case where there really is something special about your vision that is unlikely to communicate on the page, I would still not recommend that you hire a rent-a-trailer company. In that case, I would say, hook up with a director that understands what you are going for and shoot a short. That way, you are still promoting yourself (and the director) and not the rent-a-trailer company.

REMARKABLE IDEAS

If your story idea is not sufficiently remarkable, it really doesn’t matter how well you write it. The story will not sell.

That’s nothing new, yet it is the costliest mistake a spec screenwriter can make – especially writers that have developed some writing chops but have yet to make a sale. It is costly because it leads to months and months of useless work.

At one point in my producing duties, I ran across an excellent writer who had ten completed scripts, no sales. I requested one script after the other, looking for something our company could use – really wanting to give the guy a break because he wrote incredibly well. I really liked his scripts – but one after the next, they were not remarkable. We had to pass. It is impossible for almost any producer to get a story made – no matter how well written – that is not remarkable. It was a valuable lesson and one I take to heart every time I start to write a new project.

The question I ask myself is, “If this script is written very, very well, will it make a great motion picture?” The answer is “NO” unless the story idea is remarkable.

So what does that mean – “remarkable”?

Dictionary.com defines “remarkable” as:

1. Worthy of notice.
2. Attracting notice as being unusual or extraordinary.

These are good definitions – only make the standard even higher. A remarkable idea demands notice. The best way to explain it is by example. Here are three recent spec or pitch sales (as reported by Done Deal), all of which are remarkable:

A SWAT team’s top cop, who is incapable of feeling emotional or physical pain and is thereby revered for his fearlessness, undergoes surgery that will allow him to feel everything he’s missed in life. (“No Pain, No Gain”)

The chief executive of a company is demoted to the mailroom and has to work his way back up. (“CEO”)

A man learns to appreciate his life when everything in it is suddenly the opposite of what it normally is. (“Opposite Day”)

Whatever you think of the film that may ultimately result, what there is to learn is that these concepts are (a) highly focused, (b) fresh, (c) whole and complete in themselves, and (d) engender emotional values that are familiar and known.

So how do you create a remarkable concept? People do it differently. There is no one right way.

Here’s how I do it. I think of interesting ideas, write them down, then from the list, pick the one that most interests me. Now the real work starts. I write the idea usually as a single sentence in the form:

When a ______ does _______, he or she _________(active verb) in order to ___________.

Then I begin to hone the idea, sometimes for hours at a time, day after day, removing the clichés (we all write in clichés until we force them out), changing concepts that are not particularly interesting to ones that are more interesting, changing general ideas to specific ones. I write one version after the next, resulting in pages of versions of the concept. I usually arrive at more than one version that suggests a remarkable idea. When I get to one, I check it against what I thought I wanted to write – see if this version is still something I want to write (just because it is a remarkable concept does not mean it is for me), and either stop if all is good, or keep going. Sometimes I back up, if it has gone off track, and take it in a different direction.

I keep going either until the versions lead me in hopeless circles and collapse or until I get to a finely polished concept that excites me and will now lead me through outlining and writing the script. This process involves a great deal of thinking ahead – looking at where the concept will lead me in the writing – and stepping back and looking at just the concept as a producer or agent or audience member would look at it. I try to be very hard on myself and say, “Would I go see that? Would my friends go see that?” I do not cheat on the answers. Unless the answers are both a LOUD yes, I keep developing.

If you don’t create your own process for getting to remarkable concepts, you are likely to create your own mountain of well-written unmarketable scripts.

Enough. Now go write.

AGENTS CHARGING COSTS

I signed with a mid-size agency a few months ago, and have spent about a month and a half getting our script ready to go out. The script will go out wide next week. Now, here’s my question. The agent is WGA-sig., which is good, and I read over the contracts, etc. etc. Well today in the mail I get an invoice from the agency for $150 for 45 copies. OKAY, everything I’ve heard, and read about only paying an agent the 10% just got weird. So, what the hell, it certainly DID NOT say anything about this in the contract. And, it was my understanding that if an agency did this it was a BS scam. But this agent has reputable sales, 10 just last year. So, what am I supposed to make of this? Is it normal for your agency to charge you for copies? Do you pay for copies? Should I worry here?

First and foremost, congratulations on having a reputable agent put your script out. If you have not had a spec go out wide yet, hold on to your shorts. It is a very exciting, very emotional process. As important as whether you sell the spec is the follow-up you do. If your script is well received and your agent is doing his or her job, you will have an opportunity to meet lots of executives. These are your fans – they are the people that can give you future writing assignments. Get to know them, make them your friends. You can spend the next ten years pitching to them as they move up the ladder.

As for your question, I have never been asked to pay costs in advance. However, while WGA signatory agencies are absolutely prohibited from charging reading fees, they are not prohibited from charging for certain costs, such as photocopies. (I have not actually read the WGA agency agreement in some years and do not remember exactly what is allowed, but the agreement is available from the WGAw for four dollars. You can also ask the WGAw about this by calling the agency department at (323) 782-4502. That same department will also confirm whether an agency is actually a WGA signatory.)

If you entered into a written contract with the agency, the contract should discuss costs. You mentioned you saw nothing about that in your agreement. Take another look specifically for that. If it really does not cover costs at all, you should have a discussion with your agent. It is not cool that your agent was unclear about this before you signed the agreement.

I have heard of the practice more in the literary (book) agent world than in the screenplay world. In my opinion, it is a bad practice since many emerging writers have little money. Costs of circulating your script can mount up fast. If you are unable to pay these bills, hopefully your agent will work something out with you.

The bottom line, however, is that if you believe in this agent, if the agency is charging actual costs and not a premium on its costs (doing the math, it sounds like they charged you less than 3 cents a page, a pretty fair copying charge), if you believe the script is actually ready for the spec market, if you have an understanding of how much putting your spec out will cost you and if you can either pay the costs or work out something with your agent, go for the ride. Getting a spec out with a legitimate agent can be a very important step in your career. You’ve probably spent as much on much worse investments. If the agent is not satisfying you, you can move on later.

NOTE: When you ask a question, please leave your first name and location, just so I can personalize the response.