My first attempt at screenwriting left me with a 500-page script which I've shortened to about 330 pages and unable to make it much shorter. This is a 98% true love story. I've told small parts of the story many times always find tears and words of encouragement and EVERY SINGLE Women saying they wished they could have been Annie. Thinking it would be difficult to find someone to read all of that without some enticement. I made a Youtube video that reveals a little of this story. It is called " The synopsis of the Yellow Rose. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5ga5Wvq2WM. My problem is how do I get the right people to read this lengthy mini-series as a first-time screenwriter?
Introduce Yourself : FIrst time screenwriter and a 330 page Final Draft script by John Wills
FIrst time screenwriter and a 330 page Final Draft script
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Don't start with the length of it. Maybe instead of trying to shorten it, divide it into an hour per episode (about 60 pages) or as a miniseries maybe 1.5-2hours per episode. About a page per minute, so you have plenty to divide with either your original page count of 500 or the new of 330.
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I agree. You have about 5 episodes. So go through each one to add Hollywood's legendary 5-point key turning points for structuring them. They want specific events to happen at specific times in the story. These may vary in hour-long scripts. But for two hour features, that's the law. Here's a link explaining it, complete with graph depiction:
http://www.movieoutline.com/articles/the-five-key-turning-points-of-all-...
Okay I followed the link to YouTube. That was a nice professional presentation. The could certainly transform it into episodes, in my opinion. I think the industry loves war-related, fact-based stories. On the other hand, you'd do good in filmology. Good luck!
Thank you Carly, for words of suggestions and words of encouragement. That little trailer is a very minor part of the overall story. After Michael Death, a dozen people come to visit Annie and thanking her for saving their life and each of those are stories by themself. They're all documented and those individuals have indicated if this becomes a movie they would be willing to add to the behind-the-scenes or after the movie as was done in Band of Brothers. So It would be easy to make these into an hour episode. The only problem is finding someone to read it or sell it. As a first-time writer, I’m at a total loss to this type of business. Thank you once again
"Carlv" that is.
Actually, at that length, you should sincerely consider publishing it as a novel first. Any film or series with a pre-existing IP will already have a leg up because there is an identified audience for it. That being said, before you decide film or series, I would recommend getting a specific opinion on the idea and actionable next steps. Have you received an Adaptation Review? https://www.stage32.com/scriptservices/coverage/buy?id=66
Even though it's not yet a book, you have enough material to warrant putting together a synopsis as if based on pre-existing IP, like a book. I think it could be worth it, and plus you get to choose the executive who reviews your synopsis. If it's of interest, definitely reach out to our Director of Script Services, Jason Mirch, who is excellent at matching projects with potential executives (or managers, in your case): J.Mirch@stage32.com
Oh, one more note - yes, definitively have a pitch for your concept! If you're going to make your pitch into a video, though, you should not make your audience read. It should be visuals and audio as much as possible (much like a PowerPoint - every professor now knows not to put too much text on a PowerPoint slideshow). Give it a try! I think even just adding someone reading this text out loud over top the written text will increase your engagement so much.