Screenwriting : How much to option a Web series by Geoffrey Calhoun

Do I understand correctly; you don't want to partner with him and split the costs as co-producers. You want him to buy you out so he is the sole producer? Or do you want to stay on in some capacity - just not producing?

Id like to stay on as a writer and let him produce it. If I lived in LA then I would consider partnering as an associate producer but I live in Detroit.

Geoffrey - development hell is part of the business, and is a part of most businesses. If you're not willing to produce it yourself - which can be quite a development hell in itself - then you have to continue on the route that you are going. In that route, all you can do is hustle, hustle and hustle, and hope for the best (eventually). Many of us here are in your shoes. We've turned down options. We've turned down partnerships. At least you have a reputable producer who loved it, and that's a great first step. If he loved it as much as you say he did, and if you don't want to fork up some cash, then it's ON YOU to persuade him to get this thing moving, or find someone else who can. And there isn't a set price for an option deal. I've been offered as little as nothing up front and as much as $10K. That's entirely up to the producer or production company. And herding cats isn't so difficult. All you gotta do is shake the bag of Meow Mix Treats a few times, and preferably the Tartar Control ones. They flock to that like writers flock to dreams. Good luck bro!

Development on The Revenant, by the way, originally began in 2001.

I appreciate the advice gang. Does anyone have an idea of how much I should ask?

I'd try to ask how he plans to produce the series. Will the budget be, say, $1 million with Nike sponsoring it? Or will it be $5000 with everyone working for free, and every penny showing up on screen? From there, you can start to determine what might be a fair percentage of the costs you could be entitled to.

Ask for 4% of the total budget of each episode you write.

Yeah, like Regina says....it's not really such a black-and-white answer without knowing more of the details. This isn't potentially something you learn in four or five paragraphs. Your complex question takes hours to learn - through books; webinars; class room instruction; and sound advice. I don't think you want to be a "one-time check and I'm out of the picture guy." Or maybe you do. That's certainly a lot easier for some people. You need to ask yourself what you really want from the potential deal, and what your personal goals are. Besides pay....upfront pay in a contracted hired writer agreement....upfront pay or backend pay on an option....no pay upfront in a shopping agreement and a percentage of the budget if it sells to someone else.....there's a lot of ways to potentially go about this. If the goal is to create a web series...to a small producer....with a small budget....I'd want to be at least some type of producer on it myself, in addition to being the writer with ongoing responsibilities, and in addition to owning a part of it. I personally would consider forgoing any upfront money in the right situation. That also might involve me assuming some of the financial risk. That also might involve being a part of an LLC with the producer and others with fixed ownership percentages in the LLC for all. If the goal is for the producer that you are working with to raise money elsewhere to fund this....your partial ownership chances can diminish, and might even be eliminated entirely. The bigger it gets, the more complex it gets, and you could actually end up with a one-time payment offer and be out of the picture entirely once the concept moves over to a bigger production company, Internet site or network. Do you want that? Some people would be happy with that, because it gets them some money and helps them get their "feet in the door" and on their way to getting established with the hope that more jobs may come their way. I could be happy with that, too, under the right conditions. And some people who get their feet in the door and on their way to getting established never make another dime in the industry. Some very talented writers have become filmmakers/web series creators/producers and have found ways to raise money or part of the money on their own in order to not get cut out of the picture, and have taken years and turned down options or sales agreements to do just that. Would you like to do that? I did it when I was younger, and may end up doing it again. Without taking years, I put up all the money; made all the deals; and lost all the money. Like most start-up businesses...it boils down to funding; risk/reward assumptions; and agreements. If your head is spinning a bit, it should be. Contracts can be complex, and most laypeople can't even decipher a sentence that has 18 clauses and 400 words. There can be one little itty-bitty clause - the "I screwed you clause" - that you can completely overlook because it's on page eight and your brain is already throbbing by page three and you didn't have a competent attorney. They're sometimes written that way for a reason - to obfuscate the truth - and you'll obviously need an attorney if it gets to that point. Me personally - I'd sure hate to be the person who creates a concept that may go on to be award-winning and financially lucrative, and to not receive adequate compensation/credit/ongoing participation as the writer/series creator/guiding force/ and a producer. You really need to think this through, and hope that the producer that you are working with is not out to get the most he can from you without the proper compensation; isn't trying to screw you; and really is so in love with the concept and WITH YOU that he's also out to make sure you're happy and participating in the ongoing series. You really need to figure out what you want from the potential deal and his goals, and to become adequately competent in understanding how things may work. And you have to be flexible and skilled in the dynamics of negotiations. It's one of the hardest things that writers in your position have to complete properly - besides thinking something up; executing it; and getting someone with access to funding interested in it (or funding it themselves). They have to become extremely astute, razor-focused and goal-oriented business people - or pay others for their expertise in those areas. You're in a whole new world now. Good luck, bro, and I hope it works out the best for you and everyone involved.

Thank you for the help guys. You've given me much to consider. I'll let you know what happens.

It's been some time. What happened?