I am a starving writer from Springfield, Illinois, and my goal is to work up to the poverty line. I have written several screenplays in various genres. I am currently trying to sell Bat Crazy, a vampire, action thriller laced with biting humor, and The Ghost Who Came to Dinner, a comedy about a lonely bachelor being coached on dating by his dead mother. I know they are good, and the people who have actually read them agree. The problem is getting through that Hollywood blockade that prevents outsiders who might have something original to offer from getting a break..
Introduce Yourself : Hello from the middle of the U.S. by Marc Sigoloff
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Hi Marc; welcome to you. I certainly understand the starving end of things. I wish you the best on your work.
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Hello Mark! The Ghost Who Came To Dinner sounds delightful. I love the concept, so original and immediately funny setup! A good place to start if you feel the script is ready would be Happy Writers, why don't you check it out: https://www.stage32.com/happy-writers/about
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I've tried Happy Writers, and I get shot down with the pitch. One told me it was too much like another movie, even though they are nothing alike, and another one told me it wasn't fresh enough. And instead they keep making the same formula movies over and over.
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Absolutely can't let that discourage you, Marc. I was once told on a pitch that my script was too much like ENTOURAGE, which, even with distance, maturity and clarity, I can say was so far off the mark, it was almost comical. Adding to the comedy, the next exec I pitched to optioned it. One man's trash is another man's gold.
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I know, but my funds are very limited.
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Marc, I understand the limited funds but you can't give up either. Keep working toward your goals; they will one day come to be.
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You just have to keep knocking and break through those blockades. You can always go indie and have them come to you if your work is good.
At this point in my life it would be pointless to give up. I really have nothing else going on in my life. No one will be coming to me because of where I live. I have to admit I did turn down an indie producer/director who wanted to film my ghost script. He couldn't pay me any money, and I might have gone along with it if his work wasn't so shoddy. All I could see coming was a movie that I would be embarrassed to have my name on.
Hey, Marc! The flipside is: we can have the perfect pitch - and the writing is not.... How do you know your scripts are good? Your opinion, your friend's? If ScreenWriting is 'it' for you, I believe pro feedback on your writing is essential. That's A1. Find out your strengths and weaknesses as a ScreenWriter and StoryTeller. Rinse and repeat. It's not that expensive, my friend :)