I miss baseball, for one. But that has nothing to do with screenwriting unless I am penning the next "Major League" or "Bad News Bears." What frustrates me is getting my scripts to the right people to read. And if they like it, be able to move forward with it. Two experiences. A well known producer read my script along with others and deemed mine the only one worthy. Alas, he had a full plate and the agent he recommended did as well, and wouldn't even read it. Experience two involved a well known actress who read it twice and proclaimed she loved it. Alas, she needed to have me run it by her husband. I sent him the script and neither he nor the actress got back to me.
Maybe this is standard operation procedure.
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This seems to be a typical kind of experience but that doesn't mean you should give up. Have you heard of Hal Croasman and Screenwritingu. He does a lot of free teleconferences in which he advises people on how to build credibility and make connections. Simply contacting a couple of people and waiting for them to do something simply will not work. You are supposed to look for producers who make the kind of movie you want to sell to. If you send it to those who have a different kind of interest you won't go anywhere. Keep going!
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Yep William, it appears to be a crazy ride of which I think I will be enjoying until the end. I love the creation of "stuff". It's very cool to be able to even create! Is it frustrating when you see inferior products made for lots of money, yes. Is it frustrating when people say how amazing your work is, but they never reel you in, yes. Alas - carry on my creative friend, because you have the gift that many wish they had!
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What else do you bring to the table (skills/money/talent) than paper script/ideas? There are thousands of great unproduced screenplays. Some take decades to make or never. G Del Toro has about 12-15 screenplays he can't make and he has two Oscars. Everyone here wants a movie made. Very few have made a studio pic. Many have done indies.
Write more, impress working peers, maybe make/write something dirt cheap and take gradual steps to making bigger budget (corporate Hollywood) movies.
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Thank you all for your suggestions, they are much appreciated.
Hey William Sokolic - I completely understand the frustration! And unfortunately, this experience is very common for a lot of writers. The good news is that there is a solution and I work directly with writers to find the best ways to move their projects forward.
Reach out and let me know what you're working on and more of the backstory on the previous submissions if you can and I will be happy to give you my thoughts. j.mirch@stage32.com Look forward to hearing from you!
I ALSO MISS BASEBALL!!!
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Hey William. We've been through this several times. We refer to it as being invited to the party a lot but never asked to the table. Rather than go on about the instances, let me just say that the only way around it is through it. Just keep moving forward. Plow through. It is a "happens more often than not" situation, you just need to skipper your ship on a steady course until you land that invite to the table.
Also miss baseball. I live in OKC so we have the Minor League for the LA Dodgers. Personally a Yankees fan. And picked up the Disney+ bundle a few months ago that included ESPN+ so I could watch the games. MLB Network is showing classic games- even showed the 1968 World Series. But like baseball there are fought times, and you have to run its corse. And move on.
You got this!
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I'm a Rockies fan, myself, and miss baseball so much that I ended up making the character of my last screenplay a baseball superfan. Several of my scenes are set at the ballpark.
Hang in there! Fingers crossed you get invited to the table soon!!!
Hi William, I share your question as I have 3 completed feature film screenplays that I want to see in the hands of those who can produce, and await the answer to your query of the best way for those without representation and agents to get it in the hands of someone who can produce it..
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I’ve had a lot of producers read my screenplays and liked them but passed on them because they might not have been exactly what they were looking for. However, if that happens the spec did its job because you made a contact in the business and contacts are everything in this business. The first screenplay I optioned was to a producer who seemed to like my writing but passed on the first two or three screenplays I sent him. If that agent didn’t want to take you on as a client did you go back to that producer and ask the producer if he or she could recommend another one.
I never had a well-known actress who needed me to run it by her husband. I don’t know why she would have done that unless her husband was her manager or producer. If you didn’t you should have followed up instead of just waiting for one of them to get back to you. If she is well-known you probably should contact her and ask if she would be willing to be attached to the script so you can present it to producers. Having a well-known actor attach will make a script more valuable which makes it more marketable.It sounds like you have a great screenplay and I wish you luck.
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Folks have to decide if they want this life - professional screenwriter or make indie vanity movies of your own idea.
Professional screenwriting advice by Jeff Lowell,
1. You can't work if no one reads your writing. So you need to get it out to everyone who could possibly help, not guard it.
2. The key to being successful is to be valued as a writer. The execution of your script is more important than the plot and character elements in it. You want people to read your work and want to hire you to write other things.
it's the same advice screenwriter Tripper Clancy says (he's teaching a stage 32 webinar), also same advice I heard 25-years ago from Oscar winner Budd Schulberg. Specs are writing samples. Screenwriting is a specialized work for hire gig.