Screenwriting : Thank God the Producer Is Not an Artificial Intelligence by Aleksandr Rozhnov

They’re terrified of finding talent

"if a director asks for material, it supposedly means they are asking for a full script, not a pitch deck." Sometimes, Aleksandr Rozhnov. I've been asked for pitch decks first.

There's different reasons why agents and producers don’t reply. They're busy, the script's concept doesn't interest them, etc.

What's worked for me the most is networking/building relationships. I've gotten script requests, sold short scripts, gotten jobs, and more this way.

I think humans are complicated and every producer is different. But your situation is not unique-- I rarely hear back from producers I sent material to, even after reaching out with a follow up email.

Yes, but he actually wrote to me that the concept was interesting. That’s why I sent a pitch deck first.

I do have a finished first draft of the script, but I’m planning to rewrite it because I slightly changed the concept and need to adapt the screenplay to that new direction.

I sent the pitch deck first so he could clearly understand the core of the story, the tone, and what the film is really about.

But if what he really needs is the full script, why not just write back and say: “The pitch deck is fine, but please send me the complete screenplay”? Then I would focus specifically on finishing and polishing that script for him.

That’s the main question for me.

There’s just one thing I can’t fully understand.

If we take a project’s concept like the top row of a keyboard — QWERTY — the number of possible combinations of those keys is almost endless.

When a producer reads a script, they might feel that the concept itself is strong, but they don’t want the letters in that exact order. They want a different combination. And if the letters aren’t arranged the way they imagine, they simply go silent.

But guessing the exact combination a producer has in mind feels like something that happens once in a thousand years.

What I don’t understand is this: why can’t a producer just write or call the writer and say, “I like the idea, but can you rearrange it? Not QWERTY, but maybe QR and YIT — or QTRT — something closer to what I’m seeing.”

Then the writer can honestly answer: “Yes, I can do that,” or “No, that’s not something I can write.”

Why is it that when the combination doesn’t match the producer’s internal vision, the most common response is silence? That’s the part I truly don’t understand.

A lot of producers are really busy, Aleksandr Rozhnov. And some producers know writers will respond rudely about getting a "no," so it's easier not to respond.

Apologies for being a cynic, but most people will take something for free gladly.

I'm in favour of securing film rights to a story through an ISBN before giving anyone anything.

I'd have to agree with Maurice Vaughan . Some producers just take a long time to respond due to their schedules I guess. I sent out my first script when I finally had it edited correctly and I had about 5% respond overall and the rest not at all. About 7 or 8 weeks after I sent my first script out to a handful producers, I had two come back and ask for a pitch deck. But on the same note, I sent out a query earlier this week with my script and had a producer ask to meet with me over a video call the same day. So the way I see it is there is a producer out there waiting for your story. You just have to find them.

As far as I understand, it’s very hard for a new screenwriter to sell a raw concept. You usually need to write the full script, or find a co-writer if you can’t do it alone.

I asked the Stage 32 Success Team about this.

If the producer gets back to a writer with reasons she didn't like the script, it keeps the conversation going. The writer says he can rewrite it, which maybe he can and maybe he can't. But the producer already read what the writer thought was a good script, and she didn't like it. Is the script good enough to buy and have someone else rewrite it? Do I want to put the hours into notes, only for it to never be as good as I imagined it? That's what she's thinking.

Or is there a script in my yet-to-read stack that doesn't need rewrites, other than set it in Georgia, New Mexico, or Louisiana (I guess now Kentucky).

I usually say something like, "I dont think I'm the right producer for this, but I sincerely wish you all the best with your project." Most of the time I get a "Thank you." Although sometimes I get, "What's wrong with you? How can you not see the brilliance in my masterpiece?" And then I explain,"Will Smith passed on The Matrix because he just didn't get it. If this turns into a hit as big as The Matrix, I'll definitely be kicking myself, but I'll be happy for you."

If I got too many negative replies, I might stop responding altogether too.

That closed circle is a real problem, but it’s not the only reason why someone might not be betting in touch with you. My recommendation is to keep improving your craft, keep making yourself more and more necessary to the show people around you, and maybe that one lead will go somewhere in the meantime. if not, your work will slowly be making yourself success into a statistical certainty regardless.

Thank you all, friends, for your responses.

They are truly interesting, important, and give a real understanding of how the industry works.

But I want to say something — maybe I’m wrong, but it feels to me that one of the most important elements of a screenplay is theme.

No theme — no film.

When a producer reads a script, they should be able to clearly understand the theme and feel whether it is relevant today, or whether it will still be relevant in one or two years, when the film is actually released.

When a script is read only from the perspective of action, structure, or dialogue, it seems to me that a “perfect” script can never be written — because even a 50th draft can still be improved.

But if a film has a clear, well-developed theme that gives the audience understanding, meaning, and a certain emotional or intellectual experience, then I believe that film is almost destined to succeed.

Если хочешь, могу сделать версию чуть короче, более философскую или наоборот — более профессионально-индустриальную, под стиль конкретного треда на Stage 32.

Look at it this way: the film exploded largely because of its groundbreaking visual effects and innovative cinematic language for its time. But what is The Matrix really about?

Is it about the idea that we are all asleep and controlled by a computer?

Is it a biblical reference — the arrival of a kind of Jesus Christ figure in the form of Neo, who comes to save humanity?

Or is it simply a war between humans and machines?

The theme is quite blurred and open to interpretation.

Now let me give you another example — Fight Club.

This is a film that almost no one fully understood at first, but later it became iconic, culturally influential, and financially successful.

Here, the theme is very clear: consumer society and how, within it, a human being can slowly lose their mind and identity. This theme is consistently and powerfully explored throughout the entire film. And eventually, people understood it.

That’s why it became successful.

So to me, theme is one of the most important elements a film must have — and it must be fully explored. When the audience watches a film and clearly understands what it is about, they gain experience, meaning, and insight from it.

And that understanding is what ultimately gives a film longevity, popularity, and box office success.

I agree with you, and this is an important point when it comes to finding the right producers and executives to pitch to.

You need to understand the core themes of your script and target producers who work on similar material and have a genuine interest in those themes.

This also helps when negotiating and convincing them of your project’s value—by showing how your story approaches the same themes from a different perspective, with a distinct emotional angle, or through unique characters.

You're welcome, Aleksandr Rozhnov. Theme is definitely one of the most important elements of a screenplay. I've tried writing scripts without themes, and I could never finish.

One way to break in. Help those ambitious filmworkers you know. Some of them will be able to break in. And when they do, they will remember your earlier help. So they will be willing to help you.

Another alternative is to create no-budget films, to show that your stories work. I have learned a lot in this way.