Tough computer question for the leet! [Archive]

sickbadthing

05-03-2003, 07:19 PM

Here are a few basic tips on marketing your script, query letters and other
things:

First, if a script is a first draft and the writer is not a produced writer,
unbelievably skilled and talented and no writing peers have critiqued the
script, the odds are extremely great that the script needs several re-writes.
If a script has typos, grammatical errors, is not properly formatted and bound,
don't waste time and money trying to sell it.

Anybody can come up with a good idea for a story. Producers are looking for
writers who can take an idea and transform it into a well-written script. From
the producer's point of view, there are too many scripts by writers who know
how to spell check, have a proper command of the language and have properly
formatted and bound scripts to waste their time on a writer who doesn't.

It takes 5-12 producers to get most movies produced. Therefore, the producer
has to show a writer's script to dozens of other producers, not to mention,
financiers, distributors, actors and directors to get a film made. 99.9% of
all scripts have to be re-written before finally being produced. Producers
must be convinced that the writer is a professional and has the ability to do
re-writes. Or the script has to be so well executed or such a unique idea that
the producer can still run with it and have another writer do the re-writes.
Otherwise, the producer runs the risk of losing credibility with his/her peers.

Writing is an art form just like dancing, acting, painting and sculpting. It
takes study and practice. One wouldn't expect to get a job doing data entry
without knowing how to type.

Once the script is up to snuff, it is time to market it.

From an earlier email, you have gotten a few tips on writing the logline and
synopsis. For this and the query letter, the key is to keep it simple, clear
and concise.

A query letter contains three things:
1) Your full contact info, including email address.
2) An introduction.
3) Your logline and/or synopsis.

Development people want a story they can produce. They do not want a full page
of introduction and for the most part, they do not care where a writer learned
to write or that the person is a working actor, turned writer. They just want
to know what the story is about.

Useful information for someone in development would be whether or not the
writer is represented, has optioned or sold scripts or has had something
produced.

A query letter could be a simple as this: ~I have a script I think you might
be interested in and it is based on a true story. Following is the pitch for
it:~ The pitch/logline is a short paragraph and below it there is another
paragraph, which says, ~I also have other scripts which you might be interested
in. Attached is a one-page synopsis for~... Feel free to contact me if you
are interested.~ If the script is award winning or received good coverage, you
can write that in another sentence in the first paragraph. A month or so
later, if you haven't gotten any kind of response, write another query letter,
with an additional sentence: ~I wrote you about a month ago and have another
script that I think you might be interested in.~

If you have a dozen scripts, you can ******* a couple of pitches per query
letter. If you have a total of three scripts and ******* all three in the
first query letter, you have just shot your wad and now need to come up with a
very clever and justified reason to write another letter the following month.
Perhaps you can pitch an idea for a script. Just realize that ideas cannot be
copyrighted, but since you haven't written the script, you haven't lost much if
the idea is stolen.

Theft of ideas is part of the industry. If you can't stand the idea of someone
stealing your idea or a movie being produced which is similar to your script,
don't market it or tell anyone about it. This is the only 100% guarantee that
your script won't get stolen. However, do also keep in mind that tens of
thousands of scripts are written every year in the US alone. And who knows how
many ideas and synopses have been thought of or written in addition. Unless an
idea is extremely unique, the odds of someone else not having written a similar
story are remote. The odds of another writer not having submitted a query
letter, with a story similar to yours, to the same producer as you have are
equally remote. We have two synopses on our website right now which are
virtually identical. Yet, the two writers don't know each other and have not
had access to each other's script. (These two writers are aware of each
other).

If a writer has a unique idea and script and does not have access to pitch the
VPs of the studios, the writer has two choices: take a chance or wait until the
writer does have access. More than likely, the only way to get access is to
get some scripts produced or a pitch or script sold to the studios.

MARKETING:
All writers have two jobs: writing a good script and marketing it.

The essence of marketing is making a service or product known to the people who
want it.

There are several basic steps to marketing: 1) Knowing your market. 2) Coming
up with an effective plan to reach that market. 3) Implementing that plan.

In terms of writing a script there are several markets, which can be broken
down to many sub-markets: Independent films, studio films, TV, cable, direct to
video, etc. To know which is which, read the trade papers and watch the movies
coming out of these markets. With all personal aspirations aside, try to figure
out where your script can most easily be sold. Selling a script is hard enough
without trying to sell it to a market that isn't interested.

To market a script, first find out how much work is involved or how much effort
you will need to exert. You may come up with a perfect strategy but if you
don't do enough of it, you won't succeed.

Just to give you an idea, the odds of a script being sold or optioned are at
least one in several hundred. The odds of it getting produced are one in
several thousand. Fortunately, scripts are acquired every day, so all is not
lost.

Look at what other un-produced writers are doing to get their scripts sold.
From this, you should learn one thing. If you do the exact same amount of
marketing and use the same marketing plan, your odds of getting a script sold
will be the same as theirs.

A writer needs to get his/her script read by many dozens of qualified producers
if he/she expects to get it sold and produced. A script can't be purchased if
it hasn't been read by the right needy producer at the right time. Keep your
script a secret and a secret is all that it will ever be.

As a general rule, a writer who expects to be successful should do 5 -10 times
or more marketing, on a weekly basis, as the average un-produced writer.

Most any decent sales book will tell you that a salesperson should have and
consistently work 5 different sources for getting prospects. The Internet
currently counts as one source. If you are represented, that counts as another
source. You need 3-4 more sources.

These other sources, come from networking groups, sending out query letters
from directories to producers and reps, attending pitch sessions, script
coverage, script analysis, contests and festivals, film schools, writing
seminars, etc. (10-25% of the people attending writing seminars are people who
work in the industry.) If you are going to go the contest route, submit to
more than one contest. The same goes for coverage etc.

A note on script coverage: Script coverage is a marketing tool. It IS NOT
development or analysis (at least, not at first). A writer has a 1-5% chance
of getting a 'consider' or 'recommend' from a script coverage service. If the
writer gets a 'recommend' or 'consider' the writer now has a 2-3% chance of
that script coverage service being able to help the writer sell/option their
script, make a deal or get representation.

When it comes to selling your script, script coverage services do the exact
same thing as a manager or agent. Their effectiveness in getting you a deal is
no better or worse than a rep, on average. After a writer discovers his/her
script isn't good enough, the writer often hires the script coverage services
to help develop the script. First, get your script developed and perfected and
then use script coverage services to market your script. There are scores of
development services out there and most coverage services also offer
development. Favorable coverage can be a good thing at the right time. It is
a recognized tool in the industry and one more way to get exposure. It is also
something you can sometimes use to test the market, to see if your script is
ready for marketing. ScriptPIMP.com is a good source for this. Not because I
say so, but because about 5 times more writers have emailed us recommending
them than any other script coverage service. ScriptPIMP won't make every writer
happy. No script coverage service ever has or ever will. If you are going to
get script coverage or development, always do a due diligence. (NOTE: No one at
WritersScriptNetwork gets any finders fee for this mention.)

Recognize that in any one thing you do in marketing, whether it is a pitch
session, contest, script coverage etc, you are fighting the odds as mentioned
earlier. For every one thing you do, you know the odds. Just do more of it
and increase your chances.

What can you use for marketing? Anything! You just had one of your scripts
optioned: you are starting another script, you just gained representation; you
moved to LA; you moved out of LA; one of your shorts is being produced; you
just received good coverage; your script made it past the first cut in a
festival or contest competition, etc.

Once you have gained representation, in most cases your work is not done. I
know writers who are represented by William Morris, CAA etc. The first thing
these writers will tell you is that you must continue marketing your script as
if you weren't represented. Managers and reps are a tool to use in marketing.
Do not stop networking and marketing your scripts, unless your rep specifically
tells you not to market a specific script. You then market all of your other
scripts that your rep is not handling or dealing with. However, you definitely
should coordinate your marketing efforts with your agent or manager. Don't get
in your rep's way and be sure you aren't submitting to producers your rep is
submitting to, without approval. Once you get a rep, find out how you can help
the rep and do what they need.

CAREER:
One final comment with regards to writing careers: This is a career just like
anything else. Let's say you are making fifteen dollars an hour and someone
says, ~Come work for me and I'll pay you twenty dollars an hour~. Are you
going to say ~NO!~? Of course not.

Take lightly the things you hear and read in the trade papers about writers
getting 6 and 7 figures. For the most part these writers have already had
extensive writing careers, having sold or optioned many a script or idea for
much less (these writers who have just made their first 6-7 figure deal are
often called 'newbies', but it doesn't mean they are new.). Why they are
getting 6-7 figures now? They have a track record. Though, the first time
writer can sell his/her script for such a figure, the odds of this are so great
as to not even be worth considering. It is always worth hoping for, but using
this as your writing and income criteria is not practical and is more of a
detriment than a help. If a producer wants you to write a spec, do it. If a
producer wants to option a script for a dollar or six thousand dollars do it.
If you can sell a short do it. If you can write for a series to be shown on
public access, do it. If someone wants to produce your script with a $500,000
budget, direct to video movie, do it. Of course, before a writer writes on
spec or options a script, following one's gut instinct and checking the
producer out, is always recommended.

Each and every time you take advantage of such an opportunity, you can use this
success to further market your other scripts. When a script is optioned, one
thing is almost certain: other producers, development people, distributors,
financiers, actors and talent, will also now get to read your script. Even if
the producer never produces that script, others read it and now know who you
are. You never know where that big paying job will come from.

If all of your scripts are optioned, write some more. At the same time,
continue to do everything you can to improve your craft. Actors are constantly
doing things to improve their acting skill. So should writers.

Keep doing this and you have substantially increased the odds of getting the
big bucks and see your script become the next blockbuster.