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The Savvy Screenwriter

How to Sell Your Screenplay (and Yourself) Without Selling Out!

St. Martin's Press

YOUR QUESTIONS — MY ANSWERS

Following are the questions most commonly posed by my clients, students, and seminar attendees about working in and surviving the film business.

What exactly is a spec script?

A spec script is a screenplay that is written on speculation — meaning without payment or before a deal has been negotiated.

How likely is it that I will sell my spec script?

To be honest, selling a script is like winning the lottery. Someone has to win the lottery ... and some writers do sell their scripts! To keep sane and focused against such staggering odds, it's important to keep in mind three potential goals. You want: (1) to get your script sold; (2) to get your script produced; and (3) to have it serve as a writing sample for future work.

What are the steps to getting my spec script sold?

1. Write a great script. (See chapter 4, "Is My Script Ready for Submission?")

2. Write a strong query letter that will entice an executive to read your script. (See chapter 5, "The Quest for a Winning Query Letter.")

3. Compose a strong synopsis that demonstrates why your story is great. (See chapter 6, "Sharpening Your Synopsis.")

4. Write a powerful pitch that will inspire an executive to buy your idea and/or script. (See chapter 7, "All About Pitching.")

5. Know how to write a treatment. If a company interested in your project requests you submit one, you'll be prepared. (See chapter 8, "The Red Carpet Treatment.")

6. Target the production companies, studios, and talent (actors, directors, producers) that are appropriate for your script. (See the appendix on page 257 for listings of directories.)

7. You've heard the joke: "What's the best way to Carnegie Hall? ... Practice, practice, practice." What's the best way to break into the film business? Network, network, network. Writing is solitary, but the film industry is all about connections. No matter where you live, you must find a way to make personal contacts with industry professionals. (See chapter 9, "Okay, I Finally Finished My Script.")

8. Find representation. Learn how to find agents and entertainment attorneys, and discover how they can work for and with you. (See chapter 10, "Finding an Agent," and chapter 11, "Entertainment Attorneys.")

9. Understand how option agreements and development deals work so you're savvy when an offer is presented to you. (See chapter 12, "They Like Me! They Really Like Me!")

10. Moviemaking is all about collaboration. Whether you're working with a writing partner or as a writer-for-hire, learn the necessary tools for a successful collaboration. (See chapter 13, "Tips on Approaching Writing Assignments and Finding Harmonious Collaboration.")

11. Know the facts to keep you and your project protected. (See chapter 14, "Your Screenwriting Mantras.")

A CLIENT'S CALLING

Several years ago a client told me, "I've been calling everyone that has any remote connection to the film industry, and I'm getting to the point where I'm calling anyone who's ever seen a movie!"

His determination paid off. He won two-dozen script competitions, found a prominent agent, and two of his screenplays are in preproduction.

What exactly is the Writers Guild of America (WGA), and who can join?

The WGA is a labor union that represents approximately eleven thousand writers. Eligibility is open to those who have sold literary material to or are employed by a signatory — a company that has signed the Guild's Minimum Basic Agreement (MBA). The MBA determines how you work, your writing fee, and additional fees you receive when your work is reused on basic cable, free TV, videocassettes, DVDs, and interactive media.

Members living east of the Mississippi River belong to WGA East, and members living west of the Mississippi belong to WGA West. Every member works under the same contracts and receives the same benefits.

What type of services does the WGA provide to nonmembers?

The following is a brief overview of what the WGA provides. Contact them or look at their Web sites (www.wgaeast.org; www.wga.org) for additional services:

• REGISTRATION. It's imperative to register your script, treatment, and/or synopsis before submitting it to any agent, producer, production company, or studio in order to prevent accidental theft of material. Registering your work establishes a dated record of your material's existence and your claim to authorship. Should legal or official Guild action be taken, an employee of the WGA may produce the material as evidence.

after which time you may renew at the current registration fee. It's easy to do. You can register your script online, in

$10 for WGA members in good standing and $20 for non-members.

Once you've registered your material, notice of registration goes on your title page as follows: REGISTERED WGAW or WGAE. (You can include the registration number, but it's not necessary.) Do not include a photocopy of the Certificate of Registration with your script. Registration with the WGA does not protect titles. Registration does not help you to become a member of the WGA.

• AGENCY LIST. The Guild Signatory Agents and Agencies List is available on the WGA Web site: www.wga.org.

Do I need to copyright my script and/or treatment if I have registered it with the WGA?

Yes, you must register your script with the Copyright Office before submitting it to any agent, producer, production company, or studio in order to establish a dated record of your material's existence and your claim to authorship. The copyright is in effect for the duration of the writer's life plus seventy years. A copyright provides additional legal protection, which WGA registration does not. As of January 2006, the registration fee was $30. (See the appendix on page 257 for contact information.)

Is there anything wrong with an agent who is not a WGA signatory?

There is nothing "wrong" per se with an agent who isn't signatory to the WGA. However, agents who are not signatory may charge reading, copying, and/or consulting fees. More important, nonsignatory agents do not have to abide by the WGA rules, which protect writers' interests. (See chapter 10, "Finding an Agent.")

I need advice on sensible ways to protect myself without becoming a paranoid freak:

• What's the best way to mail a script?

Mail your script in a secure padded envelope or in a Priority Mail envelope to avoid pages being bent or ripped. You may want to send it with a Delivery Confirmation, which is less expensive than sending it certified or return receipt. Contact your local post office for more details.

• What's the best way to tell people about my script?

"Just the facts, ma'am." Give people the basics. Obviously, you don't want to give away too much because you want an executive to request your script.

• Is the logline the best thing to tell?

Yes, using your logline (a one-sentence description of your script) to pitch your screenplay is a good tool.

• If my script is completed, registered with the WGA, and copyrighted, can I tell anyone and everyone about it?

Yes, but use your best judgment. Telling everyone about your script exposes your ideas to the world, so be selective as to whom you choose to tell.

How many rewrites do I need to do before I finish my spec script?

I hear this question on a daily basis, and it's usually prefaced with, "I know you don't know the answer, but ..."

There is no definitive answer. It depends on your own gut instincts, along with the feedback you are getting from a script consultant and/or film executive. You may be able to nail your script in a couple of drafts or it may take thirty drafts or more. The number of rewrites is not a reflection of how talented you are.

How much money can a beginning screenwriter expect to make by selling a spec script?

It depends on the market, the type of picture it is, and who's buying: a Hollywood studio, which could offer thousands of dollars or more, or an independent production company, which could pay you significantly less. Generally, first-time screenwriters are offered Writers Guild minimum for a project, which as of January 2006 was approximately $36,000 for a low-budget film ($5 million and under) or approximately $75,000 for a high-budget film (over $5 million). The days of selling a spec script for $1 million-plus seem to be numbered! (Visit the Writers Guild Web site at www.wga.org to see their Schedule of Minimums.)

What are the most common mistakes made by new screenwriters?

I address this question throughout the book in various chapters, but here's a brief overview:

• Submitting a script before it's ready. If you're tired of rewriting, this is not the time to submit your script. Get feedback from others to make sure it's the best it can be. You have one shot when you submit it. It's extremely difficult, if not impossible, to get a producer, production company, and/or agent to reread a script they've already rejected.

• Not taking the time to write strong and attention-grabbing queries, synopses, and pitches.

• Submitting a script that is not industry-standard-formatted, and/or has typos, grammatical errors, stains, missing pages, no page numbers, camera angles, or dense action paragraphs, and/or is over 120 pages long.

• Not knowing what the story is really about, which is reflected not only in your script but also in your query, logline, synopsis, and pitch.

• Submitting a script to a company and/or an agent before it's been requested. If you think you can "sneak it in," think again. It will be thrown out.

• Writing a script that's so personal that it lacks objectivity and, in turn, just isn't very compelling as a screenplay.

WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW. RIGHT? OR WRONG?

Here's an e-mail from one of my students:

Through my sessions with other screenwriters at the workshops I attend each week, one commonality among new writers is this: "Your first screenplay often has so much of you in it, that it's hard to let go and do the rewrite ... to let the characters speak and act for themselves." I've now met several writers who say their first script had this problem. It's funny. We're advised to "write what you know," but if it takes on too much of you it becomes a stumbling block. So, here's my turn of the phrase advice: "Write what you know, but stay out of the show!"

Good advice. You must remain objective when writing a script based on your personal experiences.

What's a good way to choose an agent to query?

There are hundreds of agents from which to choose, so narrowing it down is exactly what you need to do. (See chapter 10, "Finding an Agent.")

• Read trade publications to learn who's selling scripts. Some of these publications also list agents seeking new writers to represent. (See the appendix on page 257.)

• Target agents who represent writers in your genre.

• Research the agents who represent screenwriters who share your writing sensibility. (See the appendix on page 257.)

• Attend script conferences, pitch and film festivals where agents may be speaking as panelists or listening to pitches. This gives you the opportunity to meet the agents in person and learn who may be right for you. (See the appendix on page 257 for trade publications, which list various events.)

• If you write low-budget, art-house-type scripts, query a literary agency rather than a packaging agency. But if, for example, you write mainstream, big-budget action scripts, targeting packaging agencies may be a better choice.

• Various online publications have message boards, which are another valuable way to share information with other screenwriters. (See the appendix on page 257.)

How can I protect myself from a company stealing my pitch idea?

You must register and copyright your pitch idea prior to your meeting. Bring your synopsis and/or treatment to your pitch meeting. It must include a cover page, which has the same layout as your script's cover page. This should state your name, contact information, copyright symbol (©) with the year, and your WGA registration number. After your pitch, the executive may ask for your synopsis or treatment, or you may ask if you can give it to the executive. If you pitch on the phone, follow up with a letter and the material you pitched with the cover page as noted above. Keeping a paper trail is your best defense against theft of ideas.

My script is completed, and I'm ready to start making calls to production companies to determine to whom I should address my query. I've heard that there's a slight chance that if I catch an assistant at the right moment I can pitch my script over the phone. What advice can you give me?

Bravo for following the savvy rules! Calling ahead to confirm the best person to query and to confirm the correct spelling of the person's name is exactly what you need to do. And yes, if you're lucky and the stars are aligned, you just might catch an assistant at the right moment when he or she has a few seconds to talk. Assistants are scouting new material and new talent, and like you they want to make their mark. If they discover that winning script and/or new talent, it may help to further their own careers.

Do your research before you make your call; you must know the scripts the company currently has in development and what they've produced. Personalize your call to fit the company's profile, and demonstrate that you've done your research by stating why your script may be a good match for their company. For example: "Given the XYZ films you've produced, I believe my script shares a sensibility that may be of interest to your company."

Keep in mind that if your script is too similar to films they've already produced or scripts they have in development, you must indicate how your script is unique. You might be asked: "Tell me what your script is about." Pitch your one-sentence logline and speak slowly and clearly. (For specific tools for writing loglines, see chapter 5, "The Quest for a Winning Query Letter.") If you don't have a good memory, or you tend to get nervous on the phone, have your written logline in front of you. Don't just read it — be engaging. This is your chance to grab the assistant's attention. If the assistant is interested in hearing more about your script, you'll be asked specific questions.

Do you think submitting work to script competitions is really valuable?

Winning or placing as a finalist at a prominent screenplay competition will indeed help get your work noticed. If you win or place as a finalist, then including this information in your query letter will help put your query on the top of the pile. However, there are hundreds of script competitions, and you need to be discriminating. Entering a highprofile competition whose judges are well-known and established industry professionals, that has a cash prize, and announcements in the trades, is worth your time and money. Lesser-known competitions with no-name judges, no film industry affiliations, and no cash prizes, don't add much credibility to your work.

The Web site www.moviebytes.com has a very valuable Contest Report Card where writers post their opinions on contests. (See chapter 9 for more details on screenplay competitions and the appendix on page 257for more resources.)

If I have an idea for a screenplay but haven't written it yet, should I still query companies with my idea?

Doing this is too risky. If the company is interested in your project, they will want to see your completed screenplay now. Having them wait for weeks, months, or longer while you're writing your brilliant script risks losing their attention. Remember, there is a revolving door of executives, and whoever's there today may be gone by the time you're ready to send your script.

Are Hollywood studios open to receiving scripts from writers who don't have agents or previous screenwriting credits?

It's very unlikely that any studio will read a script not submitted by an agent (otherwise known as an unsolicited script), especially if the writer hasn't had a script produced before. Studios are deluged with scripts on an hourly basis, and they rely on agents as a screening mechanism.

Studios must also protect themselves from being sued. A script submitted by an agent or a manager and/or an industry referral creates a more detailed paper trail, which avoids lawsuits. For example: a studio releases a film that is similar to an unsolicited script that was sent to them. The paper trail serves as proof of submission should a dispute arise.

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Excerpted from The Savvy Screenwriter by Susan Kouguell. Copyright © 2006 Susan Kouguell. Excerpted by permission of St. Martin's Press.
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