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Dear Screenwriter:
I'm hoping this issue will lift you from any post-holiday doldrums that
mire you.
Successful established screenwriters write on a regular schedule, not
just when the muse whispers in their ear. So should you. They also do
story pitching and networking chores on a regular basis; and so should
you (not just when I nag you by email). Screenwriting may be a solitary
professional, but it is a PROACTIVE career choice.
Each screenwriter discovers the business end of screenwriting through
day to day experiences as they face each individual challenge. You
constantly discover better methods for writing scripts; and you will
gradually find out what works for you in the marketing and networking
facet of your career.
Roll up those sleeves and let's get started...
SCRIPT
MARKET
NEWS JANUARY 25, 2002
IN THIS ISSUE
IN THE SPOTLIGHT ----> Submission Opps - 2002
WRITER Q and A ----> Networking... Books/Movies...
MARKET TIPS ----> Contests + Readings
TUTORIAL ---> Scripts that Smell like Movies
------------------------------------> Don't Dress for Success
Find a New Career in Your Underwear <----------------
Your FREE career guide "Clothing Optional" downloads
instantly when you sign up for DREAM JOBS DIALOG -
a FREE newsletter on exciting careers in the Media.
Just Click------> Dream
Jobs!
In the Spotlight ----> MORE JANUARY
SUBMISSIONS
Opportunity #1 ---> FLICKS ON 66 WILD WEST SHOOTOUT
This unusual little film festival offers you the opportunity to see your
vision on the big screen. In the past 2 years, Flicks has produced short
movies by 16 emerging filmmakers. Writers provide the short scripts; and
Flicks provides cast, crew, digital cameras and everything else you need
to make it happen. You have a few months before the deadline for script submissions - April 15, 2002 - so shake your bootie. The film festival
runs in July.
INFO ---> http://www.flickson66.com
QUESTIONS --->
flicksdigital66@aol.com
Opportunity #2 ---> STAGED READING SERIES
Playwrights would benefit most from this opportunity; but many movie
scripts work well as staged readings. So if you live in the New York City area, you might want to give this opp a shot. Old School Theatre
Company is seeking scripts (30 minutes to 2 hours in length) for their annual Staged Reading series. For the right script, this opportunity
would be invaluable.
INFO ---> http://www.oldschooltheatre.com/
EMAIL ---> mollydawne@hotmail.com
Opp #3 ---> UK SIT COM TRIALS
Heads up, Brits! This travelling audition show plays in venues (pubs etc.) throughout Britain. The show is professionally scripted, the
audience votes which sitcom they want to see on the air. But they also include the work of a local writer which they perform as a rehearsed
reading.
Here's what Kev F. Sutherland, the Producer of the Sit Com Trials, had to say, "Your script must be a situation comedy featuring no more than 2
male and 2 female characters (that being the size of our cast), no more than 10 minutes long, and capable of being performed radio style with
the actors holding their scripts.
Email your script (saved as a Word file) to mailto:kevf@sitsvac.org Include your name and address so we can verify you are local to the
venue in question. (To us, local means anyone in the general region, we hope to select the best script from a writer close to the venue, but
quality will beat proximity). "
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE ---> http://www.sitcomtrials.co.uk
______ IMPORTANT MESSAGE _______
Find other great email newsletters
and Ezines at the Cumuli Ezine Finder:
http://www.cumuli.com/ezines/
______________________________________
HOME
WHAT'S NEW
----> Screenwriter Q and A
RE:
NETWORKING
QUESTION:
I would appreciate any information you can
provide for contacting people to sell a screenplay. Is it easier sell it
by yourself or through a writing agent? --- Martin
ANSWER: Most established screenwriters use agents, lawyers or managers
to sell their scripts; but they also do plenty of marketing and
networking on their own.
Unproduced screenwriters should try to find an agent or manager who can
help them sell their work; but most writers reps prefer to market
writers with credits. So you must also market your own scripts at the
same time you actively pursue representation.
Here are some helpful tutorials to get you started:
Finding and researching agents -->
http://breakingin.net/agents_hide.htm
Targeting independent film production companies
- especially those that
center on actors with production deals at TV and movie studios will be
productive for you. Here's an article to help you acquire the detailed
information you need to do this successfully:
http://breakingin.net/target_submissions.htm
For tips on working with independent film companies:
http://breakingin.net/indies_faq.htm
Tutorial on writing bomb-proof query letters:
http://breakingin.net/tswquery.htm
Tutorial on creating dynamic loglines for scripts:
http://breakingin.net/logline.htm
Of course writing a GREAT SCRIPT is JOB ONE of screenwriting. Too many
aspiring writers put 90% of their effort into marketing and 10% into the
writing when it should be the other way around.
The best way to keep creative control of the script is NOT to sell it.
I'm not being facetious. If a studio or producer or actor really wants
to make your movie, the only way to stay on the project is NOT to sell
the script outright to the first enthusiastic bidder.
Once you sell your script outright, they are free to do as they please;
and they will usually bring in an experienced screenwriter or
writer-director which means you're out.
To protect your territory, option your script with you guaranteed as the
rewriter, with all rewrites reverting to you. Some writers get into a
bind because they keep control of their scripts, but the rewrites they
did on the script belong to the studio. Avoid that mess.
RE: NOVELS INTO SCREENPLAYS
QUESTION:
I'm planning on writing a screenplay based on a novel whose author passed on many decades ago.
How do I go about receiving permission to write this piece of work?
-- Ada
ANSWER: Good for you to be concerned about getting permission to adapt
this book for film BEFORE writing the screenplay. I hear from many
writers who work for months or years on material that someone else
controls. This often ends in heartbreak.
It is possible this work is in the 'public domain' which means any one
can adapt it for film. To be sure, contact the publisher listed in the
front of the book. Ask for the Rights and Acquisitions department. They
will know who (if anyone) currently controls the rights to this book.
Fax your query for a quick response.
Once you know who controls the rights to this book, then request to
option the film rights from them. A negotiation will ensue and you will
come up with a step deal: a small option payment against a future
purchase price if a movie is made.
With older or out-of-print books sometimes you can acquire permission to
setup the book at a production house with very little upfront money.
Once you control the book rights, you can safely adapt a screenplay from
the book. Of course you can't sell that screenplay SEPARATELY from the
book. However, you could setup the book without the screenplay. You see
why controlling the rights to the underlying book becomes so important
for screenwriters.
Some resources for basic copyright questions:
---> http://www.benedict.com/
---> http://www.whatiscopyright.org/
RE:
FINDING SHOOTING SCRIPTS ONLINE
QUESTION:
I have an assignment to write an article about recently released movies and I need shooting
scripts pronto. Any suggestions? -- Elliot
ANSWER: These sites offer downloads of the shooting script from recent
releases for educational purposes:
Movie Script database--> http://iscriptdb.com/
Scripts on the Net -->
http://www.rosebud.br/scripts.htm
Script Crawler --->
http://www.scriptcrawler.net/
Simply Scripts --->
http://www.simplyscripts.com/
Subscribe
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MARKET TIPS --> Contests + Script Readings
-----> UNDEREXPOSED SCREENPLAY COMPETITION
Talk about underexposed! Last issue, the contact URL on this great
contest was accidentally deleted during the proofing. You'll find the
contest details here ---> http://www.geocities.com/jomopro/2002.html
-----> CAROLINA FILM FESTIVAL FEATURETTE AWARD
Short scripts only! The winning featurette should be 30-60 pages. It
must be about or set in the Carolinas.
Actors from the UNC Greensboro Theatre Program will perform a reading of
the winning script on the last day of the Film and Video Festival. The
author will receive a videotape of the reading.
Email for INFO ---->
carolinafilmfest@excite.com
----> OPEN DOOR COMPETITION
This month's Open Door is sponsored by Script Magazine and Looking Glass
Productions.
Prizes: $3,000 cash, software, story notes and consideration for
production from Looking Glass Pictures.
OPEN DOOR INFO --->
http://scriptmag.com/
----> SCRIPTWRITERS NETWORK/CARL SAUTTER MEMORIAL SCRIPTWRITING AWARD
Open to Features, MOW's, One-Hour and Half-Hour TV. Script must not have
been optioned, sold or produced. No limit on number of entries per
person.
Awards: Guaranteed reads by major production companies, agencies,
networks and show runners; books, gift certificates, movie passes,
subscriptions, computer software, free writing seminars and conferences
(including Selling to Hollywood). Cool trophy.
BONUS: FEEDBACK! Professional written feedback will be provided to the writer for EVERY script in each round.
MORE INFO ----> http://scriptwritersnetwork.com
----> TOOT YOUR OWN HORN!
Let us know when YOU have a breakthrough. We'll promote you as best we can. Email the details
to us --->
mailto:screenwriter@breakingin.net
SCREENWRITING
TUTORIAL-----> Does
Your Script Smell Like a Movie?
by Lenore Wright
For
months (or perhaps years) you've channeled passion and energy into
finishing your screenplay. You've
poured your heart and soul into your characters and their conflicts. You've given it to friends or colleagues whose opinion you respect. And they
LOVED it.
You’re ready
to submit your script to market. In fact, you're ready for that BIG SPEC SCRIPT
SALE.
But is your script ready?
Look
at it one last time and ask yourself this vital question ------>
Does it smell like a
movie?
Believe me, producers,
agents, directors, stars and film executives know a movie when they've
read one. They can smell it. They might not be
able to describe why a script smells like a movie, it just does.
My simple checklist will
help you develop your own sense of smell. Here it is:
-
Who?
-
What?
-
Where?
-
When?
-
Why?
-
How?
Read your script once more
and ask yourself if your script answers the who-what-where-when-why-how
question.
Who is the movie about? This
is the first question film professionals will ask. The answer had better
be the movie is about the star's character. Movies usually focus on one
character - a hero who must overcome difficult (sometimes
impossible) obstacles to pursue what he
wants. The audience must be very involved with this hero and his (or
her) challenge. If you don't know which of your characters is the star of
your movie; then your script is not ready for market.
Who is your target audience
for this movie? That is the second question moviemakers will ask. Know
your target audience. Many movies cross-over to other audience markets,
but your script must be able to attract at least one defined
movie market.
What are movie markets? Date
movies. Chick flicks. Male appeal (action-adventure, disaster).
Slackers. Urban audiences. Art house audiences. You can invent you own
movie market, just be sure you have one for your script.
Movie writing is
GENRE story telling. Movies are promoted as comedies, dramas,
action movies, and so on. Know the genre of your movie. The major ones
are: comedy, drama, action, adventure, crime, fantasy, horror, thriller,
suspense, war story, mystery, sci-fi, teen comedy, and family movies.
Your movie might combine two genres (a romantic-thriller); but if you
need three or more genres to describe your script, you need to rethink
your story.
Find out what
other movies have been made in your genre - the successful ones and the
failures. This kind of thinking will help you capitalize on the genre of
your movie more
successfully. Imagine a poster for your movie. In your mind, put
together a trailer to advertise your movie. If you can't do this, ask
yourself - why not?
A
successful movie script should give the reader a distinct (and unique)
sense of place - the world of the movie. Art directors, scenic
designers, movie directors and cinematographers contribute immensely to
the look of a movie. But well-written scripts put their characters in a
specific and unique place created by the screenwriters with words.
Insider
tip: Read the scripts of these
movies: MANHATTAN, NORMA RAE, STAR WARS and CROCODILE DUNDEE. The
writers created the unique world of their movie on the page through
description, dialogue, sights and sounds, scene choices and choices of location.
Is
the time period of your story established upfront? Cameron Crowe's award
winning script for ALMOST FAMOUS sets up the 1969-America-era quickly and succinctly
in a few touching pages. Does the time period of your movie remain consistent
throughout the story? Does it enhance or illuminate your story?
Is
the time frame of your story clear? If you've written a sweeping epic
that covers the Russian Revolution, you must clue us in. If your story
depicts a day in the life of a pizza joint in Harlem, don't build an
expectation that we're going to explore beyond the borders of your
story.
Movies create their own story-telling
rhythm through action, camera techniques, use of music and sound effects,
the dialogue and the juxtaposition of scenes. The agents, producers, directors
and film executives reading your script - if they are experienced
professionals - will have at least a rudimentary ability to sense
the rhythm of your movie.
Does the length of your
scenes and their positioning support the rhythm of your story? Do your
action scenes punctuate or at least illuminate the decisions of your
star. Do your descriptions propel us deeper into the story or distract
us? Have you used all available tools (not just talk) to let us get
close to your hero - action, dialogue, description, sounds, images,
humor, gesture.
Why
do we care about the main characters in this movie? Why would a director
or star spend a year of their lives preparing and making this movie? Why
would a movie studio commit tens of millions of dollars to make and
promote this
movie?
And
the most important question of all ----> Why would someone pay $9 to
see this movie?
The
why of a movie script is perhaps the most important consideration,
though probably the most ephemeral. Why will someone buy your
screenplay? Because it smells like a movie.
If you can answer
this checklist of questions satisfactorily
then your script is ready to go to market.
Good
luck!
Author's
resume.
***************
-----> SCHOONER REEF CHIEF REVEALED!
Our hardworking subscriber - Schooner Reef Chief - who won the
screenplay prize at Telluride Film Festival and was one of 15 winners in
the Creative Crib/Larry Sugar Contest has revealed himself as
screenwriter ALLEN CODY TAUBE. Congratulations again, Allen!
Send Script Market News YOUR good news!
____________________________________
Miss the January 10 SCRIPT MARKET? Read it ONLINE --->
http://breakingin.net/script_market_news6.htm
If this newsletter or the Break into Screenwriting website has been
helpful to you as a writer, please take a moment to nominate it as one
of the best 101 websites for writers.
Send your nomination to ---> wd-tools@fwpubs.com
Missed the December Script Market? It's
online HERE!
Need BACK ISSUES of Script Market News?
Find them
ONLINE -> Back
Issues
Finish that script -- we WILL find a market for it.
Lenore Wright, Editor
Script Market News
The Screenwriters Web:
Script Marketing Advice
http://breakingin.net/
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