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If I could give a tip, it would be, keep a close eye on the project and check in with them every week so that you know what's going on.
This is nice in theory but you'll probably find the producer is very busy and after the initial few contacts they will disappear for a while. Post production takes an age and you may go months without hearing anything. Just wait and they will get back to you when it's done....hopefully.
Check out my scripts...if you want to, no pressure.
Post production takes an age and you may go months without hearing anything.
Very good point, Alffy. Xavier's post is actually poor advice -- but since we are discussing it -- I suppose it makes more sense to leave it up than to delete it.
If you badger a producer with weekly emails, they will probably be very unlikely to seek you out again.
Patience in all things related to production is a virtue.
A lot of times, the writer is offered a percentage of the profits. Very rarely, unfortunately, do shorts make a dime. They're more of a business card than a paycheck.
If I could give a tip, it would be, keep a close eye on the project and check in with them every week so that you know what's going on.
Every week? That's a great way to piss someone off.
You have to remember that anyone who is shooting your film is, more than likely, not a full time filmmaker. Most of the people involved in the production will be doing it pro bono. This means that things get done when everyone is available for it. If the guy with the camera (or the car) is unavailable, then nothing gets done. And shooting is likely done on weekends.
I wouldn't e-mail people more than one a month. If you piss them off enough, you'll give them a reason to abandon your script.
Post production takes an age and you may go months without hearing anything. Jus
I actually know quite a bit about filmmaking, I know that post production is the most difficult part of filmmaking, but still, if you did what I did, and not even check up once, you'll find that you loose contact with them forever.
Quoted from bert
Xavier's post is actually very poor advice
Sorry you feel that way, but face it, for a lot of beginning screenwriters and filmmakers, you have to keep contact. And it's not badgering someone if you leave one e-mail a week. What some websites do is badgering, but not that.
Quoted from dogglebe
I had a dozen people ask to film one of my scripts. The thirteenth actually made it.
Good for you. That's something you can tell people, "keep your hopes up" with. But my case, out of the several people who ask to make my script, the only one who really did, never asked me in thr first place, I just got an e-mail that said, "I made your script into a film, I'll send you a copy." By the way, I still haven't gotten that copy.
Those who believe that they are the best, the most popular, the go to guy, those are usually the ones who need the most help.
Sorry you feel that way, but face it, for a lot of beginning screenwriters and filmmakers, you have to keep contact. And it's not badgering someone if you leave one e-mail a week. What some websites do is badgering, but not that.
I recently had contact with a film student from Australia regarding a short script of mine. Thinks are looking pretty serious. It's only a student film thesis, nobody's going to make a ton of money.
When he first inquired about the script? It was a good month before I heard back from him. Requests come and go. I even heard from him today, as he asked for a one page (that's after he already chose to do it, which is a good sign) and I gave it to him.
I do believe in communication and updates in progress, things of that nature. But---I don't believe in knocking on his door every week either. Way I see it, if he's open to communication, that's great. But he's reaching out to me when he can, and I respect that.
I say, then, in stages of prep, production and post, let the filmmaker(s) contact you, and not you them.
I had quite a few emails from producers. Some claimed to big name producers and name dropped like the dickens only to vanish into vast wasted space that is the back page of the script.
The more consistent producers have been smaller companies that are interested, but have yet to work out timelines and all that other jazz, though at least they were in constant communication.
I also few producers that I'll occasionally hear from to say their interested and then months of silence go by and then they contact me out of the blue again to say their interested, but then more months go by with more silence.
I opted to go the route of producing one feature myself, and searched for an exec and we were all ready to go and the exec backed out the other day for a bigger project. So back to square one.
One short I wrote on here a few contacted me to film it - I believe at least one was a student filmmaker and asked for the timeline of completion and he said he'd get me the info - never heard from him again.
I check up with producers I know that a really interested maybe once every two-three months. I think quarterly communication is okay. A couple have told me they meant to get back to me sooner but had to drop my project for something else. Which is fine. In this industry no response usually means no (Of course there are exceptions to that) and I always keep the door open, because who knows their other projects might fall through and then go back through their records and go "Oh that guy was nice, and his material was solid, lets see if it's still available."
Pretty used to the disappearing acts by now, so unless I hear a recognizable name on other end I'm not all that excited - until I can understand where they want to take the project.
Once I agree to let someone produce something of mine, I contact them one a month; a quick how-ya-doing? This is how I find out if they dropped the project for another. No one's ever made first contact, saying they've dropped the script; it's in response to how-ya-doing.
I guess this is only tangentally related, but how would you suggest writing an email asking a copyright holder for adaptation rights? I've written a draft that is structured thus; My initial enquiry, a summation of the plot and my goals for the script.
Do you think this is a good format or am I missing something?
I haven't had to do something like this for a while, but I actually have a question. Someone E-mailed me, interested in "Christmas Story". You probably know the deal. But, things got a little complicated in a hurry.
Now, do we know anything about "The Global Artist Agency Group" and/or their subsidiary "Global Talent Agency" besides what I read, that they're entirely online-based and that they have a handful of employees? Basically, I'm wondering if they're a known scam or anything like that.
I bring this up because of a conversation I had (actually still having) with a gentleman named Chase Craig.
Everything started normal. He gave me a very brief introduction and said he would like to speak to me about producing it. Pretty standard start so I basically ask what kind of questions he had.
Here, he asks me if I have a budget, studio or cast behind this script. He kind of threw me a curveball here because when he came to me about producing it, I took it to mean he was interested whereas it seems like he was interested in me producing it. So, I went the simple route and explained that as a writer, the spec script is virtually my only responsibility at the moment.
He seemed to understand what I was getting at, but he mentioned that "just before I hop on with this, I need to know everything about what you have." He continued with his understanding that all I have is the script, but he does imply (imply being used very loosely) certain interests. He says he's interested in producing, starring and directing. At this point, I am quite curious because all I can think is we have nothing yet. He mentions we can both talk to his agent (the plot thickens) about getting a studio behind this and he admits (which was always obvious to me) that this is not a summer movie, but a small release, at best.
Seeing as how he seems to be getting ahead of himself, I remind him that this is hardly a first draft and that I have nothing else set up so I ask if I could speak directly to his agent as it should be the agent's job to do their bidding and I'd feel more comfortable speaking to them.
So, about an hour and a half later, he comes back at me mentioning that he believes in the script and that he'd just need a studio behind it... which is a monolith on its own and he sends me a resumé.
In the resumé is a whole lot of stuff, sort of. He gives me what he looks like, what he's performed, his training, his skills and his representation. In my searching, I haven't been able to verify anything he's said yet, but that's not to say that he's lying.
So, basically I'm contemplating contacting (or trying to) his agent by the phone number given or trying to E-mail him. Does everyone think this is a good play or is there a better way to do this?
Not too keen on what I've read regarding your conversation. If he's interested in producing your script, then he should know that it would fall on him to get a budget, studio and cast in place. Looks to me like he's just trying to get involved in something that may already be in the works, and he doesn't have the cred to put his name on something as "token" producer.
Contacting the agent will most likely get you nowhere, since you'll probably get nothing more than an inquiry about what you're offering. At best, you'd get an LOI, but that's not really enough to get you anything more beyond that since their main function is to attract investors and other potential talent.
It was one of those things where at one point, I had to stop and make sure the guy was serious. I mean, from what he lists in his resume, all he's done is acting and limited amounts from what I've seen. All of a sudden jumping to producer, director and star struck me as extremely odd.
After I had sent the message, I was just going to send an E-mail reiterating that I'd prefer for his agent to contact me directly even though, like you said, that's not really their prime concern.
I guess the thing I'm most confused by is why I'd be messaged by an actor. Of all people involved in making a movie, an actor contacting a writer is about as backwards as it gets. Just one of those things I suppose.
I don't see anyone with that name listed on IMDB pro so I wonder about the credits. Global Artists is the real deal though and they rep some talent that I'm sure everyone's heard of, like Tom Sizemore, Gary Busey and Steven Bauer.
In the above link, his agency is listed as Global Talent Agency. I’m sure it’s just a talent agency that provides actors. In other words, their clients are the people seeking actors, not the actors themselves, as with major Hollywood agencies.
I think Mike’s probably got it right. It’s probably an actor wanting to get in on a project.
I occasionally get emails out of the blue from actors. I have no idea how they got my address or why they think I would be able to help them. I also get emails from people working in other areas of the industry, like composers or whatever.
I think they’re just doing whatever they can to get into a movie.