It wasn't on this site, but I posted a 30 page short on another site.  Within a few weeks some person, claiming to be from a production company, said they had read my script and loved it.  They then told me they were going to go show it to their assistant director and see what he thought.  They never contacted me back.

About a few months back I watched a short on YouTube that looked like an updated version of my script.  I'm not saying that it was mine and they stole it, I'm just saying that I had the idea first.

Can I ask though, what happens to these films after they've completed production? Don't know if I've asked this before, but have any of these films reached the big screen, either domestically or internationally? I'd love to see some of the films that came from members of this site!

Has anyone ever had a script produced by the 'BIG" studios i.e. MGM/PARAMOUNT?

Quoted from writer24 Has anyone ever had a script produced by the 'BIG" studios i.e. MGM/PARAMOUNT?

Not that I'm aware of.  Pretty much all of the "BIG" studios require an agent to submit work, and there are very few of us (actually, I can't think of any at the moment) that has one.

Quoted from writer24 Has anyone ever had a script produced by the 'BIG" studios i.e. MGM/PARAMOUNT?

Nope. Hasn't happened.  If you are here just to sell your script, then this is probably not the place for you.  

Don

The BIG 6 (News Corporation which includes Fox; Walt Disney, which includes Touchstone, Miramax, and Hollywood Pictures; Viacom, which includes Paramount, Dreamworks and MTV; Sony, which includes Columbia, Tristar, MGM, United Artists and Orion; Time-Warner, which includes Warner Bros., New Line Cinema and HBO; and NBC, which includes Universal, Working Title and Focus) are unlikely to peruse this site for anything. This is, of course, no offense to Don or the writers who post, but as far as they are concerned, this is lawsuit city. If anyone found out they were surfing here, and then produced something that rang a few bells? They just wouldn't want to take the chance.

Hey I have a random question, feel free to answer or ignore it.

Is there a certain "age prerequisite" that is unwritten or followed by the major studios?  For example if I were to get a lawyer/agent to represent me at my current age (20) would producers still pass it up?  I've been looking up on some famous writers' earlier credits on IMDB, and it seems like the majority of writers get their first script produced around the age of 28 and writers that direct their first feature are around 29-30.  So I guess my question is it even worth it for me to be sending out scripts to any producer, whether it be a indie company or a Big 6?  I mean I know hardly any 20 year old probably has enough life experience to write a feature film, but is it possible?  Or should I stick to the film festivals and making my own shorts?      

Quoted from guyjackson Is there a certain "age prerequisite" that is unwritten or followed by the major studios?  For example if I were to get a lawyer/agent to represent me at my current age (20) would producers still pass it up?  I've been looking up on some famous writers' earlier credits on IMDB, and it seems like the majority of writers get their first script produced around the age of 28 and writers that direct their first feature are around 29-30.  So I guess my question is it even worth it for me to be sending out scripts to any producer, whether it be a indie company or a Big 6?  I mean I know hardly any 20 year old probably has enough life experience to write a feature film, but is it possible?  Or should I stick to the film festivals and making my own shorts?

Chances are that you will never meet anyone from the studios until after they buy a script or two from you.  Given that, they'll never know how young or old you are until after the fact.

The reason why writers for the big six are 'older' is because the studios want to hire people with experience.  For what it's worth, Shane Black was 22 when he sold the script 'Lethal Weapon.'


Phil

I think there's a preference for those 18 and older just based on labor laws and what not (not so much labor laws, but I think contract structure is different since the person isn't an adult), but I know that "Thirteen" was co-written by a girl that I think was about 15 or so at the time.

Wow Shane Black was 22 when he sold his Lethal Weapon script?  That's awesome.  I guess it shows if it's good, it doesn't matter what your age is.

I also read somewhere that Russell Gewirtz, the writer of Inside Man, is a fairly young guy as well.  Anyone know if this is true?  I think someone said he was fresh out of film school when Spike Lee got the script.  

Heck, I've been developing a project with an LA producer (initial contact due to this site) since I was sixteen.  I have a feature length script currently in production by an indie filmmaker that I wrote at seventeen (initial contact also due to this site).  Don't worry about age...they won't know it until they've passed judgement on the script.  

I write specifically to Guy Jackson but I also want to throw in my two cents that this site is absolutely brilliant as far as getting contacts and responses about your work.

I am honestly flummoxed over some of the varied successes people have on this site. As most know, I have written a lot and posted a lot, and a lot of these to decent reviews. So if anyone's caught a pattern of some sort to those who get noticed, I am interested in seeing it. As I said, I have had one nibble from this site and nothing else. Others speak of getting noticed multiple times and even gotten beyond the nibble stage. Has anyone caught onto a pattern to this serendipitous noticing? I have noticed shorts get attention, but anything I've gotten from this site has been me responding to requests people have made; not them noticing my work.

I think I'm just hitting a stage of frustration. It's funny, really. I've studied the screenwriting craft to no end, and there are a fair number of people on here that known I can deliver a decent script, and yet, I cannot get past the query letter stage with any given studio. You know how many scripts I have sent out in the last god-knows-how-long of querying? One. And guess what? That company is belly-up. It seems all the writing classes in the world are rather pointless if you can't get someone in power to read what you've written.

Okay, sorry. I'm kicking the soapbox back into the laundry room and going to my bedroom to sulk now...

(Incidentally, the "nibble" was over 2 years ago before I ever noticed the message board.)

http://www.scriptsales.com/DDScriptSales.htm

Not sure if you guys heard of this site, it features the most recent script sales to Hollywood, with details about purchasing price, buyers, sellers and production companies.
The last thing I read in it was about a script that Ben Stiller bought for a million bucks.
Unfortunately, this site is not free anymore and I'm not sure how much it cost to sign up, but I just wanted to tell you guys about it, maybe someone would think it's worth it to join.

I don't think I made any connections with directors/producers through this site, George.  I get feedback on my scripts which I use to polish it.  I, then, go elsewhere to try selling it.  Try craigslist.  There's a lot of film students and inde film makers there.


Phil

I suppose it is a comfort that one of the best writers on the site has also had little luck via the site. What is the best way, in your opinion, to use craigslist to find these people?