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SimplyScripts Screenwriting Discussion Board    Screenwriting Discussion    Contests - Screenwriting and Filmmaking  ›  About "The Screenplay Agency" Moderators: Don
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  Author    About "The Screenplay Agency"  (currently 21473 views)
dogglebe
Posted: June 14th, 2006, 6:46pm Report to Moderator
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What did their critique of your script say?

You may have to consult a lawyer about getting out of your contract.  In the meanwhile, I suggest you start working on something else.


Phil
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chad
Posted: June 14th, 2006, 6:51pm Report to Moderator
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It was quite good. But they did say my characters needed more development. Yet it was brimming with potential, with some work and a few more drafts, the screenplay can be made to sell.
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dogglebe
Posted: June 14th, 2006, 6:53pm Report to Moderator
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And with each draft you send in, you'd have to send in another check.


Phil
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chad
Posted: June 14th, 2006, 6:56pm Report to Moderator
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So, should I even trust the Critique itself??? Or could those things have been said so they knew I'd send more money?
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dogglebe
Posted: June 14th, 2006, 7:04pm Report to Moderator
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I haven't read the critique (and maybe not even the script).  If you agree with the comments on it, then use them in a rewrite.  If you posted your script on the boards, listen to what people hear tell you.

Does the critique seem general?  Or does it list examples from your script?


Phil
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bert
Posted: June 14th, 2006, 7:07pm Report to Moderator
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Quoted from chad
So, should I even trust the Critique itself??? Or could those things have been said so they knew I'd send more money?


Sounds like a snow-job to me, but hey -- are we talking the "Six Daggers" story here?  I've read that.

Post the points you are wondering about (I'd be curious to see them anyway) and I'll let you know (honestly) if they have any merit.


Hey, it's my tiny, little IMDb!
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chad
Posted: June 16th, 2006, 2:41am Report to Moderator
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Hi,

Yeah, this is the guy who got caught up in the Screenplay Agencies little trap. Now they don't want to let me out of the Contract. Oh, they more or less called all of you here on Simplyscripts.com writers wasting their time on boards and forums instead of doing any real writing and I shouldn't believe any of you. Well, I do believe you guys. I'll post their response to me trying to get out of the contract with them plus their remarks about you guys. I didn't mention Simplyscripts at all though in my email to them.

Chad
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chad
Posted: June 16th, 2006, 2:47am Report to Moderator
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Here is thier last response that mentions this site. Oh, and this is the second time I've read this exact email, it was sent once already before to try and convince me.

Chad

There is a strange belief within the literary community that believes that NO ONE should ever pay, or be asked to pay, any fee, of any kind, in seeking representation for their work.

And, within certain parameters, they are absolutely correct. If you rank in talent among the top two or three percent of writers in the world, if you are only interested in being published by one of the top twelve mass-market publishers, if you are a noted celebrity with built-in market power, if you are at the center of some event that has captured world attention and have information the public wants to know or can be convinced they want to know, if you have a connection to the world of publishing and can be granted a personal audience with a publisher then, by no means should you ever pay anything to have your work represented or published.

This faith also believes that it is wrong for marketing people to participate in any profits that might arise from assistance provided to emerging authors in the preparation of their work. It’s okay for McDonald’s to own potato farms and beef ranches. It is okay for Time-Life to own printing presses and paper mills (not to mention television networks, radio stations, newspapers, bookstores, etc.) But, for some reason, anyone who wants to be a manuscript marketer (literary Agent) must be willing to do so at his own expense, solely on speculation, regardless of the caliber or quality of the author he is representing to avoid being labeled a scam artist or worse.

The result of this faith is that 97  (probably 99)  percent of the writers in this world cannot obtain representation or publication. Under this belief system I would refuse to represent anyone who did not meet the special categories I listed previously. I would not invest my time and money in anyone that wasn’t a sure bet.

Before the advent of personal computers and desktop publishing the publishing industry was very exclusive. It was very expensive to produce and market a book and there were only a handful of companies able and willing to make the investment.

The information age has revolutionized publishing. Today there are more than 70,000 small publishers just in the United States and this does not include self-publishing. These are publishers who are producing works written by others. Most are averaging 6 to 10 publications annually, some more. By definition, to be recognized as a publisher they must have six or more titles. At minimum this represents more than 400,000 titles, in the market, each year.

Amazingly, these publishers are, collectively, publishing less than one percent of the available manuscripts produced annually. Publishers I have spoken with receive more than 600 manuscripts for possible publication each year. Some of the better known publishing houses receive that many, or more, daily.

We have chosen to specialize in the other 97 percent of the market – authors of promise with a good story to tell.  Furthermore, we are aggressively investing in other companies in the publishing space.  We are buying into publishers, we are investing our own money in promoting our authors’, and we are establishing numerous joint ventures where we can.

This arrangement makes us scam artists in the opinion of many in the literary field. If this qualifies us as such in your opinion than you should backpedal quickly and get out of the situation.

We believe we are providing a valuable service for people who aspire to be writers and published authors.  Furthermore, the number of clients offering letters and messages of appreciation, even praise, far outweighs the number Of our detractors. Unfortunately, real writers and business-people Don’t Have time to hang out on negatively slanted bulletin boards.

I hope this helps in your decision.

Warmest regards,

Andrea - Director of Client Relations
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Parker
Posted: June 16th, 2006, 6:43am Report to Moderator
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Well Chad, to me it sounds like they're throwing a lot of crap at you, maybe to try and confuse you or I don't know. I went for these guys with one of my scripts but as soon as they asked for money or hinted about it, that was it. I still worry now that the half a script I gave them is somewhere out there with other writers trying to make money off of it and yes... I only gave them less than half a script and they wanted to represent me. If an agency like that asks for any sort of money, I'm out without even thinking about it.

I can't exactly help much but they're obviously giving you a choice to stick with them or end it. You know the right choice is to end all contact with them and I don't see how they can stop you from doing that even with a contract really.

Others on this site will be more helpful than I but you should know that this happens all the time. They suck people in and take their money... not sure what happens after that but they certainly don't sell any scripts for anyone.


I may be an idiot, but I'm no idiot.
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dogglebe
Posted: June 16th, 2006, 7:25am Report to Moderator
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Quoted from the letter
Under this belief system I would refuse to represent anyone who did not meet the special categories I listed previously. I would not invest my time and money in anyone that wasn’t a sure bet.




From:  http://www.chrismclaren.com/blog/archives/2006/02/16/take-down-that-scam-kids


Quoted from website
Look at these loglines, that The Screenplay Agency accepted for development:

    “WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THIRTEEN TWELVE YEAROLDS FIND A RED BIKE AND A MYSTIC CRYSTAL OUTSIDE OF THE SCHOOL DOORS ONE DAY? AN DAVENTURE OF MISTICAL PROPORTIONS!”

    its the story of an ice cube that every time he feels happy it make him melt a liitle bit more


The spelling mistakes were in the actual query letters.  Says a lot about investing time in sure bets.


Phil
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Shelton
Posted: June 16th, 2006, 9:12am Report to Moderator
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Yeah, I got that same for letter too while checking them out.  Did a little more research on them, and forgot about it.

I've given serious consideration to emailing a ridiculous logline, and then following up with nothing more than a title page to see if they even read these scripts they "believe" in.


Shelton's IMDb Profile

"I think I did pretty well, considering I started out with nothing but a bunch of blank paper." - Steve Martin
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dogglebe
Posted: June 16th, 2006, 9:14am Report to Moderator
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I was thinking of sending another letter in, under a different name, with a really bad synopsis.  If they would ask for the script, I would send them multiple copies of The Cabin, binded together as one feature length script.  Every other page I would have a penguin walk onto the scene with a sign  reading "SCREENPLAY AGENCY SUCKS" and see if they notice.


Phil
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dogglebe
Posted: June 16th, 2006, 9:17am Report to Moderator
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I sent Sherry Fine an e-mail today, asking for any word on 'The Burnout.'  We'll see what happens.


Phil
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Mr.Z
Posted: June 16th, 2006, 11:18am Report to Moderator
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Hey guys, if any or you are curious about sending an awful query to this agency but you're lazy to do it, check this out:

http://www.davidanaxagoras.com/2006/01/30/she-never-met-a-logline-she-didn't-like/


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George Willson
Posted: June 16th, 2006, 12:54pm Report to Moderator
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Mr. Z, that is some good reading. It seems Ms. Fine has made a name for herself in the writing community as a whole, not just the screenwriting one.

I was reading through that and came upon this:

http://www.writers.net/forum/read/10/127303/127297Vf

Another forum that is discussing this very topic, and the infamous Sherry Fine responded to the thread.


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