Hello all,

First of all I have to say that I am an aspiring scriptwriter and both the website and forum have been immensely helpful to me. Thank you for that.

I have been searching the forums in an attempt to find out more about people's experiences after they have finished a script, especially the ones that have managed to sell their scripts. Maybe I am looking in the wrong places, but I can't seem to find any posts regarding that topic.

Maybe somebody can tell me a bit more about their experiences? For example, how did they contact you, how did you react to your success, how did you make the next step and what steps did you take, did you use the help of an agent? Things like that, if it's not too much trouble.

I'd appreciate it.

My experiences for my features have been rather pleasant, and I've been fortunate enough to see it from both sides (a sold spec vs. a writing assignment).  The differences between the two are seen more in the rewrite stage.  You may have to adjust a a spec to fit within certain budget parameters, as I did, or perform a number of rewrites based on what the producer's vision for his assignment is.

My reaction to my success has obviously been positive, but I keep a level head, keep on writing, and trying to get even more work out there.

No agent for me.  I've dealt with the filmmakers myself, and have initially been contacted through email, or in response to one of my queries.

I'm speaking of my experiences from feature length scripts.  Shorts are an entirely different animal, since more often than not no money is changing hands and the writer retains all rights to the script.  

This usually complicates things a little more, and the filmmaker can decide to just not do the film without ever telling you, or they can do it, let it sit in limbo for god knows how long, and never respond to your email or phone calls, to the point where you're ready to send an email to all your buddies telling them to never work with them if they're approached cause they're quite shady.

I'm in the middle of something like this right now, and I'm VERY close to sending such an email to people.

Any other questions, just ask.

Quoted from Shelton This usually complicates things a little more, and the filmmaker can decide to just not do the film without ever telling you, or they can do it, let it sit in limbo for god knows how long, and never respond to your email or phone calls, to the point where you're ready to send an email to all your buddies telling them to never work with them if they're approached cause they're quite shady.

I had a guy approach me via a PM here on Simply Scripts. He told me he liked my script ‘Eternal Eclipse of The Criminal Mind”, but thought it could be better. So he asked if he could have a crack at a rewrite and then maybe make it into a short film. He did a rewrite and some of the things I liked and some I didn't. I kept the stuff I liked and gave him credit as the co writer, which was probably too generous on my part. Anyway, we spoke to each other for a number of weeks via email and he kept telling me about how he might make a film out it, but wanted to consult some friends first. The last time I heard from him he sent me an email saying that he might have some very exciting news for me in the next couple of weeks; that was the last time I heard from him. I sent him an email a few weeks after his last email to me, but he never responded to it.

I'm not saying he did anything wrong; he probably just changed his mind about making it into a film. However, I bet there are a lot of Simply Scripts members who have been approached by people, who have made them all sorts of promises, but have never followed through. In fact some of us have probably been approached by the same people. The guy I was dealing with was Timothy Lawton. Again, I'm not saying he did anything wrong, but perhaps other people have been approached by him too. It seems that quite a few people, who never post on this site, just come here and approach people via a PM.

First thing you have to realize is that you won't make any money when you start out...and you shouldn't even look for money.  Priority at this point is to get your work produced so you have something on your resume.  The money will come later.

Concentrate on shorts.  They're easier to get produced, especially if they're low budget shorts.  Film students and other beginners will be your target filmmakers.

If someone is interested in your script, ask to see what they've done before (if anything).  Have a conversation or two with them; feel them.  Don't make a deal if it doesn't feel right.

Generally, when you are talking contract, just ask for writing credit and one or two copies on disk.  Those and point out that you are not giving your rights away to the script.  Tell the filmmaker that you also want to be kept in the loop.  Tell him that you'd like to e-mail him/her once every few weeks, just to see how it is.

Oh, and don't rush things!

That's a good start, I guess.


Phil

The thing also to remember is that anyone with a camera can call themselves a filmmaker.  Typically what happens is a writer will get a e-mail from some aspiring filmmaker inquiring about the use of one of your scripts.  After exchanging a few e-mails where they seem upbeat and everything appears to be moving along, they'll mysterious cease contact with you, leaving you to guess that things didn't pan out as expected.

I think most of them start out with honest intentions but find that they're either in over their heads or that things have hit a snag (which inevitably happens).  I guess they'd rather leave us hanging than hurt our feelings.  

I, like Mike, have experienced both spec script success and a writing assignment, and it has been fairly positive. For me, I find that it takes luck and timing. I just happened to send my spec script to a producer who was looking for the type of story I submitted. We hit it off and we are working towards production. The producer was impressed with the budget/production re-writes for the spec script, so he sent me an old script he had sitting around for ages. I gave him my ideas on how to improve it and I was rewarded with a re-write assignment.

Phil is right, unless you fall into the one percental, you won't make any money anytime soon. It takes years of hard work and a pinch of luck before you breakthrough as a screenwriter. It's the writers that have the perspiration and ambition to slog through numerous re-writes, projects and defeats that make it in the industry. Be prepared to wear two hats. One to bring in the money and one to write under.

I would not suggest you look for an agent until you have a few scripts ready. In fact, two agents I have spoken with told me that they expect a writer to have between 3-6 scripts ready to market before they take them on. It gives the agent a concise view of your writing skills and also helps market you better with multiple projects.

Finally, another option is to enter competitions. It's a quicker way to earn a name for yourself and even finishing as a finalist in a well reputible competition will go along way to getting more 'request to reads' from your query letters.

Hope this helps.
Stew

I've learned a lot from my time with producers/directors.

I had a producer from New York call me about a script that I wrote nearly four years ago while still in high school.  The script happen to a be a fan fiction story and, to me, it was horrible.  But, he was offering me a good chunk of change for it, so I went a long with the whole thing.  I did a rewrite for free ( a big no no) and he mailed the contract out to me.  I wanted a few people to read over it before I signed it so I told the producer it would be a little while before I would have it ready for  him.  

All in all, I was urged by several lawyer not to sign the contract.  I would basically sign away entire rights to my story and would no longer have any control about what was placed in the script.  Technically, they could have changed it into a porno and I could nothing about it.  And my name would be plastered all over it as the writer.

There was also the little loophole about how, if they hired another writer to do rewrites, his pay check would come out of my pocket.  So yeah...

On a good note, I have a short found on this site in production as we speak.  The director and I have been in good communication with each other and even did some rewrites together.

As much as I want to think there are always good people out there who will help you along, this isn't true.  People will scam you for a profit.  You have to watch your back, no matter how bad you want to sign on the dotted line.

Good Luck!

Jonathan

Thank you all for posting your valuable insights and experiences.

Even though I am nowhere near selling a script at this point in time I figured I'd throw the question out there. I appreciate the feedback.

Regards,

Yves

A big problem I had (and still do to an extent) is that many people say they're going to produce my scripts and later change their minds.  I had twelve different directors agree to produce Suicide  before one guy actually did it.  Almost the same number with For Entertainment Purposes Only.  Most of those who picked them up and later dropped them didn't even send me an e-mail saying they changed their mind.  I found out after I e-mailed them.

Most of my scripts have similar stories.


Phil

I only have a single spec sale to go on, but here's how it went for me:

I had posted a script called The Silk here on simplyscripts.  About a week later I got an email from the Director of Acquisitions from a small prodco in Brentwood.  They said they liked my style and loved the script and wanted to option in; they changed their mind a couple days later and said they wanted to buy it outright, and pay me for up to two rewrites.  I did some checking around and found out they were legit.  They sent me a contract, I signed it, sent it back, they signed and sent me a copy for my records.

About a month later, give or take, I was told a director had signed on.  I was psyched; he'd won an award at Cannes for a short I'd heard a lot about, and within a day or two the director, prodco and I were emailing and telephoning and I started getting notes for the revisions.  

But something happened.

I truly, truly disliked the notes the director was sending me and felt he wanted changed everything about the script which made the prodco want to buy it.  I swallowed my pride and kept on it, though, not wanting to give anyone the impression I was just some egotistical writer who thought his work was perfect as it was.  But after the first couple weeks I started getting these really contradictory notes from the director and prodco.  But I was a trooper; I kept on with the revisions until I'd finished a total of six drafts -- four more than what I'd been contracted for.  

Then I found out the director had been sending me notes without consulting with the prodco first, thus the contradictory notes I'd received, and I got pissed.  I emailed the prodco and told them I was really sorry but I just could not work with that guy anymore, told them I'd kept my end of the contract and then some, and told them I was officially done with the project.  They were surprised to hear me say that, and I realized that the director had apparently not forwarded them the last two revisions I'd written based on their combined notes.  They apologized feverishly to me, and assured me that they, too, had grown tired of this so-called director and his antics.  That was last October.

However, I contacted them a couple months ago and they said they still plan on shooting the script, once they've established a budget.  I don't know if the director is still signed on or not.  I don't know if they've hired another writer to fix the script up (I actually hope they have...the last draft I sent in, I absolutely hated).  And I hope they manage to make something decent from it; I'm also contracted for 5% of profits. ;D

Now, then.  With that lengthy story out of the way, I'll tell you what I learned from the experience.  

1.  Don't feel you have to appease someone if you're uncomfortable with what you're doing.  I had this strange feeling in my gut when I kept getting those contradictory notes, but I kept my mouth shut, feeling that as a first time writer I had no room to tell the prodco this experienced director didn't know what the fuck he was doing.  What I should have done was have more faith in my ability; after all, they came to me, not vice versa.

2.  When you sell a screenplay, you're not just selling your writing; you're selling yourself.  I was told often by the prodco how refreshing it was for them to be working with someone who wasn't just another egotistical writer.  They didn't just like my writing; they also liked ME.  And I'm convinced that's why they encourage me to show them stuff I'm working on, and tell me they'd love to work with me again.  If I had been just another egotistical writer, I doubt they'd have been as patient and tolerant as they were during the revision process.  Thank God my momma raised me to be a nice guy lol

3.  You don't have to live in L.A. and you don't have to have an agent to make a sale.  Does it help?  I'm sure it does.  I probably could have made more money if I'd had an agent, and I'd probably have a much larger network than I do right now if I lived in L.A.  But here I am, no agent, no manager, and I've got that ever-elusive first credit and profit points coming my way once the flick's made -- and I did it myself, over the phone, from my humble little apartment in Butt Lick, Indiana.

It can be done. :)

Hey Lon, nice to see you stuck to your guns, eventually anyway.  I'm not sure I would have done anything nut my tongue either.

Good luck with your script anyway mate.

My brush with this subject has been very unlike you'd expect. I didn't even try to sell my scripts, I got an email from a director, Steven Dunhill, saying he'd found my script "Raging Hormones" on THIS site and was interested in making it a series at the start of 2008. So, if you want your scripts to be found, you just have to write some with good potential. You may only need to write one script, if it's good enough.

As I can tell, the experiences vary a lot. Thanks again for sharing them.

Must be awesome to realize that actors are going to play out a script that you wrote. Maybe a bit weird to see who they picked for your main characters. "That's not how I pictured him, really.", or, "Yes! That's him!".