I'm brand new to the industry, very late to the industry, but ready to see if there is something I can do in the industry. I have completed 2 feature length screenplays (4 more have been started) as well as 7 episodes of a TV series. After I have them edited what should be my next steps. Any and all advice will be appreciated.
Screenwriting : Point me in the right direction by Bop Shipman
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Start looking at the Pitch Sessions here on Stage 32 is a good place to start. It'll help you get an idea of what people are looking for and who to approach. Make sure you read their listings in detail and consider your options on approaching them. Good luck.
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Definitely connect to people here and network with them. You can get a lot of tips and support from this great community.
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Here and other forums is a good place to get some firm ground under your feet. Read a lot of professional screenplays, to make sure you are competitive. Then you can post them on scriptrevolution.com
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Move to a city with a large community of film, tv, theater, advertising, and get a job working with peers. There are lots of good tech jobs & support staff.
Average talent VFX and Post Colorist techs make over $100K annually.
Maybe add 5-years from today as a life goal to make writing a full-time occupation. Good luck!
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Finish the 4 you've started, then put all 6 (and the 7 episodes) in a drawer and forget them. Then start another feature script (or TV pilot); this one will probably be good enough to show people (this is not a criticism of your talent/skill, but as a truth of the improvement process).
All the while, get on set; volunteer if you have to. Work hard, be professional, give more than take (do not talk about your writing). Build true relationships. In time, those friends will ask about your writing.
This is a marathon, not a sprint.
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Hey, Bob, I'm in a similar situation. What is working for me (after some writing groups and coverage) is working with a pro on marketing. Networking is key, and knowing how to put together a good pitch. Finally, finding the right producer and/or manager is the final hurdle. I see successful writing as a hurdle race, so get to know which hurdles are next for you, and go for the next phase. These helped me a lot: writing groups, pro classes, coverage from pros, and mentorship, especially for marketing. Best!
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Bop Shipman, learn the business side of the film industry, practice pitching, keep learning screenwriting (webinars, etc.), build your network, and read/study scripts.
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Bob: If you enjoy writing your TV series, that's great. In the future, I recommend only writing a pilot, developing a show bible outlining your series, character arcs, and adding a short but well-defined episode summary. For pilots, I also recommend having a pitch deck. The pitch deck should introduce your main characters, a logline and one-paragraph summary of your show. I normally provide comparison genre shows, a unique selling proposition, and a reason why the show should be made. Without selling a pilot to a network or streaming service, I see no reason for writing the subsequent episodes. This is merely my opinion based on experience but as always, with advice, take it with a grain.
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Thank you Bill, Erik, Craig , Dan, John, Lonnie, Maurice and Phillip. I appreciate your input... Just let's me know I have a lot to learn....well let the adventure begin
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Wow, pretty impressive. Perhaps time to pitch?
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This weekend will be learning as much as I can about pitching and then going from there... we will see Howard.
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Some great comments from others. Here is an idea to consider. When you are an unproduced (as if yet) writer, it will be a big hurdle to pitch a screenplay (or teleplay) with a big budget. Perhaps start smallish as a low or modest budget story.
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Congratulations Bop Shipman! Sounds like an impressive body of work so far. The next step could also be what you want to do with these scripts- do you want to make them into productions yourself? do you want a certain streamer or network to buy them?
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One more thing. As you develop your 'voice', and pitch, you may be asked to help write someone else's material. Perhaps.
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Colette I would like to sell them .. (one I want to make myself, I can see if in my head very clearly and another was written specifically after a binge on the Sci-Fy network) but everything else I would like to see where they can go.
Howard thanks again, a friend said the same thing about modest budget so I have been working on one that is set in one location and has only a few characters....
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Thanks Manuele
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Glad that a modest budget film is a possibility for you. I wish you the best of luck.
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Great points @HowardKoor. Producers are going to focus on the budget for the script.
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@colette"ByFilms" Byfield Much thanks :)))
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You're welcome, Bop Shipman. Here's a free webinar about pitching by Stage 32's Jason Mirch. https://www.stage32.com/webinars/Pitching-Tips-from-the-Pros-Your-Bluepr...
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Bob, first things first ... get "fresh eyes" on the scripts. Give the scripts to people whom actually know how to read scripts because they're familiar with story and structure, and have them give you honest feedback. Then revise your scripts as necessary. Then focus on pitching!
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Oh i like this thread