What is your preferred method for shopping a script? Existing connections, paid pitch services, script hosting sights, contests, networking at events and festivals, social networking, queries to agents, producers, managers, actors...?
I know it's tempting to say do "all of the above," but I'm very curious what your primary approach is and if you've had any success with a particular method.
(For me -- most of my options and a writing assignment came from script hosting sites, some connections and a sale came from twitter, and personal my connections have led to almost self-producing a couple of projects but nothing has panned out there yet)
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Rodriquez Fruitbat My preferred methods are existing connections and building relationships/networking online. My secondary methods are query letters and paid pitch services.
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Maurice Vaughan how has response been from query letters? I've had a couple read requests, but pretty low response rate. (I do admit I need to do better at much more targeted and personalized queries)
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Rodriquez Fruitbat I've had a lot of script requests and pitch deck requests from query letters. "I do admit I need to do better at much more targeted and personalized queries." I think that's key because I used to not get requests, but after rewriting my query letters over and over, I got more requests. I'm constantly looking for ways to improve my query letters.
I commented this on a member's post the other day (https://www.stage32.com/lounge/directing/Pitching-2):
"What's the best "subject" to put in an email*" This is one of the subject lines that I use: "Escape the House" - Horror/Comedy Script Pitch - _______________ (the name of the site where I found the script lead at, or the person who referred me).
You can also use a catchy subject line. A catchy subject line for ESCAPE THE HOUSE might be: The House is ALIVE! - "Escape the House" - Horror/Comedy Script Pitch
You can write a query letter different ways.
I always start a query letter with "Hi, _________,"
Then I let the person (executive, director, producer, etc.) know why I'm emailing.
After that, I mention the logline. Some script leads tell you that the producers, companies, etc. only accept loglines in query letters, so I exclude a synopsis.
If the script leads say the producers, companies, etc. are open to more than a logline, I include a short synopsis. Sometimes I also include what's special/unique about the script (usually just one sentence) and a small paragraph about how many characters are in the script, how many locations are in the script, etc., but I like to keep my query letters brief, so I don't always include this information.
Next, I mention that a treatment and a pitch deck are available, then I thank the person for hearing my pitch.
Sometimes I add a short bio but not always (because I like to keep my query letters brief).
I end the email with my name and contact info.
QUERY LETTER EXAMPLE:
Hi, ______,
How are you doing? My name is Maurice Vaughan. I found your post on _________________ (or I'll mention who referred me to the person that I'm emailing). I have a Horror/Comedy feature script about a living house that wants a family and a maid. It's titled "Escape the House."
Logline: After a disobedient teen and her mom move to a small town, the family and a neighbor try to escape from a living house that wants a daughter, wife, and live-in maid.
Picture “Monster House” as a low-budget, live-action movie.
Short Synopsis: A disobedient teenager named Julie and her mom, Andrea, move into a small-town house that’s alive. Knowing it’s alive, their new neighbor, Harriet, tells them they need to move out. The house introduces itself as Hank and says it wants Andrea and Julie to be its family; to replace its wife and daughter who died. They say no, so it locks them inside and says they’re not leaving. It tells Harriet she will be the family’s maid. Julie, Andrea, and Harriet try to escape, but the house prevents them from getting out.
The full synopsis is in the treatment and pitch deck. Thanks for hearing my pitch.
Maurice Vaughan
Contact Info
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Very helpful and handy! Thanks!
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You're welcome, Rodriquez Fruitbat.
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The money I made in the past selling specs and writing assignments, I couldn't afford to pay 10% fees to agent/manager. Heck, my own lawyer raised his rates when I made more!
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Do whatever u can...forecasts for the next 20-25 year is constant sorrow and disappointment for guys thinking have the best spec world is about to see...and this is this side of ocean too...my buddy director had to pull strings at the former prime minister to get considered for funds and is still pending on the money 13-15 months due...imagine engaging Condoleezza Rice to have script produced...got this lady friend director had her first feature promoted not long ago, beside that an awarded TV/short film writer/director, says nothing if u have not some pulls...
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Aspiring screenwriters and aspiring producers have their own catch twenty-two issues. Aspiring screenwriters have Aspiring screenwriters and aspiring producers have their own catch twenty-two issues. Aspiring screenwriters have difficult selling screenplays if they don’t have a track record and they can’t get a track record because they can’t sell a screenplay.
New screenwriters have trouble raising money because they can’t attach bankable talent to their projects. One thing you can do as a screenwriter is to attach talent to your screenplay which would make it more valuable to a newer producer can maybe use it to help them raise some development funding.
Obviously if you have a bigger budget project you would need to attach a bigger name director to your project to help open doors to those people who don’t normally accept material from screenwriters that do not have representation.
How you go about doing these things is up to the screenwriter. Personally I sent out query letters and called agents and producers and directors.
selling screenplays if they don’t have a track record and they can’t get a track record because they can’t sell a screenplay.
New screenwriters have trouble raising money because they can’t attach bankable talent to their projects. One thing you can do as a screenwriter is to attach talent to your screenplay which would make it more valuable so a newer producer can maybe use it to help them raise some development funding.
If you have a bigger budget project you would need to attach a bigger name director to your project to help open doors to those people who don’t normally accept material from screenwriters that do not have representation.
How you go about doing these things is up to the screenwriter. Personally I sent out query letters and called agents and producers and directors.
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Since I am kind of new at it, I've written down a step-by-step sequence that I am taking. That way, whether something or nothing happens, I have a plan.