I ask because there is seemingly an infinite parade of people offering specialist help for budding screenwriters, I'm grateful for Jason Mirch's emails, but barely a day goes by without another golden opportunity from him to improve my craft, develop my writing, secure valuable insights etc etc - and they all come with a three digit pricetag. Follow them all up, and you could burn through $kk quite easily. (This isn't a criticism- it's just a fact - Stage32 is a marketplace.)
I'm all for backing myself, but when is enough, enough? Interested to hear how others navigate the development pathway.
For what it's worth, my process goes like this (I'm in the UK, so this may not be so relevant for many here on Stage32):
a) I polish my writing as much as I can, and then send it off to an established and trusted script editor for notes. This costs me around $150 for a 60 minute episode, but I know I will receive golden input from him. I rewrite.
b) When I think it's ready, I try to find a competition to enter - in my case, I'm using a European organisation that has monthly opportunities, and that costs a mere $99 for a year's worth of entries. Of course, you need more than a script to enter, so more time is spent preparing pitch documents and posters.
c) I hustle using contacts in the industry and can usually find a couple of production companies and maybe a channel commissioner to read my work. Their comments are invariably insightful and give me an idea of whether to drive the horse onward, or to stop flogging it.
Not sure this is ideal: I don't, for example, have a local group to share my work in. Perhaps it would help, but there just isn't anything near me.
So what do you do? How much are you willing to spend per script before you call it day?
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Here's mine - transparent as glass:
Munich Film Festival 2011 (guest) - all expenses paid + plane travel + about 150 bucks per diem
OTFF Zagreb (participant) accommodation and program covered, only travel expenses
BFM Tirana (2017) workshop - accommodation + food paid (parties bla bla free) only travel expenses
BFM (2019) pitch fest (again the same on same place)
Skopje Film Festival workshop (2019) accommodation + lunch covered. I'm from Skopje so travel expenses minimum
Applied to Berlin workshop (participation free) only travel and accommodation on expense (if I get selected)
etc...
Leaving me with one Nicholl entry = 40 bucks (2015)
TOTAL IN SUM (as per participation) $40.00
Ure European...America works on bucks...tend to your place first :)
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Hi, Steve Mallinson. How are you?
I write a script, rewrite it, try to let it sit for a little while, then either pitch it or get feedback on it before pitching it. I get feedback from people on Stage 32 by exchanging scripts (you could do this in additional to paying for feedback).
I look for ways to save money. I make my own script posters and pitch decks with Canva.com. Canva is free, but there's a monthly charge for extra features. It took me a while to become experienced at using Canva (so my posters and pitch decks look professional).
I haven't entered many contests, but if you plan to enter contests, look for discounts.
You can also join the Writers' Room on Stage 32. It costs $39.00 a month. Sometimes Stage 32 gives members a free first month. The Writers' Room has A LOT of resources and opportunities. You can share your work with other Writers' Room members (like a virtual writers' group), and there are Pitch Tank events that can help you with your pitching.
"How much are you willing to spend per script before you call it a day?" I'm not sure. It depends on how much I want to push a script.
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I build in-person relationships. I'm constantly writing something. At some point the two converge.
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Nothing. I write it. I rewrite write, I rewrite that. I then post it to scriptrevolution.com
If I spend money it is on developing me, not my work. I have subscribed to Masterclass previously (got to do that again). I have attended festivals (writers festivals - which tend to focus on novels) and I listen to podcasts - which is an investment in time.
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Steve Mallinson cheers! Since you have a trusted editor, and a portfolio of properties, as long as things are going places for you creatively and professionally then sounds as though you're in a great situation.
One aspect of the script services I found worthwhile here on Stage 32 has been pitching scripts to industry people who specialize in a particular genre, I've received feedback that was sufficiently specific to provide me with great insights and momentum on tackling rewrites with a kind of clear focus I might have difficulty obtaining in a vacuum.
Even spending a few hundred dollars a year per script has been immensely helpful for me in having professional feedback from a qualified source.