Screenwriting : Funny by Dennis Stockton

Yes. I do find that interesting as well. When I say interesting I mean ridiculous.

I remember a few years back there was a producer doing webinars that had a company that charged a $250 fee for a screenplay read with the guise that it could be picked up for packaging. If your script moved to the next step, there were several more fees for development in the $2,000 to $3,000 range as someone helped you get the script together. The company did have a long list of produced films, but it felt more like a lot marketing to get fees from writers.

At the time, I don't recall anyone else charging for a read outside of standalone script consultants. But, after all the pitch fests and the like popped up, fees to get access has taken over the industry.

Obviously, decent coverage is expensive and passing on fees to writers makes sense for a business. The problem is that every pro will tell you that they don't use coverage, they send their scripts to colleagues. So, all of these fees for access is coming out of the wallets of new to mid-level writers trying to break in.

I sprained my ankle and have an urgent need to have my lawn mowed. Pay me only $299 to mow my lawn.

Don't you receive the Stage 32 Notifications e-mails? Philipe Machado is one of many. Okay, I rounded up $1. He charges $299.

Hey Dennis Stockton - Thanks for your note. The urgent need is in the market. The Stage 32 staff from the CEO on down are constantly speaking with manages, agents, executives, and producers who give the inside information on what is trending in the market. When it says there is an urgent need for a particular genre, it is because multiple sources have said it is in demand.

The Script Services Stage 32 provide are meant to help you as a writer hone your skill sets and advance your craft. So if there is an urgent need for thrillers among independent financiers (which is true by the way) and you have a thriller, you better make sure it is solid enough to compete against every other thriller in the market. What is one way of doing that? You could guess and hope your idea is original and interesting. You could guess as to whether it would do well in the market.

Or you could get feedback and notes from an executive, manager, or producer who specializes in that genre. They can tell you what is working in your script and what is not and how to break out in the market. That is what the services are meant to do - get you ready so you're able to compete in an incredibly crowded market. I hope that help clarify for you.

Thank you for your reply, Jason. If the urgent need is in the market, why do the managers, agents, executives, and producers build a wall around themselves saying, "We do not accept unsolicited submissions." Intuitively, the need can't be that urgent.

Dennis - imagine taking a sip out of a fire hose.

Doug, it's hard to imagine that I would need a sip of water urgently; however, I can see needing a fire hose urgently to extinguish a fire, so I would phone the fire department. If my need for water really wasn't urgent, I would be more selective in seeking an approprate source.

Dennis Stockton the unsolicited part is due to the fact that we live in a society where people like to come out of the woodwork and claim that their ideas were stolen.

Christopher, how does paying $300 for an insider to read my script guarantee I haven't stolen the ideas in it? If a producer were thrilled with my script, that sort of thing could be sorted out later.

A writer colleague of mine makes a living reading, analyzing, and fixing scripts. He mentors and if he likes the project enough, he'll even make some connections for you. The above costs that you are seeing is generally at the LOWER end of what he charges. The reason he is expensive, is because this is how he puts food on the table, and he can get you where you need to be. I would assume Stage 32 has to pay readers and analysts to review the material.

I find it more annoying when someone even someone in their late teens just reaches out to connect here with others and says they wrote their first script and the leech on this site tries to be buddy-buddy asking for their college book money to try one of the great services that could make them the next screenwriting star.

Completely shameless to try and pitch your "friendship" & "credits" just to get a few bucks from a young naive screenwriter who was just looking to connect with other creatives after writing their first-ever script. I've seen this multiple times offer the past few years here. I find it disgusting.

I can see your funny chuckle point however I dont think that's how it works or I think misunderstanding in any point, yes I dont have that much $ right now either.... But if they did not get any takers on that offer or so many of them the prices would not be that high. Best of Luck to em all. We will find another way ^_^" Break a Leg

I want to make it clear that I was not/am not bashing anyone. As I wrote in my OP, I merely get a chuckle from what I deem as the illogic in these pitches for urgent needs.

Hey Dennis Stockton - again these are based on conversations we are having with industry executives and managers. For instance, I have a 20-year friend at an A-list comedy production company who told me every single studio executive he talks to says, "Give us a romantic comedy. That is what we want right now." The studios don't have any in developing so they are urgently trying to catch up with a demand in the market.

So when we hear that information, we make sure our community knows about it so members are informed and can make sure their Rom Coms are in great shape. So when they are able to get in front of a manager or a producer with their script it is ready to go. Our services are educational and developmental. When you submit your script for coverage or notes, you are not submitting to that company, nor are you submitting to the executive as a representative of that company. You are submitting to an individual who has years of experience developing projects. And that is where that person can help you through our services. You're not buying a lottery ticket, you're buying an opportunity to be coached, mentored, and developed - in the same way we compensate other experts - doctors, lawyers, life coaches, therapists, personal trainers, and many others - to help us get better or offer advice. None of those other professionals offer their expert insights for free, nor should an industry professional with years of experience.

To your earlier point about "building a wall" with no unsolicited submissions, there are an incredible number of screenplays in the market and while industry pros have been more open to reading lately, and writers have been more entrepreneurial as a result of leaving their agents, many reads do come from peer-to-peer industry recommendations. Which is another reason you need to connect with as many industry pros as you can.