Screenwriting : We don't accept unsolicited material by Tom Norton

THE WALL OF TROY. That's a good analogy. So how do you craft a Trojan horse that can get you invited into that impenetrable fortress. STAGE 32 was my Trojan horse. It was called ASK a PRODUCER. And so I did. He was my Trojan horse. He invited me to send several scripts to the head guy and he chose two and now we are doing the "WRENCHHEADS." Don't underestimate the platform. You just never know how, or when but it happens and it happens here! I can also tout the webinars that can give your project wheels to help you roll your script right through the front door. Also, Maurice Vaughn seems to get some pretty good people in here that can help. (A shout out to maurice). Most of all as Commander Taggart said in GALAXY QUEST - "Never Give Up - Never Surrender!" Words to live by.

"We don't accept unsolicited material. From a producer's perspective, this makes sense."

I make it clear I do not accept unsolicited material but it makes no difference with a lot of wannabes. They send me their stuff regardless, and then expect me not only to read it but to buy it or hire them. It's as if they believe they can't and won't fail by disrespecting my wishes. Guaranteed reliable employees!

"From a writer's perspective, it's another barrier to a seemingly impenetrable fortress."

And to break in so many would-be writers will do pretty much anything except improve their writing.

"A friend of mine has pointed out they could be missing a lot of material with this mindset though."

It's not just a mindset. There are excellent reasons for not accepting unsolicited material, not least legal ones.

Also, the vast majority of material out there simply isn't worth accepting.

You're right, Lee Shargel. Ask a producer (director, etc.). That's one way to get past the no unsolicited material policy. Winning contests that get screenwriters meetings with producers, directors, etc. is another way, like Stage 32's contests. Thanks for the shout out, but I don't get people in here that can help. Credit to RB, Amanda Toney, the Development team, the Education team, and others for that.

I don't know of many or any producers who care about contest wins or high scores at for-profit coverage services. You can't rely on the evaluations of people you don't know and who don't know what you like and want.

Pb Barr Brutal. So you've clawed your way through the first line of defence. You got the script on a reader's desk. They open it.

And they see their ex's name in all caps.

That's a horrible scenario for reader and writer alike.

I have found that if I call the Producer directly and ask (even though they have this clause on their site), sometimes and in most cases, they will accept my work.

Lots of credit goes to the STAGE 32 team.

Drongo Bum Just out of curiosity, do you know what producers are looking for? Or how to inch a project closer to them?

Look at their history. What genre do they favor? What have you written? For instance, it's pointless to send a slasher script to somebody who has produced nothing but romcoms. That's pitching 101, and I'm sure you already understand it. But even within genres tastes vary wildly. Themes, tone, style, so much more. What's the projected budget and who tends to produce in that range? Do they favor male- or female-centric stories? Do they like long, convoluted epics, or short, straight-for-the-jugular tales? There are almost countless variations.

Trying to break through that wall is like trying to find a tiny crack in their wall. Another way is to try and get someone on the inside to open a door to let you in. I know it isn't easy but nothing is in this business.

I'm a fan of not accepting unsolicited material. Helps me feel mine has a better chance of being read sooner if someone requests it. Otherwise, the stack on the desk is so high, no one is gonna give your script the attention it deserves ;-)

There's reasons why the old studios still have tall walls around them.

Missing out on material isn't a problem for them in truth. The majority of established, respectable production companies already have too many scripts to read; their company readers have to get through a neverending stack often taking screenplays home with them to read on their days off. That's the reality, unhelpfully as it is for we screenwriters.

So, if an intern who reads at a production company that does not accept unsolicited material says you should submit your screenplay to them because it goes straight to the interns, do you do it? Do you just say, an intern (who did not give their name) told me to submit anyway? I'm hesitant because that doesn't seem professional. But if that's my crack and she's my trojan horse, I don't want to miss out. (BTW, this is such a helpful conversation this morning.)

Get a desk or on-set show biz job and you will find out ppl inside read unsolicited scripts all the time, referrals from family, friends, parents, gym trainers, everyone. Im a nobody and my mailman left his spec script for me to read.

As for actual income from writing than pats on the back, thats a different ballgame. GL!

Hi Melanie Lang - that sounds like a request to submit to me :-)

Wait until you're on the other side. I get so much unsolicited stuff on a weekly basis.

CJ Walley I got a few scripts I'd like to run by you. LOL

Hey CJ, It would be a pleasure to read your scripts ONE AT A TIME!. My time is precious and I am busy with the "WRENCHHEADS." But I always like to help other producers and screenwriters as time permits. If you want, send me an NDA before you send any material. I will sign it and send back. Then you can send me the material. Does this sound okay to you?

This is for Dan. I have been in this business for over 25 years. Writing, acting, crew, directing, producing. I went to film school but the real teacher is being there and doing it. I was the head writer for Sci-Fi and Fantasy FX magazine for years. I have been on many movie sets as an on set photographer and have thousands of photos from some of the greatest movies ever made. It was an out of this world experience on every set. Plus I went to film school but the real education was being on a set and learning how it's done. My professor in college is a world famous author and truth be told, I was his best student. He helped me write my first best-selling sci-fi novel, Voice in the Mirror.

BTW. Get a copy of my latest novel which I also wrote the screenplay and pitched it to Disney. Unfortunately, they didn't buy it.

Yes, exactly, something needs to be overcome, does every writer have to share the same fate? If Christopher Nolan is not your father, it is tragicomic that a cliche scriptwriter who is written just to make a profit and a scriptwriter with real potential are equally distant from the producers.

What is a gatekeeper? They come in all shapes and sizes but they are the door you almost always have to be invited to walk through. You can try and find out specifically what they are looking for but the answer is almost always, vague. If you have a chance to send your material, make sure the script is professionally written.. I have seen production offices with scripts piled three feet on several desks. It takes a pretty good while to get through the pile. Usually if the first page doesn't grab them., it goes into the circular file. So my advice is that first page should grab them. Make them curious to read more. Sometimes a top page BRIEF! synopsis doesn't hurt. Just my unsolicited advice from experience.

Yes, you are right, but this system is like a black hole. I have a scenario that I have been working on for many years and that is really good for both commercial and platforms, I have even won awards, but I have to apply to an agency to reach these platforms, another agency to reach that agency, and yet another agency to reach that agency. Is there no way to escape from this black hole?

You are so right, Phil. Sometimes it's just dumb luck. I got my script for "PENAL COLONY GAMMA V" to producer/director Luc Besson in a most unconventional way. I don't think I would get away with it now. But he loved the script. Someday I will tell you all how I did it.

Hi Abdul, I have been there and I know the frustration is real. YOu just have to make them feel that you are an important person. There are subtle ways to get around the gatekeepers and agency people. You have to sometimes use unconventional ways to get your stuff into the right hands.

My advice is look at the life of Dalton Trumbo. What he went through in the old days of Hollywood. He was a great writer.

From a producer's perspective, not accepting unsolicited material helps manage the flood of submissions but I know there are other factors as to why unsolicited material is not welcome!

I put my work email for my production company on imdbpro for a minute there, and man do I wish I hadn't, with all due respect. Inundated! I am very much a proponent of not accepting unsolicited material. And I know I'm biased, but that's why things like Stage 32 can serve as that Trojan horse. It's a way to meet the so called gate keepers, and from there it's going to have to be your talent that potentially helps take you the next level. And I'm with Dan MaxXx on the fact that unsolicited scripts come at producers in their personal lives all the time, it happens, and I'm no gate keeper trust me. I'm out there looking for money and trying to get movies made with everyone else. But nonetheless, friends, relatives, parents of my kids's friends, the children of my high school friends, you name it, they're out there and ready for me to read their stuff!

How does one, then, get good vetted material into the right hands, without representation?

How do you determine the unwanted scenario in this sector that is constantly growing and has fast consumption dynamics? When I look at the scenarios, I see really magnificent "Gems" that have not been realized. Is this business an entertainment sector for the producers or a marathon like a 9-5 job? Today, they still reheat old series and movies and re-present them. This is where the magnificent scenarios that need to be presented to the producers and companies come into play.

"How does one, then, get good vetted material into the right hands, without representation?" -- Gregory Bonds

1. If you spend a little time in Google you can find the contact details for producers and companies willing to accept unsolicited material.

2. If you post your work (or examples/samples of it) to open sites, such as www.SimplyScripts.com, you may be surprised by how often producers reach out to you if your script is of a high standard.

Nick Phillips Aspiring professional screenwriters do themselves no favors by hiding their work behind layers of access restrictions. Producers aren't short of reading material as it is. No one is going to beg to read something else.

It's bizarre how these writers complain because they can't get work to producers, and yet they give someone money to hide that work beneath a pile of online paywall obstructions, as if it will somehow magically make their writing more accessible to producers instead of less so.

I successfully navigated the industry by securing an agent and attaching renowned directors to some of my screenplays. While getting an agent can be quite challenging, I encourage aspiring writers not to give up. Agents can open doors to opportunities with individuals and companies that typically do not accept unsolicited material.

I suspect that writers of lower-budget screenplays might be more open to unsolicited submissions, but I’m not entirely sure about that.

Part of the problem is the fact there are now so many people trying to get into Hollywood via the "easy route" of screenwriting that even lower tier producers insulate and isolate themselves from all but the top tier sources.

When I was young it was still possible to get your material read by even the biggest of name producers and directors, but it's so much harder now for those desperate to break in.

Additionally, it's not as if the massive influx of wannabes has improved the standard of screenplays and scripts being thrown at established players....

You can still send query letters, guys. Nothing stopping you doing that. Unsolicited material is often code for "don't be a newbie with one underdeveloped screenplay to your name, who's going to pester if it's been read week after week, then send insults with they get a pass, and threaten to sue if any movie comes out in the next twenty years with a character called Steve in it".

Give them a damn good reason to open the door.

CJ Walley. There is such a situation that it is not reached in any way, how can we prevent this situation? I mean, we scriptwriters are not beggars or parasites, I believe that I will show them projects that have many advantages in terms of commercial and artistic aspects, do we have to run after them?

Abdulhalim Kayhan No one owes you anything just because you wrote a spec script. There are literally millions of screenplays in circulation, and most of them suck. That's the cold, hard reality. It's millions of wannabes around the world all desperate to be in Hollywood any way they can, and it seems as if most of them chose the screenwriting path of least resistance. It doesn't matter how great you believe your script to be.

You have to see things as relative. The reason most screenwriters face a brick wall is because they are approaching industry members who simply don't need what they have on offer (they have writers in their network and a backlog of material). They are aiming way too high. As a complete unknown, you have to start in the trenches. It's brutal, but that's the truth. Unless there's someone out there, vouching for you, someone who people respect the opinion of, you have to target industry members who'll value the fact some unknown writer is approaching them.

The big issue is that unproven screenwriters generally don't have a clue how films are made or make money. They just think their material is so brilliant it will rise to the top - especially with a budget of $300m.

It helps when you see a spec screenplay submission akin to a business plan proposition, which I write about here

For most industry members, it's a case of dealing with ol' faithful, the writer(s) they've work with for years, on projects they've been wanting to get the greenlight on for years, or reading everything that comes their way from an onslaught of writers who all think what they have is special.

Again, you have to aim low. It's a humbling experience to go through, but you have to aim low and appreciate the opportunities that are there.