Zak Mir's Lounge Discussions

Self.

Selling my artwork, and through friends.

Won a script contest with my very first short...prize was getting produced by the organizers, so they funded a pro editor with camera and equipment and I scrambled some friends + a friend's dog and we shot it cost free...

Later found out that the organizer delayed payment to the editor, but that's the way it goes in the world of filmmaking...

My POC female-driven story had a budget of $5k. I shot 3 days, had 6 person cast + extras, 12 pages, 12 crew and used Kickstarter to fund most of the budget. I neg with local crew for rates I could afford (and I did pay everyone). 9 months of planning. My goal was to have a sleek calling card for the story -- "What I can do for a dime IMAGINE what I can do for a dollar"

Self funding your film is empowerment however, there are also woes and risks of using your own finances. I self funded my short with $3000 then a second with $10K followed by a feature which is in the works. Pretty expensive calling card and I am still waiting for the call.

Hi Zak Mir - have you been in touch with our Stage 32 team? writerhelp@stage32.com - our community is filled with members who have had success via our pitching services.

You can’t do better than the resources here at Stage 32!

Hi, Zak. I haven't had any scripts optioned, but I've sold four short scripts through Stage 32. I've also received great feedback through Stage 32's Pitch Sessions that helped me rewrite my pitches and my scripts, which led to script requests.

Hi Zak! Have you checked out our Pitch Sessions? Last year we had about 2,000 script requests that came in from successful pitches to producers, managers, and studio execs. Sofia Rovaletti discovered 4 writers through Stage 32 last year resulting in optioned scripts. Audrey Knox, recently discovered a script through a pitch session, The Cartel produced it, and now it is available on TUBI. Thomas Pemberton has also discovered 4 writers through Stage 32 and Mindful Eye optioned 4 scripts. I believe Kate Sharp has signed several writers she discovered through pitch sessions as well. Several more success stories! I've put a link to our success stories and pitch sessions below. But if you would like specific recommendations feel free to write me at success@stage32.com. Happy to help!

Pitch Sessions:

https://www.stage32.com/scriptservices/pitch-sessions

Success Stories:

https://www.stage32.com/scriptservices/success-stories

Zak you've come to the right place! As GiGi mentioned we have many great resources available including our pitch sessions. Please reach out to us if you need any guidance. Always happy to help!

Hi Souvik Chakraborty - sounds really interesting! Please share a link to the site!

Please share more info.

Sorry all, for the late reply the platform is Abc talkies, you can connect for more.

Mark Deuce details shared

Hey Souvik Chakraborty - have you downloaded the Stage 32 app? Since some time has passed from your original post and clearly this is a great topic, download the app to stay connected. It's a super convenient way to follow your conversations and messages.

You're asking the wrong question. You write a top-o-the-line, worthy of production script and flash it around a little bit and Agents/Managers will find you They got script snuffin' radar that won't quit.

A great script will get a manager interested, but they'll also look at the whole body of work. And they will want to get to know you a little to see if you're someone they want to work with, before ever committing to repping you. Forget about an agent - they're mostly salesmen, and new writers rarely have anything to sell (not even that "awesome" script you've worked on for years).

So, write a lot, network, and query professionally. In time, you'll make it!

It's called the American Film Market for a reason; it's not called the American Script Market. Therein is the clue. Folk attend to buy/sell finished films not to buy/sell scripts.

This is a tricky one. Zak, Every network would do anything or even kill for a new content. About 80% of what you can watch on TV are animated series, documentaries and talk shows set in some weird looking studio on ZOOM or some other platform. Hardly any TV series or movies have been filmed since March, wether we like it or not. I don't know about Latin America filming situation but Europe right now is pretty much dead. There's no active filming (Movies and TV series) All you need for documentaries is previously filmed material and a narrator. It won't take long before we hear "Brought to you, by popular demand, Jimmy Kimmel Live Season 1 or some such shit.

Bill@ Let's say you have a screenplay, 98 pages, 5 main characters and only 6 or seven main locations. In Covid world they want you to reduce number of characters to 4 or 3. At the same time, the very same people want you to increase the number of actors in your script and that doesn't include people with some form of disabilities on set. What's the solution? Well, option #1 - we can write the way it's been done since most of us can remember and wait until filming goes back to normal. Option #2 - We finish the script the old fashion way and if that company wants to remove of add characters, let them try. I'm not going to take the entire story structure apart (no matter how good it is) to please some producer or director because none of these rules don't make sense. Either we reduce or increase the number of characters, it can't be both at the same time.

No offence Zak studios are not foaming at the mouth to get hold of scripts from unknown writers. They have a sizeable stable of writers. People they know and trust.

How is the indie market? Just fine. It is like the minor leagues for many sports. More teams, more games or opportunities. From here you may be able to break into the big league.

As a freelanced that does writing on spec I don't put too much worry in it. My sympathy goes to work-for-a-living commissioned writes (other staff as well). These must be harsh times for some of them...

Jack - A good bet.

Been similar here for a long time...We actually do not have screenwriting community (except a few that work on TV) Director is a writer 98 percent of the time and in many cases producer or co-producer as well... this is why we have mostly melodramatic junk coming outta Balkans that finds it's way nowhere further commercially speaking... I loathed it and will continue so as I always thought it's a sort of monopolizing an idea. I think I'll stick to solely writing no matter what...

I was facing the same issue. I had at least seven pieces of feedback and did multiple rewrites. Then had to put it aside. Working on new projects has made me more critical of my previous work but remember it's up to you when it's finished. I've had produced work that I sent for feedback and still was told it could be improved, that's the nature of the beast.

I don't do that....When I judge my work is ready, I put it out there....now, someone options it and asks re-writes for a production sake, I'm ok with that.

Gotta lot of bad comments and reviews behind me, but doesn't matter as long it's not from the interested party.

What you and all writers should really set concentration on is - concept. You've got producer in love with your concept, he'll be patient enough for as many re-writes as it take.

Barry, as Ismael said, just take the info you need and ignore the rest.

Dan, for what it is worth, I downloaded "Hot Stuff" and really enjoyed reading the first twenty pages; fast-paced and good character description. Then again I have become a sucker for bringing Hollywood to Bollywood, instead of the other way around.

... Haha - I read the rest!

These comments are truly inspiring and they validate some of my own thinking. As much as I am confident about the work I have done for the past 9 months on an adaptation, jointly working with the author of the book, I see value in professional feedback to some extent.

Because of the reasons you mention here, I wholeheartedly agree, feedback can lead to analysis paralysis and self-doubt. I have been there.

Format (not literally) is good but it can also put you in a box and impinge on creativity. We get tangled up in the fear & confusion that if we don't follow the rules to the T - the gatekeepers would trash the script. and that's the end of it

The script is a piece of the bigger puzzle which is at the end of the game is a multi-dimensional output and not limited to words and dialogues. Some of the best script made the worst film and vice versa. Music, sound, great acting, cinematography can make or break a movie. Of course, script is the heart..

At the end of the day if it is a non-conventional Hollywood production then, the ingredients that make the film are reflection of artistic choice and we should not be afraid. Regarding this topic Werner Herzog had some interesting perspective. Unfortunately , we all pander to the big studios who say, you must follow the rules before you break them.

As a indie filmmaker, I look at the script from a different angle and my application worked for me, knowing many of the scenes would be modified for production any way. A script is only the beginning and not the end and flexibility is the key.