How can I get a script sold?
Question by Robert R: How can I get a script sold?
Hi, I’m 23 years old and I have a pretty well written, feature length screenplay, and I was wondering, how I can sell it to a movie company.
Best answer:
Answer by William S
With great difficulty. I have been trying to do so for over 10 years. I at least got it looked at for six months at Amblin before market changes occured and the idea went into turn aroung. Let me tell you some approaches. There are several (actually only four or so out of about 15) script writing contests. If you can select two or three that are the right ones, your $ 50 entry fee will be the right ticket. There are films produced from these contest. You may first, however want to spend $ 300 on an editor. There are several who work as writers, but offer their service to read your script and make comments on it. I assure you at least one I contacted was very useful. Make sure you have a a written agreement with this editor. He/she could steal your idea. A written agreement prevents this. But you need to know that there are only a limited (about 50 to 70) script readers at the studios and agencies. I sent my script in to two diffent places and got back a letter signed by one person from the two different places. He did not like my script (it had a faith based theme in it) and so it did not get to first base with him. It is appaling that you have a very limited chance to get to the ones who matter because they delegate all the script reading to a very limited pool of people who either like your idea or do not. [by the way not gasigating any hatred here, but the majority of the script readers have one particular sexual orientation, so make sure your script does not give unfavorable light to any particular orientation, or your script is dead on arrival.] But the best way to get a script seen is the contest route right now. The next best way is to see if any agency is seeking scripts. Submit to them with a prayer and hope they use a script reader who will like your idea. But make sure your script is really ready. That is why the idea to take it for test run with someone who works in the industry is such a good idea. Fix the problems you do not see because of your inexperience. Then hope you can be one of the members of the writers guild – which only has a few thousand members in the whole world. See you must join the guild if you want to work on a second or third project. The studios and even most independent producers all bow to the unionization of this trade as a way to keep the quality up and the outsiders out. Hollywood really is a very small circle of people. Good luck
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