agent

Keeping the lines of communication open

Maximum Z agent, anxiety, confidence, encouragement, manager, production company, productivity, representation, screenwriting, script, self-confidence, spec, Star Trek, stress, studio, writing
uhura
Starfleet’s emergency backup plan for when Skype’s not working

Since signing with my manager earlier this year, our back-and-forth emails had somewhat dwindled. It seemed to be taking longer to hear back, and even those brief messages were less than encouraging.

Despite working on the new spec scripts, this, combined with my overactive imagination and requisite writer’s self-doubt, made me convinced that nobody was interested in the script.

And I mean nobody.

*Side note – want to feel even worse about yourself? Seek the opinions of those on a public forum. I think I’m truly done with that.

I needed to do something, which turned out to be sending my manager an email asking if he was available to talk.

Best thing I could have done.

I explained to him how I was feeling frustrated about not knowing what was going on, and asked if there was anything I else I could do to help move things along (apart from keep writing).

He totally understood, apologized for being incommunicado, and gave me the update – who the script had been sent to, including several studios and production companies. One studio had passed, another was still reading it, and somebody at a prodco really liked it and wanted to see what else I had.

We also discussed getting the new specs to him, the potential of one of them with a well-known production company and how he was adding a staffer who’d be more in the middle of all the action.

This ten-minute conversation was able to wash away all my self-doubt, inadequacy and just plain lousyness.

It’s hard enough to get representation, but once you do, it’s not all up to them. These people are busy, so it’s easy for you to fall off their radar. You have to be the one to remind them you’re still there. Don’t be afraid to ask “can we talk?”.

If you have questions or concerns, ask them. As I mentioned, it’s all too easy to let your imagination run wild and start generating counterproductive thoughts. The occasional update chat is the best way to stay positive and keep yourself focused.

Cleaning up after all that dirty work

Maximum Z agent, creativity, manager, query letter, representation, research, screenwriting, self-confidence, writing
Yeah, it kind of felt like this...
Yeah, it kind of felt like this…

Well, that’s that.  The queries have been unleashed, and the process of getting it done was truly exhausting.

Most of the work was research. Lots and lots of it.

Equipped with a few lists of potential recipients, I scoured IMDBPro (signing up is highly recommended) and Google to check the status of each name, agency, management firm and prodco I had.

Are they still in business? (a good percentage were not)  Do they accept queries?  Is the person still there? If not, where are they now? What about that place?  Do they even handle screenwriters? Would they be interested in my script’s genre?

Some of the major houses (CAA, WME, etc.) don’t list any contact info apart from address and phone number, so unless you know somebody there, you’re just plain out of luck. A lot of them also have a disclaimer somewhere on the website stating they don’t accept unsolicited materials anyway. Better to focus on the ones that do.

Proof these lists are not entirely accurate or up-to-date – one listed office info for somebody who apparently died in 2009.

Believe me when I say this is not a small-scale project.

Something else to keep in mind – depending on your determination, you’ll be sending out an immense number of queries, and most likely the responses, positive or negative, will be few and far between. If you hear back at all.  Remember – these places are getting bombarded with queries from writers just like you every single day.

Not getting an immediate response can really be quite a blow to your self-confidence, but unfortunately it’s the way things are.  All you can do is send it out and move on.  Like I wrote last time, use this as an opportunity to redirect your attention towards something else of a productive nature.  Write something. Read something.  Exercise. Whatever it takes.

So while I wait, I’ve got an outline to improve, some podcasting equipment to master and a pumpkin pie that needs baking.

Patience and meticulousness required

Maximum Z agent, Batman, Hollywood Creative Directory, Hollywood Representation Directory, manager, Movie of the Moment, production company, query letter, research, screenwriting, writing
Obviously, a lot of effort went into creating this. See how it paid off?

You think writing a screenplay is hard? Well, it is. But that’s just the first step of the process.  Getting it out there is an even harder hill to climb.

I’ve got a what I consider to be pretty good query letter put together, but will utilize a little more professional feedback to give it that extra ‘oomph’. While consulting various forums, websites and the like, the general consensus is as follows: show the strength of your writing ability with a finely-crafted logline, a minimal amount of words about you and a maximum amount of professionalism.  This thing has to make somebody stop in their tracks and immediately think, “I HAVE to read this script!”

That’s the first part of what I’ve been working on.  The second part is proving to be quite the challenge: who to send this letter to.

I’m taking the scientific approach to this and doing my homework to find out who would be the most receptive to reading my script. Since it falls into the fantasy-adventure genre, I don’t want to look like an amateur and approach a place that does something completely different, such as horror or indie drama. It makes me look bad and wastes their time. Again – maximum amount of professionalism.

Digging through thousands of listings of agents, managers and production companies is proving to be the biggest hurdle. The last time I did this, I had the benefit of using the Hollywood Creative and Representation Directories, but I’m not sure if the publisher is still around. It may be time for another trip to the always-helpful public library and see if the latest editions are available.

Part of my brain is saying “Quit stalling and get moving! There’s no time to lose!” Then the rational part kicks in and says, “Would you rather get it done fast or professionally?”

I’ll take option number two.

Movie of the Moment – THE DARK KNIGHT RISES. I’ll write about this next time, but for now – not as good as THE DARK KNIGHT, but still pretty enjoyable.

Digging up the perfect word(s)

Maximum Z agent, creativity, ideas, loglines, manager, outlines, query letter, rewrite, Schmucks with Underwoods, screenwriting, story, structure, writing
All worth it in the end

It’s amazing how productive you can be while working at 30,000 feet. K and I flew across the country to spend some time with her family (as well as pick up a somewhat homesick V). Since the movie going each way didn’t interest me, I took the opportunity to  go through the latest rewrite and look for further necessary edits. Of which there were more than a few.

I’ve since made all the changes, save one: a handful of sentences describing a location. At first this may sound pretty unimportant, but it’s actually quite the opposite. Without going into too much detail, this description is for one of two key settings in the whole story. The other one – exactly what it should be, so now I need one just as good, if not better, for this. What I have now is just cliched and boring. Time to buckle down and come up with something exactly spot-on.

It’ll be an uphill battle, but I’ll find it. Trust me.

-During our stay, lots of downtime and limited internet access gave me the chance to start figuring Act Three of the western-adventure.

I’d completely forgotten some of the details in the first outline from a few months ago. Some of them still work (surprisingly so), which was an unexpected surprise, but others will have to go, which was completely expected. Further proof that after you write something, you really should ignore it for a while.

Reworking this may be a slightly bigger task than originally expected, which I don’t mind at all. It’s also a golden opportunity. First I come up with what I want to happen, then get to figure out how to make it bigger. Fun stuff indeed, and I do not mean that sarcastically.

-I took it upon myself to further my jump into making all of this happen by signing up for IMDBPro. Time to start researching who would be receptive to reading my stuff. Last time around, I went through a hard copy of the HCD, highlighting any agency and management company that was okay with unsolicited query emails. Not sure if that’s the way to go now. Any and all suggestions are welcome.

Thrillingly terrifying, or possibly terrifyingly thrilling

Maximum Z agent, analysis, confidence, editing, manager, motivation, Multiplex, query letter, Radioslot.com, rewrite, screenwriting, webcomics
Yeah. Kind of like that...

My mind is racing at a faster rate than usual these days. There are a zillion things I need/want to do with DREAMSHIP over the next few weeks. Finish the edit. Polish where necessary. Research potential script analysts. Create and fine-tune a list of potential managers, agents and production companies. Compose a persuasive query letter.

I kinda/sorta knew this all along, but it didn’t really hit me until I started price-checking different services like Done Deal Pro and IMDB Pro:  this is like me officially entering the field of battle, and not entirely sure I’m armed and ready.

I hate self-doubt.

I know my script is good, but there’s still that little voice in the back of my head saying “But is it good enough?” There are literally thousands, probably even tens of  thousands of people just like me trying to accomplish the exact same thing.  It’s me against them. Every man for himself.

My script not only has to be a solid piece of work, it has to have that certain something that grabs your attention and doesn’t let go.  Once you start reading, you don’t want to stop. You NEED to keep going.  You are COMPELLED to know what happens next. That’s the impact I want.

I can only hope that’s what actually happens.

And the more I think about it, the more I realize I don’t have time to worry. I’ve worked too hard to let that stand in my way. I may be nervous about what’s coming next, but I won’t let that stop me.

Besides, this is what it’s all been about.

-In case you missed the most recent installment of The Script Adventurer!, my guest this week was Gordon McAlpin, the mind behind the webcomic Multiplex.  Apart from some technical difficulties, it was great talking to him. The fine folks at Radioslot have added an additional replay, so now you can catch the show live at 1PM on Monday, or hear it again 7AM on Wednesday or 7PM on Sunday (all times Pacific Standard Time).