manager

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).

How to REALLY get an agent

Maximum Z agent, Hollywood Representation Directory, manager, query letter, screenwriting, Writers Guild of America

Probably the most frequent question asked by screenwriters is “How do I get an agent?”

I’ll skip the usual advice like ‘have a bulletproof script.’  That goes without saying.

But one thing I keep hearing over and over again is contact the Writers Guild; they have a directory of agencies that accept unsolicited material.

Whoever tells you that hasn’t seen this directory in quite some time.

When I hear ‘directory,’ I think ‘phone book’.  This is a double-sided piece of paper.

I contacted each agency to find out their submission policy.  And then the fun began.

Some don’t accept unsolicited material anymore. Okay, that’s acceptable.

Some want you to send your query by fax.  Wouldn’t you expect an agent to use email?

Some places don’t represent writers.  WHAT?  Then why are they on the list in the first place?

Some of them want you to send your letter with a SASE, which is still okay (see email question above).  Of the 15 or so I sent out, I got 3 back.  Keep in mind agencies get literally hundreds, if not thousands of queries a week.  What, no interns to handle this sort of thing?  I also got 1 or 2 about 6 months after I sent the query. I’m guessing they were cleaning out the closets.

If the Writers Guild wants to be a good resource for writers trying to break in, they really need to get on the ball and maintain a solid database of agencies.  True, the list of those that accept unsolicited material is constantly shrinking, but they’re still out there.

If you think your script is really ready and you have a killer query letter, you’re much better off with the Hollywood Representation Directory.  You can get a hard copy or subscribe to it online.  Most big libraries should have it, so be prepared to work the copy machine.

My former writing group chipped in and we bought a recent edition on sale.  I went through the agent and manager sections with a highlighter, marking down who accepted unsolicited queries.

Of the 200-plus query emails I sent out, I got about 30 responses, including 10 asking to read the script.  Most of them passed, but one guy optioned it.  Nothing ever came of it, but it was closer than I’d ever gotten before, and once I have another script ready to go, I’ll do it all over again.

-Brief LUCY update:  Closing in on the midpoint, including finishing a much-needed action sequence.  Thrillsville, baby!