query letter

The me business – a 24/7 operation

Maximum Z agent, determination, encouragement, feedback, goals, manager, message boards, motivation, multitasking, networking, perseverance, problem-solving, producer, production company, public forums, query letter, representation, research, salesmanship, screenwriting, script, writing

 

The friendliest staff in town!
We’ve got the friendliest staff in town!

What may have been my biggest mistake with my old manager was not doing enough.

I’d toil away on the new script, and send him an occasional email asking if there had been any responses to the first one. They were minimal, which is putting the best positive spin on it.

Why weren’t we getting the results we’d expected? Mostly, I blame myself.

Looking back, I realize now that it was me who wasn’t being the more proactive one. He was a busy guy with other clients to handle. Instead of handing off the material with the instruction of “I’ve got a script to write. You do what you have to,” I should have been making his job easier by doing the research, finding the names and providing the contact info so all he had to was send off an email.

Lesson learned. Behavior modified. Jump to the present.

Now being representation-free, I’ve no choice but to be the proactive one. Nobody’s coming to me, so I’m exploring numerous avenues to get to them.

-query letters. A few managers have requested the script, with more being targeted.

-researching producers and production companies who’ve made films similar to my scripts

-expanding my network and connecting with writers on community sites, which includes face-to-face meetings with those in the immediate vicinity when applicable

-publicizing my scripts and their loglines on said sites and public forums, which has resulted in not only more connections, but offers to read the scripts. Feedback is always invaluable, and somebody’s status in the industry can change overnight, so any connection is a potential good one.

My former m.o. was to devote as much time as possible to writing, rewriting and polishing. But for now, that’s just not an option anymore.

Time for a little diversification.

It’s just as important now to set aside some time each day to find some potential recipients for my material. Even if it’s only 20-30 minutes of researching names on IMDBPro, that’s still a few small steps in the right direction.

Even if something may feel like the longest of shots, I remind myself I’ve got absolutely nothing to lose, and the worst that can happen is somebody says no.  If that happens, I shrug it off, move on to the next name and try again.

Flying solo

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Wild blue yonder, here I come
Wild blue yonder, here I come

I’ve been hesitant to say anything, but there’s just no getting around it anymore.

My manager and I have parted ways.

Long story short – things weren’t happening.  Apart from being disappointed it didn’t work out, I bear him no ill will, and wish him and his savvy assistant all the best.

So once again, it’s all me.  Gone is the initial fear/terror of no longer having representation. Actually, the nervousness has segued into one of…let’s call it liberation.

I can’t say I’m all the way back to square one, because this isn’t totally starting from scratch.  This go-round includes a much better understanding of what I have to do and how to do it, such as:

-being able to offer up one script that’s had some moderate success in some high-profile contests, and one that’s “a refreshingly exciting new take on an old genre.” Throw in the two others currently being developed, and I’ve got quite an arsenal of high-concept material at my disposal.

-knowing the right way to do a query letter. Lessons have been learned from mistakes made the last time, and the first wave has been dispatched. There’s even been a couple of “We’d like to read this” responses.  I send the script and don’t look back.

-having a lot more confidence in my writing. All the writing, rewriting and utilizing of notes and feedback has had a significant positive impact. I may not be the absolute best ever, but I definitely know how to spin a ripping yarn you want to keep reading.

Thus the quest resumes. Wish me luck.

Q&A with 2014 Table Read My Screenplay winner Nick Schober!

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With so many contest deadlines looming, here’s a tale of encouragement in the form of an interview with Nick Schober, winner of the 2014 Table Read My Screenplay competition.

I met Nick through Twitter (@nicschober). He’s a great guy.

Enjoy.

sundance 3

1. How did you get your start as a writer?

I guess I’ve always been writing, just for different reasons. In college I knew I wanted to work in the industry, but I was sure I wanted to be a director of photography… and then an editor.. then a director, and so on, and the only way to constantly hone those crafts was to write material. After I took a serious run at producing a few years ago, I realized writing was my favorite part of the process and I’ve been at it ever since.

2. What’s your script about, and how did you come up with the story?

GIVEN is a story about a wealthy widow who offers her vast fortune to a local slacker in exchange for one small favor… that he kill her. The concept originated as a “first 15” contest put on by The Writer’s Store. They provide a logline and everyone submits 15 pages based on that. I think the original logline was something about a New England matriarch offering her fortune to anyone who would grant her dying wish. I thought the twist of her asking someone to kill her would grab attention.

3. What was it about Table Read My Screenplay that made you want to enter?

I think I saw the emails about this contest shortly after I found out I did not win The Writer’s Store contest. I figured this was good a time as any to jump back on the horse. Besides that, the opportunity to go to Sundance and have your screenplay read by actors is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Also, as with any good contest, they blast your script out to their network of producers and agents, which is the name of the game.

4. What was your reaction to winning?

I tried to play it cool when I got the call from the organizers but I promptly called my wife and yelled at the top of my lungs. It was pretty awkward considering I was still at work. You can’t help but wonder if you really have what it takes to do this, and things like this are a great signpost to look back on when you need encouragement. 

sundance 2

5. As the contest’s name says, there was a table read of your script at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. How did that go?

It was amazing. They had a conference room at the Waldorf in Park City and cast some excellent actors who really went for it, even though it was just a table read. Harvey Weinstein was having breakfast right outside the door. They also recorded the audio and sent it to me to for review. It was invaluable to hear your words spoken. You can truly understand the importance of timing, what works and what doesn’t.

6. What was your overall experience being at Sundance?

It was a blast. The organizers put us up in an amazing house walking distance from downtown. They set us up with a few movie screenings and also got us into a few parties. It was an intense exercise in networking, especially for a serial introvert, but I made a couple of good contacts.

sundance

7. What’s been happening for you and your script since then?

Since then, I’ve jumped headfirst into trying to get this sold. I’ve uploaded my script to The Blacklist, submitted to all the major contests, and recently started querying. I’m also developing a few other ideas and trying to write every day.

A hearty congrats to Nick!

There are lots of ways to establish a career as a screenwriter. Winning or placing in a contest is just one of them. So keep on rewriting and polishing that latest draft, send it out there and see how it goes.

And in case you don’t make it past the first round (which does happen), more contests now offer notes and feedback, so you can make a few more fixes to make your script that much better.

Good luck!

Pause, think, act – OR – What’s the rush?

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One wrong step is all it takes to mess everything up
One wrong step is all it takes to mess everything up

As nice as it would be for everybody to get on the ball and work within our timeframes, it just doesn’t work that way. Waiting is truly a necessary evil in this business.

In our overeagerness to get things moving, sometimes poor judgment prevails, despite a pre-established conscious effort – “I’ve seen other people make these stupid mistakes, but that’s not going to happen to me.”

I hate to break it to you, but in one way or another, yeah, that’s exactly what’s going to happen.

But we learn from experience, and move forward, knowing what not to do.

Most of the time.

The spectre of “act first, think second” can still rear its ugly head when we’re least expecting it.

You send out your latest draft, only to then see all those typos you forgot to fix. That query letter to an agent has the wrong name in it. Things of that nature.

Yes, you want to get things moving, but if you don’t slow down and take a good, hard look at your material, then you’re defeating yourself before you even start.

“But this is perfect!” you protest. “It’s ready to go!”

According to you, maybe. Many’s the time I thought my latest draft was the definitive final one, only to find out from outside sources how it could be better.

Don’t think something has to get out right now. It’s going to take time to get a response, let alone have things start happening. Better to hold off and make sure it’s the best it can be, rather than send something out too soon and look unprofessional.

Yet another go-round on this neverending rollercoaster

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Ups, downs, twists and turns. It's all part of the process...
Ups, downs, twists and turns. It’s all part of the process…

Yesterday was…eventful. Almost like condensing my establishing a career in screenwriting into a single day.

Good: somebody actually downloaded DREAMSHIP from the Black List!  Nice, especially since it entered double-digit basic views a couple of days ago. Hoping to get a professional review sometime in March.

Not-so-good: a manager who read the script passed, claiming “while I enjoyed the read and did think it was well-written, I just couldn’t get excited enough about it to warrant taking on a new client or project right now.”  I’m still not sure exactly how to interpret this, but it still boils down to “thanks, but no thanks.” Oh well. C’est la vie.

(Gotta admit it’s somewhat of a silver lining that just about all of the rejections from those who read the script mentioned how much they liked it.  Just not enough to take it to the next step.)

So what now?

Easy. Spend a few moments feeling sorry for myself, put it behind me and soldier on to the category labeled “Promising,” in the form of  the overwhelming need to start on pages for the western.

The only way I could feel better was to write.  Doesn’t matter if the outline’s not 100 percent. I HAD to do this; not only as a form of catharsis but to feel like I was actually moving ahead and remind myself of the potential awesomeness of this story.

So I did. It was only half a page. Nothing fantastic, but at least it was something.

(just wondering – are you still supposed to write ‘FADE IN’? I’ve heard both yes and no.)

It’s been quite a while since I started a new script. Any writer will reinforce the concept of nothing as intimidating or challenging as a blank white screen, with that little blinking cursor just sitting there, ready to spring into action.

The key is to keep the cursor moving.  Which is exactly my plan.

The awesomeness comes later.