Selling Screenplays.

[Julianwoods]

Does anyone know much about this? Im halfway through my first screenplay and am Very happy with how it is shaping up. But I wonder when itis finished how do I go about trying to sell it and what are my chances? How much does the average screenplay go for? I see alot of films with awful scripts which get made so why are these being brought are there not better ones out there?

 

[titaniumdoughnut]

Well, I think you need to be prepared for tons of rejections. The book The Writer's Guide to Writing your Screenplay has a good section on selling them, and how many you need to write before someone buys one, and stuff like that.

 

[jhart]

I could be wrong, but I just took a screenwriting class and if I understand correctly your full length screenplay cannot be sold for under $80,000 with the possibility of royalties. I'm not even kidding. But I'm not certain, either. And I have no idea who you talk to about that. But keep your chin up. The prospect of money is always good incentive to smile.

 

[RFranco]

people usually option a screenplay before they buy it. optioning means they don't actually buy it, but you can't show it to anyone either, usually for a year or two althought hey can change it.

lots of writers in hollywood make a living from selling screenplays and yet none of them have ever been made into a movie. once the studio buys it, they can sit on it and never make it although you got paid for it.

you need to write a lot of scripts before anyone will buy one. they need to see that you can output good work on a steady basis. this is just an illustration, but close to the truth: you have to write 20 scripts just to sell one, but you have to understand, all 20 have to be good. then people will pay attention.

it's like writers. they write everyday, anything they can, and maybe get one book published every 3-4 years if they're good (not generic stuff like romance novels or something)

 

[GabrielM]

To people with that question, I suggest this article: http://www.elementsofcinema.co...l_my_screenplay.html

 

[notroberttowne]

I sort of have a personal problem with the constant barrage of comments about being a working screenwriter that involve throwing arbitrary numbers out at people like the above "20 screenplays." I know it was just a number chosen to illustrate, but it's completely false.

If you write one script, it's good, and you have the right luck, you can sell it. That's a lot of what doesn't get talked about, the luck. Yes, your script has to be worth a damn - but the real trick for unknown writers in the film business is getting their script into the hands of someone who likes it and is in a position to do something with it. You can do research and try to up your odds, but with all the assistants and interns that are reading out there, it really comes down to luck.

It's not just quality. And it's certainly not quantity.

Now, odds are you'll be writing a better script when you're on your fifth or fifteenth, but to tell someone they need to have a dozen or twenty scripts under their belt before they try to make it is to ask them to spend years and years at work with no hope of success.

It's not easy, and it does involve an awful lot of luck and a very good script, but let's not put an arbitrary number out there.

As to the reason why it seems like so many terrible scripts get produced, the truth is that you have to be better to get in the club than to stay in the club. A proven writer can be hired to write off of a pitch or can sell a script that wouldn't have made it past the intern if they were an unknown. On top of that, a lot of scripts are rewritten by committees and endless series's of other writers until everyone on the production is basically content with it - which means you have an uninspired but unoffensive piece of tedium no matter how good the script was to begin with. The latter is the biggest problem at the moment - and it's a big reason why independent films (which very often stick with the creator as the only writer) tell more contentious and better stories.

So the answer is that the terrible script that get produced are either sold BECAUSE the writer was a known entity or they were committee-ed into being that bad by a hollywood afraid of taking a chance of alienating any demographic when they're going to spend millions and millions of dollars on the production.

On a final note, the 80,000 mentioned above is accurate, but that's only if you're selling to a WGA signatory. If the company, producer, or whatever you're dealing with isn't a signatory to the guild they can pay you any amount you agree to.

 

[Generallyspeaking22]

I mostly agree with notroberttowne. The number of scripts you've written doesn't matter nearly as much as what you've written. Some people have a more natural inclination towards storytelling and might be able to write something strong after only one or two "practice" scripts. Other people might very well have to write twelve scripts before writing something worthwhile.

The notion of "luck" is questionable. This industry runs on recommendations. I think the benefit of knowing a few respected people within the industry gives you a much better chance of being read seriously as opposed to indifferently.

Meeting people and getting them to like both you AND your work enough to stand behind might take some luck, but writing something that stands out makes your chances much higher than someone who hasn't. If your work is interesting and marketable, someone will notice eventually.

 

[GabrielM]

Although I agree that selling your FIRST script is possible, I believe that the advice of writing more than one screenplay is sound... for a couple of reasons:

1. Obviously, the more you write, the more crafty you get. Even if your first screenplay is already fabulous, if you revise it after writing your second one, the improvement will be tremendous.

2. Don't expect an agent/producer to be looking exactly for the musical Western you just finished. This is almost impossible. If you have a couple of screenplays written under your belt, then your chances are better. Different genres is also beneficial.

3. If you only have ONE great screenplay written, industry people may believe you are a "one-hit wonder." In this case, the very people you want as employers or friends may doubt your talent. Give yourself a better chance and don't stop writing.

But the main reason for writing more than a single screenplay (in my opinion) is this:

4. The budding writer has no effective barometer in determining whether or not his/her screenplay is industry-worthy or not. If you decide to shop it too soon, you may burn a bridge, a connection to the industry. Say, for instance, your dad is good friends with the president of Universal. Out of consideration for their friendship, the president accepts to read your screenplay and gives it a honest chance. If you present something mediocre, said president would perhaps NEVER give you another chance again. There, burnt bridge. Too late! Writing a second, a fifth, an eighth screenplay will refine your evaluation technique and critique power. Oliver Stone wrote seven screenplays before he was hired to adapt The Midnight Express, for which he got an Oscar.

Don't stop writing and good luck!