Protocol question

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  • Protocol question

    Good Evening,

    I have been reading posts from your forum and almost every article and comment is a lesson. Thank you, for..existing and doing this.

    I have a complex question(s). If anyone will be willing to spare a few minutes and guide me, it would mean a great deal for me.

    My name is Bogdan, and I am trying to understand what is the protocol these days, with respect to the writers' strike? I have a script, I am not a WGA member, but not in a million years would I try shopping it around while the strike continues.

    So, should I just wait until the strike is over? Can trying to find a manager or an agent willing to read my script be considered unprofessional?

    It is obvious I am very new at this, but I do have a script that I trust, and I would like to move forward with it, just don't know exactly how.

    Thank you in advance for any advice you can offer. Convincing anyone to read a script from an unknown is hard enough..Add a strike in the mix, and a newcomer can easily make an even greater mistake than the one when he/she allowed the pen to take over his/her life..

  • #2
    Re: Protocol question

    If you're new at this then the best thing you can do with your script is bury it in a desert in Nevada so no one will ever see it.

    Seriously though, part of the reason why it's so hard for most unsigned writers to get a chance in Hollywood is because there are ten thousand Joe Newcomers who "trust" their crappy script and paint the town with it. 99.99% of these people would be better off shelving their scripts and delaying their career push until they're really ready to write for a living.

    I'm not trying to be a jerk. Writing effective drama is a skill that takes years to master, which is why most working writers are in the 30-40 age range. It's highly unlikely that you're anywhere near ready to compete with the big boys.

    But let's pretend that you actually have something worth sending out. In that case, there's nothing stopping you from trying to find a manager or an agent right now. There is absolutely nothing unethical about it. Just realize that they won't be able to try to sell any of your material to the major studios until the strike is over.

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    • #3
      Re: Protocol question

      On the other hand, the very first script I wrote I sent out, and a development exec at Phoenix Pictures liked it enough that they read a couple more of my scripts when I eventually got around to finishing them. That's a contact who will read my emails that I otherwise wouldn't have if I had buried that script in the desert.
      Steven Palmer Peterson

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      • #4
        Re: Protocol question

        Thank you for your direct answer. Yes, I am more interested in understanding the protocol, than going into the desert with my first script. I have a hunch, that ALL of you here, were at one time or another a newcomer, and also at one time or another, your script was the first script..

        My question really has something to do with the business of presenting a script during the strike, not with the quality of my writing - or anyone else's for that matter.

        My protocol question came after reading a series of articles stating that during the strike, all writers should not present any new work. I wanted to find out more.. So if anyone else would like to share, it would be excellent.

        Thank you,
        Bogdan

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        • #5
          Re: Protocol question

          Right now, the only companies that will even look at your script are companies that are not signatory to the WGA. These aren't top tier companies, and since they aren't signatories they don't have to follow the rules, and almost always pay less for scripts than signatory companies. There are good things about smaller companies, of course; they tend to focus on one thing at a time, you have fewer people making decisions, etc.

          Honestly, the strike is probably going to be over in a week or two, though, so I would recommend waiting before sending any material out.

          Also, from what I understand, most managers are looking at new material, most agents are not. Again, once the strike is over that'll change.
          "Witticism"
          -Some Guy

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          • #6
            Re: Protocol question

            As an independent producer, I can tell you that smaller companies are also worried about WGA rules - if someone needs to come in for rewrites or decides they want to use their feature as a leg up into the union, their feature could get organized and retroactively be in violation of strike protocol, and thus be picketed, causing problems with other unions that may be involved.

            Nothing is stopping you from going to representation, but if they can't sell your script, what's their incentive to read it? If you have personal relationships you can leverage in that direction, or something else of value you can offer the reps, then by all means do it. As far as indie production companies go, the only ones you're likely to do business with are the ones with interim agreements, or the ones so small and disconnected that they're not likely to do business with any unions at all. The trouble with these companies is that, generally speaking, they talk a lot about making movies, and rarely do it.

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            • #7
              Re: Protocol question

              Thank you all for taking the time to answer. I will attempt to go the route of Lit. Managers + InkTip + Select Screenplay Festivals. If any of you know of a manager that will consider reading something from a newcomer, your help would be appreciated.


              This already feels like the "hero's journey"

              My best wishes to all of you,
              Bogdan

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