Writing a script based on an existing property?

Collapse

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Writing a script based on an existing property?

    Hypothetical:

    I'm a huge fan of a recently cancelled television program that has enough of a back story to make for a good film. Despite the low percentage of success such an endeavor would likely carry, I decide that I want to write a script for said film.

    I assume that if I did this, I would at best only be able to submit this to the owner of the show's rights if I wanted to pursue it.

    Say I wrote a fantastic script, does this scenario ever actually happen and do people ever manage to successfully sell these projects?

  • #2
    Re: Writing a script based on an existing property?

    Originally posted by gnieminen View Post
    Hypothetical:

    I'm a huge fan of a recently cancelled television program that has enough of a back story to make for a good film. Despite the low percentage of success such an endeavor would likely carry, I decide that I want to write a script for said film.

    I assume that if I did this, I would at best only be able to submit this to the owner of the show's rights if I wanted to pursue it.

    Say I wrote a fantastic script, does this scenario ever actually happen and do people ever manage to successfully sell these projects?
    This would only be good as a writing sample. Since you have no rights to the property, you would never be able to sell it. If the people with the rights wanted to do a feature, they'd most like want it to come from the writers on the series.

    Wouldn't it be a better to spend time on something you could actually sell?

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Writing a script based on an existing property?

      Re: "Wouldn't it be a better to spend time on something you could actually sell?"

      I've never seen the logic of that argument. Sure - it sounds sensible .. but not if we crunch the numbers.

      Question: What's the odds of the script (written by someone who is good, but has zero experience or track record) attracting the attention of someone enough to start a conversation about future work - although not about buying that exact script ? Let's call that figure 'a'.


      Question: What's the odds of the script (written by someone who is good, but has zero experience or track record) actually being bought? Let's call that figure 'b'.

      If you want to maximise your odds of success, you want to maximise:

      Success = a + b

      So the argument 'Don't work on something you can't sell' is about 'don't choose a strategy where b=0'. But that overlooks the fact that if 'b' is low enough, any strategy that chooses to increase the value of 'a' is worth following .. even if it reduces b to 0.

      So what are the figures on 'a' & 'b' ?

      If there are 40 spec sales a year, and (let's say) 40,000 good spec scripts on the market at any given time, then:

      b = 40/40000 = 0.1%

      So any strategy that increases 'a' by more than 0.1% at the cost of reducing 'b' to zero is worth it.

      But what is 'a'?

      If the average good writer has to write 10 good scripts before being noticed enough to generate a decent conversation with someone who can hire writers, then: a = 1/10 = 10%.

      Sure - those figures are rubbery. They are rough. They'll be different for each genre, etc.

      But you can see why people choose to write projects like 'Muppet Man' even though they don't have the rights to it.

      Once you choose the strategy of creating good work so people are interested in hiring you (rather than creating something that will be sold) - it can make for damned good strategy.

      Mac
      New blogposts:
      *Followup - Seeking Investors in all the wrong places
      *Preselling your film - Learning from the Experts
      *Getting your indie film onto iTunes
      *Case Study - Estimating Film profits

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Writing a script based on an existing property?

        Originally posted by UnequalProductions View Post
        This would only be good as a writing sample. Since you have no rights to the property, you would never be able to sell it. If the people with the rights wanted to do a feature, they'd most like want it to come from the writers on the series.

        Wouldn't it be a better to spend time on something you could actually sell?
        I totally hear what you are saying. This would simply be one project in a litany of pieces I write of course; the rest being totally original. I just really enjoy this property and I think writing about it would be a very enjoyable experience.

        I would do it with little to no expectation of anything coming from it but I had to throw the question out there and see if this type of project has ever gotten anyone anywhere.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Writing a script based on an existing property?

          Originally posted by Mac H. View Post
          Re: "Wouldn't it be a better to spend time on something you could actually sell?"

          I've never seen the logic of that argument. Sure - it sounds sensible .. but not if we crunch the numbers.

          Question: What's the odds of the script (written by someone who is good, but has zero experience or track record) attracting the attention of someone enough to start a conversation about future work - although not about buying that exact script ? Let's call that figure 'a'.


          Question: What's the odds of the script (written by someone who is good, but has zero experience or track record) actually being bought? Let's call that figure 'b'.

          If you want to maximise your odds of success, you want to maximise:

          Success = a + b

          So the argument 'Don't work on something you can't sell' is about 'don't choose a strategy where b=0'. But that overlooks the fact that if 'b' is low enough, any strategy that chooses to increase the value of 'a' is worth following .. even if it reduces b to 0.

          So what are the figures on 'a' & 'b' ?

          If there are 40 spec sales a year, and (let's say) 40,000 good spec scripts on the market at any given time, then:

          b = 40/40000 = 0.1%

          So any strategy that increases 'a' by more than 0.1% at the cost of reducing 'b' to zero is worth it.

          But what is 'a'?

          If the average good writer has to write 10 good scripts before being noticed enough to generate a decent conversation with someone who can hire writers, then: a = 1/10 = 10%.

          Sure - those figures are rubbery. They are rough. They'll be different for each genre, etc.

          But you can see why people choose to write projects like 'Muppet Man' even though they don't have the rights to it.

          Once you choose the strategy of creating good work so people are interested in hiring you (rather than creating something that will be sold) - it can make for damned good strategy.

          Mac
          Solid input. I suppose the question is, would I be able to get anyone to read it, or would their knowledge that it is about a property I don't own be enough to dissuade them from even giving it a perusal?

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Writing a script based on an existing property?

            It's very, very, very unlikely, but you never know. As long as you acknowledge that it probably won't lead to anything, but you want to get it out of your system, it can't really hurt. All you'll lose is time. You'll gain some experience.

            There's a book I love that's been in development hell forever, so just because I had the urge, I spent a winter vacation writing a spec version of it once. My manager got it to the guy who currently holds the rights, and that's as far as it went. Maybe someday he'll remember this project and give it a read. Maybe he'll toss it and hire somebody else. I don't know. But I don't feel like it was a disastrous waste of time because that thing had been itching at me for years.

            So if you really want to, sure. Just don't expect anything from it. Write it, send it out there, forget about it. Then write something else you control.
            Chicks Who Script podcast

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Writing a script based on an existing property?

              Originally posted by Mac H. View Post
              Once you choose the strategy of creating good work so people are interested in hiring you (rather than creating something that will be sold) - it can make for damned good strategy.
              Here are the flies in this ointment:

              The people who might want to hire you, or rep you, have a pile of scripts to take home every day. While they will occasionally read something that they know they can't buy or sell, those things are a low priority to them.

              It is harder to get potential rep to read something you don't have the rights to. It is harder for you rep to get a lot of people to read that script.

              So in your a+b scenario, BOTH a and b are substantially lower with something where you don't own the rights. It's harder to get the reads you need.

              (This may not be the case if you're making a short film - eg that Portal short from a few years ago, where you can use the fan base to gin up interest and draw attention. But with scripts? It is.)

              The second problem is that, when you're working with an existing property, it's unclear how much of the heavy lifting (character creation, world building) you're doing. If I wrote an Indiana Jones spec, just the name is doing a tremendous amount of work for me. So if someone reads it and loves it, do they love what I created? Or do they love the fact that I'm standing on Lawrence Kasdan's shoulders?

              So often, working in an existing properly is not a great way to develop or show off your skills.

              It can be a fun thing to do, but even TV seems to be veering more and more towards hiring writers off original pilots.

              Comment

              Working...
              X