Going out wide?

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  • Going out wide?

    What is this process like from the writer's perspective? How fast do things happen? Is it just sitting around waiting by the phone or is it helpful to watch tracking boards? Just wondering what the day-to-day experience is like from those who've been through it. Thanks!

  • #2
    Re: Going out wide?

    You mean after you've landed representation, and they go wide with your script?

    I was just reading an article yesterday about how it's harder now for agents to work up heat over a spec because of both tracking boards and the fact that scripts are now just PDFs that get blasted out rather than having a dozen or two couriers zipping back and forth paper copies of the latest spec on Monday mornings.

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    • #3
      Re: Going out wide?

      Thanks, Eric. Yeah, that's what I was asking. I read that too. But still it seems specs are going out and selling. Given that it's an email blast or whatever I wonder how fast it all happens.

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      • #4
        Re: Going out wide?

        I've been through it a few times. First one was a strange feeling. You get crazy excited. All your reps are jazzed too. Then the passes start to come in... I think Warner passed on one spec inside 3 hours! Gotta say I prefer this though. I had a pilot go into the BBC & ITV (I'm British) and it took 'em both 3 months to make a decision. 3 months...

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        • #5
          Re: Going out wide?

          Originally posted by McNamara View Post
          What is this process like from the writer's perspective? How fast do things happen? Is it just sitting around waiting by the phone or is it helpful to watch tracking boards? Just wondering what the day-to-day experience is like from those who've been through it. Thanks!
          It took me a week to know my fate. We went out on a Tuesday to 20+ producers. The passes start rolling in immediately. Usually within the first few days you know if you're lighting the town on fire or not. Mine was a not.

          We went into the weekend without an attachment. Then on Monday we hooked a producer who brought a financier on board. The financier bought me a $50 salmon lunch at The Ivy then promptly dropped out. But our producer stayed on and I developed the script with him.

          We tried to attach A-list talent, they passed. We then went to the studio without talent attached and they passed and that was pretty much the end of that. Fun experience though.

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          • #6
            Re: Going out wide?

            You mostly just sit around and wait. If stuff happens, it usually happens quick, especially if more than one party is involved.
            But a lot of times once the passes have come in, you start going out to smaller places or looking for other ways to get it done. At least in my experience, once no one jumps on it, it isn't necessarily dead in the water. In that regard you wait around for that million dollar offer to come in, but after reality's set in, usually you just get back to work.
            My first spec that went wide, I ended up getting hooked up with a big producer by a studio that wanted it "after I did some work" (which was a no, I now realize), that producer hooked me up with a director, I worked on it for a year with them and then went back to the studio expecting them to buy it. They waited around for a month, and finally said it still wasn't a no, if we could attach an actor. At that point, everyone kind of just moved on. I still go to meetings where people ask about it, funny enough, say they love it, but once everyone passes it gets hard to convince people to spend money on anything. I still think I'll get it set up somewhere ten years from now or something, but it's a long game business.
            The point is, there's definitely some anxiety waiting for the phone to ring, but most writers I know try to take their mind off it by working on the next thing, creating more opportunities, etc. If you put too much importance on each project waiting for it to take off, you'll burn out in six months.
            @ZOlkewicz - Don't follow me on Twitter.

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            • #7
              Re: Going out wide?

              My experience is that it's about a two weekend process, although this was a couple of years ago and I'm sure it's constantly evolving.

              You go out week one. Weekend one it gets read by producers. Week two, producers come back to you, and the ones who are interested divy up territories. The next weekend those producers take it to their territories. So in theory you'd hear back that you were expecting offers early in week three (e.g., two weeks after you went out) and then those offers would take a couple of days to get put together.

              However, if there isn't any sense of heat or momentum, this process slows down A LOT. A big-name spec will get read by all the producers (or at least their development execs) in that first week. But if there isn't a sense of urgency then those producers may take a few weeks to get back to you, depending on the workloads. e.g., one week when we wanted to go out, we learned there were something like 22 specs going out that week. As a baby writer, we knew we'd be on the bottom of the pile and that wasn't good for us.

              Passes can take a long time. e.g., I went out wide with a script (which we eventually set up with an independent producer) where only one prod-co bit and they really only had relationships at one or two studios where they felt they could take it. But they quickly realized they were the only dog in the hunt and so it took a couple of weeks before we realized that the studio was not saying no but had no intention of saying yes.

              I've heard possibly-aprochryphal stories of hot specs being picked up that first week, but I have no idea if they're true, and if it is, that's pretty damn rare.

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              • #8
                Re: Going out wide?

                Thanks everybody. Very interesting. I was under the impression it all happened within a week. So much mythology out there. Do they usually go out on a Monday (although I see Bob's went out on Tuesday)? Bob, did they give you a rationale for going out on Tuesday?

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                • #9
                  Re: Going out wide?

                  Originally posted by McNamara View Post
                  Thanks everybody. Very interesting. I was under the impression it all happened within a week. So much mythology out there. Do they usually go out on a Monday (although I see Bob's went out on Tuesday)? Bob, did they give you a rationale for going out on Tuesday?
                  I think going out on Tuesday is normal.

                  Monday, at big agencies, is often take up with a lot of meetings. Status reports, updates about different studios and their needs, etc.

                  I was always under the impression that you don't expect to talk to your agent on a Monday unless it's an emergency, although I imagine that may be different if you're much higher on the totem pole than I've ever been.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Going out wide?

                    It all depends on who is submitting. If I have a relationship with the person who makes the call, I may read it right away. If not, it goes on the back burner and may never get read. If it is an automated email blast, I personally am never reading it.

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                    • #11
                      Re: Going out wide?

                      Do most execs have an assistant read/do coverage, or read personally (assuming the script comes from someone with whom they have a relationship)? Thanks to all for posting. This is very helpful info.

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                      • #12
                        Re: Going out wide?

                        Big companies have readers. Studios must cover every submitted script. If the coverage comes back good, executive will probably read. Sometimes, if this a good relationship, they will read regardless. But scripts are generally covered.

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                        • #13
                          Re: Going out wide?

                          Originally posted by McNamara View Post
                          Thanks everybody. Very interesting. I was under the impression it all happened within a week. So much mythology out there. Do they usually go out on a Monday (although I see Bob's went out on Tuesday)? Bob, did they give you a rationale for going out on Tuesday?
                          If memory serves my manager felt Tuesday was a better day because you're not lumped in with the others going out on Monday.

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                          • #14
                            Re: Going out wide?

                            Originally posted by McNamara View Post
                            Do most execs have an assistant read/do coverage, or read personally (assuming the script comes from someone with whom they have a relationship)? Thanks to all for posting. This is very helpful info.
                            It depends. The agent, at some point, is calling up the producer or development exec and saying, "You've got to read this."

                            The larger the company, the more scripts they're getting that week, the less likely the producer is to read it without having it covered. On the other hand, heat, a stronger existing relationship, a stronger sales pitch, the better the script fits the needs of the company, the bigger the sense of heat and urgency, the more likely the producer or development exec is to read it themselves.

                            And it's not always traditional coverage. e.g., it may just be the development assistant saying to her boss, "This one was awesome, read this first. This one had some good stuff, and that one you can probably skip." But it really depends on the specific company and how they like to work.

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                            • #15
                              Re: Going out wide?

                              The process has changed a lot from 10 years ago. It all depends on the type of script as well. Also, each agent is going to communicate differently to the clients. I know some of my colleagues like to keep their client's posted as things happen and a lot of them just give an update when there is serious heat, or an update at the end of the week.

                              Traditionally, specs would go out on Mon or Tue... depends on your preferences. What's more common though, is to "slip" the spec to a producer over the weekend. It's a way for us to test the waters. If we don't get great reactions... then we figure out why, and we may have to do some more work with the writer. But if it gets great reactions, then it's pretty common to start going out "wide."
                              --------------------------
                              http://www.screenwritingcompass.com
                              Anonymous rep guiding screenwriters.

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