Flat Out Rude?

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  • #16
    Re: Flat Out Rude?

    Originally posted by docgonzo View Post
    Am I reading this correctly? You wrote 51 scripts in nine years?
    And crap, most of those were in the first 6 years. I was nuts.

    Anyway, who says they're any good, eh? And keep in mind I'm a hermit with no social life and nothing else to do but write, driven on by the fact I'd done nothing criminal or useful for the first 50 years of my life so figured I better get crackin'.

    Hey, there's always somebody who's written more scripts! I read where Max Landis said a few years ago he had 80, and our old pal Bill Martell's gotta be around 300 by now.

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    • #17
      Re: Flat Out Rude?

      OP, simply out of curiosity - when you have a "successful" cold call, does the assistant actually give you their/their boss' email address? Or do you already have it on hand and really you're just calling to make contact and ask permission to send?

      Really what I'm asking is if your successful calls are more a result of assistants/floaters not doing their jobs well.

      Thanks,
      -A
      Write, rite, wright... until you get it RIGHT.

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      • #18
        Re: Flat Out Rude?

        Originally posted by TigerFang View Post
        And all this while I believed that the reason to not put a date of creation on a screenplay title page was so that when someone who had not yet read it got it in their hands, they saw it as "fresh- material.
        i'm not sure that will work, as they log the script's title into their system (and keep it), so they have a record of it. change the title maybe?
        "Arguing that you don't care about the right to privacy b/c you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don't care about free speech because you have nothing to say." -- Edward Snowden

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        • #19
          Re: Flat Out Rude?

          Hey, catcon ... I just have to do this.

          You wrote 51 scripts in nine years, and most of them in the first six years?

          Would you consider sending me your best script (in your opinion) and let me review it? This would be one of my free reads. Believe me, I do not do this very often, because it takes me a lot of time to go through a script with a critical eye.

          If you are interested ...

          [email protected]

          And just in case you somehow do not know anything about me:

          My website

          "The fact that you have seen professionals write poorly is no reason for you to imitate them." - ComicBent.

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          • #20
            Re: Flat Out Rude?

            Originally posted by asteven50 View Post
            OP, simply out of curiosity - when you have a "successful" cold call, does the assistant actually give you their/their boss' email address? Or do you already have it on hand and really you're just calling to make contact and ask permission to send?

            Really what I'm asking is if your successful calls are more a result of assistants/floaters not doing their jobs well.

            Thanks,
            -A
            Yes when I called cold it’s hit and miss I get yes I get hung up on I or get the name of the person to contact and then I send it to my agent and he does the submission.
            sigpicWriting is re-writing

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            • #21
              Re: Flat Out Rude?

              Originally posted by pickerman123 View Post
              Yes when I called cold it's hit and miss I get yes I get hung up on I or get the name of the person to contact and then I send it to my agent and he does the submission.
              Does your agent know you're making unsolicited phone queries? And more importantly, what are you paying your agent 10 percent for if he/she isn't making these initial queries for you in the first place?

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              • #22
                Re: Flat Out Rude?

                Originally posted by EdFury View Post
                I'd hang up on you, too. There's a system of querying via email in place so people won't cold call. Wow...
                Maybe it's not relevant here, but I once cold called a manager about a script I had submitted because I hadn't heard anything back. That manager then researched some short form work I had directed and put me in contact with a producer who was in need of a director for a music video. Turns out that music video was for a huge band on Virgin Records. I directed it and it has since gone on to amass tens of millions of hits.

                In summation, cold calls, query emails, whatever... nothing is off the table in my view as long as you are polite and respectful. People have birthed careers from doing far more unconventional things.

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                • #23
                  Re: Flat Out Rude?

                  I suppose anything can work, but when I was at a big studio on a long temp assignment, the Director of Development's word for cold callers was "crazies". So many of those people are out of touch with reality that you get guilt by association when you behave in a similar manner, even if you might be the exception to the rule.

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                  • #24
                    Re: Flat Out Rude?

                    Originally posted by DaltWisney View Post
                    I suppose anything can work, but when I was at a big studio on a long temp assignment, the Director of Development's word for cold callers was "crazies". So many of those people are out of touch with reality that you get guilt by association when you behave in a similar manner, even if you might be the exception to the rule.
                    ^This is a good answer. I've worked at an agency and can report the same.

                    Also, I spoke about it on the podcast recently with lit manager John Zaozirny. He hates cold calls. I don't remember exactly where in the episode he brought it up.

                    http://www.scriptsandscribes.com/2019/04/john-zaozirny/

                    Email for most industry contact is the accepted standard. You CAN try another way, like cold calling, but like DaltW said, you're more likely to be deemed unprofessional.

                    The main issue I think is that many writers believe that if they send a query and there is no response, the person didn't read it. That's usually not the case. They generally do read it (if it's very brief, otherwise yes, it could be an insta-delete) and if they don't respond it's usually because they're just not interested.

                    Reps ALL want to find the next great writer with a brilliant spec. As a writer you want to stand out from the crowd. I get it. But standing out for your amazing logline/query/spec, is much better off than standing out as one of the "crazies" (especially if you're not) who cold calls them or worse, stops by their office (yes, it happens).

                    Good luck!
                    http://www.scriptsandscribes.com/

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