ScriptChat will be taking the night of December 27th off for the holidays, but have no fear; we’re giving you a special New Year’s treat!
With great delight, we will return to ScriptChat Sunday, January 3, 2010 with a special guest tweeter... drumroll… @GoldenAgeofGeek, Michael Lee. It gets better… drumroll… Michael will be guesting at both our EURO and American timeslots! Brave man. He will be our first official guest "speaker," of which we hope will be a long string of great minds. Since this format is a new experiment for us, we ask you bring a side of patience to go with your tequila.
#scriptchat TOPIC: how to make your script stand out and get read by the right people in industry. Contests vs direct queries.
As a freelance script reader for AEI, Fernlief, Samurai MK and various other production companies, Michael has seen the good, the bad and the ugly. Perhaps he’s even seen your script if you entered any of these contests where he’s a script judge: PAGE Screenwriting Awards, Back in the Box Screenwriting Competition, Mammoth Mountain Film Festival or Gimme Credit Screenplay Competition. Currently, Michael is represented by AEI, Atchity Entertainment International, with one screenplay and one novel making the rounds.
In an effort to have some order over the barrage of questions thrown at him (and to save his API so he doesn’t get slammed in Twitter jail), we’ve decided to ask people to leave a question in the comment section below.
Here's how it'll work:
- Leave your questions in the comment section below days before the chat, and we will post them Q&A style on this blog before the chat begins (if possible, post them in 140 characters... including "RT @yourname:" so we may easily post them live at chat)
- Come to #scriptchat on January 3rd, and we'll have Michael discuss some of the ideas raised in the Q&A as well as take a handful of follow-up questions.
Don’t worry, our normal chat feeling won’t be ruined. Michael will still be taking questions in real-time, but if it’s one he’s already answered, the ScriptChat treefort founders will direct you to the blog. We also expect you’ll eat up his answers with a ravenous passion and spew follow-up questions from your little fingers.
So, start beating your heads against your desks and come up with some thought-provoking questions to post below. Let’s pick his brain until there are no cells left!
Please don’t wait until the last minute to post your questions or they may not get answered. Also, please visit Michael's blog: Screenwriting Foxhole!
See you on January 3rd! Please, don’t forget to check the blog Q&A before the chat.
If you don't know anyone in the business, who do you get a manager or agent to take your query or read your script?
ReplyDeleteAnd once someone is interested in your script what are the red flags that they might not be giving you a fair offer?
ReplyDeleteAre competitions worth their entry fees?
ReplyDeleteIn 140 characters, what makes a winning script?
ReplyDeleteRT @Bang2write Why do you think so few spec scripts have coherent stories to them?
ReplyDeleteWhat are the most common mistakes you see that get a script rejected?
ReplyDeleteRT @LisaFromNYC Are non linear scripts at an auto disadvantage?
ReplyDeleteDo contest wins lead to sales? Or are contest-winning scripts & saleable scripts different things?
ReplyDelete@Pig_Pen is pitching/selling a porn for the sake of getting established a good idea or bad?
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think will be the next trending topic in scripts?
ReplyDeleteWith the popularity of Avatar does the future look good for fantasy & scifi scripts?
ReplyDeleteRT @geromannella How many pages before you realize the script doesn't take off?
ReplyDeleteRT @geromannella Format and style vs content. Who's burned before?
ReplyDeleteRT @Timsn: How much say does a writer have on rewrites to their script after it is sold?
ReplyDeleteRT @eyamie: What was your path to getting repped? Did reading contribute to it?
ReplyDeleteHow many queries did you send before getting your rep?
ReplyDeleteAs reader, what % of scripts are even readable?
ReplyDeleteNerina posted these questions:
ReplyDelete1- Is anyone reading unsolicited material-- or do we have to sing and dance on utube in order to get a readers/producers attention nowadays?
2- What is the professional way to get a "reader" to read a script without an agent or manager?
Would it help to call or query first? What info should be included as part of a bio or resume?
3- What is the best source for a list of readers/producers?
4- Are contests a strong option for getting read nowadays?
Do you really look for the 3-act structure and the beats as you are reading?
ReplyDelete@Mockwriter If your trying to get sell your script/get noticed, do you stand more chance with a story that can be made on a smaller budget?
ReplyDelete