Question about animation

A

afac81a

Quick question---I have just started advertising my animation script. Here's how it goes...

JAZZ CAT
Genre: Children's Comedy Animation
Length: 66 pgs/min
WGA Reg. #-R20432

Logline: Jazz Cat is a children's comedy animation screenplay based on two young cat's being unexpectedly seperated in the city. Join Rat Cat as he desperatly searches for his sister, in hopes of being reunited.

If further interested, email me at: afac81a@hotmail.com

Am I advertising it wrong, and that's why I haven't had any interest? Or is it just the wrong season to advertise? It's been on the market for about 3 weeks now.

Please answer, I'm very discouraged.

Thanks!
 
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you're selling a script?

I see a couple of problems, for me anyway. It's too short or too long depending on how you look at it. It's too short to be a feature length film, like the Barbie series of films. It's too long to be an hour long TV program.
I'm sure it can be changed.

The other question is, how much are you selling it for?

Have you looked at the market?

What market does this target?

Have you done research on that targeted market?

What are you doing to try and sell the script?


Do you know the average time it takes to sell a script for your targeted market?



Sorry to ask so many questions, but homework is the first part about selling something. If all you're doing is posting what you have above on a website, would you buy it? Would that make you want to find out more info?

What's Rat Cat? I thought it was Jazz Cat?

BUT I've never tried to sell a script, so maybe that's the norm.

I'm sure there are others on here that know more about selling scripts. But I look at the word "animation" and immediately think $$$$$$.
 
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I definitely want to sell Jazz Cat. I'm sure I can make a good deal with a producer if they are interested in buying it. I was told from someone at a different site to make it between 65-75 pgs in length. As far as the market is...I've just posted what's above. Is it to much info? How else can I advertise it without giving away to much? I just advertised here, and a couple of other web pages. Oh, Rat Cat is the main character. Jazz Cat is the title of the script.

Please help me out guys!
Talk soon,
afac81a
 
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afac81a said:
...on two young cat's being...
Click to expand...

There's a whole host of issues with what you're trying to do, but let's go to the basics. Grammar.

In the example sentence, "cat's" is not the correct form. Apostrophes are never used to indicate plurality.

Good: "These two cats are playing." Bad: "These two cat's are playing."

Good: "That is my cat's toy." Bad: "That is my cats toy."

When your very sales pitch uses lousy grammar, it's a sign that your script is probably just as bad, and that you don't know what you're doing.

It also says you haven't spent much time tuning your logline, either. It could be reworded to be more attention grabbing and shorter. I'm not going to do your work for you, but just glancing over it, I could think of about ten words I could remove and make better impact with it.

How much would you want to make on this project? Take that and divide it by the number of words you use. When you waste a word frivolously, that's how much it's costing you. Pour over every single word and agonize over how to reduce the overall length.

Alternately, marry someone rich and fund it yourself.
 
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Ladd---

Thank you very much for your input. I guess I need to take advantage of the tools at hand. Ie: grammer & spell check. I will rewrite my logline and post it soon.

Thanks again!
 
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Hey, no problem. Beyond that, I would try and come up with a reason for why it's actually interesting, what's the catch, the hook? The story as you tell it is very much like every other Disney / Pixar film in which animals have to go on a trip home / to save someone / etc.

It's sad, but I guess the main reason that people are always running around like foobirds (dissapearing up their own a**holes) trying to get actors to attach themselves to projects is because there's no other way to really get studios / investors to pay attention. No one likes to read scripts, otherwise they'd be selling scripts at Barnes & Nobles. That's part of the reason why it's so impossible to sell anything if you're just starting without any connections. The people who make decisions are busy, busy, busy, and their gatekeepers (underpaid readers) are also busy, busy, busy. And they've seen just about everything before.

I don't know of anyone who's actually sold a script / got an investment / been greenlighted from any classified venue, either. I'd like to know if anyone has, might be a good thread topic.
 
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Ladd--
Do you have any connections? Any other advise that might help? Does anyone here heve any helpful advise?Like I said earlier, I'm starting to get discouraged. I really want to sell my scripts.
 
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Nope, I have no connections. But, here's the thing about connections, they're sort of like classified information. Absolutely no one you don't know well is going to tell you if they have any, unless they are trying to puff themselves up and make themselves look "big". Don't trust people who run around saying "I know so and so and I can get them attached and..." Avoid them like the plague unless they also have money.

And, you'll find that friends and old acquaintances, if they depend upon their connections for work, will be very reluctant to help you out if they have any hint that you could embarass them or waste their connection's time. Or use up their connections to their detriment.

I'd wager that most people who are on this board are in the same boat, most likely looking for connections too, doing the same thing you are. But people who can make decisions on screenplay purchases aren't out hunting for them, there's no need for them to do so.

For my own part, several years ago I just decided to go ahead and make a feature film. Working on it now. I figured doing so would cut down my competition in the sales market from several ten's of thousands (other screenwriters trying to sell their stuff) to a few hundred per year (other films being sold to distributors).

Now, this is different than doing experimental films or shorts. From what I've gathered, these go nowhere fast unless you win kazillions of awards, or use them to get music video work. I know folks who've won awards for shorts in various festivals, including a guy who won an Academy for his short. Still waiting tables and scrounging for funding like the rest of us.
 
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I'd say this website isn't going to bear much fruit (no offense to indietalk) because few of us are your target market.

Your best bet right now is probably going to be a site like Inktip.com, which is a searchable database of screenplays. Writers pay a fee to get posted and producers looking for projects can browse by genre, budget, etc.

But be warned, selling a screenplay is a difficult endeavor. And selling an animation screenplay is harder still. The reason is that there are no low-budget animated films. They're generally produced by big studios for big money. And most of their stories come from inside their own departments. It's extremely rare for them to buy an outside story.
 
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Here's my new logline:


JAZZ CAT
Genre: Children's Comedy Animation
Author: Michele K.
Email address: afac81a@hotmail.com

Jazz Cat is a children's comedy animation screenplay based on two young cats being unexpectedly separated in the city. Join Rat Cat as he desperately searches for his sister, in hopes of being reunited.


Jazz Cat is US Copyrighted and WGA Registered

If further interested, reply here or email me at: afac81a@hotmail.com

What do you guys think? Am I giving away to much info.? Does it look better?
 
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Screenplay
Jazz Cat
Children's Comedy Animation

Brother and sister cats separated in the Big City must overcome [fill in the blank] to reunite with each other. An inspirational story of eternal hope and struggle.

Leave out the copyright stuff, that just makes people nervous. Last sentence is just a cliched stab, I have no idea. What kind of story is it really? No need to repeat that it's a screenplay or animated in the logline when you've got that above. It just slogs up the wording.

And you had two mispellings, animaiton and acreenplay. Write out your logline in msword or something with a spellchecker before you pimp it out. Don't keep making the same mistakes.
 
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Alright guys...here's what I've got:

JAZZ CAT
Genre: Children's Comedy Animation
Author: Michele K.
Email address: afac81a@hotmail.com

Jazz Cat is based on two young cats being unexpectedly seperated in the city. Join Rat Cat as he takes a hilarious adventure thru the city, in hopes of being reunited with his sister.

Jazz Cat is US Copyrighted and WGA Registered

If further interested, reply here or email me at: afac81a@hotmail.com


Does that sound bettter? I left in that the script is copyrighted and registered because I don't want anyone getting any ideas. Anyway...hope it sounds better. Please shoot back your opinion.

Thanks!
 
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1) The juxtaposition of "Rat Cat" to the title is confusing.

2) If you're going to mention one cat's name, why not the other?

3) One assumes that a professional would have their script copyrighted and WGA registered. Putting that in your pitch declares that you are an amateur, and a paranoid one to boot. No one wants to do business with a paranoid amateur that might sue at the drop of a hat.
It is occasionally customary to put the WGA number on the cover of the screenplay - sometimes.
Right now you can't even get someone to read your screenplay, much less steal it. After all someone has to read it and like it before temptation to steal the script grips their inner soul.
Put the guns back into the holster and give the paranoia a rest.

4) The term "based on" is usually used in this phrase: "This film is based on the novel Wuthering Heights..." It is NOT synonomous with the word "about".

5) You use the word "city" twice in two sentences. It is implied in the first sentence that they are in the city, why do you have to drive that home again? It makes you sound repetitive. If you're repetitive in your very pitch, then I'm thinking your screenplay has got to be dull.

6) Why is it a hillarious adventure? Nothing in your pitch is funny. That usually means the script isn't funny, because the writer can't even come up with something humorous in their pitch. Would you go see a comedy that has a trailer that can't even make you smile?

7) For 6 months, turn off the television and the ipod, stop going to movies, read 3-4 good novels a week, and take a few writer's workshop classes.

8) For another 6 months, get a few books on writing screenplays and research the industry.

9) The following year, send your screenplay out to studios actively seeking properties and sign the forms that they ask you to sign absolving them of liability.
 
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ummm, no

OK here we go a more detailed response.:yes:

afac81a said:
JAZZ CAT
Genre: Children's Comedy Animation
Author: Michele K.
Email address: afac81a@hotmail.com
Click to expand...

Jazz Cat is based on two young cats being unexpectedly seperated(misspelled) in the city.
Click to expand...
What would be the next thought in your mind? Well for me it would be that the film would be about finding each other. It's logical thinking, when there's a tragedy something is done to resolve it. Obviously they will search for each other, it doesn't need to be said because you already know what will happen. That is unless Dirty Rat Cat says "I'm finally rid of that b!7ch! Now I can get some hookers." Then you'd have to spell it out.

Join Rat Cat as he takes a hillarious (misspelled) adventure thru(misspelled) the city, in hopes of being reunited with his sister.
Click to expand...
Join Rat Cat (is that what his sister calls him? His name is "Rat Cat"?) as he embarks on a hilarious adventure through the big city. Again, Like I said before: OMIT "in hopes of being reunited with his sister" AND Learn how to spell... Thru is not how you spell Through! This is getting annoying, when people say the same thing over and over and you don't listen, it's like why should I even respond?

Join Rat Cat as he takes a hilarious adventure through the big city. With dangers and friends around every corner, this adventurous comedy will be loved by children and adults.

About the name "Rat Cat":
What do you think of when you hear the word Rat in someone's name? What kind of a person is a Rat?
That guy is a rat, I'm not talking to him anymore!
That guy is a dirty rat.
Oh yea, I'll get the rat to do the job, you know how he works.

Jazz Cat is US Copyrighted and WGA Registered

If further interested, reply here or email me at: afac81a@hotmail.com
Click to expand...

Copyrighted and WGA registered is not needed. Have you seen other people's adds? Do they say that? I haven't so I don't know, but you should know what your competition is doing.
It should be a given that you'd Copyright your original works and/or register with the WGA, so no need to say it. If they want to read the script, then I'm sure you have the proper information and Copyright symbol and your WGA tag on it, right?

Also, Why is it called "Jazz Cat"? Is there a musical theme? Is Jazz a part of this script? Why isn't any mention of it in the tag?
 
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