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Screenplay Selling

LAParker92

LAParker92

I want to write films but have no means to have them created.
So, I would like to just sell scripts until I have the money and the time to make some into films.
My question is, how do I go about making money from what I've written?
Also, should I focus on selling to individuals or groups?
 
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LAParker92 said:
I want to write films but have no means to have them created.
So, I would like to just sell scripts until I have the money and the time to make some into films.
My question is, how do I go about making money from what I've written?
Also, should I focus on selling to individuals or groups?
Click to expand...

Im no expert but from what ive seen you can pretty much write your screenplay and then copyright it. Then you can show it to people who are interested in buying scripts with out having to worry about them stealing it. Btw ive been looking for a Script for a short if you would be interested let me know.
 
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LAParker92 said:
Also, should I focus on selling to individuals or groups?
Click to expand...
It's rare that an individual buys a script. However, if an individual
offers you money for a script; take the money. Most often it is a
producer working with or for a company who buys scripts. You should
focus on selling to anyone - an individual, a group, a prodCo - who is
buying.
LAParker92 said:
My question is, how do I go about making money from what I've written?
Click to expand...
That's the question, isn't it?

The simple answer to that question is you write scripts people want
to buy. Not easy to do, is it? You need to send your script out to agents,
managers, producers, development exec's and production companies.
 
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The reality of the situation is that selling a short screenplay is almost impossible. It'd actually be a real coup for you if you could get a director to shoot it, even if it's for free.

Features are more complex but I think you're approaching this in the wrong way. Your first post says that you don't have the time to make films so instead are looking to make money from selling screenplays. You should understand that this is much, much harder. Anyone with the time and ideas can go out and shoot their own movie but to convince someone to pay money, however insignificant the fee, for your work is a real tough task. You shouldn't approach this as a means of making money.

If you've written a great screenplay then you can start tactically selling it around and seeing if anyone is interested in buying it, but if you're just looking to start writing because there's less of a time commitment involved then I suspect that you're going to find it hard to make ends meet with the pen alone.
 
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I would like to sell my own original screenplays, but I would also like to write for others.
And it isn't simply to make some money, I would just rather write something I enjoy and make a little profit while I'm at it.
I know the time commitment is a great one when it comes to writing. I know that such a time commitment is worth it when you enjoy it. I just think that in order to make such a commitment practical you must try to make money from it.
 
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LAParker92 said:
I know the time commitment is a great one when it comes to writing. I know that such a time commitment is worth it when you enjoy it. I just think that in order to make such a commitment practical you must try to make money from it.
Click to expand...

And there, are the struggles of the Writer.

Practicality rarely comes from what you love. It's a test of time. It's your ability to gain the necessary standard that would lead to somebody purchasing your script. It's living, and learning the craft to tell an interesting, entertaining story that is adaptable to screen.

You won't sell a script on your first time out. Unless you've seen your material come to life. You've seen how you have to adapt, on how what's on the page can/cannot transfer to screen, you'll be very, very lucky to gain a purchase. A Director will, occassionaly, if the idea is really what he is after, happily take the script and do all of the work. But's it's not likely. We have to do everything we can. Everything that will give that Director, Prodco etc the BEST chance of SEEING our vision. If he can't see that vision on screen. It's over. That's our job.

It's a process.

Learn to tell a story. (We all have ideas, it's making them entertaining that is the art)
Learn to craft a "spec" script. No exceptions.

The practicalities within the learning process are few. It depends on the person.

Can you last what is a long, long process without a job? Without earning an income?

It's not practical. You'll be frustrated. You'll arrive home tired. You want to write.

It's a balancing act.

If doing what we love was easy, everybody would do it.

We love to create our own adversities. We love to put obstacles in our path.

So, what next?
 
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Selling a feature script is very, very hard to do.

Once you've sold one, and once its been produced, it becomes a little easier. If you were a producer or investor and were spending your hard-earned money on a risky venture like, say, making a movie, and had two scripts in front of you, both of which you felt were very good, and one script was from an unknown writer and one was from a writer who has already proven that they have what it takes to write a solid, producible script that put butts in theater seats, which would you choose? You go with the person who has a track record of success.

Producers and/or directors have no idea if the script they want to shoot will return their investment, plus a profit. As the screenwriter William Goldman says with regard to Hollywood Execs' ability to predict success, "Nobody knows anything." So the presumption always goes with the writer who has a proven track record. It's the classic Catch-22: You can't get someone to buy your script until you've proven you can write a successful screenplay, and you can't prove you can write a successful screenplay until someone has bought your script and made it into a successful movie.

Note, too, that you aren't the only person who is trying to sell a feature script. There are, literally, HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of people writing and pushing their work on movie makers. Many are very, very good writers. And you and them are in direct competition.

My advice is read everything you can get your hands on about the craft of screenwriting, about the art of storytelling, about dramatic structure and dialogue and all the other building blocks of the profession. Writing anything well is very hard work. Unless you're some kind of wunderkid once-in-a-lifetime genius, good writing is 5% creative pixie dust, and 95% grueling hard work and attention to craft.

The good news is that it's a craft. Which means it can be learned. The bad news is that it ain't easy and there's no short cut past long hours and hard, hard work.

So yeah, you can sell screenplays for money and fame.

Now that you know this, stop worrying about it and go to work. Most likely you've got years and a double-digit number of feature scripts to write before you even sell the first one. Time's wasting...

Cheers!

-Charles
 
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LAParker92 said:
How about price range?
How much should a mid to good quality screenplay run?
Feature length?
Short film?
Etc.?
Click to expand...

Just forget this line of thinking. Most dedicated screenwriting sites would pummel you for these remarks -- as the questions would be deemed offensive -- even the phrasing and choice of words suggest you're a long way from worrying about a script sale. Screenplays aren't bagels, you don't write one and place an ad on Craigslist. If you want to write screenplays, start writing them. Just to get a real decision maker or tasted maker to read one sentence from your script is fantastically hard to do. If you want to write something and "make a little profit" as you said, consider writing greeting card slogans or instruction manuals for microwaves. If you want to write screenplays, start writing them -- but trying to count your earnings at this stage is a huge mistake. The odds are about 99.8% that you'll never make a single nickel from any script you'll ever write.

Go here if you really need to know: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screenwriter's_salary
 
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Writer/Director is where you'll see the most film action.
http://www.google.com/search?q=2010+writer+director&hl=en&source=hp&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=

Learn to write pie in the sky stories without getting beaned on format while getting fluffed for content.
Then learn to write with a sensible conservative budget in mind.
Learn how to operate your own film equipment then write about twenty script-somethings you could shoot yourself (with a little help$ from your$ friend$).

Shoot a cr@p short or two and then go "Hmm... This ain't easy".

GL!
(Every fool with Celtx and a 1080p camera w/ a Rode videomic is jockying against you for pole position).
 
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LAParker92 said:
How about price range?
How much should a mid to good quality screenplay run?
Feature length?
Short film?
Etc.?
Click to expand...
Never drop this line of thinking. It’s essential for a writer to
understand the market - to understand what scripts are selling
for and who is buying.

The "quality" of the screenplay is subjective. There is not a
range for mid quality and a different range for good quality. The
Guild as their minimums (the very least a producer can option
and buy a script for) but non guild producers can buy scripts in
every range you can think of.

A feature length script can be sold for as little as a few dollars to
as much as several hundred thousand. No one knows what YOU
can sell for.

As Nick said, there isn't much of a market for short script. But some
producers do buy them so it's a good route to explore. The range
starts at free, moves to $20 to $100 and all the way to $500 to
maybe $1,000.

LAParker92 said:
I just think that in order to make such a commitment practical you must try to make money from it.
Click to expand...
I agree. You have an excellent attitude. Do you have several completed
scripts? Are you ready to market yourself as a writer for hire?
 
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Very true, Flicker. If you can find a buyer at $600 a page, that, too,
is a reasonable paycheck.

I like the coupon idea. Offer 50% coupons for the first time buyer
and maybe even a 10% kick back for each referral.
 
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directorik said:
Never drop this line of thinking. It’s essential for a writer to
understand the market - to understand what scripts are selling
for and who is buying.
Click to expand...

I just don't agree and think it's taking your eye off the ball. It's like a guy hitting 180 on his small town softball team worrying about average salaries for major leaguers. The real story is work on your swing kid, you got no idea what big league heat is like.

The odds of making it into the majors are probably better than selling a script, as only 200 new members are admitted to the WGA yearly.
 
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brianluce said:
Just forget this line of thinking. Most dedicated screenwriting sites would pummel you for these remarks -- as the questions would be deemed offensive -- even the phrasing and choice of words suggest you're a long way from worrying about a script sale. Screenplays aren't bagels, you don't write one and place an ad on Craigslist. If you want to write screenplays, start writing them. Just to get a real decision maker or tasted maker to read one sentence from your script is fantastically hard to do. If you want to write something and "make a little profit" as you said, consider writing greeting card slogans or instruction manuals for microwaves. If you want to write screenplays, start writing them -- but trying to count your earnings at this stage is a huge mistake. The odds are about 99.8% that you'll never make a single nickel from any script you'll ever write.
Click to expand...

You see, I hate this attitude. No one got anywhere by telling themselves they won't make it.
I never said I was ready to sell anything. I just think it's intelligent to know what kind of money comes with it.
I know I'm far from ready to sell at all. I still have about 30 stories to write before I get my grounds.
But why should I think it is wrong to consider the salary of my dream job?
Why go in blind?
 
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LAParker92 said:
You see, I hate this attitude. No one got anywhere by telling themselves they won't make it.
I never said I was ready to sell anything. I just think it's intelligent to know what kind of money comes with it.
I know I'm far from ready to sell at all. I still have about 30 stories to write before I get my grounds.
But why should I think it is wrong to consider the salary of my dream job?
Why go in blind?
Click to expand...

I don't mean to be negative and I didn't say you'll never make it, but if you're all about being practical and knowing the landscape for a given profession -- particularly in terms of how much money you'll make, why then aren't you also interested in knowing the level of competition out there and how difficult it is to break in?

Anyway, I already gave you a link that'll give you an idea how lucrative the profession CAN be, so all that's left is to write that great screenplay.
 
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LAParker92 said:
I know I'm far from ready to sell at all. I still have about 30 stories to write before I get my grounds.
But why should I think it is wrong to consider the salary of my dream job?
Why go in blind?
Click to expand...

I'm with you on that; whats so wrong about taking comfort, or incentive from the opportunity for a potentially lucrative career? Sure - its a highly competitive market, but with dedication and a lot of luck, who knows - I think its far more beneficial to have a goal, financial or intangible, everyones motivated differently.

Actors look at what Movie Stars make, football players look at their idols income. Sure, its not the reason you are interested in indie film making - but hey its nice to know, that if you end up with a masterpiece on your hands well....

Anyway. never write off your own chances of making it, enough people will do that for you!!
 
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