Urgent ADVICES/suggestions for a screenplay deal.

[ApeX]

Dear IndieTalk members,

I hope everyone is doing well. I need your kind advices and suggestions for something very urgent and important.

So, I have written a story. Please don’t take it wrong or make fun of it. A movie based on this story could be very successful and can easily gross 1 billion.
So, now what to do ? I want it big and justified. If I get to sell the story/concept, what should be a fair price range at present days ?

What price/profit should one deserve/demand; if a movie made (story,screenplay,direction) by his, hits billion dollar gross.

Also I need some ideas about real profit regarding successful movies.
So, how is profit calculated ? How is distribution fee calculated ?
In a simple way, what profit amount is expected excluding making budget, distribution fee for a 1 billion hit with making budget 200 million ?

And what price/profit, the story/screenplay and director should deserve/demand in Hollywood these days.

Thank you for reading all this. Now you all good people, please give some advice/suggestions. I need them very urgently.
N.B. Once the deal finalised, I will have some gifts for you. I promise.

Thanks
Ash

 

[rayw]

You will need to convert your story into a spec screenplay.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spec_screenplay
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreams_on_Spec
http://www.scribd.com/doc/12721428/Professional-Screenplay-Formatting-Guide
http://download.cnet.com/Celtx/3000-13631_4-10850080.html

You find a screenplay agent to represent it to studios interested in that genre.
Agents act as filters for studios.
Studios have the cash to pay for the screenplay.
You can't get to the studio (realistically) bypassing an agent.

Neither studios nor agents are interested in either stories or concepts.
A screenplay is a copyright protected product.
A story is good for a publisher, but not a agent or studio.
A concept is good for ONLY a writer or screenplay writer.

A fairly decent screenplay is going to take you hundreds of hours to write.
It will probably take several months to write, re-write, proofread, re-write, etc.
Even still, EXPECT the script to be changed considerably if accepted.
Watch about two dozen director/producer/actor/writer DVD commentaries, note in what "high" regard writers are placed. (FIGHT CLUB, CABIN FEVER, THE EXPENDABLES have the best commentaries I've taken notes on. Read SALT's wikipedia 'Production and Development' section then listen to the DVD commentary.)

In the meanwhile you'll conduct research on spec screenplay pricing.

Profit is an entirely different critter.

• Profit is equal to Revenue minus Expenses.
• Profit = Revenue - Expenses
• P=R-E

What are your expenses?
How will you earn your revenue?

I need them very urgently.

Headzup: Learn to let go.
Just chill a good bit.
Nothing 'urgent' happens in this industry unless it's your money being spent.
Everyone urgently needs you to spend your money.
You need everyone else to urgently spend theirs.
Impasse.

I hope everyone is doing well. I need your kind advices and suggestions for something very urgent and important.
Please don’t take it wrong or make fun of it.
Now you all good people, please give some advice/suggestions.
Once the deal finalised, I will have some gifts for you. I promise.

P.S. Drop the obsequious servile approach. It reeks.
And toughen it up a bit. Everything anyone does is reviewed with a scathing eye for fault finding, objective and subjective.
And don't make any promises.
It didn't do Pippin any favors with Denethor. It doesn't work in the business world much better.


Good Luck.
I hope English is your native language, in which case allow me to introduce you to your new friend: http://dictionary.reference.com/


BONUS!!!:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OonDPGwAyfQ

 

[directorik]

So, I have written a story. Please don’t take it wrong or make fun of it. A movie based on this story could be very successful and can easily gross 1 billion.

I will not make fun of you or your story. But I will tell you that no one
knows what a finished film will earn. My advice is to remove those
thoughts from your process. Write the very best screenplay you can - do
not tell others what it will easily gross. because you do not know what
it will gross.

So, now what to do ? I want it big and justified. If I get to sell the story/concept, what should be a fair price range at present days ?

Now what you do is write an excellent screenplay. No one will pay you
for the story/concept.

What price/profit should one deserve/demand; if a movie made (story,screenplay,direction) by his, hits billion dollar gross.

The writer/director can get anywhere from 3 to 5 percent to as much as
20% - maybe even more. Not of the gross but of the producers gross.

Also I need some ideas about real profit regarding successful movies.
So, how is profit calculated ? How is distribution fee calculated ?
In a simple way, what profit amount is expected excluding making budget, distribution fee for a 1 billion hit with making budget 200 million ?

Okay, simple:

Distribution fee is 20%, exhibitors get 20 to 40%, the "producers gross"
is then parceled into "points" with each point being 1%

And what price/profit, the story/screenplay and director should deserve/demand in Hollywood these days.

Same answer as before. The writer/director demands as much as they
want, the studio tries to pay as little as they can. An agent and business
manager works out the specifics. Depending on many factors the points
a writer/director gets can be 3 to 5% or much higher.

Same with the fees for both. The WGA and DGA have minimums - the very
least a studio can pay - but the writer can ask for much more for the script
and the director can ask for much more to direct.

Once the deal finalised, I will have some gifts for you. I promise.

Thanks
Ash

This is a written promise. I expect my gift to be a very, very good one.

 

[ApeX]

Thanks for quick response.

You will need to convert your story into a spec screenplay.

What are your expenses?
How will you earn your revenue?

I am thinking to sell the screenplay for 20m cash with a contract for 20% profit later.
Then I wish to invest 10 mil as a producer.

But prebloom is I am afreaked off the wholewood accounting like http://www.deadline.com/2010/07/stu...ause-of-warner-bros-phony-baloney-accounting/

Are those facts true on the pages linked below ?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screenwriter's_salary#Current_records
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_budgeting#Terminator_3:_Rise_of_the_Machines

 

[ApeX]

Thanks for the quick and kewl response..

I will not make fun of you or your story. But

I will tell you that no one
knows what a finished film will earn. My advice is to remove those
thoughts from your process. Write the very best screenplay you can - do
not tell others what it will easily gross. because you do not know what
it will gross.

Ok.

Now what you do is write an excellent screenplay. No one will pay you
for the story/concept.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_budgeting#Terminator_3:_Rise_of_the_Machines
There stated Story rights (Carolco and Gale Anne Hurd): $19.5 million
Screenplay: $5.2 million

John D. Brancato & Michael Ferris: $1 million

Real or false info ?

The writer/director can get anywhere from 3 to 5 percent to as much as
20% - maybe even more. Not of the gross but of the producers gross.

That's what I confused the most. What does producers gross mean ?

Okay, simple:

Distribution fee is 20%, exhibitors get 20 to 40%, the "producers gross"
is then parceled into "points" with each point being 1%

Points ? Whats those ?

Assume, distribution fee 20% + exhibitors 40% + 200m making budget of a movie grossed 1 bil.
200m+400m+200m= 800m goes on the way and only 200m profit ? Even there is 30% tax.

So, when a writer/director/actor gets profits from gross. What does he actually get according to the above situation ? For 15% gross, does he get 30m out of 200m profit or anything else ?

This is a written promise. I expect my gift to be a very, very good one.

It will.
Many many thanks.

 

[Cracker Funk]

I love this thread.

Dude, unless you have the legal rights to something like "Terminator" or "Spiderman", you're not going to get anywhere near $20mil. You have to write a screenplay, and sell it, and that is incredibly difficult to do (though I do encourage you to do so).

 

[rayw]

I am thinking to sell the screenplay for 20m cash with a contract for 20% profit later.
Then I wish to invest 10 mil as a producer.

This is the same thought process my little kids use when we tell them to go collect toys they want to sell in our yard sale and they start picking up broken toys exclaiming "I'm going to sell this for $10. And this for $5. And this for $15!"

Uh... it don't work dat way, son. Sorry.

The studio will BUY the rights to your screenplay (when you have one).
They will pay you a % of their estimated production cost.
If they estimate it will cost them $10m then you will be paid a % of that.
If they estimate it will cost them $100m then you will be paid a % of that.

They will not pay you any pie-in-the-sky number you fabricate out of the clear blue.


And you will not receive 20% of anything later.
The producer placed money at risk financing the film.
The producer is entitled to a return on his or her investment.
The distributors placed money at risk distributing the film.
The distributors are entitled to a return on their investment.
The theater owners placed money at risk showing the film.
The distributors are entitled to a return on their investment.
What does a writer risk?
Then that's the return they should expect.


And you are free to spend your money any way you see fit.

Just get that screenplay done and find a film agent to represent you.

 

[ApeX]

I love this thread.

Dude, unless you have the legal rights to something like "Terminator" or "Spiderman", you're not going to get anywhere near $20mil. You have to write a screenplay, and sell it, and that is incredibly difficult to do (though I do encourage you to do so).

I know it's difficult and may never happen. I wish if I could get any luck.

What must to have legal steps should be taken for something big like that ?

Thanks

 

[ApeX]

The studio will BUY the rights to your screenplay (when you have one).
They will pay you a % of their estimated production cost.
If they estimate it will cost them $10m then you will be paid a % of that.
If they estimate it will cost them $100m then you will be paid a % of that.

Ok.
Thank you for the input.

Check these links.
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_budgeting#Terminator_3:_Rise_of_the_Machines
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminator_3:_Rise_of_the_Machines

Spider-Man 2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_budgeting#Spider-Man_2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider-Man_2

I am n't comparing them and just trying to get some real information, that could help me in my mission.

i- I see in many movies, actors get % of the profit and get paid according to their goodness(market demand).
ii- Toy Story 3 no actor are there and the production cost is mostly for the animation/designing/graphics.

Suppose, someone makes a trial short movie like Toy Story 3 by himself only and then sells/trades the idea to production company. Because the concept is rare/surefire one, can't he demand a share of profit like some actors get some fixed amount from the production cost and % from the net profit ?

Story rights for Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and Spider-Man 2 are almost 20m.
Actor got as # Arnold Schwarzenegger: $29.25 million + 20% gross profits

If some has a copyright protected screenplays and production companies wants it, then there might be chances for the screenplay/story copyright holder to bargain .

Neither studios nor agents are interested in either stories or concepts.
A screenplay is a copyright protected product.
A story is good for a publisher, but not a agent or studio.
A concept is good for ONLY a writer or screenplay writer.

Now how to copyright screenplay/story legally for a hope it could become something like Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and Spider-Man 2 cases.

Many many thnaks.

 

[Cracker Funk]

I think you've misunderstood the concept of selling story rights.

Right now, Lucas owns Star Wars. Nobody can legally play with his universe, without his consent. Should he get bored with it, and decide that he no longer likes making money, he could choose to sell the rights to the story. Meaning, the people he sells it to could make anything they want, and call it a Star Wars movie, using the same characters, in the same universe. It doesn't mean he'd be selling them a plot for a movie, it means he'd be selling them complete ownership of the franchise. That's what happened with Spiderman and Terminator (more than once, actually). Nobody paid $20mil for a plotline. They paid $20mil for ownership of the franchise, and therefore the legal right to even make a movie with those names on it.

 

[rayw]

Suppose, someone makes a trial short movie like Toy Story 3 by himself only and then sells/trades the idea to production company. Because the concept is rare/surefire one, can't he demand a share of profit like some actors get some fixed amount from the production cost and % from the net profit ?

If some has a copyright protected screenplays and production companies wants it, then there might be chances for the screenplay/story copyright holder to bargain.

Selling is free.
BUYING is something altogether different.
NO ONE BUYS IDEAS.
NO ONE BUYS CONCEPTS.

Execution.
Not concepts.

Have you ever bought the CONCEPT or IDEA of a cheeseburger, large fries, and a drink?
Have you ever bought a TANGIBLE cheeseburger, large fries, and a drink?
Same thing.

Producers and studios figure out marketability and (more importantly) production costs off of a tangible screenplay.

No screenplay = no nothing.
Have screenplay = have something.

Writers with a dozen studio production credits barely get to demand crumbs from the table.
Writers with a couple screenplays someone wants to spend money on get industry standard fare.
Writers with visions of sugarplums have nothing.


A beggar with a coin gets what everyone else gets: an apple.
A beggar with a tune and a jig might get a leftover apple.
A beggar with a pleasant smile gets nothing.

 

[ApeX]

Selling is free.
BUYING is something altogether different.
NO ONE BUYS IDEAS.
NO ONE BUYS CONCEPTS.

http://madashelland.com/?p=8076

bye

 

[ApeX]

I think you've misunderstood the concept of selling story rights.

Right now, Lucas owns Star Wars. Nobody can legally play with his universe, without his consent. Should he get bored with it, and decide that he no longer likes making money, he could choose to sell the rights to the story. Meaning, the people he sells it to could make anything they want, and call it a Star Wars movie, using the same characters, in the same universe. It doesn't mean he'd be selling them a plot for a movie, it means he'd be selling them complete ownership of the franchise. That's what happened with Spiderman and Terminator (more than once, actually). Nobody paid $20mil for a plotline.

Spider-Man 2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_budgeting#Spider-Man_2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider-Man_2#Development

I was/am really confused reading some info on different sites.

They paid $20mil for ownership of the franchise, and therefore the legal right to even make a movie with those names on it.

Another thing, does a published book title entertain any copyright protection towards an exact movie title ?

 

[rayw]

bye

bye

 

[Budget:0]

Another thing, does a published book title entertain any copyright protection towards an exact movie title ?

Let me get this straight. Are you basically asking if a novel has rights to it that can't be used without permission of the author (or persuasion and helluva lot of money)? If so, yes, yes, yes.

Unless the novel is in the public domain, you cannot create a film version of it without the permission of the author. Without it, no film distributor or agent would (to quote The Grinch) "Touch it with a thirty-nine and a half foot pole."

It would be like going to Del Rey and saying, "Here's my Star Wars book!" Sorry, kiddo. That's not how it works.


EDIT: Or are you asking about the name itself? Titles cannot be copyrighted, only trademarked.

 

[Alcove Audio]

You may want to start with some research/reading on intellectual property and the rights and laws pertaining thereto.

http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/intellectual-property/

Intellectual property is generally characterized as non-physical property that is the product of original thought. Typically, rights do not surround the abstract non-physical entity; rather, intellectual property rights surround the control of physical manifestations or expressions of ideas. Intellectual property protects rights to ideas by protecting rights to produce and control physical instantiations of those ideas.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_property

http://m.wisegeek.com/what-is-intellectual-property.htm

http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Intellectual+Property

 

[Budget:0]

http://madashelland.com/?p=8076

bye

I don't see what's funny about you being rude to someone who's trying to help you.

 

[rayw]

I don't see what's funny about you being rude to someone who's trying to help you.

Nah, it's okay.
Seriously.

There's a time for all relationships to mature and move on.

I ain't got what he needs.

 

[arrodiii]

I don't see what's funny about you being rude to someone who's trying to help you.

I think he's just being a troll

 

[directorik]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_budgeting#Terminator_3:_Rise_of_the_Machines
There stated Story rights (Carolco and Gale Anne Hurd): $19.5 million
Screenplay: $5.2 million

John D. Brancato & Michael Ferris: $1 million

Real or false info ?

That’s real info. You are confusing “story” with “story rights”.
What sold for 19.5 million was not the story but the rights to
use the Terminator stories in future movies and TV shows. As
others have said - if you have the rights to a film franchise then
you can sell those rights for a lot of money. If you have a story
that has not already proven to be very. very commercial you
cannot.

You have done some research on franchise movies and stories
from comic books. If you can find an example of a writer without
previous credits selling an idea or story without writing a script,
then you will have the proof you need.

Anyway I see you have gone and will no longer read anything here.
Too bad. I tried to help. Does than mean I no longer get my gift?