The Writing Week (Vol. 4) part 166 - Learned Some Things About Spec Sales

For a while now, the trades, blogs, and industry commentaries have been awash with indicators about how weak the spec market is. The basic notion is that this is an awful time to try and break in as a new writer with a spec. Unless that script is pure gold and your reps can get A-List talent and directors attached, you're basically s.o.l. (Tomorrow, we'll relay some interesting data Scott Myers collected over at Go Into The Story about the market trends in the past few years.)

Granted, the above shouldn't stop any of you from writing. It's just the reality of the market right now, and as an aspiring or emerging writer, you'll do yourself a major service to know what kind of situation you're getting yourself into. Times are tough now, but there are still fresh writers making high-six or seven figure deals, and there's absolutely no reason that you can't be counted among them some day (hopefully soon). 

Last week, I had a call with my manager, which shed more light upon the spec climate. The context of the discussion: a big-time producer and his business partner are interested in my post-Apocalyptic spec. Right now, their lawyers and my independent producers who brought the spec to them are trying to negotiate a handshake deal. If all terms are agreed upon - the terms are basically to determine what kind of credits and rights the two independent producers and the big-time producer will have before any sale is made, so that everyone knows what to expect and what their role will be - the big producer will essentially steer the ship; his business partner will spearhead getting the script out there (using the producer's name and their company's reputation), and when need be, the producer will take calls or meetings.

The ideal outcome is that the big-time producer and his business partner get the script out to talent and directors, who then come on board. With those elements attached, the producer brings the package (i.e. the script, leading actor, and director - a project ready to go) to a studio. Hopefully, they go to more than one studio, and garner interest from a handful of buyers. This is what we really want, because, as my manager explained to me, the alternative is less exciting.

Assuming we can't get the stars attached or receive interest from only one studio, what we might be looking at is an option, rather than a sale. While still cool to have a script optioned by a major studio, the result (rather than, say, a $500,000 sale) would potentially be a $10,000 option for 6 or 12 or 18 or even 24 months. To me, the money isn't so much a concern (who wouldn't want $10K?), as the idea that the material is locked away - possibly undergoing major development - for up to two years. I trust everyone behind me and my script would be in the studio system at that point, so there's no cause for major complaint. It's just a sign of the times. Whereas something might have sold outright before so that a studio could remove it from the market, now it might be optioned, worked, locked away, and then possibly produced. 

But that's a long way off. For now, I just have to sit back and wait to hear if the two producing parties agree on terms. If they do, my script - and, therefore, I - will gain exposure within the industry, and that's what we're going for.

The Writing Week (Vol. 4) part 164 - Partnering with a Production Company

Gretchen, the independent producer who first optioned my post-Apocalyptic spec back in June of 2009, was in town this week, and she and I had an opportunity to meet up yesterday morning, before her flight back to LA today. Our meeting over dim sum brought some exciting news. Back in late January, Gretchen and the other producer attached met with the head of a major production company. He's one of the few producers whose reputation engenders enough trust from studios to allow him control over a major budget picture. He was very interested in my script.


As with anything in this business, it only takes interest from one individual to get something made. (That is, keep the saying in mind, "It only takes one person to say 'yes.'") A hundred rejections might precede that "yes," but that single interested party might be enough to bring a script to studios and get it made. We had gone out to a few other production companies, but this particular mega-producer remained the most interested. 


At breakfast yesterday, Gretchen informed me that we'll likely be going with the producer and his company. It's a pretty exciting turn of events, but not an entirely different situation from the one we were in back in October 2009. Then, we came to another production company, which was also interested in the script, albeit from a more developmental position. That was not a money deal, nor is this current one. We worked on a handshake agreement, essentially enabling the production company to try and get the material out there, but with both parties able to walk away if need be. 


The current situation - actually, the official "we want to work together" phone call is scheduled to happen tomorrow, so none of this is guaranteed - would be somewhat similar in nature, but with a different goal. As far as I can tell, we will not be entering into partnership with this particular prod co. (assuming everyone is still on board tomorrow) with the intention of further developing the script at this point. Rather, we go into it with the hope that the head producer and his partner will be able to get a director and maybe talent attached, so that they can bring it to studios as a package. Of course, a director might want changes, and those might be called in before a sale - but all that is down the road.


Right now, I just have to cross my fingers that tomorrow's call goes well, and that the producer still wants to bring the script into his company. If that happens, the next few months will (ideally) bring more certainty about my script's future. In many ways, this will be a major indicator of what 2011 will bring for the script. Hopefully, having a major producer attached will garner the traction we need to get the script sold and the movie made. As with so many other aspects of this business and my journey with this script, I just have to sit back and wait and see what happens next. 

The Writing Week (Vol. 3) part 137 - Moving Forward

Big week! After months and months of drafts and re-writes and notes and tweaks, I got an extremely exciting email last night. The production exec we're working with in LA read the most recent draft and thinks it's ready - the draft we're going to go out with.

This week and the next are all about preparation and strategy. First, some time in the next 24 hours or so (possibly even later this evening), I should be getting a Word doc listing any typos or grammatical errors that need to be addressed. Granted, after reading the script so many times, these should be very few and far between. On the other hand, after reading the script so many times, there's a chance that I have read over the same typo a dozen times and failed to see it, as I'm looking for the content that comes before or after it. So, one of the first steps is to just make sure that the script is fully proofed and edited.

Next, the production exec and my manager are supposed to talk about which agencies to go to with the spec. We have a few goals with the agencies. First, obviously, is the desire to get me repped up. We're looking at the four biggest houses, I think. I should get more info about the strategy and the why and why-nots of it all later this week, but a lot of it is figuring the best angle and person to go to. This, because the point isn't just to get me an agent. Part of this process is to determine ways to package the script - get actors and a director on board (perhaps) before we take it to studios. This takes a lot of work off the studio and makes the script a more guaranteed (but never fully guaranteed) sale. A vehicle (script) with all the elements (talent) in place around it is a much more attractive prospect to a cautious studio than a script with no actors interested, since it shows a lot more interest. Especially the case if we can get big talent attached. 

In the meantime, as I'm implementing any minor edits and my manager and the exec are strategizing, we'll be waiting for the head producer at the production company to read. He's out of town at the moment, but the exec is giving it to him next week when he's back in town. Hopefully, this all means that the script gets some major traction in the coming weeks and that the end of the summer could see me out in LA taking a few meetings and, possibly, with an agent. Of course, since there's never any promising anything, I allow myself to be at best cautiously optimistic now. Nonetheless, it looks like we're finally moving onto the next step (knock on wood). As you can well imagine, I'm stoked!

The Writing Week (Vol. 3) part 124 - The Evolution of a Script

Last week was quite the busy one. By midnight on Sunday, I had gotten a revised draft of my post-Apocalyptic spec to my producer, incorporating notes that she had from reading it earlier in the week. By Tuesday night, I had more notes from her - primarily edits in an attempt to bring the page count down from 117. Oddly enough, the final page count for the current draft wound up being 112, the original target goal I had a few weeks ago after bringing the draft in at 122 originally. 

As of now, we're waiting on notes from the production company. They got the script on Friday morning, and I'm hoping to hear from them some time this week. Waiting to hear back regarding a draft can be difficult, unnerving. Do I expect them to call us up and say that they think the new draft is absolutely perfect and they want to buy it as is? No, of course I don't. I anticipate receiving some notes from them. Do I think they'll be monumental notes? I certainly hope not.

I gave Onyx the script to read over this weekend, and he had a few notes. Most of them would be easy to incorporate without altering too much of the existing structure. Other notes might make things a bit clearer for the reader - at this point, my producer and I have been dealing with the material for so long that it's easy to see what's not there (and forget that others won't). 

It's been really interesting to think about the evolution of a script. In the nearly two and a half years that I've been working on this project, so many different elements have come and gone that at times it seems like I've written four different movies. Characters that were integral to the plot for over two years just vanished on this most recent go-around. The world has shifted considerably as certain events have been pushed up in time. New characters, relationships, and personality traits have been brought in. As the script has evolved (and, at times, devolved), there have always been a few core elements that stayed in place, too. Perhaps that's the most interesting thing about it - what has remained from draft to draft. The protagonist's motives and status quo have held this entire time, which I suppose is perhaps the most important thing to hold onto as a script changes (at least, it was in this instance for me). The reveal at the end has stayed the same, also. And, certainly, there are things about the world that have not changed.

One day, if this sells, I think it would be interesting to plot the course of the script by taking a look at a few key drafts and tracking their trajectory. I wouldn't be surprised if they seemed like multiple writers' take on the same logline. And I know they will be different enough that many movies could be pulled from them (though those key similarities mentioned above would certainly be apparent). For now, though, I wait as patiently as I can for notes. Luckily, I'm off to Florida for vacation, so at least I get to wait by the beach this time. 

The Writing Week (Vol. 3) part 118 - Had a Play Reading and A Script Meeting

This past week held a lot of firsts for me. For one, I had my first ever play reading, which was both nerve-wracking and exciting. I have a day job in the Off and Off Broadway theatre industry, and one of my coworkers is an actor/director who wants to start his own theatre company some day. One day, we were heading to a work event and got to talking about his plans – which at that point consisted of little more than wanting to do a reading of a play – and I mentioned that I had a play sitting in my drawer from a couple years back. He asked to read it and quickly decided to get a reading of it going. I spent some time tweaking it in December and then again in February, and he managed to nail down a cast about two weeks ago. Of course, we probably shouldn’t have planned a reading for Good Friday, but it still went off pretty well.

Having worked in New York theatre for over two and a half years now – and been around it during school for four years before that – I wasn’t new to readings. I was new, however, to having my own material read. We had a rehearsal on Wednesday, which was the first time that I’ve ever had a full length piece (or actually anything longer than a one act) read aloud since high school. I didn’t quite know what to expect going in; I knew that the play read alright on paper, but that was about it. The beginning was a bit shaky, but the seven actors involved (one of them a 9 year old kid) got into their roles pretty quickly, and I calmed down in no time. On Friday, we did the play for a small audience – about 15 people – which was exciting. I remembered how much I dislike hearing my material read before an audience (something I’ll have to get over) and how difficult it is for me to sit still during it. Afterward, though, we had a Q&A that lasted longer than we’d expected and wound up being really successful. People were into the play and debating amongst themselves certain points I had intentionally left open to interpretation. None of the comments indicated a lack of clarity about the story or poor writing, which was great.

The next morning (Saturday), I had brunch with the executive from the production company we’re working with on my post-Apocalyptic spec. It was actually pretty weird timing that she wound up coming to the City last week. I had just emailed my manager to let him know that I have a bunch of vacation days to use up before the end of June and to see if he wanted me to reserve any for LA. While it’d be great for me to get out there, he said that the best time to take meetings would be after I finished the script. The next day, I found out that the executive was boarding a plane for NYC for a number of meetings and that she would be in touch to try and meet. We had sent her an outline for a proposed new draft of the script, and we were also eagerly awaiting her feedback on that.

So Saturday morning the executive and I grabbed a cup of coffee at Dean & Deluca in midtown. In case you’re wondering what to wear to something like that – I actually did some reading beforehand on proper meeting attire for these situations – I wore a polo shirt, Converse sneakers, and jeans. Pretty casual. It was also nice out, so I didn’t have to worry about a jacket or anything. Granted, this was an informal meeting with someone that I’ve been on phone and email with a lot in the past few months, but still – a first impression. Coffee lasted about an hour, the first fifteen minutes of which was us talking about a show she’d seen in town, my play reading (which I had invited her to), and my background as a writer. Then, we dug into her notes on the outline I had submitted, which she had responded to via email a couple days before. I was in agreement with her on almost all of what she said, but I did have questions on where she was coming from on three points, so we discussed those.

All in all, I’d say it was a pretty successful meeting. Of course, there were a few things I wish I had done a bit differently. I hadn’t anticipated talking about my other projects (for some absurd reason), so when she asked what else I had, I informally pitched a few that I would probably not have mentioned had I prepared a bit more for that. Not to say that they’re bad projects – I want to get back to them both – but I’d have gone with other ideas over one of them in particular. At one point she asked me if I had questions about the production company, and I kicked myself for not having asked first. Luckily, I’d done my research, so I could ask about different projects they have in the works (one of them I wish I’d known had fallen apart). Still, it was an hour very well spent, and I think we’re in a good place with the script. She’s excited about it, so are my producer and manager. Now it’s just up to me to write the thing (again).

The Writing Week (Vol. 3) part 113 - Another Round of Rewrites

Patience is a virtue. Or at least a necessity. 

Last week, I had another conference call - this one regarding the most recent draft of my script that was delivered to the production company we're working with. Of course, I was hoping that the call would be to inform me I could quit my job and should fly out to LA instantly to ink a deal and begin taking other meetings. Needless to say, that wasn't the case. 

Unfortunately, after about 2 months of rewrites, I was sent back to the drawing board again. The exec at the production company liked a lot of what I'd done, but wanted to see a tonal shift. After relative flops like THE ROAD and BOOK OF ELI (in a year seemingly inundated with post-Apocalyptic movies), studios are weary and wary of more of the same. The production company we're working with is no different. They like the concept and what I'm trying to achieve, but in order to be more certain that the script will sell, they feel it needs to be more different, less bleak, and stand out from the crowd. No more ash covered forests. No more rusted cars slowly decomposing in the desert. No more mass hysteria causing people to flip out.

I've been asked to set my script apart from all the rest, which is not a bad thing. I don't think it will be the heart-pounding, loud explosion, chaotic adventure I initially set out to write, and that is also not necessarily a bad thing. Truth be told, I'm having a hard time remembering what it is I set out to write in the beginning (apart from a script that takes place in the world I'm still using). Therefore, the changes are not as frustratingly off-goal as they might be in other scenarios. If anything, the script could get better - i.e. smarter, stronger, more intriguing, and more classic. The intrigue and mystery might overshadow the violence and action, which is rare these days. 

Whatever the transformation might be, the fact is that the exec at the production company is still interested and excited, and that's what matters. It's not like we have a ton of other options or interested parties at the moment anyway, so as long as the working relationship is strong, we'll sally forth.

The Writing Week (Vol. 2) part 96 – An Offer on the Table

Last Wednesday was one hell of an interesting day. It involved a bit of daily life in NYC – an unfortunate man was having a seizure on the sidewalk outside my office building right as I had to go to an appointment – and ended with some news on my script. At about 9:30pm, my producer called me with an update. One of the bigger Hollywood producers was interested in my script.

It’s annoying that I have to be vague about the specifics, but my manager, producer, and I have not yet made any agreements, so I can’t mention names. Anyway, this Producer and his Production Company are apparently very interested in my post-Apocalyptic spec. However, they think that the second half needs some work. Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time we’ve gotten this note, so they might be onto something. Their proposition is an exclusive developmental deal, whereby they come on as co-producers with Gretchen (who initially optioned the material) and work with me on developing the second act further. Once that work is done, they take it out through their first look deal with one of the major studios, and try to make a quality action picture.

The obvious pros to doing this are many. For one, the Producer is a bit of a power player, Oscar Nominated hyphenate who has also written and directed. Not only would working with him help ensure a larger sale (though that’s never a certainty) with an impressive name attached, but doing so my first time out of the gate would be impressive for me as a new writer. My current producer was very excited about the prospects that such a partnership could provide for a rookie scribe, and I can’t deny it, either. He’s done some quality pictures – every one of them a recognizable success – and I’d love to get the opportunity to work with him. Beyond that, the woman who works for his Production Company who would head up the project is pretty confident in her ability to do something with it – provided I do a good job with the rewrites – and to make a quality film we could all be proud of. It all sounds good.

The downside of the deal? Right now, there’s no money involved in the offer. Of course, this isn’t an immediate deal-breaker. However, since the agreement would be exclusive in nature, we wouldn’t really be able to capitalize on any other offers. Taking the offer – we’d have a phone call first to make sure everyone’s on the same page – would mean potentially another few months of unpaid development work, but the payoff after could be quite worth it. If we go out too many more places with the script as is, we risk overexposing it. The offer takes it off the market for a while, but since there’s no money, I have as much or as little time as I need to make the necessary changes and get it ready to go out again. My hope would be to have it ready before the holidays, though the end of December can be a bad time to try to make a sale.

I have a call with my producer and manager tonight to discuss the offer. I don’t know how common these no money development offers are, and that’s one thing I intend to find out. I don’t doubt that the Production Company can do something with the script if it’s stronger, but I’m not inking anything yet.

The First Big Pass

Yesterday, I found out that the production company my manager gave an exclusive early look at my script to passed. This company (which shall remain nameless) has a first look deal at one of the big studios (Warner, Fox, Universal, etc.). I don’t know whether it acted on their first look option – i.e. whether they took it to the studio. If they didn’t, then the pass came from this smaller company and not the big studio (which would be better for me). Either way, working with that production company – for the time being – is closed.

Some people would think that this pass would come as a crushing blow. Honestly, it didn’t. For one, I have to remind myself that I’ve managed to achieve something good in attaining a manager – that alone should keep my spirits up. (My buddies here at League HQ know that has been somewhat frustrating, since as someone whose patience levels could be a lot higher, I now wait second hand. Instead of finding out directly if someone passes, I wait while my manager waits, then wait for him to get back to me.) My manager’s enthusiasm about the script is another support. Sure, we got passed on by one company (and its A list actor), but I wasn’t sure that the actor we were targeting was best for the script anyway. I wouldn’t have said no to him, but if I could cast whoever I wanted, I don’t think he’d wind up at the top of the list.

In a business where money = king, getting rejected by the company that had an exclusive does another thing; it opens up the possibility of much more money. It’s like eBay – if only one person bids or there’s a buy now option, the seller only makes so much and doesn’t have the option to make more. If, however, the item (or script in this analogy) becomes hot, then you get yourself a bidding war, and might wind up making much more than you thought (or maybe deserve).

As much as I’d have liked to be able to put in my two weeks’ notice at my job today and have A-list talent attached to my first spec, I’m not bummed it didn’t happen. The future is wide with possibilities, and I have a call set for Monday with my manager to find out more. Have you gotten passed on by companies before? How’d you take it?

The Writing Week part 43 - Getting Cold Feet

OK, the big day is approaching. The bridal party is flying in. The meals have been chosen. I think I decided which tux I'll wear (prom '03 and it still fits!). We even have a sweet deal with the caterers for some primo whiskey. The only thing is... I'm getting cold feet.

Or at least, that's how it feels. Onyx alluded to some script requests I recently got. It's no secret to the other Leaguers - or you readers - that Zombie and I have been sending out e-queries to various companies for about a month and a half now. Most of what I've read has suggested sending out upwards of 100 queries per project, with stats that: of 100, you'll get 10 responses and, of the 10, you'll have maybe 1 or 2 script requests. Well, I've sent out 12 email queries to various management companies to date, give or take a few, regarding my post-Apocalyptic spec. I've heard back from 3 companies, all of which asked for the script. I also received a request from a production company for my comic book style spec. OK, batting 25% - not too bad.

However, I've encountered an unexpected problem as a result of these requests - cold feet. Otherwise known as self doubt, I feel like I'm inches away from the altar, my beautiful bride smiling at me, and all I can think is that I've committed the worst of mistakes. I have this nagging sensation that the very script I spent so much time working on, re-working, and then querying is no longer ready to be seen by professionals' eyes. Months ago, when a former board member of my company's offered to read my best material, I sent him my post-Apocalyptic spec. Both Zombie and Onyx assured me that it was the best thing I'd written, the biggest weapon in my arsenal. I just can't help but doubt that.

Perhaps it's the very fact that someone outside the trusted circle of Leaguers, someone with an actual potential in for me is going to read the script that makes me so uncomfortable. Am I wrong to doubt the script's strength at this point? Is it natural to be doubtful at this point? Yesterday, I told Zombie that I feel as if there's one more note waiting out there for me, which will ease all my troubles, fit everything into place, and help me figure this damn thing out once and for all. I can't figure out what the note might be, and neither could Zombie or any other Leaguer. In fact, the note might not even exist. Maybe I'm just suffering from cold feet.