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Post by wiggy on Aug 2, 2006 21:16:45 GMT
i know this isn't a short film post but we do seem to be posting more and more varied topics about film making so.... does any one out there have any knowledge they could share about selling a script through an agent, any worth approaching etc. i know the general rule is something like they take 10% of anything you earn through it (i think) but what is the best way to approach an agent. the reason i ask is i know that they will only take a script they think they will be able to sell, so that is a way of knowing if your scripts are any good or not. i have had a look at imsdb and they seem ok because they will advise you were you are going wrong if your script isn't up to scratch but the thing is it's american and we all know that them there yanks won't have a bloody clue what things mean and how to understand our humor and such, so if any one knows of a uk equivalent. most film distributors won't even entertain unsolicited scripts!
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Post by PatrickCoyle on Aug 2, 2006 22:04:31 GMT
It's a catch-22 thing, you can't get an agent unless you've had work produced and you can't get work produced without an agent. If you can win a script contest or get something into consideration with BBC writersroom or something, it puts you in a better stead for something on a cover letter to an agency. Beyond that, I've no clue.
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Post by Tom on Aug 26, 2006 23:44:05 GMT
Triggerstreet.com - the first stop for getting your script critiqued. It's brutal, but worth it.
As far as getting an agent, well as patrickcoyle says, unless you have something produced, it's tough to get started, but not impossible. Do research on the films you admire. Find out who wrote it and who their agent was. Then approach them, and if you get rejected, ASK FOR FEEDBACK. You can find address via Imdb, or through Spotlight. You'll find the Spotlight casting books in the reference section of most local libraries (also great for approaching actors for your films).
When you approach an agent, include a sample of your work (the whole script if you can afford it - if not, the first 15 pages, no less), the synopsis, and a log line. The log line is a compare of your film to two or three others. For example, I always use "Traffic meets 21 Grams via Sixth Sense" for Icharus. It's good to spark ideas in people's heads.
I know Stel Pavlou, writer of the (dreadful) 51st State, and he had 600 rejections before he sold his film! 600!!! So expect a LOT. But it's a learning curve, and as David Goyer says, no script is any good until the writer is on his fifth. Hmmm. I'm not too sure about that, but it's never your first (or second).
Cheers.
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