screenplay pitch problems

pedramyz

pedramyz

hello everyone,

I'm an aspiring writer, hoping to become a successful filmmaker one day. I have a question from you guys that I haven't been able to find the answer to myself.

I'm an Iranian and I currently live in Iran. I have written a screenplay and have submitted it into nicholl fellowship competition. Unfortunately my script didn't enter the second stage of the competition. on the other hand I believe my screenplay is not competitive material but instead has a high chance of selling in the industry(U.S industry not Iran). Since I live in Iran, I don't have any sort of access to anyone in the industry, so I have no idea how to pitch my screenplay to the people in the industry in U.S.Or at least make my screenplay known.
any guides or answers would be much appreciated guys.
thanks.
 
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indietalk said:
:welcome:

There's a few sites where you can list your screenplay like http://inktip.com
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thank you for your response,

The thing is I'm not doing this for the money . I wrote this script to get inside the Hollywood industry . Since I want to become a filmmaker , I need to direct or at least be in the directing process of my script( I've directed 7 short films and I'm completely familiar with the cinematography techniques). So by selling my script I won't be able to make a name for myself and best case producers will option the script and leave my name out. Is there anyway to be able to pitch this script to producers so they will let me direct it myself or am I aiming too high? because this script took me nearly 7 years to finish and I believe the idea of it is a once in a life time idea that may not happen for me again(At least not in this specific Genre that the script is written in ).
 
It's a long-shot, and not simply because you're outside the US. It's close to impossible to simply get Hollywood producers to read unsolicited manuscripts.

I suggest that you start by submitting your best short to film festivals in order to get some attention. You might especially aim for a couple of respected European festivals, as it might (I think?) be easier for you to get a visa to attend and network. But even if you can't be there, recognition from a top tier festival would be helpful.
 
Welcome to indietalk.

You have placed many walls in front of you. It's difficult enough to
break in without building some yourself.

Being outside the U.S. Makes getting inside Hollywood even more
difficult than for a writing living in Hollywood. Even living in Austin
or San Francisco puts up barriers to writers.

Not doing it for money is another obstacle. Hollywood is all about
money.

A one shot, once-in-a-lifetime script suggests you do not see yourself
as a career writer/director. The script must be above extraordinary
to overcome that obstacle. “Hollywood” is looking for writers who
can write several big movies.

So what you are asking is how to interest Hollywood producers in
funding your script with you directing. Not aiming too high if it's a
small budget genre project and you have a few award winning
shorts and live in Los Angeles. Or at least the states.

I second mlesemann's advice. Get into (and win) some international
film festivals with your best short film. Two or three over the next
two or three years would be even more impressive. Submit your
script to more competitions. Getting in will help – getting an award
will bring attention. Build a name for yourself as a writer/director in
Iran.

Send litters of inquiry (called query letters) to agencies all over the
world.

Getting noticed in Hollywood usually take far longer than writing
the script. And you have a lot obstacles to overcome. I'm glad you
found indietalk and I hope we can help.
 
directorik said:
Welcome to indietalk.

You have placed many walls in front of you. It's difficult enough to
break in without building some yourself.

Being outside the U.S. Makes getting inside Hollywood even more
difficult than for a writing living in Hollywood. Even living in Austin
or San Francisco puts up barriers to writers.

Not doing it for money is another obstacle. Hollywood is all about
money.

A one shot, once-in-a-lifetime script suggests you do not see yourself
as a career writer/director. The script must be above extraordinary
to overcome that obstacle. “Hollywood” is looking for writers who
can write several big movies.

So what you are asking is how to interest Hollywood producers in
funding your script with you directing. Not aiming too high if it's a
small budget genre project and you have a few award winning
shorts and live in Los Angeles. Or at least the states.

I second mlesemann's advice. Get into (and win) some international
film festivals with your best short film. Two or three over the next
two or three years would be even more impressive. Submit your
script to more competitions. Getting in will help – getting an award
will bring attention. Build a name for yourself as a writer/director in
Iran.

Send litters of inquiry (called query letters) to agencies all over the
world.

Getting noticed in Hollywood usually take far longer than writing
the script. And you have a lot obstacles to overcome. I'm glad you
found indietalk and I hope we can help.
Click to expand...

hello,
I really appreciate the detailed guide.
I meant the specific Genre of the script is a once in a lifetime idea, for example most of Quentin Tarantino's works are masterpieces( in my opinion) but none of his movies are like his hallmark ( pulp fiction). what I meant by once in a lifetime idea was this.( Just for clarification)
another issue is that I know for a fact that people living in States do not necessarily enter film festivals for short films or scripts to enter the industry. And frankly they simply have the luxury of being born american. I can name so many successful filmmakers in Hollywood who got where they are by simply living in states and having a friend or cousin or some sort of connection to the industry to make their ideas known. (Tarantino, David lynch are good examples) . Now note that I'm not comparing myself to these geniuses, but the example should be enough to clarify my position on this matter.
Now why I insist on getting in touch with the people in the industry is that I believe these sort of competitions' standards, whether it's for a short film or script, are rigged. and believe me I don't want to sound arrogant here. I'm just stating things that everyone knows And agrees with on this matter. Every year we see movies that are not good get the oscars and masterpieces are left unnoticed. actors or actresses who deserve to be nominated don't even enter the pool of nominees .heck DiCaprio got his first oscar only 2 years ago:). I believe the sort of ideas I come up with for a movie are not competitive material( they are not either humanitarian or dramatic enough or they simply lack the rigged standards of these sort of competitions). for example I know for a fact that for a script to be nominated for something,it should have this literature/ poetic ish style in the scene descriptions of the script which to be honest should not matter cause that script is designed to turn into a movie, and in a movie none of those sophisticated/shakespearian style of scene descriptions will show. I've read so many scripts from David Lynch to Tarantino and so many other, and trust me none of them would have nominated for these sort of competitions . sure they have won a can prize once in a while, but not for the movies they are known for. but look at their works! everyone love their movies,huge sells, cult movies. They are the big guys now.
what I'm trying to say here is that my ideas are close to these people's ideas ( in the terms of uniqueness). Unappreciated art pieces in competitions are most likely gonna be appreciated by people :) . So if the path was paved for these successful people in the industry and they didn't enter any sort of competitions, why should it be any different for me?
And finally about going local in my own country . Iran is an islamic county that applies extreme islamic regulations and censors to movies( that's why Asghar Farhadi is now working in France). and Honestly If I want to make my movies here I have to get rid of 90% of the material to be able to publish it, which is going to turn the movie into an an entirely different movie.
I hope you all forgive me for this long and boring topic. But this was a subject that I had to get off of my chest.
and please know that I didn't mean any sort of disrespect to anyone or any organization , I was simply stated the facts that are now considered obstacles for me.
thank you all for your great support.
 
One idea is shoot portions of the film, create a trailer, and seek finishing funds. Then, they see you in the role, the story, and your ability to make a pro looking film.
 
indietalk said:
One idea is shoot portions of the film, create a trailer, and seek finishing funds. Then, they see you in the role, the story, and your ability to make a pro looking film.
Click to expand...

Depends on the script I guess. I would go for Europe if I was you..... Also... David Linch first movie (not counting Grandmother) took him 5 Years to complete. Budget 20.000 ..... it was shot when there was money...Tarantino's first movie Reservoir Dogs was based on his 12 minutes short movie with the same title... most big holy wood Directors started as independent movie makers. Its not like if you live in Hollywood You will have a easy time....
 
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pedramyz said:
another issue is that I know for a fact that people living in States do not necessarily enter film festivals for short films or scripts to enter the industry. And frankly they simply have the luxury of being born american.
Click to expand...
You also know for a fact that many people living in the States DO
enter film festivals for short films and scripts to enter the industry.
I can name so many successful filmmakers in Hollywood who got
where they are by entering film festivals and script competitions.
So I guess I'm missing your point. There are many paths to become
successful in Hollywood. I don't think you should dismiss one path
because you know for a fact that some filmmakers didn't take that
path.
pedramyz said:
and please know that I didn't mean any sort of disrespect to anyone or any organization , I was simply stated the facts that are now considered obstacles for me.
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No offense taken, I, too, was simply stating the fast that are obstacles
for you. I was not talking about Oscars or what movies are considered
masterpieces – I was only offering advice on some of the steps you
might want to consider.

pedramyz said:
So if the path was paved for these successful people in the industry and they didn't enter any sort of competitions, why should it be any different for me?
Click to expand...
You have answered your own question. The reason it is different for you
is because you simply don't have the luxury of being born American. So
the path is different for you than it was for Tarantino and Lynch.

Don't enter any film festivals with any of your short films. Don't enter any
script competitions.

Do what Tarantino did – sell two scripts that you don't direct. Use that clout
to direct your next script. Do what Lynch did – work on your first movie little
by little for five years doing almost everything yourself until it's done. THEN
get the attention of Hollywood.

You're right; YOU have different obstacles than an American born filmmaker.
You asked how to overcome them. I gave you a few paths to do so.
 
No offense taken, I, too, was simply stating the fast that are obstacles
for you. I was not talking about Oscars or what movies are considered
masterpieces – I was only offering advice on some of the steps you
might want to consider.
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yes and I appreciate that . thank you.
your main suggestion was entering film festivals, and I told you about my conceptions ( or misconceptions) about these sort of competitions. correct me if I'm wrong about the rigged standards. But please note that I did not take an offensive approach to your suggestions.
and about shooting 10 min of the movie and ask for funding to finish, where should I upload the video? simply youtube will suffice or are there any sort of specific websites for that ?
and also can a foreigner sell scripts to american agencies? is that possible ?
 
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pedramyz said:
your main suggestion was entering film festivals,
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Not my main suggestion; one of several. You have completed
films – showing them is one way to show your talent as a director.
It makes your goal of directing your script a little easier. It's not
easy and not a sure thing and very difficult to get into the top ten
festivals, but there are many that are not "rigged". Don't dismiss
film festivals in Europe...

pedramyz said:
and about shooting 10 min of the movie and ask for funding to finish, where should I upload the video? simply youtube will suffice or are there any sort of specific websites for that ?
Click to expand...
Yes, YouTube is one path. Entering that film in several festivals is
another. It's one way to get noticed as a director. You clearly do
not want to do that so YouTube or Vimeo looks like the best path
for you.
pedramyz said:
and also can a foreigner sell scripts to american agencies?
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If you have a marketable script, something that will attract top
talent in front of and behind the camera, a foreigner can sell a
script to American producers. It is much more difficult than for
people who live in the States. But just an obstacle you need to
overcome. One way to do that is to enter the script in screenplay
competitions. Many writers who were born and live in the States
have made their success that way.

I don't believe there is an easy, quick path for you to get your
passion project made. It will be a long, difficult journey. But if
you are open to many different possibilities and ready for the hard
work your dream can come true. I wish you the best!
 
I don't believe there is an easy, quick path for you to get your
passion project made. It will be a long, difficult journey. But if
you are open to many different possibilities and ready for the hard
work your dream can come true. I wish you the best!
Click to expand...

I sincerely thank you for the time you have put to answer my questions, I really appreciate that . I wish you the best too!
 
If I want to submit my short film into a festival, which of the festivals below I should enter?(which of them can help me make a name for myself in Hollywood industry ?)

Sundance festival, IFFR ( International film festival), south by southwest, venice film festival, Tribeca film festival,Raindance film festival, Berlin International film festival, Edinburgh International film festival, BFI( London film festival), Toronto film festival, Seattle International film festival?
If you know any other reputable film festival other than these above, feel free to name them .
thanks.
 
That's the question a lot of people have no matter where they are from. The answer to that really is, have a great film and get it out there. Your question should be more of, which festivals are reputable, because a springboard to Hollywood is not guaranteed even if you win. Those are all reputable, maybe throw Telluride in for good measure.

There is no magic formula, exposure is key, when you have a good product.
 
pedramyz said:
I have written a screenplay and have submitted it into nicholl fellowship competition. Unfortunately my script didn't enter the second stage of the competition. on the other hand I believe my screenplay is not competitive material but instead has a high chance of selling in the industry(U.S industry not Iran).
Click to expand...

Not to rain on your parade, but EVERYONE thinks that their project, be it in the arts or business, is worthy of more attention or is even one of the best that has ever been. 99.9999% of the time they are deluding themselves. This is not a knock against you; it's just human nature. It is always useful to have several people whom you respect and who will be brutally honest to vet your project. They quite often point out that your project is not as worthy as you believe (although, very rarely, they point out that it is better than you believe), but will usually have suggestions for improving your project.

The hardest thing to do is be completely, honestly and brutally objective about your own projects. One of the marks of a successful person is always feeling that they could do better. As for me, it's NEVER good enough, although in a few situations I feel that it's the best I can do under the given circumstances (time/budget constraints, etc.).

Aside from your talents, it's like real estate - location, location, location. You have to be where the action is. After you have the right location it's all about who you know. Once you finally have your first success it's all about your work ethic, your objectivity and keeping your ego under control if you want to stay there.

depositphotos_33627559-Good-luck-stamp.jpg
 
pedramyz said:
If I want to submit my short film into a festival, which of the festivals below I should enter?(which of them can help me make a name for myself in Hollywood industry ?)
Click to expand...
Enter all of them. Do not limit yourself to one or two.

Entering a short film is only your first step. Winning a top prize will
open some doors. You need to be ready once those doors are open.
 
You spent 7 years on one story?

That's unusual for a screenplay but there's nothing wrong with that.. I certainly take my time!

My question for you... how well would this story translate to a book?
Because if you have a best selling book and an established audience that gives you leverage and opportunity with the business minded suits at hollywood studios.

And even more importantly if it's a book some people will read it. Getting a movie made is very hard and it's possible nobody will ever see that 7 years of your life.
 
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