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Writing on Spec

PhantomScreenwriter

PhantomScreenwriter

I have a few questions about writing spec screenplays:

What are the key factors that make a spec screenplay attractive to a potential producer/investor or production company, not in terms of the crafting of the screenplay but in terms of the business side?



When you have finished writing your spec screenplay how do you go about getting that script seen by someone with authority to purchase your screenplay?



What are some suggestions or general advice on how to approach writing spec screenplays that are not covered by answering the two questions above?


Any help with these questions would be greatly appreciated.
 
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PhantomScreenwriter said:
I have a few questions about writing spec screenplays:

What are the key factors that make a spec screenplay attractive to a potential producer/investor or production company, not in terms of the crafting of the screenplay but in terms of the business side?
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There are so many factors and angles. One trick you need to be aware of is, you don't need to fill each and every factor.

Assuming you've an exceptional writer, it's mostly it's about history, timing and attachments.

History helps you prove your idea has worked in the past to prove it will once again work. Don't go back more than 7 years, preferably 5 years.

Timing ties in with history, but is slightly different. Timing is about what's hot at the moment. Twilight made Vampires hot, Oceans 11 made heist movies hot, Blair Witch Project made found footage hot and so on.

Attachments is really where it's at. This is purely about risk mitigation. If you get Spielberg or James Cameron attached as directors, getting a project greenlit (and getting your script option executed) gets a lot easier. Get international A list actors for the appropriate genre attached, you're a big step closer to getting greenlit.

So what does this have to do with writing? If you do it right, quite a bit.

You need to know your audience. When you're writing a screenplay, remember that your audience is those who will get it greenlit. The producer, the director and the main actors. The script has to be "The same but different enough" to a blockbuster to get a producer and/or studio to believe it will make a lot of money, that the story is great, new and fresh enough to attract a great director, and that the story and characters are interesting enough to get the A list actors to "Have to be in this film". On top of all that, you have to make the story excellent.

Alternatively, you can also go another route of a low budget movie where attachment of named actors is your main goal.

Easy right?

When you have finished writing your spec screenplay how do you go about getting that script seen by someone with authority to purchase your screenplay?
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Ain't that the trick.


What are some suggestions or general advice on how to approach writing spec screenplays that are not covered by answering the two questions above?
Click to expand...

Heaps, but I don't have the experience to teach you anything more than I've learnt the theory for.

Questions?
 
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Thanks Sweetie and IndiePaul for your input.

Another thing I thought of is about whether you want the screenplay to be seen by a major studio, an independent studio, or a low-budget studio (direct to dvd type deal etc).

I am working on a short film script with an intention to sell it down the track to an interested party. My target buyer would be someone who has already made shorts and might be interested in mine, or a low-budget studio that deals in direct to dvd movies.

I am 100% fine with going the direct to dvd route at this early stage in my career so that's an avenue I would definitely go for.

Anyone on this forum have any past experiences in working with low-budget studios who specialize in direct to dvd?
 
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I am working on a short film script with an intention to sell it down the track to an interested party.
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You are wasting your time if you're thinking that a studio (of any size) would be interested in buying scripts to make a short.

What was the last straight to DVD short you bought?
 
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