Upfront for Agent?

G

Godchoo

Hi guys,

I recently wrote a screenplay which got reviewed by Vinehill Entertainment and they
want to help sell it for me. The agent has given me a projected price range for how much
my screenplay will make. He says it's gonna make around $60 grand to 145 grand.
Now I don't want to seem like I'm looking at the glass half empty, but
this just seems to good to be true.
I mean he wants 6 grand upfront and I'm not sure if
I should go ahead with it.
All in all, do agents usually ask for upfront money as well as commission?
Thanks.
 
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I mean they even posted an ad on indietalk.
I checked out their website and it seems
that their track record is pretty good. Has anyone out there worked
with them before?
Thanks for the advice Admin.
 
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Anyone can post an ad. Would you pay a real estate agent upfront to sell your house? Just use common sense and you'll be fine.
 
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They work for a percentage. When they sell the work, they get your check, take out anywhere from 10 to 25 percent (whatever you agree to and sign the contract for), and send you the rest. They shouldn't ask for money up front, and if they do, it will be a small amount 100 bucks or so as a "reading" fee. I think that's a joke, but 6 grand nuts. If they can get 60 to 140 for the script, why on earth would they even risk losing you and your script for 6 grand?? They'd be selling the thing right now.

It's a con, flat out. Don't do it.

Chris
 
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Okay, let’s run a little scenario:

The agency does a mass market ad buy - hundreds of banners, tens
of thousands of e-mails. This costs them $20,000. They reach
100,000 new writers and only one percent pay them $6,000.

Do the math. How much do they make?

Let’s say one half of one percent pay them $6,000. How much money
do they make?

Let’s say YOU pay them $6,000. And you are the ONLY writer in 6
months to pay that fee. What is their incentive to spend more
than a few hours shopping your script around? They have six large
from you. They know the odds of selling a script for 60 to 145
large. Do you know the odds? They already have your money. Why
should they spend man hours shopping your script around.

Godchoo - do you have a script that you feel is worth $60,000? Or
$145,000?

Then get it to legit agents right away. If they feel they can sell
it for that kind of money they will be happy to take you on as a
client. And they won’t charge you anything up front.

The sad thing is, there are a LOT of writers who pay these people
money upfront. The clearly works or there wouldn't be so many
of them in this scam.
 
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Yea things are coming to light now once you chug the numbers in.
I really can't be a judge of how much my script is worth or else
I wouldn't be asking more experienced people such as yourself.
I mean how do people get away with scams like this?
The guy had like a portfolio that includes the original X-files series and the latest
Robert DeNiro movie "What Just Happened?"
Assuming that he's lying, how does he get away with things like this?
I could easily research my ass off and find out whether or not he was involved in big
projects like these.
 
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Godchoo said:
Yea things are coming to light now once you chug the numbers in.
I really can't be a judge of how much my script is worth or else
I wouldn't be asking more experienced people such as yourself.
I mean how do people get away with scams like this?
The guy had like a portfolio that includes the original X-files series and the latest
Robert DeNiro movie "What Just Happened?"
Assuming that he's lying, how does he get away with things like this?
I could easily research my ass off and find out whether or not he was involved in big
projects like these.
Click to expand...
The red flag is the $$$$! Who cares what he worked on?
 
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If you are comfortable paying these people six large, then
you should give it a shot. If they are legit it will be an excellent investment.

It's interesting to me that the website says "Louie Lawless is a
long time director, producer, writer," yet he lists only a single
documentary he has directed. But the Oscar nominated "Manson"
was written and directed by Robert Hendrickson and Laurence Merrick.

On his own website he claims that "Unrepentant" has won best
Director and best feature length International documentary film at
the N.Y. and L.A. film festivals. But that film doesn't seem to exist.
At least I could find no listing for it.

Though he does say it won an award at the New York Independent
Film and Video Festival. A well known scam “festival” where the
filmmaker pays a fee to be screened and a higher fee to “win” an
award.

http://www.indietalk.com/showthread.php?t=4521

He calms to have directed "Abducted: The Reunion". But IMDb lists
the director as Boon Collins.

I could go on and on. Looking at their “portfolio” shows nothing.
They didn't say what their involvement in any of those projects
is. Click on their “Current Distribution” and they list several
films they would like to get distribution for.

Did you look at their “Vinehill Members” page? Their “members” are
hopefuls with almost no experience who are not actually working
in the business and a re currently looking for an agent. There
are 83 listed. That’s nearly $500,000 they have collected.

They way people get away with this scam is it really isn’t a
“scam” in the legal sense of the word. They take their
“management” fee and you will sign a contract for their services.
If they cannot sell your script or find you an agent it’s because
there just wasn’t a market for it at this time - a legit reason.
 
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Another red flag is when an agent makes big promises. That's just ridiculous in my opinion.

I looked on their website. It doesn't say in what capacity they worked on these shows like "the A-Team". It could have been as a PA or cleanup crew. I don't' know.

Lets say the ink dries on the contract, you pay them money, then they claim that they shopped it to some undisclosed companies and fail to sell it. Then what? Are you gonna take them to court in Canada for breach of contract? Again I know nothing about this company. I am just giving you a "what if" scenario.
 
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Wow...
Directorik is right. The credits are all fake.
Blade_Jones, you've got a point too. Even if they breach contract... what can I do.
I'll probably spend more money on lawsuits than earning anything at all.
I'm really glad I asked you guys about this. Otherwise it would have been a
disaster.
Does anyone here know of an actual legit agent that would help
represent my screenplay?
 
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I've been down these roads before. There's vultures all over Hollywood, whether you're selling a script, producing a movie, hiring a producer, or BEING hired to do some sort of work on a movie. Bottom line is you have to control & keep your eye on the money, and pay people incrementally as work is done in bits (or be paid UP FRONT, as much and as often as possible if you are the one doing the work). Don't assume that the court system will protect you because it won't and once you have to go to court to be "made whole" then you have really done something wrong and you will NEVER get back what you lost. Don't assume that someone who comes across as a nice "great guy" won't rip you off if given the opportunity. Once you do sign a contract it had better be bullet proof, and only an entertainment lawyer knows how to protect you. "Dummy Contracts" are offered to unsuspecting artists and writers all the time. Be careful of lawyers too. They are vultures too! Pay them no more than for 1 hour of work to review a simple 1 or two page literary agent agreement. $300 is my limit with lawyers. $350 an hour takes a hike.
 
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I'm guessing you've had some bad experiences with agencies then.
Sorry, I'm a guy who simple believes that no everyone is bad.
I mean there's gotta be a least one agency out there that's really
in it to actually find talent right?
maybe I'm just naive. :)
 
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