British Comedy Guide

A question about submitting screenplays.

When you have your screenplay word perfect, do you send it to multiple production companies and script commisioners?

No you send it to me. I will do all the work for you. I am telling you now though once it arrives it belongs to me. Hehahoheha.

Quote: danield1000 @ June 26, 2007, 11:18 PM

When you have your screenplay word perfect, do you send it to multiple production companies and script commisioners?

Up to you. The protocol is normally to send it to one company at a time and wait for a response, however, if you do this and don't recieve a response then you may leave the manuscript to your descendants in your will.

The difficulty arises when / if someone options the script, and then you get a call froma definate source offering to develop it. Then it gets difficult and you could end up wasting peoples' time.

Personally, I would send around a synopsis with a SAE first, and see who bites. It's more polite and avoids all that messing around which could in the long term damage your career.

I send it to everyone and anyone

Quote: Ed Parnell @ June 26, 2007, 11:43 PM

Up to you. The protocol is normally to send it to one company at a time and wait for a response, however, if you do this and don't recieve a response then you may leave the manuscript to your descendants in your will.

The difficulty arises when / if someone options the script, and then you get a call froma definate source offering to develop it. Then it gets difficult and you could end up wasting peoples' time.

Personally, I would send around a synopsis with a SAE first, and see who bites. It's more polite and avoids all that messing around which could in the long term damage your career.

If you find, say, six places to send it and do so one at a time you could wait 6 years before they all get back to you.

Fire it off to about 6 places in one hit - it's about getting people to read your work. This is the world of entertainment, there's no point pussy-footing about being all nicey-nice - you've got to (for want of a better word) hustle. I've got through to a few places who say they don't accept unsolicited stuff by metaphorically sneaking in the back door - and they will respond.

My first project went to six people - I nearly got it off the ground via a script editor. My next went to six, my next-next one went to six. So it's just a case of waiting for people to get back in touch. As the people get back to me I send them the other project - but this time with a letter expressing how I'm trying to get my name out there and I hope you don't mind taking a look at another project.

Share this page