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  #71  
Old 11-08-2007, 06:22 PM
CharlieDontSurf CharlieDontSurf is offline
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Default Re: Screen Writers Guild Strike?

[ QUOTE ]
Charlie and Pineapple: I once volunteered at a pitch fest. Thoughts please?

[/ QUOTE ]

pitch fests are a waste of time...no one takes them seriously.
I went to one for my boss and heard so many godawful pitchs i wanted to kill myself
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  #72  
Old 11-08-2007, 06:28 PM
daveT daveT is offline
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Default Re: Screen Writers Guild Strike?

I got that impression. I was at the after party, and every one seemed pretty p.o.'d. I did get a nifty contact book for free. I used that information for other purposes though. To be honest, there was a few agents, but they were all start-ups, and didn't seem like they were going to last long.

The classes that I got for "free" were pretty bad as well. Professionals in the industry seem very closed lip about what would be significant.

I don't even think that the organizers did that well since that was the last year they did it.
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  #73  
Old 11-08-2007, 06:39 PM
ThaHero ThaHero is offline
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Default Re: Screen Writers Guild Strike?

I can't describe how jubilant I am that The Wire is finished. That would have been a tragedy. This whole ordeal is very disconcerting though. It's gonna make things infinitely harder for anyone just now trying to start out it seems. After the strike is over all the old, established writers will be starving for work and the producers will be starving for experienced writers, leaving the newcomers out in the cold. Someone tell me I'm wrong.
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  #74  
Old 11-08-2007, 06:54 PM
CharlieDontSurf CharlieDontSurf is offline
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Default Re: Screen Writers Guild Strike?

If your script is good its not going to be hard to get it into
the hands of an agent/his assistant.

99% scripts suck...its just how it is. There isn't this great wealth of amazing screenplays that are being overlooked.

Pitch fests/seminars/etc aren't really worth the money except for maybe making friends contacts etc.

Query letters almost never work.

Your best bet is to maybe find people on facebook/myspace that work at CAA/ICM/Endeavor/PARADIGM/WMA/etc etc..they will mainly be assistants. But all assistants want to be CE or agents so they are looking for that new talent/spec to get them there. They won't flat out say yes but if u bs them about saying moving to la and getting a job in the biz...the nice ones will respond. Chit chat with them blah blah blah
then the next week mail them a gift for taking the time to answer all your questions. It'll cost u $25-$50 depending on what u get them...but they will seriously [censored] remember it and you. Maybe just send $20 with a note saying "thanks for taking the time to give me advice...todays lunch is on me."

Then maybe a week or two later tell them you've been working on a script and u know they are very very busy but if they would look at it and just give u an honest opinion you'll give them $50/$100 for the trouble. Remind them that your not looking for kindness...you want brutal honest cold hearted truth. They may not even take the money.

And if they hate it then you know it sucks, if they think its ok maybe they'll give u a couple ideas about what your doing wrong, if its good. Its gonna end up on their bosses desk.

So make sure its good.


I once had a guy mail a script with my name on the envelope, not my bosses...he had called us and gotten my name from the receptionist. Atached to the script was a $50 bill and note saying "Your free to simply throw the script in the trash and keep the $50, but I get the feeling your a nice guy so if u have the time just take a glance at it." If you think its god awful thats fine. If you like it or you think its good then send me a email."

Normally I'd throw a random script we got in the trash or return to sender..especially if it is to my boss .

but i was like this dude is [censored] creative.

So i kept the $50 and read the script.
Wasn't good but it wasn't that bad and i emailed him telling that and I also included free coverage that I had our company do on it.

Had it been a good to really good script, that guy would have an agent right now guaranteed. So it cost him a couple a hundred bucks but he got his script into the hands of people who could actually start his career if his script was good.
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  #75  
Old 11-08-2007, 07:06 PM
Tha Villain Tha Villain is offline
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Default Re: Screen Writers Guild Strike?

Okay, I REALLY didn't want to hijack this thread. Honestly.

I know the o/u for "breaking in" (whatever that means) is five years. I've been writing for two years. Have five screenplays written, three of which I think are good, with more to come.

Like I said, I can't say how good they are because it's my work. There are only two people (both friends) with any type of experience in Hollywood (very little) and they said my first screenplay, which I invariably think is trash, was good. So I took it to mean that their thoughts aren't worth a plugged nickel.

I know how hard screenwriting is. Heck, I've been perfecting my craft for two years. It's incredibly difficult. But, it's also about who you know. If you don't network in this town you'll never make it anywhere, even if you are the next (insert uber-popular writer/director/actor name here).

At least I know my screenplays have zero spelling/grammatical errors lol.
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  #76  
Old 11-08-2007, 07:35 PM
pineapple888 pineapple888 is offline
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Default Re: Screen Writers Guild Strike?

[ QUOTE ]
I can't describe how jubilant I am that The Wire is finished. That would have been a tragedy. This whole ordeal is very disconcerting though. It's gonna make things infinitely harder for anyone just now trying to start out it seems. After the strike is over all the old, established writers will be starving for work and the producers will be starving for experienced writers, leaving the newcomers out in the cold. Someone tell me I'm wrong.

[/ QUOTE ]

Eh, like I said, it all comes down to writing an amazing script anyway. The rest is just short-term fluctuation. There's always some reason it's a bad time to go out with a script.

Hey Villain... you're in LA and you don't know if your scripts are pro-quality? Join a writer's group FFS. [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]
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  #77  
Old 11-08-2007, 07:54 PM
CharlieDontSurf CharlieDontSurf is offline
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Default Re: Screen Writers Guild Strike?

[ QUOTE ]
Okay, I REALLY didn't want to hijack this thread. Honestly.

I know the o/u for "breaking in" (whatever that means) is five years. I've been writing for two years. Have five screenplays written, three of which I think are good, with more to come.

Like I said, I can't say how good they are because it's my work. There are only two people (both friends) with any type of experience in Hollywood (very little) and they said my first screenplay, which I invariably think is trash, was good. So I took it to mean that their thoughts aren't worth a plugged nickel.

I know how hard screenwriting is. Heck, I've been perfecting my craft for two years. It's incredibly difficult. But, it's also about who you know. If you don't network in this town you'll never make it anywhere, even if you are the next (insert uber-popular writer/director/actor name here).

At least I know my screenplays have zero spelling/grammatical errors lol.

[/ QUOTE ]

if yr script is really [censored] good u dont have to know anyone
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  #78  
Old 11-08-2007, 08:06 PM
daveT daveT is offline
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Default Re: Screen Writers Guild Strike?

Exactly, every one that makes a ton of money in this city came from some mid-west town, was broke, and made it without knowing anyone at first. One person I knew who complained the most about "not making it" was related to the Cappolas. I can't stand it when people say "it's not what you know, it's who you know." What a bunch of trash.
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  #79  
Old 11-08-2007, 08:09 PM
Tha Villain Tha Villain is offline
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Default Re: Screen Writers Guild Strike?

[ QUOTE ]


Hey Villain... you're in LA and you don't know if your scripts are pro-quality? Join a writer's group FFS. [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

Dunno if I've just been gettin bad advice, but I've been told writers groups are a waste of time. Everyone has their own reasons, from the members being unskilled, people not taking it seriously, etc.

So I dunno. I might look into it. Or pay someone to do coverage. Which I've been told isn't the best way to go, but hey, it's better than nothing.

Also, I wish I knew the Coppola's lmao. I bet all of us do.
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  #80  
Old 11-08-2007, 09:28 PM
CharlieDontSurf CharlieDontSurf is offline
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Default Re: Screen Writers Guild Strike?

Don't pay to much(over $100) for coverage
hell i could probably get it for u for free

writer's groups can be good if you find a good one but that is easier said than done
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