The Screenwriter's Sourcebook: A Comprehensive Marketing Guide for Screen and Television Writers

384 Pages·2005·4.3 MB·English

by  Michael Haddad

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THE
SCREEN WRITER’S
SOURCE BOOK
A COMPREHENSIVE MARKETING GUIDE
for SCREEN and TELEVISION WRITERS
(cid:2) M I C H A E L H A D D A D
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Haddad, Michael.
The screenwriter’s sourcebook : a comprehensive marketing guide for
screen and television writers / Michael Haddad.— 1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 1-55652-550-8
1.Motion picture authorship—United States—Marketing—
Directories. 2.Television authorship—United States—Marketing—
Directories. 3.Motion picture authorship—United States—Vocational
guidance. 4.Television authorship—United States—Vocational
guidance. I.Title.
PN1996.H2552005
808.230688—dc22
2004011483
We have endeavored to make all the information contained in this book accu-
rate at the time of publication. However, all things are subject to change so please
verify names, addresses, and so forth before sending out any materials.
Cover and interior design: Monica Baziuk
© 2005Michael Haddad
All rights reserved
First edition
Published by Chicago Review Press, Incorporated
814North Franklin Street
Chicago, Illinois 60610
ISBN 1-55652-550-8
Printed in the United States of America
5 4 3 2 1
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(cid:4)
The artist must be a prophet, not in the
sense that he foretells things to come, but
that he tells the audience, at the risk of their
displeasure, the secrets of their own hearts.
—SAUL BELLOW
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CO NT E NTS
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
C O N T E S T S
A C T 1 1
Screenplay Contests 3
Fellowships and Grants 65
Development 81
C A R E E R
A C T 2
O P P O R T U N I T I E S
103
Agents 105
Managers 157
Producers 167
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R E S O U R C E S
A C T 3 257
Copyright and Script Registration 259
Emergency Funds 262
Colonies, Retreats, and Residencies 264
Entertainment Industry Resource Guide 273
Guilds, Unions, and Professional Associations273 (cid:3) Motion Picture
Libraries and Museums 291 (cid:3) Networks and Cable Channels 295 (cid:3)
Studios 298
Public Agencies 301
State Arts Agencies 301 (cid:3) State Film Commissions310
Online Resources 319
Advice and Tips 320 (cid:3) Copyright Clearance 321 (cid:3) Entertainment
Business322 (cid:3) Finding an Agent323 (cid:3) Independent Filmmaking324
(cid:3)
Job Opportunities325 (cid:3) Legal Resources326 (cid:3) Miscellaneous327
(cid:3)
News and Publications 328 (cid:3) Online Screenwriting Courses 331 (cid:3)
Research 333 (cid:3) Screenwriting Software 334 (cid:3) Script Libraries 336
(cid:3) Stores337 (cid:3) Writers Groups338
Glossary of Important Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339
Suggested Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345
Contest Submission Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349
Index of Contests by Genre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354
Alphabetical Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 356
About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 368
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ACKNOWLE DGMENTS
The best thing about the entertainment business is the people you
meet along the way. Of course it’s also true that the worst thing about
the entertainment business is the people you meet along the way (but we
won’t go there). Robin Harris, Carl Donahue, Bruce Fisher, Edward
Rogers, Sam Kearns, and Randy Irwin have all lent assistance, wisdom,
inspiration, goodwill, and common sense throughout this endeavor.
Without them it would have been impossible.
Gina Reed, Michael Aury Marks, Owen Stacy, Linda Verns, Robin
Meyer, and Lenny Ross have all taken time out of busy schedules to help
me track down leads, deadlines, names, credits, facts, and elements I may
have neglected, forgotten, or ignored. Pejman Partiveli, Liz Glotzer, Edgar
Bravo, John Banner, and Dean Simone have offered suggestions, input,
and encouraging words.
Cynthia Sherry had the faith to make it happen.
Lisa Rosenthal scanned, probed, corrected, deleted, and edited text
with an unerring eye and constant support. Her creative editing, feed-
back, and suggestions made all the difference.
Sharon Mahoney has been my inspiration, sounding board, and guid-
ing light throughout.
Linda McDonald has provided counsel, advice, enthusiasm, and
encouragement, all of which proved invaluable.
And finally, to the ones who continue to light the path: Preston
Sturges, Paddy Chayefsky, Joel and Ethan Coen, Elia Kazan, Julius and
Philip Epstein, Billy Wilder, Ernest Lehman, Charlie Kaufman, Ernst
Lubitsch, Jean Renoir, Sergio Leone, Ingmar Bergman, and Philip Barry.
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INTROD UCT IO N
You finished your script. That’s great! Now what?
In Hollywood it’s often said that everyone writes but no one reads.
Agents, managers, and even the most powerful producers seem to have
story ideas they’re working on, but getting them to read your script is
one of the most difficult tasks you will face as a writer. When I first
started working as a script analyst I was told that I was recommending
too many scripts. I liked fewer than 5percent! They didn’t wantto see a
recommendation because it meant they were going to have to do some-
thing. This gives you an idea of what you’re up against. Not only do they
not want to read your script, they’re also praying they won’t like it. Lik-
ing it would require getting involved, and getting involved means get-
ting it made, which is an uphill battle—even for a successful producer.
Yet producers, agents, managers, and executives will tell you without
fail, they’re desperately looking for a good story. Every weekend they
drag home piles of scripts searching for the one that makes them feel pas-
sionate, only to be disappointed time and again. As talented as many pro-
fessional screenwriters are, they also tend to be formulaic. They’ve
(cid:4) SCRIPT APPEAL (cid:4) Before you start sending out scripts, whether for a con-
test or to a contact in the industry, make sure your script is properly formatted.
No sky blue paper, no colored ink, no fancy typeface. Use black Courier 12-point
type on plain white paper with solid brass fasteners (not the cheap brass-
coated ones) and plain card-stock cover. If you want to be inventive and try
something new, do it in the writing, not the presentation. Make sure there are
no typos. Don’t give them a reason to toss your script.
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learned the shortcuts and they know what works, so they rely on this
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bag of tricks in creating their scripts. Unfortunately the formula
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approach will never create a great script, the kind that people can’t get
I
T out of their heads. There is simply no replacement for inspiration, and
C that often comes from the most unlikely places. So why doesn’t Holly-
U wood go out and seek material from nonprofessionals? Because Holly-
wood knows most amateur scripts are bad. They might have to review a
D
thousand to find the one truly original, inspired script that might be next
O
year’s hit, and they just don’t have the time or patience to search it out.
R
As a result, studios don’t review scripts. Instead, they rely on pro-
T
ducers to bring them quality material. This winnows down the number
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of submissions to a manageable level, and they know they won’t have to
I
look at scripts that are technically deficient. So how do you get to a pro-
ducer? You don’t. They have the same problem—they don’t want to be
deluged with scripts so they rely on literary agents to bring them qual-
ity material. If a good literary agency likes a writer enough to take him
or her on, that’s a badge of approval that impresses producers. So how do
you get to an agent? You don’t. The best agents aren’t interested in unpro-
duced writers. They only make money if you’re making money. If all
you’ve got is a nice smile and a few good lines, they’re not going to get
paid. So how does a new writer become a produced writer? That’s the
conundrum every writer faces, and there’s no simple answer.
The truth is Hollywood is devoted to shutting people out. You can’t
really blame them; the number of people interested in breaking into the
movie business is staggering. There has always been, and probably always
will be, something about the movie business that captures the collective
imagination. We reserve a special awe for the movies, and even the
biggest names in television, sports, and music—people already at the
peak of their profession—yearn for success in the movie business as
though it’s the truest measure of success.
As dire as this may seem, somewhere in Hollywood right now there’s
a writer with no more experience than you inking a $400,000deal for his
or her first script. People do succeed; people do break through the
defenses. The studios don’t want a thousand writers; they just want the
two or three good ones. To get there you’re going to have to beat out the
998others. If you’re not good enough, you’ll fail. If you don’t have faith
in your script, you’ll stumble. But if your script is good and you know it
so you’re persistent, then you’ll find opportunities. Just keep reminding
yourself that Hollywood needsnew material; they hungerfor it. The whole
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