Hosted by Hal Croasmun via teleconference.
We recently sat through this free, two-hour teleconference.
Hal kept us engaged with real-life examples from his own extensive history in the business. He seemed genuinely knowledgeable and sincere in helping aspiring writers find the right path into world of entertainment.
By the end, we came away with a few conclusions.
- If you’re new to the writer’s realm and are ready to start the process of marketing your wares, as we are, you really should consider this class.
- We have already discovered, what could equate to, a big mistake on our part.
- That mistake will hopefully, only cost us money.
Living outside of Los Angeles, New York, Canada, and London, we already have some marks in the losses column. Therefore, my partners and I will need to rely on our skills as writers, to get us in the door.
Once in, I believe managers and agents alike will discover a couple of writers ready to work in whatever capacity we can, even beyond that fateful day when we can say, “we’ve made it.”
The First Mistake:
With one script finished and polished, editorially, this course helped us realize that perhaps we aren’t done yet. We, and our editor, are not “in the business.” Therefore, our first mistake is, we thought we were done without purchasing coverage for our script.
The instructor mentioned a couple of go to service providers for coverage. They are Scriptapalooza Coverage Services and Script Pipeline. Rest assured, we will be looking into these services before sending another scrap of mail to anyone.
The Second Mistake:
We received a few rejections for the letters we recently sent out. They all say the same thing, “Unsolicited materials.” In short, they didn’t ask for and, therefore, won’t read our content. In fact, some of these things have been sent back unopened with that note attached.
We have decided that we really need a manager. A manager that can get us in the door, that wants to guide our journey, help us grow the right way, and most importantly, find us work in that part of the galaxy where we know we belong; work that will not only make them look good but keep us happily creating for years to come.
So, where do we go from here?
Well, we want to write. We know we can write and we want to help others write. Now we just need to get others to see that as well.
Education:
Good question. There is a course that ScreenwritingU offers, ProSeries Screenwriting. It is a six month course, all online, and when you’ve completed it, you become an “Alumni.” That is, a member of a group of writers that are aspiring to attain that echelon of entertainment greatness, same as us, or those that have already passed through the fire and emerged with an option, a deal, what have you.
We would like, very much to take that course. However, at $1,100.00 (USD) per person and each of us with families and day jobs, we may consider budgeting for the course and signing up next year.
Wait? Does that mean we’ll put our aspirations on hold? No way! As aspiring writers, we have a plethora of story ideas to work on in the meantime. Perhaps we can have another one or two stories ready by that time.
Coverage:
While working on getting better educated, we can certainly look into getting coverage on our already completed screenplay. Since we can only meet once per week, and only for a few hours, it will likely to take us several weeks to sift through the notes and make any changes that could be suggested. Regardless, for us, this will be a requirement going forward.
Manager/Agent:
After we’ve gotten our screenplay as polished as can be, it’s time to try and seek that elusive “Recommend.” Okay, okay. The author of this blog wasn’t even aware of the “Recommend, Pass, Consider” result of a submitted script. Another thing we learned during this class.
Looking more closely at the coverage services noted above, it would appear that a purchased coverage will result in this key evaluation. My understanding, though, is that it is not gospel and only reflects their opinion of the work submitted. So, if notes or areas of concern are returned, work out the fixes and try again.
In the end, it is the “Recommend” that is the key to unlocking doors to managers or agents.
So, there you go my brothers and sisters of the pen. If you think your screenplay is done and you haven’t gotten coverage, do so. Once you get that “Recommend,” head on over to IMDBPro.com and peruse the list of managers that might be willing to give your Recommend a look over.
Never give up! Never surrender! …and happy writing!