A Million Ways to Lose Money as a Writer

What’s the one thing all of us writers have in common?

There are any number of facetious responses to this question, but the serious one is this: at one point or another, someone has most likely tried to get money out of you with the supposed aim of “helping you”. If you’re lucky enough to be able to say “Not me” or even luckier to say “I haven’t given it to any of those who tried”, keep doing what you’re doing; but allow this post to act as a further cautionary tale.

But this is too big for one post. There is no way I can cover the number of ways people have attempted to bamboozle me in the past 10 years in just one post. There is no way I can cover the humiliation, panic and anger that comes with someone taking something you’ve worked so hard to get in just one post. This is going to be a series. I am going to share my personal anecdotes of how I have lost thousands in the past 10 years. And it’s going to be embarrassing. You know why? Because it’s difficult to admit that you’ve been had. No one wants to do that. It makes you look and feel stupid. And it makes others look at you condescendingly, thinking to themselves “Well, that would never happen to me.” But it could. Because it comes in many forms, and it preys off the desperation you can’t help but feel in this business. (I’ve already covered something as simple as the e-mail blast services for query letters. The promise of your query letter in the high-powered hands of hundreds of producers: for the low, low price of $100. It’s just that easy.)

It’s even tougher when you’re green and you don’t have anyone to ask “Hey, is this right?” Let’s flash back about 10 years ago to a younger, greener P.J; before I moved to LA. I was querying my first script and didn’t know a thing about how to do it. I was learning as I went. So, what’s the first thing I did? I used a shoddy e-mail query service. (::coughScriptblastercough::) I was immediately out a hundred bucks and didn’t get a single read off of it. So I started cold querying. And that’s how I met Mr. Eddie Kritzer: an “agent”. (I’m using his real name because the more Google hits Eddie Kritzer gets, the better.) Eddie Kritzer immediately broke the number one rule I would develop later on: Always judge someone by their website. (Says the guy who a couple entries back said not to speak in absolutes. Well, I’m taking a risk here.) It’s hard to “teach” someone how to spot a bad website; it’s really something you have to develop. But sometimes you just look at a website and you get that gut feeling that it’s bad. The organization is terrible…they’re still using Word Art for their titles…or it lacks basic information and just has a lot of flashy language. Simply put: if you have to convince yourself the website looks good…move on.

Mr. Eddie Kritzer personally called me after reading my script. He said he loved it. I asked him what he loved the most about it, and he told me he really liked the ironic ending. “Ironic ending?” I thought, “That’s odd…I didn’t know I wrote an ironic ending.” (I didn’t.) But I was still flattered. Ironic meant smart, right? So I took it as a compliment, not an obvious skirting of the question. He then went into a big spiel that ended with him saying that if I wanted him to represent me, I’d have to pay him $500. I don’t know why, but I distinctly remember sitting in the parking lot of the local Hallmark when he told me this. I guess you don’t forget the first place someone tries to screw you. I’m not going to lie, I came close to giving him the $500. But this story has a happy ending: I didn’t. I did my Google searches, asked a few people “Hey, are you supposed to pay your agent BEFORE they sell your script?”, and came to the conclusion that: No. No, you are not. So I didn’t. I saw Mr. Eddie Kritzer eating a bagel in Santa Monica about 5 years later. It took everything I had not to smack it to the ground.

The next time, unfortunately, I wouldn’t be so lucky, and I’d end losing roughly $400. But that’s another story…

About the writer: A talented writer and 10 year veteran of the industry, “P.J. McNeill” has seen it all (and he’s ready to kiss and tell.) Got a question, a comment or just general bile /praise you want to spew?  Email PJ at pjscriptblog@gmail.com. New to P.J. readership?  Click here for more articles!

* Not related in any way, shape or form to Seth MacFarlane

Hollywood

“I don’t write Hollywood films.”

I hear struggling writers say this all the time. And when they say it, they usually emphasize the word “Hollywood” with a healthy amount of bitterness; as if they’re above it. And I’m here to say, on behalf of someone who doesn’t write Hollywood (or mainstream, or whatever you want to call it) films: Stop it. Please. You’re making us look bad. You’re making it so I can’t say “I don’t write Hollywood films”, without making it look like I’m complaining that I haven’t “made it” because Hollywood doesn’t “get me”.

But I’m not complaining. Hollywood doesn‘t get me. And I’m fine with that. I’m not bitter. And you shouldn’t be either if Hollywood doesn’t get you. You should take pride in it, because odds are you’re doing something different and unique. And you’re now tasked with the slightly more difficult job of finding someone who sees your particular vision. Becoming a screenwriter is already hard enough, but being someone who doesn’t write “Hollywood” films is a bit trickier, in my humble opinion. If you write the next blockbuster and get it out there, odds are a lot more heads will turn in your direction. But when you write something that’s good but requires taking a chance, you’re left with finding that 1-in-100 person who can help you.

Remember the dark comedic farce I optioned? (The one I was told COULDN’T be optioned?) When it was all said and done, I did the math. I sent it to 3,000+ companies, agents, producers, etc. I had 63 requests to read it. Of those 63, only 35 got back to me to reject me after reading it. I was told things like “I like it, but I can’t make this.” and “I can’t see the market for this.” But in the end, all it took was one person willing to take a chance. It’s frustrating, but if you’re writing something that’s a little “out there”, you’ll need patience; even if it’s really good.

Now we get to the reason I’m writing this entry:

DO NOT

I repeat: DO NOT USE THIS AS AN EXCUSE TO WRITE GARBAGE

Don’t make “I don’t write Hollywood films” an excuse. It’s an explanation, not an excuse. If something isn’t working in your script, it’s not because you don’t write Hollywood films, it’s because it doesn’t work. I applaud you for soldiering on with your artistic vision, but don’t do it at the expense of quality. If multiple people are telling you something doesn’t work, don’t hide behind the fact that you don’t write “Hollywood films”. But on the flip-side, if you have something you’re damn proud of that a lot of people get behind you on (but doesn’t fit the traditional Hollywood mold), good for you; keep at it! Find that 1-in-100 to make it. And when people ask you why it hasn’t sold, proudly tell them: “It’s different. I don’t write Hollywood films, so it might take a bit longer to find someone. But I’m confident it will, because people really like it.”

And please stop with the bitterness. We all know Hollywood is turning into an assembly line of adaptations, reboots, sequels, prequels and franchises. When you rail against Hollywood, you’re not saying anything new, so just don’t say it. Use that energy to write. Because you know that if Harvey Weinstein called you up tomorrow and asked you to write Peeps: The Movie, you’d be all over that. I know I would.

About the writer: A talented writer and 10 year veteran of the industry, “P.J. McNeill” has seen it all (and he’s ready to kiss and tell.) Got a question, a comment or just general bile /praise you want to spew?  Email PJ at pjscriptblog@gmail.com. New to P.J. readership?  Click here for more articles!

The Logline List

I’m on vacation this week – in the beautiful, sunny Midwest – so this entry will be a short one.

One of the best bits of advice I ever received was on what to do when I can’t decide what my next screenplay should be about. I have a word document saved to my Dropbox called “Movie Ideas A-Go-Go” where I jot down any half or fully-fleshed out ideas I have. The problem is, I usually have trouble deciding what idea is worth pursuing when I’m gearing up to write my next script. So a pseudo-mentor of mine offered up this advice:

Take your 10 best ideas, put them as loglines in a list, and start handing the list out to people. Tell them to pick their 3 favorite ideas. Write the one that gets the most votes.

This is how I picked the last two screenplays I wrote, and I’m so glad I did. It allowed me to see which loglines really clicked with people (you know, people: the ones that will be shelling out cash to see the finished product), and which ones needed work. If a logline wasn’t generating a lot of votes, it didn’t necessarily mean that the idea was bad, it just meant that maybe it wasn’t as clearly defined as I thought it was. (If anything, the exercise is a great excuse to really hone your loglines.)

But it went beyond that: When I handed the list out, I had a drama logline that received ZERO votes. I was shocked, because I thought it was a really great idea. So I started talking it over with a friend, and realized that the idea might actually be better suited for comedy. So I switched the genre (not the idea), and suddenly it was generating a lot of interest. It was such a simple switch, but it quickly redefined the entire screenplay. If you really think the idea has legs, just tinker with it a bit and figure out what’s not sitting right with people.

One interesting twist I did with the list this time around was leaving off the genres. I told people not only to pick their favorite logline, but to tell me what genre came to mind for them when they read it.   I was surprised to find that a comedy idea I was particularly keen on was being seen by everyone as a horror film instead.

So, give this little exercise a try. Because remember: these are most likely the same people you’ll be pestering to read your script in a few months, so it helps to know they’ll WANT to read it.

About the writer: A talented writer and 10 year veteran of the industry, “P.J. McNeill” has seen it all (and he’s ready to kiss and tell.) Got a question, a comment or just general bile /praise you want to spew?  Email PJ at pjscriptblog@gmail.com. New to P.J. readership?  Click here for more articles!

Absolutes

I hate people who speak in absolutes. (Ironic, I know.)

When I was learning how to write, a lot of other writers would speak in absolutes when offering their critiques. “You absolutely can’t do this,” and “You absolutely can’t do that.” Some of these things included:

• You MUST start with FADE IN:.
• The inciting incident MUST happen by page 12. (or 10….or 15…or 8)
• You CAN NOT have any orphans in your script. (single words on a line)
• You CAN NOT have more than 3 lines in a paragraph.
• You CAN NOT interject any witty asides for the reader.
• You MUST always show, never tell.

The list goes on; trust me. And you know what I found when sending my script out? No. One. Cares. No one cares about most of these supposed rules. You know what the #1 rule really is? Be entertaining. If you’re boring them, then yes, they might start to care that you’re breaking a “rule” or two, but if you’ve grabbed them with your story they won’t have time to care.

Awhile back I started religiously reading professional screenplays and found that almost every single one broke a whole host of “rules”. “But P.J., those are established professionals. They are allowed to break the rules.” Ok, then crack open the Black List and start finding those scripts. You know what you’ll find when you read them? Rule breakers! All of them! And these are writers who, with the exception of a few, are NOT established, but are catching the eyes of a lot of heavy-hitters in Hollywood.

Side Note: Speaking of the Black List, a game screenwriters like to play is to take another writer’s sold/optioned screenplay and tell you all the stuff that’s wrong with it. (It’s half the reason Script Shadow exists – a website that traffics in absolutes) Whenever the Black List comes along, you’ll find numerous writers tearing apart the works contained within. It carries into other industries too. I used to work for a trailer house, and I would always be amazed at how much negativity was thrown at other companies’ finished trailers. And to me, with screenplays and trailers alike: why not look at what WORKED in the scripts/trailers and think about why that particular item sold? It’s way more productive than bitterly ripping it apart. It sold. Figure out why.

Back to absolutes: Blake Snyder (RIP) said in his book Save the Cat that something huge ALWAYS has to happen on page 25. Always. In fact, he even said he would flip scripts open to page 25 just to see if something big was happening, only to close them if there was nothing. What kind of wack-a-doo policy is that? I’m not going to be so bold as to say that Blake Snyder’s structure is garbage, because it’s not. His structure and beats are solid, I just don’t think they need to be as strict as he laid out. I think when you start arguing about specific page numbers, you’ve run out of useful things to say. (Unless your inciting incident is on page 50…then you should probably re-write it.)

When you speak in absolutes, it can have the tendency to stifle creativity. There are lots of DON’Ts, CAN’Ts and NEVERs thrown around. When I was in the re-drafting stage of my screenplay, I sat down with a professional, working writer and asked for his notes. He told me that my script was a “dark comedy farce”, and that you can’t do that. He said you can have a dark comedy, or a farce, but you can’t have them together. It won’t work in this market. I was devastated, because this was the story I wanted to tell. A month later I optioned the script.

I’m not naïve. I know you need some rules. And you could run into the same bitter script reader I talked about in the last entry who’s tossing out scripts that don’t have a catalyst on exactly page 12. So maybe it IS better to play it safe. But the next script reader could think it’s page 10, and then you’re really screwed. You just don’t know. And anyone who tells you that they DO know is trying to sell you something; be it a service or themselves. When we all start trying to uniform our scripts to the strictest degree, we run the risk of pulling our own voice out of them. They become stale, predictable, and most of all boring to read. But if we mix things up, we keep the field interesting and have the potential to be the next “little script that could”. Maybe the reason a dark comedic farce would work is because people aren’t expecting it. Or maybe I’ll fall flat on my face. But at least I’ll have my integrity. That’ll feed my family, right?

About the writer: A talented writer and 10 year veteran of the industry, “P.J. McNeill” has seen it all (and he’s ready to kiss and tell.) Got a question, a comment or just general bile /praise you want to spew?  Email PJ at pjscriptblog@gmail.com. New to P.J. readership?  Click here for more articles!

The Pitfalls of Querying

Talent really will only get you so far. I’ve heard a lot of cocky people say “Well, if (insert person’s name here) were talented, they would have made it by now. Good material always rises to the top.” No. No, it does not. Don’t get me wrong: you need talent. But you also need a healthy dose of luck. Luck that your screenplay will fall into the right hands. Normally you don’t know the sensibilities of the person reading your script. You could be sending your comedy to a reader who only likes horror films. Or your reader could just be having a bad day, and decide to hate every screenplay that starts with a noun. You just don’t know.

Let me tell you how my last script was optioned. I sent a query directly to the head of development and she requested a read. She then sent the script to her reader. The reader provided coverage on it that told her to pass, and about 4 months later, I received a rejection. (Yes, it can sometimes take THAT long – or even longer – to get a response). 2 months later the head of development reached back out to me and asked if they could option the script. Wait, what? It turns out that she couldn’t get the premise for my script out of her head and so she went back and read the script herself…2 months later. I was never told why the reader passed on my script, but the story could have easily ended there. And for most, it does. In fact, I don’t believe I’ve ever heard of a scenario like this. Normally, when something is rejected, they can’t move on fast enough. What happened was luck, plain and simple. You could say it was just because my premise was strong, but I don’t buy it. A lot of stuff had to fall in place for this to happen, and it could have just as easily gone the other way.

Real quick: notice in the last paragraph I said the head of development. I made sure, when I was sending out my query letter, to do the leg-work and find out who the head of development was (Thank you, once again, 2 week free trial at IMDB Pro) and send her an e-mail directly. DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT send to INFO e-mail addresses. It’s an absolute waste of time, and quite frankly, just a bit lazy. Anyone can guess an info e-mail address. Say the production company is Workshop Productions. Then my guess is their INFO e-mail is info@workshopproductions.com. And do you know who that e-mail is going to? No one. There’s a reason all companies put this on their website in lieu of actual contact information. It’s to give you the illusion that you might be reaching someone. (Note: I am not interested in receiving a couple anecdotal stories about INFO e-mail addresses you might have gotten a response from. I will still 100% believe you should do the work and find direct e-mail addresses.)

So, back to the story: why did the script reader pass? Who knows. John August (writer of Go, Big Fish) used to be a script reader and once wrote about the time Quentin Tarantino’s original draft of Natural Born Killers landed on his desk. He thought it was so good, he finished it, flipped right back to the beginning, and read it again. But he passed on it. Why? Because he was too scared to pass it up to his boss. It was too different. Too unique. And even though he thought it was brilliant, he didn’t have the guts to pass it up the chain, for fear it didn’t fit the current Hollywood mold. And I don’t blame him, honestly. Every reader is putting his/her seal of approval on any script that they RECOMMEND. They’re saying, “Hey, executive with a million other things to do: take an hour or so out of your day to read this script.” I’m not telling this story because I think it was the case with my script, but instead to point out that the factors for WHY your script could be passed up are so varied, you could get a PASS even if they love it. How messed up is that? (My guess is that they passed on my script because the main character spent half the story unconscious; something the production company that optioned it would later change.)

Or the reader could have been a cynical writer, frustrated with his or her own failures. You know another twisted irony of this business? The same people we’re competing against hold the keys to our success. All the hungry, young writers who come out here get jobs as script readers as they try to peddle their own material. So naturally, they’re inclined to think that their stuff is better and everything they read is garbage. Try talking to a script reader at a party sometime, and listen to all that bitterness as they write off 99% of what they read as garbage, but then quickly begin to talk up their own work.

So it all comes back to luck, mixed with the talent to follow through. But don’t give up. The odds are stacked against you (as any screenwriting book’s introductory chapter will gladly tell you), but don’t give up. If you give up, then your high school English teacher was right all along. And you’ll lose out on the satisfaction of some day being able to send her a cake with the words “Eat it, Miss Mudie.” written across it in frosting. And she’ll be hurt, but think she at least has the consolation of a delicious cake to eat. But then she’ll cut into it and be met with immediate disappointment when she finds out it’s red velvet. Because honestly, who the hell likes red velvet?

About the writer: A talented writer and 10 year veteran of the industry, “P.J. McNeill” has seen it all (and he’s ready to kiss and tell.) Got a question, a comment or just general bile /praise you want to spew?  Email PJ at pjscriptblog@gmail.com. New to P.J. readership?  Click here for more articles!

As you may already know, we’re a varied bunch at STS.  Our main focus is – and will continue to be – showcasing scripts.  Short and Sweet.  Feature lengths, long and hard (um, okay… that came out WAY wrong.)

But in addition to the reviews, we’ll also be presenting interviews with directors and writers, book reviews, and various articles about the script writing industry.  Today, we’re honored to present to you our featured guest writer “P.J. McNeill” – a talented writer and 10 year veteran of the industry.  This guy’s seen it all.  So sit back – enjoy the read. And learn a little something today.  (And for alot of foreseeable Fridays to come.)

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Querying

I was once at a dinner party, talking with a writer who had just sold something to Sony. My interest, naturally, piqued upon hearing this. “How? Did you query a lot of producers?”, I asked. He arched an eyebrow. Clearly the term “query” was lost on him. “No, I just gave it to a friend…and they gave it to a friend…and THEY gave it to a friend, until it wound up in the hands of an agent.” I stared back at him in shock. Then he said “Honestly, I don’t even know who gave it to the agent.” His nonchalance made me want to ram my plate of hors d’oeuvres in his face.

Those of us not lucky enough to just release a script out into the ether and have it immediately sell are left with the dreaded query letter. Over the last 10 years, I must have sent out a couple thousand query letters. I do not have an agent or a manager (but believe me, I’ve tried), so I’m left with the task of pitching my material myself. (Side Note: A few months after my infant daughter was born, my wife and I were approached by a talent agent; looking to represent her. We declined, but as we were walking away, my wife said, “4 months old, and she would have had an agent before you.” Ha…ha.)

When I first started writing query letters, I would send these long, bulky letters that I’m almost 100% positive no one read. They were boring to write, so I’m sure they were boring to read. It was only several years later that I realized I needed to do something special. Something that stood out from the one-hundred-some e-mails producers must receive every-single-day. I won’t go into detail what I did, but suffice it to say, I received the most reads I had every gotten from a query blast, and optioned my script within a couple months. It’s important to stand out. It’s such an obvious piece of advice, but I ignored it for YEARS. I just thought “Hey, my work speaks for itself.” Well, no…no, it doesn’t.

It’s also worth mentioning that you need to strike a balance. Get a producer’s attention, but don’t go too far. There’s the obvious example of the guy who left his script in a briefcase at an agency in LA (that was subsequently blown up by the bomb squad – the script, not the agency). Run your idea by a few people before executing it. Ask them “Will this make me look like a nutjob?”

Avoid query e-mail blast services. It’s all a crock; believe me, I’ve spent money on them (Future article title: Don’t Spend Money). Don’t get me wrong, they’ll hold up their end of the bargain: they’ll send your query letter to a BUNCH of people; I just wouldn’t expect them to be quality. The way these services get you is by showing you an incomprehensibly large list of producers/agents/companies and expecting you to just give them your money without looking into it; which I didn’t do…AT FIRST. After the service provided me NOTHING in return, I looked into the people on their list. Most of them either a.) hadn’t produced anything in YEARS, or b.) had no real connection to the film industry at all. You’re better off getting a subscription to IMDBPro (or if you’re cheap like me, the 2 week trial) and doing your own work yourself. That way YOU control who you’re e-mailing. It takes a lot of time, but it’s worth it.

So, to sum up: if you’re ever at a party and some writer is going on and on about his recent sell as if it’s no big thing, just take your plate of hors d’oeurves, get a good solid grip on the plate…and offer it to them.  Then give them whatever the hell they want.  Seriously, screw querying.  Just make a powerful friend.  It’s a lot easier.

Contact info: Got a question, a comment or just general bile (or overwhelming praise) you want to spew?  Email PJ at pjscriptblog@gmail.com,  If you’re nice, you might just get an hors d’oeuvre! New to P.J. readership?  Click here for more articles!

Mark Renshaw has put together a guide based on his personal experiences in script and movie festivals.

Please also follow the discussion on this as well as other articles written by Anthony Cawood and P.J. McNeill.

Mark writes…

The below ‘guide’ is based on my own personal experience submitting scripts and short movies to festivals over the past 12 months. Take from it what you will.

You’ve created a masterpiece. Maybe it is a script Tarantino would go medieval on your ass to own, or maybe you’ve managed to get a script produced into an ass-kicking-awesome movie. You’ve written your Oscar speech and hired your mom to be your Manager. What now?

Well, you could enter a film festival to show the world (especially JJ Abrams) what you are capable of. What are your options?

There are over 3000 film festivals worldwide. That number is growing exponentially; a bit like my stomach as I eat those bags of chocolate that are ‘big enough to share’ but I ain’t sharing pal! The point is, there are so many it’s impossible to track. Luckily there are websites which specialise in this area.

Festival Submission Websites

The two main contenders are Withoutabox and FilmFreeway. Both list thousands of festivals, provide various tools to help you create your projects, upload materials and browse/submit to the festivals.

Withoutabox has been going since the dawn of time (2000), you can tell by their archaic design. In 2008 they were bought out by IMDB. So the good news here is you get an IMDB title page/credit for every eligible submission. The bad news; the website is user unfriendly, they’ve been slow to keep up with changes in technology and there have been complaints about overcharging. Personally I don’t like them. I’ve had submissions go missing and others where the status has not updated, so I’ve had to contact the organisers direct to sort things out.

Filmfreeway is the new kid on the block. It doesn’t have as many festivals available as Withoutabox but the list is growing all the time. It’s more modern looking and is constantly adding new functionality in response to feedback. Personally I prefer it. I’ve had a good user experience so far. I wouldn’t be surprised though if Withoutabox buys them out once they’ve reached a certain size.

How much will submissions cost?

Withoutabox and Filmfreeway are free to join, free to use but the entry fee for each festival varies and is based on a tiered system. The key here is to get in early. Some festivals start accepting over a year in advance and most offer an early bird discount. If it’s a Seasame Street festival I’m sure they’ll offer a Big Bird discount, but I digress…again. From this point on the prices rise steadily through a tiered range as time goes by.

To save some cash it is also worth following some festivals on social media, as they do randomly throw out discount promo codes.

Some festivals are free! If you use the advanced search options, you can set the price filter to $0 . Be careful though, some of these are only free under special circumstances, like if you are a student or a wizard with a lisp or something.

Which Festivals should I enter?

This is where you are going to have to do your research. Festivals will gladly accept any script or movie you submit. They’ll gleefully accept your money, while dribbling saliva down their chins like rabies infected baboons. However, as soon as they start trawling through the thousands of submissions, they will reject yours faster than a fast thing that’s been fast for a very long time, if it doesn’t meet their criteria.

Let me put it this way, it’s no use submitting a script about a blind albino transgender Jew in war- torn Nazi Germany, who has a secret love affair with Hitler’s briefcase, to a sci-fi festival is it? And yet you will be surprised how many people pick festivals at random.

It’s not just the genre. Some festivals focus on a certain theme, others specialise in supporting a cause or championing a specific gender. I saw one which specifically said in the small print they only accepted submissions where you could prove it was a collaborative project involving people from different countries. Yet, the rest of the promotional material did not state this rule.

The other aspect to consider, what are the prizes? If you just want to promote your work, get some awards, any festival will do. There’s nothing like bragging rights, right? However if you want a way into the industry, if you are looking to get an agent, win a professional table read or if you want cash, then only certain key festivals offer such rewards. Be warned though, the competition for these is fierce!

So before parting with your hard earned cash:

• Read ALL the rules and criteria for the festival. It’s easy to get caught out by a stipulation.
• Research the festival! The promotional page makes it look super professional and slick but go to their actual website and it may look like something a demented child has hacked together with a hammer and a jar of marmite. Do you really trust your work and money to a festival that can’t even put together a decent website?
• Review some of the previous qualifying/winning entries. If last year’s winning entry was a black and white silent film showing a slug’s life over 24 hours, should you submit that romantic comedy?

What are my chances?

Here is the mule kicker. Entering and paying a fee doesn’t get you into the festival. It’s gets you a consideration; that’s it. You can pay a small fortune and simply end up with a load of rejections with no explanation as to why.

What festivals will never, ever do, is inform you of your chances of being accepted. The promotional material makes it all sound glamorous, exciting and within your grasp. Just remember it is all marketing aimed at trying to generate as much money as possible.

Let me throw some figures at you – this is based on independent movie submissions only, I don’t have any actual figures for script submissions.

• Manchester (UK) International Film Festival – This is their first year. They’ve had over 1000 submissions with only 20 slots available.

• Palm Springs (LA) Film Festival – Over 3400 submissions.

• Sundance – 200 slots available – woo hoo! Over 9000 submissions – WTF?

With so many entries, it’s hard to fathom how they could possible review each one and give each their full attention. From the stories I’ve heard some festivals don’t. Mere mortals like us have no idea which festivals review each entry fairly and which just take your money and run.

So unless your work has the backing of a big player, a recognised actor or a major Indy studio is involved who could promote your work, it’s worth considering:

Online festivals – They have more slots compared to traditional venues and the festival can run over longer periods of time.

Smaller, specialised festivals – Sure they may not be as glamourous as Cannes but there are less submissions to contend with.

Feedback Festivals – Some festivals provide feedback! So even if they reject it, you’ll know they gave your submission the attention it deserves and you will know why you got rejected. Please note, some festivals charge a hefty extra fee for feedback but some provide this service as standard.

New Festivals – These are trying to establish themselves, they’ll be wanting to make a good impression in their first year, get as many submissions as possible and therefore the rules for acceptance may be less strict.

Super Secret Tip!

If you’ve read this far, well done! You win a straw donkey! Plus, I’ll let you in on something I’ve only recently discovered. The GOOD festivals actually want you to engage with them direct!

Shocking I know. It’s easy to leave the communication between the third-parties like FilmFreeway, I did for a long time and ended up with a lot of rejections. I’ve come to realise that once you’ve submitted your project, the best thing you can do is get hold of the festival’s email address, tell them a bit about yourself, tell them about the project you’ve entered and even tell them how it’s doing/done in other festivals.
I’ve only used this method for the past few weeks and already I’m receiving great engagement from the festivals via email and on social media. Will this increase my chances? Who knows? Time will tell but it can’t hurt to try.

If you have any personal experiences to share please do so.

Best of luck, unless you are entering the same festivals as me! If you do, may your submission supernaturally explode and I win by default.

-Mark

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