HOW TO GET A PRODUCER TO READ YOUR MOVIE SCRIPT (In the Entertainment industry.)

The-Ultimate Pre Production Checklist Photo Credit Studio Binder

HOW TO GET A PRODUCER TO READ YOUR MOVIE SCRIPT (In the Entertainment industry.)

Bruce Bisbey…please follow me at: https://dumbdogproductionsllc.blogspot.com or https://www.facebook.com/DumbDogProductionsLLC/ thank you.

How to Get a Producer to Read Your Movie Script

FIRST ARTICLE BY KEN DAVENPORT – THE PRODUCERS PERSPECTIVE

SECOND ARTICLE BY PERSEPHONE VANDEGRIFT

BY KEN DAVENPORT

How To Get A Producer To Read Your Script. (Updated 2018).

As someone who gets a minimum of 10 script submissions a week, I can tell you first hand that I know how hard it is to get a Producer to read your script and give it even 1/10th of the time and energy that you gave when you wrote it.

So what can you do to get that Producer to take that first step to producing your show and actually sit down and read your script?

Here are five tips on how to get a Producer to read your script:

1.  THE ASSISTANT APPROACH

Surprise, surprise, most people who work in Producers’ offices love plays and musicals, and have similar tastes to their boss, or at least know what the boss likes or doesn’t like (no one in my office is bringing me absurdist operas about Dadaism and its effect on South African monkeys).

Odds are that these people don’t get a minimum of 10 scripts a week sent to them like the guy or gal with their name on the door.  So find a way to get your script to them (which will probably make them feel pretty special and they’ll be even more inclined to like it).  If they do read it, and if they do like it, they’ll have 40+ hours a week to push it to the Producer.  If the Producer has already hired that person, then they already trust them, so odds are high that he or she will read it.  I know I’d read anything that my staff asked me to.

2.  THE TREATMENT APPROACH

Time is moolah, so sitting down (or standing up) and reading a script is a major investment for someone with a busy schedule.  I once did NOT read a play simply because it was 187 pages.  It could have been the next August: Osage County, but the thought of flipping 187 pages when I looked at my schedule made me throw up in my mouth (BTW, I did give it to an associate to read, and it was NOT August: Osage County).  The last thing you want is the taste of vomit in a Producer’s mouth before they’ve even glanced at your script.

Why not send a paragraph or one page treatment to whet the appetite of the Producer.  Or just send one of the best scenes (Producers tend to make up their minds quickly about plays and if your first few pages don’t grab the reader . . . don’t start by sending the whole play which starts with the first few pages!!!)

Along with the treatment, include a postage-paid postcard with a box to check to request the full play, or ask him or her to reply to an email if he or she wants to read the full play.  Not every show is for every Producer, and that doesn’t mean it’s a bad script.  God knows, the Dadaism opera could be the next Jersey Boys, but

I still wouldn’t want to produce it.  Why waste the Producer’s time and the Earth’s trees if the show isn’t a concept that appeals to the Producer?

Anyone can read a page.  Bait the Producer.  Get him or her to ask YOU for something.  Make them beg for it.  It’ll put a little psychological power back in your court.

3.  THE PRODUCTION APPROACH

Produce the show.  Anywhere.  Anyhow.  Produced shows have more value.  I don’t care if it was up at a community theater, a black box on the lower-east side, or in your college dorm room.  Get it up, and tell me that it was up, and show me some good reviews.  A few random quotes from a Philadelphia paper is what got me interested in the book writer of Altar Boyz‘s work.  Without those quotes, he and I never would have met, and the show wouldn’t be the same.

It doesn’t even matter what the production values were like or if you only sold 2 tickets.  Just give me the highlights . . . like a (here we go) baseball game on the 11 PM news.  Show me the game happened.  Show me that you won.  And show me a couple of great ‘plays’.  But I don’t need to know everything.

4.  THE PAY THE PRODUCER TO READ IT APPROACH.

Just kidding.  😉

5.  THE CONTEST APPROACH.

Can’t get a show up?  Win a contest.  There are zillions of playwriting contests out there.  Enter a few.  Win a lot.  Slap that seal of approval all over your cover page that you send with your one-pager.  Awards are cool and even if it’s from an organization I’ve never heard of, it still makes Producers sit up and take notice.  (By the way, contest deadlines are also great ways to motivate yourself to finish something if you’re having trouble setting a deadline for yourself)

There are many other ways to get Producers to read your script.  Just put yourself in their shoes.  Imagine that they don’t know you or what it took to write your baby.  What would make you read it?

Oh, and what do you do if you try all this, and do your follow up, and they still say they don’t want to read your script?

Move on.  #$*& (’em.  You can thank them for passing on it when you win your Tony Award, because there was obviously someone better suited to produce it.

You just have to get that person to read it.

(Oh, and before you try to get a Producer to read your script, make sure that script is ready for reading!  You only get one chance to make that first impression, so make sure your script is tuned up and the best it can be before submitting.  I suggest you do readings, have friends read it, and I also strongly suggest getting your hands on my “How to Self-Diagnose Your Script Execution Plan!” Click here to snag your copy now!  All this will prevent your script from just getting tossed on the stack.)

BY PERSEPHONE VANDEGRIFT

First of all, do not fall into the trap of just sending your script out to any and every producer. Anyone can say they are a producer, you should always do your research on him/her first!

The only way I have found to get a producer to read your script is to call the production company and ask if they are looking for new scripts. If you have already have had a film produced, be it short or full length, then you will know what a producer will expect. A producer already has a hundred things on his/her plate, so make sure that your script is the best it can be before you slide it into that envelope.

Another avenue to explore is to have a literary agent. There are many producers who will not look at a script unless it has the backing of an agent. This does not mean you should go a make up your own pretend agent. That would be one way of getting yourself ostracized! A good agent can get your script out of the slush pile and right onto the producer's desk.

Attending film festivals is also a way to hook up with producers. If you see a film you like and the producer is there, be respectful and approach him/her with caution. Always have your business card handy and, if you get a chance to pitch your script, make sure it is a well-rehearsed pitch. Even the smaller film festivals are worth attending as you never know when you will run into a small-time producer poised to hit the big time. If the producer likes your pitch and wants you to send the script in, make sure you state in your cover letter where you met and when. This will help jog their memory. It is very rare to go straight to the top producer unless you know someone who knows someone. Or if you have a well-known actor for a best mate.

It can take up to four-six months for you to hear back from a producer. Be patient. It is difficult to wait for a response, but during this time you should be working on your next script. If another producer wants to read your script at the same time, you should inform him/her that 'so and so' is also having a read of it. Perhaps drop a line to that original producer letting them know that a copy of your script has also been requested by another producer. Some say you should not submit your script to various companies at the same time, which is difficult because that would cut down your chances to be produced.

Before submitting to another producer I have always called my 'first' one to ask if this is permissible. If they say no, then that is fine, but it is the communication that matters. No producer wants to be kept in the dark. Sometimes the two producers might even know each other and strike up a conversation about this 'great' script they received and then come to find out it is the exact same script!

Make sure that your script is properly formatted, no frilly ribbons, or colored paper. It is exciting to finish a script and in your giddiness you want to send it out as soon as possible. But do not forget that the film industry is a serious business. You as a writer are your own business and therefore you must always double and triple check your work before you send it out. The producer is all about making money and that means you have got to be serious about your ideas and show your commitment to your cause. Of course, it is an imaginative business too.

We have all witnessed the effects of a well written story; however, learn to contain your excitement when speaking to a producer. I do not mean be morose or so aloof that folks will turn their back on you. But if you are fawning over and spitting on him/her because you just can not contain yourself during this golden opportunity, then you will end up being dismissed. Producers can do this in the blink of an eye because they have had to learn how to read people, and how to know when someone is talking out of their backside.

Some things to remember when face to face with a producer:

Know your story better than you know yourself.

Smile. Comment on the film or films they have just made that you liked.

Ask if he/she is looking for new scripts. Stay calm if they are.

Pitch your script concisely and eloquently.

Have your business card ready.

Make sure your script is the best it can be.

Be passionate and committed to your talent and what you have to offer.

And keep going. Do not give up after the first rejection, you will get better as you go along. You will also learn a lot more about the business with each new encounter.

Best of luck!

About Persephone Vandegrift

Persephone Vandegrift is an award-winning screenwriter, playwright, producer, and fiction writer. She is the co-writer and producer of MYTHFEST – A one-act play dedicated to women in classical mythology now on the Fringe festival circuit. She is the writer of the multi award-winning screenplay, Death Of A Mortal Woman, and WW2 TV pilot, Esther’s Den.

You can watch All Things Hidden online at: www.allthingshidden.com and check out its Independent Music Award-Winning soundtrack here.

Persephone can be contacted on Twitter: @Persephwrites

Sources, References & Credits: Bruce Bisbey, Google, Wikipedia, Wikihow, WikiBooks, Pinterest, IMDB, Linked In, Indie Wire, Film Making Stuff, Hiive, Film Daily, New York Film Academy, The Balance, Careers Hub, The Numbers, Film Maker, TV Guide Magazine, Blurb, Media Match, Future Learn, Quora, Creative Skill Set, Chron, Investopedia, Variety, No Film School, How Stuff Works, WGA, BBC, Daily Variety, The Film Agency, Best Sample Resume, How Stuff Works, Bright Hub, Career Trend, Producer's Code of Credits, Truity, Production Hub, Producers Guild of America, Film Connection, Variety, Wolf Crow, Get In Media, Production Beast, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros, UCAS, Frankenbite, Realty 101, Liberty Me, Careers Hub, Sokanu, Raindance, Film Connection, Cast & Crew, Entertainment Partners, My Job Search, Prospects, David Mullich, Gear Shift, Video University, Oxford Dictionaries’, Boredom Therapy, The Bold Italic, Meets the Eye Studio, The Guardian, Elliot Grove, Jones on art, Creative Plant, Studio Binder, Film Tool Kit, Still Motion, Film Under Ground, Steves Digicams, Improve Photography, Guy Nockels, Namib Films, Film Support, Screen Craft, Movie Outline, Persephone Vandegrift, Ken Davenport – The Producers Perspective,

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The-Ultimate Pre Production Checklist Photo Credit Studio Binder