Alex Ferrari 0:00
So in the present day we will speak in regards to the high 10 screenwriting scams to keep away from. Now on the indie movie hustle podcast, I’ve talked at nauseum about scams within the distribution area within the manufacturing area. But I’ve by no means spoken in regards to the scams within the screenwriting area. And my God, there are quite a lot of them. I used to be speaking to an expert Screenwriter The different day, and he talked about certainly one of these scams that we will discuss. And it sort of obtained me obtained me considering, I used to be like, I am unable to First of all, I am unable to consider that that is a factor. And he is like, Oh, yeah, it is a factor. All proper, and I obtained taken by it. When I first began out. I used to be like, holy cow. So I began doing analysis, and located so many scams which you can keep away from as a screenwriter. So let’s begin off with primary, the free possibility. That’s whenever you possibility your screenplay to a producer, when I’m going to make use of that time period, quote, producer totally free. You’re mainly simply giving your your rights to your screenplay for 12 months or so if it’s important to try this. Generally talking, if they can not afford to pay you some kind of possibility, a price upfront, then they in all probability cannot produce your movie. That’s a basic assertion. Now with that stated, although, we will be having a visitor approaching within the subsequent few weeks, who tells a narrative. He’s an expert screenwriter, and he tells a narrative of how he did give a free possibility, nevertheless it was to a really respected producer who had huge, huge credit, and had you recognize, labored with huge stars. And it wasn’t a free possibility. It was a growth deal. So they might not pay him for the concept of the screenplay. But they might develop the screenplay collectively. And in the event that they did not produce it, the screenwriter had all of the rights. Back to them, and you’ll go and store it round else. So for him, that story labored out very effectively, as a result of he obtained a masterclass on the best way to work at a a lot larger degree than he had been working along with his skilled producer and producer groups coping with notes, figuring out characters, coping with manufacturing prices, and like, you recognize, simply since you write, the person will get thrown out the constructing out the window, you do not perceive what that price is, and issues like that, that he discovered throughout that course of. So in that case, it made quite a lot of sense. But typically talking, when you give away a free choice to your screenplay, that’s not one thing that you need to be doing. Next quantity two, Agent studying charges. This is the place an agent and or supervisor prices you to learn your script. Now, I wish to make this very clear, there isn’t any respected agent or supervisor that can ever ask you for cash to learn a script. It shouldn’t be one thing that’s performed within the enterprise within the skilled aspect of the enterprise. It can also be unlawful for brokers to cost upfront charges and the state of California. So be very, very cautious. Numerous new screenwriters is not going to know the distinction. And they will say, Oh, effectively, you recognize, I’m actually busy. But if you need me to learn it, I cost $50 simply to learn your screenplay. And and that is it, however you do not actually have a assure that you will even learn it or do something with it. So please keep away from that in any respect prices as effectively. Number three, script consultants that demand a again finish minimize. Now, there’s quite a lot of script consultants on the market, a few of them are very scammy. Many of them are excellent. I like to recommend a bunch on my website which might be very respected and are literally there to assist. screenwriters work via their their course of, their script, their story, scripts, consultants and script. Doctors I really feel are a wonderful useful resource when you discover the correct ones. But a few of these scammers will ask for again finish participation on on a script. So it signifies that if I’m a script marketing consultant and also you rent me to seek the advice of in your script that I demand is a part of our settlement that I get again in participation on that script if it is ever bought and or produced. And even a few of them go farther, to ask for partial credit score, in the event that they work on the script with you to be a co author with you on it. If something like this occurs whenever you’re coping with a script marketing consultant, please run away. Number 4 screenwriting advertising and marketing companies. There’s quite a lot of these little firms and guys who’ve popped up in this sort of cottage trade, of selling companies for screenwriters. And once I say that script like advertising and marketing companies for screenwriters, I’m not speaking about branding your self as a screenwriter or something like that. But speaking about promoting your screenplay, advertising and marketing your screenplay to the trade. So among the issues that they do is the the final fee to ship log traces to tons of of producers on their e mail checklist. And then very would possibly effectively ship these log traces to the 100 producers however there is not any assure that anybody will ever take a look at that log line and or act upon that logline which means request something, there aren’t any ensures. There’s additionally no want for storyboards to your unproduced screenplay. If you are attempting to promote a screenplay to a manufacturing firm or get a director hooked up. Do not spend cash or advertising and marketing companies for storyboard creation for this challenge. It is a ineffective and waste of time. It is except you’re the director concerned with that screenplay. And you are attempting to construct out a bundle that promote the entire the entire movie. That’s a distinct story all collectively. But when you’re only a screenwriter, and attempting to get your screenplay seen, don’t spend cash on storyboards. It doesn’t make any sense by any means. Next, a screenplay doesn’t want a web site. Do not create or pay anybody to create a web site to advertise your screenplay. That shouldn’t be performed. And it is sort of ridiculous. So please do not try this. And additionally don’t produce or pay anybody to provide a trailer to your screenplay. Again, when you’re the director, it is a completely different dialog. But when you’re a screenwriter attempting to get your screenplay seen, or optioned by a producer, manufacturing firm and or director would not have any don’t pay Anyone to provide a trailer for that screenplay, it doesn’t make any sense. Number 5, screenwriting contest guarantees. Now, screenwriting contests generally have a sort of checkered previous. Because all of it will depend on the screenwriting contest you are submitting to. Some are extraordinarily respected, some are absolute scams and cash grabs. So it is advisable to do your homework. A few issues it is advisable to look out for to sort of provide you with an concept that the screenwriting contest won’t be on the up and up is after they say that wish to be producers could also be on the lookout for financing for the winner of this movie. That means nothing, it means completely nothing. Possible curiosity from a quote unquote producer means nothing. It is a promise, it’s an empty promise. There is nothing tangible behind it. When they are saying a producer says that they’re going to learn your screenplay. Again, no assure means nothing on the finish of the day. And additionally pre manufacturing. Oh, any script that we get goes to go straight into pre manufacturing. Pre manufacturing is a really, very huge phrase. That can imply 1000 if not one million issues to completely different individuals. When you suppose pre manufacturing means Oh, it is a greenlight had been going and that is what lots of people suppose. But pre manufacturing, and different individuals’s definition might be growth. It might be in pre manufacturing for 510 years, and it may well by no means go anyplace. These are empty guarantees. So look out for these sorts of empty guarantees in screenwriting contests. Number six, the milking method that screenwriting contests use, or at the least rip-off or predatory screenwriting contests use. Now that is any request for cash after the preliminary submission price to the competition. Things like, Oh, you received an award and now I’m gonna should cost you for that award. That signifies that they’ve a bodily award, and now you need it so we’re gonna cost you for it, they’re gonna earn a living off that. And they’re gonna in all probability make a ton of cash off of that as a result of screenwriters like filmmakers received awards on their cabinets, as a result of it makes them really feel good. Trust me. I’ve in all probability paid for an award or two in my day. So simply watch out of issues like that. Also, one other a part of the milking method is when a contest asks for choices on profitable screenplays, that is such an insane factor, in relation to like that is the acute milking method the place they’re similar to maintain asking and getting and getting. So as an example you undergo your screenplay to this contest, you win, you win high prize. Now they’ve possibility your screenplay totally free. They personal the IP of that screenplay for and relying on the sort of deal you you signed, whenever you submitted and also you agreed to, they’ll have that for 5 years, they’ll have that for 10 years, they’ll have it in perpetuity. Now, I’m gonna let you know a horror story that I do know of, of a screenwriter submitting their, their script, their IP to a contest, and that contest, blocking them from having the ability to make a function of their movie. Now, they they submitted this brief movie, brief movie script to this contest. And the competition, a part of the competition guidelines was that they optioned the screenplay that they personal that, that that proper and so they had they had been gonna provide you with all kinds of publicity, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Well, it ended up being that the brief movie that this this filmmaker slash screenwriter wrote and produced was glorious. It did rather well within the competition circuit. So good, in reality, that producers got here calling. And they wished to provide a function model of this brief. The downside was that the competition locked up these rights, and so they connect themselves as producers to this challenge. And these poor poor filmmakers and screenwriters, who lastly obtained a shot to take their profession to the following degree was blocked by these predatory movie contest organizers that locked up their story. And as a result of they had been attaching themselves as producers, the official producers did not wish to take care of that, and so they walked away from the challenge. And sadly, that film was by no means made. And these rights to my understanding are by no means returned to the filmmakers. It is a cautionary story please be very, very cautious. Number seven, Ghost writing screenplays. Now there may be lots of people on the market who say oh, I’m gonna simply go on a ghost write a screenplay otherwise you get sort of suckered into ghost writing a screenplay. Well, they’ll pay you for 100 bucks 1000 bucks so that you can write a whole screenplay, the place you are going to ghost write a whole screenplay the place you get no credit score.
And they get all of the credit score, you may’t connect your self on the screenplay, you may’t use it as a writing pattern. And once more, you get little or no cash. If in any respect upfront, quite a lot of these offers are sweat fairness or again finish offers, the place they’re like, effectively, if one thing occurs, you will receives a commission on the again finish. But it is sort of a shedding proposition. Let’s say that that script does do effectively and will get produced, do you really suppose you are going to receives a commission, you may’t even say that you just wrote it, it is so it is not a superb place to be as a screenwriter, you need to all the time get some kind of credit score for the work that you just do. In my opinion, I did a complete episode on the filmtrepreneur podcast a couple of filmmaker who a ghost wrote brief movies, however he knew precisely what he was doing. He was attempting to generate income for to make his film. And he did he generated $10,000 ghost writing brief movies. Now these are toddler offs. And the possibilities of a brief movie blowing up or doing one thing like that’s nil to none. So you bought to weigh the danger versus reward on that on a brief movie, if you are able to do one thing like that. And it is smart so that you can try this. It’s sort of like promoting brief tales. Sure, which may make a bit bit extra sense. But full blown screenplays, I might completely not try this in any respect. Number eight, keep away from any deal that offers your rights away. Now, be certain when you have got a deal on the desk, that you’re going to get a credit score for the screenplay. And when you’re w GA, you have got sure protections for that. But these quite a lot of these non union offers are very scamming. You’ve obtained to guard your self as a screenwriter. So be sure that within the contract and the settlement that you’ll get credit score for the screenplay. And in the event that they do a bunch of rewrites, and it is at a degree the place you don’t need it to be a part of your, you do not wish to have your title on it anymore. Make certain you have got that possibility as effectively. Make certain you have got the rights, the publication rights of your screenplay, it’s important to be sure that they do not have the correct to publish your screenplay and promote it with out your approval and or residual funds or something like that. Which brings me to the following one, future residuals, quite a lot of instances you give away the correct to future residuals, a buyout or one thing alongside these traces. Those do occur. Be very, very cautious and perceive what you are stepping into in relation to future residuals. If you are non union, and so they’re paying you 50 Grand 100 grand to your screenplay. And it is a non union deal. That may be what it is advisable to do. But you are getting a considerable amount of cash upfront plus credit score. But simply perceive that. And non union firms would possibly insist on all rights, simply so that you can undergo them. And you have to be very, very cautious. Numerous these firms will within the within the settlement that you just signal. When you submit a screenplay, you are giving them the rights to that screenplay, and that just a few rights, all of the rights simply to submit, it is advisable to run away it is advisable to keep away from this in any respect price Be very, very cautious. Number 9 illustration retainer price. This is when a agent supervisor, somebody alongside these traces say that they are going to rip your screenplay on the town for a month-to-month retainer along with an upfront retainer. So that signifies that I am going to an agent or supervisor and I’ve a screenplay. They’re like, Look, we will symbolize this screenplay. But we will want you to pay $2,000 upfront and a $500 a month retainer and we will store this across the city for you. That shouldn’t be the way in which enterprise is finished. That is a rip-off. You have to run away and be very, very cautious whenever you see one thing like that. Nobody on the town goes to ask you for a month-to-month retainer to symbolize a screenplay. They are paid on fee. So be very cautious. And final however not least, the best way to keep away from scammy predatory screenwriting contests. Like I stated earlier, not all screenwriting contests are created equal. A pair key issues it is advisable to search for is not any transparency on who the organizers are. If you may’t inform who’s organizing, just like the those who actually individuals behind the competition, and if they’ve some kind of fame, some kind of trade juice one thing and there is they’re hiding, runaway. Check the credit of the judges that they’ll put up like they’ll go look Joe Blow goes to learn this for you. Well, what’s Joe Blow performed? And does he have any credit within the trade as a decide?
So be very, very cautious with that. And additionally test what this contest has performed for writers up to now. Have they helped writers? What are they providing? are they providing a money prize is that the deal? Like when you win, you win 1000 bucks, you went 5000 bucks, you get all kinds of different prizes is that the deal they’re giving, are they giving are they promising you entry which means a take care of a supervisor or an agent, an precise take care of an actual supervisor or actual agent that can then deliver you on as a consumer. If you win this contest, do your homework, take a look at what they’re providing, and what they’re providing at present, and what they’ve performed for writers up to now. So simply be very cautious. When you are coping with screenwriting contest. There’s quite a lot of sharks on the market. And a last observe, guys, on the finish of the day, you can not purchase your manner into the movie enterprise. When it involves screenwriting. You cannot pay somebody to purchase your screenplay. You cannot pay somebody to pay somebody to pressure them to do something to present you a shot, to do something. The solely factor you should buy is produce your individual screenplay. If you’ve got obtained the cash to make the film, that is the one manner you are gonna purchase your manner in. But you can not purchase illustration. You can’t purchase entry. It’s It would not work that manner. It has to occur organically. Anything. That sounds too good to be true. It in all probability is. So be very, very cautious on the market. And I sense that that is going to worsen because the financial system continues to sort of wobble within the coming months and years following COVID. When issues when the stress is utilized to individuals. More and extra scams an increasing number of individuals attempting to reap the benefits of different individuals, they turn out to be extra determined. So I want you to be vigilant with what you do along with your property and along with your money.
