Fifteen (15) Steps to Begin the Script-to-Screen Process!

Rarely a day goes by where I’m not asked directly or through a group forum post somewhere on LinkedIn, Facebook, or via text or email, about the subject of agents. To be more specific, the question usually has something to do about an effective strategy on how to GET an agent.

More specifically still, it is the plea...

“I NEED AN AGENT!”

Often, my response is...

“NO, YOU DON’T!”

?The fact is the questioner doesn’t really KNOW what they want. They THINK they want/need an agent because that’s how it is in the movies… isn’t it? Someone writes a screenplay, or a book, and an agent will call and say:

“Hey, heard a lot about you and your (script/book/graphic novel). I think it can be a BIG HIT!”

?And the rest, as they say, is history. More like fiction, really.

The truth is that these writers (we'll stick to "screenwriters" to avoid confusion) don't understand how the BUSINESS side of the industry works. They simply don't know the PROCESS.

Without understanding the process, you'll have no idea how to proper navigate your way through it, and you end up failing, giving up all hope, not doing anything further at all, and waiting until someone finds you dead- melted into your couch, with a screenplay in the death grip of your hand.

While there are MANY ways to actually "make it", the most common and prevalent is the following process.

1. You write a great screenplay.
2. You know it's great because you sent it out to a number of screenwriting professionals who tell you it's great while giving you some notes on some corrective actions to make it close to perfect.
3. You've properly prepared great marketing materials, including your logline, query letter and synopsis.
4. How do we know it's properly prepared? See #2.
5. You want to create "buzz" within the industry, and one way to do this is to enter Top Tier screenwriting competitions. By being a winner or a finalist- sometimes even just a semi-finalist- you WILL get producers and A-listers requesting your screenplay to read. You should have you competition winner and a few others ready to be read at this point.

Now, have you noticed what I haven't mentioned yet?

Agents.

We haven't even talked about sending query letters yet.

SCREENPLAY COMPETITIONS

You WANT the "objectivity" of top tier competitions because you are competing against your peers.

6. If you can't get a quarterfinals position first, you've skipped steps 1-4...OR you didn't follow the submission instructions.

7. Not getting to the semi-finals probably means your grammar, spelling and formatting was too awful to overlook.

8. Not getting to the finals usually means that the concept was likely weak, the storytelling wasn't as good as the others, and- while it looked good on paper- it was probably boring and derivative.

9. Not winning or not being a Top Ten finalist is not about what you did wrong; it was just that one or two of the other writers did a better job. At some point, you have to pick the best of the best, is this is almost ALWAYS based on personal biases, subject matter and/or genre.

NOTE: Film festival "contests" are different than the general top or second-tier competitions. Their goal is to make enough money through screenplay SUBMISSIONS than to concentrate on truly finding that hidden gem of a screenwriter. The money earned through submissions helps finance their true reason for existing- and that's the film festival. Top-tier film festivals generally have top-tier competitions, but nothing below top-tier.

MARKETING

It doesn't make sense to have a great screenplay, one that's done very well in various top and second-tier competitions, and not TELL anyone about it.

This is where you get to toot your own horn.

Unfortunately, I see so many touting their quarterfinal advancement in the OshKosh Beer and Bratwurst Screenplay Contest, and in the same post, ask if anyone can recommend an agent. I'm actually embarrassed for them...but they'll learn, hopefully.

With these accolades under your belt, and your (almost) daily posts on all of the major social media sites, now you want to begin expanding your marketing tools and industry presence.

10. You might want a five-ten second video "teaser" announcing your screenplay and contest results.

11. You may want a 60-second sizzle reel, or having a pitch-deck started- as these tend to take some time to create.

12. You may also want to create a "movie poster" that draws attention to your posts.

NETWORKING

You'll need to expand your network- specifically with someone like me, who has over a thousand high-placed industry connections and A-list talent; most of whom are personal friends.

13. You'll want to get "introduced" to these connections in one way or another. You'll also want someone like me being one of your cheerleaders.

14. You'll WANT to subscribe to Ink Tip and promote your screenplay, post your logline, and pay whatever it takes to get producers to SEE your logline and READ your bio.

15. You may want to consider telephone "pitch" meetings through Stage 32 or Virtual Pitch Fest (VPF)

NOTE #2: Keep in mind, an "Official Selection" of a screenplay in a film festival means that you've submitted your screenplay to them, and you paid the entry fee. It is NOT an indication of the quality of that submission. Some festivals MAY limit the number of submissions based on the number of people they have to actually READ them, but very few are going to turn down $50-$150 screenplay submission fees.

NEXT ARTICLE: "Three People Who Can Help You in This Process"

WRITER'S BIO: Mr. Scala spent 24-plus years in the Hollywood community and was the Executive Director for the?72nd Annual Academy Awards,?as well as The Soul Train Awards,?The Grammys,?The Blockbuster Video Awards Show?and?The Saturn Awards Show.

With three produced features- "Assassin 33 A.D.",?"Black Easter"?and?"The Tombs" (all are currently available on Amazon Prime and Tubi), Geno is working on a project scheduled to be filmed Spring '24 - starring Liam Hemsworth and Samuel L. Jackson - and continues to mentor over 550 new writers and authors.

THE SCRIPT MENTOR recently expanded into "TSM Publishing and Marketing" and now offers a full array of additional services to the author and screenwriter, including...

• A full Social Media promotions and marketing division. We create sizzle reels, video teasers, promotional SM pages, and our new electronic billboards!
• Complete Ghostwriting services, to include novels and screenplay adaptations.
• Full-service publishing house, including, editing, formatting AND distribution!
• Our NEW creative and effective Pitch-Deck services!