Screenplay Submissions

Screenwriting Myth: “Doesn’t matter WHAT they’re looking for; just send it!”

Over the past few months, I’ve had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to assist several name directors and producers in searching for screenplays of specific genre or topic. With my vast network of screenwriters at my disposal, I thought it was incumbent on me to reach out and help fellow writers, new and experienced alike, to help them reach their professional goal of attaining a sale or option deal.

When the word went out about a particular script search, the resulting storm of emails with accompanying scripts, bios, resumes, and links was indeed satisfying. It was nice to know that so many of my contacts READ my emails or posts, but more importantly, that I was perhaps making a difference in their lives.

Then, I began to read the emails…the bios…and the resumes and links.

So here is a brief list of some things one SHOULDN’T do when responding to a script request:

?1)????? You shouldn’t IGNORE the specifics of the scripts that are being requested. If the genre requested is science fiction, you shouldn’t submit a story about a baby whale and the handicapped child trying to raise it, unless, of course, the whale can fly, and the child is from Jupiter.

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2)????? If the request is for screenplays with a Japanese American theme, don’t submit a screenplay about a Chinese family, then add “It’s close”! Makes you sound like an idiot, at best, and racist, at worst.

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3)????? You shouldn’t “cut and paste” your pre-written query letter into an email and address the recipient as “Dear (blank)”. When you cut and paste, sometimes the fonts are different, and it appears very unprofessional.

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4)????? You shouldn’t BOMBARD the recipient with every screenplay you’ve ever written or hope to write or thought about writing. I cannot tell you how many writers submitted one query letter with more than five different loglines and synopses. No one is going to read it. Trust me.

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5)????? You shouldn’t IGNORE spelling or grammatical errors- not in the query (not anywhere, if possible). I have seen writers misspell their own titles.

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6)????? You shouldn’t make DEMANDS of the person requesting the script, such as “DO NOT FORWARD TO ANYONE WITHOUT MY EXPRESSED WRITTEN CONSENT!” Who would want to work with YOU?

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7)????? You shouldn’t accompany your query letter with a request to “help raise funds for sick children” or to “stop socialism in America”, or to “support your local LGBT office”, even if it directly relates to the theme of your screenplay.

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8)????? You shouldn’t take the query letter as an opportunity to apply for a job as a script reader, a production assistant, a grip or an actor.

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9)????? You shouldn’t forget your title. Trust me- seen it done many times.

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10)?? You shouldn’t forget your contact information. See #9

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Writing a query letter is an art in and of itself, and there are definite “do’s and don’ts” when writing one.

Here is a partial “do” list:

A) If you are responding to a request for a certain type of script, first thing you should do is ONLY respond if your script fits in what they are looking for. If it does, makes sure this fact is highlighted in the first sentence: “I am responding to your request for Japanese/American-themed scripts, and I’d like to submit my comedy/drama “Life at The Tea House”, a Japanese/American story of love, redemption, and ninja zombies.”

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B) Highlight your “hook” right away (this is why it’s called a “hook”). This “hook” is the reason why your story is different from every other story of the same genre and theme.

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C) When you include your logline, make sure it is the strongest logline possible. I cannot stress this enough. If the reader gets to the logline, and it doesn’t hook them, they’ll probably not read any further, no matter how great the letter — or the script — may be.

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D) Write a brief synopsis of your story, to include a beginning, middle and end. Three short paragraphs, less than a page total. I recently received two query letters; one was 43 pages, the other 15. Hand to God, I’m telling the truth. The only thing missing was the writer’s birth certificate, but that was only because I ran out of paper. Sheesh!

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E) End the query with a brief “writers” bio. I recommend that you do this in the “third person”. It’ll read like a press release and seem professional. Do not include useless information like where you went to school or every contest you’ve ever entered, unless it is pertinent (one exception is if you know the recipient attended the same school as you, they might look at you a little more favorably). Two lines that tell the reader a little about you, your writing, and a mention or two about prestigious awards, if any. Quarterfinalist in the Bombay Theatre Writing Contest doesn’t qualify for space in the prime real estate of the query letter.

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F) Make sure everything is spellchecked and grammatically correct, and do not forget your contact information.

You have but one shot at making a good impression, so don’t blow it.

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 three are currently available on Amazon Prime and Tubi.

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