TSM Reviews Screenwriting Services- The "Pros" and the "Cons"; Part IV

An article series based on one man’s opinion

This Week: E-Blast Query Services

The other night, I received a “query” letter, of sorts, from a screenwriter (of sorts) inquiring about any initial interest in his new screenplay. I could tell right away that the email was a group letter, due to its lack of any personalization to the recipient.

The letter opened with “Hello”, and the writer proceeded to introduce himself. He explained the purpose of the letter, adding that this particular horror script was “unusual” as it contained NO dialogue.

Well, color me intrigued!

Through the several misspellings in the letter, and an admission at the bottom that this WAS, in fact, what he called a “multiple submission” letter, I responded. I indicated that I would be interested to review the first ten pages of said script. As many of you already know, I have a penchant for reviewing the first ten critical pages of anyone’s script and offering- for FREE- some helpful advice and spec writing tips that they might consider. It is my way of paying it forward. I’ve also been known to help produce some projects of my own, as well as introduce writers and their projects to other producers, managers and agents when I saw fit. The list of writers who have received this help is long and well documented.

However, this writer followed up with a more “personal” letter, asking if I was a producer or had a production company.

Now, I don’t mind if someone doesn’t know me and doesn’t know my history. It’s not about that. A simple Bing or Google search should tell you all you really need to know. Not only that, but this person found me through LinkedIn, of which he is a member, and failed to even review my profile.

Needless to say, I shut off communication at that point. Now, let’s review where this writer went wrong:

1) Email blast- Yes, it saves time, but it is just a waste of time in the end. You can cut and paste the same letter and send it to multiple people in a given time frame, but you need to address them individually. Also, when you cut and paste, make sure the font style and size from the source you’re cutting from is the same font style and size you’re cutting to. Otherwise, it will read all screwed up and unprofessional. For the record, I use Tahoma font, size 10, both in my Word documents and my email structure.

E-blast services are simply a waste of time and money. They'll advertise that they have 1200-plus industry contacts to which they can send out your query letter, but they don't tell you how many of those go straight into the trash bin or junk file. Many prodco's do not accept unsolicited material, but these query companies include many of them on their list of recipients. The email addresses they've accumulated are available through many of the industry software and books that sell this information. The E-blast company is simply downloading those email addresses, and sending out the letters in one stroke, and for that they'll charge you $99- $199 and beyond.

The bottom line is most of these blasted queries never get through, and if they do, most are not read or responded to, and this is the problem. Stop with the short-cuts, develop a personal relationship with the producer or company, then request their permission to forward your submission. Make sure you know HOW to write the proper, industry-preferred query letter.

2) No Spelchk- simplest thing to do. If you don’t know if it’s spelled right, look it up (btw, the word “spelchk” was done on purpose, so please, no letters).

3) No Research- If you are going to send off query letters to people, take the time to research them and find out what types of films they generally work with. Most production companies stay within a framework of certain genre or two. Rarely will you find a prodco that does documentaries and zombie flicks, with a rom/com thrown in for good measure. It happens, but not often. Once you discover WHAT they do, mention in the letter that you saw such and such and were impressed with the project and wanted to work with the best. It’s understood that it is your attempt to butter them up, but it shows you care enough to take the time to do it. It shows you care about the project, and your reputation. It shows you took the time to research and that you’re possibly someone others would enjoy working with. It may not help in any way whatsoever, but it’s certainly better than NOT doing it.

4) They looked a gift horse in the mouth- What this writer did in the follow-up letter blew any chance in hell of getting any help now, and most likely, in the future. I won’t forget this exchange, that’s for sure, and I seriously doubt he’ll ever forget me either. If someone actually RESPONDS in any way, shape or form to one of these email blasts, instead of sending it to the junk file with the dozens of others we receive on a monthly basis, consider yourself anointed with gold pixie dust, because it’s a rare feat indeed. Treat it as such. Be thankful, polite, considerate and complimentary. Answer whatever questions they ask, and shut your pie hole.

For my money, E-blast query services are a "con"; a complete waste of time and resources. You're paying someone else to do what you SHOULD be doing yourself, and, if you do it right, it will yield you some results. To them, there is no guarantee of any response whatsoever.

Now, chances are that this script was not anywhere close to being good, but it would have been interesting to see a script without one word of dialogue, and how that might have been pulled off (I can only imagine it read more like a novel, but we’ll never know). The point is someone outside of their inner circle was willing to look at it. At worst, they might have received six or seven pages of script notes, helping them write a bit better in the future. At best, I might have been blown away and have invested in the project myself, or, more likely, introduced them to a number of producer connections who trust my judgment on these things. Beyond that, it may have led to a management meeting, or perhaps, even an agent meeting.

One never knows.

 WRITER'S BIO: Geno Scala has over two dozen completed feature film screenplays and television pilots. In 2016 alone, his company completed five ghostwriting adaptation projects; novels-into-screenplays, and counts many celebrities among his vast clientele. Two TV projects, ("Hell Hath No Fury"; "Sextracurriculum") are under consideration by SPIKE TV for an upcoming line-up, while his most recent television project, "Bad Priest" is in the hands of several television executives, who stated:

"Overall, this pilot is compelling and clear and offers just enough to tease us with where these stories and characters might go. It begs for a full season, which is a huge accomplishment."

Mr. Scala spent 22-plus years in the Hollywood community, and was the executive director for the 72nd Annual Academy Awards. He has held similar positions with The Soul Train, The Grammys, Blockbuster Video and Saturn Award shows.