You’ve finished your screenplay. Now what the hell do you do with it?

(Note: this is adapted from the email I send to my students at the end of my 16 Weeks to a Screenplay workshop, however this post applies to tv writers with pilots as well.)

Screenwriting is one of the hardest art forms you'll ever set out to learn.  Never doubt that.  I'm proud of all of you.

So where to go from here?

For those of you with finished outlines: - Get those outlines tidied up grammar wise. Make it look pretty. Your story is the gold. It will always be yours.  When you're ready to tackle the writing aspect you will have a clear roadmap on where to begin.  You can write it yourself or team up with another screenwriter if you need more experienced help. And hey... you can always consider writing the novel version of the story first. Studios and Prod Cos LOVE an IP (intellectual property) that screenplays can be based on. It is so easy to self publish novels nowadays.  Think about it!

You can register an outline with the WGA if you plan on collaborating. No matter what happens, the story will always be yours.

For those of you with finished drafts: Tidy them up. Fix all the grammar and formatting. Make them look pretty and register them with the WGA and perhaps consider getting it copyrighted. Truthfully, I don't think this is entirely necessary however, it does provide a sense of accomplishment and peace of mind.

Then: HAVE A TABLE READ. Get feedback on your work. If you have the budget, rent a small rehearsal space or black box theater. Invite people. Friends, family but if you have the connections, people you trust to give you not just opinions but solid feedback. See where the criticisms overlap. There's an old saying: if enough people tell you you're drunk, maybe you should lie down. It's a better to look to host a table read and invite people to hear it then to ask for blind reads on your work.

Also! If you get good feedback, it's a good feeling. Take encouragement wherever you can get it!

BUT also, be open to ALL notes! In my free e-book The A-Z's of the Writing Room, I talk about how to receive feedback. Check it out! Then, once you know you have a solid draft:

TRY TO PRODUCE THE MOVIE/PILOT ON YOUR OWN!  

Independent producing is a messy, messy world.  But people get their films/web series made all the time.  This is a very brief overview on ways to do it:

Crowd Funding / Platforms like kickstarter:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crowdfunding

Shooting it yourself on your smart phone:   https://momofilmfest.com/the-ultimate-beginners-guide-to-smartphone-filmmaking https://www.castingagenciesdirectory.com/blog/how-to-make-an-independent-film-step-by-step-guide

Securing independent financiers (read: rich people) Usually in order to get financial investors, you need to have some “pieces in place” to attract them. Pieces means name actors, directors or your own seed money to use for “pay or plays”. 👇🏼

https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/pay-or-play-contract/

Independent producing is grueling work but if you're starting off with good connections in the industry, that can be a valuable piece of the puzzle to start with.   

Here's some more info on independent producing.- https://www.indiewire.com/2014/05/10-tips-for-successfully-producing-a-micro-budget-feature-25970/-

OR:

TRY TO SELL YOUR SCRIPT TO PRODUCTION COMPANIES / STUDIOS: Keep in mind “selling” means you sell it. Meaning give it away for money. Meaning producers buy your script and then you never hear from them again. You will hear rumors about how your movie is doing usually with nightmare tales of title changes, ending changes, lead role changes. You will find out they changed the setting of your movie from local New England town to Dubai. And there's nothing you can do about it. But hey you sold a script!

TOOLS TO HELP YOU SELL:

SIZZLE REELS/ PROOF OF CONCEPT: This is especially good for tv shows but can work for features as well:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Du8-k6uxJQo

 A word on getting repped: Agents and Managers DO NOT want to help you.  They want YOU to help THEM make money. This is a huge piece of the business to understand. 

You have to create your own momentum by writing many screenplays/pilots and selling them/producing them to prove your worth if you want to get signed as a screenwriter.  

TRUTH: You are much more likely to raise the money yourself, shoot the movie/pilot and sell the final product to Amazon Prime than get an agent to sign you because of one screenplay or pilot.

BUT!  As soon as you sell something on your own, oh watch them come running! It's the biggest catch 22 in the business.   

The best you can do is keep focusing on your work.  You will get repped when the time is right. When the time is right, it's not nearly as hard as you think it is.  If the timing's not right (meaning you're not ready to be repped) it feels impossible.

But no matter what route you take now that you've finished your screenplay, just remember one thing: I'm always rooting for you! 😉