Cory A. Ross

Yes, this sports analogy is a bit of a stretch, but stick with me here. I have a few projects in various stages of development (spoken like a true producer), and I can’t decide where to go from here, both in terms of what to do with these particular projects and what to focus on in the future. The options available to me are the same as those available to most people in a situation similar to mine: Pass the script on to prospective readers, producers, agents, managers, etc, in hopes of being produced or selling the project; or, Shoot the thing myself, play the festival circuit, and either distribute myself or try to sell it on the film market.

See what I did there? Pass or shoot? Yeah, you get it.

Is your query letter in this pile?

I’ll begin with agents and producers and managers. Personally, I feel the best route for new writers is get a manager to guide your career. A good manager will help you bring your script from good to great and many double as producers, which could get your script… well, produced. Agents, on the other hand, are not legally allowed to produce, but they broker the script sales. And script sales are what I want! I won’t go into detail on the differences between the two; you can use Google for that. But the question then becomes, How do I find a manager and/or an agent? (Note: I use “I” in the general sense here). Producers, on the other hand, produce. As their name suggests. If I (you) have a great script and could somehow befriend a producer or their assistant, man, that would be good news. But that brings me to the other half of my dilemma.

Do I just produce it myself? I (me) have written a few feature screenplays and recently co-wrote a television pilot. I’d love nothing more than to be able to ship these off to my manager/agent/producer, but that’s easier dreamt than done. There are so many articles these days about self-distributing, which I (we) would have to think means these projects were also self-produced. On the one hand, in producing my own feature, I have complete creative control and my audience will see exactly what I want them to see. On the other hand, who’s to say I’d ever find an audience? On yet a third hand, is self-distributing seen in the same light as self-publishing in the book industry? Same for TV. Depending on the degree of difficulty (I don’t write much in the way of action), it’d be relatively easy to shoot a half-hour sitcom pilot, or even just the first act. I kind of like this idea because, worst case scenario, I (you) can post it online and build a fan base and let your millions of viewers do the selling for you.

So, what do I do? Pass or Shoot? Do I (you, me, us) have what it takes to make it in the indie/mumblecore/no-low budget world of filmmaking? Or, do I have in my possession a script so worthy of the big-screen treatment that it ignites a bidding war between the biggest production companies in the world, firmly placing that new Maserati in that new driveway in front of my new house? Should I film that sitcom pilot or bring the script to the Banff TV Fest and shmooze like/with the best of ‘em?

I’d like to think I have what it takes to sell my scripts at slightly above fair market value, then use my “winnings” to shoot something I’m passionate about. That’s the plan.

Oh , and did I mention I’m Canadian? That’s a whole other set of issues, but I won’t get into that. Today.

cr

In the spirit of being retrospective (does that make sense?), I want to share a few websites I’ve frequented over the course of the last 12 months. Now, it should be noted that I am as interested in the business side of film as I am in the creative side. So, if you don’t care about numbers, some of these sites may not interest you.

If there’s a site you spend a lot of time on, please share it in the comments.

IMDb / IMDbPro – The Godfather and Godmother of film sites. IMDBpro is worth the price of admission if you plan on contacting agencies/managers in the near future, or if you just want to see who’s doing what before anyone else.

Deadline Hollywood Daily – So much has been said about Nikki Finke over the years, but she seems to know everything that’s going on in Hollywood before anyone else. And she’s almost always right.

ScriptShadow – I don’t know much about Carson Reeves, but his blog is an absolute MUST for any aspiring writer (and even for some established ones). He breaks down and reviews unproduced scripts, most of which were purchased on the spec market. It’s really interesting to see what’s selling, and Carson takes it a step further and tells us why it’s selling.

See Me Sell a Screenplay – It’s not updated very often, but it often lists recent script sales with brief loglines. Again, it’s cool to see what’s selling.

Variety – I like knowing what’s going down Out There, recent deals, signings, etc. They also have a very extensive archive of reviews. UPDATE: variety.com is now a ridiculously overpriced paysite! So… forget about them and stick with Nikki Finke for up to date news.

Box Office Mojo – Want to know what the top-grossing film from the sub-genre “Dragon – Supporting Role” is? Go here.

Playback Online – It’s the Canadian Variety, but you need a paid membership. However, if you can find someone who has one, or if you come across their print editions, it’s all good information.

Globe and Mail Arts – I really only read this one on my iPhone while on the bus or train, but it’s where I keep up to date on the book world, as well as other film-related articles.

cr

If this was Hollywood circa 1950, having your name associated with The Black List would be a career-changer for the worst. Today, the creators of The Black List – now in it’s fifth year of recognizing the “most liked” unproduced screenplays in Hollywood – have made it one of the biggest honors bestowed upon writers in the industry.

The 2009 Black List Cover Page

Today marks the release of 2009’s Black List. To put in terms I can understand, ie: sports terms, being on the Black List is not quite like winning the Superbowl. It’s more like being voted to the Pro Bowl: you’re among the best in the league. Of course, our (writers’) Superbowl is selling the script and having it produced. I feel I could really go off on a tangent talking about how sports and writing are similar, but maybe I’ll save that for later. You’re welcome.

For newer writers, The Black List acts as a great inspiration/comparison tool. For inspiration, you can see that for a select few, it IS possible to break into this business. What you need is a great idea. Then you need to follow that up with a great script. A little luck and the right contacts doesn’t hurt your chances either, but a great script is a great start. Once you’re inspired to write a great script, you can then compare your logline to the most liked stories in Hollywood. Is it better? Worse? Exactly the same? In the event of ‘exactly the same,’ I’d suggest doing some research before writing. No one is going to buy a script that’s already been written. But again, that’s an entirely different topic.

The Black List.

Check it out. Tell your friends about it. Send it a birthday gift. Become its friend.

Happy writing.

cr