Screenplay Marketing Mistakes to Avoid
by
Hal Croasmun

Most of us started out just wanting to write a great movie. Maybe it was the movie we wanted to see. Then we found out just how hard it is to truly write great scripts and after recovering from the shock, we committed to become great screenwriters and learned everything we could.

With a lot of work and creativity, we completed a script we believe is ready and then a second shock shows up -- the marketing process.

So we read a few books on the process and do the best we can. Mostly, we do what we see others doing or what we learned to do in another industry.

...And it leads nowhere!

Why? Because the players in Hollywood are in tremendous demand and only respond to materials that are presented in the "correct fashion."

Cheryl and I have spent over 15 years marketing to corporations and the last two years intensely marketing to Hollywood. At the same time, we've had over eighty screenwriters send projects to us.

In our experience, there are 14 COMMON MISTAKES that screenwriters make when they market to Hollywood. We address all of them (and solutions to each) in the upcoming class "Marketing Your Script to Hollywood and Indie Producers." In this article, I'd like to talk about three. But first...

CONSIDER THESE FACTS

FACT #1 Anyone who is worth pursuing in Hollywood is SHORT ON TIME.

FACT #2 They each have plenty of stories, and every day, more scripts than they can handle continue to be sent to them.

FACT #3 Every successful producer, agent, or manager in Hollywood has systems to eliminate the bad scripts and find the good ones as quickly as possible.

FACT #4 From the second your material arrives, someone (intern, assistant, creative director, producer, etc.) is trying to find a reason to eliminate it. Not because they are bad people. Not because there is a conspiracy against new writers. Not for any other reason than to SAVE TIME.

So they have devised systems to eliminate anything that isn't A-list material. And they want to eliminate it as fast as they can, again, to save them time.

The systems I'm talking about include things like asking questions (Do you have representation?), tossing out anything that isn't perfect, having very specific criteria and checking your script against it, not accepting unsolicited materials, having readers give coverage, etc.

Every one of the 14 mistakes can cause the quicker elimination of your screenplay. That is why it is so important to understand them and have solutions to each one.

MISTAKE #1. Sending a script out before it is ready.

This is the number one mistake that happens hundreds of times a day by screenwriters. A person finishes writing a script and loves it. In their excitement, they start pitching producers, agents and managers. They get some requests and send the script in...without having someone professional look at it.

Keep in mind, I'm not trying to sell consulting services. Not because I'm not good at it, but because I just don't have the time. But here is my recommendation: If you are going to send a script to Hollywood, I highly recommend that you have a consultant IN HOLLYWOOD give you a critique before sending anything out. Yes, I know it may cost you $250 or much more, but it could save you from ruining a relationship with a producer who someday could buy your material.

In the last two weeks, I've had three writers send me scripts that they are currently marketing to Hollywood. Not one of them is close to ready. In fact, my opinion is that two of the three will cause producers to avoid that writer in the future.

Here's the rule: If the script isn't ready, don't pitch it!

Get the script completely ready. Have at least one consultant FROM L.A. read it. Make whatever changes and polish it until it shines. Then send it out and something amazing will happen -- if it doesn't sell, producers will ask you to call them on your next script.

If you can't afford to have a consultant from L.A. look at it, join Greatscripts and have a variety of screenwriters look at it. If they can find anything wrong with it, rewrite. And keep rewriting until it is better than you can imagine. I promise you that you'll be glad you went to that much work. The respect you'll receive from a *professionally written* script will be so worth it.

MISTAKE #2. Sending uninteresting marketing materials.

When you ask an assistant or creative director what percentage of query letters they find appealing, the answer is usually " less than 1%."

I worked for a major producer when I first came to L.A. and she had me read over 200 query letters the first week. But first, she gave me her criteria.

• "If you've seen it on the screen before, toss it."
• "If it confuses you, toss it."
• "If it doesn't immediately strike you as a movie, toss it."
• "If it's not interesting, toss it."
• "Only come back to me with stories you think will make
  GREAT movies."

Every day, I read 50 of them. On Friday, I had to stand before her and justify why the 4 I picked out would make great movies.

GET THIS: Out of the 200 query letters, only 10 didn't violate
one or more of her criteria. So 95% of my job was just reading each one once and tossing it in the trash. Here's the bad news. The vast majority of them were dull, confusing, and should never have been sent.

Notice the system this producer used. In my first week, I
eliminated 196 scripts that she didn't even have to think about. My work had her only focus on the four best query letters. Out of those, she had me call and request two of the scripts.

RESULTS: Only 1% of those query letters caused the request of the script.

But it doesn't have to be that way.

We spend 3 classes and 15 days critiquing marketing materials during the "Marketing Module" of the ProSeries:Down Under™, so I can't solve that one here in a few sentences. But here's some questions that can help
you improve your marketing materials:

• Does this do a good job of telling the story?
• Are you presenting the most interesting part?
• Is there a more interesting way to present it?
• Are you engaging us in the main conflict?
• Do you leave us intrigued and wanting more?
  (...But not confused.)

Whether you send a logline or query letter or entire treatment, these questions apply. Your job is to make those materials so interesting that it cuts through the overworked, jaded, slightly abused assistant's mental state and has them get excited about your script enough to stand up to their boss.

I know that is a lot to ask, but if you do it, you will get more responses.

MISTAKE #3. Not understanding what producers, agents, actors, etc. want and need.

If you're not into marketing, this one may seem unimportant, but it is one of the most valuable things you can do -- gain an understanding of what the decision makers in this business want.

Why?

Because it increases your chances of making a deal by 10 times.

For this article, I'll just give a very simple overview of what
producers want. In the class, we also go into what agents,
managers, A-list actors, and what Cable/TV Networks want.

WHAT DO PRODUCERS WANT?

They want *marketable projects that are well written.*

Now, let's break this down. Depending upon the market the
producer operates in, this may be somewhat different.

Cheryl and I only work with top producers who have a deal with a studio. To us, marketable means "High Concept screenplays that have a great starring role in them."

But if you go to a producer with connections to the Christian
market, they'll want "a great story that displays Christian
values." Make sense?

MARKETABLE means it appeals to a market that is willing to pay.

Marketable is not about genre, although some genres are easier to sell than others. It is about what a decision maker perceives they can sell to their specific market. For a studio, that market is the masses worldwide. For a Christian production company, that market is Christian movie-goers that may not extend into more than 10 Worldwide territories.

Keep in mind that anything that has Tom Cruise starring in it is marketable. But to get your script into Tom's hands, it has to go through his production company and since Tom is the #1 star in the world right now, they are a tough sell. But to get anything in that door, you'd need to understand what they need and what Tom Cruise needs as an A-List actor.

BTW, to truly understand what a producer needs, you'll need to do a little research. The more you know about the individual producer, the better. But at least make sure you understand the needs of their category. Whether it is a producer with a studio deal or a producer who works with Indie filmmakers or one who deals only with the foreign markets. Each category has their own specific needs, but all of them are looking for *marketable* material for their niche.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Resolving these three mistakes can make a big difference for you. If you make sure your script is truly up to Hollywood standards, that your marketing materials are extremely compelling and that you understand what producers want, you have increased your chance of success dramatically.

Of course, if marketing your screenplay is something on the horizon for you, join us for the upcoming ProSeries:Down Under™ and you'll know the solutions to all 14 mistakes, along with having a *Complete Marketing Campaign* for your current project.

This article is copyright © by Hal Croasmun, and is reprinted with permission from the author. Unauthorized duplication is a violation of international copyright law.

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About Hal
After 15 years developing Expert Modelling training programs for Fortune 500 companies, HAL CROASMUN decided it was time to turn his attention to his true passion — the film industry. Hal is a writer/producer and founder of the ScriptforSale.com website, where he has spent nearly five years developing a unique Expert Model approach to screenwriting. It's called the Pro Series, and is revolutionizing the Hollywood film industry.