The goal of every script is to get to be sold and produced. This task is not easy and requires time and patience. There are no formulas that lead to success or that make a production company willing to produce a script. That is why there are some steps that can facilitate this task.
Review the script before trying to sell it
From the moment the scriptwriter faces the writing a script, you should keep in mind that this version will not be final, and that your job is rewrite and revise constantly until getting the final version. Even while the story is being shot, necessary changes may arise for which the script will have to be changed again. In addition, it must be taken into account that the script structure It must be adequate for its correct understanding.
Once finished, it's time to try to sell it for production. In this step you have to review it to see if it fits with the production companies to which the proposal will be sent, since it does not make much sense to send a drama to a horror film production company.
Register the script
Although the WIPO - World Intellectual Property Organization - declares that "copyright protection is obtained automatically without the need to carry out any registration or procedure", but it is always better to have the support of an organization when defending a work.
register a script it's very simple: it can be done in person at the Intellectual Property Office or before a notary, and TELEMATICS, through certified mail or in institutions private.
Documents that accompany the script in the sale
A feature film script is usually a document of one hundred and twenty pages and no production company has the necessary means to be able to review all the ones it receives. This is the reason why it is highly recommended to send, together with the script, a dossier that explains the work in a way concise and visual. Must contain:
- Title of the work and author.
- Technical sheet: genre, duration and target audience.
- Logline: A short, concise sentence that explains the story.
- Synopsis: a summary that explains the central axis of the story and the main characters.
- Treatment: A more complete and extensive summary in which the strong points of the script are explained. It includes: what and how the acts happen, what are the twists, the relationships between the main and secondary characters, the atmosphere, etc.
- Biography of the protagonists, as well as their background and main traits of their personality. You can also include a brief summary of the secondary characters if necessary.
In addition, if the project is sufficiently advanced, the dossier may also contain: technical data, budgets, letters of commitment from the actors, etc. You can see here some tips to prepare a good dossier.
As an extra piece of information, it is interesting to have prepared a pitch. A verbal presentation of no more than seven minutes in which the writer sells his work to the production company in a striking and professional tone.
Sell a script
The main step to sell a script is to analyze the film market. Not all countries work the same but, in general, the same production companies tend to have agreements with scriptwriters for the production. That is why it is important to move and make yourself known. Present a script to production companies suitable for the genre of the story and focus on those that are smaller and local, such as ATM Productions, as there will be a higher probability that the script will be accepted.
The key is in the constancy
The reality is that selling a script takes time and is not usually fast, but the key is to never lose hope. Not selling a script does not mean that it is bad or that it is useless, but rather that it is not suitable for the production company or that it is simply not the time. You have to keep writing, creating and testing, until the day comes when the opportunity arrives.
