When do you move on?
I sent my screenplay to a big production company (in London) on their request and have been waiting two months for some type of communication, like did they even receive it?
I don’t want to act too pushy, but when can I let them know I’d like an answer if they are interested or not? How many times can you call/email? I have emailed two times and called once. It is quite frustrating as I would like their female star to play my main character, but I am willing to move on.
– Lorna
Paris
Move on. They already did.
I can’t reduce it to some simple “He’s Just Not That Into You” formula, but two months is far beyond the limit. You followed up. They didn’t. It’s over.
Trust me: I’ve been exactly where you’re at a lot. It sucks. But you’re better off forging ahead than trying to figure out what happened at the incommunicative production company.
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May 14th, 2009 at 6:58 pm
Although this isn’t always the case, I agree with John that 2 months with no communication is probably time to say your goodbyes. It sucks that they won’t call you but that way when you hit it big with the same script, they can always claim that they must’ve lost it because they just read it and it’s amaaaaazing. :)
May 14th, 2009 at 7:40 pm
How about when the ProdCo continually reschedules your meeting? Originally scheduled one for January and it’s now May — they have continually pushed it back. Sure seems like they lost interest to me. Thoughts?
May 15th, 2009 at 2:15 am
I’m a writer/director by night, and a regular old “suit” by day. Yup, good old Garden in the Machine.
As a writer/director, I tend to do exactly what the person asking the question did and what John has suggested. Call once, call twice, feel awkward/angry/frustrated and move on.
However, as a “suit”, let me offer up a totally different perspective. Ever since this economy went sour, we’ve been terribly understaffed. I have 45 projects in various stages of development and I’m trying my best to keep up with all of them. Invariably I find myself getting back to those people first that nudge me hardest.
The writer/director/agent has the RIGHT to get my follow up. If I have not clearly communicated that I am not interested, then they have the full right to ask for that feedback. It’s part of the unsigned contract — you accept a submission, you had better respond.
If I find that process of passing uncomfortable, take advantage of it. Until I pass, it’s a potential yes. Be pleasant, be polite, always push carefully (end the conversation with, “may I call again in two weeks to follow up?” or “do you think you’ll be ready for a follow up in two weeks?”, use an update as an excuse to follow up, leave the door open with a little “I understand it’s a pass for now, but I would love to incorporate your feedback and come back at some point” and so on).
As a writer/director/producer, I have given up and walked away many a time. Now having worked as a producer/financier/distributor, I realize that the loss was almost always mine. The company needs product but I need their money/support/attachment more than they need my product. If I need the executive to say yes, it doesn’t matter how but I have to get that Yes out of him/her.
That said, there is a fine line between what I’m suggesting and being completely rude and unprofessional. And we get some of those too. Believe me, word travels fast and suddenly you’re the butt of everyone’s jokes.
My two cents.
May 15th, 2009 at 6:34 am
I put myself in a position to get my screenplay into the hands of the producer responsible for one of the most profitable movie franchises of all time. And I mean I literally put it in his hands personally. If anything comes of it I will gladly share that story but, in a nutshell, I gave him an early draft which he liked but wasn’t sure if it was “for him”. He wanted to read it again though and make some notes for me. I was ecstatic.
The position I had put myself in meant that I could have made myself a real nuisance about it – daily, if I had no sense at all. Even when weeks turned into months i said nothing. This was in the middle of filming an installment of this franchise and I had a sense of just how busy this guy was so I didn’t take it personally nor did i mention it when I would bump into him on occasion.
Six months passed and I left the position I was in but I made sure I left on friendly terms with the producer’s assistant. In the intervening time I drafted like a madman and sent the new draft to the assistant for his boss. 2-3 months passed and nothing. By this time though preproduction had already begun on the following installment of this franchise so, again I didn’t take it personally and, like a previous poster said, every non response is a potential “yes”. After all, he could have just said “no time” in the first instance or read it and completely washed his hands of it, and me, in the next.
Then out of the blue I got a phone call from the producer himself. It truly was my ‘Spielberg called’ moment. He thanked me for my patience and said he planned to read the new draft in the next couple of weeks. I told him I had worked on it some more and he gave me his personal email and told me to mail it to him, which I duly did. That was three months ago. But again, the fact that a man this big, in the middle of producing one the biggest series’ of all time would take the time to deal with me personally tells me I have created something worthy of attention at the very highest level.
It has been about 16 months since he read the ‘first’ draft and I am at the stage where it is time to give him a nudge now but I have made sure I used the time to create and polish something else to offer in case the answer to the first ultimately is a “no thanks”.
My advice would be don’t be too keen to accept the conventions, even when advised to do so by someone with stature in the industry. If they have requested it People have a certain obligation to give you some form of response, even if it’s a “no”, if they don’t want you to enquiry about it anymore. Just be sensible about it and use this time to have a counter punch ready if needed.
May 15th, 2009 at 6:43 am
I suppose a quicker way of saying all the above is ’sometimes people really are just that busy’. London certainly doesn’t have the movie infrastructure of Hollywood (I live in London) and 2 months, while undoubtedly frustrating, isn’t THAT long for here.
Keep plugging for a response.
May 15th, 2009 at 7:17 am
Generally, there is a simple rule:
Silence = Death
It’s held true for just about everything.
May 15th, 2009 at 7:38 am
I dunno. I’m inclined to say be optimistic but try other avenues. I recently had a script at a prodco (submitted at their request) and it took them 4 months to read it and get back to me. This particular prodco was for a major star and they were in production when they received the script. Needless to say, they had more pressing matters to attend to than reading a spec at the bottom of the slushpile.
Semi-good news is they passed with high praise and asked “what else do you have?” Sent them another script and fully intend to wait another 4 months while exploring other options.
May 15th, 2009 at 8:01 am
I agree with John. As an actor and writer, I’ve experienced this a lot (mostly as an actor). After a few years of auditioning for various roles (some I booked, most I didn’t), I “trained” myself to move on from the role/audition, and prepare for the next one. As an actor, you have to do this to maintain your sanity (and self-esteem), lest it adversely affect you in future auditions.
This has helped me with both my acting and screenwriting. After I audition for a role, or finish a screenplay (and do my due diligence to market the screenplay), I move on to the next one. Writing (and acting) are low percentage games we play. So increase my chances of being successful, I keep moving on to the next project.
May 15th, 2009 at 8:18 am
I was a development executive. I would never take two months to get back to a writer about a script that I REQUESTED.
I agree with John. Move on.
May 15th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
I agree with the comments in this thread that suggest that you continue to try and get a response from the production company. 2 months isn’t that long. Besides what do you have to lose by sending them an email every couple of weeks politly asking if they’ve read your script yet?
In the mean time you shouldn’t be waiting around for their response. You’re most likely never going to get one. So start sending the script out to other production companies and start writing another script (hopefully you’re allready doing these two things).
May 16th, 2009 at 10:22 am
Also, there’s a difference between a writer personally pitching and sending a script in and an agent and/or respected manager doing it.
My past experience as a development exec. was that if a script came in from CAA, ICM, WMA, it got read first.
Scripts that come in “over the transom”, like query letters, not so fast. Sorry, but that’s just the way it is.
May 17th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
Always Be Moving.
Always have a new script and always be sending it to new people.
A watched mailbox never fills with checks.
May 18th, 2009 at 5:21 am
Same case as Sean (number 7), but it was 7 months! :) So, while you have to work on other things and try to send the script to other places, until you hear a NO, you don’t have to despair, you never know…
Good luck.
May 18th, 2009 at 9:22 am
Along the same lines, when would be a good time to follow up? I’ve been sending query letters over the last few weeks, and have gotten several requests. When would proper etiquette dictate a follow up? From the first request, its been about 2 and a half weeks.
May 18th, 2009 at 10:21 pm
Hey John, have you seen this video where a guy transforms Kill Bill into a comedy only by changing the sounds in the scene?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ot7R4ZiI9A&feature=channel
Anyone who watches this will have much more respect for sound editing when the next Oscar comes.
May 18th, 2009 at 11:00 pm
Hang in there. Initially, I always follow up within two weeks to make sure they received it. Then I check in once a month on the status.
I had a similar situation with a major studio in town and a dev exec I was friendly with. After four months I got a PASS, but on the plus side, I got the, “Please send us anything else you’re working on.”
So, in the end, I maintained the relationship, showed that I could write, was patient, and left the door open for work in the future. Not bad, but of course, I was pulling my hair out.
But, I do agree that silence = death in the entertainment business. People are just too busy to tell everyone no. It’s up to you to be tenacious, yet respectful.
May 19th, 2009 at 8:25 am
I pitched two ideas to two separate producers and they asked to see my work. For one I sent a script. The other I produced a video pitch. To the producer who requested my script, I sent it to him within the time he wanted (a week after we met). I emailed twice, and called twice within a 5 week period. Both essentially “just wanted to make sure you received the script I sent” messages. No anger and always pleasant. I finally sent a certified letter which I knew he had to respond to since someone would have to sign for it. It was only then I got the “if we’re interested we’ll get back to you” email. For the video, absolutely no response in 6 months. Yes, we as creative people have to move on, and I don’t expect (although I hope for) a “we’d love to meet with you” response. But if they ask for it the least they can do is acknowledge receipt.
The first producer later added me to his facebook friends list, then sent out a note that he was giving a seminar on how to succeed in the business. $200 for a 2 hour seminar. I don’t think so dude.
May 19th, 2009 at 9:08 am
wow – I never realised quite how competative it is to go into writing. I’m 15 and me and my friend write quite a lot of scripts together and while we’ve joked about sending them off, as I said, I never realised it was actually so difficult!
I do agree with Akai that as an actor you need to move on staight after an audition as it’s never worth getting your hopes up too much but I’d say while moving on never completly abandon something. Like John says, getting into the industry is a combination or luck, skill, right place at right time but I think at some point everyone will have that one suprising lucky moment, like a reply from something you’d long since abandoned or a role from a director who you auditioned for years in the past…
So giving up completly will never be worth it!
Scarlett