Film Industry

I’m a newbie screenwriter and started to wonder if my appearance will come in to play as I try to pitch and sell my script. I was having a total femme moment and thinking of dying my hair with bold red streaks and then thought, “Would this speak to my creative side or would it convey too much whimsy?”

I know actors have to worry about appearances but do writers have to worry about too bold of hair color or the like…and when it comes to meetings do you dress semi-casual or do you have to suit up?

–Cheryl Laughlin 

In my first Hollywood meetings, I always overdressed. I was uncomfortable, and the executive was uncomfortable. Gradually, I realized that the writer should always be the worst-dressed person in the room.

Not by much, mind you — you don’t want to look homeless or sad. But if the executive is wearing a suit, you want to wear a sweater. If he’s wearing a button-down shirt, you wear a polo. Just going one step more casual puts everyone at ease.

Obviously, women’s clothes are a little harder to gauge, so you’re a bit on your own. I’d say, wear whatever the assistants there wear: professional, but probably not a suit. If you dress like you’re working at a nice store, you probably won’t go wrong.

As far as your hair, do whatever you like. You certainly don’t need conservative hair to make it in the business.

I am interning for a well-known producer and one of my duties is to read incoming spec scripts and write coverage on them. Everything we read is submitted through agents – yet I am still shocked with how bad almost every script is. What I have trouble understanding is how agents believe these scripts are worthy of being sent out to major production companies. Do agents submit anything their clients write, or do they ever tell clients that they need to work on something a little longer before they’ll send it out?

–Benjamin
Los Angeles

As you’re learning, just because a writer has an agent doesn’t mean she has talent.

To the 99% of readers out there who want an agent, this must come as salt on the wound, but it’s true: really bad writers have agents. They write terrible scripts that people like Benjamin have to read.

Agents aren’t always the best judge of quality, frankly. After all, they aren’t the ones who have to work with writers on endless drafts. They aren’t editors, or critics. Their job is to keep their clients employed. The only way to do that is to get people to hire them, which necessitates having people read their work.

Of course, if a script is terrible, you’re not doing the writer any favors by forcing it out upon the town. But since the agent is neither critic nor editor, he doesn’t have much of a choice. He can politely suggest that the script might need more work in some places, but if the writer wants the script to go out, it’s the agent’s job to send it.

If you’re getting anything out of your internship, Benjamin, I hope it’s an appreciation for just how rare and wonderful good writing is. As you’re seeing, the Hollywood system isn’t designed to shut people out. It’s just that there’s so much crap to wade through, you have to limit how much you let get through the front door.

I’m heading to LA to begin the Professional Program in Screenwriting at UCLA and would love to get a day job as a reader if possible. Where do you start looking for reader jobs being offered and what gets you hired as such?

–Angel
Fabens, Texas

For those unfamiliar with Hollywood parlance, a reader is someone who writes coverage on a screenplay — essentially a summary of the plot, along with a short critique of the the script’s characters, narrative, dialogue and structure. Along with answering phones and working in the mailroom, being a reader is one of the classic first jobs in the film industry.

In order to get hired as a paid reader, you need samples and references. The best way to get these is to intern somewhere. Pretty much any small production company would be fine for this. There are a few ways to find one:

1. When you get to Los Angeles, pick up a copy of Variety and The Hollywood Reporter. In the classifieds section, you’ll find ads for “readers wanted.” Some of those are scams; some are real. You just have to meet with them to figure it out. (Trust your gut.)

2. Since you’re going to be at UCLA, check the bulletin boards in the film school. There will likely be some “interns wanted” flyers there.

3. The classic resource is the UTA job list, which is published every week and lists every assistant-level job open in Hollywood. Technically, you’re not supposed to get it unless you’re on the official distribution list, and if you call UTA, they’ll deny it exists. But if you’re already working one internship, chances are someone else in the office gets the UTA list, and if you ask nicely they’ll let you see it. A sample listing from this week would be:

> Feature film production company with Academy Award-winning Producer needs one more intern. Candidate must have experience writing coverage and should be a student or recent graduate. In addition to assisting with daily office management, our interns take on the role of story analysts, evaluating our current projects. Must be available to start immediately and be present in the office at least two days a week. Unpaid. Please fax cover letter and resume to 310-555-5555 5/14

The goal with this first, unpaid reader job is to get experience, a recommendation, and stack of 10-15 good examples of coverage. You can have multiple internships at the same time, and you don’t need to stay with one for very long — not more than a few months. Everyone leaves; you won’t hurt anyone’s feelings. Take your good sample coverage and look for a paid job. The same resources listed above are good places to start looking, but hopefully you’ve made some contacts by now who can help you as well. Many of the more interesting jobs are never listed.