Some help please.

[hobbish]

I am half way through a screenplay (about 40 pages so far. I see it reaching 70-80). Is it just impossible at the moment to get it noticed? I don't know how getting an agent works, but there's absoloutley no way for me to pay anyone. Is my outlook so bleak that it will never get read by anyone who could produce it?
Thanks

Mike

[PenguinDude]

Well, it all depends what scale you think its gonna be on. For hollywood scale movies, try this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Liked-Didn-Love-Screenplay-Development/dp/1580650627/sr=8-1/qid=1158692988/ref=sr_1_1/002-9408823-3939229?ie=UTF8&s=books
Everything you need to know about the subject. Hope it helps.

[mammamaia]

short answer is, 'YES!'... it's impossible...

first of all, it's not long enough for a marketable screenplay, if it will only be 70-80 pages when completed... optimum for all but comedy is 110 pages... for comedy, around 90...

secondly, and what my answer is based on, is that no one will be interested in a script until it's completed...

next, you don't have to have money to get an agent, only a good, professional quality, marketable script [or 3!]... agents only get paid AFTER they sell your work, never before...

finally, your outlook will remain bleak until you learn the abc's of the film industry and screenwriting... i mentor many aspiring screewriters, so if you want an assessment of your work and/or any help, just drop me a line... i will also be happy to send you tips from the pros on how to sell your script and other basic info...

love and hugs, maia
[email protected]

[hobbish]

thanks maia and penguin. I wasn't looking for it to be so long, as I was hoping it to be a short film, not particularly with a large budget. Intresting that an agent only gets payed afterwards.

[mammamaia]

there's virtually no market for shorts... their main purpose is for entering competitions and for showing off the talents of the writer and/or director... some comp winners may be sold to cable channels as fillers, but mostly they're just demos...

regardless of budget size, you still have to have a full, feature-length screenplay to offer, if you hope to have anyone read it or buy it...

as for agents getting paid after a sale, that's merely the nature of any commission-based profession... same goes for real estate brokers and stock brokers... they take a percentage of whatever amounts change hands, for which, they do whatever's necessary to make the sale/provide the service...

[hobbish]

cakes, maia.