What To Do After Writing Your Screnplay
You’ve completed the exhaustive journey of writing your feature movie. This is a fantastic achievement. But I have some bad news. Unless you’re happy putting that stack of papers on a dusty shelf and forgetting about it, you have a daunting task ahead of you. Writing your screenplay is just the first step. You can’t get your screenplay into the hands of someone with the power to make your movie unless you have an agent. And getting an agent without a network of family/friends in the industry… well it’s tricky.
Avenue A – Screenplay Competitions
Hoping the value of your screenplay will be recognized by the amateur screenwriter, a dozen or more scripts on his or her desk, reading them for twenty bucks a pop? That’s madness! Not to mention the possibility that your screenplay analysis is being done by ChatGPT. There’s a whole industry built around these screenwriting competitions. It’s called the false hope industry.
Avenue B – Query Letters
Plenty of stories of movies getting picked up this way, but they’re all from a decade or more ago. I wouldn’t dismiss this avenue of attack altogether, but I wouldn’t pin my hopes and dreams on it either!
Avenue C – You’re Going to Make a Short Film
A short film is a powerful weapon for demonstrating your screenplay’s value. Nobody needs to read a script and use their delicate imagination when there is a visual representation of your movie playing out right in front of them!
You’ve written ninety-something pages? Strip it down to ten. Ten pages that demonstrate the power of your screenplay. This is where we have a part to play. ShortFilmX is here to provide you with the equipment, guidance, and technical assistance required to turn your short script into the cinematic experience you have envisioned.
You now have two New Avenues!
Avenue D – Film Festivals
Film festivals are your gateway to the world of industry professionals. Having your short film screened at a film festival expedites your movie making career, opening a vast array of doors for your feature screenplay and your future.
Avenue E – GoFundMe/Kickstarter campaign
With a short film to demonstrate the power of your screenplay, people will be eager to donate to the project, and you can produce your feature yourself! If you still have any nagging questions about how best to approach the world of movie making, contact us, we’re here to help you.
Screenwriting Competitions - Are They Worth It?
The only profession for which competitions can be considered a strategic route of entry is sports. I don’t need to point out how different professional screenwriting is from professional football. Competitions undoubtedly play a role in bringing new talent to the industry. I won Best Feature Drama in Final Draft’s Big Break Competition back in 2021. It was a wonderful experience that introduced me to some incredible people and I wholeheartedly encourage writers to enter industry-recognized competitions… but I cannot advise that you make entering them your only strategy!
Request a free screenplay consultation today!
We offer our aspiring screenwriters a step by step strategy for breaking into the film industry. So if you want to sit back and pray that your screenwriting competition entry is the lucky draw, by all means do so, but when you’re ready for a more hands on approach – we’re here for you! Contact us today to begin your professional development journey.
