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This week's Answer: Don't
Get Your Treatment Pitched Right Out The Door You Want To
Get Your Foot In
Getting to pitch an idea /treatments is a bit tricky
unless you have contacts who can get you into studios
and connect you with producers. Most will only take pitches from
those who have track records (but, of course, I've mixed
my metaphors again like many in the business. We
need to make up our minds whether we're playing baseball
or running track) but there are the
exceptions. You want to be careful who you're
pitching to (especially if you're on a running track) and make sure your material is as protected
as possible (WGA is recommended). There are places
on the Internet that will take pitches, but, again, make
sure you know who they are and what their track
record is (and if they can pitch as well as bat). There are pitch events
around town (I learned how to throw a fast and curve ball
as a kid in little league baseball so I don't go to them)
that you can pay to attend in which a screenwriter has
opportunities to pitch to a number of producers (I guess
they like baseball and didn't get to go to little league) looking
for certain types of screenplays. (I received
pitches at one of them -- and I'm not even a
catcher. Too hard on the knees.)
You have a much better chance getting your idea seen if
it is a screenplay. You'll be taken much more
seriously. The truth is everybody has good ideas.
It's those who can offer a screenplay who usually get
the second look. There are no rules, but that's
the general order of things in the "movie
universe."
If an idea is really good, know that there are others somewhere also working on
that idea. That's how it seems to go. As
soon as that brainstorm hits, it's best to move quickly.
And it's best to write the script.
Existing properties and writing remakes is another layer
of challenges. You're talking about getting the
rights and being involved with previous companies or
producers or agents and, probably, authors. It can
be done, but, if you want to make your first mark, it's
usually best to do it from an original standpoint.
But don't let any existing patterns or statistics ever
deter you. If you have a remake idea, for example,
and that's what you want to do, get on the phone, the
Internet, a horse, if necessary, and take it as far as
you can. Don't let anybody tell you that you can't
do something. One day, if you keep persisting, you
will get your foot in the
door.
Just be remember that sometimes it's wise to wear army
boots.
DcH
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