Sunday, July 11, 2010

Selling a Screenplay

So I've recently been infected with the desire to sell a screenplay.  When I started screenwriting seriously several years ago through the Film Studies program at RIC, I had written a few feature lengths (all admittedly terrible) and tried with my amateur naivete to conquer the world.  Alas, that dream never came into fruition.

Therefore, in order to better hone my skills,  I've spent the last number of years writing short screenplays to self-produce.  Films such as Contours, Videotape, Curiosity Delay, and The Kiss (currently in production) are all examples of shorts I wrote with the desire of self-producing.

But as of last month I've decided that I really want to get back on that horse.  I'm currently writing a feature-length script entitled Oldtown.  I've got my copies of the Hollywood Creative Directory and the Hollywood Representation Directory and I feel ready to play writer, manager, and used-car salesmen as I construct queries, pitches, and try my darndest to market this thing.

I've recently been reading posts on the wonderful blog http://www.sellingyourscreenplay.com/ which is run by screenwriter Ashley Meyers and who gives fantastic advice about the Do's and Don't's of trying to sell your screenplay.

Realistically do I think Oldtown will sell?  The answer is: I have no idea.  Though I'm very proud of Oldtown - and it's easily the best work I've produced to date - the script is a fairly low-concept character driven piece and these low-concept scripts are harder to push than high-concept hooks.  So we'll see.

For now, I'll leave you with the logline I've been pitching:

Ian Graham, a disillusioned rock star, quits his band before signing with a major label and returns to the hometown he fled as a teenager.  Complications arise when his father, ex-girlfriend, and an eccentric bluegrass musician begin to confront his values of love and music.

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