Film Courage: In general what are the best ways to have an uncredited writer find script buyers?
Zach Zerries, Screenwriter/Author: Contests have always been a way to
get your work out there.I think there are a handful of contests like the Nicholl fellowship
and a few other contests that are there. I would think any writers starting off
can Google “best screenwriting contest” and see for yourself
and that’s one way to do it. The fees it's usually anywhere between early entry fees
are anywhere between 40 and 60 bucks. I don't think they've fluctuated much in
the last 15-20 years. That's one way to go. I will say with the contests you got to win.
I think if you win it opens doors. I think even if you make it in the finals I placed in a lot of
contests in in semifinals quarterfinals finalists even in Nicholl right I was a semifinalist to
Nicholl years back with the pirate hunter script believe it or not which was a shockI just sort of
submitted it for poops and giggles and went in and made it all the way to semifinalsI had that was
actually a film a script thatI had co-written with an old friend of mine and I was amazed becauseI
know the Nicholl always focused seemed to focus more on drama maybe some comedy some thriller
but this was a straight straight action movie so I was impressed that it got as far as it did
and it got me my first manager who is still my dear friend
so it definitely opened some doors it got me some meetings
but I feel like you still need to come away with the top prize in that maybe a runner-up
there's also for writers inc tip which is a website that is devoted to
you put your logo you can upload your logline synopsis you can put a treatment and a script
and orI think it's treatment and or a script up there and that definitely there there are a lot of
production companies who are on there there'sI think they have something like 15 000 members and
that you can subscribe they send your log line out and you'll have people come and they can contact
youI used to have some stuff listed on thereI had somebody contact me never really materialized but
there are people that are looking that's one way to reach reach other folks other than that I know
it's time of covid networking is definitely a good way to go it really is all about who and
that's that's that's a great way and working working in an agency working in a in aa
production company those are definitely ways of you you can get your work to somebody potentially
within those agencies companies etc that might be able to open some doors for you working working
on shows working on a tv show working on a film and continuing to work on various productions
again you accrue a lot of people they know it's what happened with me whenI started off knowing
going from one to the next to the next and sort of broadening your your scope of contacts it's a
funny storyI remember this is beforeI even thought about being a tv writer I was onI had just left
law and order the Law and Order show after two years andI had given my script to a writer there
and she got in touch with me a couple months later she said I read your script it's really good
she said have you considered tv writing and at the time tv writingI just want to write movies
and foolishly and this is something thatI say to anyone watching if you have one of
the top tv writers on law order or one of the tv writers in the business and again this was before
the advent of like tv was starting to come to the fore and you were starting to get into the
golden age but this was like probably a few years before that andI was just so focused on being
film writer but this woman said to me andII given her the script becauseI admired and respected her
immensely and her talent and she was one of the top writers thereI said she wrote she
she called me she said this is really good and have you considered writing tv andI saidI haven't
and she said wellI would andI didn't really heed that call until later andI did write some pilots
andI actually did get some meetings with folks and tv and some at some of the networks with some of
the pilotsI had written butI wishI had heeded that call earlier and some of your viewers are probably
looking at this and saying what a schmuck and you yours are right what a schmuck if
you have that opportunity you you hear those voices you they're it's all signs read the
signposts if somebody says hey what you may want to consider writing this or working on that or
take it because there are not a lot of opportunities in the in the film business and
if you if you're there to heed the call it could lead to some really potentially wonderful things
that's a great story yeahI mean maybe just wasn't right for you at that timeI wouldn'tI
was young and d b and etc that's all I'll sayI had certain things that yeah
if I think back but yeah she was a she was aI mean for her for her becauseI was
gone from the from the show at that timeI was long gone she did not have to call me
she did not have to call me up and whenI leftI said to her likeI alwaysI told herI saidI really
appreciated you really were inspiring to work for you were always really cool and and andI
admired who you were who you are soI don't know if that did it but she did get back to me she
didn't have to and she did and she was just very complimentary andI just wish in hindsight maybeI
had but like you said I was in a different place than I think I was 25. Yeah so and you're thick
at that and that's what I'm saying like it there takes some maturation also do so many things are
being presented to you at that age and soI think there's this weird skew that you think it's always
going to be yes that way especially you do and you do you just think noI won't I'll get that
next opportunity in three months rights omething else right and you you look the one thing I'll say
is that nobody ever said to me and I'll still knock wood nobody ever said to me stop writing
you just don't do it it's you need to find a new career path nobody ever said that to me
andI meanI guess we wouldn't really say that to anybody but if somebody's really
being blunt sometimes they would like you just don't have it and I'm not saying I'm
I have it I'm just saying that in my professional experience nobody ever said just stop
this isn't for you sure and sometimes if someone says it doesn't even mean it's that somebody's
trying to sabotage someone so you just never know what their opinion right what their agenda is
and a funny and real funny story so that script that went to the semifinals in Nicholl
three months earlier we had somebody submitted to this film production company
which is no longer around and they made a couple of comedies that weren't very good
but their director of development it's though it is the meanest responseI
ever received and it was my writing partner andI at the time we received it
this development exec said it's not such-and-such material
it's not this company's materialI remember thinking and you made that film and you're
andI wasI was so one we went and I'll tell youI admire my restraint
because after we made it all the way to the semifinals it was likeI
still had a little bit of acid in my mouth about thatI just want to write oh really well it's
Nicholl material butI didn't do that I'm not like thatI just butI was like wow that was definitely
just I don't know if she meant this isn't for us but to just to go out of their way
and say this is not this doesn't rise to our levelI was like wow okay yeah you just wanted
to put you just wanted to put us down all right all right well they're not existence anymore so
we all got the last laugh because somebody went to see their movies I guess but it was
it was a really mean mean-spirited thing to sayI thoughtI would never ever say anything
like that to anybody it's a very conceited thing yeahI almost feel like it's a hazing
and that's the only wayI can think of it is like you've got to have a bunch of those to just keep
you absolutely I'm going to keep getting because absolutely yeah it's it's they do happen they do.
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