I scan Talent Circle and several other newsletters each day for screenwriting work. I’m not expecting to find paid work here. What I’m really looking for is the experience of working with other people in the industry. Building the network, collaborating, taking a punt on a director’s vision.
That kind of thing.
Thing is, some of the stuff that comes up on Talent Circle has clearly been posted by complete chancers. Wannabe directors who fantasize from the safety of their bedrooms about getting their half-baked scripts put into production simply because they’ve had a scriptwriter jiggle around with it a little.
But what about those TC ads that look completely on the ball but when you google the prodco’s name, nothing comes up. Should I be suspicious? How can I evaluate whether I’m offering my time and energy to someone who is going to piss it down the drain? I don’t mind taking a risk. It’s all about risk. But I want it to be a considered risk.
Any thoughts?
8 Comments
To be honest Laurence I’m always a little sceptical about these sites but that’s just me. Logical dictates that someone worthwhile must use them but how you sort out the good from the bad is beyond me. Maybe the wannebe director in his bedroom is looking for that big break as much as the next guy. Nobody at the top of their game came into this world doing what they do, they had to take a risk or have someone take a chance on them. Personally, I don’t bother but then I’m a scaredy cat!!
It’s a shame we have to be so sceptical about various sites/ads etc but such is the nature of the beast and for every person gagging for work there will always be a handful of charlatans waiting to pounce. I suppose only experience and listening to your gut instinct can assist you, but obviously that’s no guarantee!
I guess you should make sure you have a list of questions reserved for the ‘unresearchables’ – start by making a list of things that are important to you, rummage around the internet for basic rights & legalities; have a note of various contractual outlines and obligations – basically a checklist of things that would really p*ss you off if they did/didn’t happen – and go from there. Everyone’s list will be different, but at least you know you are walking in with your eyes wide open.
Thanks both. You’ve answered my question implicitly; there’s no smart way of telling who’s who short of looking people up on imdb, sp and the like. And the people at the bottom of the ladder ain’t likely to be on imdb.
I could probably do with brushing up my question checklist, Lara. Probably twelvepoint is a good place to start for that kind of stuff, I guess.
I’m not risk averse; if I start working with some chancer and they turn out to be a time-wasting muppet with no more right to my time and energy than the proselytising Tikki-Tikki lizards of the South Carolina badlands who demand money with menaces when you refuse to buy their badly-written religious tracts then I shall cut them away from myself with the razor-sharp sabre of brutal honesty. Oh yes, you see if I don’t.
Phill’s got some good advice on this here, and James M covers much the same here.
What I’ve got out of it, paraphrased and boiled down, is this:
If you’re interested, talk to them about it.
If you’re still interested and it’s a small job, accept it.
If you’re still interested and it’s a big job, do it for a nominal fee. Say a hundred quid up-front, with real money coming when it goes in front of the cameras.
(Where small = short film or something you can knock out in a weekend, and big = feature or pilot or something that will take a month or more out of your life.)
If it’s a big job, you’ll need someone to check the contract. Use that hundred quid to join the writers’ guild, who have a free contract-vetting service to all three sorts of members.
Cheers Piers. I noticed a mention of Phill’s ’strategy’ on his blog recently and hadn’t pulled my finger out quite far enough to actually go and find it. Not only have you saved me the effort, you’ve summarised it for me.
The Writer’s Guild tip is one I sincerely hope I need before too long.
Thanks, matey.
My first feature came out of responding to a post on Shooting People. It was a good few years and a number of different scripts before it was produced, but the contacts I have now really all stem back to that Shooting People post. I’ve had a short film produced that way too.
At the same time I’ve had quite a few bad experiences too. I’ve been involved with a lot of projects through Talent Circle and Shooting People that have eventually come to nothing and it’s something I’m more wary of now.
So there is a risk it will be a lot of work for nothing, but there’s still a chance that you’ll make some good contacts and get some good experience.
We advertised for a first AD and got replies from totally unsuitable people. At the same time that’s where we found our cinematographer.
Chris & pots; this is what I wanted to hear. I know there’s going to be a lot of chaff on these sites, a lot of timewasters. What I didn’t know is whether amongst all those were any genuine bods. Seems there are. And the experience and potential contacts make it worthwhile.
I shall persevere.
Thanks all.
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