If you have written a screenplay and want to see it made into a movie, you have several options. You can submit it to Hollywood studios. You can also look for independent filmmakers, who may be looking for screenplays. Your final option is to make the movie yourself, learning some of the skills needed, and getting volunteers, or hiring experts to help make your movie. This article will cover the different options open to you as a screenwriter.
You can find the mailing addresses for Hollywood studios, and send your script to them. Unfortunately, they will usually send it back unread, as they do not accept anything which is not submitted by a literary agent. You can then try to get a literary agent to represent you and your screenplay, but it can be very difficult, as they usually want to represent writers with proven track records. You can also seek out independent filmmakers, who are more open to reading scripts by unknown writers. However, independent filmmakers almost always have several of their own movie ideas they are working on, and their own scripts take preference over those submitted by others. Or finally, you can make the movie yourself.
Many writers have turned their own screenplays into movies, and some have made a lot of money with their movies. With the digital video revolution, it is possible to shoot a high quality movie using an inexpensive video camera, and then do the editing on a home computer. Some writers have done this, becoming their own directors and producers, making their movie for under $10,000. But many writers who become first time filmmakers, do not finish their movies because the work involved can be overbearing, or they make a movie which is of low quality which has little chance of success.
I will outline here two low cost options for you as a screenwriter wanting to make your movie yourself. The first option is to learn the skills you will need to make your movie. You can take some workshops and seminars on filmmaking, and buy your own camera and computer with an editing program, and practice with both. You can then get some volunteer actors and crew members and make your movie. However, the best thing to do is to first make several short films, before you tackle your feature length movie. This way, you can learn as you go, making your mistakes on your short films, rather than your feature length movie. It is advisable to make at least 4 or 5 short films, to learn how to produce and direct a movie. If you have a regular job, and spend all of your free time making short films, you will do well to make 4 per year, with 2 or 3 being closer to the average. Short films typically cost one to three thousand dollars, even if volunteers are used.
The other low cost option for a screenwriter is to hire an experienced filmmaker, who is used to making low budget movies, to do most of the work. Such a person may have spent many years working with very small budgets, and knows how to utilize volunteers or low paid help to make a movie. For a writer whose main interest is in getting their movie made, rather than learning a lot of skills that may not interest them, this can be the better option. An experienced low budget filmmaker can likely save you thousands of dollars, and ensure that your movie is saleable.
I am an expert at making low budget movies. I have movie making packages starting at $14,000. You can be the director, or I can direct it for you. You may be able to find two actors who are keen to get the lead roles in a movie, rather than bit parts, who will want to share the cost. I can make your movie where I live, or come to you. If made where I live, your movie can be made to look like it was made somewhere else. This is done all the time, and it is explained on my website: http://www.bushpilotproductions.com/makeamovie.html.
To make your movie at a very low cost, there are script considerations which are also explained on the website. You can keep trying whatever you have been trying, and eventually give up, and then mumble the name of your movie when you are dying. Or, you can get proactive, and make your movie.
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