3 Things New Screenwriters Should Do With Their Finished Screenplay by Karl Iglesias Video Lecture | Screenwriting: From Beginner to a Pro - Career Development

so once a screenplay is finished hmm
what does the writer do it right well
I'll argued that a screenplay is never
finished they say only it's only
finished when you're done editing the
movie that's the only time when
something is finished but if you're an
aspiring writer and you finish your
screenplay always make give it give it
to as many people as you can to read and
get feedback on very important when it
gets to the point where you know the
only feedback you get is wow this is
great I would love to see this movie
then you can start marketing it and so
there's different ways you can do I mean
you can you can try to meet agents
producers Network go to events trying to
query you know I I talk in the book
about the one-on-one habits how query
letters is is you know anybody who tells
you to do career leaders don't listen to
them because that's not how it works so
it's really word of mouth it's all about
recommendations so you know an agent
will read your script if it's
recommended by somebody they trust so
you have to give it to somebody they
trust you know so it's really about
knowing people and the more people you
meet in Hollywood or LA the better
because then you can network in in that
sense for people who are afraid of that
who are not social and have a tough time
making relationships I always advise to
enter a contest because that's that's
the easiest way you just enter a contest
preferably a reputable one like the
nickel or Austin Sundance I mean there's
a lot of them but there's only a few
that reputable I don't think anybody
cares if you won some really minor
contests and and I gotta say when I when
I was working in development I used we
used to read the winners of certain
contests because it's because we like
the concept but the the scripts were not
good there were flawed even though they
won the contest so it's really about the
competition of you know you're competing
against so so enter reputable contests
and if it's really good if your script
is really good it will rise to the top
cut so I always believe in cream rising
to the top so rise to the top and then
people will request the script so it's
real it's a good way to have your script
to read by others if it's really good
so enter as many concerts as you can get
feedback and see what happens that's the
only or if you wanna do it by yourself
if you want to raise the money by
yourself and do Kickstarter campaigns
and make your movie that's fine too you
can do it you know but get feedback
first because there's a lot of writers
who like I said before are not are too
sensitive to feedback and so they try to
avoid feedback they try to think that
their stuff is really great and they try
to do everything possible to make that
movie and they raise money and whatever
and they finally do it that's great and
then it fails because it wasn't that
good and audiences don't respond to it
and you just wasted all this time and
money and energy so feedback is
paramount so would you say that the
first-time writer or maybe the first
excuse me the first screenplay a
writer's written and maybe they've done
several drafts I've shown it to family
and friends but maybe don't try to don't
show it to family don't show ok don't
because you will get good feedback oh
really the family and friends will
because didn't want to hurt your
feelings if something if something
doesn't work I mean have you ever have
you ever told somebody you know whether
it's an actor or director about their
movie and it sucked I mean you didn't
tell him it sucked you told them you
know was interesting or you found some
found some good to say about it because
you don't want to hurt their feelings
it's the same with family and friends
you know you don't show the script to
your mother of course you'll say it's
the greatest thing right so you know try
to give it to readers is a lot of
reading reading services where you can
get somebody to read it for you and you
know or you can do consultants or those
are more expensive but and in classes -
I mean UCLA Extension is like fantastic
writing classes right and that's a great
way to get feedback from professional
writers because everybody who everybody
who teaches there is a professional so
that's a great way to get feedback not
only from the teacher but from your your
classmates but then should you advise
maybe a first-time screen screenplay to
not be made into a film right away
because as you said earlier it could
just I mean if it's someone's thing
right out the gate even though they may
well unless it's great I mean it's been
it happened before where somebody wrote
their very first draft of the very first
script
and it was shot as is that happened and
it was fantastic it was fantastic I mean
I'm not sure American Beauty is an
example of this I'm not sure if it was I
don't think was Alan Bowles first script
cuz I think he was doing TV before
but Alan balls American Beauty was
probably the first a second draft that
was shot unchanged except for just the
opening the book ends that was different
but but like there's one of those
scripts that you read it was like
perfect and just boom you know and I
think to Clint Eastwood who likes to
shoot scripts that are just like as as
is like they're you know if he finds a
perfect script it's there and no need to
change it just do it
I think Gran Torino is example that
anyway don't quote me on that
[Laughter]
you